Chapter 214
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 214
Chapter 214. Karma (3)
Ma Jang-joo reigns like a king in Taegyeong-hyun because he has power.
Where does that power come from?
It comes from his wealth, which makes him the richest man in Taegyeong-hyun.
Then we must take away his wealth.
How can we effectively bring down Ma Jang-ju in a short period of time?
As I was thinking about this, Jin-yu Musha spoke to me.
“Um... I have something to report.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“I was curious about what they were talking about, so I infiltrated their group and listened to their conversation.”
“What?”
“There weren't any martial artists higher than me, so it wasn't that difficult.”
Of course, Jin-yu is at the peak of his martial arts training.
There may be many skilled martial artists there, but there are unlikely to be any at his level.
“The Martial Alliance is planning to make a large investment and establish an escort agency. I advised him to invest in it.”
“What did the Martial Alliance offer in return for Ma Jang-gu's investment?”
“One percent of the profits.”
“...Isn't that too little?”
“It seems like the investment isn't that large.”
Hmm, Ma Jang-gu is more cautious than I thought.
Come to think of it, I think I know what kind of escort agency the Martial Alliance is planning to establish.
In my previous life, they jumped into the escort agency business and failed miserably.
First of all, Baekcheon Trading Company does not need an escort agency. Since it is supported by the Martial Alliance, the company itself has excellent military power.
However, perhaps because the escort agency business seemed attractive, or because they were jealous of other escort agencies that were thriving, they established an escort agency.
That escort agency is Baekun Escort Agency.
At first, Baekwoon Escort Agency received many escort requests from all over the country because it was an escort agency made up of martial artists from the Martial Alliance.
However, escorting is strictly a business that provides transportation and protection.
In other words, they had to respect their clients, the trading companies that requested their services, and sometimes even bow down to them.
However, these were martial artists from the Martial Alliance, who always walked with their heads held high.
It was impossible for them to bow their heads.
Eventually, various conflicts arose, and the business failed in just six months.
It was a complete failure.
Naturally, there was no way to recover the principal.
It was such a shocking incident that it remained vividly in my memory.
I asked Jin-yu, the warrior.
“Did Chairman Ma accept the offer?”
“Yes, he did. He said they would sign the contract in five days.”
Suddenly, I had a good idea.
“Pal-gap, make an appointment with Chairman Ma.”
.
.
.
The next day.
I stopped by a nearby fabric store and bought some colorful silk clothes and accessories to dress up my companions.
Of course, I dressed up in a fancy way as well.
Then we rode our horses and headed confidently toward Dao.
A short time later, when we arrived at Dao, the gatekeeper asked us,
“Where are you from?”
Pal-gap stepped forward and said,
“We are the junior captain of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“Ah! We have been waiting for you.”
The gatekeeper quickly bowed his head.
“Please wait a moment.”
He quickly rang the bell at the door, and soon a man who appeared to be a servant came running out.
“It is the junior captain of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“Yes, this way, please.”
We left our belongings with the gatekeeper and followed him to the reception room.
Meanwhile, I took a quick look around the hall.
It seemed to have been decorated with some effort, but to be honest, I didn't find it beautiful.
It was not harmoniously decorated, but rather filled with expensive stones and wooden artworks that had been bought indiscriminately and placed haphazardly.
And the expressions of the servants and maids I saw here and there showed no sign of joy.
They looked as if they were just living day by day.
This place truly had no dreams or hopes.
I clicked my tongue in disapproval and entered the reception room, where a maid soon brought tea and sweets.
It seemed as if they wanted to show off their wealth to me, as they were all expensive items.
A moment later, the door opened and a man entered.
He was a pot-bellied middle-aged man with half his head bald.
He had grown a beard to try to look stylish, but it was long and messy.
He had grown a long beard to look stylish and was wearing expensive silk clothes.
The oil on his face showed that he was well fed and lived a good life.
I stood up and greeted him with a clasped hands greeting.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Eun Seo-ho, the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“I am Ma Jeong, the chairman of Magajang. Nice to meet you. Please sit down.”
“Yes, thank you.”
He stroked his beard and said,
“I wonder if you like the refreshments.”
“I didn't expect to be served one of the finest teas here, Yongjeong tea.”
“Hahaha! You really know your tea.”
“As the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company, it is my basic knowledge.”
“Yes, I know a lot about the Eunhae Trading Company. I hear you are doing well these days. That is why I was surprised. I didn't expect the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company to request a meeting with me.”
“Actually, I am thinking of opening a store in this area. So, it is only natural for me to visit the most influential person in this area, Chairman Ma, to introduce myself, isn't it?”
“Hahaha. You are a very polite young merchant.”
“Actually, you are the first person I came to see.”
“I see. You came to the right place.”
He smiled repeatedly, seemingly satisfied that I, the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company, had bowed to him.
The sea I desire.
When I feel this good, I can't think straight.
“I have prepared a gift to commemorate our meeting today.”
“A gift?”
“Yes.”
I signaled to Pal-gap, and he placed a small box on the table.
“It is a small token of my appreciation.”
Chairman Ma opened the box and tilted his head.
“What is this?”
“Please open it. I worked hard to obtain this painting.”
At that, he unfolded the scroll.
“It's a painting by a painter named Moon Baek. He's very famous in Beijing these days, and even high-ranking officials have a hard time getting his paintings.”
“Oh, is that so?”
His face lit up at my explanation.
I smiled slightly as I drank my tea. Actually, the painting was a fake.
It was just something I had quickly drawn on a whim.
However, it is true that a painter named Moon Baek is famous in Beijing.
But Chairman Ma is like a frog in a well, living like a king in this small county of Taegyeong.
He couldn't possibly know much about Beijing, and even if he did, he would only know the names of famous people.
Of course, he had never seen a painting by Wen Bai, so he just nodded his head repeatedly.
And I was a pretty good actor.
“It will be worth a lot later. But please don't show it to anyone else.”
“Why not?”
“As I just said, even high-ranking officials have difficulty obtaining this painting. If it becomes known that a mere merchant like me has acquired it, it will cause trouble for the person who sold it to me and for many others.”
“I see, that makes sense.”
“And people of high standing appreciate paintings quietly in their own private spaces.”
“That's right.”
Even if it turns out later that the painting is a fake and Chairman Ma comes after me, it won't matter.
I can just say that I was deceived.
But would Chairman Ma really come after me?
I was chatting with Chairman Ma about this and that when I suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, that reminds me, I heard that the Martial Alliance is starting an escort agency.”
“Is that so?”
Ma Jang-ju looked slightly taken aback at my words. I had mentioned something he knew about.
“I heard about it from an acquaintance. It's an escort agency made up of warriors from the Martial Alliance! Isn't that cool?”
“Hmm, I guess so...”
“I heard that they've already raised quite a bit of investment money. And my acquaintance said that he'll get 30% of the profits.”
Ma Jang-ju tilted his head at those words.
“He'll get 30%?”
“Because he invested that much money. And... Nam... Oops! I'm sorry.”
I quickly covered my mouth.
Ma Jang-ju tilted his head and asked.
“What's the matter?”
“I'm sorry. It's a secret...”
“Huh, a secret between us? That makes me feel left out.”
“This is a real secret. Please pretend you didn't hear anything. I beg you.”
I bowed my head apologetically, but the greedy Chairman Ma would not let it go.
“You still don't trust me. As proof of my trust, I will speak well of the shop you are opening to Jihyeon.”
“...You've gone that far, I have no choice. But please don't tell anyone else.”
“Of course. I have a tight mouth.”
I approached him and said in a low voice.
“Actually, the Namgung Clan has also invested in this business. Isn't the Namgung Clan a powerful clan? Isn't it one of the eight great clans of the world and the ruling clan of Anhui Province?
”That's right.“
”That's why I'm preparing to invest a small amount myself.“
”..."
“It's just a shame that I don't have much personal funds. It's a business where you can earn double or even twenty times more.”
“Hmm...”
That's enough.
If I push too hard, I might arouse suspicion.
However, it's not a lie that the Namgung Clan is investing in Baekwoon Escort Agency.
In his previous life, the Namgung Clan invested in Baegwoon Escort Agency, but they quickly pulled out before suffering a major loss, and in the end, only those who trusted their name suffered losses.
Those bastards.
Anyway, now that name was bait to lure Chairman Ma.
“By the way, I have something to ask you, Chairman.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Is there a cotton field nearby that I could buy?”
“A cotton field?”
“Yes, as you know, our Eunhae Trading Company is famous for its cotton cloth, so we are looking for a cotton field to produce our own cotton.”
“How much do you need?”
“The more, the better. We are willing to pay a good price.”
“Hmm, I'll look into it.”
“Thank you.”
After finishing our conversation, Chairman Ma saw me to the door.
“Did you come on horseback?”
“Yes. I find carriages too stuffy.”
“Your silk clothes will get ruined. Are you sure?”
“It's fine. If it gets ruined, I can just make another one. Why worry?”
“Well, that's true. Take care.”
“Yes, it was fun today.”
Then we rode our horses toward the inn. Pal-gap glanced behind him and whispered to me.
“Do you think he'll fall for it?”
“Nothing is certain, but it's highly likely.”
In my opinion, the chances of Chairman Ma falling for my plan were slim to none.
* * *
After Eun Seo-ho left, Chairman Ma was lost in thought.
Eun Seo-ho's words echoed in his ears.
“My acquaintance said that he takes 30% of the profits. That's because he invested a lot of money.”
“Actually, the Namgung Clan has also invested in this business. Is the Namgung Clan an ordinary family? Isn't it one of the Eight Great Families of the World and the ruling family of Anhui Province?
”It's just a pity that I don't have much personal funds. This is a business that can earn double or even twenty times more."
He revealed his investment amount to the Martial Alliance who visited him yesterday and was promised a profit of 10%.
However, that amount would not be enough to earn the profit he wanted.
Moreover, he had ambitions to make a name for himself not only in Taegyeong-hyeon but also throughout the Central Plains.
“Deokbae.”
He called his bodyguard. He was a man with keen eyesight whom he held in high regard.
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Are you sure that was really Eun Seo-ho earlier?”
“Yes, I am certain. Even though he was wearing expensive silk clothes, he did not hesitate to get on the horse, and his servants and bodyguards also wore silk clothes and rode horses with ease.”
“Really?”
“Usually, when someone dresses up on purpose, they look awkward or something seems off, but there was nothing like that.”
“I see.”
If that was the case, then Eun Seo-ho's escort agency business would surely bring him lasting wealth.
A few days later.
As promised, he met with a member of the Martial Alliance.
“Here is the contract. Please read it.”
Instead of reading the document, Chairman Ma asked him,
“Is the Namgung Clan also investing in this business?”
“...!”
The Martial Alliance member was taken aback by his words.
“How did you know that?”
“...Well, I have my sources.”
“Of course... Someone like you would have sources...”
After confirming the facts, Ma Jang-hoo made up his mind.
“Let's rewrite the contract. I will invest more money.”
.
.
.
The Martial Alliance representative smiled brightly and left, saying that he would rewrite the contract.
Ma Jang-ju called the Chief Administrator and told him his decision.
“What? You want to invest such a large amount of money?”
“Yes.”
The chief administrator was worried, but he couldn't bring himself to oppose it.
His intention seemed firm, and if he went against it, he would not end up well.
“But even if we gather all the money from selling the cotton, it will still be far from the amount you requested.”
“Contact the deputy captain. There is a good cotton field here.”