The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 467

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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 467

Chapter 467. Why Is This Happening? (3)

Two more came seeking me out after that, bringing the total number of those who had made requests of me to four.
If I were to fulfill their commissions, there would be no defectors left alive, so I planned to postpone execution indefinitely.
They should be punished by the Emperor’s hand, not by mine or my guards’.
Well, I had no intention of fulfilling their requests anyway.
When they commissioned me to eliminate others, they handed over something as a token of trust.
The location where they had hidden their accumulated wealth.
Once this affair concluded, I would consider relocating that wealth.
But I had no intention of leaving it as is.
That wealth was not theirs. Of course, it was not mine either.
“Jin Yu Warrior. Yeo Eung-am Warrior.”
“Yes.”
“There is work that needs doing. Jin Yu Warrior, you heard them speak of where they had gathered their wealth, correct?”
“Yes. I certainly heard them.”
“Extract all of that wealth from that location.”
“Is that permissible?”
“Yes.”
I smiled wryly as I spoke.
“Of course it must be done. That wealth was accumulated by squeezing the lifeblood from the people of Chungyeongseong. Should we not return it to Chungyeongseong?”
“Your words are just, but how are we to extract such a quantity of wealth…”
Indeed, the sum was quite substantial.
At those words, I withdrew Geumryeong from my sleeve and extended her forward.
“Go with Geumryeong. She will help you extract the wealth.”
Then I turned my head toward Geumryeong and asked.
“If you do the work well, I’ll give you about one Gold Coin.”
Of course, it would have to come from my own funds, not from the extracted money.
At my words, Geumryeong’s eyes gleamed immediately, and she wriggled her hips.
Did she love money that much?
As I thought so, I felt embarrassed. After all, I was just as fond of money. Hmm.

Several days passed in this manner.
During that time, the Gold-Clad Guard Masters and my guards began sowing distrust among the defectors toward others, following my orders.
Since trust had already crumbled like flour, it hardly needed doing, but precisely because of that, the effect was all the greater.
They raised their voices in quarrels at least once or twice a day, and the emotional rift between them deepened steadily.

* * *

Gong Ho exhaled a heavy sigh.
“Ah, really… what is this nonsense?”
He headed toward his new quarters with an expression of utter exasperation.
It fell to him to mediate the disputes that had erupted among the defectors who had begun this venture with him.
For some time now, his meticulously laid plans had begun to unravel.
‘When did it start?’
Returning to his quarters, he began to retrace the events of this affair.
And soon, he seemed to discern the precise moment when everything had begun to go awry.
‘Eun Seo-ho, the Small Guild Master. Was it when he arrived here?’
Yet he could find nothing suspicious about him, which only deepened his frustration.
If there were something concrete to suspect, he could interrogate or investigate based on that pretext.
Then something strange caught his eye.
What? Why is that open?
One of the two boxes containing the funds that Eun Seo-ho had provided was slightly ajar.
Whether it had been hastily closed without being properly sealed, the box remained incompletely shut.
‘I’m certain I closed it properly?’
He tilted his head in confusion and opened the box, then started in alarm.
Half of what should have been inside had vanished.
He rushed out of the room and called for someone.
“Who, who entered my quarters?”
“Sir?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m asking if anyone entered my room today!”
“Ah, now that you mention it… Baek Seon came by. He waited inside until you arrived, Military Officer, and then left.”
The culprit had to be Baek Seon.
‘That eunuch bastard!’
He issued orders to his warriors.
“Find Baek Seon immediately and bring him here!”
“Yes!”
But the warriors soon returned with absurd news.
“Sir… it appears Baek Seon left through the city gate a while ago.”

* * *

Baek Seon’s eyes opened.
And he realized his hands were bound while he hung suspended in the air.
‘Where am I?’
He could see nothing—a blindfold had been placed over his eyes.
All he could discern was the damp air surrounding him, the metallic scent of blood, and occasional groans echoing through the darkness.
He swallowed hard, his throat tightening with tension.
Footsteps echoed—deliberate, measured.
The sound drew closer, and then his blindfold was removed.
“…!”
He could only gasp in shock.
The person who had removed his blindfold was entirely unexpected.
It was Eun Seo-ho.
“Curious why Dae-in is here, aren’t you?”
He tried to speak, to demand what this meant, but no words came.
“I’ve sealed your pressure points—there’s no need to strain yourself trying to speak.”
“….”
“By now, someone in Chungyeongseong should be ready to betray us again, so I’ve brought you here.”
He wanted to ask what that meant. As if reading his thoughts, the Masked Intruder behind Eun Seo-ho spoke.
“By now, Chungyeongseong believes you’ve stolen their funds and fled—they’re in complete chaos.”
With that, he removed his mask.
“…!”
Baek Seon’s eyes widened in absolute horror.
Kwon Jik—a man of considerable rank within the Golden Robed Guard itself.
“And over there, you’ll find a familiar face as well.”
Baek Seon turned his head toward where Kwon Jik gestured. There, suspended in the air just as he was, hung Jin Dae-chul—the man who had disappeared with the Imperial Prince.
Only then did Baek Seon begin to grasp the full scope of what was happening.
Eun Seo-ho had never approached him to provide funding.
Eun Seo-ho smiled as he spoke.
“Hanging there must be exhausting, isn’t it? Bear with it a little longer. The Imperial Guard will arrive soon, and then we’ll let you down.”
At those words, Baek Seon squeezed his eyes shut.
The future awaiting him had become far too vivid in his mind.
But Eun Seo-ho’s words were far from finished.
“Oh, and thank you for revealing where you’d hidden your wealth. There was quite a lot of it.”
“…!”
“I intend to put those riches to meaningful use.”
At that moment, Baek Seon lost all reason.
‘No, this can’t be!’
As he thrashed against his bonds, Kwon Jik’s fist drove deep into his abdomen.
“Ugh!”

* * *

I clicked my tongue as I watched Baek Seon swaying unconscious from the ceiling.
Greed runs deep—after all, wealth becomes meaningless once death arrives.
My reason for abducting Baek Seon and turning him into a traitor was simple: to sever the thread connecting the defectors to Gong Ho.
I had confirmed that trust still remained between them when I observed Gong Ho mediating disputes among the defectors.
If even a shred of mutual trust persisted, there existed the possibility they would resist when the Imperial Guard came to suppress this place.
That could result in casualties.
My objective was to resolve this matter cleanly, without any bloodshed whatsoever.
To achieve this, I had secretly sent Geumryeong to transfer the money from that chest into my secret vault.
That was when Kwon Jik Grand Hero spoke to me.
“I have once again resolved never to make an enemy of you.”
“Yes?”
“Your schemes are truly terrifying.”
A compliment… I suppose?
“Now I understand why the Emperor warned me so.”
“Yes?”
“It is nothing. Merely thinking aloud.”
What exactly had the Emperor said to warrant such a warning? In any case, what mattered now was what came next.
The Imperial Guard would soon gather in this vicinity, and they would need to enter this place.
Assisting them would fall to the Gold-Clad Guard Masters who stood with me.
“Then go now and make contact with the other Gold-Clad Guards and Imperial Guard units outside.”
“Understood.”
After issuing my orders, I returned to my quarters.
“…?”
Yet the scene before my eyes could only draw an amused smile.
“You rascal!”
“Squeak! Squeak!”
“Hah! If you catch me, I won’t let you off easy!”
“Squeak?”
Palgap and Geumryeong were playing together merrily.
“Geumryeong.”
“Squeak!”
At my call, Geumryeong kicked Palgap’s face with his hind legs and darted toward me like an arrow, settling gently into my palm.
“Would you like to visit Seo Hyang?”
Today was the day I had planned to send Geumryeong to her.
“Squeak!”
At my suggestion, Geumryeong nodded and bolted through the window like lightning.
I watched him go with satisfaction before turning my gaze to Palgap.
“So, what quarrel did you pick this time?”
“A quarrel? How unfair. I merely came to fetch the teapot, and upon seeing me, Geum-ryeong simply rushed at me.”
“Why do you two constantly bicker with each other?”
From my perspective, they were simply made for each other. It was rather entertaining, never a dull moment.
.
.
.
The next day, Geum-ryeong returned, and I untied the letter attached to his tail.
The opening contained the usual pleasantries and inquiries about my well-being.
And at the end, there was a brief piece of counsel written.

[Beware of crows.]

Crows? What an odd warning.
Upon reading this, I couldn’t help but recall the black bird that had delivered my letter to the Seo-un Sect regarding the poisoned tea I had sent to kill Seo Hyang—or rather, Dongja-ryeong. Was it mere coincidence that this warning came to mind?
I folded the letter and murmured to myself.
Do not worry. Fortunately, I possess the perfect countermeasure for this.
I then withdrew a silver coin from my pocket and held it out to Geum-ryeong, speaking.
“Here, Geum-ryeong. Eat this and help me with something.”
“Chirp?”
“Would you catch any suspicious crows you find and deal with them?”

* * *

Yuk Ho belonged to the Golden Army.
When the monotony of his daily routine began to wear on him, certain individuals approached him.
They gave him the name Yuk Ho along with a well-trained raven.
What they wanted was simple.
To use the raven to relay information about the Golden Army.
So he had been using the raven to transmit news from the Golden Army.
If this fact were discovered, he would face capital punishment, but as long as he wasn’t caught, it didn’t matter.
The compensation was quite generous, and his once-tedious existence had become thrilling.
Then one day.
A deployment order came down to the Golden Army unit he belonged to.
And soon after, he received instructions.
To use the raven to send information to Chungyeongseong.
But to do so, he had to get close enough to Chungyeongseong to release the raven.
Once he felt sufficiently close, he released the raven toward Chungyeongseong.
But strangely, the raven never returned.
Still, having grown attached to it over time, Yuk Ho began to worry about the raven.
“Hey! They’re calling for you at the barracks.”
“What?”
He headed toward the barracks in confusion.
They had rented a civilian residence to avoid drawing attention, but officially it was the barracks.
He entered.
“You called for me, sir?”
Something was thrown at his feet as he bowed respectfully.
Thud.
Yuk Ho’s eyes widened at the sight.
It was a raven with colored thread wrapped around its legs.
The very one he had sent toward Chungyeongseong.
He swallowed hard as he looked at the raven, soaked in something damp and unconscious.
“Leaking military secrets carries capital punishment. Well, care to offer an excuse?”
“I, I knew nothing of this.”
“Is that what you call an excuse? Then what explains the trembling in your eyes?”
Just then the raven awoke and flew to perch on Yuk Ho’s shoulder.
Seeing this, his superior chuckled and spoke.
“And ravens are quite intelligent. They never perch on the shoulder of a complete stranger.”
“….”
The superior showed him the note that had been on the wooden table.
“So let’s have a thorough conversation about who you were trying to deliver this note to.”
“P, please spare me! I’ll tell you everything!”
Yuk Ho, who had wanted excitement in his dreary life, now regretted his choice.
The excitement had become far too intense.

* * *

I gently stroked Geumryeong atop the wooden table with my fingertip.
“Well done.”
Following Seo Hyang’s counsel, I had sent Geumryeong out, and the bird had earned its keep magnificently.
It had snatched a raven flying in from the village direction straight from the air.
A letter was bound to the raven’s leg.
Upon examining that letter, I couldn’t help but feel a chill run down my spine.
Had this letter reached its destination normally, I would have been in grave trouble.
Most likely, this letter was meant for Gong Ho.
In that case, he would have fled.
There was no reason for him to stand and fight alongside them here.
Ah, so that was it!
Only then did I grasp the true meaning behind the advice to examine the shoes.
In other words, to prevent his escape.
That statement meant if he were to flee, I would come to deeply regret it.
Had I not stolen his prized shoes, he surely would have fled wearing them.
Then the Murim Alliance would have learned of my movements….
Without realizing it, my back had become damp with cold sweat.
If the Murim Alliance discovered this, they would grow suspicious of all my actions thus far.
It would be troublesome if my opposition to the Murim Alliance were revealed at this stage.
I had incurred a tremendous debt to Seo Hyang.
.
.
.
Past midnight, as the date changed into dawn.
I led my Guard Warriors toward the city gate.
The Gate Keepers maintained strict vigilance at the city gate and watchtower.
More precisely, they were martial artists brought by Gong Ho.
All the soldiers who originally guarded this fortress had been disarmed and imprisoned in the prison.
They seemed to be held in a place visible from the formal passage, not the secret passage through which I had infiltrated.
Which meant the Imperial Prince was held deep within the prison.
In any case, the time had come.
I checked the time by gazing at the night sky, then issued orders to my Guard Warriors through sound transmission.
They all moved stealthily to their designated positions, and at my signal, they severed the throats of those standing watch.
Then I opened the main gate.
Creeeeak.
The Imperial Guards poured rapidly through the opened city gate.
And at their vanguard stood Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster.
Since there were martial artists, not only the Golden Army but also the Geumui Guard had come.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“The work isn’t finished yet. I’ll hear your praise later.”
“I’ll give you plenty of it then.”
After exchanging these words, I headed toward the Lord’s Residence with the Guard Warriors.
I had to capture Gong Ho before he could escape, now that he’d caught on to what was happening.
Breaking his legs a bit should do the trick.

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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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