Chapter 130
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 130
Chapter 130. The Apricot Blossom Academy (6)
The emperor's words left me speechless for a moment.
I didn't expect him to mention the Martial Alliance.
If the emperor mentioned it so specifically, it must mean that he had solid evidence.
There was no need to hide it and risk his wrath.
“That is indeed the case.”
The emperor looked at me for a moment and said.
“I understand. I will do as you wish.”
“What?”
To be honest, I thought he would ask me why I was wary of the Martial Alliance.
But the emperor didn't ask me anything like that and said he would do as I wished, which left me confused.
“So, which university professor should I invite?”
I calmed my confusion and quickly took out the documents I had prepared and handed them to him.
“Here you are.”
“You are well prepared.”
The court official took the documents from my hand and handed them to the emperor.
The emperor glanced through the documents and nodded.
“I understand. Arrest all the good-for-nothings listed in these documents.”
“They are university scholars. The term ‘good-for-nothings’...”
“They have knowledge and experience, but instead of using it for the good of this country, they have returned to their hometowns and are wasting their lives. What else are they but good-for-nothings?”
“...”
I had no response.
“In situations like this, just say, 'Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful.
”Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful.“
I bowed deeply to show my respect and continued.
”I have one more request.“
”What is it?“
”Please provide funding for our chemistry school from the imperial treasury.“
”What is the reason for this?"
I continued my explanation.
“There are two reasons. One is that it would give the university professors a valid reason to receive a royal decree.”
“That's right. As long as the imperial palace provides the funds, it belongs to the country. Unless they are traitors, they cannot refuse to allow the imperial palace to nurture the talent of this country.”
“The second is that it will prevent His Majesty the Emperor from worrying.”
“That explanation is insufficient.”
I quickly explained in more detail.
“I am making this proposal because I know that His Majesty the Emperor is concerned that the seedlings at the Hyeonghakdang are leaning toward the Eunhaesang Trading Company.”
“So you want the Imperial Palace to provide funds to act as a support?”
“Yes, and providing funds also means having the authority to investigate.”
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.
.
On my way back to the Yeonjun Trading Company where I was staying after leaving the imperial palace.
I was concerned that the emperor had mentioned the Martial Alliance.
It was possible that the emperor had become wary of the Martial Alliance because of what I had mentioned during the civil service examination.
With the emperor's information network, he would have been able to find out that the Martial Alliance was behind it.
Could it be... a plan to use someone else to do his dirty work?
Was he trying to use the academy I had established to check the Martial Alliance?
Whatever the case, as long as I can invite the university professors I want to my academy, it doesn't matter.
They say that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
The emperor said he would cover half of the academy's operating costs.
I suggested that I would cover half, but seeing that he offered to cover half, it seemed that the emperor liked my proposal.
As a result, the imperial court gained the authority to inspect the operations of the Hyeonghak Academy.
But it didn't matter.
It was the tradition of the Eunhae Trading Company to manage all finances transparently.
Moreover, if it became known that the academy was receiving support from the imperial court and was being inspected, people would come to believe that it was a clean academy free of corruption.
The important thing is how to repay a favor.
Although it was a little different from my original plan, I am even more satisfied.
After all, sending the talented students trained at the academy to the imperial palace was not for my personal gain, but to keep the Martial Alliance in check.
Of course, it will also be beneficial to our Trading Company.
As a result, through this visit to the Imperial Palace, I was able to kill two birds with one stone, or rather, more than two birds.
* *
The emperor was lost in thought as he strolled through his private garden.
He had an old friend.
His friend's name was Huang Bo-hui.
He was a member of the Huangbo family, which had served as martial arts academy for generations, and was also his playmate and companion.
Therefore, not only had they been together since childhood, but they were also together when he became emperor and went to the royal court to take up his position.
Furthermore, when he headed to Beijing with the help of Jin Woo-rim, the head of the Trading Company, Huangbo Hui was the only person with whom he could confide his true feelings.
However, when the emperor ascended the throne, he expressed his desire to work for the people on the front lines.
That was when it began.
That was when the legend of the mask began.
Many years passed, and he retired.
The emperor praised Huang Bo-hui's hard work and knew his heart, so he did not stop him from retiring.
Then one day, he sent a letter.
“I had planned to leave this place once I fulfilled my last wish, but I think I need to stay a little longer. I have found someone who has caught my interest, Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
At the time, he was puzzled by his fastidious friend's interest in someone, but he was busy with official business, so he didn't think much of it.
However, the emperor also met him.
This was because he had saved the life of Jin Woo-rim, the head of the trading company who was his benefactor.
“Thanks to a young merchant, I was able to save the life of this young man.”
“That is truly fortunate. Who is he?”
“Yes. He is a young merchant named Eun Seo-ho from the Eunhae Trading Company.”
The name mentioned by Jin Woo-rim, the head of the trading company.
Hearing the name twice piqued the emperor's curiosity.
Under the pretext of expressing his gratitude, he met with Eun Seo-ho and had a conversation with him, and the emperor, who was always looking for talented people, became interested in him.
However, he couldn't just take him in when he was only fifteen years old.
Apart from that, he had to repay him for keeping his friend company and saving the life of Jinwoo-rim, the captain of the trading company.
So he asked his friend to give him a pouch, which was a valuable item belonging to the Mujae-bo.
However, the real reason he asked for it was to repay a debt.
If it was Eun Seo-ho, he would make good use of that pouch.
That would increase his debt.
He also made him responsible for selling writing brushes and visiting the imperial palace regularly.
“So he won't run away.”
Time passed.
Recently, he received a letter from his friend.
The letter was a general report on the establishment of a school called Bukgyo Academy in Beijing by the Eunhae Trading Company.
As soon as he read the report, he realized the significance of the academy.
“As Your Majesty already knows, a difficult situation has recently arisen. Those stupid scholars...”
As expected, Eun Seo-ho would not miss this opportunity.
“I will put someone in the imperial palace...”
Honestly, from the emperor's perspective, it was not pleasant to have his vassals working for Eunhae Trading Company instead of him.
However, Eunhae Trading Company had Eun Seo-ho.
This meant that only the most talented individuals would be selected and sent to the imperial palace.
If they were willing to devote themselves to the country, he could turn a blind eye to a little misconduct.
“But that guy wouldn't have done it just for that purpose.”
The emperor immediately recalled the previous exam.
Thanks to that, he was able to weed out those who had almost passed by cheating.
The emperor punished those who tried to cheat, and learned that the Martial Alliance was behind it.
Of course, there was no clear evidence.
However, that was enough to make him wary of the Martial Alliance.
The emperor wondered how Eun Seo-ho had obtained that information.
“He said he noticed when his cousin was drinking with a suspicious person at the brothel...”
Then how did he know that person was suspicious?
The answer to that question is that the suspicious people were members of the Martial Alliance, and Eun Seo-ho had been wary of the Martial Alliance.
Then why was he wary of the Martial Alliance?
The answer was in Eun Seo-ho's reaction to the question, “Is it because of the Martial Alliance?”
It disappeared quickly, but it was a clear emotion that was revealed for a moment.
It was revenge.
“What kind of grudge could he have to hold such a bitter grudge?”
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't completely prevent the Martial Alliance from entering the imperial palace.
Eun Seo-ho must have known that.
That's why he established a school and sent his talented students to the imperial palace to keep an eye on them.
That was not a bad thing for the emperor.
He, too, resented the Martial Alliance for daring to send people into his palace by dishonest means to cause chaos.
With all the political affairs he had to deal with, did he really need to worry about that too?
He looked over the list in his hand.
Seeing that he had prepared everything in advance, he was confident that he would achieve his goal.
Once again, he envied Eun Seo-ho's talent and ability.
“Hahahaha!”
Coincidentally, the people on the list were those who had quickly resigned from their positions, expecting the emperor to crack down on his officials, and were now living in remote villages.
This was despite their outstanding knowledge and abilities.
Suddenly, he couldn't help but laugh as he imagined the expressions on the faces of the university professors when they received his edict.
He handed the list to his chamberlain.
“Give these men my edict. Tell them to use their abilities to nurture the next generation at the Hyeonghak Academy.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And if they refuse, threaten them with rumors that they are unworthy scholars.”
“I will do as you command.”
The emperor could not stop laughing.
Thanks to Eunseoho's advice to invest funds, he had a reason to issue the edicts to the university professors.
And by obtaining the right to inspect, he was able to silence the ministers who were making a fuss about investing in the academy.
The emperor had no intention of covering all of the funds from the imperial treasury.
He planned to cover half with the imperial budget and half with the imperial family's property.
“That guy must have made that proposal because he knows he can get more than I can...”
The Eunseo-ho he had seen was not someone who would ever do anything that would put him at a disadvantage.
That was why he had high expectations for the future.
“Grow up quickly. That way, I can take you under my wing, right?”
* *
The construction of the Hyeonghak Academy proceeded smoothly.
When the imperial funds were allocated, the carpenters and other workers worked even harder, afraid that they would lose their jobs.
I encouraged them by providing them with plenty of food.
Then
the university professors who had received the emperor's edict arrived in Beijing. Their expressions were like cows being led to the slaughterhouse.
Seeing this, Pal-gap expressed his concern.
“Young master, no matter how excellent a teacher is, they need motivation to teach students well, don't they?”
I smiled wryly and replied.
“Don't worry. Even if they are dragged here and forced to teach, the students will learn something. Besides, the university professors are the best scholars in the land.”
“What?”
“One of the three pleasures of a gentleman is to obtain the best scholars in the land and teach them, and that is the joy and dream of university professors.”
With that, I looked at the documents in my hand.
It was the admission guidelines for the Hyeonghak Academy, which I was double-checking.
“I think we can post this as is.”
.
.
.
Half a month later.
“Your Highness! We have a serious problem. Over a thousand people are gathering at the academy.”
The chief administrator of the academy rushed over to me and shouted.
“What? A thousand people? Our capacity is only a hundred.”
“We need to take action.”
I quickly ran to the academy's front gate and saw a long line of people waiting in front of it.
“What on earth is going on?”
Pal-gap was terrified at the sight.
I was just as confused.
“I didn't know so many people would come.”
The chief administrator looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“To be honest, not only do you have five respected university professors as teachers, but the facilities are excellent, all the students are provided with accommodation and everything they need, and if they study hard, all their tuition fees are waived. Isn't this to be expected?”
“....”
Come to think of it, that's true.
I guess I took my job too seriously.
“Anyway, we need to take action quickly.”
The chief administrator of the academy, my teachers, and I put our heads together and discussed the situation.
We decided to hold a qualifying exam.
It was clear that it would be impossible to accept more than 100 students.
After five days of exams and grading, 100 students were accepted.
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.
.
Before we knew it, it was April, and a warm breeze was blowing.
The Hyeonghak Academy, filled with apricot blossoms, began its operations.
The sound of students reading filled every classroom.
Then I saw a familiar face and smiled.
The older brother of the child who had fallen into the river and been saved by Bo-uk was now studying in the classroom.
He was also the first talented student to receive support from the Eunhae Trading Company.
The wind blew, scattering apricot blossoms.
It was a favorable wind.