Chapter 462
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 462
Chapter 462. The Meaning of Advice (2)
A short time later.
We gathered in the conference room again and decided to carry out my proposal.
With the help of Branch Manager Sung Joon-baek, we made thorough preparations, such as gathering information.
A few days later, the day of the plan was finally here.
“Please take care of yourself.”
We left the Yunnan branch with Branch Manager Sung Joon-baek seeing us off and headed for Chunjing City.
Seo Woo's experience was a great help on the journey.
He had been in charge of this area when he worked as a Head Escort at the escort agency.
“Don't touch the sap from that tree. It's poisonous.”
“I can handle that much poison.”
“A master like you can probably handle it, but horses can't. Are you planning to walk with no horse?”
“...”
“The roots of that grass are quite tasty. If you dig them up and roast them, they're sweet and edible.”
“Is that so?”
“But don't eat the stems or leaves! You'll get sick.”
After receiving help several times, I stopped questioning Seo Woo's words.
We arrived safely at Chunkyungseong.
Armed soldiers were standing there, and when they saw us, they rushed toward us.
Chung!
They pointed their weapons at us and shouted.
“Stand back! Outsiders are not allowed to enter here!”
However, I calmly dismounted and greeted them with a clasped hands greeting.
“I am Eun Seo-ho, the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company. I heard that a great undertaking is currently underway here, so I came to offer my assistance. Please do not turn us away.”
Upon hearing my words, they looked at each other and whispered.
“Eunhae Trading Company?”
“Eunhaesang Trading Company? Isn't that the huge trading company?”
“What are they doing there?”
I showed them my silver coin and said,
“I would appreciate it if you could pass on a message to them.”
“Hmph! Fine! All right.”
One of the soldiers went inside, and after a while, he came out and said,
“They say you can come in.”
“Thank you.”
The soldier led us inside.
I glanced around the castle.
Looking at the faces of the people coming and going, I could get a rough idea of the situation.
As I had expected, they seemed to be in dire straits.
We entered what appeared to be the magistrate's residence and were led to a reception room.
As we were drinking tea there, a man entered.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Eun Seo-ho, the captain of the Purple Mist Pills Trading Company.”
“I am Yeon Yu-mun, the eldest son of the magistrate of Chunkyungseong.”
This man must be the magistrate's eldest son.
He looks younger than I expected. In his mid-twenties, perhaps?
Behind him stood two men, as if escorting him.
“Is the Magistrate out?”
His eyes wavered for a moment.
But I did not let him know that I had noticed.
“Isn't it unnecessary for the Magistrate to come for something like this?”
“That may be true from Mister's perspective, but from my perspective, this is quite an important matter.”
I continued.
“I offered to lend a hand in the great undertaking of Chunkyungseong, but wouldn't it be problematic if you later said that you didn't appreciate my efforts?”
“You don't need to worry about that.”
“I am a merchant. Please leave me a document confirming this. If possible, I would like it to be stamped with the Magistrate's seal.”
He thought for a moment and then asked me.
“Before that, I have one question. What about our business?”
“You are underestimating the information network of the Eunhae Trading Company. I am disappointed.”
“I'm sorry. So, how much do you plan to contribute?”
“Would this be enough for now?”
I gave a nod, and the warriors Yeo-eung-am and Lee Pil put down the boxes they were carrying.
Bang!
The two warriors opened the boxes.
They were filled with silver and gold coins.
Seeing this, Yeon Yu-mun was startled and looked back and forth between me and the box.
“Are you serious?”
“Merchants express their feelings with money. Will you believe that I am serious with this?”
Meanwhile, the eyes of the two men standing behind Yeon Yu-mun were filled with greed.
I closed the lid with my foot.
Bang!
The hinged lid of the box closed with a loud noise.
I smiled and said,
“However, I can only give it to you after receiving a document with the Magistrate's handwritten certification and seal.”
“...”
I saw one of the men standing behind me tap Yeon-woo on the back.
“Of course. But it will take some time.”
“I can wait a few days.”
“By the way, why are some of your men wearing masks?”
Then, the man on the left behind me asked.
As expected, he wasn't going to let it go so easily.
The men wearing masks are the Royal Guards who accompanied me.
They are wearing masks because they know the Royal Guards who were dispatched here and their fellow students.
Of course, this was within my expectations, so I replied calmly.
“You seem very interested in my escort.”
“As your escort, it is only natural.”
“The work of a trading company is not always above board, is it? That's why I have them with me. I just thought they might be needed for this job.”
“You mean Senkyo Mirang? That's unexpected.”
“I work hard to maintain my reputation. Reputation is money, after all. Hehe.”
“But we can't just let something uncertain go. Make them take off their masks and show their faces. Otherwise, this deal is off.”
“What's so difficult about that?”
I ordered them.
“Take off your masks and show your faces.”
“Yes, sir.”
They took off their masks.
However, their faces were quite different from their original ones.
They had already worn masks.
One of the things that took the most time and effort in preparing this plan was those masks.
When I visited the Sichuan Tang Clan some time ago, I read something in the study inside the cave where the real Tang Qi was imprisoned, and it proved to be quite helpful.
Based on the knowledge I acquired then, I made them out of pigskin, and they turned out quite well.
“...
The two men nodded at the faces that were now revealed.
”Well done.“
”Then can we put our masks back on now?“
”Do so."
At my words, they put their masks back on.
The reason I wore a mask even though I had an inpimyeonggu was because it was difficult to wear it for a long time.
Due to the hot and humid climate, my skin developed eczema, which was quite painful, and it also ruined the shape of the inpimyeonggu.
Therefore, I plan to show my face like this to dispel any doubts and then just wear the mask from now on.
“But are you really his bodyguard?”
The man on the right asked.
They are so suspicious.
But their lives are at stake, so I guess they have no choice.
“How can I prove myself to you?”
“If you bark like a dog...”
“Yuk Ho.”
“Yes!”
At his call, the masked man stepped forward.
Since we couldn't call them by their names, we decided to assign each of them a number from one to six.
And number six was Master So-un, who had scolded me severely.
“Kneel down and bark.”
At my words, he knelt down.
“Wow...”
But he couldn't do it right away and hesitated.
Smack!
I slapped his cheek with my palm and gave him a cold stare.
“Are you trying to embarrass me in front of everyone?”
“I'm sorry! Please forgive me! Captain!”
“I'll give you one more chance.”
“Woof! Woof!”
Master So-un barked like a dog in front of me, and I grabbed his chin and said.
“Don't let me down again.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
There was still fear in his eyes.
I did well to follow Miss Seo Hyang's advice.
I said to them.
“He is still untrained and behaved badly. Is this enough?”
He nodded in response to my question.
“That should be enough.”
“Get up and return to your place.”
“Yes!”
Master So-un quickly got up and returned to his seat.
“So how long should we wait?”
Yun-mun replied to my question.
“It won't take long. They will return in a day or two.”
“Then can you arrange a place for us to stay in the meantime?”
“Of course. But... what are you thinking, investing in us?”
“All I am thinking about is profit. We merchants are not afraid to do anything to make a profit, are we?”
.
.
.
A short time later.
We were shown to our lodgings.
It was an annex in the magistrate's residence.
I spread my senses wide to make sure no one was eavesdropping on our conversation.
Confirming that no one was there, I gave a clasped hands greeting to the soldier.
“Thank you for your hard work. It must have been quite humiliating.”
“When it's for the sake of the order, what does my pride matter?”
That is a very desirable attitude.
“It seems that everyone should just keep their mouths shut until tomorrow.”
“Understood.”
This time, it was Master Kwon who answered.
Due to the importance of this case, we decided to use honorifics even when we were alone.
We couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
By the way, when I asked Yeon Yu-mun, “Is the Magistrate out?” earlier, I saw anger in his eyes.
And the men standing behind him acted like his puppets.
I asked Master Kwon-jik.
“Are those men standing behind Mister Yeon... Royal Guards?”
They nodded in response to my question.
I knew it.
I understood the situation.
This was not the doing of the Chunkyungseong side.
The Magistrate of Chunkyungseong was merely being blackmailed by them.
However, the empire destroyed the city and the Magistrate was killed in a horrific manner.
Wow...
What a bunch of scumbags!
They used this place for their own gain and then discarded it. They deserve to be punished severely!
At that time, the emperor must have been unable to make proper judgments due to his anger over the loss of his son.
What father would be in his right mind after losing his son?
But at some point, he must have learned the truth.
I don't know much about the series of events that led to the death of Prince Joo-hyun, but I remember that the emperor came to Yunnan to offer prayers.
The employees of the Eunhae Trading Company who were stationed in Yunnan sent a letter about this.
At the time, I wondered why the emperor went all the way to Yunnan to offer prayers, but now I understand why.
It was his way of apologizing, but does it really matter?
It won't bring the dead back to life.
Furthermore, our Eunhae Trading Company suffered considerable losses due to King Seongbo's campaign against Chunkyungseong.
Not only were we unable to supply boicha, but we were also mobilized to collect supplies.
Therefore, we had to take action to prevent such a thing from happening again.
However, there is something I do not understand.
Why do I sense the energy of the Black Dao from them?
* *
The residence of the Magistrate of Chunqing City.
In the middle of the most luxurious room stood Yeon-woo-mun.
“Well done. If you continue like this, you will not end up like the Magistrate.”
At those words, Yeon-woo bowed his head and bit his lip.
He recalled what had happened a month ago.
The imperial envoys had visited, and he was worried that they would take away as much as they had done in the past.
However, this time, the envoy included the crown prince, who noticed the envoys' atrocities.
Fearing for their future, they threatened the Magistrate with weapons and said,
“From today, we will establish a new country with this place as our base.”
Naturally, the Magistrate protested that this was nonsense, and as a result, he was imprisoned with his left arm cut off.
He became a puppet, forced to obey their orders.
“By the way, can we trust this Eun Seo-ho?”
“Why? Are you worried?”
They talked in front of him, seemingly unconcerned about the letter.
“You heard it from others when you entered the imperial palace. He is said to be favored by the emperor. And the people who came with him are also suspicious.”
“Come to think of it, it's about time for the Royal Guards to arrive.”
“It can't be the Royal Guards. Would those proud men bark like dogs in front of a lowly merchant?”
“Come to think of it, that doesn't make sense.”
“That's why, no matter how much Eun Seo-ho, the captain of the Golden Guard, is called a gentleman, he's still a merchant who cares about money. Well.”
After exchanging words, they turned their heads and looked at a man sitting at the head of the table.
“So, what do you think?”
The man at the head of the table raised his head at the question.
“I don't think that's possible.”
“Then shall we accept the support?”
“Yes. That money will be a great help to our cause.”
After exchanging words, they looked at Yeon-woo and said.
“You're still here?”
“....”
“Leave.”
“Yes.”
Yeon-woo left the room with a bitter look on his face.
Hiding his sadness, he headed for his quarters when he ran into a young man.
A beautiful face standing under the moonlight.
It was Eun Seo-ho.
“I see you again. I was admiring the beautiful moon.”
“Is that so?”
“If you don't mind, I'd like to take a look around the mansion.”
Yun Yoo-moon nodded at his words.
To be honest, he didn't want to go inside with his current mood. And since he had decided to accept Eun Seo-ho's help, there didn't seem to be any problem.
With that, they walked around the mansion, exchanging small talk.
While walking beside the pond, he heard Eun Seo-ho's telepathy.
“So, where is the Magistrate being held captive?”
Yoo-moon was startled by the telepathy and turned his head quickly.
“So you are... Guh!”
However, he couldn't finish his sentence. Eun Seo-ho kicked him and he fell into the pond.
Splash!