I was momentarily speechless at the Emperor’s words.
I hadn’t expected him to mention the Murim Alliance.
The fact that he directly named them meant he had solid evidence.
There was no reason to hide it and risk offending him.
“Indeed, Your Majesty. That’s correct.”
The Emperor stared at me for a moment, then spoke.
“Very well. I’ll grant your request.”
“Pardon?”
Honestly, I expected him to ask why I was so wary of the Murim Alliance.
But instead, without asking anything, he simply agreed to help.
It left me bewildered.
“So then, which grand scholars would you like me to summon for you?”
I quickly pushed down my surprise and pulled out the prepared documents.
“Here they are.”
“You’re always prepared, I see.”
The eunuch took the documents from my hands and delivered them to the Emperor.
The Emperor skimmed them and nodded.
“Understood. I’ll drag in every one of these loafers for you.”
“They’re grand scholars… Calling them loafers…”
“Well, if they’ve buried their knowledge and experience by retiring to the countryside instead of using it for the nation, then loafers they are.”
“…”
I had no argument for that.
“When this happens, you just say ‘I am eternally grateful for Your Majesty’s grace.’”
“I am eternally grateful for Your Majesty’s grace.”
I bowed deeply, then continued.
“There is… one more request.”
“What is it?”
“Please have the palace provide funding for Apricot Blossom Academy.”
“For what reason?”
I explained.
“There are two reasons, Your Majesty. First, it creates legitimate grounds for issuing the imperial decree to the scholars.”
“True. If the palace provides funding, it officially becomes part of the nation’s efforts. Unless those scholars are pretending to be virtuous while acting like hypocrites, they can’t refuse.”
“The second reason is… to relieve any concerns Your Majesty might have.”
“That’s too vague. Explain further.”
I immediately clarified.
“Since Your Majesty might be concerned that the seedlings raised at Apricot Blossom Academy would lean toward the Eunhae Merchant Group… I propose this.”
“In other words, by having the palace also invest, it serves as a brace to balance things.”
“Yes. And funding also grants the palace the right to supervise the academy.”
.
.
.
On my way back to the Yeonjun Merchant Group after leaving the palace.
One thing kept bothering me.
The fact that the word ‘Murim Alliance’ came from the Emperor’s lips.
Perhaps… when I mentioned it during the imperial exam incident, the Emperor began taking them seriously.
With his intelligence network, it wouldn’t be hard to discover that the Murim Alliance was behind it.
Could this be… borrowing a knife to kill (借刀殺人)? (TL Note: Basically means to get someone else to pull the trigger)
Was he trying to use my academy to keep the Murim Alliance in check?
Well… whatever the case, as long as I could bring grand scholars to the academy, I didn’t care.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
The Emperor had agreed to fund two-tenths of the academy’s costs.
I had suggested one-tenth, but he offered two-tenths, which showed how much he approved of my proposal.
This also gave the palace the right to supervise the academy’s operations.
But I wasn’t worried.
Transparent financial management had always been the policy passed down in the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Besides, the fact that the palace was funding and supervising would only make the academy seem even more trustworthy and clean in the public’s eyes.
The important thing was how we framed this act of grace.
The plan shifted slightly from the original, but it was actually more satisfying.
After all, the goal of sending academy graduates into the palace wasn’t for personal gain.
It was to check the power of the Murim Alliance.
Of course… the merchant group would benefit as well.
In the end, this visit to the palace had let me catch not just two, but multiple rabbits at once.
The Emperor strolled through his private garden, deep in thought.
He had an old friend.
His name was Hwangbo Hui (皇甫輝).
He was a member of the Hwangbo family, who had served the royal family as martial officials for generations.
He wasn’t just an old friend but a childhood companion who had grown up with the Emperor.
When the Emperor was still a prince assigned to a royal estate, Hwangbo Hui went with him.
He was also the only person the Emperor could confide in when traveling to Beijing with the help of Merchant Lord Jin U-rim.
But when the Emperor ascended the throne, Hwangbo Hui expressed his desire to step away from officialdom and serve the people directly.
That was when the legend of the Ghost-faced Constable began.
Many years passed, and eventually, Hwangbo Hui retired completely.
The Emperor, understanding his friend’s heart, praised his service but didn’t stop him from retiring.
Then, one day, a letter arrived from Hwangbo Hui.
[Once I accomplish my final wish, I was planning to leave this place… but it seems I’ll need to stay longer. I’ve found someone rather interesting—Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group.]
At the time, the Emperor found it curious that his notoriously picky friend had taken interest in someone.
But with the heavy load of state affairs, he soon let it pass.
Still, the Emperor eventually met that young man.
It was because that young merchant had saved the life of Merchant Lord Jin U-rim, who was the Emperor’s benefactor.
“Thanks to a young merchant, I survived.”
“That is truly fortunate. Who is this person?”
“Yes. A young merchant named Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
Hearing that name again from Merchant Lord Jin U-rim’s lips—the same name mentioned in Hwangbo Hui’s letter—piqued the Emperor’s curiosity.
Using the excuse of delivering his gratitude, the Emperor summoned Eun Seo-ho for a conversation.
The Emperor, who always had an appetite for talent, was thoroughly impressed.
But at the time, Seo-ho was only fifteen.
There was no way to put someone that young to work in the palace.
Still, the Emperor felt he had to repay both his old friend for easing his boredom and Merchant Lord Jin U-rim for having his life saved.
So he asked his old friend to gift Seo-ho a priceless artifact—a pouch of immeasurable value.
But the real reason he asked for that gift… was to create a debt.
He believed that someone like Eun Seo-ho would make excellent use of that pouch.
And the bigger the benefit… the greater the debt.
Additionally, he assigned Seo-ho the responsibility of managing Windcraft Fan sales and granted him permission for periodic palace visits.
To make sure he wouldn’t run away.
Time passed.
Recently, the Emperor received another letter from his old friend.
It was a full report on the Eunhae Merchant Group’s plans to establish Apricot Blossom Academy in Beijing.
The moment he read it, the Emperor immediately grasped the real purpose behind the academy.
[Your Majesty may already be aware of the intent behind this… but a troublesome situation has arisen. Some foolish scholars…]
As expected, Eun Seo-ho wasn’t someone who’d miss such an opportunity.
‘Planting people inside the palace… huh.’
From the Emperor’s perspective, it wasn’t exactly pleasant to have his own officials working in favor of the Eunhae Merchant Group rather than the court.
But that Eunhae Merchant Group had Eun Seo-ho.
In other words, it meant that only the most outstanding talents would be handpicked and placed inside the palace.
As long as they devoted themselves wholeheartedly for the nation, a bit of deviation could be overlooked.
‘But that kid… wouldn’t go through all this just for that simple reason.’
The Emperor recalled the incident during the imperial examination.
Thanks to Seo-ho, he had been able to weed out those attempting to pass through dishonest means.
He had those cheaters thoroughly investigated and discovered that the force behind them was the Murim Alliance.
There wasn’t clear evidence.
But it was enough for the Emperor to remain wary of them.
Now… the Emperor wondered how Eun Seo-ho had discovered that information.
‘He said he figured it out after seeing his cousin’s drinking companion meeting with a suspicious person at the brothel…’
But then, how did he even recognize that person as suspicious?
The only explanation was that those suspicious individuals were from the Murim Alliance and that Eun Seo-ho had already been wary of them for some time.
But why had he been wary?
The way Seo-ho reacted when asked, ‘Is it because of the Murim Alliance?’… made it clear.
It was fleeting, but unmistakable.
Revenge.
‘What kind of grudge could fuel such bitter vengeance?’
The Emperor knew that no matter how hard he tried, it was impossible to completely prevent the Murim Alliance from planting someone in the palace.
Eun Seo-ho knew that as well.
That’s why he was establishing an academy.
To raise his own talents and place them within the palace to keep watch.
And to the Emperor… that wasn’t a bad thing.
He too despised the Murim Alliance for trying to corrupt the palace with underhanded means.
As if he didn’t already have enough to deal with, now this?
The Emperor glanced down at the list in his hand.
The fact that Seo-ho had prepared this in advance showed how confident he was about achieving his goals.
The Emperor once again admired Seo-ho’s boldness and talent.
“Hahahaha!”
Ironically, everyone on that list were those who had resigned quickly to hide out in the countryside, predicting the Emperor would soon push his officials harder.
Despite their great knowledge and abilities.
The Emperor couldn’t help but laugh as he imagined their faces when they received his decree.
He handed the list to the eunuch.
“Send imperial decrees to these men. Tell them to use their talents to educate future generations at Apricot Blossom Academy.”
“As Your Majesty commands.”
“Oh, and if any refuse… tell them I’ll spread word that they’re hypocrites.”
“It shall be done.”
The Emperor couldn’t stop smiling.
Thanks to Eun Seo-ho’s suggestion about investing palace funds, he now had a perfect justification to issue imperial decrees to the scholars.
He also secured the right to supervise the academy, which would shut the mouths of the noisy ministers.
The Emperor didn’t plan to fund the two-tenths entirely from the palace budget.
Half would come from the palace treasury, and the other half from the imperial family’s private funds.
‘That kid… surely made this offer because he knew he’d gain something even greater than what I’ll get from it.’
The Eun Seo-ho he knew never did anything that lost money.
Which made him even more eager to see what lay ahead.
‘Grow quickly… so I can drag you into my service.’
The construction of Apricot Blossom Academy progressed rapidly.
Once the palace funds were invested, the carpenters and workers, fearing for their necks, worked even harder.
I made sure to provide them with plenty of meals to keep morale high.
And then…
The grand scholars who’d received the imperial decree arrived in Beijing.
Their expressions were no different from cows being dragged to a slaughterhouse.
Seeing this, Palgap spoke worriedly.
“Young Master… no matter how great the teachers are, if they’ve no motivation, can they really teach well?”
I smirked.
“Don’t worry. Even if they teach reluctantly, the students will still learn. Besides, they’re scholars at the top of their field.”
“Huh?”
“One of the three joys of a gentleman is to gain talented disciples and teach them. It’s every scholar’s dream.”
I said this while reviewing the documents in my hands.
It was the final draft of Apricot Blossom Academy’s admissions notice.
“I think it’s good to go as is. Post it.”
.
.
.
Fifteen days later.
“Department Chief! We’ve got a huge problem! Over a thousand people have shown up at the academy!”
The academy’s Chief Administrator came running to me, panicked.
“What? O-over a thousand? But our capacity’s only a hundred!”
“We need to figure out what to do immediately.”
I rushed toward the academy’s front gate.
There, I saw the massive crowd lined up.
“W-what in the world is this?”
Palgap gasped in shock.
I was just as stunned.
“I… didn’t think this many would show up.”
The Chief Administrator gave me an exasperated look.
“Let’s be honest. Not only do we have five grand scholars, but the facilities are excellent, full dormitory accommodations, free supplies, and full tuition waivers for top students. This… was kind of expected, wasn’t it?”
“…”
Now that I thought about it… yeah, that made sense.
Maybe… I’d done the job a little too well.
“Anyway, we need to act fast.”
I, the Chief Administrator, and the teachers quickly gathered to discuss.
In the end, we decided to hold an entrance exam.
There was no way we could handle more than a hundred students.
Over the next five days, we administered tests and graded them.
And so… the final list of one hundred students was decided.
.
.
.
By the time the warm winds of April arrived…
Apricot Blossom Academy, with its apricot blossoms in full bloom, officially opened.
Classrooms echoed with the sound of students reading aloud.
As I glanced around, I spotted a familiar face and smiled.
It was the older brother of the child Clerk Bo-uk had rescued from the river.
He was now studying in one of the classrooms.
And… he was also the very first student to receive the Eunhae Merchant Group’s education sponsorship.
Apricot petals fluttered in the spring breeze.
A favorable wind indeed.
–TL Notes–
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Please, Sir. May I have some more?