Chapter 296
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 296
Chapter 296. The Academy Specializing in Rehabilitation (1)
I watched the emperor enter the tavern in plain clothes with a look of panic on my face.
The emperor's eyes met mine as he entered and stood on the second floor.
I quickly tried to bow, but the emperor shook his head. He was telling me to pretend I didn't know him.
Looking around the emperor, I saw that he was accompanied by six highly skilled bodyguards.
With that many guards, there seemed to be no need to worry about his safety.
Since everyone in the emperor's party was in plain clothes, no one recognized them as the emperor's entourage.
Except for me.
Honestly, who would think that the emperor was here?
I sighed inwardly and turned to the poet Song Rok.
“Do you remember the contents of the contract you signed?”
“Of course.”
“Then do you remember the clause about maintaining decorum?”
He nodded in response to my question.
“I trust you will do as you are told.”
“I will be careful.”
“If you have had enough fresh air, please go and enjoy the banquet. Many people are waiting for Poet Song.”
“I see. Then I will return to my seat.”
After sending Poet Song away, the person who approached me was the head of the Jaegal Clan.
He is still in good health.
“Are you enjoying the banquet?”
The Clan Head laughed heartily at my question.
“Thanks to you, I had a very enjoyable time, and I am still enjoying myself. To be honest, I didn't know you would invite me to be a judge for the poetry contest.”
“With your reputation, there was no reason to refuse.”
“Hehe, it was worth inviting so many guests.”
Then he glanced at the people who had just entered and sat down next to him, and sent a telepathic message.
- Are you His Majesty the Emperor?
How did you know? I thought you hid yourself well.
- You seem curious about how I knew.
Yes, you are. I couldn't see your face because of your hood.
Think about it. How many people in Beijing and the Imperial Palace, which is right in front of us, would be able to bring such highly skilled warriors with them?
Ah! You're right.
I nodded.
But are those warriors really that skilled?
From what I can see, there are two warriors of the highest caliber among them. And there is one more warrior of the Dao hidden somewhere out of sight.
"....
Not only do you have two warriors of the highest caliber, but you also have a warrior of the Dao as your escort!
I realized once again how great the emperor is.
But if he can tell that there is a telepathic warrior... Doesn't that mean that the Grand Master himself is a telepath?
- Judging from the way they came here in plain clothes and took their seats, I think they are here for them.
The Grand Master of the Jaegal Clan sent telepathy to the eight poets who were drinking and passing around cups of wine.
I nodded slightly.
As I had expected, some of them would receive the emperor's favor.
“By the way, when are you planning to return to Hubei?”
“I plan to leave in three days.”
“I see. I am planning to leave tomorrow.”
“Aren't you staying longer?”
“It's nice and warm here.”
Compared to Hubei, where Fuxing Mountain is located, the weather in Beijing is very cold.
That's because it's in the north.
“That's right! That's why this country is rotten!”
Suddenly, a loud voice rang out.
I was startled and turned around. A poet seemed to have jumped up from his seat and shouted while banging on the table.
How dare he say that in front of the emperor?
Ah...
They don't know that the emperor is here...
Songrok, a poet sitting next to him, calmed him down with a soft voice.
“You've had too much to drink.”
“Honestly, isn't that true? The people are starving because they have no grain, but the landowners are living in luxury!”
Watching him continue to speak in an indignant tone, I sighed.
In the end, I had to step forward.
Since Mister In-gyeong had to leave, I was the only organizer left.
I approached him and said,
“I understand how you feel, but please lower your voice. You are being rude to those around us.”
“Is that the problem right now?”
He sneered at me.
“You're just a money-grubbing merchant, so you don't know what's important.”
This bastard...
Hearing this, Song Rok and the others around him were shocked and tried to stop him.
“What are you talking about?”
“Apologize!”
“I'm sorry, Captain. This man has had too much to drink...”
“What apology? Did I say something wrong?”
He looked at me and continued.
“And it's largely the fault of merchants like you that the people are starving! You're so obsessed with money that you accumulate wealth by any means necessary!”
He wasn't wrong.
There are certainly merchants who are only interested in money.
That's why they sell fake goods and charge exorbitant prices, causing harm to others.
However, there are many more merchants with a conscience.
That is why this empire is still intact. If merchants did not work hard to distribute goods, wouldn't people in each region only be able to use local products?
If there were no merchants, the people of Gangbuk would never know what candy was.
And the people of Jiangnan would not be able to use the high-quality ironware produced in Gangbuk.
And I find it annoying that you've been talking down to me since earlier.
But what's the point of giving advice to a drunk person?
I sighed.
“You seem to have had too much to drink.”
The judges standing next to me stood up and agreed with me.
“We'd better leave now.”
“Yes, that's a good idea.”
I bowed my head to them.
“I apologize for the commotion.”
“No, what could the Captain have done wrong?”
“How could you say that to someone called Seonhaengmi?”
“That's right. It's the fault of someone who doesn't know anything about the world and talks nonsense.”
At that, the man shouted, “You don't know anything about the world! Who are you to say that? You're just a hypocritical scholar who doesn't know anything about the world!”
“You don't know the ways of the world! Who are you to say that? Aren't you the one who has turned a blind eye to the world?”
“...!”
Wei Junzi.
It means a person who pretends to be a gentleman. And to scholars, those words are a tremendous insult.
I hate people like that.
Especially those who are drunk and acting like this.
They've completely lost their reason.
The emperor looked at me with interest. He must have been wondering how I would handle the situation.
Sigh.
I apologized to the scholar on his behalf.
“Don't worry about it. He's just drunk and talking nonsense.”
“Hmph! Hmph!”
“Leave it to me.”
With that, I looked at the man who was spouting nonsense and said,
“By the way, I was very impressed by Master. You are truly a man of spirit.”
“Hahaha! I am a little like that!”
“Come, have a drink.”
I sat him down and poured him some wine.
He seemed pleased by my praise and did not refuse the wine.
I continued pouring wine and listened attentively to his bitter ramblings.
The people around us watched us quietly, not understanding what was going on.
“Oops! I've had too much to drink. Are you all right?”
“Of course! I'm perfectly fine!”
“I'm glad. By the way, there is a way to show everyone here how generous and magnanimous you are. Would you be interested?”
“What is it?”
“You pay for the drinks today. Actually, it won't cost much. So today is your chance. If you make a generous declaration on a day like this, everyone will cheer you on.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, of course.
I gently persuaded him, and he finally gave in.
”All right! I'll pay for the drinks today!“
”Are you sure?“
”Yes, I am! Let's do it!“
”I'm sorry, but I find it difficult to believe you, Master. The truth is, I've been cheated several times before..."
“Tsk, tsk. How stupid must you be to be cheated?”
“That being said, would you write a pledge?”
“Of course!”
Pal-gap quickly handed him a piece of paper and a pen, and he wrote in elegant handwriting that he would pay for all the drinks today, then signed his name.
“Thank you very much.”
I shouted loudly.
“Everyone! Master Lim Man-gu here is paying for today's drinks!”
I continued.
“What a wonderful person he is!”
Then I sent a telepathic message to Pal-gap and the bodyguards.
- Cheers.
They cheered loudly, and others followed suit, looking around to see if it was okay.
Lim Man-gu looked very satisfied and raised his hand slightly.
He drank a glass of wine from each of those who praised him, and eventually fell asleep with his head on the table.
I smiled.
“Waiter!”
“Yes!”
The waiter quickly came over when I called him.
“Add everything we ate and drank at this tavern today to Master Lim Man-gu's bill.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And if he tries to refuse, tell him to look for the Beijing branch of Eunhae Trading Company, as he signed a written agreement.”
“I will remember.”
The poet Song Rok asked me with concern, “Are you sure this is okay?”
“Yes, it is.”
“But... this is...”
“But... this is...”
“Did I deceive you in any way?”
After thinking for a moment, he scratched his head.
“No, I don't think so.”
“Then what's the problem?”
The judge who had insulted him by calling him a “worthless merchant” looked at me and shook his head.
“This is what you call revenge.”
“Maybe it's because I'm a lowly merchant, but I'm very narrow-minded and have a nasty temper.”
“Thank you.”
“I was just getting my revenge.”
Then, Pal-gap, who was standing next to him, said,
“I've made up my mind.”
“What?”
“I will never turn against you, young master.”
Hearing this, those around him nodded in agreement.
Today's bar tab?
It's not much for me. But I wonder how much it is for that Im Man-gu guy?
As I said earlier, there is no answer for those who get drunk and cause trouble.
They lose their reason.
In such cases, there is a simple way to deal with them.
First, get them drunk and put them to sleep, then when they wake up, make them face a situation that will cure their hangover in an instant.
When someone is drunk, it's very easy to create such a situation. Especially someone like him, who is full of hero complex.
I knew it from the moment he said that this country was rotten and the people were starving.
How much rice does it take to make that much alcohol?
It's ridiculous to say such things while drinking.
Besides, judging by his clothes and shoes, he seems to be quite well off. Has he ever helped those in need?
I can say with certainty that he has not.
People who only talk like that would never spend their own money to help others.
By the way, how will Lim Man-gu feel tomorrow morning when he wakes up and receives a huge bill?
He should consider himself lucky.
Who else would have the honor of buying alcohol for the emperor?
With that in mind, I looked over at the emperor drinking alcohol. The emperor smiled at me.
Then he took a sip of wine...
Huh? That wine is very expensive!
.
.
.
We prepared to leave Beijing.
We had to leave for Hubei Province tomorrow morning.
That meant today was our last day to learn martial arts from Huang Gong before returning to Beijing.
“To be honest, I've never seen anyone progress as quickly as you.”
I clasped my hands together and replied to Master Jin.
“You flatter me.”
“No, I mean it.”
Master Jin smiled warmly and continued.
“When will you return?”
“I think I'll return when the weather gets warmer.”
“Then it will be April.”
“I think so.”
Master Jin-yeong took a letter from his pocket and handed it to me.
“You said you were going to stop by the academy, right?
”Yes, that's right.“
”He asked me to give this to Yeon-sik.“
The envelope was addressed to ”My Son."
Come to think of it, one of the Royal Guards' sons entered that academy last time.
“I understand.”
“By the way, have I ever done anything to you?”
“What do you mean?”
“These days, the name Im Mang-gu is the most talked about topic in the imperial palace.”
“Ah...”
“Even His Majesty the Emperor said so. He told me not to make enemies of you.”
I smiled and continued.
“It's his own fault.”
He said he was selling his property to pay off his bar tab. Collecting bar tabs is a tavern owner's specialty.
That's why he should have just drunk quietly.
Still, he's not completely stupid, so he must have realized what's really important now.
“Oh, by the way, what happened to the assassins?”
“They were all caught.”
“That's good. Now Beijing will be a little more peaceful.”
“I am indebted to you once again.”
“Don't say that. I don't think there's any need for such formalities between us.”
“I appreciate your words. Please return safely.”
The next day,
we left Beijing.
Our party included the poet Song Rok's family and the five warriors who were returning to their home province.
There was a brazier in the carriage, so it wasn't too cold.
After traveling for about ten days, we arrived at the outskirts of Henan.
We got a room at an inn there, and my brother Jung-ho and I left the inn with our bodyguards.
Then we arrived in front of a building.
At the entrance of the building was a sign that read, “Jeongin Academy.”
This was Jeongin Academy, an academy specializing in rehabilitation.
But...
“Huh? Who is this?”
What are you doing here?