Chapter 220
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 220
Chapter 220. Karma (9)
Soon, the Silver Wind Corps that I had summoned arrived.
“You called?”
The leader of the Silver Wind Corps was Myung Boo-sung.
He was from the Yunnan region and was skilled with a large curved sword.
However, what stood out even more than his weapon was his face.
It was so fierce that even a crying child would stop crying and start screaming, and his deformed curved sword complemented it perfectly.
However, he was a sincere and kind-hearted man.
In any case, with his face alone, he was perfect for demonstrations of force, so he was often used for such tasks.
You might say that it was too much for a soft-hearted person, but the head of the death squad did not shy away from the job.
When I asked him about it in my past life, he smiled and said,
“Isn't a show of force just a way to intimidate others without having to kill them with a sword?”
“That's right. A show of force is just a threat.”
“That's why I like it. That's why I practice making scary faces. Ha ha ha!”
That's the kind of man Myung-boo-sung is.
“We need to stage a show of force.”
“That's my specialty. Leave it to me, Captain.”
He clasped his hands together and smiled, which made him look even scarier.
We headed for the magistrate's office.
“Hm, hm. What is this without any notice?”
Magistrate Ma was still acting confident.
But now, that was over.
“Magistrate Ma, you must vacate the magistrate's office.”
“What? Vacate the magistrate's office? What do you mean?”
“We need to use the magistrate's office for something.”
“Didn't you say last time that you only wanted ownership of the estate?”
“Yes, I did. But, Chairman Ma, ownership means that you are the owner of the estate. And the owner of the estate has the right to order the eviction of those who reside there.”
“....”
“Am I wrong?”
“....”
He wasn't wrong.
“Wait a moment! Once we receive the profits from our investment in the Martial Alliance's project...”
“Haven't you heard the news yet?”
“News? What news?”
“The members of the Baekroo Corps who were escorting your investment funds have gone missing.”
“What?”
“That's why the Martial Alliance hasn't received the funds yet and can't even proceed with the project.”
“....”
“Anyway, that's how it is. So, Chairman. Please vacate the mansion.”
“I can't do that! I can get the money from somewhere else!”
“Can you really get the money? Do you have any property to offer as collateral?”
Ma Jang-ju's face gradually reddened at my sarcastic question.
“Where did you learn such arrogant words?”
“Why? It's the truth, isn't it?”
Ma Jang-ju's eyes filled with rage, then quickly turned sinister.
“Hey! Handcuff those guys right now!”
“Yes!”
I didn't need to hear Ma Jang-ju's thoughts to know what he was thinking. He was going to detain me and take the contract I had.
Bad guys all think alike.
Actually, I was deliberately being sarcastic, hoping he would reveal his true colors...
Wow, he's really simple-minded.
The warriors rushed at me, but my bodyguards were no ordinary fighters.
Puk!
Crash!
“Ugh!”
“Kuh!”
In an instant, the tide of battle turned.
The only bodyguards left with Ma Jang-ju were second-rate warriors at best.
The first-rate warriors were all being punished at the county office.
Of course, they were no match for my bodyguards.
“This is just a warning, so I didn't draw my sword, but I don't know what will happen next. My bodyguards are very loyal.”
“Call other warriors right now! Slaughter those guys! They're only six!”
He still hasn't come to his senses.
I looked outside and shouted loudly.
“Captain Myung!”
Soon, the gate opened wide and Captain Myung entered with his men.
“Hic!”
“Hee!”
The warriors saw Captain Myung's scary face and stepped back without realizing it.
Ma Jang-ju was no different from the warriors.
“Chairman Ma, you are so short-sighted. I am the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company. How could I go out with only my bodyguards?”
“....
I approached Ma Jang-ju and said, ”What will you do? If you leave now, I will overlook what you were going to do to me.“
”....
Ma Jang-ju closed his eyes tightly and said.
“I'll leave.”
“You've made the right decision.”
“But still! If you tell me to leave so suddenly, where am I supposed to go?”
“That's why I prepared a small house for you.”
“A house?”
“I'm not that heartless.”
Ma Jang-ju sighed and said.
“All right. I'll tell my family to pack their things.”
“There's no need for that. You and your family only need to leave with the clothes on your backs.”
“What?”
“Have you forgotten? Everything in this manor, even the smallest stone, is my property. Even the clothes you are wearing are mine. However, I will let you take the clothes you are wearing now.”
I continued.
“And when I was looking through the Chairman's investment contract earlier, I happened to see the employment contract, which stated that the contract would be automatically terminated if the company was unable to pay salaries normally.”
At that, Chairman Ma turned his head and looked at the Chief Administrator.
The Chief Administrator had also come out during the commotion, and he nodded.
“Yes, that's right.”
“And there are three situations in which normal salaries cannot be paid. The first is...”
The chief administrator explained what I had said.
“The first is when salaries have not been paid for three months. The second is when there is no heir to succeed the head of the clan. The third is when the owner of the estate changes.”
I smiled wryly.
“Then, Chief Administrator, does the current situation fall under any of the three cases you just mentioned?”
“Yes, it does.”
The chief administrator knelt in front of me.
“My name is An-sook, and I have been working at Magajang for forty years.”
That means you've been working here since your ancestors were alive?
“If you give this old man a chance, I will serve you with all my heart. Please sign a contract with me.”
Yes, it is wise to quickly switch to a new ship rather than staying on a sinking ship until the end.
I approached the chief administrator.
“The day is getting late. Please don't do this. Get up.”
“I will not get up until the new chairman grants my request.”
“I understand. Then please get up.”
Having worked here for forty years means that he is familiar with not only Magajang but also Taegyeong-hyeon.
He will be helpful to me in many ways.
“I will sign the contract. I look forward to working with you.”
“Thank you.”
Only then did Chief Administrator An get up from his seat. I spoke to everyone who had gathered in the courtyard.
“That's right. So, those who wish to renew their contracts with me, please stand next to Chief Administrator An. If you don't want to, you can leave with Chairman Ma...”
I laughed hollowly.
This was because all the employees stood behind Chief Administrator An. Chairman Ma and his family looked at the employees with betrayal in their eyes, but that was all.
They didn't have the money to maintain the contracts, and the employees had no reason to maintain contracts with them.
“Then Chairman Ma and his family, please follow me.”
Only a few family members followed Chairman Ma.
They were Ma Jang-ju's relatives, and I remembered them because they had run the shops I had bought.
They were just like Ma Jang-ju, so it was no surprise that his relatives were in the same situation.
Some had gotten married but divorced, and some had wives who had run away in the middle of the night.
When I took over the shops, they were no longer able to work there, so they had been staying at the manor.
They were no longer Ma Jang-ju's servants.
They looked at Ma Jang-ju with resentful eyes.
Seeing that, I laughed inside. They should have been grateful to Ma Jang-ju for letting them live well all this time, but they were greedy.
While taking over the shops they used to run, I learned that they had also treated the residents of Taegyeong-hyeon very badly.
Soon, we arrived at the house that Pal-gap had prepared.
“Here we are.”
“Huh?”
“Is this it?”
I asked, pretending not to know.
“Why?”
“No, it's just... Is that small hut in front of us the house you prepared?”
“Yes.”
In front of us was a shabby hut.
Actually, I was going to prepare a hut, but there should be a hut around here.
So, I had no choice but to change my plan and find a small house that was falling apart.
“Did you expect a big tile-roofed house? Am I crazy? Why would I want to lose money like that? I already made a loss on the deal with Chairman Ma.”
“....
”If you don't like it here, find a place to live on your own. I'll be leaving now.“
Without saying another word, I turned around and left.
.
.
.
When I returned to the magistrate's office, I immediately looked for Chief Administrator An.
”Chief Administrator An.“
”Yes."
“Please take down the signboard in front of the house. This place is no longer a magistrate's residence, so there's no need for it to be there.”
“You're right.”
“By the way, did Ma Jeong have any brothers?”
Chief Administrator An looked sad when he heard my question.
“He had two older brothers, but they died in a tragic accident. The shock of their deaths caused our late Chairman to fall ill and pass away.”
“I see.”
“However, when the two young masters died, Ma-jeong was nearby.”
“You suspect him, but you have no proof?”
Chief Administrator An nodded silently in response to my question.
If the chief administrator, who had worked for forty years, said so, it meant that it was certain, except for the lack of evidence.
I had one more thing to investigate.
* *
As evening fell, it grew even colder.
Ma-jeong shouted to his servants.
“What are you doing? Light the fire right now!”
“How can we light a fire if we don't know how?”
“Then how are we supposed to make dinner?”
They had firewood and rice, but they had never lit a fire or cooked rice before, so of course they couldn't do it properly.
They struggled here and there, but...
“Damn it!”
Then Ma-jeong said,
“That's what that despicable man said. If you don't like it here, find a place to live on your own.”
“Yes, that's right.”
“Who are we? We are the kings of Taegyeong-hyun! Why do we have to live like this?”
“You're right.”
“As far as I know, the Min family's house is the best in this area.”
There were several influential families in Taegyeong-hyeon, excluding the Ma family, and the Min family was one of them.
However, since they were only influential in name, they were nothing but sycophants to Ma Jeong, so he said confidently.
“Starting today, we will stay there.”
“Yes.”
They left the hut and headed for the Min family's house.
“Ahem! Is Mr. Min there?”
“Who is it?”
The door opened and a servant came out.
“Call Min.”
The servant recognized him and hurried inside, and Min came running out breathlessly.
Ma-jeong said to him with an arrogant expression.
“Get out of here.”
“What?”
“From today, we will be living here, so get out. Oh, and you must serve us, so tell the servants and maids to stay here.”
“....”
“What? You're not leaving?”
At those words, he instinctively tried to bow his head.
But then he saw Ma Jeong's clothes, which were charred and covered in dirt.
He was usually so neat and tidy.
“It's true!”
He remembered what the handsome young man had said earlier.
“Ma Jang-ju will come looking for you today and tell you to leave immediately. He said he's going to live here.”
“What?”
“Just listen to me. He is no longer the chairman of the Ma family. Everything belonging to the Ma family is now mine. He has no warriors to protect him. He is penniless.”
“Then what should we do?”
“Just pour a bucket of water on him, beat him up, and chase him away. What are you worried about?”
“But...”
“Don't worry. I'll leave one of my guards here. He'll protect you.”
If what he said was true, there was no need to tolerate Magjang's tyranny any longer.
How much oppression had they endured over the years?
Did Majung know that the resentment they had endured and suppressed would never disappear?
Min gathered his courage and headed toward the jar.
It was a cold day, and the water in the large jar was covered with a thin layer of ice.
He scooped water from the jar and poured it over Majung and his men.
“Ah!”
“Huh!”
Ma-jeong and his servants blinked at the sudden attack.
“You thugs! Where did you learn to behave like this? Will you ever learn?”
“How dare you... Guh!”
Pah!
Ma-jeong couldn't finish his sentence.
A wooden bucket had hit him in the face.