The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 87

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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 Nakhyang Jin Family — Chapter 87

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“Sigh… Still hasn’t returned.”
Chu Hyeongi, who remained at the inn, was growing anxious about Jin Cheon-u’s absence—now four days without his return.
The continuous sighs escaping his lips spoke volumes of the depth of his concern.
There was no helping it.
The Rebellion of the Crown Prince had erupted, the Emperor lay dead, and the former Emperor’s closest associates had been rounded up entirely.
The problem was that Jin Cheon-u had been dragged into it as well.
This naturally bred an anxiety that he might become the first casualty of this upheaval.
“What was he thinking, going to such a place…”
“If he hadn’t gone, something far worse would have happened.”
“Huh? Why?”
At the sudden voice, Chu Hyeongi turned his head. What captured his gaze was Chaeseoha, dressed in neat attire with her face veiled in gauze.
As she moved, the fabric shifted, revealing glimpses of her face—and Chu Hyeongi found himself unable to tear his eyes away, staring intently.
Despite sensing his gaze, Chaeseoha continued speaking with composure.
“If the Young Master hadn’t gone, only that uncle’s words would have become truth. From the Crown Prince’s perspective, he needed to shake the Nakhyang Jin Family anyway, so he would have considered it fortunate.”
Whether it was the head of the direct Jin line or the Family Head himself, a scapegoat was necessary from the Crown Prince’s standpoint.
And to him, it mattered not whether the neck belonged to the Family Head or Jin Baek-ryong.
Jin Cheon-u had gone to prevent that very outcome.
“Thorough indeed.”
Originally, she had thought he would hastily flee Beijing after escaping Dowon Village.
Simply remaining here in a situation where bloodshed was as certain as fire was to invite danger.
But Jin Cheon-u was different.
He had delved deeper instead.
Whether this had been his intention from the start or a decision made later was unclear, but he seemed to have anticipated Jin Baek-ryong’s capture.
As a result, the one who suffered the greatest blow in this situation was none other than—
“This… cursed bastard!”
Crunch—!
Gu Gunbaek, who was grinding his teeth in real time.
He stared fixedly at the cloth placed upon the table, grinding his teeth relentlessly.
Four days had passed, so the interest on forty percent must have reached a level Jin Baek-ryong could not bear—but the problem was it seemed impossible to collect.
As a result, Gu Gunbaek’s expression was one of pain beyond mere heartburn.
“I told you then to just hand over what you had!”
“Hey, you fool! Forty percent interest—what idiot just accepts that?!”
“If you’d taken it then, you’d have at least tens of silver taels by now.”
“Ugh! Don’t speak of it! No, wait. This is all because of that bastard Jin Cheon-u. He knew everything and gave it to me anyway. He knew this would happen!”
‘You’re the one who fell for it, sir.’
The words rose up Chaeseoha’s throat like bile.
I should have suspected from the beginning.
Jin Cheon-u was a merchant’s son.
Not merely any merchant, but the son of the Nakhyang Jin Family—so wealthy they could manipulate the flow of silver across the entire Central Plains.
Would such a man have given away money so carelessly?
He must have known all along that the debt could never be collected, and that was precisely why he gave it.
Consider who benefited most from the current situation, and the answer becomes painfully obvious, does it not?
None other than Jin Cheon-u.
He had won every coin Gu Gunbaek lost at gambling, and when that proved insufficient, he had cleanly stripped away Jin Baek-ryong’s purse as well—or so I had heard.
And by using that promissory note bearing Gu Gunbaek’s seal—the one promising money he could never pay—he had manipulated Gu Gunbaek into causing a disturbance, allowing him to achieve his true objective with ease.
I could not help but marvel at the cunning.
“This Young Master So… should I flay the skin from his bones? Hmm? What do you think?”
Gu Gunbaek’s eyes blazed with such murderous intent that he seemed ready to hunt Jin Cheon-u down that very moment. His gaze was so savage that merely meeting it felt like staring into the jaws of a beast.
She deliberately turned away and left the room, feigning ignorance.
Who could possibly restrain such a furious beast once it broke free?
As she exhaled a weary sigh, her thoughts drifted to Jin Cheon-u.
“Surely you have some plan? By the look of things, Young Master So is about to become a flayed corpse.”
She could only pray that her precious Young Master So possessed some means of escape.

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Taihe Palace.

Within this vast Imperial Palace, there existed no place more resplendent, more steeped in the weight of imperial legacy. As the space where every emperor throughout history had conducted their duties, it radiated a grandeur and majesty incomparable to any other chamber.
I stepped into that sacred hall.
The ministers arrayed on either side kept their heads bowed so low that only the crowns of their heads were visible.
They trembled at the bloodshed that would soon unfold.
These men, heads lowered, dared not gaze upon the place before them.
The seat of absolute power, fashioned in the image of a single Yellow Dragon.
Upon that throne sat the Crown Prince, soon to be called the new Iron-Blooded Emperor.
His gaze descended upon us with unrestrained majesty, and I lowered my head in proper deference.
“I pay my respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince. May you reign ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years.”
“Raise your head.”
At the Crown Prince’s command, I lifted my head.
Yet I did not meet his gaze directly.
My eyes remained lowered, unable to face him.
Did this display satisfy him?
The Crown Prince’s voice softened slightly.
“Do you know why I have imprisoned both Jin Baek-ryong and you?”
He referred to himself as “I,” though he had not yet ascended to the throne.
It was absurd, yet no one dared challenge it.
After all, the Imperial Throne was now his regardless.
“I do not know, Your Majesty.”
“The Former Emperor and the criminals who wielded his power dared to excavate a massive cavern underground, where they imprisoned people and forced them to slaughter one another, enslaving them for their amusement. And it was Jin Baek-ryong who helped make this possible.”
In that moment, I grasped the Crown Prince’s strategy.
He would expose all that transpired in Dowon Village to the world, revealing the depravity and magnitude of these crimes, thereby legitimizing his rebellion.
Even those who believed he had murdered his father to seize the throne would surely support him once they understood the truth.
Strictly speaking, this was the work of the Former Emperor, my Grandfather, and Hao Gate, but such distinctions mattered nothing to the Crown Prince.
I smiled inwardly and prostrated myself.
“I was unaware such atrocities had occurred. Please, execute me, Your Majesty!”
“…!”
The ministers gasped in shock at my words.
He was not yet Emperor.
To address him as “Your Majesty” was astonishing.
Yet the Crown Prince remained composed.
Though I had first hailed him as Crown Prince and cried out “ten thousand years,” the moment he spoke the word “I,” he ceased to be Crown Prince and became Emperor.
Recognizing this, I adjusted accordingly.
“Haha—”
As expected, laughter echoed through the hall.
He would surely think me a perceptive man.
“Does the Nakhyang Jin Family truly claim ignorance of this matter?”
“If Your Majesty says we knew, then we knew it, and if you say we did not know, then we did not know it—surely I need not explain such things? But understand this: we have no intention of evading responsibility for this affair.”
“Oh? You have no intention of evading responsibility? Then what do you intend to do?”
“The Family Head’s decision will be necessary, but first, I shall remove Jin Baek-ryong from the family registry and confiscate his assets to present to the Imperial Court.”
“Continue.”
Removing Jin Baek-ryong from the family registry was a matter requiring my father’s decision.
But he would not refuse.
He would understand the necessity of appeasing the Emperor’s mood at this moment.
Moreover, the confiscation of assets to present to the Imperial Court was significant.
The direct assets of the Nakhyang Jin Family, no less.
He would surely regard it as a rather sweet fruit of considerable value.
“Furthermore, going forward, the Jin Family shall not spare our utmost support for any endeavor the Imperial Court pursues. I am confident it will prove most beneficial.”
A substantial sum would inevitably flow out immediately.
But afterward, I would simply recoup it.
If the Nakhyang Jin Family supported most of the Imperial Court’s ventures, it meant the Jin Family could monopolize every project without competition, and in that process, there would be countless methods to siphon from the imperial treasury.
Draining the imperial treasury had always been an easy matter.
And the Emperor was not one to be ignorant of such things.
Pfft—
From the mere sound of laughter-tinged breath, it was evident he understood that my proposal benefited the Jin Family far more than the Imperial Court.
Yet he did not rebuke me precisely because he knew that if the Nakhyang Jin Family stepped forward to provide support, his desires would be achieved smoothly and flawlessly.
But this alone was insufficient.
The Emperor desired blood.
He believed that only by witnessing bloodshed would true fear take root.
By the circumstances, the Nakhyang Jin Family too could not escape this storm of blood.
As expected, the Emperor’s heavy voice resonated.
“It is an appealing proposal, yet Jin Baek-ryong’s crimes remain unavoidable. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand, Your Majesty.”
“I shall conduct a thorough interrogation to lay bare Jin Baek-ryong’s crimes, and punishment shall be meted accordingly.”
“Those who commit crimes must receive their due punishment—such is the law of the realm. The Jin Family shall obey whatever judgment Your Majesty renders.”
As I offered a response sufficiently satisfying to the Emperor, I heard him laugh softly once more.
Then, a pleasant voice reached my ears.
“Young Master So, raise your head and look upon me.”
I raised my head to gaze upon the Emperor.
This was the first time I had seen his face from such proximity.
His eyes possessed a piercing brilliance, as though seeing through all things.
Despite displaying no aura whatsoever, the Emperor’s majesty was palpable—unlike that day at Giru.
Is this what they mean when they say position makes the man?
Then.
The Emperor’s brow furrowed.
“Have we met before?”
“No, we have not.”
“How strange. Your eyes seem oddly familiar.”
Well, he had only seen my eyes.
But no matter how hard I try to recall, I won’t be able to remember.
Because I could never imagine that the person I was then and the person I am now are the same being.
Just as the Emperor now and the Crown Prince then are different.
“Very well. Young Master So, return to your Family Head and have him bring me the Jade Orb. Until then, we shall continue the interrogation, but the disposition of Jin Baek-ryong shall be postponed.”
“Your boundless grace is deeply appreciated, Your Majesty.”
I naturally stepped backward and maintained proper courtesy.
Soon after, as I carefully exited Taihe Palace, the doors that had been wide open suddenly slammed shut with a heavy thud.
As if sealing off any escape route for those inside.
Confirming this, I turned my gaze once more.
Chungho, who had guided me to Taihe Palace, came into view.
“Follow me. You need to retrieve your belongings.”
Chungho spoke those words and began walking.
The vast Imperial Palace.
Though the Nakhyang Jin Family is said to be so expansive it rivals the Imperial Palace itself, experiencing it directly like this, it certainly appears far smaller—and that is no illusion.
As I pondered this while observing my surroundings, Chungho, who walked ahead, opened his mouth.
“The Nakhyang Jin Family is known as a merchant clan, yet the martial prowess of its Young Master is difficult to attribute to a merchant family’s son.”
“I am equally astonished. I never imagined a disciple of the Martial Arts Sect would be in the Imperial Capital.”
“…You recognized that I hail from the Martial Arts Sect?”
“The footwork of the Martial Arts Sect is quite distinctive, is it not? It would be stranger not to recognize it.”
“I find it stranger that you recognized it at all.”
Chungho, who had been walking ahead, stopped and looked at me.
His gaze was peculiar.
It felt as though he was on high alert.
As if he remembered me from the inn.
Or was he suspicious?
I smiled faintly and met his eyes directly.
“You perhaps….”
“Is Martial Arts Master Ho-yeon well?”
“…!”
At the mention of Martial Arts Master Ho-yeon, Chungho’s eyes widened considerably.
That was certainly enough to be surprised about.
Ho Yeon-gok.
The master of the Martial Arts Sect when Chungho was there, and his teacher.
I smiled as I recalled him.
“Please tell him I shall pay my respects soon.”
Mount Taeag Summit.
Yes, the man who stood before me as I crushed and swallowed the Jade Orb.
His face flickered before my eyes.

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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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