The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 504

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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 504

Chapter 504. The Critic Murder Case (3)

The Eun Hae Trading Company’s Information Bureau had been steadily growing over the past few years, and now it operated actively throughout the Empire.
With my efforts, it had developed considerably faster than in my previous life.
And now, I was reaping the benefits of that growth.
“Jin Yu Warrior.”
“You called for me?”
“Please deliver this letter discreetly to the Qingya Pavilion.”
“Understood.”
The Qingya Pavilion in Beijing.
That place was our Merchant Guild Intelligence Division’s base of operations in Beijing.
However, I had been careful not to use it excessively.
Since I was already drawing considerable public attention, I was wary of its true nature being exposed.
When absolutely necessary, I would discreetly request information through Jin Yu Warrior.
This matter required their assistance desperately.

The next day, Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster came to find me again.
“The Emperor summons you.”
“Yes.”
I had anticipated he would call around this time, and my prediction proved correct.
I tidied my appearance and followed Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster toward the Imperial Palace.
After offering the Emperor the highest courtesy, he spoke to me.
“Raise your head.”
“Your Majesty’s grace is boundless.”
“Yes, I heard you are working with Jin-yeong to uncover the truth behind the Critic Murder Case.”
So this incident had been named the Critic Murder Case.
“If I can be of service, I believe it is my duty to assist.”
“You speak well.”
The Emperor chuckled softly.
“But I’m sure you’re inwardly grumbling about how you already have so much on your plate, and now another matter has landed on your shoulders.”
How did he know?
Could the Emperor possibly have another profession besides being Emperor?
Perhaps something that only requires a single straw mat?
“Well then, let me ask you something. Do you think the person we’ve apprehended is the culprit?”
The Emperor’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
The Emperor’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
You were hoping to hear me say, “Yes, he is the culprit.”
But I cannot do that.
While it might satisfy the Emperor for now, the consequences would be difficult to manage later.
“No.”
“No… what?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“Based on my judgment, he is not the culprit.”
The Emperor’s expression darkened with disappointment.
He must have been planning to use this as leverage to pressure and intimidate the Murim Alliance and the Namgung Family, and now that plan had fallen through.
“Why?”
“Because his martial skill is superior to that of the actual culprit.”
“Hmm… is that so?”
I had promised to keep this secret, but this was before the Emperor.
Moreover, the Emperor had a master from Hwagyeong at his side—how could I possibly keep it hidden?
“However, he requested that I keep his true ability concealed, even though revealing it would clear him of suspicion.”
“…That is a strange request.”
“Therefore, I am currently searching for other evidence.”
“That bastard is causing my people unnecessary trouble.”
At those muttered words, I found myself doubting my own ears.
Did he just say “my people”?
I stood there momentarily dazed, when the Emperor asked me a question.
“So, do you think you can find that evidence?”
“Yes. I am currently trying to uncover his whereabouts last night.”
“His whereabouts last night?”
“Yes. He is also unwilling to disclose his whereabouts last night. So I thought that if I could discover this, I might both prove his innocence and identify the true culprit.”
“Tsk!”
The Emperor clicked his tongue.
“That fellow certainly is troublesome.”
I glanced sideways at the Eunuch.
He already wore an expression of detachment toward the Emperor’s rough manner of speech.
“But if he is unwilling to reveal it, isn’t it likely he would also ask that it not be spoken of?”
“Once I uncover his whereabouts at that time, it will resolve itself one way or another.”
“Very well. You will handle it well enough. Still, this is rather unfortunate.”
“Your Majesty, if I may speak a word.”
“Go ahead, speak.”
I chose my words carefully.
“Must there be guilt for us to gain something from this situation?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Even without guilt, we can still gain something from it.”
I continued speaking.
“Perhaps you could make a public statement?”
At my words, the Emperor fell into thought for a moment, then smiled with a knowing grin as he looked at me.
“This fellow, this is….”
Was it my imagination, or did the Emperor’s gaze resemble the way Geum Ryung-i looked at Geum Won-bo?
“Eun Seo-ho, Small Guild Master.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You must do your utmost to prove his innocence. For your plan to work, you must first establish his innocence.”
“I accept your command.”
.
.
.
I returned to the Beijing Branch.
“Small Guild Master, Song Rok the Poet has arrived.”
Gal Hyun Deputy informed me that Song Rok the Poet had come.
“Where is he now?”
“He should be resting in the guest quarters.”
“Then please tell him to meet me in the guest reception room shortly.”
“Understood.”
Song Rok the Poet had won the Poetry Competition held two years prior.
And according to our contract, he had been affiliated with the Eun Hae Trading Company, traveling throughout the realm and making his mark.
And he had been appointed as a judge for this Poetry Competition as well.
He should have come with Jin-ho when he arrived before, but something came up and he arrived late.
As I waited in the guest reception room, Song Rok the Poet soon arrived.
“Welcome.”
“I apologize for keeping you waiting.”
“Not at all. I haven’t been waiting long. Please, sit.”
Palgap soon brought refreshments.
“Please, help yourself.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s been a while, and you’ve grown quite robust.”
When I first saw him, he appeared gaunt and hollow-eyed, but now his frame had filled out considerably and he looked far healthier.
He laughed awkwardly in response.
“This is all thanks to you, Small Guild Master.”
“Even now, when I think back to that time, my heart sinks. What was a man doing at the Beijing Branch construction site….”
“Ugh, ugh, ugh!”
At my mention of his dark past, Song Rok the Poet flailed his arms in the air.
“That, that was….”
“What’s the matter?”
“That, please, I beg you to forget about it.”
“How could I forget? The poem Song Rok composed at that construction site was absolutely beautiful.”
“….”
At my words, he sighed and grumbled.
“Do you find it so amusing to mock me?”
“My apologies. These days, I find so little to laugh about.”
The atmosphere had lightened sufficiently. Now came the main matter.
I had deliberately teased Song Rok to lift the mood precisely because what I was about to broach was far from pleasant.
“The Poetry Competition begins tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
“As with last year, you’ve been asked to serve as a judge for the Poetry Competition. I would be grateful for your assistance.”
“Do I have a choice?”
He cupped his fist and bowed his head slightly to me.
“This year, unlike last year and the year before, the competition spans the entire Empire, so the number of participants is quite substantial.”
“That’s no concern. Appreciating poetry is my pleasure. Besides, being invited as a judge for the Poetry Competition is an honor, is it not?”
I smiled and nodded at his words.
He was right.
I shifted my expression to something more serious.
“In truth, something disturbing occurred in Beijing not long ago.”
“Something disturbing?”
“A scholar who came to Beijing to participate in the Poetry Competition was brutally murdered.”
“My goodness!”
I explained the matter to him in broad strokes. Of course, I omitted anything classified.
After hearing my explanation, he nodded slowly.
“Na Jung-su Poet—I know of him. It’s unseemly to speak ill of the dead, but I never cared for him. His disposition was rather vicious. So it’s hardly surprising that he met such a cruel end.”
If Song Rok spoke of him in such terms, Na Jung-su must have earned quite the notorious reputation among poets.
“Just how harshly did he criticize others?”
“Frankly, his critiques weren’t criticism at all—they were condemnation.”
He explained Na Jung-su’s method of critique.
“He would compose poems denouncing someone’s work and post them in public streets where many people pass.”
Ah….
So he publicly humiliated people.
Song Rok was right—the man truly did have a vicious disposition.
If that was the case, then the poem written on the wall wasn’t merely a warning to him.
It was also a way of returning to him what he had done to others.
“Looking at those critical poems, one can see they were so malicious that… ultimately, several people couldn’t bear the shame and chose death.”
“Yet he never ceased his critiques?”
“No. He claimed that even when people died, it only proved those poets lacked the mettle to be anything more, and that they were destined for such extreme choices regardless of his actions….”
“….”
Wow, what trash.
Now I understood why Song Rok held Na Jung-su in such low regard.
“Has Song Rok perhaps fallen victim to this person as well?”
“Fortunately, I have not.”
“That is fortunate indeed.”
It made sense—Song Rok’s poetry was praised as nearly flawless.
“In fact, I have a request to make of you, Song Rok.”
“What might that be?”
“First, would you examine this?”
I handed him a copy of the poem that had been inscribed at the place where Na Jung-su Poet had died.
“Ah… could this be…?”
The moment he saw it, recognition flashed across his face as he looked back at me.
“Yes. It is the poem that was written at that scene, as I mentioned earlier.”
I continued.
“I understand that a poem carries the unique signature of its author.”
“That is correct. The author themselves may not realize it, but others can perceive it.”
“During the competition judging, if you encounter a poem bearing the same or similar signature as this one, please inform me.”
“You believe this person is the murderer?”
“Yes.”
I nodded in response to Song Rok’s question.
“Truthfully, the deceased Na Jung-su Poet was hardly admirable as a person, yet we must still apprehend the culprit, must we not?”
“I understand.”
The reason I entrust this task to him is that I cannot remain at the competition venue for extended periods.
Song Rok, being a judge, will hear all the competitors’ poems and can make a more accurate assessment.
“I am grateful for your willingness to help.”
“Think nothing of it. If I can be of assistance, it is only natural that I should help. Are you not my benefactor, the one who saved my life?”

The next day, the Poetry Competition began.
I watched the Poetry Competition for a while before heading to the County Office to investigate Namgung Yang.
“You’ve arrived?”
The officials at the County Office who recognized my face treated me with considerable courtesy, remembering Jingyeong Alliance’s instructions to cooperate with me.
“Where is Namgung Yang?”
“He’s in the Prison.”
At those words, I made my way to the Prison and approached Namgung Yang, who was confined there.
“Would you like some?”
Upon noticing my presence, he asked with a dark expression.
“What is it?”
“Gangjeong.”
I showed him the gangjeong I’d brought with me, and upon seeing it, Namgung Yang’s eyes lit up.
“I… I won’t refuse.”
He must be hungry.
I handed him the gangjeong, which he accepted and unwrapped before beginning to eat.
Crunch, crunch,
I watched him as I listened to the satisfying sound of him eating the gangjeong.
Had he not been from the Namgung Family, had he been just an ordinary commoner, he wouldn’t have been treated so gently now.
With evidence like that, they would have tortured him and demanded he confess immediately.
Just as Yu So-ak Internal Chief Manager had experienced before.
While everyone should be treated equally, truthfully, it’s not easy to do so.
Regardless, a sudden curiosity arose in me.
“Namgung Yang.”
“Yes?”
“With your abilities, you could easily escape from this Prison, yet you remain here so obediently. Why is that?”
“Because I cannot tarnish my family’s name.”
Was it truly for the honor of his family?
“And…”
He continued in a quiet voice.
“If I tarnish my family’s honor, my father will be furious with me. Then my mother would be deeply saddened.”
“I see.”
I crouched down before him and spoke.
“The Poetry Competition began today.”
“I see.”
He was calmer than I expected.
“Since the first preliminary round of the Poetry Competition hasn’t ended yet, you could still participate if your name were cleared now.”
“…”
“So, do you have no intention of telling me what you were doing and where you were that night?”
“…”
He’s quite stubborn.
What on earth could have happened to make him act like that?
I rose from my seat.
“I’ll stop by again tomorrow.”
He offered no response.

“Master, a reply has arrived from the Qingya Pavilion.”
Upon my return to the Beijing Branch, Jin Yu Warrior approached and handed me a letter.

[I shall meet you at the Yeoji House this evening]

The Yeoji House was one of Beijing’s taverns.
Their lamb dumplings were particularly renowned.
Perfect. It’s been a while since I’ve had a proper gathering.

Night fell.
I made my way to the Yeoji House and ascended to the highest floor.
“Lamb dumplings and….”
I placed my order, and the food arrived shortly. At that moment, a courtesan approached our table.
“Allow me to offer you some tea.”
I sensed the woman’s aura and let out a soft chuckle as I spoke.
“It’s been a long time, Chun-il.”
At my words, she laughed softly in return.
“You have a terrifyingly keen sense, don’t you?”
The people around us gasped in astonishment, clicking their tongues. Truly remarkable indeed.
To deceive even a Peak Martial Master.
“Have you been in Beijing?”
“Yes. For about two weeks now. So, you wish to know about Namgung Yang?”
“Yes.”
“Then I must tell you this first. Namgung Yang’s life is in grave danger.”
“…What?”
What in the world does that mean?

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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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