Chapter 251
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 251
Chapter 251. Rebellion (3)
To catch Yang Eun-jik, they first had to find him.
How could they find him?
Come to think of it, he said that a real underground tunnel had been discovered and that he was hiding there.
If so, there might be something that Yang Eun-jik used there.
“Seo Woo, samurai.”
“Yes.”
“Please tell Master Jin-yeong that I would like to see the underground tunnel. I will cooperate fully.”
“Yes, sir.”
A moment later.
As I expected, Master Jin-yeong came back to the physician's house.
His face was slightly red, so it seemed that he liked my suggestion.
“I heard from your bodyguard.”
“On second thought, I think we need to catch that man to bring peace to Beijing.”
I continued.
“Even if our Eunhae Trading Company's branch is completed, how can we concentrate on our business with such a person around?”
“You are right.”
Master Jin-yeong nodded.
“Follow me. I will show you the underground passage.”
“Thank you.”
We followed Master Jin-yeong and soon arrived at a commercial building in the shopping district.
The royal guards were standing guard with fierce expressions.
“This is the place.”
When they saw Master Jin-yeong, the royal guards bowed respectfully. I realized once again that Master Jin-yeong was indeed a person of high rank.
“I found it by chance. Actually, I was focusing on the floor, thinking it was a tunnel, but then I noticed something strange about those bookshelves. There was no dust on one of the books.”
“How did you figure that out? You're amazing!”
When I praised him, he smiled shyly and moved his hands.
“If you pull the books like this...”
Clunk.
“This bookshelf rotates to reveal a passageway.”
Just as Master Jin-yeong said, one of the bookshelves rotated like a revolving door.
Behind it was clearly an underground passageway.
“Go in.”
“Yes.”
Master Jin-yeong ordered the royal guard next to him to bring a torch, and soon the guard returned with one.
Master Jin-yeong lit the torch and handed two of them to us.
He entered first, and we followed him into the passageway with our torches.
The gently sloping passageway was just wide and high enough for one person to pass through with a torch.
I wondered why we had brought torches, but there was no light inside.
What dedication to build such an underground passage in the middle of Beijing.
After walking for about half an hour, a large open space appeared in front of us.
Master Jin-yeong hung the torch on one wall.
The empty lot was immediately illuminated.
Ah, they placed mirrors to maximize efficiency.
They used their heads well.
This place was built with mud bricks on all sides, and it seemed to be made into a square shape for space efficiency.
“This is where they gathered, and it looks like they even had a place to sleep.”
Sure enough, there were traces of that everywhere.
The bowls, spoons, pots, and other items left behind were proof of that. That meant there was a high possibility that Yang Eun-jik's belongings were still here.
It is said that a master of the highest level can track down a person's belongings by tracing their energy...
I am not yet skilled enough to do that, so I have no choice but to find them through deduction.
Let's see...
Yang Eun-jik must have been hiding here when he was suddenly attacked by the Royal Guards and had to leave in a hurry.
Would he have had time to gather his belongings?
No.
That must be why his personal belongings are scattered around.
I could imagine how desperate the situation must have been for him to leave his wallet behind.
And...
The Yang Eun-jik I saw today wasn't wearing a headband.
“...!”
I smiled.
There was a headband lying next to the makeshift bed in what could be considered the seat of honor.
It was the headband he had worn at Sunmi's wedding.
I looked at Pal-gap and pointed at Master Jin-yeong.
Quick-witted Pal-gap naturally stood between me and Master Jin-yeong.
Meanwhile, I took the gold ring out of my sleeve.
“Remember this smell.”
“Kku...”
Tup.
I quickly covered his mouth with my hand and said,
“Be quiet.”
After letting Geum-ryung smell it, I got up from my seat as if nothing had happened.
Is there anything else I can find?
I looked around but soon shook my head.
The Royal Guards must have already searched the place thoroughly, so it was safe to leave.
That was when it happened.
“Liege, please take a look at this.”
At the words of the Jinmu warrior, we approached him, and he pointed to a smooth wall.
It was a place where bricks had been stacked.
“What is it?”
In response to my question, he looked at Master Jin-yu behind me. Then he continued.
“While examining this wall, I accidentally touched it. That's when I found this. If you press this brick with your hand...”
Jin-yu pressed one of the bricks with his hand.
Clank.
Then, one brick slid backward, and at the same time, the brick below it popped out.
However, what popped out was not a brick.
It was a brick-shaped drawer.
Inside were some papers, which I picked up and unfolded.
"...
I handed it to Master Jin-yeong, who read the document.
“...!”
His eyes widened.
“I think we've found the key.”
“That's right.”
It was a list of names of those who had decided to stage a rebellion.
The list was more impressive than expected.
It included the names and signatures of the former Minister of Justice and the Minister of Education, who had been dismissed from their posts not long ago.
There were also some unexpected names.
Chung Jin-wang.
He is the cousin of the current emperor.
He was the most influential candidate for the throne, but the former emperor appointed the current emperor as his successor, and Chung Jin-wang was stripped of his power.
In any case, this document was so important that it was hidden here.
The other documents were also quite important.
For example, future plans and detailed instructions.
“I think I should go see the commander right away.”
“Yes, please do.”
“Thank you very much for your help today.”
We left the tunnel, and I stopped by the physician's house to pick up Yeo-eung-am and returned to my quarters.
“Jinyu, sir.”
“Yes.”
“It wasn't a coincidence that you discovered that pressing that brick would cause another brick to pop out, was it?”
He nodded in response to my question.
“Yes, I didn't know the exact location, but I knew how it worked. It's one of the ways they hide important documents.”
“I see. I'm so glad you were there, Jin-yu.”
“...
But Jin-yu Musha didn't say anything in response. He just stared at me blankly.
”Did I do something wrong?“
”No. It's just that I've never heard that before..."
I've never heard that before...
I could tell how hard Jin-yu Musha's life had been.
I should say this to him more often.
“I look forward to working with you.”
“The pleasure is mine.”
By the way, I wonder how the Martial Alliance Leader would react if he found out that the assassin he raised was helping me.
“By the way, does this Yang Eun-jik know who you are?”
He nodded in response to my question.
“When I was active, I always wore a mask. Therefore, few people know my face. And that man is not among them.”
“I see.”
I thought it was fortunate and told Jin-yu Musha to bring everyone back.
Then I took out the silver coin and handed it to him.
“Kui?”
“Here, eat this and find the owner of the yugan I told you about earlier.”
Geum-ryeong's eyes lit up when he saw the silver coin I handed him.
He jumped up, grabbed the silver coin from my hand, and swallowed it whole. He sniffed the air, then quickly jumped out the window.
In the meantime, Jin-yu Musha brought the others inside.
About an hour later.
Geum-ryung returned, panting through the window. I quickly caught Geum-ryung with both hands.
An hour...
It wasn't that far, but it wasn't that close either.
He ran farther than I thought.
“Should we go?”
* *
Yang Eun-jik looked around the forest and sighed.
“They won't be able to follow us this far.”
He sat down on a tree stump and caught his breath.
“By the way, how did you find that place?”
A short while ago, he noticed that he was being followed.
It was the Royal Guards.
He had expected them to notice him eventually, but they were too quick.
According to his plan, they should have noticed him only after he had finished his business and cut his ties.
But by then, the situation would have already escalated, and they would be too busy dealing with it to notice him.
In any case, he quickly hid in a tunnel.
It was a well-hidden place that had been there for quite some time without being discovered.
He felt safe there, but...
Suddenly, the Royal Guards rushed in, and he fled in panic.
All he had left was his sword.
“Phew, I got away this time. What should I report to him...?”
Still, he was fortunate that no one knew about the documents he had hidden.
“They must not have found them. How could they know I hid them there?”
Therefore, he could not say that he had completely failed.
There was still a chance to salvage the situation.
He was a secret agent of the Martial Alliance.
His role this time was to connect the former Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Education with Prince Chungjin, the cousin of the current emperor.
Currently, Prince Chungjin had little support.
The former Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Education had a grudge against the emperor who had ousted them, but they had no justification.
His mission this time was to encourage them to join forces and start a rebellion.
His goal was not to make the rebellion succeed, but to cause it to happen.
He knew that.
He knew that the rebellion would not succeed.
To be honest, he wondered why he was causing a rebellion that would never succeed.
But his guess was that the Martial Alliance Leader did not want the power of the imperial palace to grow.
“If a civil war breaks out, the emperor will lose something. And this will be an opportunity to see the true power of the imperial palace.”
He didn't care if countless people died in the process.
No matter how many people died, if he could rise to power, why would he hesitate?
He was a master of his craft.
He had already hit a wall several years ago and had not made any further progress.
Then, the Alliance Leader made him an offer.
“If you do a few things for me, I will teach you a martial art.”
“What? A martial art?”
“It is a martial art that I created myself. With this martial art, you will be able to break through the wall and reach the pinnacle of your skills.”
The pinnacle.
If he could break through that wall, becoming Captain would not be a dream.
Taking a moment to rest and catch his breath, he got up and dusted off his clothes.
“They won't be investigating that place forever, so I can just bring it back after they leave...”
The documents there were important, but they weren't necessary right now.
“First, I must report and clean up the mess.”
That was when it happened.
He felt a chill behind him.
Instinctively, he drew his sword and swung it.
Clang!
The sword aimed at him was deflected. At the same time, he saw the face of the person who had been targeting him.
But it was not a bare face.
“A smiling face... A mask?”
Come to think of it, he had heard something about a smiling mask somewhere before.
“Yes! That's right! The disappearance of the Baekro Gang!”
At that time, the chairman of the Martial Alliance in Taegyeong, Henan, had invested a large sum of money in the escort agency business.
However, the money was stolen along the way.
Ma Jung's bodyguards, who were suspected of being the culprits, stated that the money had been stolen by people wearing smiling masks.
However, it was concluded that they had been drugged at the time and had seen things that weren't there.
Half of the Baekroo Corps was dispatched, but they went missing.
Yang Eun-jik had a hunch.
The statements of Ma Jeong's bodyguards were true. And the disappearance of half of the Baekroo Corps was also...
“This is their doing!”
But he couldn't think any further.
The four men wearing smiling masks were more skilled than he had expected.
He gritted his teeth.
“These guys... They seem to be top-notch. Damn it, if I had been at my peak...! Then I could have escaped even if I had sacrificed an arm...”
That's how big the difference was between being at one's peak and being top-notch.
Chung!
Chae-chung!
Pah!
Swords clashed fiercely.
He desperately dodged and counterattacked, but he couldn't help but suffer more wounds.
“I'm glad they're not at their peak. If they were, I wouldn't be here right now.”
Thinking so, he laughed to himself.
Honestly, warriors at their peak weren't that common, and there was no way they would attack him here.
Still, their combined attack was quite overwhelming.
It was a miracle that he was able to avoid fatal wounds and withstand their combined attack for even a moment.
That miracle led to another miracle.
Woo-oo-oo!
Yang Eun-jik's sword flashed brightly. It was a sword flux that symbolized the realm of a warrior at his peak.
He cheered.
“I've reached my peak! I've finally broken through the barrier! I'm finally at my peak...”
Puk!
But at the same time, he saw a sword blade piercing his stomach.