Chapter 284
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 284
Chapter 284. Invest Boldly (2)
We entered the Peng Family in Hebei.
The Peng Clan was in an uproar.
This was because the Young Master of the clan had attacked the Royal Guards, who were having a dinner party with their weapons.
As this was an unprecedented situation, the entire family was on high alert.
Therefore, the only person who welcomed Master Pang back was his father.
“Father, I'm back.”
“I'm so glad you're back safe and sound. I was so worried about you, but you came back just in time.”
His name was Pang Mok.
He was the fourth child and third son of the current Clan Head.
His eldest sister was standing right in front of him.
Of course, she was already married and no longer lived in the Peng Clan.
Perhaps because he had inherited the Peng Clan's blood, he was very tall, but he also had a slender build.
By the way, from what he said to Master Peng just now, it seemed that he also knew that his older brother, the Young Master, was after Master Peng's life.
“Who is that next to you?”
“This is the person who helped me return to my clan safely.”
I bowed my head politely with my hands clasped together.
“I am Eun Seo-ho from the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“You are Gang-woon's father, Peng Mok.”
“It is an honor to meet one of the greats of the Peng Clan.”
“I am not so great. Are you not the renowned Sun-hyeok-mi-rang?”
He knew about me after all.
He continued with an apologetic look on his face.
“I should be hosting a banquet in your honor, but please understand that my family is not in a good situation right now.”
“Don't worry about it.”
I'm the one who caused this mess.
I feel a little sorry, but it's good for us to be related since you're the son of the Clan Head.
Then Master Peng asked, “How is your mother?”
"She's fine.
“My mother has gathered all the ladies of the household and is waiting for you there. Please go see her later.”
“Yes.”
It seemed that the head of the Peng Clan had called a family meeting.
With the household in turmoil, the ladies' behavior was also important, so he probably wanted to give them instructions.
Master Peng's father looked at me.
“Stay as long as you like. Where will you stay?”
“I will stay with you in your annex.”
“Then so be it.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you for allowing me to stay.”
With that, we exchanged brief greetings and headed for Master Peng's annex.
“I am grateful that you have offered me your guest house, but to be honest, the facilities are not very good.”
“It doesn't matter. But personally, you are not going to assign a bodyguard?”
He nodded in response to my question.
“Yes, after I was almost killed by a bodyguard, I don't feel like having one anymore...”
“I see. But you need bodyguards. Unless you are a master of the Chapter, you cannot defend yourself against all threats on your own.”
“You are right, Young Master.”
“You also need to build up Master Peng's power. Even if the Clan Head and the senior members agree to make Master Peng the Young Master, without power, they can reverse their decision at any time.”
“But... isn't it already too late?”
I nodded in agreement.
“To be honest, as Master Pang said, it is too late. But I have a plan.”
I called out to Pal-gap, who was standing quietly beside me.
“Pal-gap.”
“Yes, young master.”
“Starting today, find someone within the Peng Clan who meets the conditions I mentioned.”
“Yes, sir. What are the conditions?”
“They must be talented but extremely poor.”
Pal-gap smiled at my words.
“I understand what you mean.”
The Peng Clan of Hebei is a family made up of people with the surname Peng. However, not all members of the family can have the surname Peng.
Not only the servants and maids who do menial work, but also more than half of the warriors do not have the surname Peng.
Some are from vassal families that exist for the Peng Clan, while others have entrusted their lives to the clan in order to survive.
Our first target is them.
And even among those with the surname Pang, there must be some who are short of money.
According to Master Pang, when they reach adulthood, the amount of financial support they receive from their families is cut in half.
And when they turn 30, most of the support from their families disappears.
That was my first thought when I heard that story.
Those with the Pang surname who are short of money are the second group to target.
.
.
.
Pal-gap faithfully carried out my orders.
“Here is the list.”
I looked at the list Pal-gap handed me. As expected of Pal-gap.
It had only been two days, but there were quite a few names on the list.
I took it and headed for Master Pang.
There had been no threats to Master Pang during that time.
That was to be expected, as the Pang Clan Head and the warriors he led were still being held captive in the imperial palace.
The Pang Clan Head's forces would not be able to act rashly, and the others would be too preoccupied with their own safety.
“I'm going in.”
“Yes.”
I went inside and sat down in front of him.
“Here is a list of people that Master Pang must bring under his control.”
I handed it to him.
“From now on, it is important.”
When I looked to my side and signaled with my eyes, Lee Pil and Yeo Eung-am opened the box they had brought with them.
“...!”
When Master Pang and his attendants saw it, their eyes widened and their mouths fell open.
That was because the box was filled with silver.
It was so heavy that it took two first-class warriors to carry it.
“With this, you can buy the loyalty of those on the list.”
At my words, he closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them.
His eyes were filled with a bright light.
“Thank you for your words, but I am a little concerned. If you can buy people's hearts with money, doesn't that mean that if someone else offers more money, they will betray me?”
He is a righteous man.
“You are right, Master Pang. People should look at each other's hearts, not at money. But how can you know someone's heart when you first meet them?”
“....”
“People are attracted to what they see.”
I kicked the box containing the money with my foot.
Clang.
“First, use this money to win their favor. And that is all I can do to help you build your power, Master Peng.”
“Then?”
“It is up to you to turn the favor you bought with your money into real trust.”
Even if it is a relationship formed through money, with Master Peng's righteous heart, he will be able to turn them into his true allies.
Master Peng nodded.
“I understand. I will do as you say.”
It was time to leave. But before that, I had something to do for Master Peng.
“And I would like to meet the Clan Head of the Peng Clan.”
.
.
.
Two days after I asked Master Peng to arrange a meeting with the Clan Head.
Young Master Pang was doing much better than I had expected. He had already met with a third of the people on the list and won their favor.
“I have secured their support.”
“Well done.”
“And I just received a message from my grandfather. He wants you to come to the Bixing Hall after dinner tonight.”
The Bixing Hall was where the Clan Head resided.
That evening.
As I headed to the meeting place, I thought of the Clan Head of the Peng Clan in Hebei.
I remember having a brief conversation with him during the Dragon and Phoenix Duel when I accidentally became a hero.
He was a man of imposing stature with a fierce appearance, like a tiger.
Chuck!
The warriors standing in front of the wall crossed their spears.
“What is your business?”
“I am Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Trading Company. I have come to see the Clan Head.”
“Please wait a moment.”
A warrior in the back went inside and came out and said.
“He is ready to see you.”
Clang!
The warriors raised their spears again and bowed their heads to me.
“Excuse me.”
I could tell from their momentum that they were well trained.
When I entered, someone who appeared to be a servant approached me.
“Please follow me.”
To be honest, the walled church was more like a fortress than a temple.
However, this was Beijing, where the emperor resided.
They had to be careful not to attract attention, so they modestly called it a wall temple instead of a wall shrine.
“Captain Eun Seo-ho is here to see you.”
“Let him in.”
The door opened, and I entered. I could see Clan Head Peng sitting in front of me.
When I was about ten steps away, I clasped my hands together and bowed my head.
“Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Trading Company is here to see the master of the Peng Clan.”
“...You did something quite bold.”
Ah, he knew what I did.
Well, if he couldn't figure that out, he wouldn't be worthy of such a large clan.
I raised my head and said, “I don't quite understand what you mean.”
“I don't quite understand what you mean.”
“Don't play dumb! Didn't you deliberately call the Royal Guards to disrupt the dinner party? That must have been your plan.”
“Ah... Is that what you mean?”
I asked the Clan Head.
“Clan Head, if the Young Master hadn't come there and disrupted the dinner party, would my plan have succeeded?”
“....”
“And I had no choice but to protect my precious guest. If my uncle came at me with a sword to kill his nephew, would I just stand there and let him kill me?”
The Clan Head stared at me silently, taken aback by my confident attitude.
“Hahahaha!”
Then he burst out laughing.
Why is this old man acting like this all of a sudden?
“Yes! That's right! That's exactly right!”
He had just heard that his son tried to kill his grandson, but his reaction was strange.
That meant he already knew.
After all, how could a father not know his own son?
Moreover, the person in front of me was the head of the Peng Clan.
When he promised his grandson the position of Young Master, he must have fully expected his son to harm his grandson.
Should I test him lightly?
“By the way, your grandson is on the verge of death. Shouldn't you protect him?”
The Clan Head replied with a faint smile.
“If he can't even overcome something like that, how can he push his uncle aside and become the Young Master?”
My guess was correct.
The Clan Head deliberately made that remark to fuel the Young Master's competitiveness.
And he wanted to see Master Peng overcome the ordeal and take the position of Young Master on his own.
But Clan Head.
If it weren't for me, Master Peng would have died. And the Peng Clan would have fallen into ruin.
It seems that the Clan Head underestimated the Young Master's despicable schemes and his obsession with becoming the Young Master.
By the way, when Young Master Pang died in my past life, what did the Clan Head think?
Did he just shake his head and say that he wasn't fit to be the Young Master? Or did he blame himself and regret his actions?
“So what did you agree to give him in return for helping him?”
“What do you mean?”
“You may be called Seon-hyeom-mi, but I know your true nature. You are a merchant, and merchants never do anything that will cause them to lose money.”
He continued.
“So I need to know what kind of deal you made.”
Hearing this, I clasped my hands together and said,
“I'm sorry, Clan Head. Isn't it basic that a deal is a secret between the parties involved?”
“So you can't tell me?”
Of course I can't.
I said I would trust you, so it's not right for me to speak first.
“Yes. I can't tell you.”
“Is that so?”
At that moment, he suddenly became very intense.
His intensity crushed me like a rock. I was at my peak, so I felt his intensity even more clearly.
Drip, drip.
It was the beginning of winter, and even though the air was cold, sweat dripped from my forehead and fell to the floor.
I felt an overwhelming sense of pressure that seemed to engulf me.
But I couldn't give in. This was a test from the Clan Head.
If I failed this test, all the money I had spent would be wasted.
I gritted my teeth.
Then, it happened.
“...!”
I could clearly feel an energy rising from within me.
It was Hyun-ryong's energy.
Hyunryong opened his mouth and devoured all the energy that was pressing down on me.
Thanks to him, I was able to face Clan Head with a calm expression.
I must have made a strong impression on him.
“Hahahaha!”
He laughed heartily once again.
The energy that had been pressing down on me disappeared.
“Kangun has found a capable assistant. He is indeed the Clan Head I chose.”
His eyes sparkled as he looked at me.
“And he is worthy of the Emperor's attention.”
“....
He sighed deeply.
”So what do you want me to do? How can I help you get that brat out of there?“
The term ”you bastard“ had changed to ”you." This meant that I had passed the Clan Head's test.
I clasped my hands together and said to the Clan Head.