Chapter 352
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 352
Chapter 352. What Will Happen (3)
At that moment
News of the collapse of several buildings in Beijing reached the imperial palace.
The most panicked were the officials in charge of education.
“No! Why did the buildings collapse when they were fine?”
“I don't know...”
“Two buildings collapsed in a row? Damn it!”
The head of the Ministry of Education clutched his head and said.
“Bring me the records immediately! We need to figure this out before the Grand Minister arrives!”
“Yes!”
Soon, they brought the records for the building. However, no matter how they looked at them, they couldn't find anything wrong.
“Who conducted the completion inspection for this?”
“The name is written here. But... these seniors have been promoted and are now provincial councilors.”
“Damn it! Well, this is a record from ten years ago, so I guess they conducted the inspection.”
He could only slam his fist on the table.
Those who conducted the completion inspection ten years ago would now be in positions higher than his.
“Then who is the owner of these buildings?”
“That is... Gasp!”
At that moment, the official who was looking at the owner's name was startled.
“Why?”
“It says... Eun Seo-ho.”
“What? Who?”
“It's Eun Seo-ho, the captain of Eunhae Trading Company.”
At that moment, a guard who was guarding the imperial palace entered and said to them.
“There is a request for an audience.”
“Who is it?”
“It is Eun Seo-ho, the captain of Eunhae Trading Company.”
“....”
An official glanced around and asked the chief clerk.
“What should we do?”
“Bring him in. We didn't notice anything unusual, so how would he know?”
* * *
I entered the study building.
Was this my second time here in this life?
I had come before to urge the completion of the Eunhaesang Trading Company's Beijing branch.
As I waited in the reception room, an official entered.
“I am Eun Seo-ho, the governor of Dao.”
“Yes, what brings you here today?”
“I believe you have heard the news. Two buildings that I own collapsed today.”
“Is that so? I am very sorry to hear that.”
“I would like to look at the documents related to those buildings to see if there were any defects.”
“Wait a moment.”
He called a clerk and asked him to bring the documents for the two buildings, and after a while, the clerk returned with a stack of papers.
“Here you are.”
“Thank you.”
I looked through the documents.
Sure enough... According to the documents, the buildings appeared to be perfectly normal.
However, I already knew that there were serious defects that were not apparent from the documents alone.
“This is strange.”
“What do you mean?”
“Here, it says that this building has 21 pillars.”
“So what's the problem?”
“When I was clearing away the rubble of the collapsed building earlier, I counted only 15 foundation stones.”
“...!”
He denied it, breaking out in a cold sweat.
“That can't be. All buildings in Beijing are built according to the blueprints submitted to the government.”
“Then let's go check it out together.”
“I'm busy right now... And these documents cannot be taken out of the office unless you are an administrator.”
“Then I will ask another administrator.”
“Everyone is busy right now, so I don't know if anyone can go on a business trip.”
This bastard!
He must have figured out what was going on, since he was trying to put it off.
Actually, I could have hidden the difference in the number of pillars, but I mentioned it on purpose.
Let him sweat a little.
I smiled and took a scroll out of my sleeve and handed it to him.
“Have you forgotten that I have the Emperor's sacred relic?”
“...”
“In other words, my work is a top priority. So let's go.”
I know you're busy because there are no buildings that have been built recently and no buildings to be built, but what kind of excuse is that?
And so, he ended up going on a business trip with me.
His name was Son Myung.
He said his position was a clerk.
He kept wiping his sweat while riding in the carriage with me.
And the official he brought with him, named Pung Sam, was just watching Son Myung.
Soon, we arrived in front of a ruined mansion.
“Come this way.”
We got out of the carriage and headed toward the ruined mansion.
“Wow! It's terrible!”
Even Pung Sam said so.
“Fortunately, there were no casualties because I had bought it and left it empty to be repaired.”
“That's good.”
Yes, we should be thankful for that.
If there had been casualties, the responsibility would have been much greater.
“By the way, how did you remove the roof?”
“My subordinates are quite capable.”
“I see.”
At that moment, someone came looking for us.
“Ah! There you are!”
It was Master Jin.
Actually, I sent a letter to Master Jin-yeong this morning. I wrote that I had some questions about the martial arts of the Imperial Palace and would like to meet with him to discuss them.
And the appointment was for this afternoon.
He went to the Beijing branch and heard that I was here. Everything is going according to plan.
“Ah! Master!”
I quickly bowed my head.
“I'm sorry! I should have contacted you earlier to cancel today's appointment... I was in a rush and couldn't get in touch with you.”
“It's all right.”
Master Jin-yeong waved his hand.
“I heard about it. I heard that two of your buildings suddenly collapsed.”
“Yes, that's right. Fortunately, there were no casualties...”
“That's fortunate, but it must still be a considerable loss. I don't know how to comfort you.”
He looked sad and asked the officials standing next to me.
“Are you officials from the Ministry of Education?”
“Yes, we are.”
Upon my reply, the two officials quickly clasped their hands together and greeted Master Jin.
“I am Son Myung, an official from the Ministry of Education. It is an honor to meet you, Master.”
“I am Pungdo, also from the Ministry of Education. It is an honor to meet you, Master.”
“You are from the Royal Guards, I see.”
Once they had finished introducing themselves, I opened my mouth.
“While cleaning up the collapsed building, we found something suspicious. So we asked for your assistance and brought two officials with us.”
I continued.
“Actually, this mansion is located near our Trading Company's Beijing branch, and I bought it to take care of my parents. It was empty for repairs, so it was fortunate. If someone had been inside... I can't stop thinking about it.”
I continued.
“That's why I don't think I can make a proper judgment. Would you happen to be busy?”
“I'm not too busy right now.”
“Then, would you mind taking a look at the problem with this building with me?”
Master Jin-yeong readily agreed to my request.
“Of course, I'll help you.”
Great!
Now, the government official in charge of education would not be able to ignore this matter.
Even if I find a problem here, if those two try to deny it or cover it up, it will become a hassle.
However, if I don't report the problems I found in the presence of the Royal Guards, I will be arrested immediately for deceiving His Majesty the Emperor.
Of course, even if I don't do that, His Majesty the Emperor will not leave it alone as there are more buildings that will collapse in the future.
Still, in order to get things done faster and easier, I sent a letter to Master Jin.
“Let's get started.”
“Yes.”
They took the documents and began to check whether the buildings were constructed according to the blueprints.
“...”
Their already gloomy faces grew even darker.
Being a study manager means that they are experts in their field.
They realized that the problem was so serious that the difference in the number of foundation stones I mentioned earlier was not the only issue.
They tried not to mention it, but I couldn't just let it go.
I spoke up from the side.
“What? Are these pillars made of paulownia wood?”
“...It seems so.”
“The documents here say that oak was used. And as far as I know, paulownia wood is soft...”
“Sometimes paulownia is used for pillars.”
“In that case, I heard that the foundation stones are made higher, but these seem a little low. What do the documents say?”
“...
In response to my question, Master Jin-yeong glanced at the documents and said,
”The documents say that the height of the foundation stone is one shaku. But this doesn't look like one shaku.“
”That's because it's buried in the ground.“
”Then let's dig it up."
At my words, Pal-gap, who was waiting with a shovel, quickly ran over and dug up the foundation stone.
“....
The foundation stone that was uncovered was just as Master Jin-yeong had said.
”....
“Record it.”
At his abrupt order, they quickly wrote down the facts in the report.
“These look like pieces of wood that were used to make the main beam, rafters, and joists...”
The rafters and joists are the most important parts that connect the pillars and the roof.
“Why are they so twisted?”
Why would you ask?
Because they used wood that wasn't dried properly.
Wood used to build houses and furniture cannot be used as is after being cut down. If you do, it will warp as it dries.
Therefore, wood must be dried thoroughly before it can be used as a building material, but this process is not easy.
So, the house was built with wood that was not dried properly, and as the wood dried, it warped and defects occurred.
During the investigation, which lasted about an hour, more than 20 defects were found.
“I'm so shocked I can't even get angry.”
Master Jin-yeong clicked his tongue at my words.
“There's no way the officials in charge of construction could have missed this, yet they still approved the completion of the building...”
He said to the two officials.
“Hand over the investigation report.”
“What?”
“I will report this directly to His Majesty the Emperor.”
They trembled but tried to make excuses.
“We haven't finished organizing everything yet...”
“Do I really have to draw my sword?”
“No, please don't!”
He quickly handed over the documents and said,
“Here you are.”
Master Jin-yeong took the documents and said to me,
“I offer my condolences once again. I don't know if this will be of any comfort...”
“No, it is. I am grateful that you came here in person to help with the investigation.”
I continued.
“If I may add one more thing, I think we need to make sure that the people who built this building don't run away.”
“Ah! Yes, you're right. I will do so.”
In my previous life, I started the investigation too late, and the family of the captain of the Trading Company who built the collapsed buildings fled in the middle of the night.
It took more than ten years to catch them, but they had been living a comfortable life with the embezzled money.
Those who deserve the harshest punishment should not be allowed to live a comfortable life.
* * *
The emperor looked at the report in his hand.
“Hmm...”
It was a report submitted directly to him by the Royal Guards.
It said that the houses Eun Seo-ho had purchased had collapsed, and that the defects had been found while checking for any problems with the buildings.
“I don't know much about construction, but considering these defects, it's amazing that they lasted for ten years.”
In front of him, the Minister of Education was bowing deeply.
“Let me see.”
The court official handed the report to the Minister of Education, who read it with trembling eyes and bowed his head.
“I am guilty of failing to properly govern my subordinates! I deserve to die. Please kill me.”
However, the emperor pretended not to hear him and said to the court official, “Bring Udoo-sa here.”
“Call Udo-sa.”
“Yes!”
Udo-sa was summoned and prostrated himself before the emperor.
Udo-sa was one of the heads of the Inspectorate and was responsible for inspecting the central officials.
“Udo-sa, I have a task for you.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Do you know about the two buildings that collapsed in Beijing?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Serious defects were found in those buildings. It is impossible that the officials in charge of public works would have overlooked this. You and the Royal Guards must thoroughly investigate this matter!”
“Yes, sir.”
With that, the Udo-sa continued.
“With all due respect, is the reason you are ordering a thorough investigation because the owner of the buildings is Captain Eun Seo-ho?”
The emperor smiled at the question.
“Think about how many people could have been killed if he hadn't bought the buildings and emptied them beforehand.”
Thinking about that situation, Udo-sa's mouth went dry.
“Then I must show my sincerity, mustn't I?”
“I will accept it with all my heart.”
That night.
Another building collapsed.
The next day.
Three buildings collapsed in succession.
* *
Just like in my previous life, six buildings collapsed.
It was bound to happen.
You can't prevent a poorly constructed house from collapsing.
“Are you all right, young master? Your left eyebrow is slightly raised... You look angry.”
“Yes. I'm very angry right now.”
Pal-gap probably thinks I'm angry because the six houses I bought for a lot of money collapsed, but the real reason I'm angry is...
You thieves! It's not your house, so isn't this too much?
It's because the defects were more serious than I thought.
You bastards! I won't let you get away with this!
I'll even take the money hidden in their underwear!