Chapter 505
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 505
Chapter 505. The Critic Murder Case (4)
I had no choice but to ask Chun-il again.
“Are you saying that Mister Namgung Yang's life is in danger because he is a suspect in a murder case?”
“No, of course not.”
Well, he wouldn't say his life was in danger because of that.
“May I sit down?”
“Yes.”
Pal-gap, who was sitting next to me, quickly stood up and gave up his seat, and Chun-il sat down next to me.
“First, let me explain the background. Namgung Yang is the son of the seventeenth wife of the Clan Head.”
He already has seventeen wives. No, considering Namgung Yang's age, he probably has many more than that.
Before I died, I heard that the Clan Head had about forty wives.
In any case, the Namgung Clan was quite famous for its women.
However, only three wives were officially recognized, and the rest were concubines.
He only reluctantly accepted the women who had children from him as wives.
After all, he couldn't just abandon the bloodline of the Clan Head.
That means he slept with even more women than that.
He even became the topic of conversation when he took a 12-year-old wife when he was well over 60.
By the way, do you remember all of his wives' faces?
Chun-il continued.
“But it seems that Namgung Yang Mister's talent was extraordinary from a young age.”
“Is that so?”
“As you know, the Namgung Clan's principle is that the strongest shall be the leader. In other words, the strongest among the direct descendants of the Clan Head becomes the next Clan Head.”
Ah...
I thought I understood the situation.
“Because Namgung Yang's martial arts skills are exceptional, the Clan Head favors him greatly, but that has stimulated the competitiveness and jealousy of his other sons.”
“So you're saying that his other sons are waiting for an opportunity to kill him?”
“Yes, that's right.”
So that was why Namgung Yang was so obsessed with trivial things in his previous life.
If he showed his talent and ended up dying, his mother would naturally be sad, and he would surely be expelled from the Namgung Clan.
To be honest, the only reason Namgung Yang's mother is able to live in the Namgung Clan is because she gave birth to him.
So if Namgung Yang dies, she will no longer be of any value to them, and it's obvious that they will kick her out with a little money.
Why are there so many families that I dislike...
Hearing that story, I am suddenly reminded of the Sect Leader of the Deokhang Trading Company.
He was the seventeenth son of the Deokhang Trading Company.
Hmm, there's something about the number seventeen...
I wonder if the inn is doing well. I should stop by sometime.
By the way, I think I understand why he asked me to keep his skills a secret.
If people knew that he was a martial artist at the peak of his powers, his life would become even more difficult.
Really...
Even if you have talent, it's unfortunate that you can't show it in this environment.
Talent?
A thought suddenly crossed my mind, and I asked Chunil.
“How is Namgung Yang's talent for poetry?”
“It's terrible.”
“What?”
“Even if he enters the competition, he'll probably be eliminated in the first round.”
Come to think of it...
Namgung Yang didn't seem very disappointed about not being able to participate in the poetry contest.
Then... was the poetry contest just an excuse to come to Beijing?
Members of the Namgung Clan cannot leave Anhui Province without the permission of the Clan Head.
If that was the case, then his undisclosed whereabouts last night must have been the reason he came to Beijing.
“Is there anything connecting Mister Namgung Yang and Beijing?”
“Connecting...?”
“Or even connecting to the Namgung Clan would be fine.”
After thinking for a moment, Chun-il replied.
“Now that you mention it, he is in Beijing.”
“Who is that?”
“The younger brother of the former Clan Head who was expelled from the Namgung Clan.”
.
.
.
A short time later.
After finishing my dinner at Yeojiru and meeting with Chun-il, I returned to the Beijing branch.
“Young Master, it's time to go to bed.”
“I still have work to do...”
Pal-gap said in response to my words.
“I will wake you up early tomorrow morning, so you should go to sleep now. Whether you sleep now and wake up early or sleep late and wake up at your usual time, you will still have the same amount of time to work, right?”
“....”
I had no response.
I quietly washed up, changed into my pajamas, and lay down on the bed.
“Hoo!”
Pal-gap turned off the lamp and left.
Lying on the bed, I thought about what Chun-il had told me today.
He was the younger brother of the former Clan Head of the Namgung Clan...
That meant he was the younger brother of the Martial Alliance Leader and the younger grandfather of Namgung Yang.
Ah!
I remembered hearing about him in my previous life.
His name was Namgung Yeon.
I don't know much about him, but I heard that he committed a serious crime that could not be overlooked and was expelled from his family.
And, of course, his martial arts skills were also destroyed. In other words, his qi center was destroyed.
Even though he was expelled, I heard that he lived in Beijing and died of old age.
If he is still alive...
Hmm?
Then he lived a long life for someone whose qi center was destroyed?
Martial artists often live longer than ordinary people because they train their inner arts.
However, when their inner arts are destroyed, they become weak and die quickly.
Considering that, it is strange that Namgung Yeon lived such a long life.
Did he have some special method?
In any case, if Mister Namgung Yeon met Elder Namgung Yang last night, it makes sense that he would keep his mouth shut.
Meeting a criminal of his family!
That alone is enough to be severely reprimanded.
This is the most likely scenario. Should I give it a shot?
The next morning.
I was about to leave after breakfast when Master Jin came to see me.
“Good morning, Master.
”Good morning to you.
“May I ask what brings you here so early in the morning?”
He nodded in response to my question.
“The Namgung Clan has sent someone.”
“What? From the Namgung Clan?”
“Yes. The Namgung Clan sent the Clan Head's younger brother as their representative, and he should arrive tomorrow.”
After all, even though Namgung Yang is an illegitimate child, he is still a member of the Namgung Clan and one of the Clan Head's favorite children.
That's why they sent someone directly to handle the matter.
Then Master Jin will deal with him.
He is not the head of the Namgung Clan, but his younger brother, so there is no need for someone higher than Master Jin to get involved.
“So, how are things progressing?”
“I will summarize the situation and visit you this afternoon.”
“I see.”
I hurried to the county office.
There wasn't much time.
Soon, I arrived at the county office and headed straight for the prison.
“Master Namgung.”
“Immortal qi, you're here again.”
I didn't have much time, so I got straight to the point.
“Did you meet Elder Namgung Yeon?”
“...!”
His face froze at my telepathy.
So that's the truth!
- And the real reason you came to Beijing was to meet him, wasn't it? The poetry contest was just an excuse.
“...”
Seeing him bite his lip, I clicked my tongue and shook my head.
“Tsk, tsk.”
“...?”
I sighed.
“How can you survive in the Namgung Clan when you reveal your feelings so easily?”
“Yes... you're right.”
I explained the situation to him.
“Someone from the Namgung Clan is coming tomorrow.”
“What?”
“They said the younger brother of the Clan Head is coming.”
Hearing my words, he grabbed the bars and sent me a telepathic message.
“Please, I beg you! Don't tell him that!”
I stared at him silently, then asked him.
“Then tell me why you met him.”
“That...”
“If you don't tell me, I'll have no choice but to reveal all of Mister's secrets. You can't punish an innocent man, can you?”
“...”
After thinking for a moment, he nodded.
"All right.
“By the way, I am a merchant. So I am very skilled at determining whether something is true or false.”
I smiled faintly.
“So don't even think about lying to me. I have a very dirty personality, so if you do, I will reveal everything.”
At my words, he flinched and trembled.
Huh? Why is he acting like that all of a sudden?
Young Master Namgung sent me telepathy.
“The reason my grandfather was disowned by our family is because he was accused of killing all the residents of a neighboring village. However, I know that it was a false accusation.”
He explained what happened at that time to me.
When Young Master Namgung was still a child and his talent had not yet blossomed, his grandfather was a refuge for him.
He learned martial arts from him and made rapid progress, becoming the hope of the family.
Although not official, it seems that they were like junior and senior brothers.
Then one day, Elder Namgung Yeon was accused of massacring the residents of a neighboring village, and a trial was held within the family.
Concerned, Young Master Namgung Yang secretly visited the prison where Elder Namgung Yeon was being held.
- There, I was able to hear the truth from my little grandfather. He said that he had discovered the place while pursuing a member of the Black Dao. And that he had fallen into a trap when he went there.
- So you were framed?
- Yes.
He continued.
“But my little grandfather told me to keep this a secret. He said that if I told anyone, I would suffer the same fate as him.”
“...”
“And my little grandfather told me to come find you before he died. He said he had something important to tell you.”
So did you see him?
Yes. But I cannot tell you what my great-grandfather told me.
I see.
When I agreed, his eyes widened.
Why are you looking at me like that?
I thought you would ask me again...
I smiled.
“Isn't it against the rules of the martial arts to ask about secrets passed down between junior brothers?
At my words, he scratched his cheek.
”Thank you.
By the way, now we can't use that as evidence.
Is it as His Majesty the Emperor said?
I sighed inwardly and looked at him.
His bright eyes were filled with hope and passion for life.
In my previous life, I heard that he was devoted to useless things and lacked motivation in everything he did, so Clan Head Namgung eventually gave up on him.
Perhaps in his previous life, he had no way of coming to Beijing and was unable to meet Elder Namgung Yeon.
And perhaps he lost his passion because he was discouraged by his situation and tired of his brothers' restraint.
However, now there was something different from his previous life.
I planned a poetry contest for the poet Song Rok, and this time it will be held throughout the empire.
By the way, he seems to have quite a lot of potential even among the Namgung Clan.
And it wouldn't be a bad idea to do a favor for one of the Namgung Clan.
Even though he is a second son and his brothers are threatening his life, he has talent and a sharp gaze.
Furthermore, the clear energy I feel from him makes me feel good without even realizing it.
He is a promising talent.
- Mister Namgung.
- Yes.
- Would you like to make a deal with me?
* * *
Namgung Yang sighed.
He had no idea how he ended up in this situation. However, this situation was not entirely bad for him.
He was able to stay quietly in prison by himself, which allowed him to organize what he had learned from his great-grandfather, Namgung Yeon.
His great-grandfather had given him a piece of advice.
“Don't trust your grandfather.”
His grandfather was the former head of the Namgung Clan and the current leader of the Martial Alliance.
Namgung Yang couldn't understand why he shouldn't trust his grandfather, who was the spiritual leader of the orthodox sects, so he asked him why, but Namgung Yeon just sighed and said, “Just don't ask why this time.”
“Just don't ask why this time.”
Namgung Yang couldn't ask any more questions.
For some reason, he felt like he shouldn't ask any more questions.
“By the way... How are you going to solve this?”
He looked at the place where Eun Seo-ho had been standing just a moment ago.
“He really is a mysterious Master.”
He knew about the events of that night, which he wanted to keep a secret.
In fact, he had intended to lie to him about his involvement with Namgung Yeon.
However, his warning sent a chill down his spine.
And he instinctively realized
that if he ignored Eun Seo-ho's words, he would pay a tremendous price.
So he told him the truth.
To be honest, he thought Namgung Yeon would ask him what he had taught him.
But Eun Seo-ho didn't.
He simply offered him a deal.
“I'll get you acquitted.”
“Is that what you're trying to say?”
“No. I'll get you acquitted and keep it a secret.”
“Is that possible?”
“Of course. But this is a deal. As such, Mister must fulfill my request.”
“What do you want?”
“You must help me when I ask.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
“...”
“Someone sent by Mister's family will arrive tomorrow, and you don't want to look bad in front of him, do you?”
“Of course.”
In the end, he had no choice but to sign the contract that Eun Seo-ho wrote on the spot.
How many hours had passed?
Before he knew it, the sun had set. At that moment, the guard approached him and said,
“Mister Namgung Yang. Come out.”
“What?”
“You have been proven innocent. Congratulations.”
He had no idea how many hours had passed since he signed the contract, nor did he know why he had been released.
As he left the prison in a daze, Eun Seo-ho welcomed him warmly.
“You've been through a lot.”
For some reason, his gentle smile made him tremble uncontrollably.