Chapter 351
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 351
Chapter 351. What Will Happen (2)
“By the way.”
I quickly cleared my mind at the emperor's words.
How could I be thinking about other things in front of the emperor? Focus!
I don't know when he will devour me.
“This famine is quite long.”
“Even so, thanks to His Majesty's benevolence, many people are surviving the famine.”
“Enough flattery!”
“...”
“Honestly, if you hadn't given me a heads-up through the Left Assistant Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, how could I have prepared in advance? Even if it was just a prophetic dream.”
I feel a little embarrassed that he acknowledged my contribution.
By the way, how did Hwang Bon-ji become a left assistant minister?
The left and right assistant ministers are orthodox and unorthodox officials who serve as aides to the Minister of Justice. And the Minister of Justice is in charge of inspection.
He used to be in the Ministry of Revenue... I guess he got promoted.
The emperor sighed.
“But the famine is not over yet, and I am worried about the future.”
“Your Majesty will surely be able to overcome this crisis.”
“Tsk, tsk. That's enough flattery.”
“I am not flattering you.”
“Enough. Anyway, with things as they are, I was reminded of what you said to me through the Left Assistant Minister of the Imperial Secretariat the other day. You said that we should bring in from outside what we don't have here.”
Just as I expected.
“Are you referring to trade with other countries?”
The emperor nodded.
“Yes. In order for us to receive grain, we must sell them what they want. What do you think we should sell?”
I pretended to think for a moment.
I had already thought of everything, but I had to pretend to think hard.
“You already have everything figured out, yet you still try so hard.”
“...
”Ahem.“
I cleared my throat, embarrassed that he had seen through me.
”There are many things, but I think there are three most important trade items.“
”Three... Tell me.“
”First is Vessel of the Tao.“
”Pottery?“
”Yes."
I nodded.
“And tea and alcohol are also very good trade items.”
Pottery, tea, and alcohol.
The neighboring countries were crazy about these items.
That's why Baekcheon Trading Company made a huge profit.
Ah, thinking about that time makes me angry. But I'm in front of the emperor right now.
I have to hold it in.
After discussing trade with foreign countries with the emperor, I returned to the Beijing branch.
Two days passed.
“Captain, is this okay?”
I heard Seo Hyang's voice from beside me as I was working in my office.
I turned my head and saw Seo Hyang, not Ja-ryung, holding a document and asking me a question.
Since she had signed a formal employment contract with me, she had been coming to work every day to help me with my work.
Thanks to her competence, I was able to do my work much more easily.
“Yes, that's fine. By the way, are you free this evening?”
“What for?”
“It's nothing special, but since you've become a member of the Eunhae Trading Company, I thought I'd introduce you to some people.”
That way, the people at the Beijing branch would know about her and not make any mistakes.
Also, as she would be working as my assistant, she would need to cooperate with many people, so it was necessary for her to make an impression on them.
That evening,
I headed to a nearby tavern where I had made a reservation.
“Is this your first time here?”
She shook her head in response to my question.
“No, I've been here a few times with my Orabeoni. They would collect money and buy me delicious food.”
A tavern is not just a place to drink. It is a place where people gather to enjoy themselves, so all kinds of delicacies are essential.
The alcohol is just an accompaniment.
Furthermore, with the prolonged prohibition on alcohol, taverns were placing more emphasis on their cuisine and advertising it heavily.
As a result, they were competing to hire famous chefs.
Still, taverns are in a better situation because they can attract customers with their cuisine, but brothels must be suffering.
When we went up to the third floor, the Beijing branch members who had arrived earlier stood up to greet us.
“Captain, you're here?”
“Yes. I'm sorry I'm late.”
“No, it's fine. It's still before the appointed time. I came early because if I came late, the others would have eaten all the food. Hahaha.”
I smiled at the branch manager's words and said,
“I told them to prepare plenty of food so that wouldn't happen today.”
“Oh! That's good.”
I said to those gathered there.
“I would like to introduce my new second-in-command.”
Everyone's eyes were on me and Young Mistress Seo-hyang.
“Her name is Kwak Seo-hyang. She is my Master... Those of you who know Kwak Pyo-du will know who she is.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Are you referring to Master Kwak of the Changin Escort Agency?”
“I heard that she is a descendant of Master Kwak Hoon, the legendary swordsman.”
“Yes, that's correct.”
I nodded.
“She is a relative of mine, and she is quite talented, so I decided to hire her as my second-in-command.”
She bowed her head in greeting.
“I look forward to working with you.”
Looking at the men staring blankly at Miss Seo, I sighed.
They're so obvious.
“Just in case, I'll tell you that Officer Kwak is my subordinate. If you treat her badly or harass her, you'll find out just how scary I can be.”
“...
There was a moment of silence, and they all lowered their eyes.
Huh... What is this reaction?
I'm not that scary.
Clap, clap!
I clapped my hands twice and said,
”Now, let's eat!"
It was a fun and friendly introductory banquet.
.
.
.
Several days passed.
During that time, I continued to buy houses around the ones I had initially purchased.
I bought a total of ten houses.
Six of those houses are the ones that will be demolished this time.
Those six houses were built by the same construction company at the same time, and they will be demolished at three-day intervals.
This was due to a major fire in the area about ten years ago.
As a result, all the houses in the neighborhood were burned down, and several houses had to be built at once.
This was a case of corruption that occurred in the midst of that situation.
If they had built according to the construction plan, the houses would have lasted for hundreds of years.
Fortunately, the buildings are located near the Beijing branch, so there will be no unnecessary suspicion.
Clatter.
At that moment, my door opened and Pal-gap entered.
“Aren't you going to work today?”
“Ah... I have something else to do today. That's why only Miss Seo is in my office.”
Pal-gap smiled slyly at my words.
“Oh, do you know about that?”
“What is it?”
“There is a rumor among the people at the Beijing branch that Young Mistress Seo Hyang is in a relationship with you.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Didn't you say so at the reception last time? That Young Mistress Seo Hyang is your person.”
“Yes, I did.”
“I think it was meant differently.”
“....”
I sighed.
I meant that I wanted him to treat Miss Seo with care...
It would be ridiculous to correct him now and say, “That's not what I meant... She's my woman.”
It's best to just leave it as it is.
Rumors will eventually die down.
Besides, as long as Young Mistress Seo Hyang is safe.
“By the way, young master. Why did you buy so many houses in this neighborhood? Do you know that the trading companies in Beijing are on high alert right now?”
“Ah... You mean the rumors?”
Thanks to me buying so many houses in this neighborhood, there were rumors that the Eunhae Trading Company was moving its headquarters to Beijing.
That's because the houses I bought were so big.
On top of that, they were located near the Beijing branch.
So yesterday, my uncle, the captain of the Yeonjun Trading Company, came to me and asked if the rumors were true.
I denied it outright.
The headquarters of the Eunhae Trading Company is in Songyang County, Hubei Province.
We started there and grew thanks to the people of Hubei Province, so why would we leave and go somewhere else?
“It's not true, right?”
“No, it's not.”
Pal-gap scratched his head.
“I thought I understood your intentions, but I guess I still have a long way to go. I don't understand you at all.”
I couldn't help but smile bitterly.
I trusted Pal-gap deeply, but I couldn't tell him about this.
If I told him that the house would collapse and I would take advantage of that, he would immediately call a physician.
It was my future that I had experienced, and soon more than half of the buildings I had purchased would collapse.
Hmm, Ja-ryeong... No, Miss Seo-hyang might know about this.
I smiled wryly and made up an excuse.
“It's just an investment for the future. As our Eunhae Trading Company grows, the land prices around the Beijing branch will rise dramatically.”
“That makes sense. There will be people who want to expand the Beijing branch.”
“That's right. That's why I bought them in advance. I also thought it would be nice to have a mansion where my family could stay comfortably when they came to Beijing.”
Pal-gap nodded obediently, seemingly convinced by my hastily made excuse.
About two days passed.
I ate breakfast, counted the days, and got up from the table.
If my previous life were to continue, the building would be demolished today.
Fortunately, I had thoroughly emptied the building and nailed the doors shut so that no one could enter.
I also asked the Eunpungdae of the Beijing branch to patrol the buildings.
Perhaps because of the incident caused by my previous negligence, the members of the Silver Wind Corps patrolled with fire in their eyes.
Of course, there was still a possibility that someone could climb over the wall. But how could I worry about that?
I hoped that nothing would happen, but if someone died or was injured despite all our efforts, it would be their own fault.
I went about my work as usual and had lunch at the restaurant.
Unless I have an appointment, I usually eat lunch at the restaurant in the Beijing branch. It's cheap, convenient, and fast.
Today's lunch is simple noodles and dumplings.
“Is the food to your liking?”
Miss Seo Hyang nodded in response to my question.
“Yes. It's a little salty, but the flavors are very rich.”
As we were eating lunch, I sensed something.
It felt like the ground was shaking from a big impact. The other warriors also felt it and flinched.
“Liege!”
“Yes.”
I got up from my seat and hurried to my office.
Someone would come to my office to report this situation.
As I expected, a samurai from Eunpungdae rushed over.
“Young Master!”
“What is the matter?”
“The building... The mansion you recently purchased has collapsed.”
At that moment, another samurai rushed over from behind.
“Young Master! Another building has collapsed!”
“...”
I pressed my fingers against my forehead.
I wondered why the houses collapsed in succession... The shock I felt earlier explains it.
One building collapsed, and the shock caused other nearby buildings to collapse.
That shock then affected other buildings...
It's a kind of chain reaction.
“Are the houses in the vicinity okay?”
They nodded in response to my question.
“Yes.”
“The other houses are fine.”
It was strange that the large mansion collapsed while the houses were still standing.
I told my bodyguards.
“Get ready to go out.”
“Yes.”
We immediately headed toward the place where the building collapsed.
As the owner, it was only natural for me to inspect the collapsed building.
The first building to collapse was the mansion I had purchased secondhand. The pillars of the mansion were lying in ruins, and the roof had collapsed.
Perhaps due to the impact, half of the other buildings had collapsed. The stone walls had also collapsed.
The building next to it, which was the first one I bought, was in much the same condition.
“Are you all right?”
Eun, the branch manager, who had followed me to see the collapsed buildings, asked cautiously.
“No, I'm not all right.”
Seeing the collapsed buildings, I felt a surge of anger.
It wasn't anger at my own losses, but anger at those who had cut corners on building materials to make unjust profits, and at the government officials who had accepted their bribes and turned a blind eye.
At the same time, I remembered the chaos I had witnessed at that time.
In my previous life, I was in charge of a cloth shop, and I had just arrived in Beijing to deliver silk to the Beijing branch of the Eunhae Trading Company.
After finishing transferring the silk to the Beijing branch, we were about to have a late lunch when a terrifying scream rang out and the ground shook.
Startled, we ran out into the street and realized that the large roof that had been in front of us just a moment ago had disappeared before our eyes.
Cries and screams could be heard from there.
“Ugh! Father!”
“Mistress!”
“Ugh, it hurts! It hurts!”
“Help! Please... Someone help me!”
People were covered in blood and buried under the rubble.
We rushed to rescue them.
However, after only half an hour, the building next door collapsed.
Only those who experienced it can understand how awful it felt.
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I said.
“Let's head to the palace for studies.”