Chapter 244
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 244
Chapter 244. Beijing Branch (4)
I followed him into the imperial palace.
However, looking at his official uniform, he did not appear to be a low-ranking official.
“You seem to be familiar with the layout of the imperial palace, so you must have been working here for quite some time.”
“Oh, I am currently working as a chief clerk.”
Chief clerk?
A chief clerk is a government official in charge of practical work in a department.
It's a bit too high a position to pick up merchants.
According to my memories of my previous life, it was usually low-ranking officials who came to pick us up.
What is going on? His tone of voice earlier was also strange...
Hiding my confusion, I arrived at the Ministry of Revenue.
“Young Master Eunseoho has arrived.”
“Ah! Yes! This way, please!”
“There's dust on the table! Oh no!”
The official who led me to the reception room wiped the dust off the table with his sleeve and poured me some tea.
“Please make yourself comfortable.”
“Thank you.”
Gurgle.
At that moment, my stomach churned, and I said with an awkward expression.
“I'm sorry. I haven't eaten anything since lunch yesterday...”
At my words, the official's face turned pale in an instant.
“I'll bring you something to eat right away.”
"It's okay. I'll eat when I return to my lodgings. Please don't worry about it.“
”Um...“
The official cleared his throat and said.
”I am truly sorry. I was so busy that I forgot about the message from Mister."
Forgot?
You ignored it because you were busy taming the merchants.
But were the officials of the Ministry of Revenue usually so apologetic?
They left me standing outside for three days and all they said when they finally called me in was, “Why are you here? We're busy, so get to the point.”
“Please don't be angry.”
“Angry? What do you mean? I'm just grateful that you called me in earlier than expected. I thought I would have to wait until tomorrow.”
“Huh! Calling you in two days! We are not such heartless people.”
Then why did you treat me that way in my previous life?
“Anyway, I am truly sorry.”
As he kept apologizing, he sensed someone approaching.
Soon, a person dressed as a high-ranking official opened the door and greeted him with a smile.
“Come in. I am Ho Bu-sang, the Minister of Revenue.”
“I am Eun Seo-ho from the Eunhae Trading Company. It is an honor to meet you, Minister of Revenue.”
I was startled and bowed my head in greeting.
The Minister of Revenue was the head of the Ministry of Revenue and a high-ranking official.
Did such a person come to see me in person?
“Hehe, please have a seat.”
“Thank you.”
Even the Minister of the Household is being kind to me.
What is going on?
Did they all eat something bad?
When I sat down at the table, the Minister of the Household opened his mouth with an apologetic look.
“Yes, I heard that the officials of the Household made a big mistake.”
“That's understandable if you're busy with work. I understand. Even I sometimes feel confused when I work through the night for ten days straight.”
“...”
His expression stiffened slightly at my words.
“Why is that?”
“No, it's nothing. Anyway, what business do you have with the Ministry of Internal Affairs that you requested a meeting?”
“Yes, it's just that our Eunhae Trading Company would like to purchase some land owned by the Imperial Palace.”
“You want to buy land from the Imperial Palace?”
“Yes.”
I explained the whole story, and the Ho Bu Sang-seo listened attentively.
Even when I was one of the three greatest trading companies in the world in my previous life, the Ho Bu officials never listened to me...
“Hmm...”
He ordered his staff to bring him the documents related to the land I had mentioned.
We made small talk while we waited, and once the documents arrived, the real conversation began.
“Let me see... Ah, this is the land.”
Now the real bargaining was about to begin. I went over the points I needed to emphasize in my mind.
“There are no plans to use this land, so it is possible to sell it. How much are you thinking of paying for this land?”
“I will give you 2,000 nyang.”
It was a huge amount of money, but this was Beijing.
It was not expensive for a 50,000-square-meter plot of land located not far from the imperial palace and the downtown area.
Even compared to the surrounding market prices, it was only slightly lower.
Now, he would have to negotiate the price through a series of give and take.
Although he had asked for 2,000 nyang, he was thinking of offering 2,500 nyang.
After all, it was the site of the imperial palace, so he had to be prepared to pay a certain amount of extra money.
If he used it well in the future, it could be worth many times more.
However, I received an unexpected answer.
“Okay.”
“What?”
“Let's make it two thousand nyang. It's a troublesome piece of land for us, so we'd rather sell it now.”
“...”
So easily?
I felt somewhat disappointed.
Should I have asked for 1,500 nyang?
But it was already done, and I had made a good profit.
“Then let's draw up the sales contract right now.”
In no time, the sales contract was drawn up, and I paid the deposit with a voucher.
.
.
.
As soon as I left the Imperial Palace, Pal-gap rushed over.
“Young master, are you coming out?”
“Yes.”
“But what happened? You seemed so motivated earlier... Where did all that motivation go?”
“No, I just feel so empty... By the way, is dinner ready?”
“We've already eaten.”
“Good. I should go eat too.”
*
At that moment.
Ho Bu-sang, who had just finalized his contract with Eun Seo-ho, looked at the contract with a complicated look on his face.
Last night, a Royal Guard came to his house and handed him a book.
“My boss asked me to give this to you.”
He opened the book and couldn't help but widen his eyes.
It contained everything he had accepted as a government official, even the smallest things.
To be honest, it was difficult to impose a heavy punishment based on this.
Ironically, he was able to become a Ho Bu Sang-seo because he had accepted less, but he had still accepted something.
Therefore, if he used this as ammunition against him, he would have to be prepared to lose his position at the very least.
However, if he didn't do that and showed this to him, it meant that he wanted something.
“What... does this mean?”
“Actually, this is a warning from the old man to you to manage your subordinates well.”
“Did the officials of the Ministry of Revenue cause some kind of trouble?”
“Even if they did, they were punished severely.”
“What the hell...”
“You have to know how to deal with merchants. I'll be going now.”
He left without saying anything else.
The next morning.
As soon as he arrived at work, he gathered his subordinates and quickly found out what had happened.
“What? Mister Eun Seo-ho? The Eun Seo-ho from the Eunhae Trading Company?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“The Eun Seo-ho, who is in charge of the imperial court by order of His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Gasp!”
Only then did they realize what kind of trouble they had gotten themselves into. They thought they had heard that name somewhere before.
They had left a person who was favored by the emperor and trusted by the Royal Guards in front of the imperial palace.
“You bastards! How dare you! ×××! ××! ××!”
They realized once again that the longer they worked at the Ministry of Revenue, the more skilled they became at cursing and verbal abuse.
“What are you doing? Why aren't you bringing him here right now?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Hey! Not you, you go! Why are you sending a low-ranking officer?”
And there was something that the eunuch whispered to the Ho-bu officials.
Do not even think about negotiating with Eun Seo-ho.
You will be completely stripped of everything, so it is better for your mental health to just end the contract quickly.
That was the whole story of why Eun Seo-ho thought, “Did the Ho-bu officials collectively eat something wrong?”
* *
I ate a quick meal at a nearby inn and headed for the Yeonjoon Trading Company.
I had to tell my uncle that I had purchased the land.
“Seo-ho, is that you? I heard from Sun-il yesterday. You had a rough time in front of the imperial palace, didn't you?”
My aunt said with a worried look on her face.
“It's okay. I was prepared for it.”
“That Ho-bu is really a son of a bitch... I don't understand why the officials are so desperate to persecute merchants!”
Did you just say “son of a bitch”?
I could tell that my aunt, who had been watching my uncle and the other merchants, was very dissatisfied with the Ho-bu officials.
“So, what happened?”
“We bought the land.”
“That's not easy... What?”
My aunt's eyes widened.
“You bought the land?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“We're on our way back after signing the contract and paying the deposit. That's why I wanted to tell you and my uncle.”
“....
My aunt stared at me.
”Why?“
”You're so capable.“
”I was just lucky.“
”Well, there's nothing you can't do. Go on in. Your uncle will be very pleased."
I greeted my aunt, who was laughing heartily, and headed for my uncle's office.
“Are you here?”
“Yes.”
“You look happy, so I guess everything went well?”
I nodded at my uncle's words.
“Yes. I purchased the land.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“How did you manage to persuade those stubborn and demanding individuals?”
“It was just...”
“...”
“They agreed to proceed after hearing my offer.”
“They are not the type to do that...”
I agree.
However, it worked out.
.
.
.
As I was working at my temporary residence, Master Jin suddenly visited.
“Master Eunseoho. It's good to see you.”
“I heard you had a rough night last night.”
Rumors travel fast.
But then again, there's no way the Royal Guards in Beijing wouldn't know.
“It's okay. It's something we merchants are used to, and you called us earlier than expected.”
“Nothing like that will ever happen again. So don't worry.”
“What?”
“My classmates and I searched the tax records thoroughly.”
“...”
I thought I understood what had happened.
The reason why the Ho Bu officials acted strangely was because my classmate and the Royal Guards intervened.
Oh my!
I am so grateful!
I stood up and clasped my hands together.
“Thank you very much for your efforts on my behalf.”
“Not at all. We are only repaying your kindness.”
“You have been a great help.”
I continued cautiously.
“I would like to express my gratitude to my classmates as well...”
This was because I could tell that Master Jin-yeong disliked my classmates.
“There's no need for that. They did it because they wanted to.”
“However...”
As I continued to hesitate, Master Jin-yeong cleared his throat and nodded.
“Hmm, well then, I will pass it on for you.”
“Thank you.”
I clasped my hands together again and bowed my head.
“And please convey my gratitude to His Majesty the Emperor as well.”
“Huh?”
“The Royal Guards are the hands and feet of His Majesty, and Dongchang is His Majesty's eyes and ears. Without His Majesty's permission, how could you have done anything?”
He nodded with a satisfied smile.
“I understand. I will be sure to pass it on.
”Thank you."
“Actually, I have another reason for coming here. I heard that your cousin is getting married this July.”
“Yes, that's right.”
“I came here to ask for your cooperation in that matter.”
“Please tell me.”
I felt a little worried.
What kind of matter would require the Royal Guards to ask for cooperation?
“Would you be able to arrange for our Royal Guards to attend the banquet that day?”
“That shouldn't be difficult, but is there a reason for this?”
“We have detected some suspicious activity.”
“What?”
“I hear that this wedding banquet will be quite large. There is a possibility that some suspicious forces may take advantage of this opportunity to meet.”
Unrest?
Who could that be?
He quickly tried to recall the events of his previous life.
Ah... there are so many.
In any case, it wasn't a difficult request, so he readily agreed.
The fact that they asked for his permission in advance, even though they could have done it secretly, showed their consideration for him.
“I understand. I will do so, but I hope there will be no hindrance to my cousin's wedding.”
.
.
.
A short time later, he paid the balance for the land he had contracted with the Minister of the Interior.
Now it was completely owned by Eunhae Trading Company.
Now it was time to clean up.
I went with Pal-gap to find a carpenter and ordered several standing boards that could be used to connect the tops of two planks.
Once the standing boards were ready, I attached the papers I had written beforehand and placed them around the land I had purchased.
[Warning: This is the property of Eunhae Trading Company. We will use force to protect our property against illegal occupation and trespassing.
The reason I took such strong measures was because most of the people who entered this site were vagrants and thugs.
They were people who caused harm to others without gaining anything in return.
“But sir, even if you do this, what will you do if they still come in?”
“What can we do? We'll beat them up and chase them away. If it were a private house, we would have to pay compensation, but they're just coming here to play around.”
“That's true. I hear they do all sorts of bad things here.”
At that moment, I heard a group of people talking loudly.
“Hey, isn't this owned by Eunhae Trading Company?”
“We had fun here even when it was owned by the imperial palace. Why should we be afraid of a trading company?”
“Ha ha!”
There was no way Seo-woo and Jin-yu didn't hear what I heard.
They looked at me, and I smiled bitterly and said,
“I guess there are some people who shouldn't be spoken to.”