The Emperor urged me on.
“Go on. Speak.”
Um… Your Majesty.
Didn’t Your Majesty say no to everything I wanted to ask for?
Still, I had no way to let a chance like this slip by.
So I had no choice but to bring out the backup plan I’d prepared, just in case.
“Your Majesty. What this humble merchant wants is for Your Majesty to trust me once, at some point in the future.”
“You want me to trust your word?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I don’t know when that day will come, but when it does, and I remind Your Majesty of the promise made today, I ask that Your Majesty believe me without fail. That is my wish.”
This wish was for my future.
By succeeding in this matter, I’d become, in every sense of the word, one of the Emperor’s favored subjects.
Not that I’d wanted that.
Which meant there might come a day when someone tried to frame me.
And when that happened, what I’d need was time.
If the Emperor bought me time, I’d have more than enough room to break free of whatever trap someone laid for me.
Or maybe the Murim Alliance would poison the Imperial Palace. In that case too, if the Emperor bought me time, I could remove the poison.
In more ways than one, this was my own precaution for the future.
The Emperor mulled over my words for a moment, then nodded.
“It is a simple request, and yet a very difficult one.”
As expected of the Emperor.
The fact that he’d grasped the true meaning behind my request proved it.
“But I did say I would grant your wish, and as Emperor, I cannot speak twice with one mouth. Very well. I will grant your request. And in addition, I shall bestow ten bolts of silk upon you.”
“Your Majesty’s grace is boundless.”
With that, the rewards came to an end with me.
The Emperor rose from his seat and walked over to the Embroidered Guard warriors, personally patting them on the shoulder.
But… when he got to one of them, his face filled with a particularly proud, satisfied look.
That expression…
It was the same look Father used to wear when he looked at me or my brothers.
No way?
The moment I saw it, everything I hadn’t understood until now suddenly clicked into place.
Cold sweat began to trickle down my back.
Didn’t I force So Un to the ground with my sword pressed on him?
And even if it was an act… I made him bark like a dog in front of me… and I even slapped him.
This is… fine, right?
Still, I did smooth things over with him afterward.
But what if it isn’t fine?
In my previous life, Jinseung Prince told me that his eldest brother, Prince Seongbo, had the kind of obsessive personality where once something caught his interest, that was all he could see…
I made up my mind.
I don’t know a thing.
Just then, the Emperor patted me on the shoulder and said,
“Imperial Prince Ju Hyeon wishes to see you.”
A little later.
Escorted by a eunuch, I headed off to meet Imperial Prince Ju Hyeon.
I wasn’t taken straight to the prince’s residence, but to a room in one of the palace halls.
“Please wait here. I will bring His Highness.”
“Yes.”
I was waiting while looking around the room when a familiar young man stepped inside.
It was Imperial Prince Ju Hyeon.
I hurriedly rose and offered my respects.
“Sit.”
“Yes.”
Once I sat back down, a palace maid entered and poured tea for me.
“How are you feeling?”
At my question, the prince answered.
“The physicians were astonished. They said that with the condition I was in, it shouldn’t have been easy for my body to recover so quickly, and yet I’ve already improved this much.”
The prince looked at me and continued.
“It must be thanks to the Elixir you gave me and used while treating me.”
Ah… that was Geumryeong’s saliva, though.
But ignorance was a blessing, so I only smiled faintly and bowed my head.
That made Imperial Prince Ju Hyeon start drawing his own conclusions.
“Surely that wasn’t an Elixir you were carrying for yourself?”
“…”
“Good heavens! Something so precious, and you used it for me…”
“No matter how precious an Elixir may be, it can never be worth more than a person’s life.”
At my words, the prince looked at me with moved eyes.
Yeah, this is getting a little hard to handle.
“You cleared Springview Fortress’s Lord’s name and even saved my life… How am I supposed to repay a debt like this…”
“I only moved under His Majesty’s command. And if you’re speaking of a reward, His Majesty already gave me one.”
I continued.
“So please focus on your recovery. I went through a great deal to save Your Highness, so I think the greatest reward I could receive is seeing you healthy and well.”
At that, he nodded.
“I understand. I will do everything I can to recover. Though now I think I understand why people call you the Handsome Young Hero.”
Cough!
I never expected to hear that title coming from a member of the imperial family.
Just then, a voice sounded from outside the room.
“Consort Hwarun enters.”
I’d felt several people approaching, but so it was Consort Hwarun.
Consort Hwarun was Imperial Prince Ju Hyeon’s mother.
It looked like she’d come all this way because of her son.
We quickly rose to our feet, and a moment later the door opened and a beautifully dressed woman entered.
I’d seen her before during the competition over the imperial silk contract.
“Eun Seo-ho, Deputy Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group, greets Consort Hwarun.”
“Raise your head.”
At her command, I slowly lifted my head.
“I heard you were here meeting the prince, so I came myself. I wanted to thank you in person for saving my son.”
She spoke to me in a gentle voice.
“Thank you for saving my son.”
“Forgive me, Consort Hwarun, but this matter was only resolved because the Embroidered Guard warriors worked so hard. I did very little.”
“Do you take me for a blind woman with open eyes? I know very well how great your contribution was. If not for you, I might have lost two precious sons.”
Hm? Two sons?
Besides Imperial Prince Ju Hyeon, who else…?
Ah, don’t tell me So Un…?
Consort Hwarun had three sons.
The first was Prince Seongbo, whom I still hadn’t met. The second was Imperial Prince Ju Hyeon, whom I’d saved this time. And the third was Prince Jinseung, whom I’d known in my previous life.
Then that meant So Un really was Prince Seongbo?
Ah… in my previous life, Prince Seongbo might have seen Imperial Prince Ju Hyeon’s corpse.
That would explain why he wiped out Springview Fortress so brutally.
The So Un I’d seen definitely had an emotional streak, so if he’d seen his younger brother’s corpse in that state…
No, but why was a prince serving in the Embroidered Guard? And even hiding his identity, at that.
Still, I needed to put those questions aside for now and focus on the present.
Anyway, if So Un was Consort Hwarun’s son, then there was a good chance he’d told her about what I’d done.
I put on a modest expression.
“All of this is only thanks to His Majesty’s grace.”
“I expected you to say that. And I will never forget this debt.”
“For Your Ladyship to remember this humble merchant, your grace is deeper than the sea.”
“Forgive me for interrupting the time between you two. I should take my leave now.”
With that, Consort Hwarun left.
I spoke with Imperial Prince Ju Hyeon a little longer, then urged him to get some rest.
“You should go and lie down now. They say you recovered quickly, but you still need more time to recuperate.”
The truth was, I wanted to get out of that awkward room as fast as possible and head to the Beijing Branch.
I mean, Geumryeong’s saliva was absurdly effective.
.
.
.
I left the Imperial Palace and headed straight for the Beijing Branch.
They say life’s hard once you leave home, but who would’ve thought I’d be back after only three months?
“Deputy Merchant Lord, you’re here?”
“You’re back, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
The people at the Beijing Branch welcomed me warmly.
Thankfully, everyone seemed to be doing well.
“You all worked hard while I was gone. It’s late today, so let’s go eat something good tomorrow.”
“Sounds great!”
Everyone cheered at my words.
After greeting them like that, I headed straight for my office.
Lady Seohyang stopped me.
“Deputy Merchant Lord, there’s nothing urgent you need to handle right now.”
“Ah, really?”
That was strange. I’d been gone that long, and there was nothing I had to deal with right away?
“It seems His Majesty ordered things to be put off a little.”
“Ah… I see.”
Was that something I was supposed to be grateful for…?
“So go wash up and get some sleep first.”
“I think I will.”
At that, Palgap said,
“Then I’ll get your bathwater ready.”
I let out a quiet laugh as I watched Palgap hurry off toward my quarters, then turned back to Lady Seohyang.
“Deputy Gwak.”
“Yes.”
“This time, your advice helped more than you know. Thank you. Truly.”
At my thanks, she smiled and shook her head.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I only did what I obviously had to do, if only for my own safety.”
Well, that was true. To her, I was practically a lifeline.
Looked at that way, it really was only natural, but gratitude was gratitude.
That day, after washing in warm water and feeling refreshed in both body and mind, I stretched out on my bed.
Home really is best.
Of course, this wasn’t the main group’s real home, but somewhere along the way, this place had become just as comfortable to me as home.
The moment I lay down, my consciousness blurred, and I fell asleep at once.
.
.
.
When I opened my eyes, I slowly got up from bed and stretched.
Maybe because I’d finally gotten some real sleep after so long, I felt completely refreshed.
When I opened the door and stepped outside, Escort Guards Myeong Jong and Lee Pil, who had been standing watch outside, greeted me with cupped fists.
“Did you rest well?”
“Ah, yes. But what time is it…?”
“You slept for two straight days.”
That made me feel a little sheepish.
“I slept that much? I said we’d go eat something good, and now I’ve gone and broken my promise.”
“It’s fine. Everyone understands. And honestly, this wasn’t exactly an ordinary matter.”
“That’s right. And considering everything you were carrying on your shoulders, Deputy Merchant Lord, it must’ve been several times harder on you than it was on us.”
Something about those words hit me right in the chest.
“Ah, you should eat first and then head straight to your office.”
“Hm?”
“We heard a flood of urgent matters started pouring in this morning.”
Ah… things had just turned really touching, and the mood shattered in an instant.
Imperial Palace.
So Un of the Embroidered Guard headed toward the Emperor’s office with Jin Yeong and Gwon Jik.
A little later, the eunuch who had announced their arrival opened the door, and the three men stepped inside.
They offered their respects.
Then So Un spoke to the Emperor.
“Father. Your son reports that he has completed the five years of service in the Embroidered Guard that Father commanded.”
“You’ve worked hard. Yes, when I first gave you that order, you must have resented me.”
“To be honest, I did at the time. But now I understand why Father gave that command, and all I feel is admiration for your foresight.”
He continued.
“Especially during this last assignment, Your son came to realize many things.”
So Un’s eyes shone as he said it.
“I learned a great deal from Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho in particular. To be honest, he was the first person who ever treated me that way.”
The Emperor had sent Eun Seo-ho into this matter because he trusted Eun Seo-ho’s ability.
But he had also hoped that his son, facing his final mission, would learn even more from it.
The Crown Prince had already been decided, but he still needed to prepare at least one alternative, just in case.
That alternative was So Un.
Others were talented as well, but none possessed the makings of an emperor.
For his age, So Un was wise and capable in many ways, but he was also impatient and overly emotional.
To correct that flaw, the Emperor had sent him to the Embroidered Guard.
He had hoped that by carrying out all kinds of missions, So Un would come to understand how the world truly worked and learn to rein in his impatience.
That flaw had been improving bit by bit, but it had never been fully corrected.
And yet, whatever had happened, this time his temperament had been completely remade.
‘But… it feels like he learned rather more than I intended.’
Still, after spending so much time watching Eun Seo-ho and learning from him, So Un would not be easily shaken by those who tried to sway him.
“You’ve worked hard. Now, as for your duties in the Embroidered Guard…”
“Father. Forgive me, but your son has a request.”
“What is it?”
“I wish to remain in the Embroidered Guard for one more year.”
Caught off guard by the request, the Emperor asked why.
“What made you decide that?”
“After reflecting on it, Your son realized that all this time he had only been a burden on the Embroidered Guard warriors. So even if it’s only for one more year, I wish to continue serving and become of some help to them.”
His eyes were sparkling, and his sincerity came through clearly.
“I feel that, as I am now, I may be able to make up for what I lacked before.”
“What you lacked… Then you must know the reason for that lack.”
“Of course. I have too much hot blood. I’m too emotional. And that all came from pride.”
So Un spoke boldly.
“All this time, I couldn’t let go of the pride that came with the position given to me. But through this matter, I realized something. Pride depends on what Your son makes of it.”
He continued.
“When I let go of the pride I’d been given this time, I started seeing new things. What I’d been clinging to all along wasn’t my real pride. I finally understood that true pride comes from my words, my actions, and my achievements.”
“You’ve already realized that? I’m proud of you.”
“In truth, it was thanks to Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho that I came to realize it.”
As he said that, his face was faintly flushed.
“It seems Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho taught you a great deal.”
“Yes, he did. This time, Your son truly came to understand why Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho is called the Handsome Young Hero. He is a truly remarkable man.”
Watching that face full of admiration, the Emperor suddenly began to feel sorry for Eun Seo-ho.
‘My apologies. Even I can’t stop that boy once he gets fixated on something.’
–TL Notes–
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