Chapter 34
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 34
Chapter 34. Announcement of the New Captain (5)
Normally, his father would have handled the situation flawlessly.
However, on the day his eldest son became the new captain, he momentarily let his guard down, and his son was nearly assassinated.
He must calm the people down and restore the atmosphere...
Then I saw the person in charge of the drum.
I rushed over to him and said,
“Hurry up and go up to the podium and beat the drum.”
“What?”
“Hurry!”
At my words, he quickly climbed onto the podium and beat the drum.
Dong, dong, dong!
The sudden sound of the drum drew everyone's attention to the stage.
I said to my father,
“It's time for you to step forward.”
“Ah! I see!”
At my words, my father finally came to his senses and went up to the stage with Jung-ho.
“As you all know, there was an unfortunate incident a moment ago. My eldest son, the captain of the Purple Mist Pills, was almost assassinated.”
“....”
“By the grace of heaven, my eldest son is safe. We do not yet know who was behind this, but the Eunhae Trading Company will not let this go unpunished.”
“....”
“However, those who are not involved in this matter have nothing to worry about. Eunhaesang Trading Company will continue to treat you as we have always done.”
My brother stood beside him and added, “I will do the same.”
“The mood is ruined. Let us continue with the banquet. More wine and food will be served, so please enjoy yourselves.”
My father shouted to the musicians.
“Play the music!”
“Yes!”
With that reply, music filled the banquet hall again, and the dancers began to dance.
People drank wine while talking about what had just happened.
The atmosphere became harmonious again.
No one had died.
Thank goodness.
In my previous life, the atmosphere was not so lively, and the banquet ended early.
In many ways, the announcement of the new captain was an unpleasant memory for Jung-ho.
My father came down from the podium and approached me, taking my hand.
“Thank you. You helped me regain my composure.”
“Even if it weren't for me, you would have regained your composure quickly.”
“No. What just happened was truly shocking to me. That's why I couldn't regain my composure easily.”
My father's hands were still trembling as he said this.
.
.
.
It was evening.
The banquet continued throughout the night.
The Central Plains were vast, and it was rare for people to arrive exactly on time.
For this reason, banquets usually lasted at least a few days, rather than just a day or two.
The first day of official events was usually the most grand, with the scale gradually decreasing over the following days.
This could have been why the assassin targeted the first day.
The first day was the busiest and most crowded, so it would be easy to hide among the crowd.
I'm tired.
I yawned and headed for my quarters.
Then I saw Jung Ho coming out of the council chamber and greeted him cheerfully.
“Hey, Jung Ho.”
“Ah, Seo Ho.”
I looked toward the council chamber and said, "Are you going to see the councilors?
“Are you coming from seeing the warrior, Jeon Woo-jin? Are you okay?”
“Fortunately, the physicians were quick to respond.”
“That's good.”
“Yes, it is. If Jeon Woo-jin had died, I would have been in great pain.”
My brother let out a deep sigh and his expression hardened.
“The assassin who was after me was a nameless swordsman. According to the maid in the reception room, he was a guest who was waiting for me in the study.”
“Really?”
“But Woo-jin said he had a bad feeling about him, and I had an appointment with you, so I didn't go.”
Hearing my brother's words, I understood why he didn't act the same as he did in his previous life.
But he didn't go to the reception hall just because of his promise to me?
I wondered why my brother, who valued propriety so much, made such a decision.
“If something had happened at the reception hall, it would have been a disaster.”
“So it was a blessing in disguise.”
“But...”
My brother looked at me and asked.
“Did you know that the assassins were targeting me?”
I flinched inside, but I didn't show it on the outside and smiled and mumbled.
“Hahaha, what are you talking about? How would I know that?”
“You said so yourself. You said you felt uneasy. And then there was the bracelet you gave me, and the proposal you mentioned about the physicians' assignments. When I put it all together, something didn't seem right.”
As expected...
He seemed soft-spoken, but in fact, no one was as sharp as Jung-ho.
And when he had questions, he would pursue them relentlessly until he got answers.
So, if I couldn't give him a proper explanation now, it would definitely be exhausting.
But I couldn't explain that I had died and come back to life at the age of fifteen.
“And you said you asked your father to strengthen security?”
“Actually, that's...”
I smiled and continued.
“My master said so. He said he had a bad feeling about something.”
“I know that. The Chief Administrator told me that he heard it from you. That's why we increased security. But that doesn't explain everything.”
“...And since I got sick before, I've had a strange feeling that something is right. And the poem I gave you was really a coincidence.”
“Really?”
“Actually, I got it from the place run by the Elder.”
My brother didn't ask any further questions because he knew that the old man who caught the criminal earlier ran a general store and was a big shot known as Gui-myeon-po.
“He must have helped you.”
“I guess so.”
My brother looked convinced.
I was relieved.
When I returned to my quarters, I sat in front of the table and fell deep in thought.
Unlike in my previous life, this time, my comrades-in-arms did not die, and we were able to capture the perpetrator.
That means we can find out who was behind the attack on Jung-ho.
By the way, sending assassins?
They act just like the Black Path.
They can't be the Baekcheon Trading Company, can they?
Since I was killed by the Baekcheon Trading Company and the Martial Alliance in my previous life, it wasn't unreasonable to suspect them.
Come to think of it, my master said that the killing intent he sensed was similar to that of the Black Dao.
At that moment, I heard Pal-gap's voice.
“Young master! Young master! I'm coming in!”
Before I could give permission, the door opened and Pal-gap entered.
In fact, servants and bodyguards were allowed to enter their liege's room without permission.
In an emergency, waiting for their liege's permission could cause them to miss the opportunity to act.
This isn't important...
Looking at Pal-gap's expression, it seemed that something important had happened.
“What is it?”
“I found out!”
“You found out…?”
There was only one thing that could make Pal-gap say he had found out with that expression.
“You found out who's after Hyung-nim Jeong-ho?”
“Yes! That's right!”
Pal-gap nodded.
“That old man was such a skilled interrogator that the man with no name revealed not only his hiding place but also the location of the list of clients. So, we got the list of clients from the Eunpungdae and found it there.”
Pal-gap took a moment to catch his breath before continuing.
“The name is Oh Dae-deok, the boss of the Black Wine Gang.”
I remembered what my master had said.
Was the culprit really Black Dao?
.
.
.
As soon as it was revealed that the boss of the Black Wine Gang, Oh Dae-deuk, had ordered the assassination of Jung Ho, the Eunhae Trading Company moved quickly.
The old man at the general store, Gui Myeon-po, also mobilized all of his connections, and eventually they succeeded in uncovering the Black Wine Gang's other crimes.
What was revealed there was so terrible that words could not describe it.
Not only did they forge money while wearing the masks of the Sangbang, they also trafficked people.
All of them deserved to be executed.
Soon, the royal inspector moved in.
Given the severity of the crimes, it was to be expected that the royal inspector would take action, but it was quicker than expected.
It must have been the result of the old man mobilizing his connections.
“Now that the government troops have moved, the Black Kitchen is like a rat trapped in a cage.”
I nodded at Pal-gap's words.
In fact, the Black Kitchen had been picking on our Eunhae Trading Company for everything and anything.
Then, they accidentally provoked a powerful sect and were wiped out.
I felt a sense of satisfaction when I remembered the losses we had suffered due to their interference.
Also, considering those who had suffered because of them, it would be better to kill them now.
But wait a minute...
Something Pal-gap said caught my attention.
“What did you just say, Pal-gap?”
“What? I said that now that the government troops have moved, the Black Kitchen is like a rat caught in a trap.”
“Yes... Rats! Pal-gap, what comes to mind when you hear ‘rats’?”
“Rats... holes?”
“...!”
I jumped up from my seat.
“Rat holes!”
At that time, the Black Kitchen was destroyed, but the Boss survived and took refuge in a mountain keep.
They had spread an inescapable net formation, so how did Boss survive there?
There must have been a mouse hole.
I hurriedly unfolded a map of Sungyang County and found the location of the Black Kitchen.
“Where is it...?”
My eyes quickly scanned the map, and soon I pointed to a spot.
I found the place with the mouse hole.
“Here it is.”
The problem was time.
The best thing to do was to send the government troops there immediately, but there wasn't enough time.
In other words, I had to go.
The problem was Pal-gap.
He would definitely make a fuss if I told him I was going to catch Boss...
It was time to use the mirror I had bought at the general store.
.
.
.
I told Pal-gap that I would be back soon and sent him outside.
Then I took out the mirror.
The mirror was called “Homaegyeong.”
It had the ability to project one's image onto any desired location.
It was an artifact that later fell into the hands of a notorious serial killer, who used it to falsely prove his innocence.
There was plenty of evidence pointing to him as the culprit, but he was repeatedly released due to witnesses claiming to have seen him in a different location at the time of the murders.
However, as this happened repeatedly, someone noticed something strange.
None of the people who claimed to have seen him had spoken to him.
One head constable found this strange and dug deep into the case, eventually arresting the culprit.
But now that it's in my hands, there's no way it will be used for such an ugly deed.
I rubbed the mirror exactly 33 times and placed it on my bed.
Then, my reflection appeared on the bed.
Hmm, I was handsome.
Perhaps it was because I had been training hard lately and my body had become more muscular, but I looked even better.
Ah, this is not the time for that.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts, covered my reflection with a blanket, and left through the window.
Now, I just had to climb over the wall of the Trading Company.
That was when it happened.
“Young master.”
“Huh!”
I almost fell backward without realizing it.
“Where are you going?”
The person who appeared in front of me was Pal-gap.
Where did he come from?
I definitely didn't sense him approaching.
“Ah, that's...”
Pal-gap tended to be overprotective of me, but he was also someone who would give his life for me.
I felt guilty for keeping a secret from someone like Pal-gap.
Pal-gap was smart and quick-witted.
I couldn't keep it a secret forever.
So, it might be better to tell him now.
“I'm going to capture the Black Boss.”
“What? The Black Boss? He will be dealt with by the government troops and the Chief Administrator who has been dispatched. So, young master...”
“The secret passage.”
I continued.
“There is a secret passage. And I am the only one who knows about it.”
“Then you must tell him...”
“By the time you tell them, I'll already be out of Sungyang County. That's why I have to go myself.”
“Then I'll request an escort.”
“Then we'll be too late!”
I said firmly.
“Even if you stop me, I'm going. He tried to kill my brother. If you were me, could you live under the same sky as someone like that?”
“...
”And you've been training hard in martial arts. Even Master acknowledged that."
Pal-gap sighed.
“No one could stop you when you were determined like this. I understand. But you have to come with me.”
“With you?”
“Yes. That way, we can find out who hurt you and avenge you.”
“....”
Pal-gap would take fifty years to avenge him.
That's why Pal-gap's words didn't sound like empty words.
What can I do?
Pal-gap is a man who never compromises when it comes to my safety.
“All right. Then hurry up and follow me. Don't dawdle or I'll leave you behind.”