Chapter 188
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 188
Chapter 188. Competition to Supply Silk to the Royal Family (1)
Before I knew it, it was already autumn.
That meant my birthday was coming soon.
And this birthday was even more special. It was my 20th birthday.
I sat down with my family to eat breakfast.
“Come to think of it, the competition to deliver silk to the royal family is coming up soon.”
My brother Jung-ho nodded at my father's words.
“Yes, Father.”
Originally, the Trading Company that supplied silk to the royal family caused a major problem, so a new supplier had to be selected, and Eunhae Trading Company also submitted its bid.
The royal family is the largest customer in terms of a single transaction.
Silk itself is an expensive item, so it was difficult to trade large quantities at once, but the royal family was a different story.
Not only the royal family, but also most of the court officials wore silk, so demand was high.
They used to wash silk by mixing straw and grass ash with crushed seashells, but that was only done once or twice.
Silk itself was vulnerable to water.
Moreover, there was no need to worry about delayed payment.
The imperial court was one of the wealthiest places in the country.
If a company was able to supply silk to the imperial court, it would earn a considerable amount of money, and the stability of that income would be unparalleled.
For this reason, supplying silk to the imperial court was the dream of every trading company that dealt in silk.
“I hear that there are quite a few trading companies participating in the competition this time.”
“Yes, in my opinion, the most promising competitors are Deokhang Trading Company from Shaanxi, Manil Trading Company from Sichuan, Yuga Trading Company from Zhejiang, and Baekcheon Trading Company from Henan.”
I nodded at Jung-ho's words.
Yes, Baekcheon Trading Company.
In my previous life, Baekcheon Trading Company was the trading company that ultimately won the contract to supply silk to the imperial court.
That's why I asked my father to participate in this competition.
In my previous life, Baekcheon Trading Company grew rapidly thanks to winning this contract.
This time, our Eunhae Trading Company will reap the benefits of that growth.
“The competition will begin in earnest at the beginning of November, right?”
Until now, Jung-ho had been busy preparing to participate in the competition to become the royal silk supplier.
Thanks to his efforts, he was able to meet the requirements and officially submitted a document expressing his intention to participate in the competition.
He then received notification that he had passed the document screening.
“Yes. So, I think I'll have to leave for Beijing in five days for the competition.”
“I see. You'll be busy, but hang in there.”
“Yes.”
“But don't push yourself too hard.”
After that, we talked about a few things, and before we finished eating, my father looked at me and asked, “Your birthday is coming up soon. Is there anything you need?”
“Nothing comes to mind right now.”
“I'll make sure to get you something for your birthday.”
“All right, then I'll make sure to get you a birthday present.”
“Yes, sir.”
After finishing breakfast, I returned to my private quarters.
“Has everyone had breakfast?”
“Yes, sir.”
The bodyguards who were training in the courtyard of my private quarters greeted me with a clasped hands greeting.
Thanks to Jin-yu Musha's recent return, the four of them were paired up and sparring.
They had come with him when he returned from hunting beasts with a tribe of hunters near the North Sea. Now that a branch office had been officially established, there was no need for them to stay.
I glanced at them and returned to my room to think about what to do next.
What happened around this time?
Wasn't there something I needed to warn Jung-ho about?
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Three days later.
I heard unexpected news from Pal-gap.
“What? Jung-ho collapsed?”
“Yes. It's not serious... They say it's overwork.”
“...
”I have to go see him myself.“
I headed to Jung-ho's guest house and saw his wife looking worried.
”Welcome, young master.“
”Yes, sister-in-law. I heard that my brother was sick, so I rushed over."
My sister-in-law sighed.
“It seems that he worked too hard. I'm glad it's not serious, but... He has to leave for Beijing soon, and he's very upset.”
I understood. I knew how hard Jung-ho had worked for this.
“Go in.”
“Yes.”
I entered Jung-ho's room.
Creak.
Hearing the door, Jung-ho sat up.
“Seo-ho, you're here.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I'm fine. I have to be fine.”
He got up from the bed but couldn't take a single step and staggered.
I quickly grabbed Jung-ho and supported him.
“You're not fine at all.”
“I'm fine.”
“Just sit down, okay?”
“...Yeah.”
At my words, Jung-ho quickly sat down on the bed. He wasn't feeling well a few days ago, but today he looked really sick.
He must be learning martial arts from the Chief Administrator, so why...
“Have you been practicing lately?”
“I don't have time...”
“And I have time?”
"....
At my question, Jung-ho turned his head slightly and coughed.
Well, martial arts is for his health, not something he does to the point of neglecting his work, so it can't be helped.
Still, he has some inner arts training, so he's not that weak, but if he collapsed from overwork, how much work did he do?
“Anyway, I don't have time to lie here. I have to attend the competition for the royal silk delivery Trading Company.”
But Jung-ho looked really bad.
Actually, he had been looking a little off lately, but I didn't think it was this bad.
I could understand how Jung-ho must feel, lying in bed on such an important day.
Before I took the Cheongbyeongseolmae, there were many things I wanted to do but couldn't because of my poor health.
“Brother, just admit it. You've collapsed from overwork, and it's impossible for you to go to Beijing in this condition. You could die.”
“But...”
“You don't want Gun-hyeok and Bo-yeon to grow up without a father, do you?”
“...”
Jeong-ho sighed at my question.
Thinking of his two children, he seemed to realize that this was not the time to be stubborn.
“Let's leave the rest to the Trading Company executives. Everyone knows your contributions, so don't be upset.”
Jeong-ho thought deeply for a moment, then opened his mouth.
“Seo-ho.”
“Why?”
“You know that the representative of the Trading Company must attend, right?”
He continued with a serious expression.
“No matter how much I think about it, there is no one else but you.”
“Huh? Me?”
Jeong-ho nodded in response to my question.
“Yes, you.”
“Do I really have to do it? Everything must already be prepared for this event, and the deputy representative can do it instead of you, so I don't think I should...”
“Do you know what I realized while preparing for the competition?”
“...?”
“This competition is not going to be easy. And competition is not something you can win just by working hard. Sometimes you need luck, and sometimes you need to use your wits.”
Jung-ho sighed and said.
“Our Eunhae Trading Company lacks that. But there is one person who can do it.”
“You mean me?”
Jeong-ho nodded in response to my question.
“Yes, that's why you should attend in my place.”
“Um...”
I am in a position where I must investigate any disturbances in trade on the emperor's orders.
In order to win the competition, I may have to do something slightly illegal.
“If you don't go, I'll escape and go myself.”
Even though Jung-ho seemed soft, he was a man of his word.
Even if I stopped him, he would definitely break through and participate in the competition.
“But if I go, people will think that I'm stealing your credit, right?”
“Is this the time to worry about that? This is a chance for our Eunhae Trading Company to make a big leap forward. And you don't care about that, do you?”
Jeong-ho smiled wryly and continued.
“I don't care either. So you go, Buk-kyung.”
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That afternoon.
My father officially instructed me to lead the competition to deliver silk to the imperial court.
“That's how I ended up going to Beijing.”
Pal-gap laughed hollowly.
“You get to go to Beijing, where other people can hardly go once in their lifetime, as if it were nothing.”
“That's right.”
I stopped by on my way to and from the North Sea, and I was there recently for business related to the Daegun Trading Company, but now I have to go again.
Will the emperor summon me again?
The emperor is not oblivious, so he probably won't summon me.
“So when are you leaving?”
“We have to leave within two days at the latest.”
“Yes, sir.”
I said to my bodyguards.
“Then, I will leave it to you again.”
“Don't worry.”
“We will keep you safe again.”
“Yes. I trust you.”
Once my trip to Beijing was decided, I was faced with a tremendous amount of work.
There could be no delays in my work while I was away.
At the same time, I had to thoroughly familiarize myself with the work that Jung-ho had prepared.
With the help of the deputy and the assistants in charge of silk, I was able to prepare and understand everything.
I realized why Jung-ho had collapsed from overwork.
He was a subtle perfectionist.
After rushing to finish the preparations, on the day Jung-ho was scheduled to leave for Beijing, I headed to Beijing in his place.
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The road to Beijing felt familiar by now.
However, we remained on high alert.
People's thoughts are all the same.
In a competition with such large-scale interests at stake, there are always people who will stop at nothing to win.
And soon, we encountered our first obstacle.
“Captain.”
The head escort of the Changin Escort Agency approached me in the carriage.
“Yes.”
“There is an obstacle ahead, and it will take some time to remove it.”
“Let's go and see.”
We got out of the carriage and went forward. A large rock was blocking the road.
“Please wait a moment.”
“We will remove it soon.”
We had to carry the silk together for the silk delivery competition, so we were moving with the help of the Changin Escort Agency.
The Changinpo Agency's guards rushed over and tried their best to move the rock, but it only moved a little.
I wondered how someone could have placed such a thing in the middle of the road, but I admired their effort.
However, we didn't have time to waste.
“Could you help us move that rock?”
I asked my escorts for help.
“Yes, sir.”
“Hmm, I think it would be quicker to just cut it down.”
With that, Jin-yu Musha ordered his guards to stand back.
“Now!”
Sword qi emanated from his sword, and the rock split in half.
With a few more swings, the large rock was reduced to small pieces, and everyone rushed forward to clear the rocks away.
“We can go now.”
Inside the carriage, I thought back on the skill Jinmu Musha had just demonstrated.
It seemed that Jinmu Musha's skill had improved a little while I wasn't looking.
That was good news for me.
It meant that I would be safer.
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Before we knew it, our journey was halfway over.
“We will stay at an inn in the village ahead today.”
“Yes, sir.”
It was an inn we often stayed at on our way to Beijing, and it was relatively safe.
With Pal-gap's help, I washed up and went downstairs to have dinner with the other escorts.
There were three escorts accompanying me.
One was a deputy and the other two were assistants, and they were all well versed in the silk trade.
They were also the ones who helped me when I first took over the silver and silk shop in my previous life.
“That food might be a little spicy for Deputy Dao.”
“Is that so?”
I asked, tilting my head in confusion at my own words.
“How did you know I don't like spicy food?”
“Ah...”
Of course, I had to know. I had been with them for so long that I knew their personalities and even their food preferences, and I had received their advice and guidance.
But I couldn't say that, so I made up an excuse.
“Of course I know. He is one of the pillars of Eunhae Trading Company.”
“Hahaha.”
The atmosphere quickly became friendly.
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After finishing our meal, I stepped outside the inn and wandered around, lost in thought.
We had encountered various obstacles on our way here.
There were logs lying in the middle of the road, and there was even a beehive with angry bees buzzing around it.
How should I put it?
It was very effective in delaying us. The only problem was that we were the ones they were targeting.
Their methods weren't excessive, but they were so petty that they were annoying.
At this point, I became curious about who was trying so hard to hinder us.
It wasn't Baek Cheon Trading Company.
They'd rather blow us all up with a thunderbolt than set up such petty obstacles.
Then I chuckled.
I still didn't know who the culprit was, but there was a way to find out.
The fact that they used such a tactic meant they were slightly ahead of us.
Now it was time to give them a taste of their own medicine.