The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 510

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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 510

Chapter 510. The Successor (4)

I sent a Chang-un Warrior to inform the Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster of this development.
In the meantime, Palgap used Geum Ryung-i’s saliva to treat Namgung Yi-in’s wounds.
The effect was remarkably potent—not a trace remained on Namgung Yi-in’s skin.
We redressed him in his clothes, laid him back on the bed, and meticulously wiped away every drop of blood.
Yeo opened the door to air out the chamber, and masked the lingering scent with incense from the burner.
It was incense Ha-hwa Officer had brought—apparently designed precisely for such purposes, with an exceptional ability to erase odors.
However, we left the wound on his shoulder untreated.
That injury was necessary; it would lend credibility to my account of him attacking me and my counterattack.

Moments later.
Thundering footsteps echoed through the corridor!
A group of people came rushing toward us, and then—
The door burst open!
The Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster rushed into the Separate Quarters, his voice urgent and commanding.
“Eun Seo-ho, Small Guild Master!”
“Yes, I’m here.”
He hurried toward me, his eyes scanning the room carefully.
“Are you unharmed? No injuries?”
“Surely I wouldn’t be wounded by an assassin of merely first-rate warrior caliber?”
“True enough, I suppose.”
The Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster released a breath of relief.
“I heard the assassin who killed Na Jung-su Poet attacked you.”
“That’s correct.”
I gestured toward the bed with my hand.
“I rendered him unconscious and left him there.”
The Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster clicked his tongue upon seeing the figure.
“You’re quite merciful. I would have bound him and hung him upside down from the ceiling.”
I smiled silently at his words.
In truth, I had done far worse than that.
The Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster issued orders to his subordinates.
“Take him to the County Office!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Ah, he might attempt to escape, so it would be wise to bind his limbs securely.”
After all, I had completely healed even his shattered wrists.
Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster nodded at my words.
“Very well, I shall see to it.”
“Ah! And do inform His Majesty the Emperor. I suspect he will be quite pleased.”

* * *

Namgung Yi-in’s eyes fluttered open as he felt his body sway.
Creak.
An unfamiliar sound reached his ears, accompanied by an uncomfortable position.
And the musty stench told him exactly where he was.
The Prison.
“Gasp!”
And with it came a rush of memories.
He had attacked the Separate Quarters of Chunmong House to silence Eun Seo-ho by killing him, only to discover it was a trap.
He had tried to take his own life, but was prevented and lost consciousness.
When he awoke, Eun Seo-ho stood before him with a smile on that handsome face and said:

“I have some questions for you. Would you mind cooperating?”

That both his wrists were broken was almost trivial.
The interrogation disguised as torture that followed probed into his most sensitive secrets.
“I suspect there’s more you haven’t told me.”
“There is nothing more! I swear it!”
“I don’t think so…”
At Eun Seo-ho’s glance, the Guard Warrior beside him twisted the blade lodged in his thigh.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
He had no way of knowing how Eun Seo-ho had discovered his hidden secrets, but he found himself unable to refuse.
He had lost consciousness from the pain and regained it several times over.
He had sworn to himself repeatedly.
That he would never let this pass.
Though he had brought shame upon the Namgung Family name, he was still one of them.
It should be the Namgung Family who interrogated him.
Not some lowborn merchant.
‘How dare this lowborn merchant lay hands upon me?’
Separate from whatever punishment he would receive, he intended to report this to Namgung Geon-ji Elder so that Eun Seo-ho would face punishment as well.
But…
Something felt wrong.
‘Why doesn’t it hurt?’
He had certainly lost consciousness from the pain multiple times, yet now he felt no pain whatsoever.
The places where he had been struck during his attack still throbbed slightly.
He examined his body and couldn’t help but widen his eyes.
‘This… this can’t be! It’s impossible!’
There wasn’t a single mark of torture on his body.
With things as they stood, he could no longer claim to Namgung Geon-ji Elder that he had been tortured.
As he reeled in shock, he heard footsteps approaching.
And soon, those who revealed themselves before him were Namgung Geon-ji Elder and Namgung Yang.
And behind them stood Eun Seo-ho, the Small Merchant Guild Leader.
He smiled faintly at Namgung Yi-in, whose lips trembled at that smile.

* * *

I saw Namgung Yi-in in the Prison.
The moment he saw me, his eyes widened and his body trembled visibly, revealing that his true nature had been exposed.
But what could I do about it?
He had intended to make a fool of me, yet he had ended up fooling himself instead.
“Namgung Yi-in!”
Namgung Geon-ji Elder rebuked him sharply.
“How dare you do such a thing!”
“….”
He approached Namgung Yi-in and struck his cheek without hesitation.
Crack!
“Moreover, do you have any idea how much trouble your foolish actions have caused the Main House?”
Namgung Geon-ji Elder’s hands trembled with rage.
And no wonder, for we had met with Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster before coming here.
And Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster had informed Namgung Geon-ji Elder of the Emperor’s will.

“A member of the Namgung Family brutally murdered a participant in the Poetry Competition hosted by the Imperial Court within the Inner City of Beijing. His Majesty inquired whether the Namgung Family was showing disrespect toward the Imperial Court.”
“No, no! We harbor no such intentions whatsoever.”
“Is that truly so?”
At that pressing question, Namgung Geon-ji Elder prostrated himself on the ground, bowing his head in submission.
“I speak the truth. This is merely the act of that individual alone! It is absolutely not a matter concerning the Namgung Family.”
Though Namgung Geon-ji Elder had always carried himself with such arrogance, he now understood that this was a moment to humble himself completely.
For the Emperor’s words were, in essence, a question of whether there existed treasonous intent.
No matter how elevated the Namgung Family’s status within the Martial Arts World, they could not survive if they became enemies of the Imperial Court.
Should the Imperial Court mobilize the Imperial Guard, the Namgung Family would vanish without a trace.
And if the martial factions that despised the Namgung Family joined forces with the court, the outcome was as clear as fire.
In truth, until now the Imperial Court had refrained from pressuring the Namgung Family simply because they lacked justification.
But now that such clear justification had emerged, they would not let it slip away.
“Then, should you not demonstrate something to assure His Majesty of your loyalty?”
“….”
The method I had been unable to employ when Namgung Yang was proven innocent—now I could finally put it to use.

In any case, having suffered such humiliation, they found themselves unable to resolve it.
Yet knowing that I was the architect of this situation, they could not contain their rage.
Thwack! Crack! Thwack!
“Ugh! Gah! Cough!”
“Moreover, I! Namgung Geon-ji! Will not tolerate that humiliation! That disgrace!”
Whether his fury remained unabated or his own hands had grown weary, he seized the whip beside him and began striking Namgung Yi-in directly.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
“Cough! Sob!”
With a gag forced into his mouth, Namgung Yi-in could mount no proper defense and could only endure the blows helplessly.
Though he cast occasional glances of fury in my direction, there was nothing he could do.
Which was precisely why I wondered what possessed him to commit such an act.
Still, if the Merchant were to die like this, it would prove rather inconvenient.
“Elder, please restrain yourself. Namgung Yi-in the Great Hero is….”
“Great Hero? Simply use his name!”
“Yes, then….”
I would have preferred to do so from the start, but there is a difference between having permission and lacking it.
“Namgung Yi-in is a crucial witness for the County Office. We need him to identify who commissioned this murder.”
“Huff….”
Namgung Geon-ji Elder suppressed his rage and spoke sharply.
“Then, who is it? Who commissioned you to do this?”
“He still has the gag in his mouth.”
I briefly restrained the Elder and gestured to the Prison Guard.
The Prison Guard quickly approached and removed the gag from his mouth.
“So, who is it?”
“I… I don’t know much either… but if I see those hands and hear that voice, I think I might recognize them.”
“We must find that assassin!”
“Yes.”
That’s true enough.
Only by finding that assassin could they prove, even slightly, that they harbored no intention of treason against the Imperial Court.
And that would reduce what the Namgung Family Estate would need to concede.
In fact, the Emperor had intended to use the murder charge against Namgung Yang to demand that the Namgung Family cease their lingering presence in the Imperial Palace.
But I had released Namgung Yang, and I had to abandon that opportunity.
Yet now, by capturing the culprit myself, I could pressure the Namgung Family Estate even further.
Of course the Emperor would be pleased.
.
.
.
Two days had passed.
Despite the preliminary round, the number of remaining poets was still considerable.
And no wonder—this poetry competition spanned the entire Empire.
Namgung Geon-ji Elder had originally planned to return to Anhui Province if Namgung Yang failed the preliminaries, but he could not do so.
It was because of Namgung Yi-in.
Due to the blow he had taken from Namgung Geon-ji, his eyesight had been damaged.
As a result, he had to identify the culprit by voice alone, which was no easy task.
Even if he was a first-rate warrior with keener hearing than most.
Sigh…
In any case, it wasn’t helping.

Song Rok came to find me as I attended to business in my office at the Beijing Branch.
“You’ve arrived?”
“Yes.”
“Please, sit.”
I handed Song Rok a sheet of paper as he took his seat.
“So there are five suspects then.”
That’s right.
Five poets in total had composed verses bearing characteristics similar to those of the poem written on the wall.
“This is… rather curious.”
“Indeed it is.”
I exhaled deeply and gazed at the ceiling.
Still, narrowing it down to five from so many was something to be grateful for.
Yes, let’s think positively.

Night had fallen.
I felt my chest tighten, so I turned my head to look at Seo Hyang.
She, too, was still working without having left for the day.
“Gwak Vice-Manager.”
“Yes?”
“Would you care to take a stroll through the back garden to clear your mind for a moment?”
“I’d like that.”
I stepped out into the back garden with her and walked slowly.
March had already reached its middle days.
The breeze was cool, though to me it felt refreshing.
“You seem troubled.”
“Yes, I am.”
Then she smiled faintly and recited a poem.

When I let tomorrow’s worries drift away,
Today’s worries come floating back.
Tomorrow, and the day after that—
Worries never cease their endless flow,
Ah, this is a life trapped in the mortal world.

I smiled at her poem.
“That’s a poem by Yun Ak, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It’s a poem I learned when I was young.”
She continued.
“This poem speaks of a life where worries never end. It makes you realize that troubles are truly endless.”
“Ha ha ha. Indeed.”
“So during a walk like this, let’s forget our worries.”
“Pardon?”
“Walking while troubled isn’t a proper stroll at all.”
I nodded readily at her words.
“You’re right. But Gwak Vice-Manager, who taught you literature?”
“I learned from my elder brothers. They studied under a teacher hired by our family.”
In a distinguished family like hers, they hired private tutors to educate their children.
But this was mostly limited to sons, while daughters received instruction from their mothers or family members.
It was to prevent them from being seen by unrelated men.
Wait… hold on.
A sudden thought struck me.
Considering that all five of them lived in Anhui Province and were from the same region, there could only be one answer.
And I thought I understood their motive as well.
“Gwak Vice-Manager, I apologize, but let’s end our stroll here.”

Returning to my office, I wrote a letter in one fluid stroke and entrusted it to Geum-ryeong.
“Geum-ryeong, this is a letter for Father.”
“Chirp!”
“I’m counting on you. Make sure to bring back a reply quickly.”
Geum-ryeong fastened the letter to her tail and darted away like an arrow. I sent the letter to Father rather than the Information Bureau in Beijing because Hubei was closer to Anhui Province than Beijing.
And several days later.
When I opened my eyes at dawn, Geum-ryeong was perched on my chest.
“Ah, Geum-ryeong has arrived?”
I rose and stroked Geum-ryeong, then untied the letter hanging from her tail.
A smile crossed my lips as I read its contents.
Just as I thought.
.
.
.
That morning.
I sent a letter to Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster.
After breakfast, while I was handling my duties, Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster arrived at the Beijing Branch.
“His Majesty the Emperor summons you.”
“Great Swordmaster, before that, I have something urgent to tell you.”
I explained the entire matter to him. The person in charge needed to know before I spoke with the Emperor.
Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster could not hide his astonishment at my explanation.
“So that’s why you wanted to see His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Thank you for giving me advance notice. I shall take my leave now.”
“Yes.”
I followed him toward the Imperial Palace.
The Emperor commanded me to raise my head as I performed the most respectful bow.
“Your boundless grace overwhelms me.”
“Tell me, what brings you to seek an audience with me?”
“In truth, Your Majesty, I have come to speak regarding this murder case, and I humbly beseech you to show mercy toward the perpetrators.”
The Emperor pondered my words for a moment before responding.
“If you speak thus, there must be good reason. Very well, tell me. I shall give due consideration to the circumstances.”
At those words, I bowed deeply and spoke.
“Your Majesty, I shall explain the matter to you.”

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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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