Chapter 49
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 49
Chapter 49. The First Pocket (3)
They left the trading company.
While they were wondering what to do next, a Mister came to them.
His name was Eun Seo-ho.
He made them an offer.
He suggested that they start over somewhere else.
They thought he was a bold young master.
It was bold of him to make such a suggestion to them.
“You have already fulfilled your duty to the former head of the trading company. The former head would understand. So now, shouldn't you find a way to live your own lives?”
He had worked for the Trading Company for a long time and prided himself on his ability to judge people.
He realized that this Confucian scholar was not ordinary, so he thought long and hard about it.
In fact, the new captain of the Green Jade Trading Company did not stop at expelling them, but also resented their very presence in Yangban.
He put pressure on them with various excuses, and when he thought they could no longer hold out, he was tempted by the offer.
However, one cannot judge a person by their appearance alone.
They used their connections to find out about a person named Eun Seo-ho.
At that time, they heard some news.
It was rumored that Eun Seo-ho was close to the Jaegal Clan and had the trust of the Grand Minister and the Clan Head.
The Jaegal Clan!
They were the spiritual leaders of the people living in western Hubei!
Mister Gong had connections with them.
Furthermore, as merchants who had been active in Yangban for nearly thirty years, they knew that the Jaegal Clan was not an easy clan to deal with.
The Jaegal Clan was not a place to be trifled with.
Therefore, as soon as they confirmed that the rumor was true, they decided to accept the offer.
Then, they immediately requested an escort from the escort agency and came here.
Head Escort was aware of their situation.
Head Escort had been indebted to them several times, so he did his best to escort them safely in order to repay their kindness.
“Don't give up.”
“Thank you. Now, go and check it out.”
“Thank you very much for everything.”
“Take care of yourselves. Your lives are your most valuable asset.”
“Yes, thank you. Please take care of yourself.”
With that, the Head Escort and his men left, and those who remained in front of the county office sighed.
“By the way, is this the right place?”
In response to someone's question, Yang Jin-soo, who seemed to be the leader, nodded.
“This is definitely the place.”
“He said he would come here within half an hour.”
“But why did he ask us to meet in front of the county office?”
They had been waiting for about a minute when suddenly,
“Are you Yang Jin-soo and his party coming from Yangbeon?”
Turning around at the sound of someone calling them, they saw a large man standing in front of them.
“Who are you?”
“I am here to escort you on orders.”
But Yang Jin-soo sensed something dangerous about him.
It was an instinct he had developed through his many experiences with the Trading Company.
That instinct was now warning him.
Yang Jin-soo asked him.
“Who sent you?”
“...I cannot answer that.”
“If you want to see us, tell him to come here himself.”
“He is busy.”
“No. We will not follow you until he comes himself.”
A scuffle ensued.
“He is a busy man. We don't have time for this.”
“Ha! He said he would come himself, didn't he?”
“If you keep this up, he may not give us what he promised.”
With that, he thrust his sword forward.
Feeling intimidated, Yang Jin-soo and his party took a step back.
Then they tried to run toward the county office.
Noticing their intention, the big man said,
“This is getting boring.”
“....”
“If you don't follow me quietly, I can't guarantee your safety.”
The giant in front of them knew that they were from Yangbeon and even knew their names.
He knew that they were coming here, and there was only one person who would harm them.
He needed confirmation.
“...Who sent you?”
“Why do you ask? It'll only make you feel worse.”
“Who sent you?”
Then it happened.
“Huh? Isn't that the guy we saw earlier?”
Turning his head toward the unexpected voice, he saw a familiar face.
It was Eun Seo-ho.
Behind him, a line of people were being led away by the county office guards.
At Eun Seo-ho's shout, they, who were tied with ropes, looked at the nobleman and shouted.
“What? Hey, you!
”That guy is one of them!“
”What?“
”Arrest him!"
The situation was settled in an instant.
* * *
I took Yang Jin-soo and the others from Yangbeon to the old man's general store.
The old man was eating dumplings for lunch.
Seeing that made me even hungrier.
“This way.”
I led them to a fairly large space in the basement.
I was planning to set up a trading company with them.
And no one was to know about the relationship between the trading company and me.
Not even my family.
That's why I had to move secretly, but I couldn't find a suitable place.
Seeing me worried, the old man said,
“There's a place like that here.”
“What? There is?”
“Yes. In the basement of this building.”
“Can I take a look?”
“Of course.”
The old man showed me the basement.
It was a surprisingly spacious and comfortable place, so I decided to rent it.
“The rent is a plate of dumplings.”
“Yes, sir.”
The dumplings the old man is eating now are the very same ones.
Perhaps because I had been coming here so often, the old man began to treat me like a friend.
The proof was that he began to treat me with less respect than before.
I asked Yang Jin-soo and his party.
“Have you eaten?”
“Yes, we had a quick bowl of noodles on the way here.”
That meant I was the only one who hadn't had lunch yet.
I had to skip lunch so I could meet with them today.
First, I asked the old man for his cooperation and sent the guards away.
I knew that the new captain of the Green Jade Trading Company would try to harm them.
I remembered how they had been destroyed.
.
.
.
The seven leaders in front of me, including Yang Jin-soo, were the key figures who built and grew the Green Jade Trading Company.
They were the sons of the previous leader and were driven out by the new leader.
I don't know the details, but there must have been a conflict between the new leader and them.
The new head must have thought that they were ignoring him, and the people in front of me must have found the new head frustrating and unfair.
In any case, he replaced the old blood with new blood, so he must have revitalized the Green Jade Trading Company.
It was good that he tried something new.
However, the new head did not understand why the old blood was old blood.
They were stagnant because they had survived unexpected situations, such as droughts that dried up all the water in the land.
When you are in business, unexpected things happen all the time.
The new captain probably thought that he would be able to handle such unexpected situations well because he was born and raised in the Trading Company.
In fact, he said, “Such problems can be solved with money, so why were they wasting time trying to build relationships...?”
The solution he had in mind was money.
However, that was a mistake.
He did not realize that there are many problems that cannot be solved with money, and that such problems can only be solved with experience and the connections and reputation he has built up over the years.
Such things were often hidden from view.
Or perhaps he knew but ignored them.
However, since he had driven away all those who possessed such weapons, there was no way he could respond properly.
Furthermore, the new captain did not allow them to stay in Yangben.
In the end, they decided to leave Yangben.
The problem was that the new captain of the Green Jade Trading Company hired wanderers to take their lives.
It seems that he was afraid that other trading companies would hire them.
In the future I experienced, the only survivor was Yang Jin-soo.
Because of that incident, the Green Jade Trading Company became Yang Jin-soo's sworn enemy.
This was understandable, as among those who died were not only his colleagues but also his family members.
After hearing his testimony, the government investigated the captain of the Green Jade Trading Company, but the government officials, who had already accepted bribes, acquitted him.
Several years passed, and the new captain of the Green Jade Trading Company realized that something was wrong, but it was already too late.
Even if he wanted to seek advice, he couldn't.
He was surrounded by people who wanted to destroy the Green Jade Trading Company.
Who could he ask for advice?
In the end, the Green Jade Trading Company was ruined.
The new captain was murdered, and people said he got what he deserved.
I thought so too.
Looking at the main characters in that story, I suddenly realized that I had really traveled back in time.
I contacted them while I was in Yangban, where the Jaegal Clan is located.
Fortunately, they were about to leave Yangban, so I was able to meet them in time and bring them here.
This time, I didn't want innocent people to die a meaningless death.
So, I picked up those who were abandoned by the Green Jade Trading Company.
The real treasure of the Trading Company is its people, yet they were abandoned so senselessly!
The experience and connections they have now are priceless.
Knowing that they would be killed by the wanderers hired by the new captain, I used two strategies to save them.
The first was to get them here with the help of the escort agency.
In the future I experienced, Yang Jin-soo and his group did not receive help from the escort agency.
That is why they were so easily defeated by the wanderers.
Since we had to save money, I didn't want to pay the escort agency.
Escort services are more expensive than you might think.
So, I gave them money and told them to make sure to get help from the escort agency, and they did as I asked.
The second was to set the meeting place in front of the county office.
The wanderers would be reluctant to act recklessly in front of the county office.
Since I couldn't get rid of Yang Jin-soo and his group on the way to Sungyang County, there was only one option left.
That was to take care of them before they got acquainted with the people of Sungyang County.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to deal with them in many ways.
However, the problem was that Yang Jin-soo and his group were in front of the county office.
So, the wanderers came up with their own plan.
One of them would approach them, lure them away, and take care of them.
But I dealt with them first.
I got the soldiers to move through the old man in the mask, but they were wanted men.
They weren't the ones who tried to threaten Yang Jin-soo's group and drag them away.
Thanks to that, things seemed to be moving quickly.
“Have some tea.”
Pal-gap served them each a cup of tea and placed the last cup in front of me.
They drank their tea.
Only then did their trembling hands seem to calm down.
Yang Jin-soo asked.
“Are you sure they were sent by the head of the Trading Company?”
“Which head of the Trading Company are you referring to?”
“I mean...”
He swallowed hard and continued.
“Did the head of the Nokok Trading Company send you?”
“You already know the answer, don't you?”
They sighed at my answer. Their faces were filled with anger and disappointment.
I would feel the same way.
Not only had they been expelled from the trading company to which they had devoted their entire youth, but they had also nearly lost their lives.
“Then, even if we try to make a new start, you will interfere again, won't you?”
“That's right. But.”
I said to them.
“Will the Green Jade Trading Company be the only one to interfere?”
“Ah... I see.”
“You are the ones who have survived despite such interference. I think you can easily overcome that.”
“We are grateful for your assessment.”
Now it was time to get down to business.
“As I explained before, the reason I brought you here is because I want to try something new with you.”
“So what is the way forward that we must pursue?”
He remembered what I had said.
I looked at Yang Jin-soo.
He was the leader of the group and was in charge of product distribution at the Green Jade Trading Company.
I smiled and replied.
“The business I want to do with you is the pharmaceutical business.”
“What do you mean by the pharmaceutical business?”
“How do you purchase medicine?”
“Of course, you have to go to a physician and get a prescription...”
I continued.
“That's the norm. But it costs a lot of money, and most commoners cannot afford it. That's why I'm going to change the norm. At the very least, people shouldn't die from illness, right?”