The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 222

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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 222

Chapter 222. Care for a Job? (1)

The direct route from Henan to Beijing was, to be honest, far from pleasant.
Though official roads existed, the journey still demanded crossing rivers and traversing mountains.
And the cold—that was proving troublesome as well.
Yet for me, the cold posed little difficulty. The same held true for my fellow warriors.
Palgap wore the Fire Essence Jade I had given him around his neck.
I had sent word to my father through Geumryeong, explaining that unforeseen circumstances had compelled me to journey to Beijing, and he had replied with instructions to proceed carefully.
Moreover, he had sent advance notice to my Aunt through official channels, informing her of my impending visit.
He also instructed me to return with the Eun Pung-dae Fourth Squad that accompanied me.
It seemed my safety weighed heavily on his mind.
“We’re fortunate the snow hasn’t fallen. Should it come, the roads would become treacherous.”
At Myeong Bu-sung Squad Leader’s words, I nodded in agreement.
“True enough. Yet it seems the snow is conspicuously absent this year.”
“Indeed… now that you mention it. We should have seen at least one or two substantial snowfalls by now.”
To my eyes, this scarcity of snow appeared an omen of famine to come.
Coupled with the devastation wrought upon the farmlands this past spring…

We arrived safely in Beijing.
“Welcome. Did anything happen on the way?”
“No, Aunt. Have you been well?”
“Of course.”
My Aunt glanced over us and spoke.
“I’ve prepared quarters for you. The journey north must have been arduous in this cold—go rest yourselves.”
“Yes.”
I could certainly feel the temperature dropping as we traveled northward.
The Guard Warriors and I managed well enough, but the Eun Pung-dae Fourth Squad had struggled somewhat.
“Thank you for your efforts in coming all this way.”
At my words, Myeong Squad Leader smiled and replied.
“Efforts? If we trembled in cold like this, we’d face the wrath of the External Chief Manager. Haha.”
Ah, if it’s Go External Chief Manager, then certainly….
“Please go inside and rest.”
“Yes.”
Palgap, the Guard Warriors, and I entered the Inner Compound.
Among those who weren’t household staff, only the Attendants, Maidservants, and Guard Warriors were permitted inside the Inner Compound.
“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”
“I shall prepare a bath for you.”
“Yes, please.”
With Palgap’s assistance, I bathed thoroughly and lay down on the bed.
.
.
.
When I opened my eyes, evening had already arrived.
I must have fallen asleep from exhaustion.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Mm. Is it already night?”
“Yes, it’s dinner time. I was just about to wake you for the meal.”
“I do have impeccable timing, don’t I?”
“Indeed.”
Palgap gave a half-hearted reply and hurried me along.
“You should go now. They’re waiting for you in the Dining Hall.”
“Ah! Really?”
I scratched my cheek as I headed to the Dining Hall. Everyone was seated, waiting for me.
My Uncle was nowhere to be seen, apparently occupied with business.
“My apologies. I’m late.”
“Not at all. You must have been quite tired—I hope we didn’t disturb your rest.”
“No, I had just woken up.”
I quickly took my seat at the Dining Table and began eating.
I hadn’t particularly felt hungry, but it seemed my stomach was indeed empty.
The moment I took a bite, my appetite suddenly surged forth.
“Ah, Seo-ho.”
“Yes, Aunt.”
“I have joyful news to share. We’ve decided on a match for our Seon-mi.”
Seon-mi had recently turned eighteen, having just passed her birthday.
When I looked at her, her face flushed crimson as she bowed her head low.
“Wonderful news indeed. Who is the prospective groom?”
“The third son of Yuan Vice Minister.”
Fortunately, it differed not from my previous life.
Back then, Seon-mi had married the third son of Yuan Vice Minister as well.
His name was certainly….
“He holds the position of Sijang, a Rank Six Official at the Hanlin Academy, and he is also my senior.”
Seon-il Elder Brother provided the supplementary explanation.
Ah, now I remembered.
He had come to Aunt’s Residence with Seon-il Elder Brother at the time, caught sight of Seon-mi, fell head over heels at first glance, and sent a matchmaker.
He would soon depart Beijing.
He would receive an appointment as Prefect one year hence.
A Prefect held the rank of Rank Five Official.
Though a regional administrator, even if his rank rose, it might appear as a demotion, but this was the Emperor’s test—a means to grant administrators field experience.
It was a process to determine whether one could handle practical governance and whether one was worthy of greater responsibility.
The problem was that famine would soon arrive.
Still, Seon-mi’s husband managed the prefecture’s affairs quite well and even earned promotion, though he never rose to the rank of high official above Rank Three.
I offered Seon-mi words of blessing.
“Congratulations. With you, he will surely live happily and well.”
“Thank you, Elder Brother.”

After finishing my meal and attending to some personal matters, I made my way to Seon-il Elder Brother’s quarters.
He had asked to speak with me for a moment.
“Elder Brother, I’ve arrived.”
“Come in.”
I entered my elder brother’s chamber.
The fact that he had summoned me alone to his room suggested there was something confidential to discuss.
“Sit down.”
“Yes.”
As I took my seat, my elder brother personally poured tea for me.
“Thank you.”
We sipped our tea and conversed about various matters—how Father and my other brothers were faring, how adorable Geon-hyuk and Bo-yeon were, and so forth.
A brief silence fell, and Seon-il Elder Brother closed his eyes.
Now he was about to broach the real matter.
“Well, the reason I called you here is—as you’ve likely already guessed—regarding Seon-mi’s marriage arrangement.”
I listened quietly to my elder brother’s words.
“In truth, Seon-mi’s in-laws have been spreading various rumors about our family.”
“As I suspected.”
The other family had served as officials for generations; such households often looked down upon merchants.
Yet without merchants, they themselves would face considerable hardship.
In any case, Seon-mi’s marriage to that family had only been possible because her husband was the Third Son.
Indeed, such talk had surfaced even before the marriage.
“Though we decided on the marriage because Seon-mi was willing, as her elder brother, I find myself deeply concerned.”
“Certainly, there will be all manner of gossip and whispers.”
Likely, the members of her husband’s household would subtly disrespect or ostracize Seon-mi.
Claiming they were not of equal standing.
Why did I think so?
Because I had witnessed such things firsthand in my previous life.
Though Seon-mi had not let it show, her heart must have ached.
“That is why I am asking you if there is a way to restore Seon-mi’s dignity.”
Seon-il Elder Brother continued.
“I know my own limitations. I am merely a scholar of books and lack the worldly wisdom to devise such clever stratagems as you can. Therefore, I am seeking your aid.”
My elder brother had entrusted this to me.
“Please, lend me your wisdom.”
I gazed at Seon-il Elder Brother.
His demeanor was quite unfamiliar to me.
In my previous life, by this point he had already fallen into despondency, having become cynical.
Thus, he had responded coldly to Seon-mi’s marriage and to her circumstances.
Yet his heart was never truly cold.
He had simply grown weary of his own situation and of a world that would not aid him, and so he had reacted as he did.
But now it is different.
And yet here he is, bowing his head so deeply to ask for my help on Seon-mi’s behalf.
How could I possibly refuse?
“I understand. I’ll think of a good way to help.”
“Thank you.”
Only then did Seon-il Elder Brother’s expression soften, and he smiled.
That smile looked genuinely warm.
Come to think of it, Seon-il Elder Brother is reaching the age where he should be considering marriage himself—does he have no such thoughts?
.
.
.
The next morning.
I met with someone who had come from the Imperial Palace.
Once again, it was Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster of the Geumui Guard.
We’ve been running into each other quite often lately.
“It’s been a while since we last met.”
“Indeed. Now that I think about it, you sought my counsel not long ago. I gather that was connected to this matter.”
“Yes. Your advice proved invaluable.”
“I’m pleased to have been of service.”
I entered the Imperial Palace alongside Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster and was soon granted an audience with the Emperor.
“Your humble servant Eun Seo-ho pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor. Long live the Emperor, long live, long live.”
“You may rise.”
“I am grateful for Your Majesty’s benevolence.”
“Yes, you’ve worked hard on this matter as well.”
“Your humble servant merely seeks to repay the Emperor’s gracious favor—”
I was attempting to respond with proper formality, but the Emperor cut me off with a soft chuckle.
“Speak plainly. You were irritated by him too, weren’t you?”
“I cannot deny that, Your Majesty.”
“Right, right. Even I thought, what kind of wretched fool is this?”
The Eunuch Official stepped forward to remonstrate with the Emperor’s crude language.
“Your Majesty, please maintain proper decorum.”
“There are no ministers present to see it—why the fuss?”
The grumbling Emperor turned to me with a question.
“By the way, you’re the one who stripped that bastard of everything, aren’t you?”
The Emperor truly cannot be deceived.
But admitting it outright here with “Yes, Your Majesty, I did!” would be foolish.
“That was not the work of your humble servant, but of Heaven itself, Your Majesty.”
“Heaven, you say…”
The Emperor stared at me intently, then burst into laughter.
“Ha ha ha, well then. Let’s leave it at that. And we’ve given the Murim Alliance a taste of humiliation too—excellent work.”
So he saw through to that level all along.
“Lately, those Murim Alliance dogs keep trying to sneak into the Imperial Palace, and it’s been putting me in a foul mood.”
I could sense genuine displeasure in the Emperor’s expression.
For merely attempting to plant spies in the palace, his reaction seemed far too intense.
Should I probe a bit?
“It appears they have greatly troubled Your Majesty’s peace of mind.”
“Well, yes.”
The Emperor nodded with a distinctly displeased expression.
“It seems like they’re after something specific.”
“If it troubles you so greatly, would it not be wise to sweep them away entirely?”
“I wish I could. But.”
The Emperor sighed heavily.
“You know as well as I do that among martial artists, there are many called righteous wanderers. Through their existence, the common people receive much aid.”
The Emperor spoke the truth.
Those who stand with the weak and fight against villains are necessary even from the empire’s perspective.
“If I touch them while they still view the Murim Alliance as righteous, the situation becomes unnecessarily complicated.”
In other words, if they cease to view the Murim Alliance as righteous, the situation changes.
“Moreover, the Murim Alliance’s power is far from negligible. Should I engage them in battle, I must be prepared to lose many whom I hold dear. I have no desire to do so now.”
It was an unusually candid answer for an Emperor.
“In any case, I have decided to execute this Ma Jeong publicly. His crimes are that grave. His relatives will receive sentences of hard labor. I considered imposing hard labor on Ma Jeong himself, but his body has been so thoroughly destroyed that he cannot be put to work.”
Indeed, he had suffered tremendously.
“It will serve as a warning to other villains.”
“Yes, and following your suggestion, I have sent imperial edicts to all provincial officials. The results have been quite effective.”
Ah, that was regarding my proposal to have them disgorge bribes they’d received in the form of grain.
I knew the Emperor would be pleased with that idea.
I bowed again in gratitude, and the Emperor broached the next topic.
“By the way, there has been almost no snow this winter.”
“Indeed.”
“I suspect this might be the sign of famine you mentioned.”
“….”
“In any case, you have worked hard. You may go.”

As I exited the Emperor’s Office, I spotted Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster.
“Did the audience conclude well?”
“Yes.”
He had been waiting ahead, apparently to see me off.
I could feel the Emperor’s consideration in this gesture.
I had needed the help of Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster from the Geumui Guard anyway, so this worked out perfectly.
After walking for some time, we reached a secluded place, and I broached the subject.
“Great Swordmaster, I heard the Geumui Guard played a significant role in that matter.”
I was referring to the intelligence gathering on those who had accepted bribes. Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster, catching my meaning, nodded.
“Many people worked hard on it.”
But his expression didn’t appear particularly bright.
“Yet… why don’t you seem pleased, sir?”
“Ah, did it show?”
Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster offered a bitter smile.
“Truth be told, I’ve been worried that our Geumui Guard hasn’t been of much help to the Emperor lately.”
“Why would you think such a thing?”
At my question, Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster sighed.
“Doesn’t the Emperor have another eye?”
Ah, he was referring to the Dongchang.
There existed an intelligence organization called the Dongchang, composed of eunuch officials, and they operated throughout the realm.
In other words, in this matter, the Dongchang had been more active than the Geumui Guard.
This was fortunate for me.
My proposal would be all the more persuasive.
“Isn’t it unavoidable? If they are the Emperor’s eyes and ears, then the Geumui Guard are the Emperor’s hands and feet.”
“That may be true, but…”
Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster trailed off.
As a member of the Geumui Guard, he naturally wanted to prove to the Emperor that they were superior to the Dongchang.
“So, would you be willing to work with me on something?”
“Something?”
“Yes, there is a matter through which the Geumui Guard can make it known throughout the realm that you are truly the Emperor’s hands and feet.”
At my words, Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster regarded me with suspicious eyes, wondering if this involved something unseemly.
Tsk, tsk. What does he take me for?
It’s nothing of the sort.
I looked at Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster and asked seriously.
“By any chance, are you skilled at breaking ice?”

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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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