Chapter 404
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 404
Chapter 404. Departure (6)
Jitaekmun walked slowly toward his quarters.
To be honest, everything that happened today felt like a dream.
No, he wished it had been a dream.
That was because all his hopes had vanished in an instant.
“Damn it!”
He stopped in his tracks and swung his fist at the wall in front of him.
Pock!
“Ugh!”
He heard the sound of his bones breaking and clutched his hand in intense pain.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”
After screaming at the top of his lungs, he finally calmed down.
“What am I going to do?”
He didn't even need to imagine how the Trading Company captain would react when he reported this.
Not only would he be insulted, but he would also be beaten to death.
However, he felt completely wronged.
“There should have been some sign. I should have done something.”
There had been no such signs at all.
In fact, Jitaekmun was a very cautious person. That was why he had already bribed Songun's aides to inform him if he did anything unnecessary.
However, there was nothing suspicious.
“It seemed like he was just meeting some merchants he knew and complaining to them.”
In any case, it was a bolt from the blue.
“Huh... Should I run away?”
He wanted to run away and hide in a place where no one would ever find him.
But he couldn't do that.
Where did he belong?
He belonged to the Baekcheon Trading Company, which was affiliated with the Martial Alliance. The Inescapable Net Formation of the Martial Alliance warriors was terrifying.
“I have no choice. Huh...”
If he delayed reporting, he would not just be beaten to death, he would be killed.
He let out a deep sigh and returned to his quarters, where he immediately wrote a letter to Captain Namgung Kang and sent it by messenger.
***
The office of the captain of the Baekcheon Trading Company.
Namgung Kang was thinking about gifts to give to the senior members of the Martial Alliance.
He planned to give them gifts brought back from his recent trip abroad or a portion of the profits from those goods.
Of course, these gifts were meant to curry favor with them.
He was hopeful that his company would be named one of the three greatest trading companies in the land, but he had to prepare for the possibility that it would not happen.
If this mission was successful and everything went well in the future, it was possible, but there was no guarantee that everything would go according to plan.
“Those capricious old men of the Martial Alliance could replace me at any time...”
Of course, with a three-year term, he would not be dismissed during that period, but the problem was what would happen after that.
At that moment, he heard the voice of his bodyguard outside the door.
“Liege, Jeon Seo-eung is here. He says he was sent by Ji Hyung-soo from Nanjing.”
“Bring him in.”
The door opened, and the bodyguard handed him a letter.
“Why would they send Jeon Seo-eung now?”
Namgung Gang opened the letter without thinking much of it, but his face immediately turned pale.
There was a reason to send Jeon Seo-eung.
[We must return Changhae Trading Company. Mo Cheong's ledger was found...]
He frowned.
“Mo Cheong! You useless son of a bitch!”
There was a bigger problem.
[...In response, Dao Commander Yeong-gyeong of Namgyeong is going to the Martial Alliance to protest in person.
“What?”
Bang!
He slammed his hands on the table.
The situation of having to return the Changhae Trading Company was also a problem. Not only would he lose the income he had expected, but he would also lose a way to raise the company's ranking.
But an even bigger problem was the commander.
Commander Akyeong.
He was clearly a member of the Shandong Ak Family.
Where is Shandong Ak?
It is a place famous for its righteous and passionate people.
In that case, his words about going to the Martial Alliance to protest would not be empty words.
Furthermore, Shandong Akaga not only had a strong position in the martial arts world, but also had a powerful position in the military.
It was a force that even the Martial Alliance could not ignore.
Moreover, the Dao Commander was a high-ranking official.
Even the senior members of the Martial Alliance could not do anything about it.
According to the letter from Jitaekmun, other officials had also witnessed the situation.
There was no way to return the Changhae Trading Company, but the bigger problem was the Martial Alliance's reaction to what he had done.
He would be lucky if he only got a demotion.
When he thought about the punishment that would be handed down to him, cold sweat poured down his back.
At that moment, his aide entered his office and asked him, seeing his pale face.
“Captain, is something wrong?”
The moment he saw his aide, Namgung Kang's eyes flashed.
“You bastard.”
“Yes?”
“Because of you, we're all going to die! Why did you do something you weren't told to do?”
“What are you talking about?”
“No matter how blind you are to your achievements, you can't do that! Kill Mo Cheong-hyeong? Hey, you! Arrest this man and throw him in prison!”
“Yes!”
“And throw the guards who were escorting Mo Cheong into prison too!”
“Yes, sir!”
Of course, it was the adjutant who came up with the plan, but it was Namgung Kang who approved it and ordered it to be carried out.
However, he had to get rid of his guilt somehow.
Therefore, he had no choice but to sacrifice the adjutant who came up with the plan and the guards who were escorting Mo Cheong.
However, this was only a minimal measure, and a more fundamental solution was needed.
After thinking for a moment, he made a decision.
“Yes, if I get rid of the military commander, I can avoid the worst-case scenario.”
***
The matter was resolved, and the Changhae Trading Company returned to its original owners, including Song Un.
Now, all he had to do was take care of things himself...
When I saw the face of Captain Song-un, who had invited me to dinner, I knew that things were not going well.
“I don't think you called me here to have dinner with you.”
Captain Song-un nodded at my words.
“You're right.”
He let out a deep sigh. I could feel his anger in that sigh.
“Is something wrong?”
“...Thanks to you, we were able to regain our trading company. However, cleaning up the mess is not easy.”
“I don't understand what you mean.”
“I didn't explain myself well. I apologize.”
He explained the whole situation to me.
"I checked the goods that were to be loaded onto the ship. However... They're all substandard.“
”You mean the quality is poor?“
”That's right. I rushed over there and demanded an explanation. I asked them what the hell they were doing!“
”What did they say?“
”They said it was the best they could do.“
”What was Jihangsu thinking when he chose a trading company that would deliver such goods?"
“I found out later... They paid him extra.”
In other words, Jik-taek secretly pocketed the extra money.
“What should we do?”
In this situation, it might be best to just load the goods as agreed and leave.
However, this would not be the best solution, but merely avoiding the worst.
The people of Daewook are not ignorant.
If we take such goods with us, we will surely be ridiculed.
If we are not careful, we may even be accused of looking down on them.
“May I see the contract?”
“I brought it with me.”
He handed me the contract, and I looked it over.
When I read the last part, a smile appeared on my face.
How grateful I am.
I said to Captain Song.
“If you look here, the contractor is not Changhae Trading Company. It is in the name of Jitakmun. It seems that Jitakmun did this so that he could claim the profit from this trade later.”
Or, since Changhae Trading Company is about to disappear, they may have done this to easily transfer the contract to Baekcheon Trading Company.
“In this case, the responsibility lies with Jiktaekmun.”
I continued.
“Don't load those items onto the ship. If anyone asks about it, just shift the responsibility to Jiktaekmun.”
“Understood.”
Song Un nodded graciously.
I smiled and asked, “But it seems that you knew about this, didn't you, Captain Song?”
Judging from the fact that he brought the contract with the trading companies, his intention was clear.
“What do you really want?”
Song, the captain, burst out laughing at my question.
“I knew it! You are someone I can trust. Yes, entrusting the future of our Trading Company to someone like you is a wise choice.”
“What?”
He said with a serious expression.
“Our Changhae Trading Company would like to entrust our business to your Eunhae Trading Company.”
It was something I had never imagined.
“You have helped us so much, but you have never once mentioned anything in return.”
That's because... I never had the chance to say anything.
“You helped us, your competitor, without asking for anything in return! I am truly impressed by your generosity.”
No, it's not like that.
“After deep discussions with my father and the senior members of the company, we have decided to entrust the future of our company to Eunhae Trading Company.”
But I replied calmly.
“No, you shouldn't. You've finally found Changhae Trading Company. You should grow it further.”
“Yes, you're right! But I realized that this is only possible under the wing of Eunhae Trading Company.”
“...
Thud.
He pushed something onto the table.
”This is the seal of Changhae Trading Company. Please do not refuse our request."
I couldn't refuse anymore.
And Song-woon, the captain, seemed like a decent person.
And so... Changhae Trading Company came under the wing of Eunhae Trading Company.
Damn, I was just trying to screw over the Baekcheon Trading Company, but look what happened.
.
.
.
Preparations for departure were in full swing.
Tomorrow was the day we set sail.
I was having dinner at a tavern with the vice captain of the Mudo Trading Company.
“I don't know how to express my gratitude for these high-quality dishes.”
This time, the Mudo Trading Company provided us with high-quality tea cups and other dishes.
Thanks to them, we were able to load them not only onto our Eunhae Trading Company ships but also onto the Changhae Trading Company ships.
Captain Damjin smiled and shook his head.
“Why would you say that? We did it because we knew that Eunhae Trading Company would sell our tableware at a fair price.”
He continued.
“And we also wanted to express our gratitude for your help at the meeting in Shandong the other day.”
Ah, he was referring to the time when they were being harassed by those low-quality people.
“It was only natural.”
“Even if you say so, Captain, I cannot express how grateful I am.”
Well...
It must have been very difficult for him to be bullied.
So much so that he wanted to get back at those who bullied him.
“I am leaving for my headquarters tomorrow morning.”
“I see. Please take care on your way.”
After finishing our meal, I saw him off and returned to the inn.
Then I called Pal-gap.
“Pal-gap. Can you bring Captain Yong-eung-wan here?”
“Yes, sir.”
Soon, Captain Yong arrived at my room.
“Please sit down.”
“Yes.”
He sat down across from me, and I asked him, “How do you feel about returning to your hometown after such a long time?”
He paused for a moment before answering, "I'm very nervous. To be honest, I don't know how to describe this feeling. I'm glad to be returning in such a dignified manner, but I'm also worried about my family.
I smiled and nodded.
“I can understand how you feel.”
I continued.
“First of all, I asked the official who is accompanying us to vouch for Captain Yong's identity.”
“Thank you.”
Until the qi was issued, Yong Eung-wan was still a slave. So, I made preparations in case he was forced to do something against his will.
“He will also act as a witness to your freedom through the speed payment.”
Even if we arranged for the speed payment, we had to consider the possibility that his owner would take the money and refuse to recognize it.
Well, Captain Yong's owner is the king of Daewook, so he wouldn't do something so petty, but it wouldn't hurt to be prepared for the worst.
I picked up the box at my feet and placed it on the table.
Thud!
The sound gave an idea of the box's weight.
This is really heavy.
“Here is the ransom I promised.”
I opened the box myself and showed its contents. Captain Yong's eyes widened when he saw the money inside.
“Ah...”
“With this, Captain Yong and his family will be free.”
“Thank you. I will definitely pay you back.”
“What do you mean?”
He tilted his head at my words.
“What?”
“Why would Captain Yong pay you back?”
“Well... you're lending it to me.”
I shook my head at his words.
“When did I say I would lend Captain Yong the money? I said I would give it to him.”
“So you're really just giving this to me?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“What do you see in me that makes you show me such kindness?”
I replied calmly.
“Because I know that Captain Yong will bring even greater profits to our Trading Company.”
I continued.
“Is this money not enough to win Captain Yong's heart?”
He bit his lip, stood up from his chair, and prostrated himself on the floor.
“I, Yong Eung-wan, a warrior of the Gu family of Daewook, will devote my soul and bravery to Captain Eun Seo-ho.”
As far as I know, devoting one's soul and bravery to the warriors of Daewook is a vow that can only be made once in a lifetime.
It is a very precious vow.
Why are you making it so difficult for me?