The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 678

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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 678

Chapter 678. Killing Two Birds with One Stone (1)

I offered a smooth smile as I spoke.
“For a merchant, trade secrets are as precious as life itself, so I hope you’ll understand my discretion.”
At my words, the House Master fixed me with a displeased gaze.
“Is that truly how you intend to respond?”
Simultaneously, a wave of killing intent surged toward me.
Cold sweat beaded on my skin, yet I refused to let my smile falter.
“Still, I hope you won’t misunderstand. If I were truly connected to the Namgung Family, why would I have suggested you monitor Young Master Hwangbo Uk?”
Despite my words, the killing intent lingered, and I exhaled a measured sigh.
“I have been carrying out the sacred will of the Emperor himself, after all.”
“….”
Only then did the killing intent dissipate, and the House Master cleared his throat awkwardly before speaking.
“Ahem, well then, it cannot be helped.”
“Would you entrust family matters to the hands of another?”
In other words, he was telling me not to ask him, but to handle it myself.
“You speak wisely. Family matters cannot be entrusted to outsiders.”
“By the way, when do you expect the matter regarding the Martial Hall Instructor to be resolved?”
“In three or four days, In-seon should have it wrapped up.”
“Understood. Then I shall take my leave.”
“Very well.”

* * *

Hwangbo Se, the House Master of the Hwangbo Family, gazed at the spot where Eun Seo-ho had just stood.
The way he maintained his smile even as I deliberately exerted killing intent to pressure him—he was certainly no ordinary man.
‘I had heard he was at the peak level….’
Yet from what I could observe, he seemed to have surpassed even that stage.
Moreover, the way he invoked the Emperor’s name to prevent further pressure—his abilities and cunning were far from ordinary.
His capabilities and resourcefulness were exceptional.
He recalled the time when Hwangbo Hui had visited the family.

“Elder Brother. I’ve met quite an interesting fellow. When he comes to this estate someday, if he mentions anything about my ‘real birthday,’ you should give him this key.”
“Isn’t that the key to your archives?”
“Indeed. I intend to pass on everything I’ve collected to that fellow.”
“What kind of person is he that he’s won your heart so completely?”
“You’ll take a liking to him as well, Elder Brother. He’s truly an amusing character.”
“Your words have certainly piqued my curiosity.”
“And if that fellow offers any advice, you mustn’t dismiss it—heed it well, or you’ll come to regret it. Elder Brother.”

I found it frankly irritating to be told to keep watch over my own grandson.
However, because my cherished younger brother Hwangbo Seon-yu had made this request, I did not dismiss Eun Seo-ho’s words.
Thus, I secretly ordered Chung-bok to keep my grandson under surveillance, and before I’d even finished breakfast, he returned with startling news.

“Young Master Hwangbo Uk met with someone in secret. Upon investigation, that person turned out to be from the Namgung Family.”

The Namgung Family—who were they?
They were the ones who constantly obstructed the Hwangbo Family’s every move, eager to pick fights at every turn.
Moreover, after the last Martial Arts Grand Conference when my daughter was insulted, we had exacted our revenge, yet they petulantly monopolized the whetstone production areas, preventing the Hwangbo Family from receiving any supplies.
Had Eun Seo-ho not provided us with whetstones, the situation would have become quite dire.
Otherwise, we would have had no choice but to bow our heads to the Namgung Family.
In any case, if my grandson was a spy for the Namgung Family, this was a matter that could not simply be overlooked.
‘Had he been a spy for the Black Path, I could have punished him appropriately and moved on, but the Namgung Family!’
Still, it was time to gather more evidence.

* * *

I returned to my quarters.
“Phew….”
As I exhaled a long breath, Palgap asked me.
“Young Master. Did something happen? Why do you look like you’ve been to the brink of death and back?”
“Something did occur.”
Facing the killing intent of an advanced martial artist from Hwagyeong head-on was truly an experience I never wished to repeat.
But I couldn’t very well reveal my trade secrets, could I?
“It would be best if you had some tea right away, sir.”
“Thank you.”
Palgap poured me a cup of tea, and I sipped it while organizing my thoughts.
Before I departed for Shandong, Seo Hyang had whispered something to me.

“Small Guild Master. If there’s anyone from the Hwangbo Family who is unusually kind to you, you must be on guard. You’ll end up with a knife in your back.”

That statement essentially meant he was a traitor.
So I became wary of this man called Hwangbo Uk.
A direct descendant of the Hwangbo Family would devote himself to assisting me?
While it was possible, Hwangbo Uk’s kindness exceeded that threshold.
He offered himself as a porter and even pulled the hand cart himself. Though he fled the next day under the pretense of work.
In any case, it was something my common sense couldn’t comprehend, so I remained vigilant and observed his aura.
However, I detected neither the repugnant aura of the Black Path nor that of the Sura Blood Sect.
This made me wonder if I had been overly sensitive, but I couldn’t dismiss Seo Hyang’s counsel regardless.
So I distanced myself from him and proceeded with the work at the stone quarry.
When I returned to the Hwangbo Family, Young Master Hwangbo Uk displayed his displeasure.
When I remarked, “Why didn’t you just follow along pulling the cart?”, he momentarily unleashed killing intent toward me.
That’s when I understood.
While the Small Patriarch’s order was for him to assist me, he had been trying to extract something from me in the process.
So when I instructed the House Master to monitor Young Master Hwangbo Uk, it turned out his collaborator was the Namgung Family!
Good heavens.
Without Seo Hyang’s counsel, I would have fallen into a terrible trap.
The Namgung Family is currently the Hwangbo Family’s greatest rival.
Had he acted as an agent for the Namgung Family, not even the Small Patriarch’s son could escape punishment.
Surely he must know this, so why did Young Master Hwangbo Uk join hands with the Namgung Family?
Sigh, this gives me a headache.
Since I’ve nearly finished the urgent matters, I should take a brief walk.
There was a rather well-maintained garden near the Guest Reception Hall.

A moment later.
I set out for a walk with Lee Pil Warrior and Myeong-jong Warrior.
As I slowly admired the exotic flowers and rare plants in the garden, I noticed a middle-aged woman approaching from a distance.
The color and pattern of her clothing were subdued and dark.
But who was I?
In my previous life, I had built a successful silk business.
There was no way I could fail to recognize that even the most modest garment was woven from the finest silk.
Which meant this middle-aged woman held a rather high position within the Hwangbo Family.
Our eyes met at that moment, and she addressed me.
“We haven’t met before, have we?”
I quickly cupped my fist in salute.
“I am Eun Seo-ho, Small Merchant Guild Leader of the Eunhae Trading Company. I am currently staying here as a guest.”
“I see. I am Hwangbo In-ah. My brother has already told me about you—that you enjoy the Emperor’s favor.”
“You are too kind. And please, speak freely with me. I have not yet reached the age of thirty.”
I deduced her identity.
Combining her middle age with what she had just said, she must be the younger sister of Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero.
Ah…
Then a memory suddenly surfaced—something I had heard about her in my previous life.
The tragic woman of the Hwangbo Family.
She had been married into a family arranged by her clan, and her marriage was not unhappy.
But the problem was that she had borne no children.
Then her husband was conscripted to suppress a nearby Green Forest Bandit uprising, only to fall in battle.
Undeterred, she rose up, suppressed the Green Forest Bandits herself, and succeeded in avenging her husband’s death.
Yet upon her return, her husband’s family sent her back to the Hwangbo Family, and so she now lived as if she barely existed.
The sole blemish on the Hwangbo Family’s reputation.
But not anymore.
Hwangbo Uk the Young Master had committed an unprecedented scandal by serving as a spy for the Namgung Family.
“Then so be it. But it seems you know who I am.”
I answered her promptly.
“A Small Merchant Guild Leader of the Eunhae Trading Company must be familiar with the circumstances of his important clients. How else could he be called a competent merchant?”
“I see. It has been a long time since I met someone who knows of me yet does not regard me with pitying eyes.”
I responded calmly.
“If I may ask, why should I regard you with pity?”
“…”
“Rather, I think you are remarkable. Did you not personally avenge your husband’s death?”
There was something that had puzzled me slightly.
It was that her husband’s family had abandoned the protection of the Hwangbo Family’s name and sent her back to them.
Even though the direct bloodline had ended, as long as they kept her, the Hwangbo Family’s name would serve as a shield for them.
Yet her husband’s family had sent her back anyway.
Why had they done so?
After a moment of contemplation, the answer came to me.
The Lady had single-handedly subjugated the Green Forest Bandits.
If that were true, her martial prowess could hardly be ordinary.
As I observed her carefully, I could sense her strength.
Transcendent mastery.
Then surely the Groom’s Family would have wanted to keep her all the more.
Yet they sent her back to her Bride’s Family Home regardless….
“Perhaps the Groom’s Family felt ashamed for keeping such a remarkable Lady bound to them.”
“Ashamed?”
“Yes. She devoted herself so completely that she avenged her husband’s death single-handedly, did she not? The Groom’s Family would certainly know this. Honestly, keeping the Lady with them would have been far more advantageous. They could have benefited from the Hwangbo Family’s prestige and favor, after all.”
“….”
“But they came to realize that binding the Lady through their own selfish desires was something they could no longer do.”
“Then….”
“Yes. I believe it was their way of saying: live freely now, unburdened by your husband or his family.”
“….”
“Is it not possible that the House Master has been providing some support to the Lady’s Groom’s Family even now? If so, that would be the proof of it.”
I scratched my cheek.
“As a Small Merchant, my insight is limited and may not be the truth. But I hope you will not let this weigh upon your spirits any longer.”
“….”
I bowed respectfully.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
And I headed toward my quarters. Glancing back, she remained standing, gazing into the empty air.
.
.
.
That evening.
“Eun Small Merchant Leader, are you here?”
“Yes! Please come in!”
Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero visited my quarters.
“What brings you here?”
He had previously scolded me for rushing about so busily, yet here he was moving about even more frantically than I.
“Why? Is there some reason I shouldn’t be here?”
“Not at all. I’m always delighted when the Great Hero visits, but you seemed so busy that I thought….”
“I need my sleep too.”
Well, it was rather late in the evening, after all….
“Were you planning to wake me if I had been sleeping?”
“You wouldn’t be asleep by now anyway, would you?”
A wise answer to a foolish question.
“Please, sit.”
Fortunately, Palgap had just left some tea, so I served it to the Great Hero.
Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero’s expression seemed somewhat complicated as he sipped his tea.
Was it because of Hwangbo Uk the Young Master’s situation?
Just as I was thinking this, the Great Hero spoke to me.
“I hear you met my younger sister earlier?”
Ah, so that was it.
Since I had somewhat anticipated this topic, I nodded readily.
“Yes. I encountered her while taking a walk through the garden earlier.”
“So In-ah finally shed those drab clothes.”
“Pardon?”
“After In-ah returned to her family home, she left behind all the bright-colored garments she once favored and wore only drab ones. It was likely her own form of mourning attire. Or perhaps it was self-reproach—questioning what right she had to wear bright colors after being cast out by her husband’s family.”
“….”
“In-ah visited Father earlier, I’m told. She wanted to hear the full account from him after learning about it from you.”
From his tone, it seemed things had resolved favorably.
“Thanks to you, In-ah was able to unburden her heart. That’s why I came to express my gratitude.”
Truth be told, even as I spoke with Hwangbo In-ah earlier, something had felt unsettling.
It was the question of why the House Master of the Hwangbo Family hadn’t explained this matter to his own daughter.
When I asked about this, Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero sighed before answering.
“Why wouldn’t Father have told her? Of course he did. But do you think such words truly reach the ears of one unwilling to listen?”
“Ah, I suppose that’s true.”
“And sometimes, precisely because they are family, those words go unheard. One assumes they speak merely to offer comfort, so one dismisses it out of hand.”
“….”
In other words, because I—a complete outsider unaware of the situation—spoke those words, and because time had allowed her to become more receptive, this outcome came to pass.
In any case, it was a fortunate turn of events.
Honestly, those drab-colored garments had never suited Hwangbo In-ah.
“In fact, at the last Grand Conference, the Namgung Family provoked Father over In-ah.”
“Really?”
“They said something like, ‘How lacking in talent must you be to accept a daughter cast out by her husband’s family?'”
That wasn’t provocation—that was outright insult. And the Namgung Family actually did such a thing?
“And you simply endured it?”
“Of course not!”
The Great Hero jumped up as he continued.
“At that time, the Alliance Master had to mediate, so we both had to back down. But fortunately, there were members of the Namgung Family causing trouble in Shandong, so we gave them a thorough thrashing and drove them out.”
Ah….
So that’s why the whetstone deliveries had stopped.
“And I heard quietly from Father that the Namgung Family demanded an apology for that incident. They said if we didn’t comply, there would be no more whetstone supplies.”
Wow….
How petty of them.
Honestly, they were the ones who started the wrong in the first place, weren’t they?
And we didn’t just drive them out—they were causing trouble in Shandong when we did it.
To collude with the Namgung Family in such circumstances.
Why on earth would Hwangbo Uk the Young Master make such a foolish choice?
“So here’s the thing….”
Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero hesitated, and I nodded, speaking up.
“Please, speak freely.”
“Would it be acceptable if Hwangbo In-ah were to take a position as an Instructor at the Academy?”
“…Pardon?”
Wow, I didn’t see that coming.

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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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