Chapter 183
The Youngest Son of the Silver Trading Company Chapter 183
Chapter 183. Preemptive Claim (2)
As soon as I realized that Daegun Trading Company was behind this, I remembered an incident that had happened in my past life.
It was autumn.
It was a time when Dongting Lake was bustling with people enjoying the autumn atmosphere.
I remembered it vividly because it happened just before I became the captain in my previous life.
Less than an hour after a ship set sail, it sank.
Thanks to the quick rescue efforts of those around me, many people were saved, but unfortunately, nearly half of them lost their lives.
Due to the severity of the accident, the emperor himself ordered a thorough investigation, and several people, including the head of the Daegun Trading Company, which operated the ship, were taken away by the Royal Guards.
The truth was eventually revealed.
It was discovered that the ship was carrying too many people for its size and that repairs and maintenance had been neglected in order to increase the number of trips.
It was revealed that safety had been neglected in order to make more profit.
This incident greatly shook the position of Daegun Trading Company, and it was eventually pushed out of the Cheonha Trading Company.
Knowing this, I was puzzled when I heard Yeon Gak-ju's explanation.
At that time, the only company operating large ships on Dongting Lake was Yeon Gak-ju's Yeon Gak-ju's Yeon Gak-ju's Yeon Gak-ju's Yeon Gak-ju's Yeon Gak-ju's Yeon Gak-ju's Yeon Gak-ju's Yeon Gak-ju's Yeon Gak-ju's Yeon Gak-ju's Yeon Gak-ju's Yeon Gak-ju's Yeon Gak-ju's Yeon Gak-ju's Yeon Gak-ju's Ye
I didn't know it at the time, but even then, Daegun Trading Company had stolen our most profitable business.
Then and now, it is difficult for Eunhae Trading Company to do anything, but there is one difference.
I came here.
Anyway, I thoroughly investigated the boat operated by Gang Seung, and found out that he was an extreme “safety first” person.
That reassured me, but I still couldn't completely relax.
If Gang Seung made a mistake, there was no guarantee that we wouldn't end up in the same situation.
Kang Seung-jin looked puzzled by my words and asked, “Is that really all you want?”
“How difficult is this?”
“Of course it's difficult, but...”
“Swear to the gods. If you fail to operate the boat safely even once, you will retire on the same day.”
“What?”
“I'm not joking.”
Seeing my cold expression, he swallowed hard and nodded.
“I understand. I swear.”
“Good.”
“By the way, with all this support, how about the financial part?”
“You haven't paid back the loan from Eunhae Trading Company yet, have you?”
“That's right.”
“In that situation, if word gets out that the Trading Company gave you this store, it will cause problems with fairness.”
“I see.”
The store owner's expression darkened.
“So, I have something else to tell you. This is my personal investment.”
“Personal?”
“It is literally my personal investment, not that of Eunhae Trading Company.”
It's great to be able to use this method because I've made a lot of money.
And it's still growing.
“Is that possible? I naturally thought that the Trading Company's money was invested. So I was prepared to accept any request you made...”
“I see. Anyway, it wouldn't be right for me to invest without getting anything in return, would it? So I'll take a share of the profits.”
My words surprised the shopkeeper, and his eyes widened. To be honest, that amount was practically nothing to me.
“What I want is for your boat to become a symbol of Dongting Lake. I want people to recognize that they have seen Dongting Lake only after riding on your boat.”
“...Why do you think so highly of me? Both of the conditions you just mentioned are ultimately for my benefit, aren't they?”
“Don't misunderstand me.”
I said sternly.
“If you make a lot of money, you'll have more money to send to Eunhae Trading Company, right? That way, you'll be able to pay back the money you borrowed from us. This is all for the good of our company.”
Even so, Mr. Kang didn't seem to believe me.
No, it's true.
It doesn't matter. As long as Mr. Kang does his job well.
“Ah! Start preparing to move here, and put up a big sign at your current location saying, 'Thanks to you, we are expanding and moving.
”Yes, sir."
I said with a smile.
“On the first day of next month, let's promote it by handing out moon cakes.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
The next day
Customers who visited Hwari Seonjeon saw a large poster on the entrance.
[Thanks to your patronage, Hwari Seonjeon is moving to a larger location. We appreciate your continued support. The new location is...“
The customers who knew the old location were surprised.
”Isn't that a really big store?“
”They're moving there?“
”Wow! They must have been really successful.“
”Well, they deserve it."
Everyone congratulated Hwari Seonjeom on its expansion and relocation.
This was because Gang Seung, the owner of Hwari Seonjeom, not only treated his customers well and operated safely, but also built up a lot of goodwill among the people around him.
Meanwhile
The person who sold the store that Hwari Seonjeom decided to move to was taken aback.
With rumors spreading that Daegun Trading Company was targeting Hwari Seonjeom, the owners of stores around Dongting Lake were cautious and did not rent or sell their stores to Hwari Seonjeom.
There was nothing to gain from making enemies of Daegun Trading Company.
He was no exception.
However, something unexpected happened in the middle of the night.
It was news that Hwari Trading Company was moving into the store he had sold.
And
“Someone from Daegun Trading Company is here to see you.”
“...”
As he had expected, someone from Daegun Trading Company came looking for him. It was the assistant manager of Daegun Trading Company.
As soon as he arrived, the assistant manager sharply asked him, “Do you have a grudge against Daegun Trading Company?”
“How could that be possible?”
“Then why did you sell your store to Hwaryeosunjeon?”
“Then why did you sell your shop to the first buyer?”
“I don't know.”
“You don't know? Does that make any sense?”
“I made the deal through a broker, and it was definitely not Kang Seung who bought the shop.”
“Then who bought the shop?”
“Please wait a moment. I'll bring the sales contract.”
He hurriedly brought the sales contract and opened it.
“Hmm...”
Sure enough, the name of the buyer was not Kang Seung.
“Eun Seo-ho?”
The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember it right away.
Anyway, that wasn't important now.
“It's not too late. Let's cancel this contract right now.”
“What?”
“Just return the money and cancel the contract, isn't that right?”
“That's... difficult.”
“Difficult? Are you really willing to lose our trust at Daegun Trading Company?”
“No!”
“Then why is it difficult?”
“It's because of this clause...”
With trembling hands, he pointed to a section of the sales contract.
[If the seller unilaterally cancels the contract, they must pay 100 times the sale price as compensation.
The Dae-Geon Trading Company representative asked in disbelief.
“100 times?”
“Yes.”
“Why is there such a clause?”
“They asked me to include it. And at the time, I had no intention of backing out of the deal, so I agreed without thinking much of it...”
“...
”Even though you asked for more than double the market price, who would think of backing out of the deal?“
”So how much did you sell it for?“
”Six hundred nyang.“
”Then the compensation is sixty thousand nyang? Ha!"
The deputy could only click his tongue.
It was virtually impossible to pay that amount of compensation and cancel the deal.
There was no way the previous owner of the store had that kind of money, and it was an impossible amount even for Dao, who had overextended himself to buy a large ship.
He glared at the previous owner of the store for a moment, then stood up abruptly.
“Where are you going?”
“There's no point in talking to you anymore. I have to go see the person who bought the shop.”
* *
The highest inn in Dongting Lake.
The higher the inn is located in Dongting Lake, the more expensive it is.
I was willing to pay the high price for this room to see Dongting Lake.
I wanted to show the beautiful Dongting Lake to Pal-gap, who had protected me from death, and to my people, who were loyal to me.
And if we had a room, everyone could relax and enjoy the view.
Come to think of it, Jin-yu Musha is here.
I'll have to wait until next time to show this scenery to Jin Yu Musha.
“Wow! It's so beautiful!”
Pal-gap admired the view outside the window.
“How does it compare to the Yellow River in Luoyang?”
“Young master, what a silly question.”
“Huh?”
“The Yellow River is the Yellow River, and Dongting Lake is Dongting Lake. Each has its own beauty. To compare them is to insult the will of the Creator, who made this world.”
“Huh...”
I was taken aback by his unexpected answer.
“Why do you say that?”
“Why have you become so smart?”
“I've always been smart. That's why I was chosen as your attendant, isn't it?”
“That's true.”
I chuckled.
“Yes, you're right. Everything has its own charm.”
At that moment, I heard someone approaching my room, and soon I heard a familiar voice.
It was the waiter who had led us here.
Then I heard the voice of Lee Pil, the samurai.
“Liege, someone wishes to see you.”
I knew who wanted to see me.
.
.
.
A moment later.
The waiter led me to a room on the second floor of the inn.
Perhaps because it was a high-class inn, there were several small rooms on this floor where people could have conversations.
“This is the man you are looking for.”
There was a man in the room, and he stood up and introduced himself.
“Nice to meet you. I am Oh Jin-chul, the second-in-command of the Daegun Trading Company.”
“I am Eun Seo-ho.”
“Please have a seat and let's talk.”
Lieutenant Oh offered me a seat, and I sat down opposite him.
“I will ask you straight. Do you have any intention of selling the store you just bought to us?”
“No.”
“We will give you double the price.”
I chuckled at Lieutenant Oh's words.
“I have no intention of doing so. If you give me ten times the price, I will consider it.”
“Ten times? That's immoral.”
Was it really his position to say that he would sell the store where the Daegun Trading Company had a storefront for ten times its market value?
It must have been an order from the Daegun Trading Company.
But when I asked for ten times the market value, he said it was immoral, which made me angry.
“You seem to be from out of town and don't know much about this place, but if you get on bad terms with Daegun Trading Company, you will have a very hard time here.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Threatening... Yes, if that's how you hear it, then yes.”
“....”
"Actually, Daegun Trading Company is thinking of taking over the business that Hwari Seonjin was running. We believe that such a large-scale business in Dongting Lake should be run by our Daegun Trading Company, which controls the commercial district near Dongting Lake, and not by a trading company from another region."
That sounds reasonable.
To put it bluntly, you're just jealous because we're making a lot of money.
“So either sell us that store or prevent Hwari Seonjin from moving in.”
“We have already promised to give that place to Hwari Seonjin. Are you telling us to break our promise?”
“To be honest, aren't you afraid of breaking your promise because you fear the consequences? Don't worry. Daegun Trading Company will protect you.”
Protect?
That's ridiculous.
You'll be wiped out in less than a month.
By the way, I'm very disappointed that you think that way about trust.
At this point, I can use the card given to me by the emperor.
“Daegun Trading Company takes trust lightly. I think differently. Trust is a virtue that merchants must hold on to until the very end, and it is the last lifeline that will protect merchants in their final moments.”
I stood up from my seat.
"Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Eun Seo-ho. I am the captain of Eunhae Trading Company, which owns the Chapter.
My greeting made Officer Oh's face turn pale.
“I thought my name was well known, but I guess I still have a lot to learn. I will have to work harder.”
“...”
“By the way, I am surprised that you would threaten the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“That's because...”
“I don't want to hear any excuses. Now, please leave.”
At the cold dismissal, Officer Oh hesitated for a moment before turning and leaving.
I wonder if he'll report today's incident properly.
If he says the wrong thing about threatening me, he doesn't know what kind of punishment he'll face.
But it doesn't matter.
I plan to make him pay dearly for this anyway.