The Emperor tilted his head at my request, but soon nodded.
"Everyone, leave us."
At those words, Warrior Jin Yeong and everyone else nearby filed out of the room.
"Now then, why did you ask me to clear the room?"
"Because of this."
I placed the box I had carefully brought with me on the table before speaking.
"Bring it here."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Grand Eunuch who had remained behind carried the box over.
Even if he asked everyone else to leave, that obviously didn't include the Grand Eunuch or the guards concealed above the ceiling.
The Grand Eunuch opened the box and presented its contents to the Emperor.
"Hm?"
The Emperor's eyebrows twitched.
"What is this?"
"They belong to the Imperial Family."
The Emperor's eyes immediately lit up with excitement, and he turned to the Grand Eunuch.
"Bring me the Imperial Treasure Register."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Even the Grand Eunuch looked excited as he hurried off, practically running.
Before long, he returned with a book, and the Emperor began flipping through its pages.
So that's the book where they record all the Imperial Family's treasures.
After turning pages for quite some time, the Emperor's hand suddenly stopped.
"Isn't this the Thousand-Li Mirror that disappeared nearly eighty years ago?"
"Is that so?"
"And this one vanished fifty years ago. It's an Artifact capable of revealing another person's whereabouts!"
"I see."
Huh. Now that I look at them properly, these Artifacts are actually pretty valuable.
Did I make a mistake deciding to give them back?
I felt a brief pang of regret, but quickly dismissed the thought.
Carrying Imperial Family property around would only invite trouble.
Returning it in advance and squeezing an appropriate reward out of the Emperor was a hundred times better.
After taking a moment to calm his excitement, the Emperor looked at me.
"I cannot possibly let this pass without asking. Where did you find these, and how did you obtain them?"
"Your Majesty. To tell you the truth, when I first discovered them, I briefly entertained the disgraceful thought of simply keeping my mouth shut. I was worried that revealing where these Artifacts came from would only end up causing me trouble."
I continued.
"So, if Your Majesty wishes to hear where I found them, I would first like your word that I won't be placed in a difficult position because of what I tell you."
"How insolent! You dare make demands of His Majesty the Emp–!"
"Enough!"
The Emperor raised a hand and silenced the Grand Eunuch.
"You have my word."
"Your Majesty's grace is boundless."
I respectfully bowed with clasped hands before continuing.
"I personally recovered those Imperial treasures from the bottom of the sea."
"You recovered them from the sea?"
"Yes. While investigating the corruption surrounding Hainan Island, I needed to verify whether those ships had truly sunk, so I went beneath the sea myself."
"You went beneath the sea yourself? You're even more capable than I thought."
"It was dangerous, admittedly, but it was necessary. If those ships really had sunk, then their wrecks should still have been lying somewhere on the seafloor."
After catching my breath, I continued.
"Once I went down, I found several sunken ships resting on the seabed, just as I'd expected. I discovered those items while searching through the wrecks."
The Emperor silently listened as I continued explaining what had happened at the time.
Of course, I had no choice but to mix a few lies into the story.
It's not like I could tell him, Actually, Geumryeong swept everything into the Hidden Vault for me.
"I couldn't bear to leave Imperial Family treasures down there to decay, so I brought them back with me."
At that moment, the Grand Eunuch spoke with a delighted expression.
"Your Majesty, in that case, perhaps it would be wise to conduct a more thorough search of the area. There may be other Imperial treasures there, along with additional gold, silver, and valuables."
Excuse me, Grand Eunuch. I've already cleaned the place out.
And that money is mine. I did all the work, so who exactly do you think I'm handing it over to?
Hey! Close that mouth of yours.
"Cough! Cough!"
I deliberately started coughing.
"My apologies. I spent far too long beneath the sea at the time…"
"Good heavens! Are you all right?"
"As long as I don't overexert myself… Cough! Cough! I'll be fine."
I continued.
"Your Majesty, do you remember the promise I asked you to make a moment ago?"
"I remember. I promised not to put you in a difficult position because of this."
"I asked because I expected someone might make precisely the suggestion the Grand Eunuch just made. I already risked my life diving into the deep sea to resolve this matter. Asking me to search for anything else would essentially mean asking me to risk my life again."
At my words, the Grand Eunuch looked distinctly embarrassed. I wasn't about to stop there, though.
"If Your Majesty truly commands it, I will make the attempt, but I can't say whether it would even be possible anymore. As I was leaving, some wreckage that had barely been holding together finally collapsed, burying the area beneath the seabed."
I needed to make sure they wouldn't simply send someone else down there to search.
"Besides, the equipment and preparations required for such an undertaking aren't exactly cheap, and neither would be the cost of sending me all the way back there… Would Your Majesty still like me to proceed?"
At that, the Emperor glanced down at the expense report I had submitted before slowly shaking his head with an exhausted expression.
"What a pointless waste of money. Wouldn't you agree, Grand Eunuch?"
There was a sharp edge beneath the Emperor's seemingly casual words, and the Grand Eunuch immediately dropped to his knees.
"Please punish this subject for his foolishness."
"Enough. Get up."
"Your Majesty's grace is boundless."
The Emperor turned back toward the Artifacts, looking thoroughly pleased.
"Besides, you've already done more than enough by recovering these treasures for me. How could I possibly ask for more?"
Then he turned his gaze back to me.
"Now, tell me what you want."
"Pardon?"
"Don't tell me you returned all of these out of the goodness of your heart without wanting anything in return. I know what kind of bastard you are."
As expected of Your Majesty.
I continued.
"But I don't even know how valuable these items are. How could I confidently name a reward when I have no idea what they're worth?"
"You crafty bastard."
He grumbled, but there was a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
After thinking for a moment, the Emperor finally spoke.
"At your current position, I imagine the thing you have the most reason to worry about is how others perceive you."
"…"
"There will undoubtedly be those who dislike how much favor I show you."
The Emperor lightly tapped the report I had submitted with his finger as he continued.
"According to this, your influence and reputation on Hainan Island have grown to the point that they nearly eclipse even mine. The Embroidered Guard or the Eastern Depot may very well express concerns about that. Their loyalty is admirable, but sometimes they take it too far, and that becomes a problem in itself."
As expected, Your Majesty.
You know exactly how this works.
"Of course, there are also those who genuinely harbor ulterior motives."
Uh… What exactly am I supposed to say to that? Fortunately, the Emperor didn't wait for me to respond.
"I'll grant you immunity."
"Pardon?"
"Exactly as I said. Even if others raise concerns about you in the future, no one will be permitted to harm you without my express command. Would that suffice as payment?"
Immunity?!
That was a reward I hadn't even remotely considered.
"To bestow such an immense favor upon this humble merchant… Your Majesty's grace is so boundless that tears cloud my eyes."
I'm certainly grateful, but why would he grant me immunity?
Just as the Emperor knows me, I know the Emperor.
He isn't the kind of man who hands out favors for no reason.
Whenever he gives one thing, he makes sure to take back one and a half.
Not that I'm much different.
"I trust that you will continue serving me loyally."
That's it?
He's really letting me off with just that?
Were the Artifacts I recovered and returned really that valuable?
No. Even if they were, I couldn't afford to lower my guard.
"That aside, judging from your report, the merchant ships should be arriving in Nanjing before long."
"Yes, Your Majesty. That's correct. I intend to travel to Nanjing myself again to receive the Eunhae Merchant Group's ships."
"Then do some work for me while you're there."
"Would you like me to block the flow of information again, as I did last time?"
"Trade with foreign countries has already established itself well enough. There is no longer any need for that."
The Emperor was right.
At this point, the latecomers couldn't simply force their way into the market anymore.
"I'll tell you what I want you to do when the time comes."
"Understood."
"More importantly, who do you think is behind the people responsible for this incident?"
The Blood Cult.
But I couldn't tell him that yet.
Adding unnecessary details now could easily come back to bite me.
"My apologies, Your Majesty. This humble merchant still has no idea who might be responsible."
"Is that so…"
With that look in the Emperor's eyes, those people wouldn't remain unidentified for much longer.
They might have escaped notice until now, but that wouldn't be possible anymore.
They had thoroughly angered the Emperor.
* * *
As soon as I returned to the Beijing Branch, I went to find Brother Jin-ho.
"Huh? I'm going to Nanjing with you this time?"
"I told Father I'd put you aboard one of the Eunhae Merchant Group's ships in Nanjing and send you back that way."
"Well, I suppose that would be easier."
"By the way, did you read the letter Sister-in-law sent you?"
At my question, Brother Jin-ho's face turned faintly red. Just what in the world had she written in there…?
"Ahem, of course I read it. Ah! Is Hongryeo growing well?"
"Of course."
"That's a relief."
"Anyway, we're leaving the morning after tomorrow, so make sure you're ready."
The official roads between Beijing and Nanjing were well maintained, making the journey relatively comfortable and not particularly long.
That was why we could afford to take things easy.
"Got it. I'll make sure I'm ready on time. And I heard you finally decided to get married?"
"Yeah."
I nodded.
"Good choice. After messing with Deputy Gwak's heart that badly, you'd be absolute trash if you refused to marry her."
Cough!
Brother Jin-ho's sudden verbal strike felt like it inflicted internal injuries.
– Kui!
Geumryeong, why are you agreeing with him?
.
.
.
The next morning.
I summoned Palgap.
"You called for me?"
"What I'm about to order you to do is extremely, extremely important. This is a mission that will require every ounce of ability you possess."
Palgap nodded, his expression turning tense.
I gave Palgap detailed instructions, and he quietly slipped out of my quarters wearing an expression as grave as a man marching off to war.
Then I headed to my office as though nothing whatsoever had happened.
Lady Seohyang was already working when I arrived. She gave me a brief, polite greeting before immediately returning her attention to the documents in front of her.
As I walked toward my seat, I glanced at Lady Seohyang.
What happened last time had made me realize that she was far stronger inside than I'd thought.
I suppose that was why she'd been able to ask me to walk the path of vengeance alongside her.
That kind of inner strength could only be forged through countless hardships.
Then again, perhaps her ability to see the future had forced her to become strong whether she'd wanted to or not.
Thinking about it that way makes me feel grateful all over again.
"Is there something you'd like to say to me?"
"No."
I shook my head, pulled one of the documents from the pile on my desk, and opened it.
A separate sheet had been tucked inside, neatly summarizing every important point in the document at a glance.
Seriously, she's ridiculously good at her job.
Uh… Wait a second.
If Lady Seohyang becomes my wife, doesn't that mean I'll have to appoint a new deputy?
Where the hell am I supposed to find someone who works as well as she does…?
I unconsciously let out a sigh at the sudden realization, prompting Lady Seohyang to tilt her head.
"Is there something wrong with the documents?"
"No. It's not that…"
Since this concerned Lady Seohyang herself, there shouldn't be any harm in telling her.
"I was thinking that once Deputy Gwak becomes my wife, I'll have to appoint someone else as my deputy. To be frank, I've never met anyone who works as efficiently as you do, so I'm already worried about finding a replacement."
"Was that a compliment?"
"Yes. It was definitely a compliment."
"Then don't worry. I'll continue working as your deputy until you find someone suitable."
"That will be exhausting."
"If my husband is going to work himself to the bone, shouldn't I work myself to the bone too?"
"…"
Why do I suddenly feel like I need to seriously reflect on my entire life?
"I reserved a restaurant for this evening. Before I leave for Nanjing tomorrow, I thought I'd hold a banquet for everyone at the Beijing Branch to thank them for all their hard work. I'd like you to attend as well, Deputy Gwak."
"Of course. I will."
Good. That sounded perfectly natural.
That evening.
I headed to the restaurant I'd reserved with the others.
Most of the Beijing Branch personnel had already gathered inside. Brother Jin-ho had arrived early as well and had already taken a seat.
"Third Deputy Merchant Lord, welcome."
"Please, sit here."
Our group settled into our seats.
For tonight, I had rented out the entire restaurant.
Officially, the banquet was simply meant as a reward for everyone's hard work, but in truth, I had another very important reason for holding it.
I recalled the conversation I'd had with Father before returning to Beijing.
"By the way, have you formally proposed to Deputy Gwak yet?"
"If you're talking about the pearl jewelry…"
"No, not that. I'm asking whether you formally asked her to marry you."
"Well… I said something more or less along those lines."
"You–! You damned fool!"
Smack! Smack, smack!
Father repeatedly slapped me across the back with his palm.
"Ow! That hurts!"
"I hit you because I wanted it to hurt!"
"Why are you doing this?"
"Son, you still don't understand just how good a woman's memory becomes when the man she loves disappoints her."
"What?"
"Whether her memory is normally good or terrible doesn't matter. When it concerns the man she loves, she'll remember every last word perfectly. Ahem. Listen carefully."
Father continued.
"When your mother and I were newly married, she once made some snacks herself and gave them to me. I didn't know she'd made them, so I said they tasted terrible. She brought that up for five years."
"…"
"One year, I completely forgot your mother's birthday, left home that morning, and didn't return until the next day. She reminded me about that for ten years."
"…"
"Another time, she had a minor disagreement with the wife of another Merchant Group's lord, and I told her, 'You were the one in the wrong.' That one… lasted twenty years."
"…"
"And now you're telling me you intend to just slide into marriage without even formally proposing? From what I can see, that's worth at least fifty years. For the next fifty years, every single time she feels disappointed in you, she'll bring this up again. Son."
Father looked at me with complete seriousness.
"Are you really confident you can survive that?"
–TL Notes–
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