Chapter 189
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 189
Chapter 189. Competition to Deliver Silk to the Royal Family (2)
Just as I was thinking that, someone approached me.
It was one of the two head servants, Kim.
“I need to talk to you for a moment.”
“Yes.”
I asked Seo Woo, the warrior who was escorting me, to step aside for a moment.
Seo Woo kept a reasonable distance away from me.
Of course, he didn't take his eyes off me.
“What is it?”
“Third Captain, do you want to become the head of the trading company?”
“What?”
Are you asking me if I want the position of head of the Trading Company?
“What do you mean?”
“It is exactly what I said. I am asking if you would like to become the head of the Trading Company.”
Kim continued.
"Although the third son of the head of the Trading Company is the representative for this matter, it was the first son who worked hard to prepare everything from the beginning. I cannot allow the third son to take credit for his hard work."
Ah, so that's why he's been subtly trying to undermine me ever since I said I would represent the guild in the imperial silk competition instead of Hyung-nim.
Hyung-nim is so lucky.
He has such loyal supporters.
Come to think of it, Geum-haengsu was also a staunch supporter of Hyung-nim in my previous life.
He was very capable and even rose to the position of deputy head.
However, he had one flaw, and that was this.
He was overly strict about things he didn't agree with or things he felt he had to protect.
What he has to protect now is Jung-ho's public image.
When I chuckled, Geum's expression turned serious.
“Why are you laughing? Do you find what I said funny?”
“I'm sorry. It's not that I find what you said funny, but it's just that I think the same way.”
“What?”
Hearing my words, Geum Hang-soo looked confused and asked again.
“What do you mean, you think the same way?”
“I took over this job from Hyung-nim, but I have no intention of taking credit for it. This is entirely Hyung-nim's achievement.”
“I heard that the third Captain asked the Trading Company's President to take on this job first. If you don't want to be the Captain, then why...”
“It was a situation where one of the direct descendants had to attend as a representative. Actually, I wanted to ask the deputy head, but there was a rule like that.”
“....”
“And except for Jung-ho, I know the most about silk. Um... Just imagine if Jin-ho took this position.”
My words made Kim Hyung-soo sigh.
He knew it too. He knew that Jin-ho was lacking in this area.
“Sure, he's good at getting information out of people when he's drinking with them. That's a good talent, but this competition is related to the royal family.”
“...
”For this task, Jung-ho worked so hard that he collapsed from overwork. I am here to ensure that his efforts are not in vain. That is why I am here.“
I smiled wryly and said,
”Don't put me in this position. I don't like stuffy positions like the head of a trading company."
With that, I headed toward Seo Woo-musa.
I could understand why Kim Hyung-soo misunderstood.
All three of us brothers are captains.
That means we are competitors. Our father and grandfather also won that competition and became captains of the Trading Company.
In that situation, I did not clearly state that I would step down from my position as captain.
My brothers and I had already reached a tacit agreement, and I thought that the members of the trading company had also noticed to some extent.
It seems that some people did not understand.
I guess I was too wild.
However, I have no intention of restraining myself.
The more I act wild, the higher Eunhae Trading Company will rise.
I need to make it clear once and for all.
I am not interested in becoming the head of the trading company.
With that in mind, I said to Seo Woo.
“Let's go in.”
“Yes, sir.”
I entered my room and asked Pal-gap to call the head escort of the Changin Escort Agency.
“You called me?”
“Yes. Come in.”
The person who is with us this time is Song Bo, Head Escort.
When I offered him a seat, Pal-gap brought out some tea.
“Head Escort, to be honest, you're annoyed, aren't you?”
“What?”
“Everything was going well, but then there were rocks in the road, then logs, then a beehive. I'm a little annoyed.”
Only then did Song Bo nod his head as if he understood.
“I feel the same way. It's not a big deal, but it's true that it's annoying.”
“This is clearly a deliberate obstruction. Do you have any idea who might be behind it?”
“I'm not sure.”
“In any case, it's hard to put up with this. And although it's been minor so far, we don't know what kind of interference they'll cause in the future, do we?”
“That's right.”
“I've been thinking about it, and I think the culprits are probably the ones right in front of us. They must have done this because they know we're following them.”
“That's a reasonable assumption.”
I smiled slightly.
“So, I was thinking, how about we teach them a lesson?”
“Do you have a plan?”
Instead of answering, I reached out to Pal-gap and took the map.
Then I unfolded the map and pointed to a place.
“Look here, there is a shortcut. The road is narrow and rough, so people usually avoid it. But if we take that road, we can get ahead of them.”
“I know that road. And don't worry. They are all poisoned.”
After all, it was the escort agency people who suffered the most from their interference.
We made our plan and left early the next morning.
Around lunchtime, we changed our route as planned.
We had informed the guards in advance, so there were no objections.
The escort agency also seemed to have been informed in advance, as they looked determined.
We hurried along the road and passed through the shortcut.
The road was rough, but we were all determined, so we were able to rejoin the main road before sunset.
“I looked around, but there are no signs of a large trading company passing through.”
“It seems we arrived a little earlier than expected. As expected, Changin Escort Agency is excellent.”
“Hahaha. Thank you. Then we have plenty of time, so we'd better prepare for an early night.”
“Yes, sir.”
We finished preparing for the night as usual and ate dinner.
If my guess was right, the guys who had been annoying us should be close by now, right?
As we were resting, we heard a noise in the distance.
Judging from the fact that there were dozens of them, it must be the Trading Company or the escort agency.
Finally, a very promising suspect appeared.
They came closer and closer, then stopped at one spot.
Song Boo, the Head Escort, must have sensed their presence by now.
Now I have to go and check on them secretly...
My martial arts skills are a secret, so I'll have to send Seo Woo or Jin Yu.
But Song Head Escort asked me an unexpected question.
“Are you going to go check on them too, Captain?”
“What do you mean?”
When I asked him, he whispered,
“I heard it from the Palace Head.”
“...!”
“He asked me to assist you.”
Calling my master the Palace Head meant that he was a member of the Seolpung Palace.
He smiled lightly and said,
“So you don't have to hide anything from me.”
“I see.”
In that case, I didn't need to assign this task to the other guards.
I took only Jin-yu Musha with me and quietly moved with Song Head Escort.
.
.
.
Tap, tap.
I could hear the sound of wood burning in a bonfire.
A group of people were sitting in small clusters. Looking at the flags hanging from the carriages surrounding them, I could tell who they were.
They were from the Jin Family Trading Company, one of the trading companies in Hubei Province, just like us.
When I signaled to the others, they also hid their movements and approached them.
“We walked a lot today.”
“Yeah, you're right.”
“Let's eat. Our work isn't done after we eat.”
“You're right.”
They looked like mercenaries.
They were eating dinner, but we waited patiently.
We knew we could get information in a place like this.
About an hour later, they started talking about what we wanted to hear.
“But is it okay?”
“What?”
“I mean, the trading company that's following us.”
“Oh... Eunhae Trading Company.”
“Even if it's to screw over the Chang Escort Agency, aren't your superiors afraid of the consequences when the Eunhae Trading Company is accompanying you?”
“Do you think this is just Head Escort's idea?”
“Then the Jinja Trading Company too?”
“From their perspective, Eunhae Trading Company is a powerful competitor. If they don't arrive on time, we can eliminate one of our competitors.”
“That's true, but to be honest, it's a little scary.”
“Do we have any evidence that we did it?”
“...No.”
“Then why are you so nervous? Just eat your rice.”
“You bastard! Don't be so calm! The Changin Escort Agency is the Changin Escort Agency, but who are the Eunhae Trading Company?”
“What can we do? We don't have any proof that we did it. If we make a big deal out of such a small thing, all they'll do is show how narrow-minded they are.”
“You're very good with words.”
I didn't need to hear any more.
I sent a telepathic message to the two people who had come with me and quietly stepped back.
Then I returned to where we were staying and gathered the guards.
When they heard what I had to say, they reacted with disbelief.
“What? Are you saying that the escort agency protecting the Jin-ga Trading Company was behind this?”
Song Head Escort bowed his head and clasped his hands together.
“I apologize. This incident was caused by the incompetence of our escort agency.”
I shook my head.
“Raise your head. This incident was not the fault of Changin Escort Agency. If anyone is at fault, it is our escort agency for harboring wrongful thoughts...”
“Daeung Escort Agency.”
“Yes, it is the fault of Daeung Escort Agency and Jin-ga Trading Company, who agreed with them.”
I paused for a moment before continuing.
“And of course, I have no intention of letting this matter slide.”
Seok Dae-hyung asked cautiously in response to my words.
“What can you do? As they said, there is no solid evidence, and this is just a trivial matter.”
“That's right. If we tell those who are judging, they may just laugh at us for being petty.”
As they said, it was a vague and frustrating situation.
Then, a good idea came to my mind.
“Do you like playing ghost?”
* * *
Boo-hoo. Boo-hoo.
It was a night when the owls were hooting.
Amidst the crackling bonfire, Dae-woong's escort agency and Jin-ga's Trading Company were spending the night.
Man-dong, a third-year escort, was standing guard with his fellow escorts.
“Ugh... Something feels creepy today.”
“It's just because it's cold.”
After standing guard for a while, their eyes began to close.
“Why am I so sleepy today?”
“Stay awake! If Head Escort catches you, you'll be in big trouble.”
“Ugh!”
They stood up straight and faced the outside of the camp.
Then, someone tapped him on the shoulder.
“What?”
Mandoong turned his head and asked. But his fellow escort replied with a question.
“Huh?”
“You just tapped my shoulder. Did you want to say something?”
“What are you talking about? When did I tap your shoulder?”
“Did I mistake you for someone else?”
Mandoong tilted his head and turned back toward the door.
About half a minute later, he felt someone tap his shoulder again.
“What is it?”
“Huh?”
“You just tapped my shoulder, didn't you?”
“When did I do that?”
But his fellow escort just looked puzzled.
“That's strange.”
Mandoo scratched his cheek and turned his head back outside.
A moment passed, and his fellow escort called out to him.
“I can't take this anymore. I'm going to go take care of something.”
“Hurry up and come back.”
“Okay.”
So, Man-dong was left standing guard alone.
A moment later, someone tapped him on the shoulder.
It was the third time.
Man-dong couldn't help but yell, “Who is it? Is this a time for jokes? Do I look that easy to you?”
He froze in his tracks.
There was no one around him.
His fellow escorts had gone to run errands and had not returned.
Then who?
As that thought crossed his mind, his legs began to shake uncontrollably.
“Hey, I'm back... What's wrong?”
Man-dong replied in a trembling voice to his fellow escort who had just returned.
“A ghost...”
Then he collapsed on the spot.
He wasn't the only one in that situation.
The representative of the Jin Trading Company, the captain of the escort agency, and the guards were also afraid of the “ghost tapping on their shoulders” and couldn't sleep.
Thud, thud.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps, which made them even more terrified.