The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 256

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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 256

Chapter 256. Crushing Defeat (3)

I clicked my tongue inwardly at Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster’s words.
The Emperor who commanded him to be transported upside down was one thing, but the way Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster executed those orders with such thoroughness felt extraordinary.
Though I had to admit, I would have done something similar.
After beating him thoroughly, of course.
“But did he really accept bribes?”
“He denied it at first, but eventually confessed. They even found roughly a hundred gold ingots in his private vault.”
“….”
That amount confirmed the bribery beyond doubt.
It was a sum Jihyeon could never accumulate in a lifetime from his official salary.
“Apparently, his original plan was to take the money, quietly resign, and live a life of leisure.”
So Jihyeon, who knew the prefecture best and was its guardian, had intended to sell the residents to pirates and enjoy wealth and glory for himself.
“Wow! He’s truly a despicable wretch.”
“I concur entirely.”
Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster nodded and asked me a question.
“We plan to leave for Beijing early tomorrow morning. Do you intend to come with us?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I have unfinished business here.”
“Unfinished business?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“Since I’ve involved myself in this matter, there are things I must see through to completion.”
“May I ask what those are?”
“Gambling.”
“…?”
Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“The people here have accumulated massive debts from gambling. But with the pirates eliminated, those debts have effectively vanished.”
“True enough.”
“Then what remains for them? Defeat? Emptiness?”
I smiled bitterly.
“What lingers most vividly in their minds is the exhilarating rush they felt while gambling. As long as they remember that sensation, they will inevitably fall back into gambling.”
“….”
“This is a small village, and if money becomes entangled through gambling again, the cherished village that the Two Officials fought to protect will be destroyed. I intend to prevent that.”
“So you have a method in mind?”
“Ideally, making people acknowledge their own limits is best, but if that were easy, the world would contain only sages.”
I continued speaking.
“I am a merchant, so I intend to employ a merchant’s methods.”
Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster, who had been observing me, burst into hearty laughter.
“Ha ha ha! I’m curious what methods you’ll use, but I won’t ask. I don’t want to rob myself of the pleasure of discovering it.”
I smiled.
“That said, I would be grateful if you could escort the Two Officials to Apricot Flower Academy on your way.”
“Understood. Don’t worry about that.”
.
.
.
The next morning.
All the prisoners were loaded into mobile prison carriages and departed for Beijing.
The carriages transporting them had been specially constructed for this occasion, as the Emperor’s decree mandated they be transported suspended upside down from the ceiling.
Thus, a peculiar spectacle unfolded—all of them dangling inverted as they were transported.
“Father, why are those people like that?”
“Because they committed very grave crimes, my child.”
And it was becoming a cautionary example to all.
Still, I thought they would suffer greatly if they traveled two days on this rough road in such a state, swaying back and forth and colliding with one another.
Though considering the crimes they had committed, it was still merciful.
“Small Guild Master.”
I turned at the sound of my name being called.
It was Man-suk Scholar and Yun Byeok Scholar.
“Then we shall depart first.”
“Travel safely. And I hope you both achieve favorable results in the provincial examination.”
“Yes, I will surely pass.”
“I too shall ensure my success.”
“Ah, and Man-suk Scholar.”
“Yes?”
“The Academy Master simply tore up your withdrawal notice.”
“Ah….”
Man-suk Scholar’s eyes grew red with emotion.
“So go and express your gratitude to him.”
“Yes, I will.”
After seeing them off, I handed Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster a scroll.
“What is this?”
“A sort of report for His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Understood. I shall deliver it.”
Thus, Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster and his entourage departed for Beijing.

“Palgap.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Did you find out what I asked you to investigate?”
“Of course, sir.”
“Let’s go take a look.”
We headed toward a tavern that Palgap had discovered.
Business wasn’t particularly thriving, but the location was ideal.
“Excellent. We’ll purchase this place.”
“Understood, sir. I’ll inform the owner accordingly.”
Lee Pil Warrior tilted his head curiously and asked.
“But why are you purchasing this location, sir?”
“Ah, I intend to convert it into a gambling house.”
“Pardon?”
“You don’t understand? You’re wondering why I want to establish a gambling house?”
Everyone nodded at my question.
“Though my time in this life has been brief, I have conviction regarding gambling.”
If I counted my previous life, it was hardly brief at all, but they didn’t know that.
“In moderation, it’s harmless entertainment, but excess becomes the problem.”
“That’s certainly true.”
“So I’m establishing this place. Since eradicating gambling entirely is impossible, I aim to minimize its harm.”
I continued.
“There are three things absent from gambling houses. Do you know what they are?”
Everyone pondered deeply, but no one spoke.
In truth, most people wouldn’t know this.
“Windows, roosters, and mirrors.”
“…?”
I explained these to them.
“Gambling houses lack windows because light entering through them gives people a sense of time. In other words, it’s designed to make people forget time and become absorbed in gambling.”
“Ah!”
“And they never keep roosters nearby. When people hear a rooster crow at dawn, they think, ‘I’ve been awake all night gambling! This is wrong!’ and feel remorse.”
“Now that you mention it….”
“Finally, there are no mirrors. When people become absorbed in gambling, they forget to eat and sleep. Their appearance naturally deteriorates.”
I continued.
“When they see their own face in such a state and feel self-loathing—’What on earth am I doing?’—they flee the gambling house. In other words, these three things are absent specifically to prevent people from escaping gambling.”
“How terrifying!”
“Therefore, I will place all three of these things here.”
A kind of reverse psychology.
“And I will also limit the amount of money people can wager.”
At that moment, Seo-woo Warrior asked.
“But if people gamble elsewhere instead of here, what will you do about that, sir?”
“That’s why I asked Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster to deliver a letter.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“That letter is a message for the Emperor. It requests that a law be established to impose hard labor on anyone caught gambling at unauthorized gambling houses—places other than those officially sanctioned by the state.”
“….”
“In other words, this place isn’t operated by me. It’s a gambling house run by the state itself.”
There’s a reason I can assert this with such confidence.
In my previous life, I’d considered this too, but it was such an enormous undertaking that no individual could accomplish it—so I merely thought about it.
Yet the Emperor had actually implemented it.
Witnessing the Emperor execute such a plan, I recognized he was no ordinary ruler.
Therefore, the Emperor could never refuse my proposal.

* * *

Several days later.
Within the Imperial Palace in Beijing, the Emperor’s laughter thundered against the ceiling.
“Hahahaha! Look at this fellow!”
“Your Majesty, please maintain your dignity.”
“But he’s far too impressive for that. Do you know what this rascal suggests? He’s telling me to establish gambling houses throughout the realm!”
“What?”
“And….”
The Emperor explained Eun Seo-ho’s proposal to the Eunuch.
“Remarkable! What an ingenious plan.”
“You’re right. Honestly, you know as well as I do how much harm gambling inflicts upon the common people.”
“Indeed, Your Majesty.”
“When I ask those thick-headed ministers for countermeasures, all they spout is nonsense about moral cultivation and education… Tsk, tsk.”
“….”
“I’d love to lop off all those rigid heads, but then I’d only exhaust myself… Sigh!”
The Emperor shook his head in exasperation.
“But how ingenious is this fellow’s strategy!”
Observing this, the Eunuch could see that the Emperor was exceedingly pleased with Eun Seo-ho.
‘I’d carry him on my back if I could.’
Then, a sudden thought flashed through the Eunuch’s mind.
“Your Majesty, I have a humble request.”
“What is it?”
“Please proceed with Young Master Eun’s proposal, but allow us to fill some of the positions there with members of the Dongchang.”
“Ah, he’s already suggested that himself.”
“He has?”
“He said that once the gambling house is established, it will become another place to gauge the people’s sentiments. If I plant my eyes and ears there, it will prove invaluable.”
“Ah….”
The Eunuch felt gratitude toward Eun Seo-ho.
‘Is this repayment for the assistance I provided when I helped pressure the Ministry of Taxation during the purchase of the Eun Hae Trading Company’s Beijing Branch?’
But for repayment, it was far too generous.
‘At this rate, I’ll have no choice but to help him again next time… hehehehe.’
As the Eunuch contemplated this, the Emperor gazed at Eun Seo-ho’s proposal, which doubled as a report, with a satisfied expression.

[The implementation process would require extensive deliberation, which would consume considerable time. Therefore, I propose operating this venture using Imperial Palace funds.]

The gambling house business was a goose that laid golden eggs, so this proposal felt extraordinarily appealing.
‘This bastard is too valuable to leave in the Merchant Guild… Should I just bring him here immediately?’
The Emperor shook his head at the thought.
He was still a young shark.
And the Imperial Palace remained too dangerous for a young shark.
Only when he matured fully could he protect himself completely.
‘Yet why do I have the feeling that even now, if I brought this young shark here, he would devour those scheming Ministers like they were nothing?’

* * *

The Emperor’s royal decree was posted on the County Office wall.
It was the imperial seal regarding the ‘Gambling House Ordinance’ that I had proposed.
The decree designated this place as a pilot region and outlined expansion throughout the Empire within five years.
For the next five years, severe famines would plague the land.
By the time five years had passed, I could acquire existing taverns and gisaeng houses at rock-bottom prices, which would ease the Emperor’s financial burden considerably.
And when the new Prefect arrived, he brought people with him.
These were individuals the Emperor had sent to manage the gambling house in this village.
And among them was a familiar face.
An Eunuch Official I had seen coming and going from the Imperial Palace, though now he wore ordinary clothes instead of his official robes—clearly a member of the Dongchang.
Seeing the friendly expression on his face, it seemed he was grateful for my proposal to use the gambling house as the Emperor’s eyes and ears.
Well, since I’ve received something, I should repay the favor.
“I am Eun Seo-ho, Small Guild Master.”
“The Emperor informed us. Then please guide us to the newly constructed establishment.”
“Of course, this way please.”
I led them to the newly built gambling house.
“Oh!”
“Ohhh….”
Their eyes widened in astonishment.
And well they might, for it was an extraordinarily magnificent structure.
“Isn’t this perhaps too extravagant?”
“This level of grandeur is necessary to attract patrons, is it not? Regardless of the stated purpose of moral education, this is fundamentally a business venture. Surely you don’t wish to face the Emperor’s displeasure over operating at a loss?”
“That is certainly true.”
“Please, come inside.”
The interior had windows on all four sides, so bright during the day that no lamps were needed to illuminate everything within.
Moreover, the pillars throughout were carved into rectangular shapes, with mirrors affixed to them.
Thus, no matter where one sat, they could observe their own reflection.
And mirrors were also installed on the ceiling.
“The ceiling mirrors serve to observe and restrain those who attempt deception.”
“A sound idea indeed.”
I proceeded to explain the facilities and operational policies of the Gambling House in detail.
“…With this approach, it should operate smoothly.”
“Your counsel has been invaluable to us.”
The man entrusted with managing this Gambling House was one of those overseeing Imperial assets—a talent the Emperor had recruited from the private merchant guilds upon my recommendation.
In fact, in my previous life, the Emperor had also brought him through the Dongchang when deliberating over the gambling enterprise.
Whether in my former existence or this one, he had been assigned the same venture.
If that were the case, I could trust him.
In my previous life, he had managed the Gambling House brilliantly and brought immense wealth to the Imperial Court.
And the Imperial Court had used that wealth for the welfare of the people, earning their support.
Now that is what one calls a virtuous cycle.
“This is compensation the Emperor bestows upon the Small Guild Master for your efforts. It includes recompense for purchasing and renovating this Gambling House.”
“I am grateful.”
I accepted the pouch he offered with respect and opened it.
Inside lay a promissory note inscribed with a considerable sum.
I desperately suppressed the corners of my mouth from rising and bowed my head.
.
.
.
On the journey back to Beijing.
“So in the end, you’ve handed this matter over to the Imperial Palace?”
At Palgap’s question, I nodded.
“Once I became involved in that village’s affairs, I couldn’t simply leave it as it was. But gambling is something I cannot resolve through my own strength alone—it is the nation’s responsibility.”
“In other words, you’ve managed to accomplish this without lifting a finger, haven’t you?”
“Hmm, is that how it appears?”
I scratched behind my ear, and my companions chuckled softly.
By now, the three rounds of the provincial examination should have concluded, and I found myself curious about the results.

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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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