Chapter 443
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 443
Chapter 443. It Hurts Quite a Bit (2)
Upon hearing the report, the emperor looked speechless for a moment, but then smiled.
“He is a quick-witted child, as expected. That's why I can't help but use him.”
“What do you mean?”
“It seems that he realized I was testing him.”
The crown prince tilted his head.
“What? Are you saying he's not really hurt, but just pretending?”
“He's a strong boy. There's no way he would do that.”
“Could it be that he failed to carry out your orders properly?”
“That could be the case. But he is not the type to do that just because he failed to carry out my orders. He is the type to come forward and tell me exactly what he found out.”
The smile remained on the emperor's lips.
“That means he is protesting against me.”
“How insolent…”
“But on the surface, he will appear to be in great pain, won't he?”
Jin-yeong answered the emperor's question.
“Yes. He was burning up with fever and his face was pale, so he looked quite serious.”
“If you force someone like that to come here and interrogate him about his crimes, what will the other officials and the people think?”
The emperor would probably be criticized for being petty and mean.
That would be a loss of face.
It wouldn't be fatal, but he would be labeled a small-minded man.
Seeing the prince's expression change, the emperor smiled wryly.
“That bastard is damn smart.”
The eunuch standing next to him quickly said,
“Be careful what you say.”
“No one is watching.”
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince and Master Jin are here.”
“Do I have to watch what I say in front of them?”
“Yes, but...”
The emperor thought for a moment and turned to the crown prince.
“You go and do it yourself.”
“What?”
“You tested him without warning, so it's no wonder he's upset. You should go and calm him down.”
“Your Majesty, you are the emperor. Why do I have to go and calm him down?”
The emperor smiled faintly at the crown prince, who looked confused.
“Is that really what you think?”
“Yes.”
“You still have much to learn. People tend to be more influenced by their emotions than they think. No matter how much I am their superior, if I do not appease their emotions, they may turn against me later.”
The emperor continued.
“Even palms must clap together to make a sound. If I want to create loyal subjects, I must also be loyal to them. It is a well-known fact that depending on how a liege acts, his subjects can become loyal subjects or corrupted officials or traitors.”
“....”
“That is exactly why I am assigning Eun Seo-ho to you. He is extremely skilled at handling people! Hahahaha! He can even handle me.”
The emperor laughed heartily and continued.
“But do you think I will just let him get away with it? That is why I am sending you, the crown prince. You will probably be very surprised when you visit him. I can't help but laugh when I imagine the look of shock on his face.”
“...Your Majesty, you can be a little mean sometimes.”
“Hehehe. He deserves it.”
Then the emperor's expression turned serious.
“Anyway, go there, listen to his report, and calm him down. Give him whatever reward he asks for.”
“I will do as you say.”
* * *
I was lying on my bed.
A towel soaked in cold water was placed on my head.
I am at the peak of my powers, so there is no way I would be lying here sick like this.
That's right.
I am pretending to be sick.
Before entering Beijing, I explained my plan to my companions.
That plan was to pretend to be sick.
How is this a way to get back at the emperor?
Actually, this is a form of protest.
I was supposed to enter the palace as soon as I arrived in Beijing, but I didn't because I used my illness as an excuse.
You must be wondering if I carried out my orders properly and what the results were.
Are you worried about my health?
You already know my abilities, so how could you not know that I'm faking it?
Actually, I tried to pretend that I had been attacked and seriously injured.
However, I immediately rejected that plan.
If I did that, not only would my bodyguards be held responsible, but the emperor would find the person who injured me and have them killed.
I couldn't let an innocent person be blamed for my injuries.
That's why I decided to pretend to be sick.
When Master Jin came to pick me up today, he was shocked to see me pretending to faint after saying that I had to go to the imperial palace.
I know that it's impossible for me to collapse from overwork, but sometimes my emotions override my reason.
To be honest, Master Jin-yeong must have been in on testing me, so I wanted to tease him too.
As I lay on my bed, I thought of the bag I had obtained, and a smile appeared on my lips.
Strangely, when I arrived at my destination, the map drawn on the bag had completely disappeared.
Considering that I didn't encounter a single difficult situation on my way here, it must be a much more powerful item than I thought.
That's because knowing that nothing bad will happen during a journey is the realm of foresight.
That's why I must make it mine.
Then I looked at the documents in my hands and sighed.
Even though I'm lying on my bed, I can't rest properly and am working hard.
There were piles of documents next to me.
Faking illness is faking illness, and work is work. Damn it.
At that moment, I heard Miss Seo Hyang's voice from outside the door.
“This is Seo Hyang. May I come in for a moment?”
“Come... in.”
I replied in a deliberately weak voice, and soon the door opened and Miss Seo Hyang entered.
“How are you feeling after your illness?”
I smiled wryly at her question.
“These are the documents that have been approved.”
But she didn't leave right away.
What is it? Does she have something to say?
She hesitated for a moment and then opened her mouth.
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is coming today.”
“Ahem!”
I couldn't stop coughing as if I had choked on something due to her unexpected words.
“Ahem! Ahem, ahem!”
“Oh my! Are you all right?”
“I'm fine. No, what do you mean? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is coming?”
“It is exactly as I said. His Highness the Crown Prince is coming, but it seems that the Captain is not prepared at all. That is why I came to inform you in advance.”
This was the real reason she came to see me.
Wow...
If I hadn't known, I would have been really scared.
I am glad that I have time to prepare thanks to Miss Seo Hyang.
“Thank you very much for letting me know.”
Miss Seo Hyang left the room with the approved documents, and I took a moment to collect my thoughts.
The Crown Prince.
In my previous life, he was the crown prince until I died.
I don't know much about him, but according to Jin Seung-wang, he is a thorough and intelligent person.
He resembles the emperor more than the empress, which makes him a little scary.
In particular, their eyes are said to be similar.
“Hyung-nim, I mean, Crown Prince Jeon-ha, has been threatened with poisoning and assassination since he was a child, so he can't trust anyone around him, which is unfortunate. If he could just overcome his distrust of people, he would be a great king.”
A frightening gaze like the emperor's and distrust of others...
I suddenly felt sorry for him.
If you were threatened with poisoning and assassination for decades, it would be natural to distrust others.
Anyway, it was obvious why the crown prince was coming.
He wouldn't have come to visit me, a stranger, on his own. It must have been the emperor's orders.
The emperor sending the crown prince to me means that I have passed the emperor's test.
And the emperor wants to introduce me to the crown prince.
It reminded me of a scene where fathers make friends for their children, saying, “You should be friends with this kid because he's fun to play with.”
But the crown prince isn't a child.
However, the imperial palace is a place full of wolves and snakes.
Normally, the crown prince is assigned a member of a powerful family to support him.
But it seems that the emperor, who is as old as the mountains, wants to assign me to his son.
That is why he tested me this time.
If nothing happens, he will be the future emperor.
Right now, His Majesty the Emperor is ruling the empire well, but there is no guarantee that the next emperor will do the same.
In particular, isn't all the power in the current empire concentrated in the hands of the emperor?
If something happens to the emperor, the peace and prosperity that has been achieved so far will collapse in an instant.
In that case, the first to suffer would be the merchants.
In other words, the crown prince I am about to meet is a very important person to me.
In order to make the Eunhae Trading Company the world's best, the empire must be at peace.
By the way, I have a bitter taste in my mouth.
Distrust of humans...
The higher one's position, the more distrustful one becomes of humans.
In my previous life, the higher the Eunhae Trading Company rose, the more distrustful I became.
Try being attacked every day.
It would be strange not to become distrustful.
But now, I don't feel that way. Why?
There are many reasons, but the biggest reason is myself.
I am strong.
I am confident that I will not die even if I am attacked at any time.
Of course, God, who allowed Josa to bring me back from the brink of death, will not let me die in vain.
.
.
.
That afternoon.
The Beijing branch of Eunhaesang Trading Company was in an uproar.
It was because of a sudden visit from the crown prince.
Nana and Miss Seo Hyang knew about this, but they didn't tell anyone around them.
They didn't tell anyone else because if they showed that they knew about it in advance, they would be suspected.
So they just stood by and watched as the Beijing branch became chaotic.
And I...
I pretended to be sick.
It is not difficult to make your face look like you are about to die by pressing a few acupoints.
When I stepped out into the courtyard of my quarters, supported by Pal-gap, the crown prince was just entering the courtyard.
“Your Highness, Crown Prince Eunseoho. Long live the prince! Long live the prince!”
I struggled to move my body and bowed in respect.
“Are you Captain Eunseoho?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I heard you were ill. Why are you out here?”
“How could I lie in bed and receive Your Highness when you have come here in person?”
“Go lie down.”
“I'm fine. Cough, cough! I'm fine.”
“You don't look fine at all. This is an order. Go lie down. You can talk while lying down.”
“I will obey your order.”
With Pal-gap's support, I headed to my bedroom and lay down on my bed.
The crown prince followed me and looked at the documents piled up around my bed with a surprised expression.
“What are all these documents?”
“These are things I need to take care of.”
“Aren't you sick?”
The prince's expression was filled with confusion.
It couldn't be helped.
The emperor must have heard that I was faking my illness, but when he saw me in person, I must have looked like I was about to collapse.
If I was going to pretend to be sick, I had to do it perfectly.
I held back my laughter and continued.
“If I don't do my work for the Trading Company because I'm sick, what will happen to the company?”
“But something bad will happen.”
“If I don't work, I'm not the only one who will suffer. That's why I can't take time off, even if it's just for their sake.”
I continued.
“They are the only ones who trust and follow me. I cannot betray their trust.”
“...”
The prince seemed to think for a moment, then nodded.
“I see...”
Meanwhile, Pal-gap brought a chair, and the prince sat down.
“Your father sent me because you were unable to come to the palace due to illness.”
“I am deeply honored.”
“So, what have you found out?”
I had already expected him to ask me about that.
That must be his main purpose.
“Yes, Your Highness. What I found out is that His Majesty the Emperor suspects me.”
“...What do you mean?”
“He ordered me to reveal a treasonous plot that never actually happened. If this isn't a test to see if I suspect him, then what is it?”
“Why do you think that?”
I told him about the loopholes I had found.
For example, Master Kwon's unselfish gaze and the fact that his voice was a little loud for a private conversation...
Now that I knew the emperor's intentions, I could see many more flaws than I had thought.
The crown prince listened to me and refuted my argument.
“How can you say that there was no greed in Master Kwon's eyes? That is just your impression.”
“Of course, it is only my impression. However, Your Highness, as an excellent merchant, you must be able to read the desires of others.”
“....”
“When I realized that His Majesty was testing me because he suspected me, the shock... Ahem. My body, which was already exhausted from overwork, could not withstand the shock.”
The crown prince sighed at my words.
“You are right. My father tested you. But it was not because he doubted you. Rather, it was because he thought highly of your abilities.”
He sighed and bowed his head slightly.
“I'm sorry.”
“...What?”
Seeing him like that, I asked again without thinking.
He's not the type to apologize so readily.
Why... why?