The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 192

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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 192

Chapter 192. The Imperial Silk Procurement Competition (5)

I exhaled a silent sigh inwardly, recalling memories from my past life.
The third challenge—one that had tormented all participants with its brutal difficulty back then.
It was identifying the production region of silk by examining it.
Silk is a handcrafted product made from silkworm cocoons produced in each region by its local people.
Therefore, it was only natural that regional characteristics appeared, just as they did in Shu Brocade from Sichuan Province.
Yet because the differences could be subtle in some cases, the difficulty truly was extreme.
I had a sense of what the Imperial Palace was demanding this time.
This was the standard one had to meet to be worthy of supplying silk to the Imperial Palace.
“From now on, for each numbered answer sheet we distribute, please write down the production region of the silk bearing the corresponding number.”
Hearing the Eunuch Official’s words, I smiled inwardly with quiet conviction.
Why, you ask?
In my previous life, I had made the Eunhae Fabric Shop a tremendous success.
Something like this was child’s play—I could do it with my eyes closed.

That day,
I achieved the remarkable feat of identifying all thirty silks correctly.
There were a few questions where opinions differed, but each time, my answer proved correct, and the managers’ eyes upon me changed.
Until then, they had regarded me as a Small Guild Master who was useful to the company, but from that day forward, they looked upon me as a true merchant.

Though I must be careful—if they start suggesting I become the next Sect Leader, that would be problematic.
The position of next Sect Leader belongs to Eun Jung-ho.

* * *

The Emperor had not only the Empress but also several Concubines.
In other words, there were many Princes and Princesses.
No matter how fair the Emperor was, differences in his affection were inevitable.
Princess Jinhua, who was sixteen this year, was among those favored by the Emperor.
She had been summoned to observe the Imperial Silk Procurement Competition this time.
All Princesses had received the Empress’s command to attend.
“How tedious. Even the Empress…”
Muttering her displeasure, Princess Jinhua made her way to where the competition was being held.
There, she saw a man, and her gaze could not leave him.
A young man of such exquisite beauty.
From that day forward, his visage haunted her waking thoughts, stealing her sleep night after night.
Naturally, her complexion grew pallid, and the Empress became so concerned that she came to visit her.
“My dear Princess, is something troubling you? Your face has grown so drawn that it pains this mother’s heart.”
“I apologize for causing you such worry, Your Majesty.”
“What is the reason for this?”
“It is…”
“Speak freely.”
After hesitating, she finally burst forth with her confession.
“I wish to marry a certain man!”
“What? So suddenly?”
The Empress was taken aback, but soon nodded in understanding.
Considering that most Princesses married before reaching twenty, it was not particularly early.
“When I first saw that man, my heart raced, and whenever I close my eyes to sleep, I see him. I cannot rest at all.”
The Empress wore a troubled expression for a moment, but soon composed herself and asked calmly.
“Then, who is this man?”
“It is…”
She squeezed her eyes shut and continued.
“Eun Seo-ho, the Small Guild Master of the Eun Hae Trading Company.”
“…”
She cautiously opened her eyes slightly to observe her mother’s reaction.
She had fully expected a rebuke—how could a Princess of the realm harbor feelings for a man of such lowly merchant status—but it did not come.
The Empress merely wore a bitter smile.
“Why do you smile so?”
“Must it be this man specifically?”
“Yes.”
Hopeful that something might come of this, Princess Jinhua spoke urgently.
“I understand that as a Princess of this realm, my marriage must also benefit the nation. But if I were to become unhappy through a marriage I do not desire, Father would suffer watching my misery, and that would ultimately not serve the nation’s interests.”
“Why have you set your heart on him of all people?”
The Princess was flustered.
It was a question entirely different from what she had anticipated.
“Your Majesty, is there perhaps some problem with that man?”
“There is. A very serious one.”
It was only natural for the Empress to pay close attention to every move and gesture of the Emperor, her husband.
And so she had come to know.
That the Emperor frequently summoned Eun Seo-ho, and that the reason was to employ him for his purposes.
In other words, he was a talent the Emperor had marked for himself.
While it was not impossible for a son-in-law to become an official, it was extremely rare for one to assume an administrative position due to various complications.
But the Empress knew the Emperor’s temperament far too well.
He was not a man who would concern himself with such trivial matters.
Rather, he would be more troubled by a princess running to him pleading to be excused from overtime work.
“Princess, listen well to what your mother says.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Eun Seo-ho, the Small Guild Master, is truly a man of exceptional ability. That is the problem.”
“What? Isn’t it good if his abilities are excellent? Then why…?”
“Because he has caught the Emperor’s eye. In any case, that is the problem.”
The Empress offered no further explanation, and Princess Jinhua realized that the answer to this matter lay with the Emperor.

Princess Jinhua was a woman of initiative, so the very next day, she went directly to have an audience with the Emperor.
“Well, what brings the princess here so early in the morning?”
“Yes, Father. I have come to humbly request something of you.”
“Very well, speak.”
“I have a man in my heart, Father. Please allow me to marry him.”
“What? You have a man in your heart?”
The Emperor looked at Princess Jinhua’s face as he asked.
“Who is he?”
“It is Eun Seo-ho, the Small Guild Master of the Eun Hae Trading Company, who is participating in this silk procurement competition.”
“….”
The Emperor sighed without a word. It was no surprise to him.
Misunderstanding his silence, Princess Jinhua hastily continued.
“Father, though his status is humble, he is a man of ability, and through my marriage to him, I could bind him to the Imperial Court to be of service to you….”
“Princess.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Tell me honestly. What is it about that fellow that you find so appealing?”
“That is….”
“His face, isn’t it?”
“Oh!”
Princess Jinhua flinched. In truth, that was the primary reason.
“Your father does not care what status the man in your heart holds. As long as you are happy, that is enough.”
“Father….”
Princess Jinhua gazed at the Emperor with moved eyes. But that emotion was not destined to last long.
“But if you marry Eun Seo-ho, you will not find happiness.”
“Your Majesty? Why is that….”
“Because that fellow is someone I intend to use repeatedly for my amusement. With his outstanding abilities, he entertains me well. If I continue to employ such a man, this realm will prosper.”
The Emperor continued with a playful expression.
“He will work overtime as naturally as eating. Then, even though you live under the same roof, you will rarely see his face. What good is a handsome face to you if you cannot see it?”
“Your Majesty, that is too harsh a treatment. Our line could even end without an heir.”
The Emperor inwardly chuckled at Princess Jinhua’s response, which was much as he had anticipated.
“However, if you help him, that fellow will have more time to spend with you.”
“Your Majesty? You mean I can be of help?”
“Yes.”
The Emperor nodded.
“Work alongside that fellow. I hear you are studying the Book of Documents from the Four Books and Three Classics. With that level of education, there is no shortage of tasks you could handle within this Imperial Palace. What do you say?”
“I shall do as you command, Your Majesty.”
“First, I must test whether you are truly capable of doing this work.”
As the Emperor gestured, the Eunuch set down a bundle.
Thud—!
From the sound alone, I could tell its weight was immense.
“Organize all of this by tomorrow morning.”
“Your Majesty? By tomorrow morning? The quantity is far too much.”
“That fellow would handle five times this amount by tomorrow morning.”
“….”
“Yet you say even this is too much? Your resolve is not firm enough. Do you truly believe you can find happiness with that fellow with such a halfhearted attitude?”
“No, Your Majesty. I shall do it.”
Princess Jinhua answered with confidence.
If she could only marry the handsome Eun Seo-ho, she would not shy away from any hardship.
But then….

The next morning.
Princess Jinhua approached the Emperor and bowed her head.
“Father, my thinking was too shallow.”
“Hmm?”
“I have come to realize the world is vast and there are many men. I shall renounce my betrothal to Eun Seo-ho, the Small Guild Master.”
“Is that so? You’ve thought it through well. What a pity, though. If you were to marry him, we could handle considerably more matters together….”
“I apologize for taking your time, Father. I shall take my leave now.”
At her hurried words, the Emperor smiled faintly and spoke.
“Still, finish the tasks I gave you yesterday and hand them over to the Eunuch.”
“Yes, Father.”
Princess Jinhua withdrew, exhaling a long sigh.
Despite having worked through the tasks the Emperor assigned all day, she had barely completed half.
And gradually, she began to grasp the reality of her situation.
Truthfully, the work itself was not difficult.
The problem was that there was far too much of it, and it was painfully clear this would not end in a day or two.
The Emperor was the type who, if The Husband complained “My lord works such long hours I fear the line may end,” would respond “Then you should work alongside him.”
For life!
That was it.
Eun Seo-ho was merely bait—a means to ensnare one of the princesses into willingly performing labor.
Remarkably perceptive, Princess Jinhua grasped this within a single day, and her ardor for Eun Seo-ho cooled instantly.
Suddenly, Princess Jinhua felt a pang of pity for Eun Seo-ho, who had caught her father’s eye.
‘Ah, I should treat him well during the competition.’
.
.
.
After Princess Jinhua departed, the Emperor questioned the Eunuch.
“So, which number was Princess Jinhua?”
“The seventh, Your Majesty.”
“I thought she would be the first to rush over, yet she is seventh… And she gave up after just one day? She has keen perception indeed.”
“Still, Princess Jinhua’s abilities are quite remarkable. She completed half of the tasks you assigned yesterday.”
“Is that so?”
In truth, the tasks the Emperor had given Princess Jinhua yesterday amounted to twice the volume ordinary ministers handled in a day.
“Even though she saw through it and gave up after just one day, Princess Jinhua has accomplished the most. Thanks to her, things will become considerably easier.”
“Indeed. It appears most of the accumulated backlog has been cleared.”
“Hahaha. That fellow is truly excellent bait.”
The moment the Emperor heard that the princesses would be observing this competition, he took note of how exceptionally handsome Eun Seo-ho was.
He was certain that princesses would emerge wanting to marry him.
So he immediately devised a plan.
Using Eun Seo-ho as bait to make the princesses willingly undertake work.
Though the princesses had learned all they needed to learn, they were required to remain demurely within the Imperial Palace under the pretext of maintaining proper decorum.
The Emperor was displeased with that.
It was his principle that if one learned something, they should put it to use for the benefit of this nation.
However, if he were to officially assign work to the Princesses, the rigid ministers would rise in protest.
Thus, using Eun Seo-ho as bait, he had the Princesses voluntarily undertake the work, neatly completing a project that had been shelved for so long.
The Emperor was quite satisfied with this situation.
Yet he regretted that he could only use this method once.
Meanwhile, the Eunuch felt a measure of pity for Eun Seo-ho.
‘I wonder if Eun Seo-ho, the Small Guild Master, will even be able to marry.’
If he were to marry, that would be quite an extraordinary matter in itself.

* * *

I rubbed my ear.
“Why are you doing that, sir?”
To Palgap’s question, I continued rubbing my ear as I spoke.
“Oh, my ear is itching. Is someone talking about me?”
“There are countless people who would speak of the Young Master, sir.”
“Is that so?”
We had completed the third stage of the competition and returned to the Yeonjun Trading Company.
They said they would contact us about the next stage in a few days.
Two days had passed since then.
I was currently having lunch with the managers.
“Small Guild Master.”
“Yes, Young Manager.”
“Do you have any guesses about the theme of the next competition?”
Of course I had some guesses, but…
I couldn’t speak of them.
“I’m not entirely certain either. However, this is a matter of the Imperial Palace. Surely the theme would be something that can verify and confirm the capabilities of our trading company, wouldn’t it?”
“That would be the case.”
Just then, a servant from the Yeonjun Trading Company approached and spoke.
“A guest has arrived outside, sir.”
“A guest?”
“Yes. They say they’ve come from the Imperial Palace.”
At those words, we immediately rose from our seats and headed to the Guest Reception Room.
“Welcome. I am Eun Seo-ho, Small Guild Master of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“I have been sent by the Empress.”
As we prepared to show proper courtesy, the Eunuch Official stopped us.
“That is not necessary. I have merely come to inform you of the next schedule regarding the silk procurement competition.”
The Eunuch Official handed me a scroll, which I received and unrolled on the spot.
“…!”
I nearly let my bewilderment show without thinking.
It wasn’t the fourth topic I had known about.

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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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