The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 213

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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 213

Chapter 213. Karma Repaid (2)

I hastened my preparations to depart for Henan.
Yet even amid the rush, I found time to read the letters the children had given me.

[I’m so happy to have Senior Brother. I heard the Masters talking. They said thanks to Senior Brother, we could move to such a wonderful place. Thank you so much]

[Thanks to Senior Brother, I had such a joyful time. Actually, I tasted tanghulu for the first time. I was so happy]

Each letter was written with such care that my eyes grew misty without my realizing it.
I could feel the children’s hearts laid bare in every word.
Those who could not yet write had drawn pictures to convey their gratitude.
Sketches of them savoring tanghulu, playing with me, and countless other moments.
I was relieved the children had enjoyed themselves so.
And in the letter from the child who had asked me to buy art supplies, there was an accomplished painting enclosed.
It was a landscape painting of West Lake.
Using only ink to express depth and tone, it possessed a beauty that moved the soul.
I decided this would be mounted as a hanging scroll for my separate pavilion.
With that thought, I unfolded another letter.

[When I grow up, I will marry Senior Brother. I like Senior Brother so, so much. So please wait for me for ten years]

“Cough! Cough cough!”
I coughed without meaning to.
“Are you alright, sir?”
“Yes, yes, I’m fine.”
“How did this happen….”
Palgap’s eyes caught sight of the letter in my hand, and his brow furrowed.
“What exactly have you done to an innocent young girl?”
“If you put it that way, I sound like garbage.”
“But in ten years from now….”
“Palgap.”
“Yes?”
“I will be there.”
.
.
.
Two days later.
Palgap, myself, and four guards departed from the Eunhae Trading Company together.
This matter required the assistance of warriors, so I requested the dispatch of a squad from Go Il-pyeong, the External Chief Manager and commander of the Eunpung Corps.
However, we did not move together with them.
It was troublesome to draw attention before I could go ahead and assess the situation myself.
Of course, there was no possibility that Han Jae-ik had lied, but I needed to objectively understand the circumstances and decide what to do.

The road to Henan proved less treacherous than I had anticipated.
Though we had to cross Bok Ryong Mountain, at least there was an official highway.
“This is quite the whirlwind, if I may say so.”
Seo-woo Warrior responded to Palgap’s remark.
“However, it is only natural that our lord moves swiftly. Is Han Jae-ik not in grave danger at this very moment?”
“That is true enough….”
All of us had encountered Han Jae-ik, and hearing of his plight weighed heavily upon our hearts.
“That Ma Jang-ju is truly a despicable man, through and through.”
“Indeed. A truly wretched villain.”
Han Jae-ik had come to the Northern Sea to prevent his younger sister from becoming Ma Jang-ju’s ninth wife.
Though we had forestalled his sister’s tragic fate, we could not stop Ma Jang-ju’s subsequent cruelties.
Han Jae-ik’s family had operated a modest martial arts school for generations, I was told.
Small though it was, the Han-ga Martial Arts School was quite respectable.
But when Ma Jang-ju, the region’s wealthy magnate and man of influence, began threatening those who trained there and orchestrating various schemes, the disciples gradually abandoned the school one by one.
Though everyone knew who was responsible, they feared retaliation and could not bring themselves to aid the Han-ga Martial Arts School.
Unable to endure this persecution, Han Jae-ik’s family attempted to flee the village, only to be ambushed and prevented from leaving.
Han Jae-ik himself was wounded, but his father suffered grave injuries while protecting his mother, leaving him barely able to move.
The attackers left behind a threat: “If you try to run, you will truly die.”
Moreover, all the physicians in that village feared Ma Jang-ju so greatly that they refused to treat Han Jae-ik and his father, causing his father’s wounds to worsen.
In such desperation, Han Jae-ik had sent me a letter, grasping at straws and pleading for aid.
That someone from the Pungju Escort Bureau had delivered the letter suggested we maintained favorable relations with them.
How could I possibly ignore such a desperate cry for help?

* * *

Han Jae-ik leaned against the wall and exhaled heavily.
‘I wonder if the letter reached him safely?’
The letter he had sent to Eun Seo-ho, the Small Guild Master he had met in the Northern Sea, was the best he could manage.
His mother called out to him.
“Jae-ik.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Your father is calling for you. Go to him.”

He entered his father’s chamber.
Father lay upon the bed, his body wracked with groans as he fought against the pain.
Beside him lay a basin filled with bloodstained bandages that had just been changed.
Yet all they could manage was to gather the medicinal herbs that a sympathetic physician had casually mentioned in passing.
“Father. I have returned.”
Father’s eyes fluttered open with great difficulty, and he parted his lips with effort.
“Jae-ik.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Forgive me. You were right—we should have left this place with haste. I was foolish to be so stubborn….”
“Please do not say such things. You had your own reasons, Father.”
At first, Han Jae-ik had urged his father to flee this place quickly. But Father had insisted he could not abandon the land his ancestors had inhabited for generations.
They should have left then.
Now, even if they wished to escape, it was impossible. The moment had passed.
Ma Jang-ju was now slowly strangling Han Jae-ik’s family to death.
The price for defying his command.
In this village, Ma Jang-ju’s word was law.
Ma Jang-ju’s intention was now unmistakable.
Bring forth the hidden younger sister, or watch the family wither away.
He clearly did not believe the claim that she had entered the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
When returning from the Northern Sea, Han Jae-ik had hired an escort from a different Escort Bureau, and they had parted ways before reaching the village, leaving no witnesses to corroborate the story.
Yet even if that were not the case, Han Jae-ik had no intention of surrendering his younger sister to Ma Jang-ju.
He knew that the women who had become Ma Jang-ju’s wives had all died suddenly within a year.
Everyone kept silent due to Ma Jang-ju’s power and influence, but those who knew the truth understood.
They understood how horrifically those women had perished.
It was then that news arrived—a chance whisper about the Northern Sea Ice Palace opening its gates. It was a ray of hope.
So he had made his decision.

“Sigh….”
I stepped out of Father’s chamber and exhaled a deep, weary sigh that seemed to drain the very earth beneath me.
When I lifted my gaze, the pitch-black night sky came into view.
Much like our future.
Yet soon enough, I clenched my fists with determination.
“Even if we perish in these circumstances, I cannot send Jae-in away. You, at least, must find happiness….”
As I held that thought, stars began to pierce through the darkness of the night sky.
They glimmered so carelessly, I thought.
‘Still… our provisions are running dangerously low now….’
Not only food, but firewood too was scarce—we could barely keep our parents’ chamber warm.
How much longer could we endure like this….
It felt hopeless.
Thump—!
That was when I heard something fall in the courtyard, and I moved toward it.
A large bundle lay in the courtyard.
“What… is this?”
Han Jae-ik carefully unwrapped the bundle.
“Hm?”
Inside were rice, meat, daily necessities, charcoal, and even salve for wounds—all neatly packed.
And enclosed was a letter.

[I have received your letter with gratitude. I have not forgotten the bond we forged at the Northern Sea, nor my promise to you. Please wait just a little longer.]

“Ah….”
I could sense who had sent it.
Tears flowed unbidden from my eyes.
Eun Seo-ho, the Small Guild Master, had not forgotten me.
I composed myself and lifted my gaze to the heavens once more.
The silver moon, hidden behind clouds before, now smiled down upon me.

* * *

Henan earned its name from its location south of the Yellow River.
Thanks to the Yellow River, the land was exceptionally fertile, making agriculture flourish, and its long position at the heart of the Central Plains fostered thriving commerce.
The Ma Family Estate, the clan of Ma Jang-ju, was one of the prominent families that had dwelled in this region for generations.
They accumulated wealth through cotton cultivation and invested it into commerce, reaping considerable profits.
The current Manor Lord of the Ma Family Estate is Ma Jeong.
He was the wealthiest man in Taekyung County, and ranked among the top ten richest in the province to which the county belonged.
Thus, in Taekyung County, his word was as good as law.
Even the county magistrate dared not defy him.
This was because anyone, regardless of their station, could meet a violent end if they fell out of Ma Jeong’s favor.
With his abundant wealth, Ma Jeong maintained a formidable private militia.
The law permitted the maintenance of private forces up to a certain level for the protection of property and life.
The problem was that they committed all manner of outrages under Ma Jeong’s name, but such matters held no concern for him.
As long as he enjoyed himself, nothing else mattered.
Yet even he had a thorn in his side—the Han-ga Martial Arts School.
“How dare you defy my command and hide her from me?”
A young girl named Han Jae-in, whom he had glimpsed by chance, had captured his fancy completely.
He had selected her as his ninth wife, yet infuriatingly, they had hidden her away.
“I was showing her favor, and this is how they repay me.”
Her father claimed that his daughter Han Jae-in had entered the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
But he did not believe it.
From what he had heard, only five out of ten applicants survived to be admitted to such a place.
They sent her there? Preposterous.
‘They should speak sense!’
So he was slowly starving them to death. They would surrender the younger sister to save their lives.
Until now, he had achieved everything he desired. Nothing had ever stood in his way.
It was then that an attendant approached him.
“Master, someone from the Murim Alliance has arrived.”
“Ah, is that so? Show them to the Guest Reception Room.”
“Yes, sir.”
Yet he was not content with this small county.
Through the Murim Alliance, he wished to expand his influence further and eventually command the entire Central Plains.
The Murim Alliance was a crucial business partner toward that end.

* * *

I was staying not in Taekyung County itself, but in the adjacent prefecture right next to it.
Taekyung County wasn’t particularly large to begin with, and Ma Jang-ju’s influence was simply too vast.
If we lodged in that prefecture, everything about us would inevitably reach the ears of this Ma Jang-ju character.
Though I remained here, investigating Ma Jang-ju proved surprisingly straightforward.
He was far too infamous a figure.
Of course, for all the wrong reasons.
Palgap reported the intelligence he had gathered, his indignation boiling over.

“This Ma Jang-ju is truly a rotten bastard, sir. He beat a ten-year-old child until the boy could no longer use his legs, simply because the child failed to greet him.”
“…Truly?”
“Indeed, sir. Multiple witnesses saw it happen. And it’s said he severed someone’s wrist because they failed to offer birthday congratulations on his special day.”
“…”
He was far worse than I had imagined.
At this level, Jihyeon should have intervened…
“He commands over a hundred private soldiers, with twenty of them being first-rate warriors, or so it’s said.”
I could only nod at Palgap’s words.
Jihyeon must have been preoccupied with preserving his own life.
There’s an old saying—the law is distant, but the fist is near.
Ma Jang-ju reigns as the absolute ruler of this tiny Taekyung County.
Even so, it’s still a smaller prefecture than the one where I currently reside.
But what is the provincial governor of the prefecture containing Taekyung County doing that he doesn’t intervene?
Well, it’s obvious. He’s been handsomely bribed.
This place lies on the border between Anhui Province and Henan Province, not Hubei.
So unless a major incident occurs, such matters are conveniently overlooked.
My purpose in coming here was to rescue Han Jae-ik and his parents.
However, Father instructed me to handle the matter properly while I was here.
Even if I simply extracted Han Jae-ik’s family, Ma Jang-ju would never accept it.
Such a man’s nature is predictable without even seeing him.
He would be needlessly prideful and absolutely intolerant of circumstances not proceeding according to his will.
In other words, there was a high likelihood he would cause trouble for the Eunhae Trading Company.
It wouldn’t result in catastrophic losses for us, but it would become tiresome.
So what was to be done?
I would simply have to force him to accept it.
Yet I seemed to recall hearing something about this Ma Jeong character in my previous life?
Where had I heard it?
Just then, Jin Yu Warrior knocked on the door.
I had asked him to surveil the Ma Family Estate, and it seemed something had occurred.
“Come in.”
“My lord, I have a report.”
“Yes, speak.”
“Someone I know has recently entered the Ma Family Estate.”
“Is that so?”
“He’s a figure from the Murim Alliance.”
At those words, I recalled where I had heard the name Ma Jeong before.

“It seems that thanks to someone named Ma Jeong from the Baekcheon Trading Company, they were able to obtain cotton at a bargain price. That’s why they launched such an aggressive volume offensive at low prices…”

It was a name that had been mentioned when I received reports about the Baekcheon Trading Company in my previous life.
In other words, it meant he was a collaborator of the Murim Alliance.
As they say, a despicable person only commits despicable acts—I couldn’t let this slide any longer.

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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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