Chapter 187
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 187
Chapter 187. Ice Sea Water Festival (3)
I left the county office with the report I received from Jihyun. As I walked, I sighed and said to Palgak.
“Palgak. Can you get everything ready to leave in half an hour?”
“Of course.”
“Then get ready to leave. I have somewhere to go by myself for a while.”
“Yes, sir.”
Then I sent a telepathic message to my bodyguards.
Tell them not to follow me.
I also told Seo Woo to stay a little away from me and watch over me.
I also told them not to intervene unless my life was in danger.
Excluding Jin-yu, who was not here, Seo-woo was the most skilled in martial arts and had the strongest self-control.
Then, I went deep into a secluded alley.
.
.
.
Is this far enough?
I stopped walking in a place where there were almost no people.
I threw this bait because I sensed killing intent toward me while walking outside the county office.
There is only one place where people would want to kill me here.
To be honest, even though there was a major accident that capsized the ship, I saved everyone, so Dae-gun Trading Company did not suffer much damage.
But instead of being grateful, they are treating me like this?
This is my own test for Daegun Trading Company.
If I fail this test?
Of course, I will be thrown into hell.
Tak
Tak.
People wearing masks and black robes appeared around me.
It's hell for sure.
“Who are you?”
I sighed inwardly and put on a frightened expression.
Then one of them stepped forward and said.
“You will end your life here.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Even if you have received a secret order, there are things you should and should not investigate. Your stupidity in not being able to distinguish between the two has led to your demise.”
Hearing that, I bit my lip and asked again.
“How do you know I received a secret order?”
“There are ways.”
“Is it Jihyun?”
He chuckled at my question.
“Jihyun? That useless fool didn't tell me anything.”
“Then?”
“If Ji-hyun is acting like that, it means he has no choice but to follow orders from above.”
“....”
You talk too much.
“Now that you've told me all that, I can die with less regret. Get rid of him!”
“Yes!”
Other masked men rushed at me, tied my hands and feet, and even gagged me.
“Ugh!”
I pretended to be scared and remained silent.
They must have tied me up and taken me somewhere so as not to leave any evidence of murder.
Should I be glad that they didn't kill me right away?
If they had, I would have seen blood here.
That might have been easier, but I didn't want to get the blood of these guys on my hands.
After about an hour, the carriage stopped.
I could hear the sound of water splashing nearby.
As expected, we had arrived at Dongting Lake.
I felt the sack I was in being lifted, and then I was thrown into the air.
Splash!
Soon, along with the sound of water, water began to pour into the sack.
I calmly began to practice the Ice and Fire Mental Technique.
Could it be that the investigator had anticipated this situation and taught me this technique?
Unlike what I had learned from my master, the technique I learned from the investigator allowed me to move freely in the water.
I gathered my inner arts and put strength into my hands.
Thud!
Then, the rope tying my hands broke easily.
I took out the dagger from my pocket.
My two brothers gave it to me as a gift when I first went on a mission, and now I am using it like this.
With a bitter smile, I cut the rope tying my feet and the cloth covering my mouth, tore open the sack, and came out.
Boom!
Something felt heavy, so I looked down and saw that a large rock was tied to the sack.
These guys tied a rock to it, so they must have been determined to hide it completely.
This isn't the work of amateurs.
Come to think of it, there were a few people who were missing among those who were a threat to Daegun Trading Company. Did they dispose of them like this?
Then a thought suddenly occurred to him.
Why didn't Kang Seung, the shop owner, handle it this way?
He thought about it carefully and came up with an answer.
He was a safety-first person and well-respected by those around him, so it would have been difficult for him to handle it this way.
That's why he resorted to such underhanded tactics to take over the shop.
By the way, if they went this far with me, Gang Seung should be careful.
It would be better to lay low for a while.
You never know what someone in a corner will do.
After thinking about this while in the water, I cautiously poked my head out.
No one was there, and there was no sign of anyone else.
As I swam leisurely toward the shore, Seo Woo approached me.
“You're out. I was worried you wouldn't come out.”
“I'm sorry for worrying you, but this was necessary.”
“I understand. It was to lure them into a false sense of security, wasn't it?”
I nodded.
“Yes. Fortunately, it went as planned. Let's head back now.”
“Understood.”
I relayed my message to Pal-gap and the bodyguards through Seo-woo.
I told them to pretend to search for me diligently for half a day.
Then, I joined them with a sad expression on my face and headed for Beijing.
* *
The captain of the Daegun Trading Company listened to the report from his second-in-command, Oh Jin-joo.
“We took care of him as you ordered, Captain.”
“Well done. What about his companions?”
“They were frantically searching for him a moment ago, but it seems they have returned to Hubei. They are probably going to inform the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“That's likely.”
“But is that okay? If the Eunhae Trading Company starts searching for him, we could be caught.”
The captain smiled at his deputy's words and said, “Do you have any evidence?”
“No, I don't.”
“No.”
“Then why are you worried? Just act as if nothing happened, as you have done until now. Without evidence, what can they do?”
“You're right.”
The captain felt uneasy about Jihyeon's sudden change in attitude and his subsequent investigation into the incident.
He realized that the change came after Eun Seo-ho's visit, and after much deliberation, he decided to have Eun Seo-ho drowned in Dongting Lake.
He was a little worried about the consequences, but he felt more uneasy about letting him live.
The dead cannot speak.
When everything was settled, he felt satisfied with his decision.
“Now, I must deal with the Hwari Seonjeom. How can I continue with a business that I failed at? You need to change your ways. Don't you think so?”
“You are right, sir.”
At that moment.
“Captain, I have something urgent to report.”
The voice of another aide came from outside the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and the assistant bowed his head and said,
“The owner of the Hwari Seonjeom is closing down.”
“Closing down? Why all of a sudden?”
“A physician visited him and said that his health had deteriorated, so he recommended that he take a break. He said that he would take a break for a while and gave his workers and sailors time off as well.”
“Is that so?”
The head of the Trading Company's eyes lit up.
“The heavens have given me an opportunity.”
He had suffered a huge loss when the ship he had purchased at great expense sank, but now that his competitor had withdrawn, this was his chance.
* *
Beijing.
I am now standing before the emperor.
“I hear you have brought the investigation report.”
“Yes, I have something important to report, so I requested an urgent audience.”
I handed the report to the eunuch standing next to me, and he handed it to the emperor.
The emperor began to read the report.
“Hmm...”
After reading the entire report, the emperor looked at me silently.
The emperor's expression was not angry at all, but rather expressionless.
“At the end of this report, it says that you are suspected of attempted murder of an imperial inspector, but there are no details.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I reported the death threat against me and how I escaped.
Of course, I embellished the story a little.
“...And so I was thrown into the deep waters of Dongting Lake.”
“So how did you survive?”
“My bodyguard noticed something strange and followed them, so I was saved by a hair's breadth and was able to stand before His Majesty the Emperor.”
I didn't want to reveal the martial arts I had learned.
It would be impossible to escape from such a situation with just basic martial arts skills. Binghaesu Jigong is special.
And I didn't want to talk about my martial arts skills.
“...I see.”
“There is no proof of this. But I experienced it myself, and the entire mountain witnessed it.”
“I believe you. You are not the type of person who would make up such a story.”
The emperor's face remained expressionless.
Hm?
But the expression on the face of the eunuch standing next to him was strange.
He was deep in thought and breaking out in a cold sweat.
Could it be?
“You are so dedicated to your duty. I think I have judged you well.”
“It is only our sincere desire to repay His Majesty's kindness.”
“Yes, enough flattery.”
The emperor tapped the armrest and asked me.
“How can I avenge you, who risked your life for me?”
“What?”
“Should I have you thrown into Dongting Lake alive, just like you were, or should I have you executed for treason?”
“...”
With a straight face, he even mentioned crucifixion, which made me break out in a cold sweat.
I quickly bowed my head and said politely,
“Of course, I have my personal grudge, but what good would it do to His Majesty to avenge my personal grudge against someone who is so reckless and inconsiderate?”
“So?”
“I am simply asking you to use this opportunity to establish your virtue and show the severity of the law.”
“Then you don't want to take revenge?”
“My personal grudge is not important. I am satisfied if they are judged by the law.”
I glanced at the emperor.
The emperor, who had been expressionless, was now smiling.
“Where did this guy come from?”
When I glanced at the eunuch, he also looked calmer than before.
“As you said, if I interfere in this matter, it will disrupt the discipline that I have just established.”
“...”
“Jeong Taegam, tell the inspector general of Hunan Province to come to the capital immediately.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The inspector general was in charge of the judiciary and prisons in a province.
Calling someone in such a position meant that the emperor intended to thoroughly investigate the matter.
The emperor looked at me and said,
“Well done. If it weren't for you, I would have never known about this.”
“As someone who received orders from His Majesty, I only did what I had to do.”
“By the way, I saw an interesting name in the investigation report. Scholar Hwang Bon-ji was on that ship.”
“Do you know him?”
“Yes. He was quite clever and had strong prayers, and he never said a word in front of me. Just like you.”
He was more important to the emperor than I thought.
No wonder the emperor ordered an investigation himself.
“He was involved in an unfortunate incident and was sent back to his hometown, but I was planning to call him back soon. His name appearing in the investigation report means that the time has come.”
The emperor ordered Jeong Taegam to send a letter to Hwang Bon-ji.
“Come to think of it, this report is a little different from the previous ones.”
The emperor's keen eye is truly remarkable.
He can tell just by looking at the report that it was written by someone else.
“Yes, I did not write this.”
“Oh, really? Then who wrote this clear and concise investigation report?”
“That is...”
I seized the opportunity and told him that Jihyeon had investigated and written the report himself.
The emperor's eyes lit up.
“Such a talented person is just a Jihyeon? I must summon him to the court.”
It was just as I expected.
This should be good for Jihyeon.
It would be much more tiring and difficult than now, but he would be in the emperor's good graces.
And he would receive a large salary.
“Then you may leave.”
A natural dismissal.
“I will take my leave now.”
I bowed politely and left.
Because of this incident, Daegun Trading Company fell into ruin, just like in my previous life.
It was my doing, but he only got what he deserved.
If Daegun Trading Company hadn't tried to steal the business of Chapter Ri, I wouldn't have taken an interest in them.
Not only did they cause an accident by loading twice the number of people onto the ship, causing it to capsize, but they even tried to assassinate me.
Such unscrupulous people should not be allowed to remain in the Daegun Trading Company.
Not only do they disrupt the upper world, but they also cause great harm to the common people.
In any case, I learned something from this incident.
When His Majesty the Emperor is angry, he becomes expressionless.
.
.
.
While I was working at the Eunhae Trading Company, I heard news from the Daegun Trading Company.
It is said that the imperial inspector of Hunan Province, acting on the emperor's orders, personally raided the Daegun Trading Company.
Naturally, all kinds of corruption and crimes were exposed, and the Daegun Trading Company was disbanded. The captain of the Daegun Trading Company and his aides, who were at the center of it all, were sentenced to death.
The crimes I had reported were already serious enough, but the fact that they had secretly drowned their rival in Dongting Lake, just as they had done to me, was the final nail in the coffin.
And Cheon Deok-yeo, who owned the shop where the fire extinguisher had originally been, was in big trouble because the contract he had signed with the Daegun Trading Company was found.
He begged me for his life, and I spared him on the condition that he join our trading company.
Now, he is said to be trembling at a single word from the store owner, but the store owner must feel like a hundred years of stagnation has been lifted from him.
Yes, it is when people like the store owner do well that life is worth living.