The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 42

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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 42

Chapter 42. The Jegal Family Estate (4)

Soon, a voice called out from beyond the door.
“Father, it is I, Jegal Yul.”
“Enter.”
The door opened, and a middle-aged man from Hubei Province stepped inside and bowed respectfully.
“Ah, we have guests, I see.”
The Grand Patriarch introduced us to him.
“Indeed, allow me to introduce you. These are the literary guests I summoned to share verses with me—Yu So-ak and young master Eun Seo-ho.”
“I am Jegal Yul, and though I am unworthy, I serve as the House Master of this family.”
Upon his introduction, both Yu Chief Manager and I rose promptly from our seats.
We clasped our fists and offered proper courtesy.
“I am Yu So-ak, Internal Chief Manager of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“I am Eun Seo-ho, third son of the Merchant Guild Leader of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
There was a reason we had not been introduced to the House Master on our first day. It was because we were guests of the Grand Patriarch.
Typically, one introduces invited guests formally only in the presence of superiors.
This was not done with inferiors, for it carried a meaning of respect toward the guests.
It signified that the guests should be regarded as equals to the one who had invited them.
We were guests of the Grand Patriarch, and the Grand Patriarch had no superiors here.
“Welcome to the Jegal Family Estate. I hope you will find nothing lacking during your stay with us.”
Because we were guests of the Grand Patriarch, he showed us courtesy despite being considerably older and of higher station.
“We are grateful for your kindness, House Master.”
“Thank you.”
The Jegal Family Head appeared quite dignified and courteous.
Not frivolous, yet with a gentle expression.
Looking at him, I could discern where Jegal Yu-ah’s true nature originated.
They say children are mirrors of their parents, after all.
Though he was called an uninvited guest, the Grand Patriarch’s eyes regarding him were filled with pride.
It was difficult to believe that this man would, years hence, enter a state of demonic cultivation during secluded training and wreak bloody calamity upon the family members.
Normally, those who fall into demonic cultivation die on the spot as their qi becomes twisted.
However, because the Jegal Family’s martial arts were largely connected to the mind, those who fell into demonic cultivation would either become foolish or go mad.
Simply becoming a fool or going mad gracefully would have been fortunate enough.
The problem arose when one descended into madness of a darker nature.
Becoming a murderer who committed indiscriminate slaughter, for instance.
Jegal Yul before me was such a case.
As the House Master, his martial prowess would be formidable, and with the Grand Patriarch dead, there would be no one to restrain him.
Hm?
Now that I think about it, something feels off.
If the Grand Patriarch had still been alive when the House Master caused such a problem, would the Jegal Family Estate have suffered such catastrophic losses?
No.
Even if it were his own son, he would have made a decisive choice for the sake of the family.
Had he done so, they wouldn’t have suffered such a fatal blow. Which means he must have killed the Grand Patriarch first.
In other words, the House Master’s descent into madness was also part of a scheme?
It was then that I suddenly grasped something.
The man before me is the father of Jegal Yu-ah, who is supposedly to have broken her arm during a martial contest last night.
Ah….
Though the Grand Patriarch had given me his word, it’s still best to bow low when the time calls for it.
I lowered my head deeply and apologized.
“I, I sincerely apologize. About last night with Miss Jegal Yu-ah….”
“That matter is of no concern. It was Yu-ah’s own doing, so whom would I blame?”
“I am truly sorry.”
I apologized again and sighed inwardly.
Why was everything so tangled up like this….
In the meantime, the Grand Patriarch asked the House Master a question.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Yes, Father. A letter has arrived.”
“A letter?”
“I must send an urgent reply through the messenger, so I took the liberty of intruding despite knowing we have guests.”
He then produced the letter from his robes, and the House Master unfolded it to read.
Where could such a letter have come from?
At that moment, I caught sight of the seal impressed upon the letter’s exterior, and I froze.
A mark shaped like a cloud.
It was the seal of the Murim Alliance. In other words, the letter had come from the Murim Alliance.
But,
the Grand Patriarch’s reaction upon seeing the letter was strange.
An increasingly intense killing intent radiated from the Grand Patriarch’s body.
It was a killing intent so sharp it seemed to cut through flesh.
He glared at the House Master and moved his lips, and the House Master nodded.
They must have communicated through silent transmission since we were present.
“Father, our guests appear to be in distress.”
At the House Master’s words, the Grand Patriarch looked at us with an expression of sudden realization.
“Oh my! My apologies. I didn’t mean to….”
“It’s quite alright.”
Unlike me, Yu Chief Manager’s complexion had turned quite pale.
Was killing intent really so difficult to endure?
I was fine, though?
“I believe we should adjourn for now. Let us reconvene this evening to continue our discussion. This place possesses a particularly enchanting atmosphere at dusk.”
“As you wish.”
At that moment, the Grand Patriarch regarded me with an inscrutable gaze.
“Young Master… did you not mention earlier that you wished to observe the tea preparation?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
In response to my words, the Grand Patriarch withdrew something from his sleeve—a tablet fashioned from white jade.
“Present this, and you may go anywhere within these grounds. Go and observe.”
“I am grateful.”
.
.
.
I left Yu Chief Manager to rest in his chamber and departed the Guest Quarters with Palgap.
Our destination was the tea preparation area.
The Grand Patriarch’s reaction upon hearing mention of the Murim Alliance had been unexpected.
It was unmistakably negative.
The House Master had nodded in agreement with this sentiment.
If that were the case, it made sense that the Jegal Family Estate had crumbled so easily, and that the Murim Alliance had dismissed it so casually.
They had been abandoned by the Murim Alliance like a discarded pawn.
As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my ally.
If the Jegal Family Estate were to disappear, it would be no different than losing a potential ally.
Then I must move to protect them.
“This appears to be the tea preparation area,” Palgap observed.
Pulled from my thoughts by his words, I looked ahead and encountered a man.
In that instant, a wave of revulsion washed over me.
It was a peculiar disgust I had never experienced before.
The man before me spoke.
“Judging by your attire, you appear to be outsiders. Who might you be?”
“….”
Though he was inquiring about my identity, I found myself unable to respond, consumed by this unfamiliar revulsion.
“Why do you not answer?”
“….”
Seeing my condition, Palgap hastily stepped forward and bowed.
“Forgive the delayed response. This is Eun Seo-ho, the third son of the Eunhae Trading Company’s Merchant Guild Leader, and I am his attendant. We have come at the invitation of the Grand Patriarch.”
“Ah, I have heard that my uncle invited a guest to exchange poetry. Are you that guest?”
“Yes.”
“I see. However, this is not a place where outsiders may enter freely.”
“We are aware of that. We came with the Grand Patriarch’s permission, but….”
Palgap continued.
“It seems our young master has suddenly taken ill. We shall withdraw….”
I raised my hand to stop Palgap.
“I’m fine.”
My composure had barely settled.
He might return another time, but that cannot be allowed.
Whoever planned the Great Patriarch’s poisoning is meticulous enough to succeed even after waiting years.
If not now—when this outsider’s presence in the Tea Preparation Area remains unexpected—the black rat will hide its tail away.
I bowed respectfully to him.
“My apologies. I was indisposed and delayed my introduction. As my attendant mentioned, I am Eun Seo-ho, third son of the Merchant Guild Leader of the Eunhae Trading Company, here by the Great Patriarch’s invitation.”
He too bowed respectfully in return.
“I see. I am Jegal Kyung, son of Jegal Myung, the Great Patriarch’s younger brother and Lord of the Profound Martial Hall. You mentioned receiving the Great Patriarch’s permission—might I see the proof of that?”
At his question, I produced the jade token the Great Patriarch had given me.
Upon examining the jade token, Jegal Kyung nodded.
“It is indeed the Great Patriarch’s jade token. You may enter.”
With those words, he returned the token and departed briskly toward somewhere else.
In that moment, the revulsion that had tormented me vanished.
What was that?
It was as if I had never felt any revulsion at all.
Now it seemed as though I had been feigning illness.
Palgap observed my sudden change and asked.
“Are you well, sir?”
“Yes.”
“Your complexion has suddenly cleared, sir.”
“Hmm… it’s nothing. Let’s go inside.”
I deflected his concern and glanced back at the departing figure of this man called Jegal Kyung.
Could it be that he was the source of my revulsion?
But to feel disgust simply from seeing someone—
It made no sense, yet I entered the building marked Jae-an-won.
A place that creates peace…
Seeing that name, I began to understand what tea meant to the Jegal Family.

“It is an honor to make your acquaintance. I am Jegal Hyang, the Director of Jae-an-won.”
The man who greeted me was remarkably composed and well-groomed. Upon seeing my jade token, he offered to personally guide me, noting that I was a guest of the Great Patriarch.
“This facility is where we re-grade the tea we receive. You understand that even identical teas can differ in quality, yes?”
“Of course.”
“And those teas are stored with meticulous separation. That area over there is where we keep our inventory.”
I nodded in acknowledgment.
The explanation continued, and we finally arrived at the tea preparation area.
“Here, we brew whatever tea is required and serve it.”
“But surely many people enjoy the process of brewing tea itself?”
“As Confucius taught, the act of brewing tea is itself a form of cultivation. However, the members of the Main House are extraordinarily fond of tea. They empty at least five teapots a day without fail.”
“At that rate, the time spent brewing must consume a considerable portion of their day.”
“Indeed. So when they wish to brew it themselves, they inform us beforehand. Otherwise, we typically prepare it here and bring it to them.”
People everywhere live much the same way, it seems.
At our trading company, we also have the tea department bring it rather than brewing it ourselves.
I ventured to ask what had been on my mind.
“In truth, my curiosity about this place stems from the exceptional quality of the tea the Great Patriarch served me.”
“I see.”
“So I wondered—who brews the Great Patriarch’s tea?”
At that question, Jegal Hyang Wonju pointed toward a small designated area.
“It is prepared there… Oh, it seems the person in charge has stepped away.”
In that space lay various tea utensils alongside several varieties of tea sealed in containers.
Just then, someone called for Jegal Hyang Wonju.
“Director, I need your attention on something.”
“Very well.”
He sought my permission.
“Please excuse me for a moment. Feel free to look around as you wish.”
“Of course. Don’t worry about me—attend to your duties.”
It was an opportunity.
I moved toward the Great Patriarch’s tea preparation area. Though it had its own designated space, it was hardly a sealed chamber.
Everything was completely open on all sides.
To extract something suspicious and add it to the tea in such a place?
Impossible.
Especially when poison must be administered not once or twice, but consistently over more than a year, with zero margin for discovery.
And the poison must go only into the Huazhao Qingyin, Peizhong Mingyue, Lümi Ren, and jujubes.
If poison entered any other tea, it would cause illness and show physical symptoms.
It is a finicky poison in every respect.
Then the simplest and safest method is singular.
Use something that was already there.
For instance, the containers holding the tea itself.
When my hand reached for the container labeled Huazhao Qingyin, Palgap subtly shielded me with his body.
Ah, how resourceful of me.
I quickly opened the tea container to examine it. But I found nothing suspicious at first glance.
Still, I couldn’t simply overturn it to inspect further.
Yet I was certain—there was poison inside this container.
I swiftly extracted a small amount of tea leaves and tucked them into my sleeve.
If the container itself harbored something sinister, then the tea within it would surely be poisoned as well.
Then I returned the container to its original place.
“Palgap, let us depart now.”
“Have you finished your inspection, sir?”
“Yes.”
“Very well, sir.”

* * *

Upon returning to the Guest Quarters, I asked Palgap to bring me some vinegar.
I steeped the tea leaves I had secretly taken and added the vinegar to the mixture.
Wincing slightly at the sharp, sour aroma, I pricked my finger with a needle I had prepared.
Ah, this is truly…
What kind of ordeal is this?
I really do despise pain.
I squeezed a single drop of blood from the wound on my finger and let it fall into the teacup containing the steeped leaves, water, and vinegar.
Splash.
In that instant, I exhaled deeply.
My suspicion had proven correct.
The color of the tea had turned violet. This confirmed it—poison was indeed present.
The method I had just employed was one that became widely known after the Empress fell victim to poisoning.
But in this era, few possess knowledge of this poison detection technique.
Likely, only the perpetrator understands the poison itself.
If I carelessly broached the subject of poison now, I risked drawing suspicion upon myself.
Especially given the high likelihood that the culprit operates from within—they could easily turn the blame upon me.
That must not happen.
Was there anyone else besides the perpetrator who knew of this poison?
In that moment, a name surfaced in my mind.
Ah!
Yes!
There is someone perfectly suited for this matter.
And that person happens to be not far from here, in the west of Hubei Province.
But first, I must secure the evidence.

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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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