The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 680

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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 680

Chapter 680. Killing Two Birds with One Stone (3)

Lord Uk may have uttered those words in a spirit of desperation and resignation.
But I could say with certainty that his choice was the worst possible.
Not only those around me, but every member of the Hwangbo Family gathered in this place was shocked.
The problem wasn’t merely that the Small Patriarch’s son had publicly declared the Namgung Family superior to the Hwangbo Family in such an open venue.
It seemed they were more astonished by the revelation that Lord Uk was far more foolish than anyone had imagined.
“So. That statement was your confession of guilt. Have you said everything you wished to say?”
The Hwangbo Clan Head asked calmly.
Yet the energy contained in his voice was anything but calm.
“I haven’t said it all!”
Still, Lord Uk clenched his teeth and shouted. It was probably his last act of defiance.
“Very well. Then speak your mind freely. What exactly is so suffocating about the Main House?”
“All these pointless rules and laws are suffocating! If we’re the overlords of Jinan, shouldn’t we live boldly and confidently as such? Why must we constantly watch the Imperial Palace’s face and the people’s reactions?”
“….”
Ah… he was simply an idiot.
I had to admit the Namgung Family possessed remarkable skill. To have selected and manipulated such a fool was quite impressive.
“Sigh… Small Patriarch.”
“Yes, Father.”
“I believe I must reconsider my judgment regarding your elder brother. You have no objections to whatever sentence I impose, correct?”
“What could I possibly say in this situation? I shall step down from my position as Small Patriarch, bearing responsibility for my failure to educate my son properly.”
At this, Lord Uk’s mother gasped in shock and asked.
“W-what are you saying? Why would you step down from your position as Small Patriarch?”
“If I raised my son so poorly, shouldn’t I bear responsibility for it?”
Hearing this, Lord Uk’s mother knelt before the Hwangbo Clan Head and spoke.
“Father! My husband bears no fault in this matter. This is entirely the fault of that fool Hwangbo Uk. No matter how well one educates a child, if his fundamental nature is foolish, there’s nothing to be done about it, is there?”
She continued speaking.
“Keeping such a wretch alive will only tarnish the Main House’s reputation! Please execute him immediately.”
“…!”
Wow….
Her intentions were crystal clear.
If Hwangbo Seok-gil stepped down from his position as Small Patriarch, her status would shift from future Clan Head’s wife to merely a collateral branch wife.
Her determination to preserve her current position, even by sacrificing her own son, was truly remarkable.
Shocked by this, Lord Uk’s mouth fell open.
“M-mother?”
I was taken aback myself, so how much more must Lord Uk, her own son, be reeling from this?
“Why… why are you doing this?”
“Silence! Mother? I have never had a son like you! You should be grateful that I spared your life and did not expel you from the Hwangbo Family as an enemy! What more do you want?”
“Enough.”
The House Master interjected with a grave voice.
“First, I must clear up your misunderstanding. You asked me what right I have to pass such judgment upon you, did you not?”
“….”
“I am the House Master of the Hwangbo Family. And since you bear the Hwangbo name, you are a member of the Hwangbo Family. As the one who governs the Hwangbo Family, I have the authority to punish you.”
“Then I will renounce the Hwangbo name!”
At that declaration, Lee Pil Warrior, standing behind me, shook his head and muttered.
“That fellow doesn’t seem to understand what it truly means to renounce one’s family name in a great clan.”
Lee Pil Warrior, who had himself renounced the Sichuan Tang Family name, understood that meaning better than anyone.
And so his words carried a bitter edge.
“It is the peculiar arrogance of one who takes for granted the silver spoon born into his mouth.”
“And perhaps being abandoned by his mother is reason enough as well?”
“Perhaps so.”
I focused my gaze upon the House Master.
“Will you have no regrets?”
“I will have no regrets!”
At that audacious declaration, I could only click my tongue.
Tsk, he will regret it.
“Very well. By the authority of the Hwangbo Clan Head, I hereby strip the Hwangbo name from Hwangbo Uk, effective immediately.”
At that proclamation, everyone bowed and cried out.
“We accept the House Master’s command!”
Thereupon, Lord Uk—no longer Lord Hwangbo Uk—spoke.
“Then you no longer have the authority to judge me. Release these bonds, if you please.”
At that insolent remark, the House Master replied.
“Unbind him. There is no further need to keep him tied to that chair.”
The Taepo Guard Warriors then loosened the ropes that had bound Lord Uk.
“But do you understand this? Now that you have renounced the Hwangbo name, the nature of this interrogation changes. It is no longer a disciplinary measure against a member of our family, but rather retribution against an outsider who dared to scheme against the Hwangbo Family. Do you comprehend what that entails?”
“….”
The Hwangbo Clan Head spoke with chilling coldness.
“Bring them here.”
“Yes!”
Soon the warriors dragged forward a group of people.
From their attire and bearing, they appeared to be members of the Namgung Family who had been captured together.
Thud.
Thrown roughly to the ground, they were covered in wounds and blood.
“Ugh….”
“Kgh….”
At the sight of them writhing in agony, Lord Uk’s pupils trembled uncontrollably.
“You’re saying you interrogate them roughly like the others do. Not this refined interrogation.”
Thwack!
A Taepo Guard Warrior behind him kicked at his legs, and he fell to his knees on the ground.
“Ugh!”
The House Master approached him and continued speaking.
“And you bow your head to the Namgung Family? Why would I bow my head just because you’re inferior at something? They were the ones who wronged us first. And why do you bow your head to the Namgung Family instead of your own father or grandfather to obtain a Spirit Elixir?”
“When I asked for it, they refused to give it, didn’t they?”
“Because at your current level, you don’t need it! It would only harm you!”
“How can you be certain of that?”
“It’s true that taking a Spirit Elixir increases inner power! But if your body can’t withstand it, you’ll die on the spot! Why is it that only you don’t know this fact that most martial artists are aware of?”
“….”
“And would the Namgung Family really give money and a Spirit Elixir just because some fool bows his head? What kind of bastards do you think they are?”
The House Master said this and kicked the Blue Blindfold Man.
Thwack!
“Kugh!”
“So tell me. Did Hwangbo Uk really promise to give you a Spirit Elixir if he followed your orders?”
“Isn’t it the fault of the one who believed that?”
The meaning was clear.
It was a lie.
“What do you mean? You clearly said that if I revealed the Main House’s affairs and made Grandfather bow his head, you would give me a Spirit Elixir, didn’t you?”
“Cough! Now that I think about it, you’re truly foolish. Did you really believe those words?”
Lord Uk’s eyes trembled uncontrollably.
“Perhaps you’re lying because of the torture? If you just endure a little longer, the Namgung Family will come to rescue you….”
“Hahaha. The Namgung Family coming to rescue me… You’re quite the naive young master. Kekeke.”
He continued speaking.
“Listen, Young Master. Why would the Namgung Family come to rescue me?”
“What?”
“I acted on my own initiative, completely independent of the Namgung Family’s will. Of course, they’ll tell you to punish me as you see fit.”
He was right.
If this affair were the Namgung Family’s intention, then it would be something the Namgung Family would need to bow their heads for.
So the Namgung Family would never admit to orchestrating this.
“Moreover, I am a collateral branch of the Namgung Family.”
Just as I had suspected when I heard he was used for such a task.
The Namgung Family discriminates heavily between direct and collateral lines.
In exchange, treatment varies greatly depending on an individual’s martial prowess.
Seeing Lord Uk at a loss for words, the Hwangbo Clan Head spoke.
“You have nothing more to say, do you?”
“….”
“I will reverse my judgment. Hwangbo Uk conspired with these members of the Namgung Family to leak the Main House’s secrets and attempted to tarnish the Main House’s honor—a grave crime! Furthermore, I cannot say there is no crime of disrespecting the Imperial Palace.”
This was in response to what he had said earlier about why they, as the rulers of Jinan, had to be mindful of the Imperial Palace.
“Therefore, I hereby seal Lord Uk’s dantian and sentence him to indefinite imprisonment in the Prison. Whoever succeeds me as House Master is forbidden from releasing him from the Prison during their tenure!”
The gravity of his words made clear how seriously he was treating this matter.
Observing his demeanor now, I realized that in my previous life, the Hwangbo Family’s descent into internal strife must have been caused by this Lord Uk.
Had I not intervened, the Merchant’s collusion would never have been discovered.
Back then, the Hwangbo Family suffered considerable losses and their power weakened considerably.
Thinking about it this way, the Merchant’s disappearance would actually benefit the Hwangbo Family’s future prospects.
“As for the others from the Namgung Family, I sentence them to death.”
This matter left no room for excuses, so executing them wouldn’t provoke complaints from the Namgung Family.
Or would the Namgung Family even react?
They’d probably just play dumb.
“I accept the order.”
“The executions will take place in two days. Until then, conduct thorough interrogations to uncover any additional crimes.”
“Yes!”
The House Master pointed at Lord Uk with his finger.
“Take him as well.”
At that moment, the Small Patriarch knelt before him.
“Father, as I mentioned earlier, I will relinquish my position as Small Patriarch.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Father.”
“You have served me well and guided this family admirably until now. Replacing the Small Patriarch at this moment would only create greater discord.”
“….”
“Simply do better going forward.”
“I understand.”
“And I apologize. For passing such a sentence upon your son.”
“No, sir. I would have imposed the same punishment as you. He is my son, but this was an unforgivable transgression.”
The House Master nodded, his expression complicated.
“Very well. I hereby conclude this public hearing.”
Lord Uk was dragged away by the Taepo Guard Warriors.
Rather than executing him immediately, sealing his dantian and imprisoning him indefinitely in the Prison….
Was there still a shred of mercy in the House Master’s heart?
Or was this a warning to the other members of the family?
The latter seemed far more likely.
For a martial artist of the family to have their dantian sealed and be imprisoned in the Prison was far more agonizing than death itself.
There, Lord Uk would come to regret his foolish actions, but like water spilled upon sand, it was irreversible.

The next morning.
I hadn’t slept much the night before, but I’d never been one to sleep excessively anyway.
After performing my breathing exercises, my mind became clear.
The fact that I could remain healthy and active without much sleep was likely thanks to the Taiyin Ice-Sea Divine Art.
No one dared mention what had happened the previous night.
And for good reason—the Small Patriarch’s son had insulted the family and acted as a spy for the Namgung Family, only to be thrown into prison.
One couldn’t help but be cautious.
Well then, I should visit the stone quarry.
Just then, I heard Jin Yu Warrior’s voice from outside.
“Master. The Great Hero has arrived.”
When Jin Yu Warrior spoke of a Great Hero to me now, there was only one person he could mean.
“Please show him in.”
The door swung open.
Hwangbo Seon-yu, the Great Hero, entered my room.
“Welcome.”
“You were about to go out?”
“I was planning to visit the stone quarry for a bit. Nothing urgent.”
I continued speaking.
“Please, sit.”
“Ah, thank you.”
The Great Hero sat down with a complicated expression on his face.
“Would you like some tea?”
“No need. I’ve already had some.”
He shook his head and continued.
“First, I’ve conveyed your message to In-ah about the dormitory supervisor position at the Martial Hall.”
“What did she say?”
“She said it’s nice not having to prepare lessons, so there’s less burden.”
“Then please tell her I’ll visit her in person later.”
“Understood.”
Despite having relayed Hwangbo In-ah’s words, the Great Hero’s expression remained troubled, which suggested the real reason for his visit lay elsewhere.
“You seem distressed by what happened last night.”
“Ah… you saw it too?”
“Yes.”
“I see. Sigh…”
The Great Hero rubbed his face with both hands.
“What good is being a Geumui Guard if I couldn’t even notice a family member’s transgression? I failed to catch such a blatant act of rebellion.”
“Perhaps it was precisely because he moved with such secrecy.”
“Are you trying to comfort me?”
“Yes.”
At my words, he laughed.
“I’m grateful. I came to help with your work, but instead I’m only receiving your assistance.”
“Please don’t mention it. How can anyone live alone? Aren’t we meant to help one another and live together?”
“When I hear you speak like that, it really does seem true.”
“I’ll take it as a compliment.”

Several days passed in this manner.
Now it was about time for people to arrive from Beijing, wasn’t it?
Since the Hubei Province Headquarters was far away and would require sending many personnel, I had asked Eun Jung-ho to temporarily send an appropriate number of people from Beijing.
“Young Master! People have arrived from the Beijing Branch!”
It was then that Palgap brought me the news.
They had finally arrived.
I hurried outside and saw the Eun Pung-dae Warriors waiting outside the Hwangbo Family gates, along with Haeng-su, whose face bore a welcoming expression.
“Ah! Chief Manager Jang!”
“I greet the Small Guild Master! Have you been well all this time?”
“You must have gone through considerable trouble coming all this way.”
“But truly, you are remarkable. How does everything you touch turn out so….”
Well, I was certainly drawing upon the experience of my previous life whenever I set my hand to something, but to others it must seem quite miraculous.
“I’ve been fortunate. Have you eaten?”
“Not yet.”
“Then follow me. It’s been a while since I’ve had something truly delicious.”
I led them to Geumgyeru.
Their spicy braised chicken dish there is absolutely exquisite.
We arrived at Geumgyeru and ordered the spicy braised chicken.
Luzu happened to be at Geumgyeru and approached me to offer a greeting.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes. Have you been well?”
“Of course. Thanks to you.”
She hesitated for a moment, then spoke carefully.
“Um, could we talk for a moment?”

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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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