The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 511

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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 511

Chapter 511. The Successor (5)

I caught my breath and continued.
“The most crucial evidence in this matter was the poem written on the wall. Therefore, with the assistance of Song Rok, I identified poets whose writing habits matched those evident in that poem.”
“Similar habits?”
I relayed Song Rok’s explanation directly to the Emperor.
“However, a problem emerged. Among those who participated in the preliminaries of this poetry competition, five individuals possessed similar habits.”
“Five of them?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I nodded.
“Then the culprit must be among them. But you said this Namgung Yi-in I apprehended has impaired vision, correct?”
“That’s correct. So I must identify the culprit relying solely on his testimony and hearing, which makes the situation quite difficult.”
The Emperor clicked his tongue at my words.
“That Namgung Geon-ji Elder—why couldn’t he control his temper and act rashly, creating such a mess….”
That’s exactly what I wanted to say.
I suppressed a bitter smile and continued.
“However, it seems I can identify the culprit without relying solely on that.”
“How so?”
“Now comes the main point.”
I paused deliberately. Everyone looked desperate with curiosity.
“Once, in a certain county, there lived a renowned scholar and poet. But to a man named Na Jung-su, he was an appetizing prey. For with such high renown, destroying his poetry would make his own name widely known.”
I continued my explanation.
“However, he rarely found the opportunity. This was because the scholar possessed exceptional skill. Yet he was still human, and thus eventually made a mistake.”
I paused briefly and resumed.
“Naturally, Na Jung-su seized the opportunity, wrote a critical poem pointing out that mistake, and posted it on the wall. That scholar, whose pride was as great as his talent, ultimately chose to end his own life to wash away his dishonor.”
My explanation ended, but the Emperor still tilted his head.
“That’s something I already know. Hasn’t this Na Jung-su built his notorious reputation in such a manner?”
“But here’s the thing.”
I smiled faintly.
“That scholar, with his excellent character, also devoted himself to nurturing his successors.”
“His successors…?”
“Yes.”
The Emperor finally seemed to understand, slapping his knee with a sharp sound.
“Aha! That’s it!”
“Yes. Those disciples, enraged by their teacher’s tarnished honor and his death, resolved to take revenge.”
“But surely you cannot be certain of the culprit based solely on that, can you?”
I nodded at Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster’s words.
“Of course, this is merely my conjecture for now. However… there was something that continued to trouble me about the poem written on the wall.”
“What is that?”
I recited the poem from memory. Having seen it countless times, I had committed every word to heart.

“Your verse tears asunder the earth
and rends even the heavens apart.
Those who condemn others
must consider that they themselves
shall face condemnation,
and if that condemnation brings death to another,
then you too must be prepared for death.
Did you truly not know this?
Since you have torn another’s heart asunder,
so too shall you be torn apart.”

“Yes, that was the poem indeed.”
“This poem consists of exactly ten lines in total.”
At my words, Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster counted them on his fingers and soon nodded in agreement.
“You are correct.”
“There is an original version of this poem.”
I withdrew the paper bearing the poem from my robes and presented it.
Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster received it directly, read it, and then passed it to the Emperor.
The Emperor read it as well.

“Your verse tears asunder the earth
and rends even the heavens apart.
Those who condemn others
must consider that they themselves shall face condemnation,
and if that condemnation brings death to another,
then you too must be prepared for death. Did you truly not know this?
Since you have torn another’s heart asunder,
so too shall you be torn apart.”

After the Emperor finished reciting the poem, I asked calmly.
“Doesn’t something seem odd when compared to this?”
“What do you mean?”
“The content is the same, but the original text has eight lines while this poem has ten.”
“Ah, I see. The fourth and fifth lines, as well as the seventh and eighth lines, were divided.”
“Exactly. This was so that five people could each write two lines separately.”
The Emperor’s eyes narrowed at my words.
“What?”
“Rather than using a brush, they used crushed tree roots as a brush to write the poem in order to hide this fact. However, upon close examination, the thickness of the characters subtly differs.”
From the moment I first saw that poem, I had sensed something peculiar about it.
And only recently was I able to discern what that peculiarity was.
No matter how much one crushes tree bark to use as a brush and tries to disguise their handwriting, there is something that inevitably reveals itself.
It is the pressure of the brush stroke of the one who wrote it.
“They wrote a single poem on the wall by dividing it among five people. That is the evidence that all five of them are the culprits in this critic murder case.”
“….”
A brief silence fell.
“Hahahaha!”
It was the Emperor’s hearty laughter that broke that silence.
“To think you would solve this so completely! Remarkable!”
“This is merely my conjecture, Your Majesty.”
“If it were merely conjecture, you would not have asked me for leniency toward them at the beginning of this account. The leniency you spoke of must have been for those disciples.”
You understand well.
“You are truly an exceptional talent.”
“I am deeply honored by Your Majesty’s words.”
But why does cold sweat run down my back when the Emperor calls me an exceptional talent?
I bowed respectfully and spoke.
“There is one more thing I must tell you. In fact, the poem written on that wall was a death poem left behind by their deceased teacher.”
“My goodness!”
I continued.
“At first, I thought it was a poem composed by someone else, but that was not the case. However, the similar stylistic traits that appear in both that poem and their poems stem from studying under the same teacher. When one learns poetry from childhood, one naturally becomes influenced by that teacher’s style, do they not?”
Thus, it ultimately became evidence demonstrating the relationship between the five poets and the deceased scholar.
“Although murder should not be committed, I believe there is no absolute standard here.”
“No absolute standard?”
“Yes. For example, is not one who punishes a villain called a hero? And Na Jung-su Poet was a villain who tore apart the hearts of many.”
“…Hmm, that is true.”
“Therefore, I earnestly request that you show them leniency.”
.
.
.
The next day.
The five disciples of the deceased scholar were summoned to the County Office. And Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster and I met them directly.
“Why have you summoned us to this place?”
The one who asked me in a trembling voice was Jo Saeng.
No matter how hard they tried to appear composed, I could see they were all on edge.
“Don’t you think you know better than I do why I’ve called you here?”
At my words, one of them let out a sigh.
“As I thought… we should have handled this ourselves instead of hiring an assassin. He must have confessed everything about this matter.”
His expression showed no regret about what had been done.
I shook my head at his words.
“I’m afraid not.”
“Not?”
“That’s right. We did capture the assassin, but he has lost his sight due to certain circumstances, so his testimony cannot be trusted.”
“Then… how?”
The five of them immediately eyed each other suspiciously.
I waved my hand and explained.
“No, there was no traitor among you.”
“Then how?”
“The poem written on the wall—that was the evidence of this matter.”
“What?”
I explained this to them in detail.
After hearing my explanation, they murmured with expressions of despair.
“That it would be our undoing…”
“We never even considered that.”
I spoke to them.
“I heard that was your late Teacher’s death poem.”
“That’s correct.”
“From what I can see, I believe your Teacher was thinking of you, his disciples, until the very end.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“What I mean is that the death poem revealed to me that you were the culprits in this matter. So that your hearts would not rot away.”
Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster, who had been listening quietly beside me, spoke.
“Eun Seo-ho is right. Since my profession is that of a martial artist, I have killed many people. No matter how evil those opponents were, taking someone’s life can never sit well with one’s conscience.”
He continued.
“At first, you don’t feel it. But gradually, guilt begins to bind you, and eventually it withers your very spirit. That’s why some martial artists cannot overcome the guilt of taking a life and make extreme choices.”
I continued.
“Moreover, you killed someone in secret, didn’t you? So the pressure of that guilt would be immense. But now that deed has been revealed. In fact, you must feel relieved.”
“…”
One of them opened his mouth with a heavy expression.
“Sigh… Our Teacher urged us not to seek revenge, but we simply could not bear it without taking revenge.”
I nodded quietly.
I understood their hearts.
“Then what punishment will we receive? We committed murder, after all, so it seems we cannot escape execution.”
“Well, who knows?”
I smiled as I spoke.
“I’m not entirely sure myself. So go and study poetry diligently.”
“Pardon?”
They all looked bewildered, but I offered no further explanation and changed the subject.
“His Majesty has issued a royal decree commanding you to participate in the final Poetry Competition.”
.
.
.
A few days later.
The finals of the Poetry Competition.
This was the third round, where only the poets who advanced from the second competition gathered to compete.
Since the champion would be decided here, the Emperor himself appeared to encourage them.
“I was quite satisfied reading your poetry. Yet on the other hand, I am filled with anticipation, for I believe you have not yet reached your limits.”
“….”
“I wish for you to squeeze your minds even harder. Ponder and ponder again. Then in the end, you shall face brilliant glory!”
“Long live the Emperor!”
“Long live!”
“Long live!”
Those gathered there offered three cheers and paid their utmost respects to the Emperor.
Now it was time for the Emperor to descend from the ceremonial platform, but he did not. Instead, he continued speaking.
“I would like to use this opportunity to reveal a certain truth to you all.”
At this, everyone’s attention focused on the Emperor.
“Recently, a man who came to Beijing to participate in this Poetry Competition was murdered within the Inner City.”
“…!”
At those words, everyone’s eyes widened in shock as they stared at the Emperor.
In truth, this incident had caused quite a stir throughout Beijing, so none of those attending the Poetry Competition were unaware of it.
However, no one had expected the Emperor to speak of it in such a public setting.
“The name of the deceased was Na Jung-su Poet.”
“….”
“He was a plague upon this Empire.”
“…!”
Everyone was shocked a second time.
While all had thought Na Jung-su Poet was a worthless wretch, none had ever dreamed the Emperor would speak of him so openly.
“As Emperor, I apologize to you all for failing to dispose of such a man beforehand.”
At those words, everyone prostrated themselves and cried out.
“We are deeply honored! Please withdraw those words!”
“Please withdraw them!”
The Emperor gazed at them for a moment, then opened his mouth to speak.
“This time, I have heard a most intriguing tale.”
From the Emperor’s lips flowed a concise summary of everything I had reported.
“I deliberated long on what punishment to impose upon those five disciples.”
As I listened, I observed the Five Disciples of Deceased Scholar.
They had been summoned not long ago, and now they sat rigid with tension.
“I have decided to make their punishment conditional.”
The Emperor turned his gaze toward the five and continued.
“If they do not lose their honor, neither shall I punish them. But should they forfeit their honor, I will take their heads.”
This was the Emperor’s response to my plea for clemency.
At those words, the five disciples could only blink. They too must have struggled to comprehend this situation.
But they would soon understand.
That their only path to survival lay in elevating their honor.
And that the Emperor had shown them tremendous mercy.
Still, if I knew the Emperor as I thought I did, he would not have spoken thus merely to spare them.
Surely there was some deeper intention woven into his words.
“I wish for all gathered here to possess the spirit of advancement and distinction. And now, I shall commence the final round of the Poetry Competition.”
Advancement and distinction.
I could not help but smile at those words.
To advance and distinguish oneself meant, in essence, to enter government service.
Of course it did.
.
.
.
The final round of the Poetry Competition had begun.
After witnessing its commencement, I made my way directly to the Ministry of Personnel.
I needed to meet with the Hyungbu Sangseo Official and report on these developments.
“Hahahaha!”
The moment Bang Dae-in, the Minister of Personnel, saw me, he laughed and spoke.
“I heard you performed remarkably in this affair.”
“I heard as much myself. That you were occupied with pressing matters and entrusted this task to me. So what could I do? I merely exerted myself to uncover the truth.”
At my words, Bang Dae-in chuckled softly.
“There’s substance to your words.”
“….”
“After witnessing this affair, I have come to feel something. You truly are qualified.”
“Qualified? For what, sir…?”
“To be my successor.”
He grinned widely.
“I, Bang Hyo-myung, have decided to make you my successor.”
At those words, I shut my eyes tightly.
Ah… should I really flee?

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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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