The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 730

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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 730

Chapter 730. Marriage Preparations (2)

I examined the Red Head Gang Leader’s corpse once more, this time with meticulous care.
The stench of blood was far more pronounced than when I’d last encountered him.
On that first occasion, it had seemed merely a faint trace.
This confirmed beyond doubt that the Sura Blood Sect was responsible for this atrocity.
But why would the Sura Blood Sect commit such a brutal act?
I recalled my conversation with the Red Head Gang Leader.

“Someone desires this land belonging to the Hyerim Sect.”
“….”
“You received payment for the land in advance. Did you spend all that money?”

The Red Head Gang Leader had flinched violently at those words.
I’d heard recently that he’d squandered his fortune at an expensive pleasure house—that must have been when he burned through the funds.
Given what I knew of the Red Head Gang’s income, a visit to such an establishment meant money had appeared suddenly from somewhere.
Men living without prospects rarely save anything.
In truth, the debt repayment the Red Head Gang Leader had demanded from the Hyerim Sect Master was absurdly inflated.
The principal had doubled in less than a year.
Had I wished, I could have settled the matter for around six hundred silver taels.
But I gave him what he asked for instead.
That was my way of returning the land payment.
With the twelve hundred silver taels I provided, he could return the land and still pocket the original amount plus considerable interest.
Yet the Red Head Gang Leader’s greed had proven excessive.
Unwilling to return the land payment, he’d attempted to flee with the money—and this is what befell him.
I had several pieces of evidence supporting this conclusion.
First, his pockets contained only five hundred taels, minus what he’d spent on meat and wine.
Those five hundred taels were likely the land payment.
Second, his trousers and knees were caked with dirt.
He must have dropped to his knees in desperate supplication when a terrifying presence suddenly appeared.
There was no other way his clothes would have become soiled in such a manner.
Third, the gang members had been eating meat and drinking wine in the courtyard.
While his subordinates were distracted by food and drink, he’d attempted to flee—only to encounter the Sura Blood Sect member who sought to purchase the land.
It was likely one of the Sura Blood Sect members possessing blood-eye ability who confronted him.
If that person had used soul-binding technique to control the gang leader and dispose of him here, everything aligned perfectly.
The Sura Blood Sect had done this partly to conceal their designs on the Hyerim Sect’s land, but also to punish his audacity.
The Red Head Gang Leader brought this upon himself, but it’s still irritating.
And of all places, he’s pulling this nonsense right here in Hubei Province where our Eun Hae Trading Company operates.
Whoever orchestrated this… is no ordinary person.
He takes only the land value and specifically returns everything else to me?
He could have easily kept it all.
Is he a man without greed?
Or does he have some ulterior motive?
“And this is the letter that was left in the pouch that contained the money.”
Po Kwae handed me the letter, and I unfolded it to read.
The content matched what Palgap had conveyed—returning the money to me with a heart of atonement.
But strictly speaking, the actual content of the letter addressed to me was somewhat different.

[How could I simply stand by while the Red Head Gang Leader essentially robbed Eun Seo-ho’s money? So I persuaded him well, and he has agreed to return the funds as atonement. Let this serve as a wedding gift in place of a proper one. Congratulations on your marriage. And I still remember the promise we made to meet again someday—I do hope you’ll entertain me soon.]

At that final sentence, I crumpled the letter in my hands.
I was beginning to understand who had orchestrated the Red Head Gang Leader and written this letter.
There is only one person from the Sura Blood Sect who promised to meet me again.
The Hwagyeong Master I encountered when dealing with the Blood-Eye Demon Ghost in Sichuan Province—the One-Snake Sword.
The one who wields a weapon engraved with a single serpent.

“I have a feeling we’ll meet again. When that time comes, you’ll be stronger than you are now. Then I’ll take your life.”
“I don’t enjoy boring fights, you see.”

I still haven’t forgotten what he said.
Nor the despair I felt in that moment.
I found none of it amusing, yet why did he alone seem to enjoy it?
How infuriating.
In any case, he won’t remain in Chongyang County any longer.
The letter he left for me makes that clear.
And he won’t appear before me until I’ve reached a level where I can match him.
In his own way, he’s deliberately avoiding our meeting to honor the words he spoke.
I turned my head to look at Po Kwae.
His eyes gleamed with such brilliance—like looking at Geumryeong.
– Squeak!
You’re not that ugly, are you?
Well, you’re not handsome exactly—you’re cute.
Squeak…?
Tch, your perception is sharp though.
Po Kwae spoke.
“What shall we do with this letter?”
Patrol Officers aren’t men of deep pockets or leisure.
Employment isn’t guaranteed for life, and those without skill can be dismissed.
So despite meager monthly wages, they often pay bribes as well.
Thus, within limits that cause no trouble, they frequently seek supplementary income.
In ways like this.
His words weren’t a direct demand for a bribe, but rather an offer—provide a modest gift and he’d ensure no complications arose.
Truthfully, even if the contents of this letter leaked outside, it wouldn’t be a serious matter.
But there’s no need to create unnecessary trouble.
I pointed toward the purse the Red Head Gang Leader had been carrying and asked in return.
“What do you intend to do with those silver coins?”
“That would be for the County Magistrate to handle, would it not?”
Indeed, that wasn’t Po Kwae’s domain.
The County Magistrate, also called the county judge, held an unpaid position typically given to someone of high standing in the region.
Usually, within the Empire, a single county either housed a village of the same clan or a single tribe.
Thus, the County Magistrate position was entrusted to someone whose judgments on local incidents would face no opposition.
In exchange for salary, they received modest travel allowances and recognition of their authority.
Of course, there existed systems to remedy those dissatisfied with verdicts or seeking redress for injustice.
One could appeal to the provincial inspector or the prefectural administrator.
Alternatively, one could petition the Imperial Censor, whose cases were personally reviewed by the Emperor.
In other words, if a verdict proved problematic, the Emperor would summon the magistrate to Beijing and interrogate them point by point.
Should bribery be exposed at that stage, that person’s life was effectively finished.
“Let’s do this instead.”
I presented an alternative that had occurred to me.
“If County Magistrate Dae-in acknowledges my ownership of that silver, then since my wedding is also this autumn, I shall host a banquet for those who labor so diligently in managing this prefecture.”
“A banquet… you say?”
“I plan to prepare plenty of liquor as well. You know, don’t you? The spirits produced at the Judo Tavern owned by our Eun Hae Trading Company not only won first place at the imperial liquor competition held by the Imperial Court, but also received excellent evaluations for our other varieties.”
“Of course. I know it well.”
The Patrol Officer speaking thus seemed to be already swallowing his saliva.
“So, please lend me your assistance.”
“Of course. I shall speak with County Magistrate Dae-in and handle it without any complications.”
“I trust you.”
In truth, showing the Imperial Inspector’s credentials would be most effective, but it’s best to keep that hidden.
I don’t wish to offer bribes either, nor do I care to reclaim the money that One-Snake Sword gave as a gift.
So hosting a banquet for the officials using that silver is the finest approach.
I wonder if he truly knows nothing about me, or if he knows but is so desperate for funds that it doesn’t matter.
Either way, I simply hope the banquet doesn’t cause any disturbances.
Thinking thus, I chuckled quietly to myself.
That Patrol Officer likely has no idea.
Who will be attending this wedding banquet.
I doubt they’ll even be able to taste their liquor properly with their spirits so dampened.
.
.
.
The next day.
With the wedding about a month away, Seo Hyang and I began moving about busily.
There were quite a few people we needed to announce the wedding to and pay our respects.
Usually in the mornings I accompanied Father to pay respects, and in the afternoons I accompanied Mother.
Meanwhile, the people of the Trading Company moved about with great activity.
Wedding garments had to be tailored, banquet preparations had to be made, and security arrangements had to be organized to ensure nothing unseemly occurred during the festivities.

“Seo-ho.”
“Ah, yes. Father.”
I lifted my head quickly at the sound of Father calling me.
“How about we rest for a while?”
“That sounds good.”
We were currently heading toward the Jegal Family, a martial clan established in Hubei Province.
Ideally, we should have visited first to pay our respects, but it was difficult to clear two full days from our schedule, so we were only now making the trip.
They should understand to that extent.
We found a suitable spot and began eating a simple lunch.
The lunch consisted of dumplings we had brought from home.
“My lady, it would be best to wrap cloth around your clothes so they don’t get soiled.”
“Thank you.”
Im Sang-hwa, who had become Seo Hyang’s maidservant, assisted the young lady quite skillfully thanks to the training she had received from Mother’s maidservant.
Of course, Kang Chung, who had become Seo Hyang’s guard warrior, was also accompanying us.
I wondered how the training was progressing for the three warriors currently practicing at the Hyerim Sect.
I hoped they would show some results this time.
Then I could gift each of them a fine sword.
A chest of cloud iron that we had found at the Gongtong Sect on the way to deliver the Emperor’s secret directive to Bang Dae-in, who had retired from office and returned to his hometown, was still stored in my secret vault.
When weapons are forged from cloud iron, not only is their strength exceptional, but their spiritual essence is also remarkable.
Moreover, since they have the effect of repelling evil, weapons made from cloud iron are unconditionally treated as divine weapons.
Later investigation revealed that weapons made from cloud iron were also effective against those who employ unusual techniques.
It would likely have some effect against the unusual techniques employed by those Sura Blood Sect bastards.
However, even divine weapons forged from cloud iron require a certain level of martial prowess from the wielder to be truly effective.
That is why I arranged for the three warriors to undergo training.
The stronger my guard warriors become, the less trouble I have to endure.
“It will be nice to see Elder Brother after so long.”
Turning at those words, I saw Yu So-ak and Cho Young-young sitting side by side, eating dumplings.
Originally, the two of them should have held their wedding ceremony this spring, but it had been postponed due to the earthquake in Sichuan Province.
This was because Cho Haeng-su, Cho Young-young’s father, was included in the support unit being sent from the Hubei Province Headquarters.
Due to various circumstances, it was unavoidable that he be included in the support unit.
Thus the wedding was postponed, but the problem was that my own wedding was scheduled for autumn.
It is customary that half a year before the wedding of a direct heir of a family, the family’s retainers refrain from holding ceremonies such as weddings.
Therefore, we ultimately decided that they would marry two weeks after my wedding, and they would move together while I go to the Jegal Family to pay my respects for my marriage.
“Then you will exchange poems after so long.”
“I would like to, but I’m not sure if time will permit.”
I spoke with a smile.
“Father will surely spare that much time for us.”

That evening.
We arrived at the Jegal Family Estate.
“Welcome.”
Having received advance notice, the Jegal Family greeted us warmly. Surprisingly, the one who came to receive us was Jegal Yu-ah, the Small Patriarch.
“It’s been quite some time.”
“For the Small Patriarch to come greet us in person! I hardly know what to do with myself.”
“What are you saying? Of course I came out to greet you personally. You’re the legendary Seonhyeop Mirang Great Swordmaster, after all.”
She continued with a smile.
“I had quite the time persuading Grandfather to refrain from coming out to greet you himself.”
“My! I’m truly grateful. Had he done so, I would have been quite overwhelmed.”
At my words, she laughed and turned to bow to Father.
“Jegal Yu-ah, Small Patriarch of the Jegal Family, pays respects to the Merchant Guild Leader of Eun Hae Trading Company.”
“Thank you for coming to greet us.”
She turned her gaze to Seo Hyang, who stood beside me.
“Standing together like this, you two make quite a striking pair.”
“Thank you.”
Finally, Jegal Yu-ah, the Small Patriarch, turned to address Yu So-ak, the Internal Chief Manager, and Cho Young-young, the Deputy Officer.
“Grandfather awaits the opportunity to share poetry with you.”
“I am grateful that he has not forgotten this humble younger brother.”
Yu So-ak, the Internal Chief Manager, replied with composure.
Indeed, his social grace had improved considerably since I returned to the past.
It was thanks to my counsel and Cho Young-young’s efforts.
“I shall guide you to your quarters.”
We were weary from the journey, and dust clung to our clothes, so it was proper to wash and pay our respects.

We were given the Separate Quarters.
The fact that they had provided an entire spacious building spoke volumes of their generous treatment.
Indeed, one could tell from the Small Patriarch coming out to greet us personally.
Father seemed quite moved by it all.
I felt rather proud myself.
– Squeak!
Geumryeong’s voice, saying that having grown this much, I should increase his monthly allowance.
I pretended not to hear.

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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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