Chapter 478
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 478
Chapter 478. It's a Real Misunderstanding (1)
After regaining his home and revealing his secret in the courtyard, Clan Head Man called back the employees who had been working for him.
Clan Head Man had been forced to let them go one by one as his circumstances became difficult.
About half of them were already working elsewhere, but the other half had not yet found new jobs.
They did not hesitate to respond to Clan Head Man's call.
“They have all worked for our family for a long time.”
“I see.”
I nodded at Mister Man's words.
There were five of them in total, and although they were all quite old, they seemed to be deeply loyal to Clan Head Man.
“Clan Head! You're all well! I'm so glad.”
“I'm so happy to see you in such good health... Sniff!”
The man who had been the Clan Head's attendant burst into tears. It seemed that he had been tormented by guilt, thinking that it was his fault that the Clan Head had fallen ill.
But seeing him in such good health, he shed tears of relief.
“Hehe, it's all thanks to you.”
They approached me and thanked me, and I accepted their gratitude awkwardly.
I felt embarrassed to receive such gratitude for something I did for my own benefit.
“I'm embarrassed.”
Then the Clan Head said,
“Our clan has decided to become your vassals. Therefore, we will be visiting Hubei Province with you for a while. Please take good care of this house while we are away.”
“Of course, I will.”
“Then I will quickly make preparations.”
The preparations for departure went smoothly, and at the end of November, we set off for Hubei Province again.
Man Ga-ju was not yet physically strong enough to ride a horse, so he had to travel by carriage.
However, there were no problems with the schedule.
This was because we had allowed plenty of time in case the Clan Head decided to accompany us to Hubei Province.
Now we will need Hyun-ro's help.
We must travel as safely as possible.
But... When we were returning home after handling matters related to the body of the Shaolin Temple's Grand Master, we also received Hyun-ro's help.
On the way, we encountered the Royal Guards and were kidnapped and taken to Yunnan Province.
I hope this isn't fake.
When I looked at Hyunrodo with a suspicious look, the corner of his mouth twitched.
There's no wind...
It was as if he was protesting, “Why are you suspicious?”
Come to think of it...
Hyunro-do guides its owner to the safest route, not the fastest or most convenient one.
In other words, all that hardship was for my safety.
Damn it.
Well, at least I made a plan for the future, so I guess I should be satisfied with that.
I hope I won't have to go through such hardship again.
As I was thinking about that, I looked at the map, and this time I saw that the corner was drooping.
“...”
What is it? Does that mean you can't guarantee it?
Damn it.
.
.
.
It didn't take long to get to the Hubei Trading Company this time.
That's because we went down to Nanjing and took a boat up the Yangtze River.
This time, we arrived without incident, as planned.
“That is the Eunhae Trading Company.”
At my explanation, the father and son looked at me with surprised eyes.
“It's quite large.”
“Yes, our headquarters is quite large.”
But when I looked closely, it seemed to have become larger than before.
It looks like they expanded the parking lot.
It seems like the houses next to it are gone.
Could they have expanded the parking lot in the meantime?
As I wondered about this, I soon realized one thing.
That scene was from my previous life, when our Eunhae Trading Company was growing rapidly.
It was several years ahead of my previous life.
I felt a new sense of emotion, realizing that I was doing well.
“Young master, why do you look so sad when you're leaving your home?”
“Huh?”
“You look like you've just reunited with a long-lost lover.”
I smiled awkwardly at Pal-gap's words.
“What are you talking about...?”
He really knows what I'm thinking.
“How did you know that your eyes looked like you had just met a long-lost lover?”
“Um...”
Pal-gap blinked his eyes in response to my question.
“Well, it's like this...”
“So you've had a painful experience too.”
“No, not at all!”
Following my words, Seo Woo-musha smiled and added, “I see. I'm sorry I didn't know.”
“No, it's fine.”
With that, we entered the Trading Company's office with smiles on our faces.
“Come in!”
Perhaps because we had contacted him in advance, my father came out to greet us himself.
“Father! Are you busy?”
“Yes, I am.”
“You didn't have to come out...”
“No matter how busy I am, I always have time to greet my son who has come home after a long time.”
I said with a smile.
“Have you been well?”
“Yes, everyone is well.”
“I'm glad.”
I'm so glad.
The reason I'm working so hard is for the peaceful lives of my family.
“I don't recognize the people behind you.”
My father asked, looking at Clan Head Man and Mister Gong, and I introduced them to him.
“These are the Clan Head of the Yoon Gang-man Clan in Shandong and his son.”
At my words, my father seemed to flinch for a moment.
Although it didn't show on his face, his eyes revealed his surprise.
Why is he acting like that?
But I put my curiosity aside for the moment.
I was introducing them to my father.
“I am Eun Gil-sang, the head of the Eunhae Trading Company. Welcome to the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“I am Man-juk, the Clan Head of the Yoon Gang-man Clan. This is my son, Man-jeong. It is an honor to meet the Liege of the Chunbu.
”Liege... What do you mean?"
My father looked at me with a puzzled look, and I quickly continued.
“I will explain everything in detail once we are inside.”
“I understand.”
“For now, please stay in the building next to my guest quarters.”
“Very well.”
“Yes, Father.”
I asked Pal-gap to guide them.
I told the other bodyguards, except for Seo Woo, to take a rest, then followed my father to his office.
There was no need for a large escort here.
“Is Mother busy?”
“Yes, she is at a meeting. There is a gathering of the wives of the Trading Company leaders in the neighborhood.”
“I see. What about my brothers?”
“Jeong-ho went to Beijing for a meeting of the 100 Trading Companies, but he stopped by the Myeongmyeong Trading Company to take care of some business related to Ho-cho and will be returning later.”
“Your brother is also very busy.”
Come to think of it, Miss Seo-hyang told me that Jeong-ho stopped by the Beijing branch.
But Myeongmyeong Trading Company?
They are a trading company based in Sichuan.
They are already one of the three largest trading companies in the world, so why...
Ah, Ho-cho... That's right, it's because of pepper.
They mainly deal in ceramics and spices, but they rose to become one of the three largest trading companies by monopolizing the pepper trade.
The Daewook Kingdom, where our ship recently visited, is one of the main producers of pepper.
As far as I know, Myungmyung Trading Company imports pepper by having people carry the cargo across dangerous mountain ranges.
But they can bring in larger quantities more easily by sea, so they are approaching us.
“Isn't the Mingming Trading Company located in Sichuan? With our branch in Sichuan, couldn't you have contacted them directly through your uncle?”
“Actually, they requested to meet with your uncle to discuss this matter. That's why Jeong-ho was going to meet with the Mingming Trading Company with you, but then we received a letter from the boy you are raising. He said he was going to Yunnan...”
Ah...
That must have been when I sent a letter through Geum-ryeong saying that I was going to Yunnan Province.
“I didn't tell you because you seemed busy.”
“Thank you.”
If I had heard this story beforehand, I would have felt burdened.
You said that the Mingming Trading Company helped your grandfather when he first attended the Baekdae Trading Company meeting.
“But it's later than I thought. The meeting was in early October, so shouldn't Hyung-nim be here by now?”
“That's true. He'll probably be back soon.”
After all, long-distance trade doesn't always go according to plan.
“What about Jin-ho?”
“He went to Hunan to escort a trading company.”
“What about your two sisters-in-law?”
“They're both busy with work.”
“What about your grandfather?”
“He's the person I envy the most.”
I laughed at his words.
Then my father shared some good news.
“Oh, and our second daughter is pregnant.”
“Oh? That's great news!”
“Yes. She'll probably give birth early next year.”
“I'll have to congratulate her later.”
It was truly something to celebrate. In his previous life, Jin-ho had lost his second sister-in-law and spent his old age alone, drowning his sorrows in alcohol.
It was really hard for me to listen to Jin-ho's drunken ramblings.
Come to think of it, before he married my sister-in-law in his previous life, Hyung-nim Jung-ho also used to drink with me and pour his heart out.
I don't enjoy drinking because of my constitution and my Master's advice, but the biggest reason may be that I got tired of listening to my brothers' drunken ramblings.
“How are Gun-hyeok and Bo-yeon?”
“They are very lively.”
“That means they're healthy.”
They must be around five or six years old now.
Time flies.
After confirming the safety of his family, he began to discuss the business of the Trading Company in earnest.
First, he was told that the two ships of the Eunhae Trading Company had arrived safely at the port built by the Eunhae Trading Company and were currently undergoing maintenance, and that accommodations had been arranged for Captain Yong's family.
“But what happened that most of the sailors rushed to their homes or brothels as soon as they got off the ship?”
“Ah…”
Their dissatisfaction must have been greater than I thought.
I replied with a bitter smile.
“That's because you put them to bed as soon as they arrived in Nanking.”
“Put them to bed?”
“It was His Majesty's order...”
“Hmm... For security reasons?”
My father was right, as always.
I nodded, and my father chuckled.
“Well, our Eunhae Trading Company has a tight grip on this area.”
The intelligence unit I had proposed had been active, and most of Hubei Province was now under the control of our Eunhae Trading Company.
“By the way, are the people you brought with you really from the Yoon Gang-man family?”
“Yes. But why were you so surprised earlier?”
My father cleared his throat at my question.
“Hmm...”
“I am your son.”
“Do you remember what I told you about the records that have been passed down from generation to generation of the captains?”
“Yes.”
My father told me before.
It is recorded there why the first captain named the company Eunhae Trading Company.
It says, 'You cannot become a true merchant if you remain within this empire. You must look beyond the sea to become a true merchant.
“Actually, there is something written there. If you find yourself in trouble due to pirates, seek the help of the Yoon Gang-man family in Shandong Province.”
“What?”
“I couldn't understand what that meant from the record alone. But now that I see the arrows carried by the Clan Head of the Yungang family and his son, I understand a little. Are you planning to use their archery skills to repel the pirates?”
“Yes, that's right. There will probably be pirate attacks on the next or next-but-one voyage. At that time, we plan to repel the pirates with the archery unit we have trained.”
I continued.
“It would be nice to have cannons, but gunpowder is strictly controlled by the empire. It would be nice to obtain it, but considering the problems that would cause, it is best to use the archer unit.”
“But can archers alone stop the pirates?”
My father still does not know the power of the Cheonpa Palace, so he says such things.
“Father, isn't there a reason why the first Clan Head wrote that?”
“That's true, but...”
He still didn't seem convinced.
Once you see it for yourself, you'll change your mind.
I returned to my annex.
After washing up and changing my clothes, I headed to my grandfather's room.
“Grandfather, it's Seoho.”
“Come in.”
I cautiously opened the door and found my grandfather painting.
“You're painting. Oh, is that a plum blossom?”
“I've recently taken up painting plum blossoms as a hobby. By the way, it's been a long time since you've been here.”
“Yes. I apologize for not visiting often.”
“Don't worry about it.”
His grandfather put down his brush and said.
“Doesn't anyone know how busy you are?”
“Hahaha.”
“By the way, you came with a guest, didn't you?”
As expected of his grandfather.
Even though he had retired, he still kept his eyes and ears open for the affairs of the Trading Company.
“Yes, the Clan Head of the Yoon Gang-man family and his son have agreed to help me.”
“Yoon Gang-man?”
“Yes.”
“Have you read the records that are only passed down to the Clan Head?”
My grandfather's eyes narrowed. I quickly shook my head.
“I know of the existence of those records, but I have never read them. That is Jeong-ho's right, and I do not wish to infringe upon his rights.”
“Then how did you know about them and bring them here?”
“While helping them this time, I learned about the power of those arrows. I thought it would be helpful to have them operate an archery unit, so I brought them here.”
My grandfather looked at me quietly and said.
“Are you really not interested in becoming the head of the Trading Company?”
“Yes, I'm not.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I'm sure.”
Am I crazy? Becoming the head of the Trading Company?
That's not my style.
My grandfather nodded with a disappointed look on his face at my answer, which showed no hesitation.
“And I don't have time to stay at the headquarters because I'm traveling around the empire every day.”
Half of that is because of the emperor, though.
“If I become the head of the Trading Company, will it run smoothly?”
“You're right about that.”
My grandfather nodded.
“All right, I understand. You must be busy, so go on.”
“Yes.”
I left my grandfather's room. But why did I feel like I had forgotten something?
After thinking about it carefully, I realized why.
Come to think of it, he didn't ask me when I was going to get married this time.
Why?