The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 130

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 130

Chapter 130. Apricot Flower Academy (6)

At the Emperor’s words, I found myself momentarily speechless.
I had not expected him to mention the Murim Alliance so directly.
The fact that the Emperor had referenced it with such specificity meant his information was solid.
There was no point in concealing matters and inviting his displeasure.
“Indeed, Your Majesty, that is the case.”
The Emperor regarded me for a moment before speaking.
“Very well. I shall grant you what you desire.”
“Your Majesty?”
To be honest, I had expected him to question why I was wary of the Murim Alliance and such matters.
But the Emperor asked nothing of the sort and simply agreed to grant my wishes, leaving me bewildered.
“So then, which Great Scholars shall I summon for you?”
I suppressed my astonishment and quickly produced the documents I had prepared.
“Here they are, Your Majesty.”
“You are thorough in your preparations.”
The Eunuch Official took the documents from my hands and presented them to the Emperor.
The Emperor glanced through the papers and nodded.
“Understood. I shall have all these ruffians brought in.”
“They are Great Scholars, Your Majesty. The term ‘ruffians’ seems—”
“If they possess knowledge and experience yet refuse to serve this nation, instead retiring to waste away in obscurity, what else would you call them?”
“….”
I had no words in response.
“In such moments, you simply say, ‘Your benevolence knows no bounds.'”
“Your benevolence knows no bounds, Your Majesty.”
I bowed deeply in gratitude before continuing.
“I have one further request, Your Majesty.”
“What is it?”
“I humbly ask that the Imperial Palace provide funding for our Apricot Flower Academy.”
“For what reason?”
I proceeded with my explanation.
“There are two reasons, Your Majesty. First, it provides legitimate grounds to offer compensation to the Great Scholars.”
“Indeed. Since the Imperial Palace provides the funds, it belongs to this nation. If they are not disloyal, they cannot refuse to aid the Palace in cultivating talent for the realm.”
“Second, it prevents matters that might cause Your Majesty unnecessary concern.”
“Your explanation is incomplete.”
I quickly elaborated further.
“I make this proposal because His Majesty the Emperor is concerned that the saplings of Apricot Flower Academy might grow leaning toward the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“So you’re saying the Imperial Palace should provide funds and act as a counterbalance?”
“Yes, and providing funds also means having the authority to oversee the Academy’s operations.”
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On my way back to the Yeonjun Trading Company where I was staying after leaving the Imperial Palace.
I couldn’t shake the fact that the Emperor had mentioned the Murim Alliance.
It was possible that when I took the civil service examination last time and brought up the matter, the Emperor also became wary of the Murim Alliance as a result.
With the Emperor’s intelligence network, he would certainly be able to discover the Murim Alliance’s involvement behind the scenes.
Could it be… using a borrowed knife to kill?
Was he trying to use the academy I established to check the Murim Alliance?
Regardless of what was happening, as long as I could invite the Great Scholars I desired to the academy, it didn’t matter.
After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

The Emperor said he would cover three-tenths of the academy’s operating funds.
I had proposed one-tenth, but seeing that he offered three-tenths suggested the Emperor was pleased with my proposal.
This gave the Imperial Palace the authority to oversee the operations of Apricot Flower Academy.
But it didn’t matter to me.
Managing all finances transparently was a principle that had been passed down through generations of the Eunhae Trading Company.
Moreover, if it became known that the academy received Imperial Palace support and underwent oversight, it would actually establish the perception among people that it was a clean academy without corruption.
What mattered was the manner in which I granted this favor.

Though the original plan had changed somewhat, I was actually more satisfied with this outcome.
After all, my purpose in bringing talented individuals cultivated at the academy into the Imperial Palace was not for personal gain, but to check the Murim Alliance.
Of course, it would also benefit our trading company.
As a result of this visit to the Imperial Palace, I had managed to catch not just two rabbits, but more than that.

* * *

The Emperor walked through his private garden, lost in thought.
He had an old friend.
His old friend’s name was Hwangbo Hui.
A member of the Hwangbo Family, who had served as the martial instructors of the imperial household for generations, and his childhood playmate—his sworn brother.
Because of this, they had not only grown up together, but when the Emperor received the title of Prince before ascending to the throne and went to the Prince’s Residence, Hwangbo Hui had been there as well.
Furthermore, when he traveled to Beijing with the help of Jin Woo-rim, Hwangbo Hui had accompanied him—he was the only person to whom the Emperor could bare his true heart.
However, when the Emperor ascended to the throne, Hwangbo Hui expressed his desire to work on the front lines for the people.
That was when it began.
The legend of the Ghost Face Broker was born.
Much time passed, and he eventually retired.
The Emperor praised Hwangbo Hui’s dedication, and understanding his heart, did not prevent his retirement.
Then one day, he sent a letter.

[I had intended to leave this place once I fulfilled my final wish, but it seems I must remain here longer. I have discovered someone quite intriguing—a young man named Eun Seo-ho from the Eunhae Trading Company.]

At the time, the Emperor was puzzled that his fastidious friend had taken an interest in someone, but with state affairs pressing, he soon dismissed it.
However, the Emperor himself was able to meet him.
Because he had saved the life of Jin Woo-rim, his benefactor.

“Thanks to a young merchant, I was able to save this humble trader’s life.”
“How fortunate indeed. Who is this person?”
“Yes. He was a young merchant from the Eunhae Trading Company named Eun Seo-ho.”

That name, mentioned from Jin Woo-rim’s lips.
Hearing and seeing that name twice sparked the Emperor’s curiosity.
Under the pretense of offering thanks, he met with Eun Seo-ho and conversed with him, and the Emperor, who had a keen eye for talent, coveted him.
But he could not take into his service one who was only fifteen years old.
Separate from that, he owed a debt for his friend keeping himself entertained and for saving Jin Woo-rim’s life.
So he asked his friend to give him a pouch, a treasure from the Martial Arts Records.
But the real reason he asked for that gift was to repay a kind of debt.
If it was the Eun Seo-ho he had seen, he would make good use of that pouch.
The debt would only grow larger.
And he assigned him responsibility for selling the Self-Playing Zithers, arranging for him to visit the Imperial Palace regularly.
‘So he won’t run away.’
Time passed in this manner.

Recently, he received a letter from his friend.
The letter contained a comprehensive report about the Eunhae Trading Company establishing a place called the Apricot Flower Academy in Beijing.
Upon reading the report, he immediately grasped the significance of that academy.

[Your Majesty is surely already aware of the purpose, but a troublesome matter has arisen recently. Those foolish scholars….]

As expected, Eun Seo-ho was not one to miss such an opportunity.
‘To place his people within the Imperial Palace….’
Truthfully, from the Emperor’s perspective, it was distasteful that his own subordinate worked for the Eunhae Trading Company rather than for him.
However, the Eunhae Trading Company had Eun Seo-ho.
In other words, he would carefully select only the most talented individuals and place them within the Imperial Palace.
If they devoted themselves entirely to the service of this nation, he could overlook a minor transgression or two.
‘But that man would not have orchestrated this merely for that single purpose.’
The Emperor’s mind drifted back to the civil service examination from before.
Thanks to that, he had been able to filter out those who would have passed through fraudulent means.
The Emperor had eliminated those attempting to pass dishonestly, and through this discovered that the Murim Alliance was behind it.
Of course, there was no concrete evidence.
But that alone was sufficient to cultivate wariness toward the Murim Alliance.
Here, the Emperor became curious about how Eun Seo-ho had come to know of this information.
‘He said he noticed it when he saw a companion of his cousin drinking at the Gisaeng House meeting with a suspicious figure….’
But how did he know that person was suspicious?
The answer lay in the fact that these suspicious individuals were members of the Murim Alliance, and Eun Seo-ho maintained vigilance against them.
But why was he vigilant against the Murim Alliance?
His question—”Is it because of the Murim Alliance?”—was answered by the reaction Eun Seo-ho displayed.
It vanished quickly, but for a brief moment it was unmistakably evident.
It was the emotion of vengeance.
‘What grievance could possibly harbor such bitter thirst for revenge?’
No matter how hard he tried, he could not completely prevent members of the Murim Alliance from entering the Imperial Palace.
Eun Seo-ho surely understood this as well.
So he would establish an academy and place the talented individuals it produced within the Imperial Palace to keep watch over them.
For the Emperor, this was not an unwelcome development.
He too found the Murim Alliance odious for daring to attempt to infiltrate his Imperial Palace through illicit means and sow discord.
With state affairs already so demanding, why should he not welcome this assistance?
He examined the list held in his hands.
Seeing such thorough preparation, he must have been confident of achieving his aims.
Once again, the Emperor coveted Eun Seo-ho’s boldness and talent.
“Hahahaha!”
Coincidentally, these individuals on the list were those who, anticipating the Emperor would work his officials harshly, had quickly resigned and were now idling away in remote villages.
Despite possessing excellent scholarship and ability.
Suddenly, imagining what expressions the Great Scholars who received his imperial decree would wear, he could not suppress his laughter.
He handed the list to the Eunuch Official.
“Issue imperial decrees to these individuals. Tell them to use their abilities at the Apricot Flower Academy to cultivate talent for future generations.”
“I shall obey your command.”
“Ah, and if they refuse the summons, threaten them by spreading rumors that they are unloyal to the crown.”
“I shall do so.”
The Emperor could not stop smiling.
Thanks to Eun Seo-ho’s advice to invest funds, I had obtained justification to issue an edict to the Great Scholars.
And by gaining supervisory authority, I could silence the mouths of ministers who would otherwise make a fuss about investing in that academy.
The Emperor had no intention of covering this entire sum from the Imperial Palace’s treasury.
Half from the Imperial budget, and half from the Imperial household’s personal wealth.
‘That fellow must have made such a proposal because he could gain something far greater than what I would obtain….’
The Eun Seo-ho I had observed was someone who would never engage in a losing proposition.
Because of this, I looked forward to what lay ahead all the more.
‘Grow quickly. Then I can bring you in and use you as I see fit, can I not?’

* * *

The construction of Apricot Flower Academy proceeded smoothly.
Once funds from the Imperial Palace were injected, the workers, including the carpenters, labored even more diligently, fearing their necks might be on the line.
I provided them with generous meals and encouraged their efforts.
And,
The Great Scholars who had received the Emperor’s edict arrived in Beijing. From their expressions, they looked like oxen being dragged to the slaughterhouse.
Seeing this, Palgap voiced his concerns.
“Young Master, no matter how talented a teacher may be, without enthusiasm, they cannot teach students well, can they?”
I chuckled and replied.
“Don’t worry. Even if they’re forced here and forced to teach, the students will still learn something. Besides, scholars are scholars after all.”
“Sir?”
“One of the three joys of a gentleman is to discover talent in the realm and teach it—that is both the joy and the dream of scholars.”
Saying so, I looked at the documents in my hand.
These were the admission guidelines for Apricot Flower Academy this time, and I was conducting final verification.
“This should be ready to post on the bulletin board as is.”
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Two weeks later.
“Lord! A crisis has emerged! Over a thousand people are now flooding into the academy!”
The Academy Chief Manager rushed to me and cried out.
“What? A th-thousand people? But our capacity is only a hundred?”
“We must take measures immediately.”
I hurried to the front gate of the academy and soon saw countless people lined up before the entrance.
“Good heavens! What on earth is happening here?”
At the sight, Palgap was taken aback.
I too was bewildered.
“No, I never expected this many to come.”
The Academy Chief Manager responded to my words with a bewildered expression.
“Honestly, sir, it’s not just one but five Great Scholars serving as instructors, excellent facilities, dormitories for all students, comprehensive material support, and complete tuition waiver for those who study diligently. Isn’t this something one could reasonably expect?”
“….”
Now that I thought about it, he had a point.
I suppose I had been too earnest in handling matters.
“In any case, we should take swift action.”

The Academy Chief Manager, my instructors, and I put our heads together to discuss the matter.
We decided to conduct an entrance examination.
Admitting more than a hundred students was simply impossible, no matter how we looked at it.
After conducting and grading the examination over five days, we finalized the enrollment of one hundred students.
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Before long, April arrived with its gentle breezes.
The Apricot Flower Academy, adorned with blossoms in full bloom, began its operations.
Every classroom echoed with the sound of students reciting their lessons.
At that moment, I noticed a familiar face and smiled.
The elder brother of the child who had fallen into the river—the one Bo-uk Clerk had rescued—was now studying in one of the classrooms.
He was also the first talented individual to receive the Eunhae Trading Company’s educational sponsorship.
Apricot petals danced on the wind that blew through.
A fair wind indeed.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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