Chapter 338
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 338
Chapter 338. Things Gone Astray (1)
I returned to my quarters and collapsed onto my bed.
Seeing me like that, Pal-gap asked, “Young master, why are you like this after meeting with the Minister of War?”
“Ugh, it was so hard.”
Knowing that the Minister of War was listening in on our conversation, I couldn't speak freely.
I knew that Po-jeongsa was eavesdropping on our conversation, so I couldn't speak freely.
I was exhausted from trying to think of how to answer his questions.
“What was so hard?”
But I couldn't tell Pal-gap.
It wasn't that I didn't trust him, but the fewer people who knew my secret, the safer it would be.
So I just mumbled something vague.
“Nothing. It's nothing.”
The situation I was in was like a man and a woman who were about to get engaged talking while the woman's father was watching them.
Hmm, that sounds weird.
Anyway, it was something like that.
I smiled to myself as I thought about Po-jeong-sa, and even though I wasn't in the position of a man being watched by his future father-in-law, I could understand how he felt.
Sigh.
Two days passed like that.
Fortunately, no one called for me after that, and I was able to enjoy some rare free time.
Pagap busily came and went, telling me everything he had found out.
He said that Pojeongsa had five sons and one daughter.
He had five sons in a row, and then finally had a daughter, who was Miss Jaryeong.
How beautiful she must be!
“Then what about Miss Jaryeong's brothers?”
“They are all married and live in the main family home here in Gyeongju.”
“I see.”
I hoped that Baekbaekhwa would come quickly.
If I were to be misunderstood by Miss Jaryeong's five brothers, I couldn't imagine how much effort it would take to clear up the misunderstanding.
Anyway, after spending two days holed up in my quarters reading books, the back of my neck felt stiff.
When I turned my neck from side to side and rubbed the back of my neck, Pal-gap saw me and said, “How about going for a walk, young master?
If you keep sitting still and reading books, your posture will suffer.”
“Hmm... You have a point.”
I nodded and got up from my seat.
“I'm going out for a bit.”
“Yes, sir.”
I left my quarters and walked around the outer garden with my two bodyguards.
Although not as beautiful as the inner garden I had seen earlier, the outer garden was also well-maintained.
Since it was visible from the outside, they must have taken care to make it look nice.
As I enjoyed the scenery and the breeze, I found myself farther away than I had intended.
“We've come too far. Let's go back.”
“Yes, sir.”
At that moment, someone called my name from behind me.
“Captain Eun Seo-ho.”
It was Po Jeong-sa. I immediately turned around and greeted him.
“Greetings, Your Excellency.”
“I see you were taking a walk.”
“Yes. I was reading a book, but I felt a little stiff, so I decided to take a walk.”
“I know that feeling well.”
His Excellency was also taking a walk. However, he did not look very happy.
Noticing the worry on his face, I said cautiously.
“You seem troubled.”
“Ah... It shows, does it?”
He touched his face and sighed.
“Um... Would you mind spending some time with me?”
“...?”
I followed Po Jeong-sa to his office.
I wondered what he meant by asking me to stay with him for a while, but it turned out that he wanted me to listen to him pour his heart out while drinking tea.
But is that okay?
Is it okay for an outsider like me to hear such a story?
“Actually, I personally investigated the source of the poison you mentioned.”
Of course you did. Poisoning means there is a culprit.
I was nervous about what he was going to say, but if it was something like this, then it made sense that he would tell me.
But if he was saying this, then...
He sighed.
“The family that gave you the tea is engaged to Ja-ryung.”
“...What?”
I blinked in surprise at his unexpected words.
Come to think of it, Miss Ja-ryung said that everyone was happy because she had been promised to a good family.
But the family she was engaged to gave her poisoned tea?
“That family... is the family of the Pojeongsa in Hunan Province.”
“...”
I knew that from the information Pal-gap had asked me. She was engaged to the third son of the Po Jeongsa of Hunan Province.
He continued with a complicated expression.
“Ever since Jaryeong fell ill, they have been sending gifts of tea and inquiring about her health.”
This was a troublesome problem.
Not only Guizhou Province, but Hunan Province was also located far from the capital, so the local officials had a lot of authority and military power.
Therefore, if they were not careful, it could cause unexpected chaos.
“We are in a delicate situation right now.”
That was certainly true.
In my previous life, Miss Ja-ryung died suddenly due to the Insight Trading Company's mischief, but there was no conflict between the two provinces.
Could that be the Martial Alliance's plan?
But something was strange.
If the Martial Alliance wanted to cause chaos, they wouldn't have used such an expensive and difficult-to-use poison that couldn't be detected.
They would have used a poison that was clearly poison.
I really don't know.
The Martial Alliance is truly an enigma.
But I do know that they are dark at heart.
And that they will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
I listened quietly to Po-Jeong-Sa's lament.
“...Anyway, I think the Po-Jeong-Sa family in Hunan Province is responsible, but I don't know how to prove their crime.”
Then, an idea suddenly came to mind.
“Excuse me, but when you say the family of the magistrate of Hunan Province is the culprit, who exactly do you mean?”
“Huh?”
“Do you mean the young master who is betrothed to your daughter? Or is it his father? Or his mother? Or is it someone else entirely?”
The magistrate blinked at my question.
Had he not thought of that?
“Um... Come to think of it, yes.”
“And right now, it would be better to focus on your daughter's treatment rather than finding the culprit. Shouldn't you save your daughter first?”
“Of course. But I'm anxious that they might destroy the evidence in the meantime.”
“Don't worry about that. That's highly unlikely.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because you didn't interrogate them. And as you know, there is almost no evidence that the poison was administered. The culprit must be feeling quite secure.”
“That makes sense.”
At that moment, an aide announced that a guest had arrived.
It's time to go.
Po Jeong-sa smiled and said goodbye.
“Thank you for accommodating my whims today.”
“Don't mention it. Thanks to your consideration, I am enjoying my stay here. Please call me anytime.”
I left the Po-jeongsa's office and headed for my quarters.
However, it seemed that the Po-jeongsa was not thinking clearly. He was blindly assuming that the culprit was from the family of the Po-jeongsa of Hunan Province.
Then again, what father would be in his right mind after hearing that his daughter had been poisoned?
However, when I think back on what I saw while accompanying the Po-jeongsa, there is something I don't quite understand.
He is a highly educated man who passed the imperial examination with flying colors, but he does not seem to be very skilled at practical work.
Nevertheless, in my memories of my previous life, Gijou Castle was very peaceful.
Does he have excellent administrators as his subordinates?
However, Gijou Castle is very large.
When you are in charge of the administration of such a place, unexpected things are bound to happen.
Then, no matter how well you solve the problems, there is no way to avoid confusion.
Nevertheless, it was as if he had anticipated such things, and the problems were solved immediately.
Of course, this was not the case with everything. Take the monopoly on medicinal herbs by the Namho Trading Company in my previous life.
It's really strange.
Considering how long it took to intervene in that matter, I don't think there are any administrators who are so talented that I would admire them.
My head hurts.
“Why is that?”
“No, just thinking about this and that is giving me a headache. I need to eat something sweet when this happens.”
Gijou is located inland and has no salt deposits, so the food tends to be bland.
There are many dishes seasoned with sour and spicy flavors.
Of course, as the residence of the provincial governor, there is no shortage of salt.
However, due to the nature of the region, the food is indeed bland.
In addition, the land is high and unsuitable for farming, so it is mainly covered by forests.
That is why it is famous for its medicinal herbs.
“Hehehe.”
Pal-gap's eyes lit up at my words.
“Young master, who am I?”
“Huh?”
“I am Pal-gap. I knew you would say that, so I asked them to prepare it in advance.”
“...?”
A moment later.
I returned to my quarters, and Pal-gap, who had left for a moment, soon entered and placed a plate on the table.
“What is this?”
It was rice cake with melted sugar poured over it and hardened.
“How did you get this?”
Sugar is mainly produced in Guangdong Province, which is not far from here in Guizhou.
So it is relatively easy to obtain, but it is not easy to store due to the humid climate here.
That is why there are many sour-tasting foods.
“I became friends with the maid.”
“How?”
“I am quite popular with women. It's not just your face that captures a woman's heart, is it?”
“That's true.”
“I used my charm on the young master.”
I chuckled.
Yes, Pal-gap is quite talented.
Just then,
I heard the voice of Lee Pil, the warrior guarding the door.
“Your Liege, the Minister of Justice, has sent a servant.”
Since it was a servant sent by the Minister, I went out myself.
“This is food sent by His Excellency.”
The attendant handed me what he was holding.
I took it and opened it to find sweets mixed with rice syrup.
“His Excellency heard that you wanted something sweet, so he ordered this specially made for you.”
“Thank you. Please tell His Excellency that I will enjoy it.”
With that, the attendant left, and I looked at the eight-sided box and said.
“Rumors really spread fast.”
“Yes, you're right.”
I took the box inside. I'll eat it later with my bodyguards.
But the eight-sided box tilted its head.
“That's strange. I clearly said I wanted to eat it.”
“Really?”
Come to think of it, when I said I wanted something sweet, there were a few people passing by...
Could they have told him?
I really have to be careful what I say.
The next morning.
After waking up, I asked Pal-gap to guard me, then did some breathing exercises on my bed.
I didn't want others to see me practicing martial arts.
When I finished and opened the door, Seo Woo and Myung Jong greeted me.
“Did you cough?”
“Yes. Good morning. Thank you for your hard work last night.”
“We were just doing our job.”
“By the way...”
Myeongjong Musha continued awkwardly.
“Last night, someone left these in front of your quarters.”
He picked up a basket that was nearby.
The basket was filled with honey jars and candies.
There was also a bundle of letters.
I untied one of them and opened it.
[When I saw Young Master's face, I couldn't help but feel excited...]
The other letters were similar.
I quietly turned my head and looked at Pal-gap.
He looked at me as if he had been hurt.
“Are you okay?”
“As expected, this world is a dirty place that only remembers good looks.”
He's upset. He's upset.
That day, I had to work hard to cheer Pal-gap up.
“Kui!”
But Geum-ryung, why are you so excited?
.
.
.
That afternoon.
Finally, the long-awaited guest arrived at the residence of the Pojeongsa in Gijou City.
“Welcome. It's been a long time.”
“No! Young Master Eunseoho!”
Baekbalhwa looked surprised to see me.
He didn't expect to see me here.
“I'm staying here for a while due to circumstances.”
“I see.”
“And to be honest, it was my request to ask for your medical assistance.”
I said with a serious expression.
“It is because I encountered the same poison here that I encountered at the Jegal Clan.”
Baekbalhwa immediately headed to Miss Jae-ryung's quarters and checked her pulse with a stern expression.
Then, he asked for a quiet place and was led to the reception room.
He gulped down his tea repeatedly as if his throat was dry.
“How is she? My daughter's symptoms... Is she really poisoned?”
He nodded heavily in response to Po Jeong-sa's question.
“Yes, that's correct.”
“Oh no!”
“And the poison is indeed the fourfold poison called Mugak-su, just as Mister Eunseo-ho said.”
He continued.
“I heard that she started feeling ill when she was sixteen.”
“That's right.”
“I also heard that she fainted recently.”
“That's also correct.”
Baek Hwa-ga frowned for a moment, then tilted his head and asked.
“But how did you stop the poison from progressing?”