Chapter 254
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 254
Chapter 254. Complete Defeat (1)
To be honest, I am a merchant, not a philanthropist.
And merchants never make deals that will cause them to lose money.
The reason I am showing kindness to the student at the academy is to make him my man.
The head of the Hyeonghak Academy and Mansuk's teacher said that he knows how to pass the exam.
That means he has a trick.
Being smart and having a trick are two different things.
I learned that for sure in my previous life.
Those who have tricks are more likely to achieve better results and rise higher than those who are simply smart.
And the student at Mansuk Academy understood exactly what I wanted.
“Then let's talk seriously.”
“Yes.”
This was not a conversation to be had here.
“Is there somewhere we can talk quietly?”
Yoon-byeok, who was standing next to me, replied to my question.
“There is a quiet place nearby.”
“Let's go there.”
I asked Pal-gap and Seo-woo to look after the landlady and her children, who must have been frightened by my appearance, and headed for the nearby tea house.
As he said, it was a quiet tea house.
“Actually, the tea here isn't very good. But the owner of the tea house is the owner of the building...”
I understood his situation.
“Still, it's quiet and secluded, so I often come here when I need to talk about this and that. My father also uses this place.”
“Excuse me, but what does Chun-bu-jang do?”
“He has a lot of ships.”
“I see.”
In simple terms, it means that he is in a position similar to that of a chairman of a large estate.
The fact that such a person uses this place means that it is a good place to have a quiet conversation.
We ordered some tea, and it was brought to us shortly after.
I took a sip of tea.
Ugh!
Just as Yoon-byeok said, it really didn't taste good.
But I didn't come here to drink tea, so it didn't matter.
“Man-sook.”
“Yes.”
“Our Eunhae Trading Company's scholarship program only supports the individual. However, considering the difficult circumstances surrounding you, I don't think it would be of much use to only support you.
I looked at Man-sook.
”So, I am thinking of creating a program to support your living expenses.“
”Supporting my living expenses...?“
”Not only your tuition and living expenses, but also a house and living expenses for your family."
I continued.
“Currently, Mansuk's aunt and younger siblings live in a rented house. We will provide them with thirty silver coins a year for living expenses.”
“Is that in exchange for my loyalty?”
“Yes. All of this is provided on the condition that Mansuk pledges his loyalty to me.”
Of course, through the Kwanhak system, we made many government officials friendly toward our Eunhae Trading Company.
However, there were times when we needed more than that, such as loyalty and unconditional help, and while we were worrying about what to do, we learned about Man-sook's situation.
In other words, it is a contract that fulfills each other's needs.
“First, you must pass the exam. Then, rise as high as you can.”
I continued.
“What do you think? Can you do it?”
“It's not that difficult.”
His face was full of confidence.
We coordinated the details. If Man-sook continued to receive support after becoming a government official, it would likely be considered bribery.
Therefore, we decided to support him generously until he became a government official, as a kind of deception.
After finishing our discussion, I headed back to Mansuk's uncle's house, which was now mine.
“Urelere!”
“Hahahaha!”
“Karurru!”
Palgap was playing with the children, and he was definitely talented.
The children were laughing as if they had never cried, playing with Palgap.
Only Mansuk's aunt and a few older children looked uneasy.
“Are you here?”
Seo Woo bowed his head to me.
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes, nothing special happened.”
I nodded and said to Mansuk.
“Tell your aunt what happened.”
At my words, he approached his aunt and explained the whole situation.
“That way, we can continue to live in this house.”
“Then can I live here too?”
“Of course, auntie.”
“You saved us!”
Man-sook said.
“No, how can I forget the kindness you have shown me and my siblings? You are like a mother to me. I will continue to treat you as my mother.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
In fact, although his uncle had decided to take in Man-sook's siblings, she was the one who had to work the hardest.
It was her aunt who took care of the children, preparing meals and doing laundry.
However, she never complained and took good care of the children.
Now she is being rewarded for her kindness.
“By the way, auntie. Where is your husband now?”
“I don't know. He said he found a job and left yesterday, but…”
“I'll go look for him.”
“Let's go with you.”
As the conversation progressed, Yoon-byeok raised his hand.
“I'm going to go see my father for a moment.”
“Go ahead.”
I left the house with Man-sook and started looking for her uncle.
It wasn't a very big seaside village, so it wasn't difficult to find Man-sook's uncle.
After asking around, we found a man covered in sweat, mending a net.
“Uncle!”
“Huh? Isn't that you, Su-sook?”
“What are you doing here?”
“Well... I'm getting ready to set sail soon.”
At that moment, a big man standing next to him shouted.
“I'm busy, so stop nagging...”
He saw me and flinched.
“Who are you?”
It seemed that he was reacting to my clothes. This is why I can't help but care about appearances.
People say that what's inside is what counts, but they pay more attention to appearances.
“I'm from the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“Eunhae Trading Company... Huh! You're from that family?”
“Yes.”
His attitude became more respectful.
“Hehe, what brings you to such a humble place?”
“I have a friend here. May I have a word with you?”
“Of course.”
That is how we came to have a conversation with Mansuk's uncle.
Mansuk's uncle's name was Manjin.
“Uncle, your aunt is very worried about you.”
“I'm so sorry to your aunt. I was foolish. I was blinded by her persuasion...”
Seeing him sigh deeply, he seemed to be reflecting on his mistakes.
“Oh, I didn't get to tell you... I think I'll be able to take care of your younger siblings somehow. So you don't have to worry.”
“...Uncle.”
“I won't be able to go home for about a month. So go home and tell your aunt that for me.”
Mansuk shook his head at those words.
“Uncle, that house is no longer your house.”
“Well... The ownership of the house has changed, but...”
His uncle's face was hesitant.
Something was wrong.
He was a man who was reflecting on his mistakes and even willing to board a ship to rectify the situation.
How could such a man be so calm knowing that his family was being kicked out?
Furthermore, it was definitely strange that he was so confident in saying that he could take care of Mansook's younger siblings.
I asked him in confusion.
“Did you say that you would let them continue to live in that house?”
“Yes, that's right. I said that I would not touch the house or its contents in exchange for boarding the ship...”
“No!”
Mansuk shouted in alarm.
“When I arrived at my uncle's house, it was already a mess. Thugs had ransacked the house, and my aunt, nieces, and younger siblings were about to be kicked out!”
“What?”
“If you weren't here, Captain, what would have happened...”
I smiled and replied.
“Anyway, that house is now mine.”
“....”
“And I have settled all your debts. That means you have no reason to work here anymore.”
“Is that really true?”
“Yes.”
“Why are you being so kind to me?”
He seemed to have become wary after being treated so harshly.
“The resident of this house agreed to pay the price.”
“...”
My answer left him speechless.
I said to the man who managed this place.
“I have already paid off the interest. I don't understand why the interest is still working here.”
Behind me, the warrior Seo Woo gave off a cold aura.
“Wait a moment!”
He quickly sent someone away, and after listening to the report from the person who returned, he approached me with a servile smile.
“Hehe, there seems to have been some mistake. Please go ahead.”
So, I took the man's uncle to his house.
Something was definitely suspicious.
He was encouraged to gamble, and he believed the man who said he would let him continue living in his house even though he had lost everything to gambling, so he went to get a boat...
Could it be?
I asked Man-sook's uncle.
“Where did you gamble this time?”
“Huh? Oh, yes...”
“Has it always been there?”
“I'm not sure, but I heard it suddenly appeared a few months ago.”
“Do many people lose money there?”
“I heard it from someone working there earlier, and they said it was quite popular. Some of my friends also went there.”
“Did those friends encourage you to gamble?”
He nodded in response to my question.
Anyway, we returned home and saw Mansuk's uncle kneeling in front of his aunt and begging her for forgiveness.
Meanwhile, I said to Jin-yu Musha.
“It seems that a suspicious force is involved.”
“I think so too.”
The disgusting feeling I had earlier.
It was definitely the aura of the Black Way.
Of course, it was not unusual for people from the Black Way to be involved in gambling.
However, this was an ordinary fishing village with neither many people nor many rich people.
In other words, they must have wanted something else.
Probably... a person.
It was not uncommon for people to be sold into slavery because of gambling debts, so no one would suspect anything.
“I'll look into it.”
“Please do.”
.
.
.
That night.
The results of Jin-yu's investigation confirmed my suspicions.
“...It seems that a group of people arrived four months ago and opened a gambling den, causing many people to fall into debt. Judging from the gambling den's methods, it appears that there was a group of people working together.”
“I knew it.”
“About a fifth of the men in this village are in debt, and they are planning to leave by boat in two weeks.”
How did my prediction turn out to be so accurate?
If they leave by boat, they will never be able to return.
Then they will say that the ship sank and they died, and force the remaining family members to sell themselves to pay off the debt.
If that happens, what will become of this village?
It's obvious.
But isn't gambling illegal?
With the situation in this state, I don't understand why the local government official in charge of this village isn't intervening.
I'll find out later. First, I have to solve this problem.
Of course, Man-sook, the female student, and her family are safe, so it doesn't matter if I leave this place pretending I don't know anything.
However, there could be problems later.
If the emperor finds out about this, he may ask me, “Did you really not notice what happened then?”
To be honest, I can't say I didn't know because the situation is so serious.
If I lose the emperor's trust...
I don't even want to imagine it.
Actually, there are other reasons, but the biggest reason is probably because I'm nosy and still have a conscience.
However, I don't really want to attract attention because of this...
As I was thinking about it, an idea suddenly came to mind.
Ah! That's it.
At that moment, I sensed a familiar presence approaching the house of Man-sook.
I turned my head and saw Yoon-byeok.
“Are you back from home already?”
He nodded in response to my question. However, his face did not look very cheerful.
“Something seems to be wrong.”
“The gambling den is causing more trouble than I thought.”
He explained the whole story.
“I heard from my father that many of the people working on our family's ships have lost everything because of gambling.”
“So it's not just Mansuk's uncle's problem.”
“Yes.”
He nodded.
“So even though my father reported this to Jihyeon, no action has been taken.”
Is that so?
Then is it because of threats? Or bribery?
“My father investigated on his own, and he said that it seems pirates are involved.”