Chapter 396
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 396
Chapter 396. There was a reason (3)
Necklaces and other accessories are basically handmade.
In addition, since the materials are natural coral, horns, or raw stones, it is almost impossible to find two identical accessories.
That means that the necklace worn by the woman in foreign attire is likely to be the one that Hyung-nim bought.
I asked the eunuch who was guiding me.
“Who was that person who just passed by?”
“She is the princess of the country of Amare.”
That is the princess whom Captain Jiseokmun of the Baekbuik Trading Company brought here.
“She is a distinguished guest from afar.”
“She will probably return soon when the wind changes. Although she is a foreigner, she cannot become a concubine because she is a princess... There is no prince who would agree to marry her...”
“I understand that there are two unmarried princes.”
“That is correct. However, they have both refused.”
I know the reason.
She was extremely ugly.
But I also know what happened after that.
Her wisdom became so renowned that it spread throughout the empire.
And that she grew more and more beautiful.
According to information I later obtained from the Eunhae Trading Company, it was her own decision to come to the empire.
She said she would choose her own husband?
The king, who doted on her, granted her request.
However, she did not marry, even after returning to her home country from the empire.
By the way, this...
I need to have a serious talk with Hyung-nim.
“May I ask you a favor?”
“What is it?”
“Would you please deliver a letter to Hong Seon-il, a member of the Hanlin Academy?”
“I will.”
“Thank you very much.”
.
.
.
That evening.
I headed to the tavern I had reserved.
“Welcome.”
The waiter saw me and quickly came to greet me.
“I have a reservation. I am Eun Seo-ho from Eunhae Trading Company.”
“Ah! We've been waiting for you. Please come this way.”
The waiter showed me to my seat.
The place I had reserved was a private room with a small artificial waterfall nearby.
Not only was the view beautiful, but it was also the best place for soundproofing.
Of course, it wasn't difficult to block the sound with my inner arts, but there was no need to do so.
As I sat in the private room watching the waterfall, Hyung-nim arrived.
“Young Master Sun-il is here.”
I already knew. I could feel Hyung-nim Sun-il's energy.
I quickly opened the door and greeted Hyung-nim Sun-il.
“Please come in, Hyung-nim.”
“What's going on? Why did you suddenly invite me over for dinner?”
The letter I sent through the court official earlier said that I wanted to treat him to dinner tonight and asked him to come here.
“It's nothing special. I just wanted to treat you to a meal since it's been a while.”
“You're not asking me for a favor, are you?”
“Wouldn't it be stupid to hammer a stake into the ground when you know it won't go in?”
“Well, you're not that stupid.”
“Please sit down.”
Hyung-nim Seon-il sat down, and I sat down as well.
In the meantime, Pal-gap must have asked the waiter for food, because it began to arrive.
And in the middle was guapo-yuk (pot-roasted pork).
This dish was one of the reasons I chose this tavern.
It is thinly sliced meat coated in starch and fried, and the special soy sauce poured over it is the highlight.
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Thank you. I will.”
We enjoyed the delicious food.
There was nothing better than eating it with the spicy soup.
When we finished our meal, the waiter brought us tea with a subtle aroma.
“So, what did you want to talk to me about that you invited me to dinner?”
Hyung-nim Sun-il continued.
“And you must have spent a lot of money to reserve a private room like this.”
Hyung-nim Sun-il was quick to notice, as he was a government official.
In the past, he wouldn't have known until I told him.
I admitted it without hesitation.
"That's right, Hyung-nim. I have something important to tell you, so I arranged this meeting.“
I got straight to the point.
”Today was the day when the Trading Company was going to the Imperial Palace to conduct trade with a foreign country, and I visited the Imperial Palace on behalf of the Eunhae Trading Company.“
”Yes, I heard about that.“
”And the other day, when I was buying a birthday present for my aunt, I saw Hyung-nim choosing a necklace."
“...
”Today, I happened to run into the princess of the Kingdom of Mare, and she was wearing the necklace that Hyung-nim bought.“
”Cough!“
Hyung-nim coughed when he heard what I said.
”Cough! Cough! Guh!“
”Oh no! Are you okay?"
“I'm fine.”
Hyung-nim took out a handkerchief and wiped the spilled tea while looking at me.
“Hyung-nim.”
“Yes, that's right…”
“You've always been like a rock when it comes to women, but the fact that you gave her such a piece of jewelry means that you have feelings for her.”
Hyung-nim's eyes were trembling, and he seemed very nervous.
“So, Hyung-nim. How do you feel? Do you have feelings for her?”
My question made Hyung-nim's face turn red in an instant. He bowed his head and scratched the back of his neck...
He looked around nervously, then sighed deeply again...
This is frustrating.
Without realizing it, I sent my energy to Hyung-nim Sun-il and asked him.
“So, do you love her? Or not?”
“...!”
My energy made Hyung-nim Sun-il freeze, and he answered reflexively.
“I love her.”
Hmm, I sent my energy without realizing it.
I naturally gathered my energy and said to Hyung-nim Sun-il.
“I knew it.”
Perhaps because I had said the most difficult words, Hyung-nim Sun-il let out a deep sigh and began to speak.
“Yes, I know. I know I'm crazy. I'm supposed to be engaged to one of the princes of the royal family, but I dared to fall in love with him.”
“...
”But I can't control my feelings. What can I do?“
Hyung-nim's voice was full of self-pity.
I shook my head and said,
”I don't blame you.“
”What?“
”If feelings of love could be controlled, would so many people have died of broken hearts?"
I continued.
“I'm just worried about you. Your current feelings could leave a scar on your heart.”
“....”
“So you have to make a decision.”
“Yes. Huh... I guess I have to give up.”
“That's not what I mean. Before you do that, have you ever seen the princess?”
This was important.
It was possible that Hyung-nim Seon-il hadn't seen the princess of the Marai Kingdom and was just assuming she was beautiful.
Hyung-nim Seon-il nodded in response to my question.
What? You've seen her?
“When I first met her, she wasn't wearing a veil. And she was the first person I had ever met who possessed both knowledge and wisdom. Perhaps because of that, I fell in love with her that day.”
He fell in love with her not because of her appearance, but because of her knowledge and wisdom.
I thought to myself, “That's just like Hyung-nim.”
"I am well aware of the public's opinion of her appearance. But when people get older, their appearance doesn't matter much. And if you look at ancient history, there are many cases where beautiful appearances led to the downfall of countries.“
”That's true.“
”In any case, in my opinion, he is a beautiful person.“
”Then I can rest assured. We can proceed with the plan.“
”Proceed with the plan?"
“Hyung-nim, you have no intention of marrying her?”
My question made Hyung-nim jump.
“Didn't I tell you? She is...”
“No. She will never marry any prince of the empire.”
“How do you know that?”
How would I know? I saw it all in my previous life.
The emperor gave his princes the right to choose.
If it's the emperor I know, he would have recognized the value of the princess of Marase.
He must be drooling right now.
Then why did he give his princes the right to choose? If it's the emperor I know, he would have forced them to marry her.
Then... this must be a test.
And all the princes will fail this test.
Considering that in my previous life, those two princes did not become kings and only received honorary titles...
Anyway, it seems that the emperor had high expectations for his princes, so he must be quite disappointed that his expectations were not met.
Anyway, I couldn't tell Hyung-nim Seon-il about my previous life, so I just made something up.
“How many days has it been since the princess arrived? At this point, the marriage talks should be well underway.”
“That's true.”
“And if the talks are underway, wouldn't the princess have received the necklace you gave her?”
“...You're right.”
Hyung-nim nodded at my words.
“And it is time for the princess to return to her country. Are you really going to let her go? Are you sure you won't regret it?”
"....
I said emphatically to Hyung-nim.
“If you feel that you cannot live without sending the princess of Maraseok back to her country, and if you are prepared to take the princess of Maraseok as your wife, please tell me.”
I looked into Hyung-nim Seon-il's eyes and continued.
“I will do my best to help you.”
After exchanging these words, we left.
On my way back to the Beijing branch, I smiled. It was because I realized for the first time that my wooden-faced Hyung-nim had a woman he loved.
Did he have a connection with the princess of the Kingdom of Mare in his previous life?
I don't know, but it was very likely.
One of the reasons I decided to help Hyung-nim was for the sake of my family.
My aunt and uncle are very worried because Hyung-nim still hasn't married and keeps turning down all the marriage proposals that come his way.
And if Hyung-nim loses the princess, he will never marry because of his personality.
Hyung-nim is a bit like Jin-ho.
Of course, my family's peace isn't the only reason I'm doing this.
If you are the son-in-law of the princess of the Kingdom of Mare, how much support would you receive from the king of the Kingdom of Mare?
With plans to expand trade to the Kingdom of Mare in the future, there is no reason to give up such an advantage.
Furthermore, she is renowned for her wisdom.
She will be able to give you appropriate advice for the future.
She may even be able to help us take revenge on the Martial Alliance.
This is an opportunity we cannot miss.
The biggest problem is the princess of the Kingdom of Mare's intentions.
But I think so.
Would she wear a necklace given to her by someone she doesn't like and walk around the imperial palace?
Someone as wise as her?
Therefore, the biggest problem can be considered solved.
* * *
Hong Sun-il sighed on his way home.
“I was found out after all.”
He had intended to keep his feelings for the princess of the Kingdom of Maree a secret.
Still, he was glad that it was Eun Seo-ho who found out.
“He's a smart guy, so he won't do anything rash.”
He slowly walked toward his house, thinking about his first encounter with the princess of the Kingdom of Mare.
At that time, he was struggling with a rather difficult problem.
The emperor had ordered the Hanlin Academy to keep records of this year's famine.
The problem was whether to focus the records on the relief efforts of the royal family and the court or on the self-help measures taken by the common people.
Those who argued for the former claimed that the emperor's order was intended to publicize the royal family's actions and raise their status.
However, Hong Seon-il and others who argued for the latter believed that this was not the emperor's intention.
Moreover, the emperor was a man who pursued perfection.
If he was not satisfied with the results, he would have to start all over again.
It would be like being trapped in a water wheel, going round and round.
That is why it was so difficult to decide on the right course of action from the beginning.
While he was racking his brains over this problem, he found himself walking in the garden behind the imperial palace.
It was already late at night, so Hong Sun-il was the only one walking there.
But that wasn't the case.
A woman was walking alone.
At first, he thought she was a court lady.
This garden was open to court ladies.
He quickly left to avoid any misunderstanding.
The next day, a court lady came looking for him.
She was a court lady from the Hwanhagak, where foreign envoys stayed.
“The person I serve found this in the garden and asked me to give it to you.”
He tilted his head and took it.
“...!”
He was shocked.
It was a piece of paper with the emperor's orders written on it.
If other officials had found it, he would have been in serious trouble for neglecting the emperor's property.
“Thank you.”
Someone must have found it in the garden yesterday and returned it to him.
Then a question suddenly occurred to him.
“This paper doesn't have my name on it, let alone my title or affiliation. How did a foreigner know it belonged to me?”