Chapter 233
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 233
Chapter 233. Jin-ho's In-laws (3)
The emperor was showing me favor, but I had already received two rewards, so I couldn't ask for too much.
I didn't want to make things difficult for myself.
So, I decided to ask for something very small.
“I have a cousin who lives in Beijing.”
“Yes, the younger sister of Hong Su-chan from the Hanlin Academy, right?”
I was shocked.
I wasn't surprised that he knew, but that he remembered and said it right away.
How many people work in the imperial palace, and he remembers that!
“Yes, sir.”
The emperor nodded as if to encourage me to continue.
“Please grant my cousin the honor of having tea with Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Hmm, now that you mention it, your sister is getting married to Won Sikan around summer, isn't she?”
No, Your Majesty. What don't you know?
“That family is a bit snobbish.”
The emperor's expression was full of scorn.
From the emperor's perspective, it must have seemed ridiculous.
“But you are marrying the daughter of a merchant... Ha ha ha.”
The emperor burst out laughing.
“I know what you're thinking. But isn't it a waste to use this opportunity for your Noona?”
“No, it's not a waste.”
I replied immediately.
“If my cousin is despised by her in-laws and my aunt is heartbroken because of it, I will also be heartbroken.”
“Tsk, you are such a clever boy with a heart of gold.”
“....
”Still, I don't dislike you.“
The emperor continued.
”Very well. I will ask the empress.“
”I am deeply honored.“
I bowed deeply to express my gratitude.
”By the way, are you going to the North Sea again?"
“Yes. I have some business to attend to.”
“You really are like the wind. Even among merchants, there is no one who travels as much as you.”
“It just happened that way.”
To be honest, I don't really want to leave the house.
After all, it's dangerous outside.
“All right. Have a safe trip.”
When I left the emperor's presence, Master Jin was waiting for me.
Until now, he had been wary and curious, but now he looked friendly and grateful.
It seemed that the previous incident had had a big impact on him.
“Did you see His Majesty?”
“Yes, Master. I think we can go back now.”
“Let's go.”
Master Jinyeong took me outside the imperial palace, but for some reason, he seemed to be walking quickly.
It was as if he was rushing to prevent someone from taking me away.
Suddenly, I remembered what the eunuchs had said earlier, that they were very interested in me.
So that's why.
But I wondered if it meant anything.
After all, if they wanted to meet me, they could meet me anytime they wanted.
Of course, it was up to me whether I would help them or not.
* *
It was a night filled with pitch-black darkness.
In a private house in Beijing,
several men were gathered, all of whom had one thing in common: they had no beards.
They were my fellow eunuchs.
“So, what are their movements?”
“What else can those who have left the capital do? They just read books and play Go all day.”
“They were once high-ranking officials. They must know that we are watching them. So, don't let your guard down.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And don't neglect to keep an eye on the feudal lords.”
Recently, there had been quite a big incident in the imperial palace. The Minister of the Imperial Household and the Minister of Education had been dismissed from their posts.
In the imperial palace, there was an institution called the Gunghyanggak, which was composed of high-ranking officials of the third rank or higher.
Its original purpose was to provide wise answers to those who sought wisdom on various issues.
However, at some point, its role began to change little by little, and now it has become a means of pressuring the emperor.
Until recently, the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Education were the heads of the Gunghyanggak.
They expressed negative opinions about preventing the recent great flood.
However, thanks to the measures taken by the emperor, the flood did not occur, and their position rapidly declined.
In addition, the emperor took another measure to purchase and store grain.
The Minister of Revenue strongly opposed this as well.
He argued that there was no way a sudden famine could occur after a year of bumper crops.
However, news of a poor barley harvest was already spreading.
Furthermore, he ordered those who had accepted bribes to voluntarily bring in the corresponding amount of grain, but they refused.
With all these factors piling up, the emperor, who now had sufficient grounds, dismissed them from their posts.
Given the situation, even those who supported them could not bring themselves to speak up.
Furthermore, he used this as an excuse to abolish the Gunghyanggak, so the emperor must have felt as if a thorn had been removed from his side.
“But this is not necessarily a good thing for us.”
“After all, the emperor's attention, which had been leaning toward us, is now focused on the Royal Guards again.”
“It's fine for now, but we need to come up with a plan. If we're not careful, the Royal Guards could push us out and we could lose our status.”
“A plan... ”
The head of the Dongchang continued.
“I noticed that these people have something in common.”
“What is it?”
"They are all connected to a man named Eun Seo-ho. It's too much of a coincidence. I think Eun Seo-ho is behind all this.“
”Then what should we do?“
Someone offered an opinion.
”How about kidnapping him and threatening him to make him join our side?“
”He is favored by His Majesty the Emperor. If we do that, we'll lose our heads."
“....
”First, try to win his favor. And above all, be faithful to your duties. If we fail to fulfill our duties, we will end up like Gonghyangak.“
”Yes, sir.“
The head of the Dongchang sighed.
Suddenly, he remembered what the eunuch had said to him today.
”Are you talking about Mister Eun Seo-ho?"
“Yes. How can we lure him to our side? You've seen Mister Eunseoho many times at His Majesty's side, so I'm asking you because I think you might have some insight.”
“Hmm. What method have you thought of?”
“Kidnap him...”
“Tsk!”
“...!”
“Do you want to die?”
“What?”
“Why do you think those ruthless Royal Guards are fighting to please him?”
Taegam said with a serious expression.
“You must win his favor no matter what. That is the best and only way.”
“Is that really necessary? What he said...”
“He is someone the emperor favors. Much more than you think! Much more!”
“...
”What do you think will happen if His Majesty finds out about your reckless behavior? Have you ever thought that you might end up in prison?“
”...
The head of the eunuchs, Taegam.
His wisdom, experience, and social skills, which had allowed him to rise to such a position, could not be ignored.
Therefore, he decided to accept his advice.
* *
The next day, we left for the North Sea.
We decided that it would be best to leave Beijing quickly because we were attracting the attention of many people.
We traveled on horseback and quickly reached the land of Liaoning.
“It's getting colder.”
I nodded at Jin-ho's words.
“That means we're getting closer to the North Sea. But compared to the cold of the North Sea, this isn't cold at all.”
Bing Hae-rin, the Palace Head, agreed with me.
“Master Eun is right. It's a place where snow piles up all year round.”
“Isn't it difficult to live in a place like that?”
Bing Haerin shook her head at my sister-in-law's question.
“I don't know how others feel, but I don't think so. Maybe it's because I was born and raised there.”
She continued.
“And I think everyone is already accustomed to the environment, so no one seems to have any complaints.”
“I'm glad to hear that.”
Hyung-nim was relieved, and Princess Binghaerin said.
“The Northern Sea Ice Palace is still a place where people live. So, there's no need to worry.”
“Yes.”
Before leaving, Hyung-nim revealed the identity of Princess Binghaerin. After that, Jin-ho and his wife acted very cautiously around Princess Binghaerin.
But then again, she was the next leader of the place where his mother-in-law and mother belonged, so perhaps it was only natural.
At that moment, we saw an inn ahead of us.
“Let's stay there tonight and leave again tomorrow morning.”
We headed toward the inn.
Then
“Huh?”
“What?”
I saw a very familiar face there.
“Who are you? Aren't you Captain Eun Seo-ho?”
“Captain Bok-yoon!”
We greeted each other with smiles.
“What brings you here? You were here last year.”
It was August, so it hadn't even been a year.
“I have some business to attend to in the North Sea. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself.”
I quickly introduced Hyung-nim and my sister-in-law.
“I am Bok-yoon, the captain of the Kwang-joon Trading Company and a close friend of Eunseoho, the captain of the Eunseoho Trading Company.”
“Seoho told me about you. It's nice to meet you.”
After exchanging a few words, I introduced Captain Byeong-hae-rin.
“And this is Miss…”
“Huh!”
However, Captain Bok-yoon's reaction was different from what I had expected.
“It is an honor to meet you, Young Mistress!”
Huh? How does he know her?
“Do you know Young Mistress Binghaerin?”
“Of course. There is no one in the upper class in Yonyang who does not know Young Mistress.”
Bing Haerin, the junior palace head, explained further.
“Due to the geographical conditions of our Northern Sea Ice Palace, we rely on merchants for many things. They help us a lot.”
Ah...
Now I understood the situation.
Although the Northern Sea Ice Palace was a closed place, it had many disciples.
In that case, they must need a lot of supplies.
The merchants of Yōngning must purchase them on their behalf.
“That is why we come all the way to Yōngning to trade goods.”
Then I had a question.
“What does the Northern Sea Ice Palace give in return?”
“We give them money, of course.”
“So...”
“You mean how do you make money?”
I nodded at Bing Haerin's question.
“We sell special products that are only available at the Northern Sea Ice Palace, and we also earn income through commissions.”
“I see.”
At that moment, Captain Bok-Yoon spoke.
“It's getting late. Let's go inside and have some tea.”