Chapter 359
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 359
Chapter 359. In Shandong (5)
I quickly called out to him.
“Here!”
“Ah! Captain Eun!”
Captain Bok-Yoon approached with a happy expression, and I stood up and greeted him with a clasped hands greeting.
“It's been a long time.”
“Yes, it has been a long time. About your trip to the North Sea... I hear it was a good business trip.”
“Thanks to you, I had a safe trip and it was a good business trip.”
I continued.
“How was your trip to Beijing?”
“I also had a good business trip.”
For merchants, a good business trip means a trip where they make a lot of profit without any losses.
“Have some tea.”
“Yes, please.”
We drank tea and talked about what we had been up to.
It is always a pleasure to meet a close friend with whom you are on good terms.
As we were talking, I heard telepathy from Jin-yu Musha.
“My lord, I apologize, but the man who just entered is the man from the Baekyeom Trading Company who was talking with the captain of the Baekcheon Trading Company at Geumgyeru earlier.”
Huh?
“He is trying to talk with someone else. If you allow me, I will eavesdrop on their conversation.”
Something caught my attention.
“I give you permission.”
About an hour later, Jin-yu's telepathy reached me.
“My lord, I have found out the date of the task requested by the head of the Baekcheon Trading Company. It is the day after tomorrow.”
“What?
The day after tomorrow is the day of the meeting.”
At that moment, Bok-Yoon asked me, “Is something wrong?”
“What?”
“You suddenly looked serious.”
“You suddenly looked serious...”
Ah... Did I do that?
I glanced over and saw that Pal-gap shook his head.
That meant I hadn't failed to control my expression.
How did he know?
I should apologize first.
“I'm sorry. I was thinking about the meeting the day after tomorrow, and I was worried about how to deal with the distinguished captains.”
“Are you worried about the captain too?”
“Isn't that natural?”
“When you deal with the captains, you always seem so relaxed and confident, so I didn't think you would be worried...”
“I'm just pretending.”
A meeting of the 100 Trading Companies.
This is a silent reconnaissance battle and war in the guise of a banquet.
Running one of the 100 Trading Companies means that you have the ability to do so, but it also means that you are greedy.
Greedy for more money.
So, they exchange information while pretending not to, in order to find out each other's weaknesses.
Those weaknesses can be quite useful.
What would happen if you were to panic or tremble in such a place?
Would they think, “Poor thing,” or “Oh, is he acting like that because of me? I'm sorry,”?
Not at all.
They would think of you as easy prey.
It may sound harsh, but that's how the world works.
Of course, I was just making excuses because I was worried about how to deal with the captains.
I'm not nervous at all.
I've met His Majesty the Emperor, the ultimate ruler, many times.
“Come to think of it, I heard that the meeting place is Ihwa-ru.”
“That's right.”
Bok-Yoon, the junior captain, nodded.
“I heard that it is run by the Baekyeom Trading Company and that the headquarters of the Baekyeom Trading Company is nearby.”
“That's right. I hear it's huge.”
“I'm looking forward to seeing the trading company after the banquet. I've missed every opportunity to do so.”
Ah... Right. That's right.
The captain of the Baekyeom Trading Company is a former blacksmith.
Perhaps because he had been looked down upon in the past, he wanted to show off his achievements to others.
So, when the Baekyeom Trading Company held a meeting, he would personally invite them and show them around.
I thought I knew why he had tried to carry out his plan that day.
With so many outsiders visiting, the trading company would inevitably be in disarray.
That would make it easier to create a rift within the Baekyeom Trading Company.
But how exactly would he shake up the Baekyeom Trading Company?
Lost in thought for a moment, I shook my head slightly and took a sip of tea.
It was rude to be thinking about other things in front of a friend.
I should go back to the inn and think about it.
“And…”
Captain Bok-Yoon scratched his cheek with his finger and trailed off.
Why did he suddenly turn red?
“What's wrong?”
He took a red envelope out of his pocket and handed it to me.
I tilted my head and opened the envelope. Inside was a red letter.
Red envelopes are often used.
However, it was rare for both the envelope and the letter inside to be red.
That's because they are used for special occasions...
Huh? A special occasion?
I quickly read the contents.
[The Moonlight Old Man tied two people together with red thread, so how can this not be a connection? Therefore, on this auspicious day, we will formally...].
I looked up and asked.
“Are you getting married?”
“Hahaha, yes.”
He smiled awkwardly and nodded.
“I'm already 22, so it's about time.”
He and Captain Bok-Yoon were born on the same day, so he would also be 22 after November.
“So we plan to get married next summer.”
Usually, people get married in the spring or fall, but the reason Captain Bok-Yoon wanted to get married in the summer was simple.
It is because the Liaoning region where he lives is cold.
Summer is actually a good time to gather people and hold banquets.
“Congratulations.”
“Hahaha, thank you.”
Captain Bok-Yoon expressed his gratitude to me with a clasped hands greeting.
Although next summer is still far away, there was a reason for giving me the invitation card in advance.
The empire is vast, and everyone is busy.
It takes quite a long time to travel to and from Liaoning, so he wanted to let me know in advance.
By the way, he gave me the invitation card in person.
Even if you receive an invitation card from the groom or bride themselves, if you don't attend, you will live alone for the rest of your life, so it was essential to attend in this case.
It must mean that they think highly of me.
I nodded and said,
“I will definitely attend.”
.
.
.
After enjoying a delicious lunch with Captain Bok-Yoon, I returned to the inn.
When I arrived near the inn, I smiled.
I had found the person I was waiting for.
However, he was unable to enter the inn and was lingering around the entrance.
I thought I knew why he couldn't enter the inn.
His clothes were old and smelly.
It seemed that he had worn his cleanest clothes, but those were the only clothes he had.
Honestly, it was understandable that a high-class inn would not want him to enter.
It wasn't discrimination.
It is a measure for guests who pay a lot of money to stay at a high-class inn to enjoy cleanliness and comfort.
And there would be people eating or drinking tea on the first floor.
Honestly, if you are eating a delicious meal in a restaurant and someone who hasn't changed their clothes in a year comes and starts picking their nose and scratching their ears next to you, wouldn't your appetite disappear in an instant?
It was common sense and consideration to dress appropriately for the occasion.
Come to think of it, people who didn't consider others would get angry and ask, “Are you discriminating against people?”
People who didn't even know what discrimination really was.
Suddenly, I remembered something from my previous life.
Just because I was a lowly merchant, I was insulted and slapped in the face by a junior clerk who was younger than me...
Of course, I got back at him many times over later.
I cleared my mind and called for Yeong-eum and Lee Pil.
“May I ask you a favor?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I think we need to wash him and dress him. Please bring some soap and some decent clothes.”
“Yes, sir.”
They immediately headed for the washroom.
“And Pal-gap, go get him.”
“Yes, sir.”
Pal-gap brought back Yong-eung-wan, a young man who had been loitering around the inn.
He greeted me with a nervous look on his face.
“I am Seo Sun-hyeok.”
“....”
I didn't think he would know my name.
“My name is Yong Eung-wan.”
“I am Eun Seo-ho. If you don't mind, please call me Eun Captain or Eun Governor instead of my name.”
“I understand.”
“So, have you thought about my proposal?”
“Yes. But... Can I really be of any help to Captain Eun? I have no skills.”
“Skills? You have four skills.”
“....”
He bit his lip for a moment, then said, “Can you tell me what they are?”
I raised my right hand, made a fist, and extended my index finger.
I raised my right hand, made a fist, and extended my index finger.
“First! You can speak the language of Daewook. Of course, it's your native language.”
“...!”
He stammered in surprise.
“How did you know that?”
“How could I not know? Isn't that tattoo on your collarbone the symbol of a martial artist family in Daewook?”
“....”
My words made him look confused.
The tattoo on his collarbone was hidden by his clothes, so it wasn't visible.
But I knew.
“Don't worry. I'm the only one who knows about it.”
“How did you know about the tattoo on my collarbone?”
I learned about that tattoo in my previous life.
It was told to me directly by him, who became an imperial official and led a merchant ship, a long time ago.
But I couldn't tell him that.
“I saw it when you put your hand inside your clothes and scratched it earlier.”
“Hm, hm.”
His face turned red in an instant.
“Anyway, since Daewook is your native language, you have an advantage over my subjects who have learned Daewook. You know, no matter how well you learn a language, it is difficult to understand the subtle meanings of words if you don't know the culture.”
“Yes, that's true.”
“And in trade, those subtle differences are quite important. That ability is a great asset.”
I paused for a moment and then said, spreading my index finger.
“Second! You know the sea route to Daewook.”
He bit his lip again.
“You are thinking of returning someday. If so, you must remember the route well or have written it down.”
“...”
“Third! You have tremendous perseverance. You didn't give up even when you were doing work so difficult that most people would have given up.”
Finally, I spread my index finger and said,
“Finally, you have good fortune.”
“What?”
He looked confused.
“You say I have good fortune? I've never heard that before.”
I don't know now, but he really does have good fortune.
That's why he was known as the Trade King in his previous life. But I couldn't talk about that now, so I glossed over it.
“Actually, I can read faces, and you have good fortune. Anyway, based on these four abilities, I would like to entrust you with the trading company's merchant ships.”
“...Are you pitying me?”
“Pity?”
I chuckled.
“People call me a noble-minded merchant, but... I am a merchant at heart. A merchant who never backs down when there is profit to be made.”
I looked him in the eye.
“If I felt sorry for you, I would have just given you a few coins and left you be.”
“....”
“If I didn't believe in your abilities, would I make you the person in charge of such a big business venture?”
“Well....”
He hesitated for a moment.
“The person in charge?”
“You heard me correctly. I will make you the head of a merchant ship belonging to the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“...”
He thought for a moment, then opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind.
“Before that, please answer one question.”
“What is it?”
“How did you know that I needed money for my family?”
His eyes were sharp, like those of a beast stalking its prey.
That was understandable, as the answer to that question was very important to him.
He was a beast, ready to shed blood at any moment for his own safety and the safety of his family.
His killing intent caused the bodyguards around me to raise their swords.
“Ah, you were wondering about that.”
My killing intent disappeared in an instant.
“The necklace around your neck.”
“...!”
“The names engraved on that necklace are the names of your family, aren't they?”
His eyes widened at my words.
He said that he was afraid of forgetting the names of his family, so he carved them into the wood himself.
That was the necklace he was wearing around his neck.
“And judging by the tattoo on your collarbone, you are a proud warrior. Why are you living here as a hard sailor?”
I pointed to the back of his left hand.
“Did you deliberately burn the back of your hand?”
“...!”
In Dao, slaves are branded on the back of their left hands.
Even if you did it on purpose to remove the brand, it must have been very painful.
“With this much evidence, it won't be difficult to find out the truth. Do you still find it difficult to trust me?”
“Then why didn't you report me? You must know that there is a place down there where Daewook Kingdom's trade ships frequently come and go. If you reported me to them, you would receive a reward.”
“How much is the reward?”
Seo Woo-mu replied.
“I heard that if you report a slave who escaped from Daewook Kingdom, you will receive fifty silver coins.”
“That's all you get?”
“...What?”
I chuckled and said.
“I don't know if I would do it for just fifty pieces of silver, but you want me to go all the way down to Shanghai for that?”