Chapter 500
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 500
Chapter 500. Baekroju (4)
As far as I know, Taeum Byeonghae Shin Gong is a very secret martial art. That is why there are only a few places in the empire where it can be seen.
However, what surprised me was not simply that the energy was contained in the alcohol.
It was because both Yong-Goo-Jin and Maeng-Hyun showed no signs of having mastered the Tae-Eum-Bing-Hae-Shin-Gong.
In order to infuse alcohol with energy, one must directly put the energy into the alcohol.
And the only people around here who have mastered the Tae-Eum-Bing-Hae-Shin-Gong are me and the escorts and head escorts of the Chang-In-Pyo-Guk.
But they know very well that they must hide their identities, so there is no reason for them to do such a thing.
In other words, either the master craftsman or Maeng Hyun put the energy of Tae-eum Byeonghae Shin Gong into the wine...
How is that possible?
While I was surprised, those who drank the wine exclaimed in admiration.
Of course.
After drinking wine containing the energy of Tae-eum Byeonghae Shin Gong, their whole bodies must have tingled with refreshment and coolness.
“This tastes better than the last time I drank it!”
“That's right. I want to drink this often from now on.”
“By the way, the more I drink this wine, the clearer my head feels.”
That's right.
The Tae-eum Byeonghae Shin Gong has the ability to clear the mind, so you don't get drunk.
The praise for Baekroju continued.
After the tasting was over, he greeted the guests with Captain Go and returned to find Palm print and Baek Hyun cleaning up.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Ah, Captain Go. I'm glad everyone seemed to like it.”
“It's all thanks to your hard work. Would you like to have dinner together later?”
“Of course.”
“I'll send someone to get you later.”
I plan to casually ask them about the sake over dinner.
A short time later.
A tavern near the Beijing branch.
I arrived on time, and Lu rushed out to greet me.
“Welcome.”
“Thank you for coming to greet me yourself.”
I guess I am a big shot after all. I didn't expect Lu Zhu to wait for me and greet me personally.
“We have prepared a seat for you on the top floor, as you requested.”
“Thank you for always taking care of me.”
I went up to the top floor and looked around.
The bodyguards also checked everywhere and reported that everything was fine.
As I sat at the table waiting, Pal-gap arrived with Palm print and Maeng-hyun.
“Welcome.”
“Thank you for inviting us to such a nice place.”
Maeng-hyun, in particular, seemed to be visiting such a place for the first time, and he looked around frantically with wide eyes.
“This gathering was prepared to express our gratitude to you both for your hard work today. I hope you enjoy the food.”
“Thank you.”
Soon, the food began to arrive, and we started eating.
This was not a gathering to enjoy food and drink together, but rather a business meeting.
Therefore, Pal-gap and the bodyguards did not eat with us, but stood at their designated positions to guard us.
However, they did not express any dissatisfaction with the food because I had bought them delicious food whenever I could.
Palm print was also a good eater, but I was especially happy that Maeng Hyun ate well.
Still, the tasting was not over yet, so it was not good to overeat.
I tried to gently dissuade him, but Palm print scolded him first.
“Hey, eat some more. Do you have a demon in your stomach?”
“It's delicious. And when will we ever have another opportunity like this? We should eat when we can.”
“But you'll throw it all up if you overeat... Isn't that a waste?”
“Ah...”
I said with a smile.
“You can eat in moderation. And there will be many more opportunities like this in the future.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I wouldn't lie about something like that.”
I continued.
“And if you get sick from overeating, you'll suffer a lot. You have to think about the future.”
Mang-hyun replied to my words.
“Um... You sound just like my grandfather.”
“Your grandfather?”
Maeng-hyun nodded in response to my question.
“My grandfather, who passed away a few years ago, always said that. He said we have to think about the future.”
“I see.”
I was glad that he brought it up.
“Come to think of it, I'm curious. How did you come to make white rice wine?”
Palm print scratched his head at my question.
“Well, you see...”
About six years ago, when he was a new martial arts academy student, he volunteered to be a decoy to save his fellow students.
“It was the only way at the time. I couldn't ask anyone else to do it. It was like pushing them to their death, but I had the best chance of survival.”
He said that he ended up falling off a cliff while running down a mountain road as bait.
“When I opened my eyes, an old man was nursing me. I decided to stay there until my leg healed.”
The old man's name was Maeng Song.
There was a young boy there, who was the son of Maeng Song's son, who had left home.
However, shortly after he returned, he died in a martial aunt, leaving only the old man and his grandson.
“Then I tried the liquor that Myeong-song made. It was the first time I had ever tasted liquor. I fell in love with the taste and asked Myeong-song to teach me how to make it. But he said he wouldn't teach me unless I became a Taoist priest.”
“So that's why you declared that you would give up your government position?”
“That's right. Hahaha.”
Maeng Hyun added from beside him.
“Actually, my grandfather wanted Mr. Gu Jin to become a Taoist priest from the beginning. He said he had never seen anyone so organized and neat.”
Maeng Hyun continued.
“My grandfather was always nagging. He said that cleanliness and organization were the top priorities for making delicious sake. If you can't do that, how can you make sake that customers can trust and drink?”
I smiled and said,
“My grandfather is the same. In fact, my grandfather always said that the place where tea is brewed must always be clean. But when I think about it, he's right.”
I turned my head and asked Palm print, the master craftsman.
“By the way, do you know how the Elder came to make Baekroju?”
“Yes. I heard that the Elder spent some time in the North Sea when he was young, and that's where he learned how to make it.”
“The North Sea...?”
“Yes. That's all I know.”
Myeong-hyun added, "When I was young, the Elder told me that if he died without leaving an heir, the tradition of making Baekroju would come to an end.
“When I was young, he told me that if he died without leaving an heir, the tradition of making Baekroju would be lost. He said that he would feel guilty toward the Palace Head for teaching him how to make the liquor, and that he would not be able to face him even in death.”
“...!”
In that case, it was clear that Baekroju had been learned at Seolpung Palace.
“Then who named it Baekroju?”
“I heard that the Palace Head who taught me how to make alcohol named it that.”
.
.
.
After finishing my meal, I went to my room.
Then I took out a bottle of alcohol that I had kept in my desk.
It looked like a white lotus flower, with several layers of white paper sealed over the opening.
This liquor is called Bingryonju because it can only be made from Bingryon, which grows in the North Sea.
When Seolpung Palace was destroyed, the recipe for Bingryonju was also lost.
This is 800 years old and was left behind by the investigator.
The energy I felt from this wine was very similar to that of the white crane wine.
The taste was a little different, though.
Come to think of it... White crane wine is made by brewing, while ice lotus wine is made by soaking, right?
Could it be...
As I pondered the difference, a hypothesis formed in my mind.
Ice lotus wine is not simply made from ice lotus.
It is made by soaking bingryun in already made liquor, or baekroju, to make bingryunju.
And the liquor made this time is true baekroju.
Then, if I have bingryun, I can make bingryunju again?
However, there is still one question that remains unanswered.
Why did the baekroju I made this time contain the energy of Taeum Byeonghae Shinkong, unlike the baekroju I made before?
What was different?
Then, he suddenly remembered something his Master had told him before.
“My father once said that the Tae-eum Byeonghae Shin Gong can be achieved not only through mental techniques but also through physical exercises.”
“What? Physical exercises?”
"Yes. The method has been lost, but as far as I can remember, in order to achieve that, one must have a pure heart and be free from attachments.“
”I see.“
”But there are probably very few people who are free from attachments. So, Captain and I have no chance of achieving that... We'll just have to practice our mental techniques diligently."
“Yes...”
Perhaps making white rice wine was a kind of training.
Could that be it?
This time, Palm print learned that his family had not abandoned him.
It seems that he had been feeling guilty towards his family and hesitant about whether he was on the right path.
However, now that his concerns have been resolved, he has been able to complete his training.
As a result, he was able to make real Baekroju.
That's great!
Master will be very happy when he finds out.
And as the Palace Head of Seolpung Palace, it's also good news for me.
The problem is that we don't know the identity of those who destroyed Seolpung Palace, and we haven't been able to deal with them, so I'm wondering if it's okay to spread Baekroju, which is all that remains of Seolpung Palace.
Fortunately, the prohibition on alcohol has not yet been lifted, so this liquor will only be used for trade with foreign countries.
I must think of a way to resolve this issue before the prohibition is lifted.
At that moment, Pal-gap rushed into my room.
“Young master!”
“You scared me! Really! You scared me!”
Now you're sneaking up on me all the time?
I quickly put the Baekryeonju inside and said.
“What's going on?”
“A court official has come from the imperial palace.”
A court official here? What's going on?
I quickly tidied myself up and went outside.
“I have brought a gift from His Majesty the Emperor.”
A gift from the emperor?
I immediately knelt down and received the item from the court official with both hands.
“Open it.”
The emperor's gift was a long box.
I carefully opened the box and found ten small bottles inside.
There was a piece of paper attached to each bottle, and the last bottle was labeled “Baekroju.”
He had recently collected all ten bottles of sake that had passed the second round of judging, so this must be for that.
“Is this sake?”
“Yes. It is a gift for those who worked hard on the sake tasting this week.”
“Your Majesty, thank you very much.”
It seems that the emperor is showing his generosity.
But what are these bottles?
They just put a piece of paper with the name on a plain bottle, so it didn't look very nice.
Suddenly, I had a good idea.
Since we're already doing this, wouldn't it sell well if we made distinctive bottles for each type of liquor?
But the problem is that the Baekroju in these bottles is very popular.
I asked the court official.
“Who was this liquor delivered to?”
“It was delivered to those who worked hard for this tasting and to high-ranking officials of the third rank or higher.”
“...”
That's not too many people, so I guess I can rest assured for now.
Just then.
Tap, tap.
Oh, it's raining.
I expected it, but why does it have to rain now? My clothes are getting wet.
* * *
The Minister of War returned home.
“Are you back?”
“Yes, was there anything important today?”
His attendant replied to his question.
“Yes, everything is fine at home.”
“Is Dan-i... all right?”
At his question, the attendant bowed his head.
“When it started raining, she became delirious and tried to harm herself.”
“....”
“We tied her up as we had prepared in advance, so fortunately she was not seriously injured.”
“My foolish daughter has caused you so much trouble.”
“Please don't say that.”
The Minister of War smiled bitterly.
He had one daughter.
He had two sons and then finally a daughter, whom he loved dearly.
But one day.
It suddenly started raining, and his daughter came home soaking wet. From that day on, she began to suffer from madness.
Whenever it rained, she began to self-harm.
It had been going on for several years.
It was a problem that his daughter was of marriageable age, but he couldn't bear to see his precious daughter suffering and hurting herself.
“How is she now?”
“She's still struggling.”
A faint scream could be heard. It must have been his daughter screaming.
He couldn't understand what was causing his daughter so much pain, which made him feel even more heartbroken.
Then, he suddenly remembered the sake he had received today.
“Maybe she'll calm down if she drinks some sake.”
The fact that there were no special instructions when he was given the sake meant that he could drink it as he wished.
And in cases like this, that included his family.
He remembered the sake that the guests at the tasting party had praised for its clarity.
“It was called Baekroju.”
He took out a bottle of sake and handed it to his servant.
“This is sake from His Majesty the Emperor. Give it to Dan-i to drink.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
It was morning.
The rain that had been falling all night stopped at dawn.
I hope the rain doesn't cause any problems with the sake brewing.
With that thought in mind, he sent a letter to the Kangso Trading Company. They were a trading company famous for their pottery.
They wanted to make unique sake bottles to match each type of sake, as the dried persimmons were said to be delicious and have a beautiful color.
After practicing his breathing techniques, he trained in martial arts.
After breakfast, I took advantage of a break to learn the language of Daewook from Yongmin.
Then, suddenly...
“Young master! Come quickly!”
What's going on?
I opened the door and went outside.
“What's going on?”
“The Minister of War and his daughter have come to see the Palm print master.”
What?
The Minister of War's daughter? The one who is insane?
Could it be that Mister Yong-min is up to something again?
Wasn't that matter already settled?
Why on earth did they come here?