Chapter 44
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 44
Chapter 44. The Fog Cleared (1)
At my suggestion, Heo Cheong also joined us for tea.
Hwajo Cheong-eum.
Baejungmyeongwol.
When we had finished drinking, Heo Cheong tilted his head.
When he drank the green tea, his expression immediately turned serious.
Finally, when he saw the jujube on our table, his face became pensive.
There was no way that Taesangga could have failed to notice.
“Why are you acting like that? Is something wrong? Why do you look so pale?”
“I apologize, Clan Head. It is only my guess, but if my guess is correct, it is something so devastating that I cannot bear to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Actually, I am currently painting, but I am also doing something else.”
“I know that. You are treating the illnesses of the villagers as a physician, right?”
“That's right, but in fact, I mainly treat people who have been poisoned.”
“Poisoned?”
“Painting is my family business, so I also painted. While doing so, I wondered why painters easily damage their health and die young. While investigating the cause, I discovered that the pigments used in painting are poisonous.”
Heo Cheong continued.
“When I realized that my family members were poisoned by the pigments and dying prematurely, I began to study how to cure them.”
“I see. But what does that have to do with your complexion?”
“When you study detoxification, you naturally learn about poisons.”
“That makes sense. To detoxify, you need to know about poisons.”
“That's right. Poisons and medicines seem to be opposites, but in the end, they are the same thing.”
I looked at his white hair.
He had gone white from studying poisons.
Because of his white hair, people later called him the White-Haired Doctor.
In his previous life, the White-Haired Doctor was an unrivaled doctor of detoxification.
It was the painter in front of me, the future White-Haired Doctor, who discovered that the empress had been poisoned.
And at this point, I am the only one who knows about the quadruple poison, officially speaking.
“What you are saying is that there is poison in my quarters.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then let me ask you this. Where is the poison?”
Heo Cheong bowed and replied to the Grand Minister's question.
“I am ashamed to report that it was in the tea.”
“Tea?”
“Yes. To be precise, it was in the three types of tea and jujube I just drank. And these are one of the quadruple poisons that must be consumed in all four types to be effective.”
“...”
At those words, Taesangga closed his eyes tightly.
“...I see. My guests ate that poison yesterday and today... Are they all right?”
I was moved by Taesangga's words.
Even though he had eaten the poison himself, he was more concerned about the safety of his guests than his own.
Heo Cheong replied to the question.
“It's okay. The poison I mentioned must be consumed consistently for at least a year. After a year, the victim's body gradually weakens and eventually leads to death, but there are no particular signs.”
“I see.”
The Grand Minister nodded.
“Fortunately, it hasn't been long since you ingested the poison.”
“How do you know that?”
“I can tell by your complexion. If your complexion had been poor, I would have noticed it as soon as I saw you.”
“But…”
The Grand Minister asked him the most important question.
“How did you know about this poison? Even though you study poisons to find antidotes, this is a poison that even I don't know.”
“There was someone who died from eating the same poison as you.”
In his previous life, Baek Hwagwa left behind these words.
“I learned about this poison eighteen years ago. At that time, there was a man in the same village who was seriously ill. All the physicians in the Central Plains were called, but there was no improvement.”
“Then I was called. It seemed that they had nothing to lose by trying. I realized that he had been poisoned and investigated what had poisoned him.”
“I found out the reason, but it was too late for him.”
For some reason, Baekbaekhwa remained silent about the identity of the dead man, but some people deduced who he was.
He was the left minister of the Dojosa, the imperial investigation agency.
There must have been a reason, but in any case, this poison had already been used at this point, and Baekbaekhwa knew about its existence.
Heo Chang continued.
“I can't tell you who he was, but it was definitely poison. And the reason you've never heard of this poison is probably because of its characteristics.”
“Characteristics of the poison?”
“Yes. The ingredients for this poison are rare, and it is not easy to make. Furthermore, it is difficult to administer and requires a long period of time to take effect.”
“I see. If you have to drink three different kinds of tea and take it for a year... It would be very difficult to use.”
The Grand Minister stroked his beard and asked, “Is there a way to detect this poison?”
“Is there a way to detect this poison?”
“Yes, there is.”
“Can you do it here?”
“Of course. All I need is vinegar and blood.”
Soon, those items were prepared, and using the tea that had been brewed in advance, he confirmed the presence of poison in the same way I had.
Seeing this, Taesangga stood up and clasped his hands together in a greeting to Chief Administrator Yu and me.
“I am sorry. It is my fault for inviting you here and putting you in danger.”
“No! How can I blame you, Hyung-nim?”
“That's right. Taesangga-nim, you don't have to apologize.”
“I appreciate your words.”
Taesangga looked at Heo Cheong.
“You should come with me to the proposal room.”
* * *
At that moment, someone hurriedly headed somewhere.
He told someone something.
“Hyun-ri found out about the poison.”
“What? How did he find out? I told you it was impossible to detect.”
“The guest invited today is said to be knowledgeable about antidotes.”
“Hurry and change the tea pot. That way, we can cover it up with someone else's trickery.”
“That will be difficult.”
“Has Hyun-ri already arrived at the proposal room?”
“No, it's not that...”
“What is it?”
“The young prince is causing a scene at the proposal hall.”
* * *
When Taesangga and Heo Cheong went to the proposal hall, I asked to go with them.
After thinking for a moment, Taesangga nodded.
“You are also a victim of the poison, so your request is justified. I understand.”
“Thank you.”
A short time later, we arrived at the proposal office.
Those who saw Taesangga bowed their heads quickly.
“Greetings, Taesangga.”
Taesangga picked three tea pots from among those on the table and handed them to Heo Cheong.
“Take a look inside these.”
“Yes, sir.”
He immediately spread out a piece of paper and turned the tea canisters upside down on it.
After carefully examining the tea canisters, he put them down.
He did the same with all three canisters and used a detection method on something he scraped out of them.
However, the tea mixed with vinegar was still clear.
Seeing this, Heo Cheong said,
“Nothing was detected.”
“Is that so?”
The Grand Clan Head frowned.
Now it was his turn to step forward.
“Grand Clan Head, I have something to say.”
“What is it?”
“Yesterday, with your permission, I had the opportunity to look around here.”
“I see.”
“But the tea pot I saw yesterday seems a little different from this one.”
“The tea pot is different?”
“Yes. The one I saw yesterday was clearly old, but this one doesn't look old at all.”
It was clearly the same shape, but it looked much newer.
Tea containers are not usually replaced unless necessary, as they are used to preserve the aroma of the tea.
“I see.”
At that moment, someone stepped forward.
“I have something to report regarding that matter.”
The person who stepped forward was a woman, and when the Grand Master saw her, he said, “What is it?”
“Actually, the tea containers that were placed on the shelf were all taken by Lady Yoo a moment ago.”
“Actually, Miss Yoo just took all the tea caddies from the shelf where those teas were placed.”
“Yoo?”
“Yes. So I just got some tea caddies and filled them with tea.”
“That means the tea leaves you brought out of concern were not from this caddy.”
“Yes, that's right.”
From her words, I realized that she was the one in charge of making tea for the Clan Head.
I must learn how to make tea from her.
Except for the fact that it was poisoned, the tea I drank was one of the three best teas I have ever tasted in my entire life.
But that will only be possible after this matter is resolved.
“When did the child leave here?”
“About an hour ago.”
Hearing this, the Clan Head quickly turned around.
* * *
A man was walking around, looking around.
His name was Wang Gyeong.
He was currently carrying out an order from his master.
The guest of the Clan Head happened to be an expert in poison.
In the end, the Clan Head found out about the poison.
“I worked so hard to put that box there... Damn it.”
In order to prevent anyone from finding out, he had to replace the tea box.
However, there was a problem.
The Clan Head's daughter, Jaegal Yoo-ah, had taken the tea pots. Unfortunately, the three tea pots containing the poison were among them.
She had always been a troublemaker, and now she had become a nuisance at such a crucial moment.
“Once my master takes control of the clan, I'll get rid of her.”
Wang Kyung glanced at the tea caddy in his bag.
He was now heading to Jaegal Yoo-ah's quarters.
He had to swap the three poisoned tea caddies she had taken with the ones he had.
If the Grand Prince found out about Jaegal Yoo-ah, he would definitely search her belongings.
It would be problematic if poison was found in the containers Jaegal Yu-ah had.
If he failed this mission, his master would undoubtedly abandon him without hesitation for the sake of the greater good.
Therefore, he could not fail this mission.
He soon arrived at Jaegal Yu-ah's quarters.
She was so reckless that she lived in a separate annex.
There were fewer people around than usual, but he was in a hurry and didn't pay much attention to it.
After quickly scanning the area, he entered her separate building and found the tea canisters she had taken with her.
The canisters were placed on a table on the floor.
He quietly approached the table and untied his bundle. Just as he was about to swap the tea in the bundle for the tea on the table,
Swish
He felt something cold on the back of his neck.
“...!”
Then he heard a deep voice.
“Stop right there.”
It was a familiar voice. He slowly turned his head and saw the face of the person holding a sword to his neck.
It was Clan Head Jaegal Yul.
“Damn it.”
He realized
that he was finished.
* * *
When we arrived at Jaegal Yoo-ah's quarters, the head of the Jaegal Clan was there.
And at his feet was a man who had been bound and gagged.
“What is going on?”
The clan head answered the Grand Prince's question.
“This man secretly entered Yoo-ah's quarters, and I caught him and was interrogating him.”
Hearing this, the Grand Prince sighed with relief.
What...
He was so cold earlier, but he was worried about Jaegal Yoo-ah after all.
I glanced at Jaegal Yoo-ah, who was standing next to the clan head.
She had carried out my request perfectly.
So, the reliable helper you mentioned yesterday was the Clan Head? Miss?
I recalled my conversation with her last night.
“First, look over the proposal. Then, make sure that the cars leave as I said, and when the last car, the green car, leaves, that will be the time.”
“Then we just need to cause a commotion at that time.”
“That's right. By commotion, I don' tea mean actual violence, but rather drawing everyone's attention to Miss. Make sure no one touches the tea.”
“Okay. And then?”
“Take the tea, including the one I mentioned, and all the other tea in the room, and bring them to my quarters.”