Chapter 457
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 457
Chapter 457. So that was the real reason (1)
Seeing my expression, Pal-gap asked.
“What's wrong?”
“Let's run!”
But Seo-woo Musha shook his head slightly and whispered.
“I don't think we can get away now.”
“...”
I sighed inwardly.
As he said, our opponents had already recognized me and were rushing toward us with bright smiles on their faces.
“Maybe they're just passing by,”
said Yeo-eung-am, and I smiled bitterly.
No matter how I looked at it, that didn't seem likely.
Our opponents were the Royal Guards.
There were six of them in total, and I recognized four of them.
Master So-un, who had helped me clear the ice upstream, Master Kwon-jik and Master Kwon, whom I had met at Yeonji Mountain, where Master Hyeok-gon had his sword.
And even the master I had saved the other day.
Before I knew it, they were standing right in front of me. I greeted them, hiding my uneasiness.
“Greetings, Masters. What brings you here?”
“What do you mean, what brings us here? We were waiting for you, of course.”
Hearing that, I turned my head and glanced at the Yeo-eung-am warriors.
See? They weren't just passing by.
When Yeo Eung-am saw me looking at him, he scratched his head and turned away.
“We came here as soon as we heard that you had left Shaolin Temple.”
“You did a great job at Shaolin Temple! Hahahaha!”
“You truly deserve the title of ‘Seonhaengmi-rang.’”
It was certain.
Even Shaolin Temple has the emperor's eyes and ears.
By the way, I came here with the help of Hyun-ro-do, but... Why?
Should I throw this away?
But he immediately dismissed the thought.
There must be a reason...
First, I need to find out why these masters came to see me.
Please...
I have a lot of work to do at the Beijing branch. And I need to go home and rest.
“By the way, you got here really fast.”
“We left as soon as we heard you were on your way, and now you're already in Hebei!”
That's because we rode the Zhujiang Express.
“We came looking for you because we need you to come with us.”
“Here is the imperial order.”
Master Kwon Jik handed me a red scroll decorated with gold leaf.
Damn it!
I had a bad feeling about this!
The people in front of me are loyal to the emperor.
If I show my dislike in front of them, I will likely be struck down in an instant.
I know very well that their favor toward me could turn to anger at any moment.
I respectfully accepted the scroll with both hands, bowed toward the imperial palace, and carefully unfolded it.
“...!”
I almost failed to control my expression.
[Go to Yunnan with the Royal Guards I sent and complete your mission.
Yunnan? Yunaam?
Where is Yunnan?
It is at the southwestern tip of the empire, which is the exact opposite of Beijing.
Calm down.
I finished reading the sacred text.
[I know exactly what expression you have on your face right now, so cheer up. You have passed my test, and you are the only one who can do this job.
What on earth is going on...
No, more than that, seeing that the emperor mentioned a test in the sacred text, it seemed that the test at that time was not just to make me the crown prince's friend.
Was that the real reason?
To use me more effectively?
It seems like he is taking revenge on me for beating him at his own game...
No, surely His Majesty the Emperor wouldn't be so petty?
I rolled up the scroll, bowed once more toward the imperial palace, and stood up.
“What should we do with this sacred scroll?”
“Burn it.”
“What? Is that okay?”
“No records related to the duties of the Royal Guards must be left behind.”
Faced with his firmness, I took out the fire starter without hesitation and burned the sacred place.
Somehow, I felt refreshed.
“Oh, and now that you've burned the sacred place, you can't refuse the order.”
“What? I could have refused?”
They answered my question.
“According to the law, you can refuse if you have a valid reason.”
“But you know very well that theory and reality are different, so why are you asking?”
“I was just curious. Hahaha.”
“...”
For some reason, it seemed like they were seriously teasing me.
I sighed inwardly and asked them.
“So what should we do?”
“You must rescue the envoys.”
“Envoys?”
Was there anywhere envoys were sent at this time?
Master Kwon explained the situation to me.
About a month ago, the emperor sent envoys to Yunnan.
The regions located on the outskirts of the empire are not well governed by the central government.
Furthermore, the people there have lived in harmony with the natural environment, so it is difficult to apply the empire's standards uniformly.
Therefore, the empire often appoints influential families or tribal chiefs as administrators to govern those areas.
There are seven large tribes in Yunnan, each with its own power base, so the emperor appointed the tribal chiefs as administrators.
“This diplomatic mission was sent to inspect and report on the Chunkyung tribe, one of those tribes. However, they have detained the envoys and are holding them hostage.”
“What are their demands?”
Master Kwon Jik replied to my question with a perplexed look.
“They want recognition of their independent power.”
“What?”
So, in other words...
They want to break away from the empire and establish an independent country?
There is no way the emperor would allow that.
If a precedent is set, other tribes in other regions will rise up and demand the same thing.
The Chun-gyeong tribe must know that, right?
And the position of emperor is a heartless one that requires sacrificing the few for the sake of the many.
In other words, there is no reason to rescue the envoys.
It may be because he cares for his subjects, but to send not two, but six Royal Guards?
And the Chunjing tribe must believe that they are worth taking hostage.
I sighed.
“Now, I think it's time you told me.”
“Tell me what?”
“Who is included in the group of envoys we are supposed to rescue?”
At my question, the eyes of the Royal Guards widened.
No, these masters are real!
Did you think I wouldn't notice?
Master Kwon said with a pleased look.
“As I thought, I had noticed you before... You have excellent insight.”
“So who is it?”
I asked again, and Master Kwon replied.
“It is Prince Joo-hyun.”
“....”
Prince Joo-hyun is the second son of the Emperor's second wife, Queen Hwa-ryun.
He is also the older brother of Prince Jin Seung, whom I was close to in my previous life.
Come to think of it, he died at a young age. That's why he wasn't crowned king.
I remembered what Prince Jin Seung had told me and felt a chill run down my spine.
Wait, wasn't that recently?
In my previous life, this plan must have failed.
At that time, I knew nothing about this matter.
I had no connection with the emperor, and I was preoccupied with the famine.
And the prince was killed by a border tribe. The imperial court kept it a secret.
I have to stay alert.
If Prince Joo Hyun was killed by the Chunkyung tribe in Yunnan Province, then the subsequent events make sense.
At that time, Prince Joo-hyun's older brother, King Seong-bo, took the lead in completely destroying Chun-gyeong-seong.
I thought that such a harsh punishment must have been due to some grudge, but it was actually a real grudge.
After all, if someone took my younger brother hostage and killed him, I wouldn't be able to let it go either.
Master Kwon-jik asked me to keep this a secret.
“Please keep this a secret.”
“I understand.”
“And please take care.”
So, on my way from Shaolin Temple to the Beijing branch, I had to turn around and head for Yunnan Province.
Damn it!
I'll get everything I can out of the emperor! Really!
.
.
.
The road to Yunnan Province is so long that it is less tiring to use waterways rather than land routes.
From Jinan, I took a boat to Kaifeng, then traveled south by land to Wuhan, where I took another boat up the Yangtze River to Yunnan.
I was worried that the Zhugangma would be unruly on the boat, but...
Well, with Geum-ryung there, they won't do anything rash.
First, I sent a letter to the Beijing branch through Geum-ryung, and she brought me a letter from Miss Seo Hyang.
Seo Hyang also knows that Geum-ryung is my messenger.
[I already knew that. Have a safe trip. And please send Geum-ryung to me once every five days. I will report on my work.]
Work report? Why every five days... Ah!
The work report that Miss Seo Hyang is referring to is not a simple work report.
She wants to tell me about the future she has seen.
Miss Seo Hyang has never asked me to do this before. Does this mean that this mission is quite dangerous?
I will find out later when we exchange letters.
We boarded a ship in Jinan and disembarked in Kaifeng.
By the way, Kaifeng...
If I had known it would be like this, I would have gone more slowly.
It's almost like going back.
Let's think about the Yunnan region first.
It's famous for pu-erh tea, and our Eunhae Trading Company also has people there to deliver goods.
And it's also where Jin-ho disappeared.
Thanks to that, we were able to obtain the Silver Sword and the Golden Bell, but I never thought we would go back there...
Sigh.
I let out a sigh.
I know very well how dangerous and difficult that place is.
Even though it's just the beginning of September, it's still the rainy season there.
It must be extremely hot and humid.
Of course, I am at the peak of my powers, and my inner arts are cold, so the heat is not a problem for me.
The problem is my bodyguards and my armor.
I looked up at the sky and said,
“It's going to rain soon.”
Seo-woo agreed with me.
“I think so too.”
Master Dao expressed his doubts about our conversation.
“The sun is still shining brightly, how can it rain?”
But before we could explain, Master Kwon stepped forward.
“Did you say that Seo Woo is from Head Escort?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“I've heard that no one can read the weather or direction like those from the escort agency. Does that mean we need to find shelter from the rain in this area?”
“It doesn't look like the rain will stop anytime soon. We need to find shelter from the rain and a place to spend the night.”
However, the other masters disagreed with Seo Woo's suggestion.
“But we still have half a day to go. We can't afford to go so slowly, can we?”
“That's right. Let's just keep going.”
Master Kwon's expression clearly showed his concern.
I sighed inwardly.
“As far as I know, the Royal Guards continue their duties regardless of rain or snow.”
“That's right.”
“Then, has anyone been to Yunnan Province?”
One of the masters raised his hand at my question.
He was one of the masters I had saved before. Was his name Han Seok?
“I've been there.”
“Excuse me, but when did you go?”
“Let me think... I think it was winter, probably January.”
“Where did you go?”
“It was in the central region.”
“....”
I thought I knew why the emperor wanted to send me with them.
“Ugh...”
I sighed without realizing it, and Master Kwon's eyebrows twitched at my sigh.
“What is it?”
“Yunnan is a large province, and the weather varies greatly from region to region. For example, the central region is relatively mild throughout the year. However, the western region, where Chunjing City is located, is completely different.”
I continued.
“Of course, it's good to go fast. But considering the climate of our destination, we need to conserve our energy as much as possible. Even if we just stand still, our energy will quickly drain away.”
After thinking for a moment, Master Kwon accepted my opinion.
“If you say so, then you must be right. Let's take a break and find a place to spend the night.”
The other masters nodded reluctantly.
“There's a river down there. How about that?”
Seo Woo shook his head at Master So-un's suggestion.
“I don't recommend that. When it rains, the valley is nothing like it usually is. The water swells to five or ten times its normal volume. Besides, if we get caught in a rapid, we'll be in big trouble.”
“We are skilled in martial arts and have passed the rigorous Royal Guards selection test. A little rapids is nothing.”
Hearing that, I pointed to a large rock.
“Can you lift that?”
“Are you kidding? How can we lift that?”
“We will move the rapids.”
“...You're lying...”
“It's true.”
How could you not know that! What do they test in the Royal Guards selection exam?
In response to my firm words, Master Kwon said.
“Calm down. Let's find a place to stay first.”
At his words, we immediately set out to find a place to stay.
Seo Woo, who was familiar with such situations, quickly found a cave to shelter from the rain.
This was only natural, as the road from Kaifeng to Wuhan was frequently traveled by escort agency personnel.
We hurriedly gathered branches to build a bonfire and sat around it.
Shortly after we lit the fire, it began to rain heavily.
Swoosh!
The weather changed completely in an instant.
When loud thunder and lightning followed, the Royal Guards looked at us differently.
Why are you looking at us like that?
Then, it happened.
Jingle, jingle.
There was a sound that could be heard through the rain.