Chapter 323
The Youngest Son of the Silver Trading Company Chapter 323
Chapter 323. Settle the Accounts Neatly (1)
Three days passed after we got Un-cheol from Gongdong.
During that time, we rested well at the inn.
Actually, at first, I couldn't sleep well thinking about the work that was piling up, but then I suddenly realized something.
I thought, “Worrying won't solve anything, so why bother?”
So I cleared my mind and took this opportunity to really, really, really rest.
Rest is the best!
After three days of doing nothing but lazing around, I slowly prepared to leave Gongshan.
It wasn't that I was tired of playing.
I could have played more, but it was almost time for Master Bang and the Royal Guards to arrive in Beijing.
So there was no need for me to stay here any longer.
I got up from my bed.
“Pal-gap.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Yes. Bring me some tea.”
Pal-gap tilted his head in surprise at my words.
“You said you didn't like tea because it made you sleepy, but what's the matter today?”
“I need to wake up now.”
“Oh, is it time to go down from Gongshan?”
“Yes. I have to go home now.”
Pal-gap soon brought the tea, and I drank it while organizing my thoughts for the rest of the day.
After drinking the tea, my head felt a little clearer, so I finished organizing my thoughts, got up from my seat, and went out into the courtyard.
Clang! Clang!
I heard the sound of cold weapons clashing.
At that moment, except for the two guards protecting me, everyone else was training in the courtyard.
They had always been diligent in their training, but for some reason, they seemed to be training even harder lately.
It must be my imagination that they seem to be training harder since I was injured by the mountain keeper's claws.
Soon, it was time for dinner, and I told my bodyguards as we ate.
“I think it's about time we returned to Beijing.”
“It has been a long stay.”
“When are you leaving?”
“We plan to depart tomorrow morning.”
We all finished preparing for our departure and went to bed.
As soon as it was dawn, we went downstairs, had a light meal, and brought our luggage back down.
“Thanks to your kindness, we had a good rest.”
“We wish you a safe journey.”
With that, we left the inn and headed north again.
We wanted to return to the mountain keep.
If the mysterious group had been following us, they would have definitely reached the mountain keep.
However, what we saw there was completely unexpected.
“Huh? Why are there signs of a battle here...?”
Seo Woo and Jin Yu, who were investigating the area, said.
“Two groups clashed. But both groups are black-clad warriors.”
“Judging from the martial arts marks left behind by those who attacked us, it seems that they clashed with another group of black-clad warriors.”
“It seems that the battle ended in a draw.”
Hmm... What is going on?
The mysterious black-clad warriors who were chasing me clashed with another group here?
“But there are no signs of the other group of Black Taoists.”
“Then there is only one answer.”
“Yes?”
“The upper echelons of this mountain keep. There are no other Black Taoists who would appear here.”
“Indeed! That's right!”
“If it was a stalemate…”
I smiled. What a stroke of luck.
“We don't need to worry about those guys anymore. Let's go back to Beijing.”
“Yes!”
* *
Beijing.
Bang Hyo-myeong, Jin Yeong, and the others met with the emperor as soon as they arrived in Beijing.
“Minister Bang, thank you for coming all this way.”
“Not at all. I just took a comfortable boat ride.”
“As expected, your mind is still sharp. But how could you abandon me and return home?”
“...I only made a few minor comments during this matter.”
The emperor smiled, as if he understood what Bang Hyo-myeong was saying. Then he turned his head and looked at the four Royal Guards, including Jin-yeong.
“I have already received your report. I heard that you were captured by those wicked men and suffered greatly. I was very worried when you went missing.”
“We are incompetent and have caused His Majesty great worry. Please punish us.”
“No, no.”
The emperor waved his hand.
“I am truly grateful to the gods for bringing you back safely. You have been through a lot.”
“It is because His Majesty did not abandon us that we were able to return safely. We are deeply grateful for His Majesty's kindness.”
Jin-yeong continued.
“We will never forget this kindness, even if we die.”
The emperor smiled kindly at their words, but then tilted his head.
“But there should be someone else here. Why isn't he here?”
Bang Hyo-myeong answered the question.
“Mister Eun Seo-ho stayed behind in Gansu to distract the people who were chasing him.”
“That guy?”
“Yes, it was my fault for not being good enough, and now a young man had to make such a sacrifice.”
The emperor smiled wryly.
“Thanks to him, we returned safely. Sending him was the right decision after all.”
“...”
The emperor looked at the Royal Guards.
“You have worked hard. I will give you a month's leave so you can rest and recuperate.”
“We are deeply grateful.”
“And those who were arrested this time will be handed over to the Royal Guards. The Royal Guards may withdraw now.”
With that, the four Royal Guards withdrew, and the emperor ordered the eunuch.
“Send a royal physician to them.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Oh, and I hear that the Royal Guards suffered greatly because of that Cheong-gwan... What do you think?”
The eunuch immediately prostrated himself at the emperor's simple question.
“Please kill me for failing to properly govern my subordinates!”
“No. How could I blame you for something like that? I cannot examine every individual's personal desires.”
“...
”However, if there are any rotten parts, it is the duty of your superiors to cut them out.“
”I will take responsibility and cut them out.“
”I will be watching you.“
”Your grace is as vast as the sea.“
Jeong Taegam bowed his head deeply and gritted his teeth.
”You son of a bitch!"
Thus began the real hardship for Cheong-gwan, who had sold information for his own greed, betrayed the Royal Guards, and even tried to sell Eun Seo-ho and his companions.
The hardship he endured after being captured by the mountain keepers was so severe that it could not be called hardship.
If Eun Seo-ho had heard about it, he would have said, “You got what you deserved.”
The emperor smiled faintly and asked Bang Hyo-myeong, “How was it?”
“So, how was it leaving me and returning to your hometown?”
“It was very good. It was like honey to my taste buds.”
The emperor chuckled at his answer.
“To be honest, I didn't want to bring you back to the imperial palace.”
“Your Majesty, if you are going to say that, you should not be smiling.”
Hearing Bang Hyo-myeong's words, the emperor changed his expression and said.
“Like this?”
“Yes. With a slightly regretful expression.”
He continued.
“Did you order me to find the missing Royal Guards so that you could pave the way for my return to the imperial palace?”
The emperor nodded in response to his question.
“Yes, that's right. There will surely be a lot of talk about bringing you back. So I wanted you to accomplish something that no one could argue with.”
The emperor continued.
“Of course, find the Royal Guards too. I care about them quite a bit.”
“I see. But even if you had sent only Mister Eunseoho, he would have been able to find the Royal Guards.”
“Is that so? I didn't know you thought so highly of him.”
“On the contrary, I felt that he was being considerate of me. With such a talented man by your side, why do you need me?”
“Tsk, tsk. Where are you trying to slip away like a loach?”
“You caught me.”
He continued.
“But my appreciation for Mister Eun Seo-ho's abilities is sincere.”
“I know he's talented. That's why I sent him to you.”
“Are you telling me to befriend him?”
The emperor smiled and nodded.
“Don't let him run away.”
“I wasn't going to. I like him, so I was planning on being friends with him.”
“Anyway, he has his own work to do. And I want you to take care of things in the imperial palace.”
“So why did you call me here?”
“There are rats in this imperial palace. Rats that serve another master.”
“....”
“Catch them all and kill them.”
* *
I headed back to Lanzhou.
I planned to follow the same route I had taken, going along the river to Kaifeng and then up to Beijing.
However, because I stopped by the mountain keep, I couldn't go straight to Lanzhou and had to spend the night there.
My companions skillfully prepared for the night.
At first, Myeongjong Musha and Chang-un Musha were clumsy at preparing for the night.
But now they knew what to do.
Meanwhile, Yeo-eung-am Musha and Lee Pil Musha caught a roe deer in the mountains, cleaned it, and Pal-gap skewered it and began roasting it over the fire.
Seeing the roe deer meat, I suddenly remembered Master Bang Hyo-myeong.
He was a really good eater.
At that time, he offered us roe deer meat, but he ended up eating half of it himself.
He must have been called a meat eater because he ate so much meat.
When the meat seemed to be cooked, we picked up skewers and started eating.
Hmm... It doesn't taste as good as the meat Mr. Bang gave us.
As expected, meat should be grilled over charcoal.
I understood why Mr. Bang always carried charcoal and a grill with him.
Should I carry some charcoal with me too?
I'm not joking. I'm seriously considering it.
That was when it happened.
“...!”
I sighed, put down the deer meat skewer, and drew my sword from my waist.
“They say even dogs don't touch it when they're eating.”
Pal-gap replied to my words.
“Dogs don't touch it because they're afraid, right?”
“I'll ask them.”
And he didn't just bite into it.
My bodyguards followed my lead, drew their swords, and stood on guard.
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
The sound of footsteps approaching us confirmed our suspicions.
They were after us.
A moment later, they revealed themselves.
They were wearing masks, but their aura was familiar. Still, they were disgusting.
“We meet again!”
“Who are you?”
In response to my question, the one in the middle twisted his lips and said.
“Ha! We haven't forgotten you for a moment, but you've forgotten us?”
“It's unrequited love.”
“Enough. You lied before. You said you didn't have the emperor's letter!”
“...That means you are certain that I have the emperor's letter... What is your proof?”
“Because that's what they told me.”
“I guess your superior is quite high-ranking?”
“Enough of this useless chatter! Hand over the letter!”
“I don't have it. Why would I still have it? I already handed it over.”
He bit his lip at my playful remarks.
“What does the letter say?”
“How should I know?”
“You must have read it.”
“It is rude to read someone else's letter before delivering it. That is common sense, but seeing that you are so confidently assuming that I read the letter, it seems that you lack such common sense.”
“Kuh!”
They were speechless and kept their mouths shut.
“In any case, I don't know what the letter says.”
Of course, that was a lie.
Bang No-sa showed me the letter, so I know what it says, but there's no reason for me to tell you.
“Then tell us who you delivered the letter to.”
“Tell you? Are you going to go ask him what it said?”
I chuckled.
“But what can we do? The person who received the letter has already left here and gone to Beijing.”
“What?”
“He went to Beijing. He's probably already there and has met with His Majesty the Emperor.”
“...”
Their eyes began to fill with despair.
I smiled and drove the final nail into their coffin.
“So all your hard work has been for nothing.”
At my words, they cried out in anger.
“Aaaah!”
“Aaaah!”
“Uuuugh!”
I could feel their deep frustration in their cries. Soon, their eyes were filled with madness.
“Now that it's come to this, we won't let you return to Beijing alive!”
“When did I ever say that? But it seems like your group has gotten a lot smaller... Did something happen?”
“...”
My words only intensified their rage.
So much so that I couldn't judge the situation properly.
Pal-gap whispered behind me.
“You are truly amazing, young master.”
This time, I agreed with Pal-gap.
I think I have a talent for making people angry.