Chapter 403
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 403
Chapter 403. Departure (5)
The ship of the Changhae Trading Company, no, the ship of the Baekcheon Trading Company has arrived.
Looking at the ship, Jik-taek, the representative sent by the Baekcheon Trading Company, was all smiles.
“So that ship is loaded with money?”
He rubbed his hands together.
His ultimate goal was to catch the eye of Namgung Gang and become the chief executive.
This trade was a stepping stone to that goal.
So how lovely must that ship look to him?
Just then.
“Executive.”
“What is it?”
“There is a banquet today. It is a banquet hosted by Eunhae Trading Company, and everyone has been ordered to attend.”
“Then we must go.”
However, he was not the only one invited. Song-woon, who had been holed up in his room, was also invited.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was also invited.”
“In that case...”
Jik-taek-mun smiled wryly and said.
“I guess you looked pitiful.”
“Yes... I guess so.”
Jik-taek-mun tilted his head at his response. Unlike usual, he did not get angry, but agreed with what he said.
He laughed to himself.
“He finally realized the reality and became obedient!”
They entered a tavern near the Dao Commandery. The tavern had been quiet since the prohibition on alcohol was enacted.
However, today it was bustling with activity.
This was because Eun Seo-ho had invited many people to a banquet today.
Perhaps because of this, not only the tavern owner but also the waiters greeted the guests with bright smiles.
“Welcome. Where are you from?”
“We are from Changhae Trading Company.”
Since he was still officially dispatched to Changhae Trading Company, Jik-taek-mun answered as such.
“Ah, please come this way.”
“Isn't that the seat of honor?”
“Aren't you the main guests at this banquet? That's why seats have been prepared for you.”
Hearing the words “seat of honor,” Jik-taek-mun felt good again.
Although he was the head of the Baekcheon Trading Company, which was affiliated with the Martial Alliance, he was still a merchant.
That was why he had never dreamed of sitting in a seat of honor alongside officials, but now he was being given a seat of honor!
He was overwhelmed by the situation.
“Please sit here.”
Opposite the seat he was shown to was Eun Seo-ho, the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company.
“Please come in.”
“Hello, nice to meet you. You organized this banquet, right?”
“Yes, it is to strengthen our friendship ahead of the upcoming trade. I hope you enjoy the banquet today.”
* *
I smiled.
Today would be a banquet to remember.
I looked at Captain Song, who was sitting next to Jitaekmun.
According to the report from the soldier who had been watching him, he had not mentioned the ledger to anyone.
Someone with that kind of determination and patience would be someone I could trust to work with in the future.
At that moment, the Dao Commander entered the banquet hall and took the seat of honor.
“Dao Commander, please say a few words for today's banquet.”
He nodded at my request.
“Everyone, obey the will of His Majesty the Emperor, abandon your personal desires, and work hard for the good of the empire.”
It was a simple congratulatory speech, but it contained a strong warning.
It meant that the merchants should abandon their personal greed and work for the country.
You are quite good.
I know something about this person.
Personally, I like his attitude.
He is someone who strictly separates public and private matters, but he is also flexible to a certain extent.
That is why I invited him here.
In other words, he will be the judge of today's proceedings. He is a high-ranking official with the rank of Jeong-gong, so he is more than sufficient.
“Now, let's begin.”
At his words, everyone began to tilt their teacups.
If they could drink alcohol, they would have drunk from wine cups, but the prohibition on alcohol had not yet been lifted.
I glanced at Captain Song-un, who was sitting across from me.
He swallowed hard and stood up.
“Commander Dao. I am Song-un, the captain of the Changhae Trading Company. May I take this opportunity to say a few words?”
His actions caused the expression of Jik-taek-mun, who was standing next to him, to change. He was anxious because he didn't know what Song-un was going to do.
“Go ahead.”
“Actually, our Changhae Trading Company has been taken over by Baekcheon Trading Company. This is because we were unable to repay our debt.”
“And?”
“But that is not true. Our Changhae Trading Company has definitely paid off our debt. However, Baekcheon Trading Company claims that the manager who took the money from our company has run away, saying that they know nothing about it, and they have taken over our Changhae Trading Company. Please help us clear our name.”
Hearing this, Jitakmun's face turned pale, and he stood up in a hurry and shouted.
“Commander, please hear us out. We definitely did not receive the money. And it is our right as Baekcheon Trading Company to take over Changhae Trading Company. Furthermore, Mo Cheong's escape has caused our company considerable damage.”
“Enough!”
The commander raised his hand and said.
The room fell silent.
“I understand your situation, but I do not have the authority to resolve this matter.”
At that moment,
“Commander, I know a little about that matter.”
Jihyeon of Cheongdo, who was sitting on one side of the long table where I was sitting, stood up at just the right moment.
“Yes, you are Jihyeon of Cheongdo, aren't you?”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Did you say you know about this matter?”
“Yes, sir.”
He glanced at me and continued.
“The person in charge of Baekcheon Trading Company's debt is Mo Cheong-hyung. And he came to see me.”
He continued.
“He seemed to have chosen me as a witness for the debt. I signed the ledger as proof that Baekcheon Trading Company received money from Changhae Trading Company.”
“What are you saying? There is no way such a ledger exists...”
However, Jitaek-mun's words were cut off.
Jihyeon of Cheongdo took the ledger out from his sleeve.
“This is the ledger.”
“...!”
It was the ledger I had slipped to him earlier at the banquet hall.
When Jitaek-mun saw it, his eyes widened in shock.
“He left this ledger behind, so I knew he would come looking for it and kept it safe.”
Hearing this, the Dao Commander reached out his hand.
“Give me that ledger.”
“Yes, sir.”
The commander took the ledger from Jihyeon of Cheongdo. He looked through it.
“Hmm, it is clearly written here. In March, Baekcheon Trading Company received money from Changhae Trading Company, and this was the final repayment. It also says that the repayment has been completed. Jihyeon's signature is also here.”
I gently added.
“If it is written in the ledger and has the seal of the county magistrate, I believe the repayment has been completed.”
“I agree.”
Jik-taek-mun argued desperately.
“But we never received that money at Baekcheon Trading Company.”
The commander did not respond to his words, but looked more closely at the ledger and tilted his head.
“This is strange. According to this ledger, you visited Ji-hyun and received his signature in the form of a notarized document for all the debt repayments made so far. This is really troublesome.”
He looked around and asked, “Did you think you could get away with it?”
“If he was planning to run away, why would he bother going to Jihyeon to get his signature? And only fifty silver coins? A manager of Baekcheon Trading Company who handles such large sums of money ran away with only this? Does that make any sense?”
Everyone around him nodded in agreement.
Except for Jitaekmun.
“Don't you think so?”
Ji Taek-mun reluctantly nodded in response.
“That may be true, but it could be a ploy to throw us off the scent, or it could be a disguise...”
Ji Taek-mun was sweating profusely and talking nonsense.
In response, the commander shook his head and placed the ledger he was holding on the table.
At that moment, the ledger shook and something fell out.
It was a white envelope.
“Hm?”
The commander picked up the envelope and asked, “Do you know anything about this envelope, Jihyeon?”
“I don't know anything about it. It was inside the ledger, but I didn't look at it because I thought I couldn't see it without the owner's permission.”
“I don't know. It was inside the ledger, but I didn't look at it because I thought I shouldn't without permission.”
“But your name is written on it.”
“What?”
“Read it.”
Ji-hyun took the envelope and took out the paper inside.
“It seems to be a letter addressed to me.”
He read the letter and looked sad.
“Ah, this person... That's why he looked so gloomy...”
He handed the letter to the commander.
“I think you should read this.”
The commander read the letter and his expression turned serious.
He handed it back to Jihyeon and said, “Read it aloud.”
“Read it aloud.”
“Yes.”
Jihyun began to read the letter.
[The fact that you are reading this letter means that I am no longer alive.
By eliminating me, the Baekcheon Trading Company has carried out its plan to take over the Changhae Trading Company.
Baekcheon Trading Company will say that they got rid of me and that I ran away. And since I couldn't pay off the last debt, Changhae Trading Company will go to Baekcheon Trading Company.
But Changhae Trading Company definitely paid off the last debt.
Baekcheon Trading Company will say that the money didn't come to the trading company, so the repayment is invalid.
But I clearly put the money in the Geumsan Trading Company account under the name of Baekcheon Trading Company.
If, as I believe, Baekcheon Trading Company takes over Changhae Trading Company, I beg you to use these records to clear their name.
Jihyeon will ask me why I foresaw all of this and yet walked into certain death.
As someone who cares deeply for Baekcheon Trading Company, I have resolved to die with them.
If I do not die, someone else will be sacrificed.
I cannot bear to see the swords of Baekcheon Trading Company turn against others, so I am doing this.
Please forgive my shameless act.
Baekcheon Trading Company Head Mo Cheong Bae Sang]
The room fell silent.
“What is this...”
The commander turned his head and looked at Jitaekmun.
“Is this true?”
“I don't know anything about it.”
“Are you saying that Baekcheon Trading Company was associating with common thugs and exploiting the common people?”
“That's not true!”
“How can you say that's not true? Are you saying that even after reading Mo-cheong's will?”
His tone was as harsh as ice.
Jik-taek-mun must be feeling like his world is falling apart right now.
I smiled.
There was no will from Mo-cheong in those books. Mo-cheong wrote that will and it was inserted later.
First, it was to expose the crimes of the Baekcheon Trading Company.
And for Mo-cheong's safety.
If anyone found out he was still alive, his life would be in danger again.
That's why we used this method to make everyone believe he was dead.
After thinking for a moment, the commander said,
“First, we need to confirm that the money was received. Who's out there?”
“Yes! Are you looking for me?”
Soon, the commander's aide entered.
“Go to the Geumsan battlefield immediately and check if fifty silver coins were delivered in March.”
“Yes!”
After giving the order, the commander looked at me and said,
“I'm sorry that the banquet turned out this way.”
“I'm truly sorry for causing this.”
Captain Song also apologized to me. I shook my head.
“No, it's okay. We can have another banquet another day. I hope you can clear your name.”
The commander looked around at everyone and announced,
“With things like this, we can't enjoy the banquet anymore. Let's call it a night. You can all go home.”
However, no one left their seats.
They must have been curious about how this would turn out.
A short time later, an aide rushed over.
“My lord! I have been to the battlefield!”
As far as I knew, there were well-trained messengers at the Geumsan battlefield, so they could deliver messages faster than the postal service.
“Yes, what happened?”
“It is clear that in March, Mo Cheong-haeng deposited money at the Geumsan battlefield in the name of Baekcheon Trading Company.”
“Really?”
Upon hearing this, Jik-taek-mun's face turned black, and Song-woon's face turned red.
They were trying to suppress their emotions.
“But... there is something strange.”
“Strange?”
“Yes, Baekcheon Trading Company confirmed it.”
The deputy commander's brow furrowed at his aide's words.
On the other hand, I smiled inwardly.
This...
I didn't expect this!
“It seems that Mo Cheong's will is true after all.”
Upon hearing the commander's words, Jik-taek bowed his head to the floor and said, “I don't know anything about that.
I just did what I was told to do.”
“Is that so?”
He thought for a moment and said, “Based on all this evidence, it is clear that Changhae Sangdan has been wronged. Therefore, Baekcheon Sangdan must restore Changhae Sangdan to its original state.”
“Based on all this evidence, it is clear that Changhae Trading Company has been wronged. Therefore, Baekcheon Trading Company must restore Changhae Trading Company to its original state.”
“...Guh!”
He swallowed hard and replied.
“I will report this to the headquarters.”
The commander continued.
“Furthermore, this is clearly a case of fraud! We must get to the bottom of this.”
There is another reason why I invited the Dao commander here.
If this case is handed over to the Henan provincial governor as is, the Baekcheon Trading Company may pay a large sum of money to cover it up.
However, this Dao commander is a man of integrity.
And his surname is Yeok, and he is a member of the Yeok family of Shandong, one of the three families belonging to the Martial Alliance.
He smiled and said.
“I will go to the Martial Alliance myself and protest about this.”
In other words, this matter could no longer be resolved by the Baekcheon Trading Company.
Captain Namgung Gang would be severely punished by the senior members of the Martial Alliance again.