Chapter 116

Chapter 116

Hou Xiaozhu stood anxiously by the counter, peering outside. The thought of yesterday’s instructions from the officials filled him with unease. Hesitantly, he asked his boss, “Shopkeeper, do you really think that will help us sell anything?”

He was usually very enthusiastic when serving customers, so suddenly having to change his demeanor left him feeling rather uncertain.

Hearing this, the other clerks also turned to look at Shopkeeper Kang. Like Hou Xiaozhu, this was their first time doing something like this.

The shop owner, Shopkeeper Kang, said nonchalantly, “If it doesn’t sell, it doesn’t sell. Let’s just consider it cooperating with the authorities. After all, we never expected them to buy anything anyway, right?”

Hou Xiaozhu thought it made sense, but he was still worried, “But what if I get beaten up?”

Even if he wasn’t physically harmed, what if it damaged relations with other countries? He couldn’t let the blame fall on him.

Shopkeeper Kang was also a bit anxious, but in front of his employees, he maintained a calm and steady demeanor. “Don’t worry, this isn’t something we decided to do on our own. We can just pin it all on the officials.”

Hearing Shopkeeper Kang’s reassurance, Hou Xiaozhu and the others felt much more at ease. Hou Xiaozhu steeled himself, mustering up some courage. Just then, Park Doyun, Takigawa Daisuke, and the others filed in one after another. Hou Xiaozhu and the others quickly put on smiles and said, “Please come in, gentlemen! What can I help you with today?”

Park Doyun looked around snootily and said, “What do you have here?”

Hou Xiaozhu enthusiastically replied, “We have plenty of things in our shop—rouge, powder, rosewater, everything you could want! Who are you buying for?”

Park Doyun browsed casually along the counter. “For my wife.”

Hou Xiaozhu perked up even more. “Then let me recommend this rouge. It’s our most popular item! If you buy it for your wife, she’s sure to love it.”

Park Doyun had no intention of buying anything here. He ignored Hou Xiaozhu and turned his attention elsewhere.

Hou Xiaozhu looked Park Doyun up and down disdainfully. “Tch!”

Although Park Doyun didn’t understand the meaning of that sound, the tone alone made it clear it wasn’t friendly. He snapped his head around, glaring daggers. “What do you mean by that?”

But Hou Xiaozhu simply went about organizing items, completely ignoring him.

Seeing that a mere shop assistant dared to disrespect him like this, Park Doyun snapped. “I’m talking to you! Say something!”

Noticing that Park Doyun was getting angry just as Meng Shuping had predicted, Li Bo hurried over to smooth things over. “Ambassador Park, what’s wrong? Why are you so angry all of a sudden?”

Park Doyun said furiously, “Brother Li, look at his attitude! Does he look down on us Goryeo people? Hmph! If that’s the case, we’ll just leave!”

Meng Shuping and Jiang Cihe stood silently to the side. Hearing Park Doyun’s words, Meng Shuping couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, “Does he have to take everything as a national insult? Anytime something happens, he says we look down on Goryeo people. Why doesn’t he consider that we might just look down on him for being cheap? Just look at what he’s wearing—he really doesn’t look like someone who can afford to buy anything!”

Park Doyun looked around angrily. Him, cheap? He could even afford silk clothes and had dozens of servants at home—much better off than some officials in Great Chu!

But after looking around, he still couldn’t find who had spoken. So, he turned his anger back toward Hou Xiaozhu. At that moment, Li Bo feigned indignation and asked Hou Xiaozhu, “Hey, clerk, this customer is here to buy something. Why are you acting like this? Do you not want to do business?”

Hou Xiaozhu was panicking inwardly but forced himself to stay calm. He glanced at Park Doyun mockingly. “Sir, don’t kid me. Everyone knows these Goryeo people are poor. I doubt they can afford anything in our shop. They’re probably just here to gawk around. I’ve got a lot to do—I don’t have time to waste on him.”

Meng Shuping piped up, “Exactly! This shop assistant sees things clearly. Honestly, I think they’re just here to see the world. After all, they won’t get to see this again once they go back.”

Park Doyun’s eyebrows shot up, and he was about to lose his temper. But before he could, Li Bo spoke first, pretending to be angry. “How dare you judge customers, shop assistant! Even if he can’t afford it now, what about in the future? Once he saves up enough money, he’ll come back to buy. But if you act like this, why would he ever return?”

Park Doyun felt deeply insulted. Who said he couldn’t afford it now? He had plenty of money!

Hou Xiaozhu laughed scornfully. “Him? Sir, quit it! He’s only here this once. Who knows if he’ll ever have another chance to come to Great Chu? Frankly, he might not even be willing to spend the money to come back in his next life!”

Li Bo seemed to be at a loss for words. He looked at Park Doyun with a troubled expression. “Ambassador Park, please don’t let it get to you. The assistants in this shop are like this—they only care about rich people. People like us aren’t worth their attention. But since you weren’t planning to buy anything anyway, just look around and consider it a chance to learn something.”

Park Doyun had expected Li Bo to scold the shop assistant on his behalf. Instead, not only did Li Bo not reprimand him, but he also subtly implied that the assistant had a point. Park Doyun slammed the counter. “Who said I’m just here to look? I’ll take this box of rouge!”

Hou Xiaozhu was delighted and immediately grinned. “Wonderful! That’ll be ten taels of silver.”

It normally sold for six taels, but the official from yesterday said it was okay to raise the price a little. So, raising it to ten taels was fair game, right?

Park Doyun was shocked. “Ten taels? How can rouge be that expensive? It’s just women’s stuff!”

Hearing this, Hou Xiaozhu’s expression instantly changed. “If you can’t afford it, why act so rich? This is a business here—we don’t have time for jokes!”

Li Bo sighed and said quietly, “Ambassador Park, I said you couldn’t afford it, didn’t I? To be honest, if I weren’t here with you, I wouldn’t dare step into this shop either. You might be considered wealthy in Goryeo, but here in Great Chu, you’re really not that rich. Maybe we should just leave.”

The more Li Bo tried to persuade him, the more humiliated Park Doyun felt. If he left now, wouldn’t he be even more looked down upon? Gritting his teeth, he slammed his money pouch down. “Who said I’m not buying? It’s only ten taels—I have plenty of money!”

Hou Xiaozhu was astonished. He had thought the official from yesterday was just messing around, but this method actually worked! His smile became even more enthusiastic. “Great! I’ll package it up for you right away. Would you like to buy something for your mother as well?”

Seeing Hou Xiaozhu’s suddenly respectful attitude, Park Doyun felt immensely proud. He lifted his chin haughtily. “No, just this one thing.”

But just as he started to feel satisfied, he heard a voice say, “He spends big on his wife but won’t spend a single coin on his mother? Are all Goryeo people this disrespectful to their parents?”

At the same time, he noticed the shop assistant’s expression change again. “What kind of wealthy family only buys one thing in our shop? You’re really from a small place—even shopping like a cheapskate.”

Park Doyun’s face flushed red with anger. Who said Goryeo people were unfilial? Since other wealthy families bought multiple items, he couldn’t let himself be looked down upon either—otherwise, he’d be embarrassing Goryeo!

Suppressing his dismay, he said, “Then show me some other things!”

Hou Xiaozhu said joyfully, “You got it!”

…

Since entering the shop, Takigawa Daisuke had been secretly watching Park Doyun. Seeing that Park Doyun was indeed being looked down upon, he quickly learned his lesson: he must not appear as shabby as Park Doyun. After all, Japan was much better off than Goryeo.

The person attending to Takigawa Daisuke was Shopkeeper Kang, who said with a smile, “Honored guest, who are you buying for?”

Takigawa Daisuke replied cautiously, “For my mother.”

After recommending a suitable lip color for Takigawa Daisuke, Shopkeeper Kang smiled again and said, “Would you like to get something for your wife as well?”

Takigawa Daisuke quickly said, “Let me think about it.”

The items in this shop were far too expensive. That assistant was right—even if they could afford it, spending so much silver would still hurt.

But as soon as he refused, he saw the shop owner look him up and down and shake his head. “Well, looking at you, you don’t seem like you have a woman. Don’t lose heart, brother—if you’re generous, sooner or later, a woman will be willing to marry you.”

Takigawa Daisuke felt inexplicably looked down upon. What did he mean, he didn’t seem like he had a woman? It wasn’t that he was unwilling to spend money on his woman!

His eyes darted around. “Take that down for me!”

Shopkeeper Kang deftly placed the item on the counter. “Here you go, honored guest. This will be six taels of silver!”

Takigawa Daisuke felt a pang of regret. One item cost six taels—if he bought a few more, his silver would be gone. Just then, Li Bo, having finished dealing with Park Doyun, came over. Seeing Takigawa Daisuke’s expression, he advised, “Ambassador Takigawa, if you think it’s too expensive, maybe you shouldn’t buy it. After all, Japan can’t compare to Goryeo either!”

Park Doyun, who was still pleased that he had successfully made the assistant apologize, proudly sneered, “Ambassador Takigawa, if you can’t afford it, don’t force yourself. I think you should go back to Japan and save up some more. Maybe you can buy something next time you come.”

Could Takigawa Daisuke tolerate being looked down upon by a Goryeo person? Of course not. Gritting his teeth, he said, “No need! I can buy it now! What other things do you have? Recommend them all to me!”

There was no way he would spend less than the Goryeo person!

Shopkeeper Kang’s eyes narrowed into happy slits. “If you spend a hundred taels, you qualify for an exchange offer. But you’re still three taels short, honored guest. Would you like to add some scented ink?”

…

After Park Doyun, Takigawa Daisuke, and the others stepped out of the shop, they found that almost all the silver they had brought to Great Chu had been spent. They felt a mix of relief and slight regret—thankfully, they wouldn’t need to spend any more silver in Great Chu, or they might have had to beg their way back!

Still, there was a strange sense of satisfaction in making the shopkeepers admit they had misjudged them. Serves them right for looking down on us—now they’ve had to eat their words!

In response, the owner and clerks of the rouge shop simply shrugged. "Hey, what’s so hard about faking a smile? That’s just business as usual! Hope we get more suckers like them!"

After finishing the shopping with the Goryeo and Japanese envoys, Meng Shuping and Jiang Cihe did not meet with the representatives from the other countries themselves. Instead, they left everything to Li Bo and the officials from the Honglu Temple (the imperial court's diplomatic office).

When Emperor Qianyou learned that Meng Shuping and Jiang Cihe had not only made the Goryeo and Japanese envoys spend the rebate coupons they had received but also dipped into their own silver, he grew very curious. How in the world had they managed it?

He immediately summoned Meng Shuping and Jiang Cihe to the palace. "Beloved Minister Meng, how did you persuade them to spend so much money?"