The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 624

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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 624

Chapter 624. The Sword Shrine of Chungyeongseong (3)

I rose from my seat and stepped outside.
Then I made my way to the Guest Reception Room where Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster awaited.
“So-sang pays respects to the Great Swordmaster.”
“Ah! My apologies for the late hour.”
“Not at all. Surely you would not have come at this hour without reason?”
“I appreciate your understanding. Then come with me to the Imperial Palace. His Majesty the Emperor has summoned you.”
“Yes.”

Moments later.
I found myself prostrated before the Emperor.
“Raise your head.”
“Your Imperial Majesty’s grace is boundless.”
“Go to Yunnan Province and return.”
The Emperor’s words were blunt and direct.
“Pardon?”
I had anticipated he would order me to Yunnan, but I never expected such a sudden command, so I found myself questioning him without thinking.
“I said go to Yunnan and return. I have assembled personnel to explore the Sword Shrine of Chungyeongseong. You will be sent with them, so go.”
“You mean… myself?”
I tilted my head as if confused.
If I said “Oh my! Thank you so much!” right now, it would be far too transparent.
Watching me, the Emperor clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, tsk. Do I not know you? Your eagerness reaches your very throat.”
Damn. He truly is the Emperor.
“Ahem, it was merely simple curiosity, Your Majesty.”
“Yes, curiosity, you say…”
Seeing him smile thus, I felt my courage shrivel inexplicably.
“Your role will be supply procurement. Since you are a merchant, it seemed most natural.”
“Of course. Then shall we negotiate the costs related to supply procurement separately?”
“Well, naturally.”
The Emperor’s expression suddenly turned lukewarm.
“You need not worry, Your Majesty. I too understand propriety. I shall take only a reasonable portion.”
“So you will not miss the opportunity.”
“So-sang is a merchant. How could a merchant who shrinks before opportunity ever make coin?”
“You are a bold one.”
The Emperor chuckled and grumbled.
It was crude language befitting a tavern, yet a smile played at the corners of his mouth.
“And if there’s anything expensive and valuable, bring it all to me before anyone else gets their hands on it.”
“As you command.”
“And while you’re exploring Geom Chong, uninvited guests will inevitably appear. There’s a high probability that among them will be the mastermind behind the schemes to seize Chungyeongseong. So gather intelligence on them.”
“I shall obey your orders.”
“Hmm… very well. The rest, you’ll hear from Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster.”
The Emperor waved his hand, issuing the order to dismiss visitors, and I withdrew from the Imperial Throne Room.
Then Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster spoke.
“It’s late today, so let’s call it a night. I’ll head to the Beijing Branch tomorrow morning with the leader of the exploration team.”
“Understood.”

I returned to the Beijing Branch.
But there was no time to rest. I immediately summoned the Beijing Branch Manager.
And I organized the supplies necessary for this exploration and checked market prices.
One cannot profit without proper preparation.
If the market price is three taels and I quote two, that’s a loss.
And whether we could prepare the quantities the buyer desired, whether we could meet the deadline, and so forth.
Even in ordinary transactions, one must attend to such details meticulously, and all the more so when dealing with the Imperial Court.
The Emperor entrusted me with procuring supplies for this exploration team partly because it was the most natural choice, but also as an expression of gratitude for my bringing him that scroll.
A sort of blank check, one might say.
Take what you can manage. That’s why he didn’t mention compensation.
But if I’m too greedy, I’ll get nothing.

Dawn broke.
While I waited in full preparation, Palgap informed me that Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster and his entourage had arrived.
I proceeded to the Guest Reception Room, bringing the Beijing Branch Manager and Seo Hyang with me.
“So-sang Eun Seo-ho pays respects to the Great Swordmasters. This is the Beijing Branch Director, and this is my Deputy Officer.”
“Good to see you again.”
“Yes, I’m delighted as well.”
Among those who came with Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster, there were faces I recognized.
Kwon Jik Grand Hero, whom I had met when exploring the Sword Tower of Hyeol Gon Seong-seung in Gansu Province before.
He said he was from the Kwon Family of Guizhou, but it turned out he was with the Geumui Guard.
And he was also someone who accompanied me when I went to Chungyeongseong.
Having visited Chungyeongseong and possessed experience exploring the Sword Tower, the Emperor’s selection seemed inevitable in hindsight.
“Have you been well all this time?”
“Of course.”
“I’ve been hearing rumors that you made quite an impressive proposal at a tavern recently.”
“How embarrassing.”
I smiled gently as I spoke.
“Then is it true that Kwon Grand Coordinator is taking charge as the leader of the exploration team?”
“That’s right.”
He nodded and pointed to the person beside him.
“This is Seo-im. He’s one of those handling the finances of the Geumui Guard.”
“It’s an honor to meet you.”
The young nobleman with refined features didn’t appear to be from the Geumui Guard at first glance, but one shouldn’t judge by appearances alone.
Yet somehow his face seemed oddly familiar. Where had I seen him before?
Though such questions arose, I set them aside for now and exchanged greetings.
“Yes, it’s an honor to meet you.”
“Then let’s sit.”
At Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster’s words, everyone took their seats. Then Kwon Jik Grand Hero explained the details.
“First, we plan to depart in four days.”
“I see.”
“Here is what we need.”
Seo-im Grand Coordinator handed me documents, which I unfolded.
Let me see…
First, there were substantial quantities of provisions and necessities for about a hundred people to use on the journey to Yunnan.
There was almost nothing that differed from my expectations.
As I examined each item one by one, Kwon Grand Coordinator spoke.
“I hope all of those will be prepared by the time we depart in four days.”
“Understood. For now, I’ll prepare provisions for only four days.”
“And you plan to procure the rest as we travel?”
“Yes. Isn’t that precisely why I’m accompanying you? To naturally resupply materials at various points along the way.”
“That’s true enough.”
“If we pass near the branches of the Eun Hae Trading Company along our route, I’ll contact those branches in advance to have supplies and provisions prepared for us.”
“Do that.”
“And given the current weather, we’ll need to wear fur clothing, but I’m concerned it might become unnecessary baggage once we reach Yunnan.”
“I’ve been worried about that myself, actually.”
Since this was someone I’d worked with before on matters in Yunnan’s Chungyeongseong, our communication flowed naturally.
“Then what if we pass through Hubei Province instead? Our main headquarters is located there, so we can procure supplies, leave the fur clothing in storage, and then travel upriver by boat.”
“That’s a reasonable approach.”
Good.
I’ll use this as an excuse to stop by home for a while.
“Since our trading company will provide the fur clothing, we’ll store it free of charge.”
I continued quickly.
“There are some items missing from this list. Please add quicklime powder.”
“Quicklime powder?”
“Yes. After attending to necessities, it’s good to mark the spot by sprinkling quicklime powder. And when we run out of wound medicine, quicklime powder can serve as a substitute.”
They nodded at my explanation.
“Then we’ll add that too. Is there anything else?”
“Not at the moment, but there may be needs later.”
“So how much will all these supplies cost?”
“Approximately six hundred silver taels.”
“What! That much?”
At my answer, Kwon Grand Coordinator’s expression showed surprise.
“Food prices are still quite high. Surely you don’t think I’d overcharge for an Imperial Palace matter?”
At that moment, Seo-im Grand Coordinator interjected.
“It does seem like more than expected.”
“Well, we’re mobilizing a large number of people.”
This is why there’s a saying that large-scale wars can exhaust a nation’s fortune.
Even mobilizing a hundred people costs this much—imagine the expense of expeditions numbering in the tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands.
That’s why wise rulers try to avoid war whenever possible.
Because war itself is an enormous expense.
“Moreover, this isn’t just simple travel—we’re dealing with the special case of needing to search for the Geom Chong. That’s why additional preparations are necessary.”
“Still, it seems excessive.”
At Kwon Jik Grand Hero’s words, Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster also nodded.
“Considering future expenditures, this spending is somewhat concerning.”
“I understand. Then I’ll reduce our profit margin.”
I paused in thought before speaking.
“We’ll do it for five hundred fifty silver taels. Will that be acceptable, Branch Manager?”
“Yes, that amount is acceptable.”
At this, Kwon Jik Grand Hero asked Seo-im Grand Coordinator.
“What do you think? Is that reasonable?”
“Yes. I think that’s appropriate as well.”
“Then let’s do it that way.”
At that moment, Kwon Jik Grand Hero asked me a question.
“By the way, when you head to Chungyeongseong this time, will your deputy officer be going with you as well?”
“Yes. Since it’s a long-distance expedition, I’ll need my deputy officer.”
“I see.”
He wore an expression of relief as he said this.
Why was that?
“Then would it be alright if Seo-im Grand Coordinator travels alongside your deputy officer as well? He’s simply not accustomed to combat, you see.”
“That won’t be difficult at all.”
“Much obliged. Then we shall take our leave now.”
“Once preparations are complete, I shall see you off.”
I walked them to the entrance and bid them farewell.
When they had moved some distance away, Seo Hyang called out to me cautiously.
“Excuse me, Small Guild Master.”
“Yes?”
“There are women in the Geumui Guard, aren’t there?”
“Yes, that’s what I understand, but why do you ask?”
“It was just a bit surprising that the person in charge of finances who came earlier was a woman.”
“…A woman, you say?”
She nodded.
“Yes. She was a woman.”
I had no idea.
So that’s why Sun-i looked so refined.
Wait, hold on just a moment…
It’s not as though there are no female swordmasters in the Geumui Guard.
Just as there are female managers and bodyguard masters in the Merchant Guild and the Pyo Bureau, it’s an entirely natural occurrence.
So there would be no reason to hide her identity by disguising herself as a man—why would she do such a thing?
Now that I think about it… Kwon Jik asked whether Seo Hyang would be accompanying us, and showed relief at the affirmative answer.
I scrutinized the departing Geumui Guard party with sudden realization.
The subtle way Kwon Jik Grand Hero walked with consideration for Seo-im Grand Coordinator.
And Seo-im Grand Coordinator’s movements differ from those of ordinary warriors. These are the gestures of someone trained for years.
Much like Seo Hyang.
If that’s the case… there’s only one answer.
Not a female swordmaster of the Geumui Guard, but the Princess herself.
Upon realizing her true identity, I recalled why her face had seemed familiar.
She was one of the princesses who had come to serve as a judge during the Imperial Silk Brocade Competition.
Once I had discerned her identity, another question followed in its wake.
What could her true purpose be?
Perhaps the delay in the Emperor summoning me this time was somehow connected to this princess after all.
.
.
.
The Branch Manager and I worked diligently to prepare the supplies the search expedition needed within four days.
And today was finally the day we would depart for Chungyeongseong to explore the Geom Chong.
I was double-checking to ensure nothing had been overlooked.
“Are you the one called Eun Seo-ho?”
Those who approached me.
Judging by their aura, they were Geumui Guards who would be accompanying us this time.
“Yes, that is correct. This merchant greets the Great Heroes.”
“At least you know your place.”
“I thought you’d be walking around with your head held high, basking in the Emperor’s favor and the approval of others.”
“….”
I could guess who they were.
Those who viewed me unfavorably.
Though most of the Geumui Guards looked upon me favorably because I had helped them multiple times, there were those who resented this and regarded me with displeasure.
This was why I remained cautious in all matters.
I never knew which Geumui Guard harbored ill will toward me or plotted to bring about my downfall.
That was why I had requested from the Emperor as a reward that he trust my word absolutely just once.
It was to buy time to prove my innocence should they falsely denounce me.
But the Emperor had granted me an even greater reward—limited immunity.
Whether it was the Geumui Guard or the Dongchang, they could not compel me without the Emperor’s command.
It was truly a fortunate thing.
The more I thought about it, the more vexing it became.
I had helped and saved the Geumui Guard multiple times, yet instead of gratitude, they despised me.
Though I had certainly learned that not all Geumui Guards were loyal to the Emperor or upright people.
“Is there some business you have with this merchant?”
“I came to inspect the goods you’re preparing. There’s a possibility you’ve assembled inferior items with greed clouding your judgment.”
“That’s what all merchants are like. No matter how renowned, a merchant is still a merchant.”
Wow….
It had been a long time since I received such treatment.
I could feel my Guard Warriors struggling to contain their anger, so I responded gently.
“Why speak such harsh words? I am carrying out the Emperor’s command, and if I fail, my head will roll.”
“You certainly have a way with words.”
At that moment, the Geumui Guard Great Hero beside him thrust his face toward Seo Hyang beside me.
“Heh! But this woman is quite beautiful, isn’t she? Her beauty shines right through the veil.”
Seo Hyang stepped back in slight alarm, and I moved her behind me as I spoke.
“She is my Deputy Officer, but she is also my betrothed. I would appreciate it if you refrained from further discourtesy.”
“Is that so?”
“Then why don’t you kneel before us?”
“Why couldn’t you? Merchants are said to have no pride, so it seems the pride you lacked has grown during your time receiving favor.”
These weaklings are far beneath me.
I’d love to teach them a lesson, but there are too many eyes watching.
And we’re far enough apart that they can’t hear what we’re saying.
But they’ll definitely see if I use force.
Besides, the Embroidered Uniform Guard Master isn’t nearby to vouch for my actions.
Still, I’m not the type to let something like this slide.
Especially not when they were harassing Seo Hyang.
How should I make them pay for this….
Ah!
A brilliant idea suddenly came to me.

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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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