Chapter 196
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 196
Chapter 196. Competition to Supply Silk to the Royal Family (9)
While Namgung Bo was silently seething, the officials were discussing the appropriate price.
“...Considering the transportation costs, I think we should ask for fifteen taels of silver.”
“I think we should get that much.”
They wrote down the price they had discussed and moved on to the next silk.
Swoosh
At that moment, Namgung Bo picked up his brush and began to write a different price underneath.
However, the price was ridiculously low.
He wrote fifteen taels as seven taels, and twenty taels as ten taels.
Seeing Namgung Bo write almost half the price, the other merchants were shocked.
“Mr. Namgung, what are you doing?”
“That price is ridiculous!”
In response to their protests, Namgung Bo said seriously.
“I must win this competition. Please help me.”
“When have we ever not helped you?”
“Of course, I am grateful. But please trust me just this once.”
“But it seems too cheap...”
“It's okay. Even the royal family won't mind if you offer a low price.”
Namgung Bo lowered his voice a little and continued.
“And some of the other trading companies are offering even less than what you have written down.”
Namgung Bo, who was skilled in martial arts, could hear the other companies discussing the matter.
He wanted to eavesdrop on the conversation of the Eunhae Trading Company, but for some reason, he couldn't hear them very well.
Namgung Bo said to his men.
“Therefore, I think we should offer a lower price.”
“....”
“In a supply competition, doesn't the one who offers the lowest price win?”
“That's true, but...”
“I will take full responsibility.”
With Namgung Bo saying that, the executives had no choice. After all, he was a member of the Trading Company and the representative of this competition.
And even if they failed in this competition, as long as Namgung Bo said so, the responsibility would be his.
“Understood.”
* *
It was time.
“Submit it now.”
Upon hearing that, we submitted the papers with the prices written on them to the court official.
The empress had them posted on the wall.
Thanks to that, we could see how much each trading company had offered.
Hmm, the cheapest offer is from Baekcheon Trading Company.
I glanced at Baekcheon Trading Company. Namgung Bo's triumphant expression seemed to suggest that he was confident of victory.
Is that really the case?
The empress is not that simple.
Does she not understand what a reasonable price is?
The next cheapest price was offered by the Sichuan Trading Company.
Our Eunhae Trading Company offered the fourth cheapest price. However, I had no intention of selling for less than that price.
I am a merchant, after all.
“Hmm...”
The empress looked over the prices and called for her chamberlain.
“Chamberlain Yu.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“How much did we calculate beforehand?”
When the chamberlain told her the amount, the empress nodded and declared.
“All bids below that are the lowest.”
“Yes.”
Upon hearing this, the court official drew three red lines on the three price proposals.
However, the price proposed by our Eunhae Trading Company was above that, so we were able to avoid being ranked lowest.
Namgung Bo raised his hand and said, “I object.”
“Go ahead.”
“If the trading company offers a low price, isn't it a profit for the royal palace? Then why are you giving them the lowest score for offering a low price?”
The empress smiled as if she understood.
“Are you a merchant?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Merchants are people who pursue profit. How can you offer such a low price? The more you deliver, the more you lose.”
“Merchants are people who seek profit. How can they offer such a low price? It doesn't make sense! The more they deliver, the more they lose.”
That's right.
No matter how big a deal it is to deliver silk to the imperial family, there is no reason to do it if it results in a loss.
“....”
“Then the Trading Company has only two options. One is to lower the quality of the silk. The other is to make up for the loss with something else.”
The Empress smiled coldly.
“For example, selling information about the Imperial Palace. Don't you think so? The hardest thing for merchants is to suffer a loss, isn't it?”
“....”
“Either way, it's deceiving the royal family.”
I was quite surprised.
Wow, Her Majesty the Empress is amazing.
How can she see through things so accurately!
I thought I knew why the empress was poisoned in her previous life. Someone like her would have been a hindrance to the Martial Alliance.
The empress tapped the paper that our Eunhae Trading Company had written and said.
“Eunhae Trading Company really only takes the minimum profit. This is ambiguous.”
Her words rang like an alarm bell in my head.
If I mess this up, I'll be eliminated.
I quickly took a step forward and said.
“May I speak freely?”
“You may.”
“As Her Majesty said, I am also a merchant who seeks profit. And I can honestly say that the price our company has offered is not the minimum profit, as Her Majesty is concerned.”
“Not the minimum profit?”
“Yes. Your Majesty has calculated the transportation costs for purchasing the silk, but our Eunhae Trading Company has not done so.”
“Explain in detail.”
I explained to the Empress how I had greatly expanded the Eunhae Silk Store in my previous life.
“...Just by purchasing high-quality silk at a good price, people who own silk will flock to our trading company. Then, our trading company will not need to spend money on transportation to purchase silk. All we need is a large warehouse.”
“I see.”
“Then, we only need to transport the silk to the royal palace via well-paved roads, and we will earn a profit that exceeds the amount you mentioned.”
I could say that with confidence because of my experience in my previous life.
The empress nodded.
“Then we will make a good profit. But is it okay to tell others about this method? They will hear you and follow suit.”
“That may be, but I am not too concerned.”
“You are not concerned?”
“The profit before our eyes is like sweet candy.”
The empress thought for a moment, then burst out laughing.
“Ho ho ho! That's so true.”
It was the first time I had seen the empress laugh so loudly.
She understood what I meant when I said I wasn't worried.
Why wasn't I worried?
It was because I knew from my previous life that there were very few merchants who could do that.
Buying high-quality goods at a good price is more difficult than one might think.
The price that a merchant considers good is different from the price that a supplier considers good.
Of course, the price that customers consider good is also different.
Here, I am referring to a price that is good for the supplier.
In order to purchase goods at a price that reflects their value, rather than haggling with suppliers, and to sell them to consumers without being criticized, merchants inevitably have to reduce their profits.
That is obvious, but how many people would actually put it into practice?
Even if they did, it was unlikely that many merchants would be able to endure the small profits until the effects became apparent.
In my case, it was possible because that was the policy of our Eunhae Trading Company. And I was confident that it would lead to profits for the company in the long run.
Many trading companies followed my method after seeing the success of Eunhae Textile, but I couldn't be sure because I knew from experience that they would all give up after a short time.
“But Eunhae Trading Company can do it?”
“Yes, because we have a unique teaching that has been passed down.”
“I see. We'll have a chance to talk about that later.”
The empress nodded and looked at everyone.
“The scores earned by each trading company so far are as follows.”
At the empress's words, the court official hung a long scroll on the wall.
The seven scrolls showed the scores of each trading company, with the total score written below.
As expected, our Trading Company had the highest score.
“And in this final round, the highest score went to Eunhae Trading Company. Therefore, the winner of the royal silk delivery competition is Eunhae Trading Company!”
We did it!
We did it!
I did it! Jung-ho!
I was extremely happy and joyful at that moment.
The empress, the other concubines, the princesses, and the ministers left, leaving only the eunuchs and the members of the trading companies.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“It was quite an impressive competition.”
“I agree.”
Our group exchanged greetings with the other trading companies.
In the upper world, there are no eternal enemies or eternal friends.
That is why, even if we felt bitter inside, we had to maintain friendly relations on the surface.
Except for the Baekcheon Trading Company.
“Ahem!”
Namgung Bo left the room without hiding his displeasure.
The other representatives approached me with embarrassed expressions and apologized.
When the leader has a bad temper, the people under him suffer.
I glanced at the door Namgung Bo had left through.
Now that the competition was over, it was time to make him pay.
But in the end, I didn't have to do anything.
* *
Namgung Bo returned to the inn.
“What the hell is going on! Bring the man who was watching Eun Seo-ho here!”
Soon, a man was summoned.
His name was Gong-shim.
He was a servant of the Yeonjoon Trading Company who was watching Eun Seo-ho.
Namgung Bo asked Gong-shim about what happened yesterday and found out that Eun Seo-ho hadn't left the Yeonjoon Trading Company.
“What? The head clerk wasn't kidnapped?”
“No, he returned safely.”
“...”
Namgung Bo gritted his teeth.
It was clear that the men he had entrusted with the task had taken the contract money and run away.
“I shouldn't have trusted those dirty bastards.”
He forced himself to calm down and waved his hand.
“Go.”
“Yes.”
Then he signaled to his right-hand man, Chui.
It meant to eliminate him.
Then he slammed the table hard.
Bang!
The newly placed table was also smashed to pieces.
This competition to deliver silk to the royal family was a complete defeat for the Baekcheon Trading Company.
“Damn it!”
And the responsibility for the defeat would fall entirely on him.
His plan to become the next captain would be significantly hindered.
As he was wondering how to resolve the situation, he suddenly heard a loud voice.
“Criminal, come out and face your punishment!”
“...?”
Criminal? Punishment?
Startled by the sudden noise, he opened the door and went outside.
In the courtyard stood a Royal Guard leading a group of soldiers.
“Are you Namgung Bo?”
“Yes, I am...”
“You are a criminal! Arrest him!”
“Yes!”
“What? I'm a criminal? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Are you going to deny your crime of bribing the palace servants for the royal silk delivery competition?”
Damn it!
Namgung Bo cursed silently.
Losing the competition was bad enough, but if he was taken to the royal palace for investigation, his future would be ruined.
Unable to control his anger, he drew his sword and swung it at the Royal Guards.
Lifting a weapon against the Royal Guards and the Royal Guards who were acting on the emperor's orders was tantamount to treason.
Unable to control his emotions, he made the worst mistake possible.
“Now you show your true colors!”
The Royal Guards were also the emperor's personal bodyguards who had mastered the martial arts of the imperial palace.
They trained fiercely every day.
Even though the Namgung Clan was known for their martial arts skills, Namgung Bo had neglected his training, relying on his family name, and was no match for the imperial guards.
Chung!
Chae-chung!
After dozens of blows, the battle was finally over.
Swoosh!
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Namgung Bo clutched his severed right arm and let out a bloodcurdling scream.
“Take him away.”
“Yes, sir!”
* *
I blinked in surprise.
“What? Namgung Bo of the Baekcheon Trading Company... That guy?”
That evening, I heard some unexpected news from Hyung-nim.
Namgung Bo had been arrested by the Royal Guards for bribing palace servants, and in the process, he had fought back with a sword and had his arm cut off.
Of course, neither the emperor nor the empress would let him get away with that.
I couldn't take revenge with my own hands, but I didn't feel particularly sorry for him.
This would be even more difficult for him to bear.
Is this what they call karma?
Suddenly, I thought of the other officials.
“What about the other officials?”
“They were also arrested as suspects and are currently under investigation. However, it seems that they are not suspected of any crimes and will be released soon.”
“I see.”
As expected of an official of the Hanlin Academy.
He knows things that other officials don't know...
Wait a minute
Officials have a duty not to disclose the affairs of the imperial court to outsiders.
Even if it is a meaningless duty, the person who strictly adheres to it is Hyung-nim, who is standing in front of me.
Could it be?
I couldn't help but smile.
There is only one reason why Hyung-nim would tell me this.
Hyung-nim Seon-il also looked embarrassed and cleared his throat before saying,
“His Majesty is very interested in you.”
He is a little obsessed.
But I couldn't say that, so I just smiled.
“Ah! And there are some people who would like to meet you. Do you have time before you return to Hubei?”
“Huh? There are people who want to meet me?”
Does ‘people’ mean more than one person?
“Yes. There are two people who want to meet you.”
Two people? Who are they?