The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 69

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company – Chapter 69

Chapter 69. Catching Talent (4)

Soon the fan’s blades began to spin, and a refreshing breeze touched the Emperor’s face.
“Oh!”
The Emperor expressed his satisfaction with a continuous stream of exclamations.
Yet the eyes of the other officials watching him seemed filled with envy.
Yes, that was exactly what I was aiming for.
The Emperor nodded repeatedly as the fan’s breeze caressed his face.
“Truly a marvelous device! Do you intend to sell this to others?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Father answered, then continued swiftly.
“Since Your Majesty finds it pleasing, our trading company wishes to present five hundred of these fans to the throne.”
“Five hundred?”
The Emperor spoke.
“Five hundred of these devices… your generosity is truly admirable. Well then, I must offer you a proper reward in return. Would you not agree, Jin Merchant Lord?”
The Emperor turned to the Jin Merchant Lord standing beside him, who responded.
“As you wish, Your Majesty.”
“Good, good. At what price do you intend to sell this fan?”
“We plan to charge approximately the price of three chickens, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor was startled by Father’s answer and asked.
“What? You intend to sell it for merely that price? This device will surely bring considerable profit to your company?”
“Indeed, that is so, Your Majesty.”
Father spoke slowly and calmly.
“However, all people suffer from the heat equally, and many lose their lives to it. I wish for this device to be widely used so that people might better endure the summer heat.”
“Ah! Such compassion for the common people is truly admirable.”
“Therefore, we hope that the trading companies here will produce these fans so that many people may be freed from the suffering of heat.”
What the Emperor truly desired now was the people’s goodwill and the stabilization of the imperial treasury.
This was because the Emperor was currently in a power struggle with his officials.
In such circumstances, Father’s words would sound most pleasing to the Emperor’s ears.
“So you are the Eunhae Trading Company, correct?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Moved by your noble intentions, I shall grant your wish. However, I will distribute half of all profits earned from the sale of these fans to you.”
I was startled by this decree.
Honestly, I had intended to forge a strong bond with the Emperor through this gift.
But the Emperor gave us something far better.
He was unconditionally giving us half of all profits from the fans sold!
“We accept Your Majesty’s command.”
At the ministers’ words, my father and I quickly knelt and offered our gratitude.
“Your grace is boundless!”
“Then you may withdraw now.”
At the Emperor’s command, I stepped forward.
“Though I speak with great trepidation, Your Majesty, I humbly beseech you to permit us to remain in some corner of the Imperial Palace until sunset, when we may depart.”
“And who are you?”
“I am Eun Seo-ho, Small Merchant Guild Leader of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“Ah….”
The Emperor regarded me with a meaningful gaze.
“What is your reason?”
“It is the heat, Your Majesty. Most of the other Merchant Lords are advanced in years, and some have even surpassed seventy summers. I feared the blazing sun might compromise their health, and thus I dared to make this humble request.”
“Tsk tsk, such frailty… Did not my eunuchs shade you with parasols on the way here? They shall do the same when you depart, so you need not worry….”
The Emperor is no fool.
Detecting something amiss in our expressions, he questioned me.
“Why do you wear such a face?”
“Forgive me, Your Majesty. I have misspoken.”
“No. Tell me why you made such an expression.”
“With utmost apology, Your Majesty, we saw no parasols on our way here.”
“What?”
“Thus, fearing the elderly Merchant Lord might collapse from exhaustion, I carried him myself.”
I must say, I have a talent for lingering grievances.
At my words, the Jin Merchant Lord’s expression darkened—likely because the representatives of the guilds he had selected had suffered such an affront.
The Emperor, who had been contemplating my words, issued a command.
“Summon the eunuchs who attended to them.”
“Yes!”
Soon a group of eunuchs entered the Imperial Chamber—those who had attended to us.
“You summoned us?”
“Yes. I have a question for you.”
“Please inquire, Your Majesty.”
“On the way here today, did you provide them with parasols?”
“….”
The eunuchs were flustered by this question.
Perhaps they had not expected the Emperor to ask so directly.
As they all hesitated, one eunuch finally answered.
“We did not provide them.”
“Why not?”
“They are not distinguished guests as defined by imperial law. Parasols may only be used by Your Majesty, members of the imperial family, and those of high rank. How could we presume to provide them with parasols?”
Such confidence?
What exactly are they relying on….
The Emperor let out a soft chuckle at those words.
“You’ve overlooked one thing. Even at the Emperor’s command, I can have the ceremonial hat placed upon them.”
“I was under the impression no such law existed.”
“Is that so? Chief Secretary.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Whose words are correct?”
The Chief Secretary answered the question.
“Your Majesty speaks the truth. It is written in the supplementary provisions.”
And the Chief Secretary recited the contents of those provisions. So I hadn’t been mistaken after all.
With such a law in place, the merchant lords of the Five Great Merchant Guilds of the World must have worn the ceremonial hat when entering the Imperial Palace.
“We were ignorant and failed to understand this properly.”
“Please forgive us.”
They spoke this way because the Emperor had been gracious in forgiving them until now.
But even so, one must know when and where to stretch one’s legs.
One of the Eunuch Officials spoke.
“Begging your pardon, Your Majesty, but these are mere lowborn merchants. A ceremonial hat for lowborn merchants? This damages Your Majesty’s dignity.”
“Such an honor is excessive for those whose only knowledge is money.”
“Since the matter has been raised, I offer this counsel. Please entrust the salt distribution law to us eunuchs.”
“It is beneath Your Majesty’s station to deal with them directly.”
Ah! Now they’re eyeing the profits to be gained from the salt distribution law itself.
I told them to know their place and time.
The Emperor spoke.
“Then am I also lowborn for employing lowborn merchants?”
“N-no, that is not what we meant….”
The Emperor was seizing this opportunity to bring the eunuchs to heel.
And the opportunity had come at precisely the right moment.
“If you wish to contradict me, do so with proper knowledge. How dare you attempt to insult me with a mere three-inch tongue.”
The Emperor rebuked them calmly and deliberately.
“These men shall carry out my will at the forefront of the salt distribution law for the sake of my people. How then can you call them lowborn?”
“….”
“I hear there are eunuchs who have accepted bribes regarding salt retail rights. Could it be that you harbor resentment over this and have committed such audacious acts?”
“…!”
At those words, the eunuchs quickly prostrated themselves.
“It is not so!”
“Absolutely not!”
“If that were not the case, you would not have asked to be entrusted with implementing the salt distribution law. So then, how much did you pocket?”
The Emperor already knew.
And looking at Jin Merchant Lord’s expression, he knew as well.
So in three months’ time, the eunuchs would be thoroughly stripped bare.
“An investigation will reveal the truth. Arrest them all!”
“Yes!”
At the Emperor’s command, the Imperial Guards escorted the eunuchs away.
“This is unjust, Your Majesty!”
“We have committed no crime!”
No crime, they say…
Watching them, I felt a peculiar satisfaction bloom within my chest.
One might argue I was being harsh, but they had brought this upon themselves.
If they are truly innocent, they will be released.
And those destined to die in three months will meet their fate.
Shortly after, we were able to leave the Imperial Palace with our heads held high.
All except me.
.
.
.
I was led into a separate building.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
The eunuch treated me with remarkable courtesy—likely because he had witnessed the arrest of those eunuchs who had escorted us earlier.
“Very well.”
I wondered why I alone had to remain here, but the eunuch offered no explanation.
As I waited, lost in thought, I heard a herald’s cry from beyond the door.
“His Imperial Majesty approaches!”
At that announcement, I rose swiftly to my feet.
When the Emperor entered the chamber, I immediately performed the proper courtesy.
“I am honored to receive Your Imperial Majesty. Long may you reign, long may you reign, long may you reign eternal!”
“Rise and be seated.”
“Your grace is boundless.”
I carefully took my seat, and the Emperor sat across from me.
A private audience with the Emperor himself!
Could it be that Father was summoned to Beijing for this very purpose?
That is what Father had said.
That my journey to Beijing was by the Emperor’s direct command.
“I wished to see you privately to express my gratitude.”
“Your Majesty?”
“I heard that you saved the life of Jin Merchant Lord in Sichuan. I wanted to offer my thanks.”
“No, Your Majesty! I merely did what was necessary. To receive words of gratitude for such a simple duty seems undeserved.”
“Jin Merchant Lord is my benefactor, one who saved my life. Had he suffered such misfortune while serving my interests, I would have been deeply grieved.”
“…”
“Therefore, I express my gratitude.”
I simply bowed my head in silence.
“I have a question I wish to ask you.”
“I humbly await your question.”
“When you said earlier that you would leave the Imperial Palace after sunset, did you do so intentionally?”
“…Yes.”
I confessed without reservation.
He already knew and was asking regardless, so there was no point in making excuses and inviting his displeasure.
“I noticed that they looked down upon us and did not provide the official insignia. As far as I know, there is an Eunuch Official belonging to the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau….”
“Meaning they use the insignia.”
The Emperor continued.
“So you did this because you were being disrespected?”
“I cannot deny that entirely. However, there was a greater reason.”
“What was it?”
“It was because the Eunuch Officials, who should be the Emperor’s hands and feet, were defying the Emperor’s commands.”
I continued.
“It is only possible for merchants like us to travel freely through the Realm and buy and sell goods because this nation is stable. If the world becomes turbulent due to officials who do not fear the Emperor’s commands, merchants like us suffer first.”
“Go on.”
“And if merchants like us suffer losses, I am ashamed to say, but goods cease to circulate, and ultimately the common people suffer. Then finally, this nation….”
“Will fall.”
“I beg your pardon.”
“No. You speak the truth—how could I fault you for that?”
The Emperor spoke.
“So in the end, your actions were for your own benefit?”
“Yes.”
The Emperor, who had been thinking for a moment, laughed heartily.
“Hahahaha! What an audacious fellow you are! Is this not blackmail—saying that if merchants collapse, the people’s lives and this nation will collapse?”
I did not deny it.
His words were accurate.
“In truth, I too found their conduct exceedingly presumptuous and was considering when to strike.”
As I had suspected.
“I owe you both gratitude and an apology.”
“….”
“I heard that on your journey here, you nearly suffered great calamity. Yet you displayed quick thinking and avoided disaster.”
“I was merely fortunate.”
“My handling of affairs was insufficient, and I allowed such a thing to happen to you. For this, I offer my apology.”
“I am deeply honored!”
“I heard that those whom he employed have all fled. And the Jin Merchant Lord asked that pursuit of them be halted.”
“….”
“You made that request, I am told.”
“The tools bear no fault. Moreover, their families are also blameless. I made this request fearing that if they perished or faced destitution, their resentment might fall upon Your Majesty.”
At my words, the Emperor regarded me for a moment.
“How old are you?”
“I have turned fifteen.”
“I see.”
As we exchanged a few more words, the Eunuch Official spoke from beside us.
“Your Majesty, your next appointment approaches.”
“Has so much time passed already?”
The Emperor spoke with evident reluctance.
“I hope we might meet again should the opportunity arise. See that you return safely.”
“I am deeply grateful, Your Majesty.”
With that, the Emperor departed the chamber, and I exhaled slowly.
I had managed to speak without causing him displeasure, yet the weight of his presence had been overwhelming.
My strength seemed to drain away without my realizing it.
To receive both gratitude and an apology from the Emperor in a single breath—what a thing it was.
Should my family treasure this for generations to come?
Yet hearing such words in this private chamber surely meant I should guard my tongue carefully.
.
.
.
Those who had gathered at Jin Woo-rim’s Residence began departing one by one.
They were all busy people, after all.
The Eunhae Trading Company delegation hastened toward Hubei Province.
Seok Il-song walked beside me.
Though I had gained several advantages from this journey to Beijing, I suspect Seok Il-song might be the greatest prize.
I had caught talent, after all.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————