Chapter 290
The Youngest Son of the Eunhaesang Trading Company Chapter 290
Chapter 290. The Thief of Poetry (3)
This time, I got myself into trouble.
It was the poetry contest hosted by the royal family.
The main purpose of the contest was to disgrace Choo Il-gong in public.
Although our Eunhae Trading Company is one of the 100 trading companies, we cannot influence those high-and-mighty people with the name of our company alone.
I recalled my conversation with the emperor.
“A poetry contest... How will that benefit me?”
“First, you will receive money in Beijing.”
“Money?”
“You must know that I recently visited Luoyang for the Dragon and Phoenix Duel.”
“Yes, you became a hero there.”
“...Anyway, that's when I found out that the Martial Alliance hosts events like the Dragon and Phoenix Duel to bring money into Luoyang. As we all know, people are less likely to complain when their wallets are full.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“It will also be an opportunity to discover the talent that His Majesty the Emperor desires.”
“Well, if they can recite poetry, they must have studied the Three Classics.”
The emperor nodded and said,
“But all events require a budget. To secure the necessary funds... Ah! We can charge an entrance fee.”
He is indeed a clever man.
“By the way, what is the real purpose of this event?”
He is not easy to deal with.
“Looking at the poetry collections published these days, I suddenly wondered if the poems in them were really written by the authors themselves. I would like to verify their authenticity.”
The emperor looked interested at my words and readily agreed.
He said, “I am also curious about that. Since it will benefit the imperial family, let's proceed.”
This is the result.
However, I did not know that the emperor would bring in the Seobin Trading Company for this task.
After all, they are the world's best trading company and a supplier of stationery to the imperial family, so they are the perfect choice for this task.
Thus, the poetry contest was organized by the imperial family and sponsored by the Seobin Trading Company and the Eunhae Trading Company.
And
the most important thing is to get a certain person named Chu Il-gong to participate.
To do this, we quietly bribed one of his close friends. He would never volunteer to participate himself.
He would not want his true abilities to be exposed, so he would pretend to be a noble scholar and not take any action.
So, he had someone close to him submit an application on his behalf.
Submitting an application and not participating is an act of deceiving the imperial family.
He will be severely punished, so Choo Il-gong has no choice but to attend the poetry contest.
Just thinking about it makes me laugh.
“Are you that excited?”
“Of course!”
“To be honest, he tried to cause great damage to our Trading Company, but you are helping him because you feel sorry for him. You are such a kind person.”
“First you said he was scary, and now you say he is kind... Which one should I believe?”
Pal-gap thought about my words for a moment and replied, “Actually, I'm confused too. Hehe. Just do both. Both are suitable for him.”
“Actually, I'm confused too. Hehe. You can be both. Both suit you well.”
“Really?”
But what is this feeling that seems like a compliment, but isn't quite a compliment?
Anyway, he's a nice guy...
Well, I don't think I'm a particularly nice person.
The biggest reason I started this whole thing was to avenge Chief Administrator Yoo So-ak.
And two of the people who were harmed by Choo Il-gong are connected to our Trading Company.
That's why I thought that.
I was worried that there would be more victims connected to our Trading Company.
So I wanted to nip it in the bud.
Then Pal-gap asked, “Did you do this for Chief Administrator Yoo So-ak?”
“Are you doing this for Chief Administrator Yoo?”
“Huh?”
“When you went out with Chief Administrator Yoo before, didn't he tell you that he wanted to become famous for his poetry, but when he recited a poem in front of Choo Il-gong, who was the head of the civil service at the time, he was told that he had no talent for poetry and that he should give it up because he would only embarrass himself?”
I was surprised to hear that.
“You remember that?”
“I remember because the scenery was beautiful at the time.”
Ah... Come to think of it, Pal-gap did have a pretty good memory. Still, I didn't think he would remember that...
Could this also be Salwang's talent?
Suddenly, I remembered a passage from the secret book I had obtained in Luoyang.
[Remembering even the smallest details and using them at the right time is...
“Anyway, that's why he's a good person.”
I smiled at Pal-gap as he said that. It seems that I am blessed with good servants.
Speaking of memory, I am reminded of Heo Yun-gak.
Now working hard in the intelligence department, his memory is beyond question.
At that moment, I heard the voice of Lee Pil outside.
“Liege, Branch Chief Eun is here.”
“Come in.”
At my command, the door opened and Branch Chief Eun entered with Lee Woo.
When meeting someone, my bodyguard had to stand behind me.
Eun Cheong-in, the branch manager.
He is a distant relative of ours, but he was promoted to branch manager after running a store in Beijing.
He is in his late forties.
Although he is older than me and a distant relative, he is now the captain and branch manager.
The reason I called him was because when I visited the new construction site of the Beijing branch a few days ago, there were no guards who should have been there.
He bowed his head to me.
“So, did you find out what I asked you to look into?”
I gave him two days to do it.
In other words, he met a man named Song Rok and, in just two days, secured a room for the imperial poetry contest.
I pride myself on my drive, but the emperor is truly insane.
I asked the branch manager, Eun Cheong-in.
“So what happened?”
“I'm sorry. The guards who were supposed to be on duty at the time went out drinking.”
There was a reason he couldn't look me in the eye.
He lowered his head lower and lower.
He wasn't the one guarding the palace, but he was responsible for supervising the guards.
“I'm truly sorry. But I'm glad nothing happened. Hahaha.”
“Nothing happened?”
My voice must have been sharp because he flinched.
“Yes?”
“I didn't want to tell you, but since you don't seem to understand the seriousness of the situation, I'll tell you. When I went to check on the construction site, someone was trying to hang himself there.”
I didn't reveal that it was Song Rok. I had to keep his identity anonymous.
He was startled by my words.
“Is that really true?”
“If I hadn't happened to be there, he would have succeeded. What would have happened then?”
He was stunned by my words.
He had also worked as a manager at the Trading Company, so he knew how serious this was.
“To be honest, I doubt that you should remain in your position as branch manager.”
At my words, he fell flat on his face in front of me.
“I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!”
“Why are you sorry to me? Honestly, even if things go wrong at the Beijing branch, my family and I will still be able to live well. But for the people who depend on this Beijing branch for their livelihood, their livelihood will be cut off in an instant. Shouldn't you apologize to them?”
“...”
“If things had gotten worse, you and your family would have been among those who lost their livelihoods.”
“...I'm sorry.”
He should have come to his senses by now. The harsh punishment was enough. Now it was time to give him some sweet words.
“Get up.”
“...”
“Come on, get up. The floor is dirty.”
I got up, approached him, took his hand, and helped him up. Then, holding his hands with both of mine, I said,
“I know how hard you worked to get to where you are, Branch Manager Eun. And I am well aware of your abilities. I know you have been through a lot.”
I smiled.
“I think you let your excitement over your promotion to branch manager get the better of you.”
“Ugh! I am so ashamed.”
“I know your abilities and how hard you have worked, so I will give you one more chance. Please don't disappoint me.”
It would be too harsh to fire him for one mistake.
And there is no doubt about his loyalty and abilities.
“I will work harder than ever so that you will never be disappointed again.”
“It's winter now, so construction will be suspended, but it will resume in the spring. So, nothing should happen in the meantime that would prevent you from becoming branch manager. Please be careful.”
“I will.”
“Oh, and send me the soldiers who caused the problem this time.”
“What?”
Eun Branch Manager flinched at my order.
What is it?
“Is there a problem?”
“No, not at all! I will send them here right away.”
After he left, Seo Woo, who was behind me, asked, “What are you going to do with those warriors?”
“First, I will ask them why they did it. If they have a valid reason, I will take it into consideration. But if their reason is ridiculous...”
I smiled faintly.
“I think they need some mental training,” I said to Pal-gap.
“They need some mental training.”
I asked Pal-gap.
“Pal-gap, are you ready for what I told you?”
“Of course!”
Seo-woo, who knew what I had prepared, laughed hollowly.
A moment later.
The warriors entered my office. There were five of them.
The moment I saw them, my blood pressure rose.
I had assigned not just one or two, but five of them, and yet none of them were there!
They entered with their heads bowed, not knowing if they were aware of their mistake.
“You were drinking that day, weren't you?”
The warriors of each branch of the Eunhae Trading Company and the Trading Company itself belong to the Eunpungdae.
They basically work in rotation, and they have been stationed in Beijing for between one and three years.
Three years is about the time they would be transferred back to headquarters.
I asked them,
“Why did you do that?”
“Well...”
“There must be a reason, right? Was it just because you felt like drinking?”
One of them cautiously opened his mouth.
“We thought it would be okay. There are rumors...”
“Rumors?”
“There are rumors that the Captain uses ghosts to protect that land...”
“So because of those rumors, people who might cause trouble don't come here... That's why no one has come here at night...”
That's why you thought it would be okay not to stand guard.
I let out a deep sigh and said.
“Actually, that night. If I hadn't gone there, the warriors would have found the body in the morning.”
“What?”
“Someone tried to commit suicide there.”
At my words, the faces of the five warriors turned pale.
They realized how serious the incident was.
“If that had happened, you would have been expelled from the Eunpungdae. To be honest, even this incident is enough to get you expelled.”
“...”
I thought I knew what caused this incident. It was because discipline had become lax.
The branch chief had reprimanded them appropriately and encouraged them, so there should be no problem. What should I do with these warriors?
There was no need to worry.
I already had a plan.
“First, I will order them to return to headquarters. They will be suspended from all duties until the warriors return. In the meantime, they should reflect on their actions.”
“Yes, sir.”
Their voices betrayed their relief.
They thought they would receive some kind of severe punishment, but they were only asked to return to headquarters and refrain from work.
In other words, they would be playing around until then. No wonder they were relieved.
But they shouldn't be relieved.
“But if you neglect your martial arts training even for a day, your skills will deteriorate. Isn't that right, Seo Woo?”
Seo Woo nodded in response to my question.
“That's right.”
“You made a big mistake and are wondering what to do, and now your skills have deteriorated? What do you think the Chief Administrator will say?”
“....”
Their expressions suddenly turned grim.
They knew the nature of the Chief Administrator, who emphasized that martial arts were the foundation of a warrior.
“That's why. You must not let your skills deteriorate before you return to headquarters, right?”
Sensing something ominous, they cried out in alarm.
“We will train hard on our own.”
“We can do it!”
“What makes you so sure? You couldn't even properly carry out your mission of patrolling the new Beijing branch construction site at night.”
“...”
At that moment, another warrior hurriedly said, “But as you know, personal martial arts skills are...”
“Who said I would be teaching martial arts training?”
“What?”
“I was thinking of basic physical training. So...”
I smiled and said.
“Pal-gap! Bring that over here.”
“Yes!”
The door opened, and Lee Pil and Yeo Eung-am carried a box and placed it on the floor.
Thud!
The sound gave a hint of its weight.
When Pal-gap opened the box, it was filled with pieces of iron.
“Let's do the three basic training exercises with these.”
When the warriors saw me smiling, they looked as if they had seen an evil spirit.