Chapter 341
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 341
Chapter 341. Things Gone Astray (4)
After calming down, Mister Hangsu asked me.
“So, if I give you the money, you'll leave now?”
“No, that's not it.”
I replied firmly.
“You asked me to do something, and now you want me to abandon it and leave? I am a merchant. A merchant's asset is his credit.”
I continued.
“Don't make me look like a man of no credit.”
“...I'm sorry.”
He was quick to apologize.
“And thank you, even though it's late.”
“What?”
“I mean for noticing Jaryeong's symptoms and taking action quickly.”
Well, it's a rather late thank you, but I'm a big man, so I'll let it slide.
“Thank you for understanding.”
Hangsu Mister must have realized that I wasn't interested in Miss Jaryeong, because he didn't ask any more unnecessary questions.
At first, I thought he wasn't interested in Miss Jaryeong because he seemed indifferent even though he knew about her poisoning.
But that was just his way of showing his feelings. He was actually her older brother who cared deeply for her.
He was just expressing his anger in his own way.
I'm glad he's someone who can think and act rationally.
.
.
.
After traveling for several days, we finally arrived in Chengdu, the capital of Hunan Province.
We headed straight for the main house of the Hunan Provincial Government.
When we revealed our identities to the gatekeeper, he quickly let us in.
“We've been waiting for you. Please follow me.”
A man who appeared to be a servant greeted us and showed us to our lodgings.
Hunan Province, as expected.
Unlike Guizhou Province, where it was muggy but difficult to see the sun, the sun was shining brightly in Hunan Province.
That's why the farming is so good.
Perhaps because of that, the garden was full of various flowers.
“What a beautiful garden. The flowers are especially beautiful.”
The attendant replied to my comment.
“The lord is very interested in flowers, so he pays special attention to them.”
“I see.”
Hangsu, who was walking with me, opened his mouth with a complicated expression.
“Come to think of it... Jaryong liked this garden. I don't understand why.”
“What?”
“To be honest, I still don't understand why anyone would like flowers. Flowers only show off their beauty for the sake of reproduction, and they don't really serve any practical purpose, do they?”
“...”
There was a moment of silence.
The attendant also looked perplexed.
I smiled gently and said, “It's not a bad thing to like pretty things. Don't you think Dong-gongja finds Ja-ryung pretty?”
“There's nothing wrong with liking pretty things, is there? You think Miss Jaryeong is pretty, don't you?”
“Isn't that obvious?”
“But Miss Jaryeong doesn't act pretty all the time just to look good in front of you. You like her anyway, so what's wrong with that?”
“...”
He was speechless for a moment, but then he nodded with a look of realization on his face.
“Now that you mention it, that's true.”
There was something familiar about Hangsu Gongzi's expression.
There are people like this around me too...
Ah!
I immediately thought of Yusoak, the Chief Administrator.
He also lacked social skills and consideration for those around him.
Now he is much better than he used to be.
But then, it is contradictory to say that a cold person is considerate and sociable.
I thought I knew why the governor of Gyeongju sent me.
He said he was counting on my insight, but I think he sent me to fill this gap.
He is the most level-headed son, but at the same time, he lacks social skills, so they need someone who can fill that gap and smooth things over.
Assistant Jiyoung came with me, but it would be difficult to expect him to play that role...
It will be tiring, but thinking about the reward, I felt energized.
Since they asked me to do this, the Pojeongsa will surely reward me generously.
And seeing that he apologized to me and expressed his gratitude, it seems that he is not as bad as Chief Administrator Yu.
Soon, we arrived at our lodgings.
As we were from the family of the third son of the Minister of Justice of Hunan Province, we were able to use an entire annex.
“His Excellency is currently working at the Ministry of Justice.”
Normally, officials would stay in their official residences, but the Pojeongsa of Hunan Province commuted to work because his family home was nearby.
“I will visit you again after you leave work this evening.”
“I understand.”
I looked up at the sky and realized that it was almost evening.
I wouldn't have to wait long.
Around 5:00 p.m., dinner was served.
Since this was the place where they had tried to poison Miss Jaryeong, Jiyoung was worried that they might try to poison us too, so he couldn't eat properly.
However, I ate well without any worries.
I had faith in Tae-eum Byeonghae Gong, and the possibility of poisoning was slim.
If the guests were poisoned, the responsibility would fall solely on the Po family of Hunan Province.
As I had noticed before on the ship, Lieutenant Jiyoung was a very cautious person.
Come to think of it, it was surprising that Mister Hangsu was eating without any hesitation.
He must have been thinking the same thing as me.
By the way, the food is spicy.
Still, I'm glad it's sweet and spicy. Sichuan food is not sweet and very pungent.
That must be because it's close to a sugar-producing region.
By the way, the fact that noodles are served as a meal means that we are honored guests.
In Hunan, rice is abundant, but wheat is rare, so when important guests come, they serve noodles made from wheat.
Moreover, wheat must be even more scarce these days due to the poor harvest.
As we finished our meal and were drinking tea, a servant came to find us.
“Your Excellency has left the palace. He asked me to come and get you in half an hour. I will come back when you are ready.”
“All right.”
We returned to our rooms, tidied ourselves up, and gathered together.
It was likely that the families of the Hunan Provincial Government officials would be gathered there.
Half an hour later, the attendant came to pick us up, and we followed him.
On the way, there were several rooms that looked like reception rooms, but the attendant stopped in front of the largest one.
“These are guests from the home of the Pojeongsa of Guizhou Province.”
“Let them in.”
The door opened, and our party entered.
Just as I thought... My guess was right.
There were many people who appeared to be the Pojeongsa of Hunan Province and his family.
The person sitting at the head of the large table was the Pojeongsa.
Although we had never met in this life, I had seen him several times in my previous life, so I recognized him immediately.
The people sitting to his left were his family.
We bowed politely and introduced ourselves.
The Po-Jeong-Sa nodded in greeting and invited us to sit down.
“Please, sit down.”
“Yes.”
We sat down on the right side of the table.
“First, let me introduce my family. Some of you may not have met them before.”
Just as I had hoped.
And so we were introduced to the family.
The middle-aged woman next to Po Jeong-sa from Hunan Province is his wife. Next to her is his second wife.
Next to them were his eldest son, eldest daughter, second son, third son, and second daughter, in that order.
He had six children.
Po Jeong-sa from Guizhou Province had six children with one wife...
He is truly remarkable in many ways.
“I see. Since you came here in person, it must be quite an important matter.”
“Yes.”
Hangsu Mister opened his mouth.
“As you said, this is not something that can be conveyed through a letter, so I came to see you in person.”
He continued.
“My younger sister, Jaryeong, is recovering from her illness.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Hunan Po-jeongsa was delighted.
“I was worried because her illness was so serious, but she is getting better! Does that mean she will recover completely?”
“Yes. We found an excellent physician, and thanks to him, she will soon be completely recovered. My father sent me to tell you and your family the good news.”
“I see. I can rest easy now.”
The Hunan Po-jeongsa nodded with a smile.
“Then we must prepare for the wedding.”
“Thank you for waiting so long.”
“Don't say that. A marriage is a bond between two families, so it is not something that can be taken lightly.”
“I am grateful for your understanding.”
Master Hangsu continued.
“However, Ja-ryeong has not yet fully recovered, so I would like to ask you to wait a few more months.”
“Of course. We have waited three years, so what are a few more months?”
I looked at Master Hangsu with renewed respect.
He is more eloquent than I expected.
With that thought in mind, I looked at the expressions of the family members sitting in front of me.
When I told them that Miss Ja-ryung's condition was improving, their expressions were filled with relief and joy.
But something was strange.
Why was the fourth son happier than the third son, who was the one getting married?
And the second question was that I could sense the energy of the Black Dao from the fourth son, who was so happy.
As I reached my peak, the energy of the Black Dao felt much less disgusting.
And from that energy, I sensed something special that I had not known before.
It was mixed with the smell of blood.
Come to think of it, those who were associated with the Martial Alliance in the past also had the aura of the Black Dao.
My guess is that the Martial Alliance is using the Black Dao to do something.
If so, that means my fourth son is associated with the Martial Alliance...
But I couldn't understand it.
I used poison to kill Miss Jaryeong, so why is he so happy to hear that her condition is improving?
At that moment, my second son asked me.
“I heard the name Eunseoho earlier, and I thought it sounded familiar. Could it be Master Xian and Master Dae?”
Cough!
I didn't think anyone would know that name!
His eyes were already convinced that I was telling the truth.
So I nodded obediently.
“Master? That's too much. It's just an empty title.”
“Oh! So you are the one!”
The Hunan Province's Chief of Police looked at me with sparkling eyes.
“I have heard of the fame of Sun Xingmi, the hero of the Dragon and Phoenix Duel. You are that man! How surprising!”
He continued.
“But why are you traveling with Mister Dong?”
I replied without hesitation.
“I received a favor from the Po Jing-sa of Guizhou Province, so I couldn't refuse his request to accompany him.”
“I see.”
I turned my head slightly.
This was because the admiring gaze of my second son, who was looking at me, was almost painful.
The Po Jing-sa of Hunan Province must have noticed this, because he smiled and explained.
“Actually, my second son has an enemy in the martial arts world. He is a disciple of the Mount Heng Sect.”
“I see.”
To be honest, when governing Hunan Province, there are times when martial artists cause trouble.
It's not that Hunan Province is weak militarily, but when problems arise in the martial arts world, it is easier and faster to seek help from the martial arts sects.
It seemed that he sent his second son to become a disciple of the Mount Heng Sect in order to receive help in such cases.
Fortunately, his second son did not feel forced to learn martial arts, but seemed to enjoy it.
On the other hand, in Guizhou Province, martial artists rarely cause trouble.
Why?
Martial artists only cause trouble when there is something to gain.
Honestly, wouldn't you be prepared to die or get hurt if there was something in it for you?
To be honest, they have an abundance of medicinal herbs, but that's all. It's difficult to make a large profit from that.
The Green Forest Bandits also make a living by robbing Trading Companies that come and go for medicinal herbs, so they collect rare herbs from the rough mountains and sell them to Trading Companies to buy clothes and weapons.
That is why there are no famous martial artists or sects in Gui Zhou City.
My second son said to me with a clasped hands greeting.
“If you don't mind, would you please broaden my horizons?”
“What?”
What is he talking about?
He continued.
“As a martial artist, I want to broaden my horizons by fighting many people with swords, but the level of the warriors I have met so far is mediocre, and I am afraid that I will become a frog in a well.”
“...”
“Please let me know the vastness of the world.”
So... he wants to spar with me?
I smiled awkwardly and said,
“I'm not skilled enough to broaden anyone's horizons.”
There might be people from the Martial Alliance here. It's not a good idea to show off my skills in a place like this.
Even if I just got hurt, it would be quite a hassle.
To be honest, it's also a pain.
Then, the Hunan Province Po Jing said,
“Why don't you join us?”
“What?”
“Actually, my second son wants to fight strong opponents every day, so he's been hanging around Dongting Lake...”
Oh, I see.
Dongting Lake is a famous spot even in the Central Plains, so many martial artists from outside the region visit there.
It would be a headache if I got into a fight with a real master there for no reason.
“I'm counting on you.”
“...”
Even the martial arts master asked me seriously, so I couldn't refuse.
We got up from our seats and went out into the courtyard.
Then, the servant returned the sword he had been holding to me.
“Then, I'll be counting on you.”
“I'll do my best.”
And so, the sparring began.
Following the old customs of the martial arts world, I decided to give him three seconds.
To be honest, that's not how it works in real life. In real life, the first strike is the best.
The second son of the Po Jing-sa of Hunan Province rushed toward me.
Cheng!
Chai-cheng!
Huh?
When he swung his sword down, he pressed harder after the initial contact than when the sword first touched me.
Yes, that was definitely a habit I knew well.
Not only did I know it, but it was familiar... a habit I missed.