The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 747

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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 747

Chapter 747. As Expected (3)

Lee Pil Warrior spoke upon seeing where Lim Seok-hwa pointed.
“It’s Jin Young Master.”
“Could he be looking to purchase a gift for someone?”
They approached Jin Bok-ju and asked.
“Young Master, what are you doing here?”
“…?”
Jin Bok-ju asked with a bewildered expression.
“Forgive me, but who are you?”
Lim Seok-hwa realized that she knew him, but he did not know her.
After all, she had been in the carriage with Lady Xiang Mei.
“Ah, my apologies. I thought you would know me. I am Lim Seok-hwa, maidservant to Lady Xiang Mei, the wife of Eun Seo-ho, the Small Merchant Guild Leader.”
“I am Lee Pil, the guard of Eun Seo-ho, the Small Merchant Guild Leader.”
Only after hearing their introductions did Jin Bok-ju nod his head.
“I see.”
Upon learning that these people who had suddenly approached him were from Eun Seo-ho’s household, his expression brightened considerably.
“I felt some familiarity and pretended to know you, but I was rude.”
At this, Jin Bok-ju waved his hand and spoke.
“Not at all. I am grateful that you did not pretend not to know me.”
“But are you selecting a gift?”
At Lim Seok-hwa’s question, his face flushed slightly.
“Well… seeing this, I suddenly remembered someone, and without thinking, I stopped in my tracks.”
“I see.”
Lim Seok-hwa asked him.
“You seem to have much on your mind. May I help you?”
“Ah, would you really?”
Jin Bok-ju readily nodded, and Lim Seok-hwa asked him.
“Yes. Then I should know who will receive the gift first. Who is this person?”
“Yes?”
“If I am to know who will receive the gift, I can choose something befitting them, can I not? If it is difficult to speak in detail, even a general description would help me select something appropriate.”
Jin Bok-ju, who had been thinking for a moment, spoke.
“Hmm… that person is extremely beautiful. It is not merely beautiful in my eyes, but by objective standards as well, she is truly beautiful.”
He continued speaking with a slightly excited tone.
“And her eyes, filled with brilliance, sparkle like stars. Moreover, though she is bold and brimming with confidence, when she is shy, she is incredibly endearing.”
“I see.”
“Moreover, her martial prowess is extraordinary. When she wields her blade, it seems as though she could overcome every storm and tempest the world could throw at her.”
Lim Seok-hwa spoke.
“So to summarize, you’re describing someone skilled with the sword, beautiful and wise, of high station?”
“Yes… that’s correct.”
Jin Bok-ju nodded with a bewildered expression.
“Then I’ll find something befitting her.”
Lim Seok-hwa began examining the jewelry displayed on the market stall.
Though she had lived in hardship and rarely encountered such ornaments, that did not mean she lacked interest in them.
She had merely feigned indifference to spare her father and elder brothers from worry.
Blessed with natural dexterity, whenever flowers bloomed she would weave them into convincing ornaments to adorn herself or sell on the streets.
Moreover, this time she had received instruction from Lady Nanhwa’s maidservant—Eun Seo-ho’s mother—and learned how to select fine jewelry.
Thanks to this knowledge, she could quickly choose an ornament perfectly suited to the woman Jin Bok-ju described.
“This would be lovely.”
It was a hair ornament carved from polished red stone, with a remarkably sharp point at its tip.
“If what the Young Master says is true, she must be quite passionate. Red would suit such a person well. And since you mentioned she wields a sword while holding high station, it could serve as a self-defense weapon if needed.”
Lim Seok-hwa continued.
“Since you said she is wise, she would surely prefer something with practical utility rather than mere ornamentation.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true. Thank you for your help.”
“Think nothing of it.”
The Jin Young Master asked the merchant at the stall.
“How much is this?”
“It’s marked right there. Just give me half a silver tael.”
That was when it happened.
“Spouting such absurd prices is exactly why merchants like you earn such disrepute.”
At this, Lee Pil Warrior quickly turned and bowed his head.
“My lord.”
“You were here.”

* * *

I approached the jewelry merchant’s stall together with the Lady.
“I was just about to leave, but you came out yourself?”
At Lim Seok-hwa’s words, the Lady replied.
“I heard there was something interesting about exploring this marketplace, so I came along. I didn’t expect this—I’m sorry for putting you through the trouble.”
“That’s not it. I was worried the food would get cold if our paths didn’t align.”
At that, I spoke.
“That’s not a concern. We can find each other anywhere. And if there’s any fault, it lies with me, since I was the one who suggested we go out.”
The reason I came out like this was because Palgap had told me about the marketplace here.
Since people had suddenly flocked to the vicinity of the Jegal Family Estate, it became difficult for them to obtain necessary goods, so temporary shops were permitted to operate for a limited time.
Of course, this required permission from the Jegal Family Estate, and came with the condition of operating under their oversight.
One of those control measures was a prohibition against price gouging—specifically, a clause forbidding profits exceeding fifty percent of the cost price.
The Jegal Family Estate was so thorough that they carefully investigated each item to be sold, set its price, and recorded it in their ledger.
They even created price tags for everything.
In other words, they implemented fixed pricing.
However, some unscrupulous merchants were forging those price tags and displaying them as if they were authentic, conducting their business that way.
This jewelry merchant’s stall was one such case.
But first, I should greet him properly.
“Ah, Jin Young Master. We meet again.”
“Yes. It’s good to see you. Thank you for your help last time.”
“Don’t mention it. I’m not sure if you heard, but those who quarreled with the Young Master have been caught.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. And appropriate punishment has been handed down to them.”
“That’s fortunate.”
I turned my head and asked the Jewelry Merchant.
“But this ornament costs half a silver tael?”
“Y-yes, that is correct. Isn’t it written right here?”
I let out a small, hollow laugh and sent a transmission to the merchant.
– What are you trying to do, overcharging right now? This is low-grade red stone that’s been processed, and the setting isn’t even pure silver—it’s just silver-plated. Half a silver tael for this? Are you unaware that the Eun Hae Trading Company also deals in jewelry?
At my transmission, he flinched and cautiously asked.
“C-could you possibly be the Seonhyeop Mirang Great Swordmaster?”
Palgap quickly answered instead of me.
“That’s correct. Our Young Master is the person known by that name.”
At those words, the merchant trembled and bowed his head deeply.
“I-I was ignorant of your noble status.”
“So what’s the real price?”
“Just five copper coins, sir.”
Now he’s telling the truth.
I nodded, and at that, Jin Young Master handed money to the merchant.
I said to the merchant.
“Don’t you have wrapping paper? I see here it says wrapping paper is included with jewelry purchases.”
“I, I should give it to her.”
He produced an envelope made from fine colored paper and handed it to Jin Young Master, who accepted it, placed the jewelry inside, sealed it carefully, and tucked it into his garment.
“Since this too is a matter of fate, would you not travel with us?”
“No, I have other matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave now.”
And so he parted ways with us.
When I had negotiated the price of the jewelry through sound transmission earlier, it was because I sensed that the buyer would feel disheartened upon learning that the item he had so carefully selected was of poor quality.
Even knowing something is cheap, hearing it spoken aloud inevitably dampens one’s spirits.
But who was he purchasing it for?
At that moment, Lim Seok-hwa, the Maidservant, spoke from beside me.
“It seems he must have a beloved.”
“A beloved, you say?”
Lim Seok-hwa recounted the entire conversation.
“…He described the person he intended to gift it to in such detail. When I asked if she was skilled with the sword, beautiful, wise, and of high station, he became flustered and nodded.”
“I see.”
Who could such a person be….
I could only exhale softly.
“Hah….”
If my suspicions were correct, Jegal Yu-ah Minor Clan Master and Jin Bok-ju Warrior were far more than simply acquainted through a favor.
There was a reason his face had flushed when she was mentioned.
I recalled the gaze in Jegal Yu-ah Minor Clan Master’s eyes.
I wished to avoid returning once more to the memory of Jade Maiden Without Smile’s gaze from my previous life.
This martial tournament too was a form of political marriage, but would she not find greater happiness if the man she favored emerged victorious and they were to wed?
So that was why the Lady had said she was grateful I had come here.
At that moment, the Lady gently took hold of my arm.
Ah, now I am spending time with the Lady, so I must be fully present in this moment.
First, I must attend to what needs attending.
I spoke to the market stall merchant.
“While you still have the chance, remove those false price tags and display the genuine ones. This is a warning. Should I witness such deception even once more, I shall report this matter to the Jegal Family Estate.”
“Y, yes, I shall do so. My sincerest apologies.”
“You owe me no apology. You should apologize to those you have cheated, and you should regret the foolish conduct that will bring suffering upon yourself.”
As I stared at him intently, he hurriedly located the genuine price tags and affixed them.
After confirming this, I took the Lady’s arm and spoke.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes.”
The temporary shops that had been authorized by the Jegal Family Estate were quite numerous, and walking through the street where they lined up in succession was rather delightful.
Then a voice reached my ears.
“Forgive me, Great Master, but are you not eating rather too much?”
“Goodness, I have barely begun!”
“Sigh… Great Master. Did you not agree to consume only one portion per day?”
Hmm?
At the sound of a familiar voice, I turned to see a Buddhist Monk sitting at a street tavern, holding a wine flask with a regretful expression on his face.
Is that Mujin Master?
It seems he came here immediately after the meeting ended and began drinking.
Beside him, the monks who had accompanied him were sighing as they watched him.
They look quite troubled.
Indeed, a monk drinking alcohol in front of so many people doesn’t present a favorable appearance.
For them, it must be shameful.
They wear expressions of resignation, but I suspect they’ve truly given up trying to stop him.
Just as I was about to ask the Lady’s permission to help them, she spoke first.
“It seems we should help him.”
“Pardon?”
“That Master.”
“How did you know he was a Master?”
“His staff has nine rings, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t that be necessary to be called a Master?”
“That’s correct.”
I nodded in agreement.
“This time, Mujin Master will be serving as one of the judges alongside me.”
“I see.”
The Lady continued speaking.
“In any case, it seems the Master should stop drinking and get up now. Otherwise, Hwi will suffer greatly.”
What?
I’m the one who will suffer?
I’d prefer to avoid that.
Though I don’t know the exact reason, if it’s a future the Lady has foreseen, I must change it.
I quickly approached the tavern.
“Eh? Who’s this? Isn’t it Eun Seo-ho, the Small Merchant Guild Leader?”
“Yes, Master. I happened to hear your voice as I was passing by, so I came to pay my respects.”
I bowed respectfully and spoke with a smile.
“In any case, it seems you should stop drinking and get up now.”
“What are you talking about? I’ve barely drunk anything yet.”
“You’ve already had two full flasks. According to these monks here, you agreed to drink only one flask per day, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know anything about that.”
The monk beside him sighed and spoke.
“Sigh… once the Master drinks beyond a certain point, he becomes completely unreasonable like this.”
They certainly have their troubles.
Why does a Buddhist Monk seek out alcohol in the first place?
Then I heard Geumryeong’s telepathic call.
– Screech! Screech!
What? That’s not alcohol he’s drinking?
– Screech!
You’re acting right now?
What in the world are you talking about?
But Geumryeong’s words couldn’t possibly be wrong.
I should investigate this a bit further.
I plopped down in front of him and spoke.
“Is the wine really that delicious?”
“Of course it is!”
“Then please pour me some as well.”
I picked up the wine cup beside me and held it out, and the Ambassador looked at me.
“Why should I?”
“I’m curious to know just how delicious it is.”
At my words, the Ambassador met my eyes directly, and I didn’t look away either.
– Squawk!
Then I heard Geumryeong’s voice transmission.
You understand what it is?
Listening to Geumryeong’s voice transmission, I pressed the Ambassador further.
“Why won’t you pour? This is rather disappointing. We’ve become judges together, yet you won’t even share a cup of wine with me.”
….
– Squawk. Squawk!
Following Geumryeong’s voice transmission, I looked at the Ambassador’s hand.
Kimul is remarkably perceptive about expensive things, even when hidden beneath sleeves.
The Ambassador wore a silk bracelet made of heavenly silkworm thread on his wrist.
It’s a magical artifact that transforms wine into water.
So right now, the Ambassador appears to be drinking wine, but he’s actually drinking water.
At my gaze, the Ambassador sent me a voice transmission.
– That creature told you?
He must be referring to Geum Ryung-i.
But I didn’t answer that voice transmission and instead pressed him about the wine cup.
“You really won’t pour for me?”
As my pressing continued, more and more gazes turned toward us.
This must be difficult for him.
Not pouring wine for me would be quite burdensome in its own way.
– I’ve lost.
With that voice transmission, the Ambassador picked up the wine pitcher and poured wine into my cup.
“Thank you.”
I accepted the wine and drank it.
Hmm… Geum Ryung-i was right.
This is just water.
But since the Ambassador has his reasons for acting this way, I should play along with his performance.
“Ah! The taste is quite excellent. But Ambassador, don’t you think it’s about time you got up from your seat?”
“Sigh… Very well, let’s do that.”
The Ambassador rose from his seat.
The Attendant Monk quickly settled the bill, and just as they were about to leave the street tavern.
Thud!

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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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