Chapter 69
Trading Company's Youngest Son Chapter 69 Chapter 69. Fishing for Talent (4) Soon, the wings of the fan began to turn, and a cool breeze blew onto the emperor's face. “Oh!” The emperor was very pleased and exclaimed repeatedly. However, the other ministers who saw this looked very envious.Yes, this is what I wanted. The emperor nodded repeatedly as he felt the breeze from the wind chime. “What a mysterious artifact! Are you planning to sell these to others?” “Yes,” replied my father, quickly adding, “Since Your Majesty likes it so much, our trading company would like to present you with 500 wind chimes.” "Five hundred?“ the emperor continued. ”Five hundred of these instruments... Your heart is truly noble. Hmm, then I must offer you something in return. Isn't that right, Captain Jin?“ The emperor asked the captain standing beside him, and he replied, ”Do as you wish.“ ”Yes, yes. How much do you plan to sell these wind instruments for?“ ”I am thinking of selling it for about three chickens.“ The emperor was surprised by his father's answer and asked, ”What? You want to sell it for such a low price? This will surely bring a considerable profit to the Trading Company!“ ”That is honestly how I feel,“ my father replied slowly and calmly. ”But everyone suffers from the heat, and some even lose their lives because of it. I hope that these items will be widely used and help people beat the heat.“ ”Oh! How noble of you to think of the people.“ ”Therefore, I would like the trading companies here to produce these fans so that many people can escape the heat." What the emperor wanted at that moment was to stabilize public opinion and the royal finances.This is because the emperor was in a power struggle with his ministers. In such a situation, my father's words must have sounded very sweet to the emperor. “Yes, you said Eunhae Trading Company, right?” “Yes, sir.” "I am impressed by your heart, and I will do as you say. However, I will distribute half of the profits from the sale of these fans.“ I was taken aback by his order. Honestly, I had intended to give the emperor a gift to strengthen our ties. But the emperor gave us something even better. He was giving us half of the profits from the sale of the fans without any conditions! ”We accept the emperor's order."My father and I quickly knelt down and expressed our gratitude. “We are deeply honored!” “Then you may leave.” At the emperor's command, I stepped forward. “With all due respect, may I stay in a corner of the palace for a while and leave after sunset?” "And you?“ ”I am Eun Seo-ho, the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company.“ ”Ah...“ The emperor looked at me meaningfully. ”What is the reason?“ ”It is because of the heat. Most of the captains, except for me, are not young, and some are even over 70 years old. The sun is still hot, and I am worried that they may lose their health, so I dared to make this request.“ ”Tsk, tsk, you are not that weak... Didn't the eunuchs use their sleeves to block the sun? They will do the same when you leave, so there is no need to worry...“ The emperor was not stupid. Noticing something strange in our expressions, he asked me, ”Why do you look like that?“ ”I apologize. I made a mistake.“ ”No, Tell me why you look like that.“ ”I am sorry to report that we did not see any umbrellas on our way here.“ ”What?“ ”I was worried that the elderly captain would collapse, so I carried him on my back." Once again, I am slow to respond.The captain's expression darkened at my words, probably because the representatives of the trading company he had chosen had been insulted. After thinking for a moment, the emperor gave an order. “Bring the eunuchs who accompanied them.” “Yes!” Soon, a group of eunuchs entered the private audience chamber. They were the eunuchs who had accompanied us. “You called?” "Yes. I have something to ask you.“ ”Yes, Your Majesty.“ ”Did you put the crown on them on their way here today?“ ”....“ The eunuchs were taken aback by his question. Perhaps they didn't expect the emperor to ask such a direct question. While everyone was hesitating, one of the eunuchs replied, ”No, we did not.“ ”Why not?“ ”They are not distinguished guests as defined by imperial law. The crown is only to be worn by His Majesty, imperial family members, and high-ranking officials. How could you order us to place it on them?" How dare he speak so boldly? What does he think he's doing?The emperor smiled slightly at his words. “You have forgotten one thing. Even when the emperor orders it, you may cover their heads with hoods.” “I am aware that there is no such law.” “Is that so? Cabinet Secretary.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” “Who is correct?” The Cabinet Secretary replied to the question, “Your Majesty is correct. It is written in the supplementary provisions.” The Cabinet Secretary then recited the contents of the supplementary provisions. I was not mistaken after all. With such a provision, it is no wonder that the captains of the five major trading companies wore masks when they entered the imperial palace. “We were ignorant and did not know.” “Please forgive us.” They said so because the emperor had been generous in forgiving them until now. However, one must choose the right time and place to stretch one's legs.One of the eunuchs said, “Your Majesty, they are lowly merchants. How can you use mourning robes for lowly merchants? This will damage your majesty's dignity.” “Mourning robes are too much for people who know nothing but money.” “Now that you mention it, I have a suggestion. Please leave the salt distribution law to us eunuchs.” "It is inappropriate for Your Majesty to deal with them personally.“ Ah, so they're eyeing the profits from the salt distribution law. They're stretching their legs at the right time and place. The emperor said, ”Then does that make me lowly for employing lowly merchants?“ ”No, that's not what we meant…" The emperor was looking for an opportunity to control the court officials.Amidst all this, the opportunity presented itself. “If you want to refute me, you must do so with proper knowledge. How dare you try to insult me with your sharp tongue.” The emperor rebuked them calmly. "These people are at the forefront of the salt distribution law for the people. How dare you call them lowly?“ ”....“ ”I hear that some eunuchs have been taking bribes over the salt distribution rights. Could that be why you're harboring such resentment and acting so boldly?“ ”...!“ At those words, the eunuchs quickly knelt before him. ”No, Your Majesty!“ ”Absolutely not!“ ”If that weren't the case, you wouldn't have asked me to let you enforce the salt distribution law. So how much did you take?“ The emperor already knew. And judging by the expression on Captain Jin's face, he knew too. That meant that in three months, the eunuchs would be stripped of everything they had. ”We'll find out when we investigate. Imprison them all!“ ”Yes!“ At the emperor's command, the imperial guards dragged the eunuchs away. ”It's unfair! Your Majesty!“ ”We are innocent!" Innocent... Seeing that, I felt a sense of relief. Some might say I went too far, but they got what they deserved. If they were innocent, they would be released. And three months later, those who were meant to die would die.A short time later, we were able to leave the imperial palace with our heads bowed in shame. Everyone except me... I was led into a building. “Please wait here for a moment.” The court official treated me with extreme courtesy. It must have been because he saw the court officials who had accompanied us earlier being taken away. “Yes.” I wondered why I was the only one who had to wait there, but the court official did not explain anything.As I waited, thinking about this and that, I heard the sound of people shouting outside the door. “His Majesty the Emperor is here!” Hearing their cries, I quickly stood up. When the emperor entered the room, I quickly bowed. “Long live His Majesty the Emperor! Long live, long live, long live!” “You may rise and take your seat.” "I am deeply honored.“ I cautiously sat down on a chair, and the emperor sat down in front of me. A private audience with the emperor! Could it be that this was why I was summoned? My father said that I had to go to Beijing because it was the emperor's order. ”I asked you to come here because I wanted to express my gratitude.“ ”What?“ ”I heard that you saved the life of Captain Jin in Sichuan. I wanted to express my gratitude.“ ”No, no! I only did what I had to do. How can I accept your gratitude for doing what was my duty? I am deeply honored.“ ”Captain Jin saved my life. If he had been killed while carrying out my orders, I would have been deeply saddened.“ ”....“ ”That is why I am expressing my gratitude.“ I just bowed my head without saying a word. ”I have something to ask you.“ ”Speak.“ ”Did you deliberately say that you would leave the palace after the sun set earlier?“ ”...Yes.“ I confessed the truth. There was no need to beat around the bush and risk angering him when he already knew. ”It was because I realized that they despised us and did not give us a coffin. As far as I know, there are eunuchs who belong to the private guard...“ ”That means you used a coffin.“ The emperor continued. ”Then you did that because you were despised?“ ”I cannot say that is not the case. But there was a bigger reason than that.“ ”What was that?“ ”It was because the eunuchs, who are supposed to be the emperor's right-hand men, disobeyed the emperor's orders.“ I continued, ”It is because this country is stable that merchants like us are able to travel freely throughout the land and buy and sell goods. If the world becomes chaotic because of politicians who do not fear the emperor's orders, merchants like us will be the first to suffer.“ ”Continue.“ ”And if merchants like us suffer, though it saddens me to say so, the goods will stop flowing, and ultimately the people will suffer. Then this country will...“”Collapse.“”I apologize.“”No. You are speaking the truth; how can I blame you?“ the emperor said. ”So, in the end, your actions were for your own gain?“”Yes.“ After thinking for a moment, the emperor laughed loudly. ”Hahahaha! You are truly a bold man! You are threatening that if the merchants collapse, the people's lives and this country will collapse.“ I did not deny it. It was just as the emperor said. ”Actually, I also thought their behavior was very presumptuous, so I was thinking of taking action one day.“ It was just as I thought. ”I have something to thank you for and apologize for.“ ”....“ ”I heard that you almost met with disaster on your way here. I hear you used your wits to escape.“ ”I was just lucky.“ ”It was my fault for not handling the situation properly. I apologize.“ ”I am deeply sorry!“ ”I hear that all of his men have fled. And Captain Jin asked me to stop pursuing them.“ ”... You asked me to do so.“ ”The servants are not at fault. Nor are their families. I did so because I was afraid that if they were killed or lost their livelihoods, their resentment would fall on Your Majesty.“ The emperor looked at me for a moment. ”How old are you?“ ”I am fifteen.“ ”I see.“ As we exchanged a few words, a court official said from the side, ”Your Majesty, your next appointment is almost here.“ ”Is it already time?“ The emperor said regretfully. ”I hope we can meet again. Have a safe trip back.“ ”Yes, Your Majesty." With that, the emperor left the room, and I let out a sigh.I think I did well not to offend the emperor, but his presence was overwhelming. I lost my nerve without even realizing it. Anyway, I received both gratitude and an apology from the emperor. Should my family take pride in this? But the fact that I heard such words in a private room means that I must be careful what I say... The people who had gathered at the residence of Captain Jinwoo Rim began to leave one by one.They were all busy people. The Eunhae Trading Company group also hurried to Hubei Province. Seok Il-song was by my side. We gained several benefits from this trip to Beijing, but I think the biggest achievement was Seok Il-song. We caught a talented person.