The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 457

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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 Eun Hae Trading Company Chapter 457

Chapter 457. So This Was the Real Reason (1)

Palgap noticed my expression and asked.
“What’s wrong, sir?”
“Let’s slip away!”
But Seo-woo Warrior shook his head slightly and whispered.
“It appears we’re already too late, sir.”
“….”
I exhaled a silent sigh.
He was right—the other party had already recognized me and was rushing over with a beaming smile.
“Perhaps they’re merely passing through, wouldn’t you say?”
At the Yeo Eung-am Warrior’s words, I managed a bitter smile.
No matter how I looked at it, that seemed unlikely.
The approaching group was the Gold-Clad Guard Masters.
Six in total, and four of them were people I recognized.
So-un Dae-hyup, whom I’d worked with when dealing with the frozen waters upstream, and Kwon Jik and Kwon Eul, whom I’d met at Yanzhi Mountain where the Blood Gorge Fortress monks had gathered, along with the master I’d saved before.
Before I knew it, they had drawn close.
I greeted them while concealing my reluctance.
“Greetings, Great Heroes. But what brings you to this place?”
“What brings us? Why, we’ve been waiting for you, of course.”
At those words, I turned to glance at the Yeo Eung-am Warrior.
See? They weren’t just passing through, were they?
The Yeo Eung-am Warrior scratched his head at my gaze and looked away.
“The moment we heard you’d departed from Shaolin Temple, we came rushing here.”
“Your exploits at Shaolin were extraordinary! Hahahaha!”
“You live up to your name—Seon Hyeop Mi-rang.”
It was certain.
The Emperor had eyes and ears even at Shaolin Temple.
Still, I’d taken this route with Hyun Ro-do’s assistance… so why this?
Should I abandon this plan?
But I dismissed that thought immediately.
There must be some reason for this….
First, I needed to understand why these Great Heroes had come to meet me.
Please….
I have an enormous amount of work waiting for me at the Beijing Branch. And I must return home to rest.
“You certainly arrived quickly.”
“The moment we heard you’d departed, we set out as well, and here you are already in Hebei!”
Well, that’s because I traveled by Ju Gang Ma.
“The reason we’ve come all this way to find you is because there’s a place you must go with us.”
“Here, an imperial decree.”
Kwon Jik Grand Hero handed me a crimson scroll ornately decorated with gold leaf embellishments.
Damn it!
I knew something felt off about this!
These men before me are bound together by unwavering loyalty to the Emperor.
If I showed even a hint of displeasure in their presence, I’d likely be branded a traitor on the spot.
Though they regard me favorably now, I know all too well that such favor can transform into wrath in an instant.
I accepted the scroll with both hands in respectful deference, bowed toward the direction of the Imperial Palace, and carefully unrolled it.
“…!”
I nearly lost control of my expression without realizing it.

[Go to Yunnan with the Geumui Guards I am sending, and complete the mission.]

Yunnan? Yunnan?
Where in the world is Yunnan?
It’s the southwestern edge of the Empire—essentially the opposite end of the realm from Beijing.
Breathe. Calm yourself.
I continued reading the imperial edict.

[I know exactly what expression you’re wearing right now, so wipe that look off your face. You have passed my test, and you alone are the right person for this task.]

What on earth could this be about….
No, more importantly, the fact that the Emperor mentioned something about a test made me realize that the test back then didn’t seem to be solely for the purpose of attaching me to the Crown Prince as a companion.
Was this the real reason?
To use me more effectively?
This feels like the Emperor is taking revenge for the blow I dealt him….
Ah, surely someone of the Emperor’s stature wouldn’t be so petty?
I rolled up the scroll, bowed once more toward the Imperial Palace, and rose from my seat.
“What should we do with this imperial decree?”
“Burn it.”
“Pardon? Is that permissible?”
“Records related to our Geumui Guard’s operations must never be left behind.”
At that resolute declaration, I unhesitatingly drew out my fire starter and burned the decree to ash.
Somehow, that felt quite satisfying.
“Ah, and now that you’ve burned the decree, you cannot refuse the order.”
“Pardon? We could have refused?”
They answered my question.
“According to regulations, refusal is possible if there’s legitimate cause.”
“But knowing full well that theory and reality differ, why ask such a thing?”
“Well, I was just curious. Haha.”
….
It seems they’re genuinely enjoying teasing me.
I swallowed a sigh internally and asked them.
“So, what exactly must we do?”
“We must rescue the envoys.”
“Envoys, you say?”
Had envoys been sent somewhere at this time?
Kwon Jik Grand Hero explained the full circumstances to me.
Approximately a month ago, the Emperor sent envoys to Yunnan Province, he said.
The regions located on the empire’s periphery are not well reached by central administrative authority.
Moreover, since the people there have lived according to the natural environment of that land, they cannot be uniformly subjected to the empire’s standards.
Thus, the practice is to grant official positions to influential families or tribal chiefs in those areas, making them administrators.
Yunnan has seven major tribes, each forming their own power base, so the Emperor granted official positions to those tribal chiefs.
“This envoy delegation was meant for inspection and administrative reporting regarding the Chungyeongseong tribe, one of those tribes. But they have detained the envoys and are holding them hostage.”
“What are their demands?”
Kwon Jik Grand Hero answered my question with a troubled expression.
“They’re demanding recognition of their independent power and autonomy.”
“Pardon?”
That means….
They want to establish an independent nation free from imperial rule, don’t they?
There’s no way the Emperor could grant such a request.
Once a precedent is set, tribal groups from other regions will rise up demanding the same concessions.
Surely the Chungyeongseong Tribal Settlement wouldn’t be unaware of this?
And the position of Emperor is a merciless one—it demands sacrificing the few for the many.
In other words, there’s no logical reason to mount such a desperate rescue operation for envoys.
One might argue it’s out of regard for his subordinates, but to deploy six Gold-Clad Guard Masters instead of just two?
And the fact that the Chungyeongseong Tribal Settlement took them hostage means they must be worth that much.
I exhaled slowly.
“Perhaps it’s time you told me the truth.”
“The truth about what?”
“Which member of the envoy delegation are we supposed to rescue?”
The eyes of the Gold-Clad Guard Masters widened at my question.
No, these masters really—
Did they truly think I wouldn’t notice?
Kwon Eul Grand Hero spoke with a pleased expression.
“Indeed, I’ve observed you before, but your insight is truly exceptional.”
“So who is it?”
I pressed further, and Kwon Jik Grand Hero answered.
“It’s Prince Ju-hyeon, Your Majesty’s son.”
….
Prince Ju-hyeon is the second son of Consort Hwaryun, the Emperor’s second wife.
And in my previous life, he was the older brother of Jin Seung Wang, with whom I was acquainted.
Now that I think about it, he died at a young age, which is why he never became a king.
As I recalled what Jin Seung Wang had told me, I flinched.
Wait? This is recent?
In my previous life, this operation must have failed.
Back then, I knew nothing about this matter.
I had no connection to the Emperor, and I was too preoccupied with the famine at that time anyway.
And the Prince’s death at the hands of the frontier tribes—it was something the Imperial Palace kept hidden.
I need to stay sharp about this.
If Prince Ju-hyeon lost his life to the Chungyeongseong Tribal Settlement in Yunnan Province, then the subsequent events make sense.
His older brother, Seongbo Wang, led the charge and completely obliterated Chungyeongseong at that time.
The campaign was so brutal that I wondered if there was some deep-seated grudge, but there truly was one.
After all, they took his younger brother hostage and killed him—I wouldn’t have let it slide either.
Kwon Jik Grand Hero cautioned me.
“Please maintain confidentiality.”
“Understood.”
“And thank you for your cooperation.”
Thus, while traveling from Shaolin Temple to the Beijing Branch, I had to turn around and head toward Yunnan Province instead.
Damn it all!
I’m going to squeeze every last thing I can out of the Emperor! Absolutely!
.
.
.
The journey to Yunnan Province was so vast that relying solely on overland routes would exhaust the body far more than necessary. Water routes had to be utilized whenever possible to ease the burden of travel.
From Jinan by boat to Kaifeng, then overland southward to Wuhan, and from there by boat upstream along the Yangtze River to Yunnan—such was the path we would take.
I was somewhat concerned whether Ju Gang Ma would behave properly aboard the vessel.
Well, with Geumryeong around, he wouldn’t act recklessly.
First, I sent a letter to the Beijing Branch through Geumryeong, and Geumryeong returned with a letter from Seo Hyang.
Seo Hyang already knew that Geumryeong was my messenger.

[I already knew. Have a safe journey. And please send Geumryeong to me once every five days. I will provide you with work reports.]

Work reports? Why once every five days…? Ah!
The work reports Seo Hyang speaks of are not mere routine reports.
She intends to inform me of the futures she has foreseen.
Until now, Seo Hyang had never made such a request of me. Did this mean the mission ahead was quite dangerous?
I would learn more as we exchanged letters later.

We boarded a boat in Jinan and disembarked at Kaifeng.
Kaifeng, of all places…
I found myself wishing I had taken the journey more slowly.
It was nearly like retracing our steps.
Let me consider the Yunnan Region for a moment.
It was famous for pu-erh tea, and the Eun Hae Trading Company maintained personnel there for deliveries.
And it was also where Elder Brother Jin-ho had gone missing before.
Thanks to that, I had gained Eun Moo-geom and Geumryeong, but I never imagined I would return to that place again.
A sigh escaped me.
I exhaled deeply.
I knew all too well how treacherous and arduous that region was.
Though we had just entered the ninth month, the monsoon season there extended through the tenth month.
It would be unbearably hot and humid.
Of course, I had reached the pinnacle of martial mastery, and my inner energy carried a cold essence, so heat posed no problem for me.
The concern was my Guard Warriors and Palgap.
I lifted my gaze to the sky and spoke.
“Rain will come soon.”
Seo-woo Warrior agreed with my observation.
“It does seem likely.”
So-un Dae-hyup expressed doubt at our exchange.
“But the sun is blazing. Why would rain come?”
Before we could explain, Kwon Jik Grand Hero stepped forward.
“Is Seo-woo Warrior from Pyodo?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“I’ve heard that none can match those from Pyoguk when it comes to reading weather and direction. Does that mean we should avoid the rain in this region?”
“The rain doesn’t seem likely to stop easily. We need to find shelter from it and a place to spend the night.”
However, the other Great Heroes expressed their opposition to Seo-woo Warrior’s words.
“But we can still travel for at least another half day, can’t we? Surely our circumstances don’t allow us to move so slowly?”
“That’s right. Let’s just continue as we are.”
Kwon Jik Grand Hero’s expression clearly showed his inner conflict.
I exhaled a quiet sigh internally.
“As I understand it, the Gold-Clad Guard Masters travel regardless of whether it rains or snows.”
“That’s true enough.”
“Then, has anyone here visited Yunnan Province before?”
One of the Great Heroes raised his hand at my question.
He was one of the Great Heroes I had saved previously. Was his name Han Seok?
“I’ve been there before.”
“If I may ask, which month did you visit?”
“Let me think… it was winter, I believe. It must have been January.”
“Which region did you visit?”
“The central part.”
“….”
I began to understand another reason why the Emperor had sent me along with these men.
“Sigh….”
A sigh escaped me unbidden, and at my sigh, Kwon Jik Grand Hero’s eyebrows twitched.
“What is it?”
“Yunnan Province is vast, and the weather varies greatly by region. For example, the central area remains mild year-round. However, the western side of Guizhou, where Chungyeongseong is located, is completely different.”
I continued speaking.
“Of course, traveling quickly is also good. But considering the climate of where we’re headed, we must preserve our strength as much as possible. It’s a place where your stamina drains away even if you’re standing still.”
Kwon Jik Grand Hero, who had been pondering for a moment, accepted my opinion.
“If you say so, then that must be right. Let’s rest here and find a place to camp for the night.”
The other Great Heroes, though reluctant, nodded in agreement.
“What about that waterside down below?”
At So-un Dae-hyup’s words, Seo-woo Warrior shook his head.
“I cannot recommend that. A valley during rain is not the same as a valley in fair weather. The water swells to nearly five to ten times its normal volume. Moreover, if we’re caught in the rapids, it would be disastrous.”
“We have mastered martial arts and passed through the rigorous selection trials of the Gold-Clad Guard. Such rapids are nothing.”
At those words, I pointed to a large boulder with my hand.
“Can you lift and move that?”
“Are you joking now? How could anyone lift and move that?”
“The rapids can move it.”
“…That’s… that’s a lie….”
“It is fact.”
How could you not know that! What exactly do they test in the Geumui Guard selection exam?
At my firm words, Kwon Jik Grand Hero spoke.
“Now, calm yourselves. Why don’t you all find a place to settle down?”
At his words, we immediately moved and searched for a place to spend the night.
Seo-woo Warrior, being accustomed to such matters, quickly found a cave where we could shelter from the rain.
It made sense, after all—the road from Kaifeng to Wuhan was one the Pyoguk’s people traveled frequently.
We hastily gathered branches and kindled a fire, then huddled around it.
Not long after we lit the fire, a torrential downpour began.
Whoooooosh—!
The weather transformed in an instant.
As thunder and lightning followed the deafening rain, the Geumui Guard Masters’ eyes upon us changed.
Why are you looking at us so uncomfortably?
It was then.
Ding, ding.
A sound pierced through the downpour.

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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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