The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 656

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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 656

Chapter 656. The Crown Prince’s Advisor (2)

The Gwimyeon-po Elder took a long draught of the brewed Kangnyeong herb water from the cup.
“Ahhh! This tastes wonderful!”
“It should. It’s brewed from Kangnyeong herb.”
“Just as I thought! Kangnyeong herb… wait, did you say Kangnyeong herb?”
“Yes.”
At my words, the Elder let out a sharp cry.
“What?! You mad fool! Do you not know how precious Kangnyeong herb is? It’s something you cannot obtain even if you offer ten million gold!”
“I do know.”
I continued with a smile.
“But to me, your health is far more precious than Kangnyeong herb.”
“….”
There was not a shred of falsehood in those words—only pure sincerity.
In my previous life, after losing those I held dear so meaninglessly, I came to understand.
No treasure in this world is more precious than the people I cherish.
At my words, the Elder fell silent, staring at me blankly.
And then….
“Ahem, cough….”
He deliberately coughed loudly.
Come now, Elder. You were deeply moved just then, weren’t you?
“I shall make certain to attend your wedding ceremony.”
“That goes without saying. Were you planning not to come?”
“This boy really knows how to leave no room for argument.”
“In any case, please stay healthy. I still remember the wager you made with me before.”
The wager was to discover the Gwimyeon-po Elder’s true birthday.
The fact that he made this the subject of the wager certainly proves it will not be easy.
The Elder not only scraped the brewed Kangnyeong herb water with his fingers to eat it, but even sucked his fingers clean afterward.
“Mmm. The Crown Prince visited yesterday.”
“Is that so.”
“He’s heading to Nanking this time, I hear.”
“Yes.”
“It seems His Majesty the Emperor is beginning to consider the succession. I have one request for you.”
“What might that be?”
“In truth, once one becomes Emperor, there is nothing left to trust. Absolute power is desirable, but it also renders a person infinitely lonely. There is nowhere to open one’s heart.”
I understood what the Elder was trying to say.
“So that’s why I’m asking—I’d like you to become a true friend to the Crown Prince.”
“A friend to the Crown Prince, you say?”
“To be more precise, an advisor would be the better term.”
The old man continued with utmost seriousness.
“A lonely wielder of power always yearns for genuine counsel, yet that very power makes it difficult for them to receive it.”
“….”
“The jackals of the Royal Court each offer advice that benefits themselves alone.”
Through his words, I could discern that the old man held little affection for the court officials.
“In this world, what comes must also go. If you grant my request, I shall grant yours in return.”
“That’s quite a difficult request.”
I continued speaking.
“A merchant like myself prioritizes profit above all else. I might very well offer counsel for profit, perhaps even more so than the Imperial Palace’s retainers.”
“It matters not.”
“Pardon?”
“You may work for your own gain, but looking at the results, your actions have always been good.”
“….”
I had nothing to say to that.
“Hehe.”
Seo Hyang beside me let out a soft laugh, and I felt my face flush with embarrassment.
“And it would be quite a dangerous position, wouldn’t it?”
Those around the Crown Prince would never allow his advisor to act freely.
“Indeed, your judgment is swift. That’s precisely why I have no choice but to make this request of you.”
The old man nodded and continued.
“I ask of you. I trust that you won’t refuse the plea of an old man with little time left in this world.”
“But you just drank the master’s Kangnyeong Herb water, didn’t you? Surely your lifespan has been extended by at least several years?”
“….”
“Ahem, I was merely jesting. Though I am unworthy, I shall endeavor to become the Crown Prince’s finest friend.”
An advisor to the Crown Prince is like a double-edged sword.
Yet I accepted the proposal because it would make it easier to prevent the Empress’s death.
“And regarding my request, I shall speak of it another time.”
“Very well.”
.
.
.
After visiting the Gwimyeon-po Elder, I returned to the Merchant Guild Headquarters. After a simple lunch, I set out for the Changin Escort Agency with only Seo-woo Warrior and Jin Yu Warrior in tow.
“Welcome.”
The Lord of Changin Escort Agency greeted me.
“Jang Jin Pyobdu, whom you sent this time, proved to be an enormous help.”
“I’m glad it was of service.”
“Here is the commission fee for Jang Jin Pyobdu and his party’s escort service to Sichuan.”
I pulled out an envelope containing the payment voucher from my robe and placed it on the table.
He accepted it and examined the voucher, then looked startled.
“My goodness! Is it alright to give such a generous amount?”
“I promised to be generous. And with the unexpected journey to Sichuan, the Changin Escort Agency’s schedule must have been disrupted as well, yes? This amount accounts for that.”
“That’s true, but… hehe. If there’s one thing the Changin Escort Agency did well, it was deciding to do business with the Eun Hae Trading Company.”
“Thank you for viewing our company favorably.”
The pleasant conversation continued, and I pulled out a red envelope from my robe and handed it over.
Upon receiving it, he blinked his eyes.
“Is this… a wedding invitation?”
“Yes, I’m getting married. We’ve set the date for this coming autumn.”
“My congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
I bowed respectfully and received his blessing.
“Where is your Master? I heard he returned this morning after completing his escort run. Given his nature, he surely must have come to the Pyo Bureau.”
“You know him well.”
The Lord smiled warmly.
“Try the Training Ground over there.”
“Thank you.”
I rose from my seat and headed toward the Training Ground.
In the Changin Escort Agency’s Training Ground, many people were wielding swords and practicing martial arts.
My Master stood silently in one corner, sword in hand.
What came into view before him was a straw dummy.
Though I couldn’t tell what he was doing, something told me I shouldn’t interrupt, so I stopped myself from calling out to him.
Instead, I watched my Master quietly.
Truth be told, I was curious about how my Master trained.
How much time passed like that?
My Master moved. No, wait. My Master just stood there silently…
Whoosh. Thud!
The head of the straw dummy in front slid down and fell to the ground as if severed.
Without thinking, I touched my own neck.
It was because the memory of my battle with the One-Snake Sword at the safe house where the Blood-Eye Demon Ghost had been hiding came to mind.
I had survived back then only because the One-Snake Sword had underestimated me and hadn’t fought with full strength.
If he had fought with all his power….
I bit my lip.
“Your expression doesn’t look good. Did something happen?”
“Master.”
My Master had come before me at some point.
“Well, that is….”
I could only hesitate in my response.
But unable to bear my Master’s steady gaze, I sighed and spoke.
“Truth be told, I nearly died during my trip to Sichuan this time.”
“….”
My Master, who had been observing me for a moment, spoke.
“Follow me.”

Following my Master, we arrived at a nearby river.
My Master approached the riverbank, picked up a stone, and tossed it lightly toward the water.
Tap! Tap-tap! Tap-tap! Tap-tap!
Stone skipping. In other words… water flowers.
“My, it only bounced four times. Would you care to give it a try, Small Guild Master?”
“Of course.”
I picked up a stone and threw it toward the river.
Tap-tap! Tap-tap!
“Only two bounces. I thought you could manage at least three.”
Suddenly, a competitive spirit ignited within me.
“I can certainly make it skip three times.”
And so my Master and I spent quite some time skipping stones, and just as my arms began to ache, my Master asked.
“Now then, has your mind grown more settled?”
“Pardon?”
“Whenever my heart grew troubled, my father would take me to the snow-covered plains and we would compete to see who could throw snowballs the farthest. It was his own way of comforting me.”
My Master had suggested stone skipping as his way of comforting me, just as his father had done for him.
Whether the method was effective or not, my previously agitated heart had become as calm and steady as the flowing river.
“You said you nearly died?”
“Yes.”
“Now that you’ve calmed yourself, might I hear the details of what happened?”
“Understood. I shall explain.”
I explained the situation in detail to my Master, and after hearing my account, he opened his mouth to speak.
“One-Snake Sword… a fellow with quite the notorious reputation.”
“You know of him, Master?”
“I’ve crossed blades with him before.”
“You have?”
“After exchanging swords with me once, he said it was boring and fled. He lives purely for entertainment, but it seems dying isn’t particularly entertaining to him.”
I nodded in acknowledgment.
“Then it seems I must strengthen my martial skills further.”
At my words, my Master observed me for a moment.
“You’ve reached the pinnacle of martial arts in less than ten years of proper training. This is truly astounding.”
Now that I thought about it… that was indeed the case.
“Your current pace is already sufficiently swift. Becoming too impatient may actually cause you to stumble.”
“But since I cannot know when I might face him again, it troubles me.”
“Do you still have the ring I gifted you previously?”
Now that I think about it, when I became the Small Guild Master, my Master gifted me a dan-ring.
He said it was a dan-ring that protected the blood vessels from cold energy.
“Yes. I have it with me.”
“If such a dangerous moment arrives, use that dan-ring. And you remember the method I taught you before for escaping crisis, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Using a method derived from One-Snake Sword, if executed properly, I could block an enemy’s attack up to three times.
“If you use that well, you’ll see an opening.”
The danger of the Taiyin Ice-Sea Divine Art lies in forcefully drawing up inner energy.
Excessive yin energy freezes the blood vessels.
But according to my Master’s words, even if my blood vessels freeze, I could preserve my inner energy and save my life.
Now that I think about it, this is truly precious, isn’t it?
“Why do you look that way?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Thank you for the advice.”

* * *

As the sun set and night grew dim.
Men wearing bamboo hats appeared at the West Street pawnshop that Eun Seo-ho had visited that morning.
Whether because of the aura they emanated or some instinctive sense, even the street ruffians of West Street kept their distance and avoided them.
They arrived at the Ghost-Face Pao Elder’s pawnshop, and one of them knocked on the door.
“Elder. It’s Yok.”
Hearing that voice, the door opened and the Ghost-Face Pao Elder emerged.
“Come in.”
“Yes.”
The one who identified himself as Yok entered the pawnshop, removed his bamboo hat, and sat at the table.
He was the Crown Prince.
The Ghost-Face Pao Elder did not show courtesy to the Crown Prince, yet no one in that place pointed this out.
He had received the privilege of not needing to show courtesy to anyone in the Imperial Court except the Emperor.
His real name was Hwangbo Hui.
A member of the Hwangbo Clan who had devoted himself to the Military Ministry at a young age.
And he had met the Current Emperor, and that meeting changed Hwangbo Hui’s life.
‘Father’s life changed too.’
A secret decree from the Previous Emperor was delivered to him, an Imperial Prince who maintained a royal residence in the Frontier Lands.
The one who risked his life to deliver it and the one who risked his life to bring him to Beijing were both the old man standing before him.
And now he was Father’s only old friend.
Suddenly, I felt envious of Father for having such a friend.
“Crown Prince.”
“Yes, Elder.”
“I am merely grateful that you have visited this old man once again.”
“Please don’t say such things. You are a benefactor of the Imperial Court. This is only natural.”
“Your Majesty will become a sage ruler.”
At those words, the Crown Prince hastily waved his hand.
“Elder! Please refrain from such words! Father is still in good health. How could I speak of such disloyalty….”
“Here, you need not concern yourself with such pointless loyalty.”
“….”
“Sending the Crown Prince to Nanking means His Majesty has already made his decision.”
He continued gently.
“Are you afraid of ascending to the throne?”
At that question, the Crown Prince nodded.
“Yes. I am afraid. I do not possess the same abilities as Father. My capabilities pale in comparison to his—I am at a loss as to how I should govern the Empire.”
“Moreover, that position is a lonely one. Even if you feel inadequate, you cannot say so, and you cannot trust anyone or seek their help carelessly.”
The Ghost-Face Pao Elder continued with a serious expression.
“It is precisely because His Majesty understands this that he has kept Eun Seo-ho close to the Crown Prince.”
“What? Eun Seo-ho?”
“Indeed. What do you think of him, Crown Prince?”
The Crown Prince pondered for a moment before answering the question.
“…A man who does not suffer losses.”
“Precisely. He is a man who does not suffer losses. For that reason, I have asked him to become your advisor.”
“What?”
The Ghost-Face Pao Elder smiled as he watched the startled Crown Prince.
“Should you ever need someone to consult with, seek him out. And listen to what he has to say. Then at the very least, you will not suffer losses.”
At those words, the Crown Prince could not help but let out a hollow laugh inwardly.
‘Elder… In truth, Father said the same thing.’

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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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