Chapter 494
The Youngest Son of Eunhaesang Trading Company Chapter 494
Chapter 494. Liquor Tasting (4)
In my previous life, I had been helped by Eunhaesang Trading Company.
While on my way to visit the home of a high-ranking official in Gyeongju, I was attacked by a band of bandits.
They were stronger than I had expected, and I found myself in a life-threatening situation.
Fortunately, a merchant caravan was passing by, and with their help, we were able to escape.
They were the Cheongsu Trading Company.
I felt uneasy seeing the place that had shown me kindness fall into ruin due to a series of crop failures and prohibition, and eventually being taken advantage of by the Baekcheon Trading Company.
However, in this life, I intend to repay that kindness.
That afternoon.
I was busy working at the Beijing branch when Pal-gap burst into my office.
“What's going on?”
“That, that, that...”
“That what?”
“His Highness the Crown Prince is here!”
“What?”
I jumped up from my seat.
The emperor clearly said that he would send a minister to take care of this matter once he returned.
Then why did the crown prince come himself?
The crown prince is not a minister... Come to think of it, the crown prince is a minister.
Although he is the emperor's son, he is still a minister as long as he has been granted a rank.
“Let's go.”
“Yes.”
I immediately headed for the reception room, where the crown prince was waiting for me with a cup of tea.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
I bowed, and he nodded and motioned for me to sit down.
“Rise and sit down.”
“Thank you.”
“You're too formal. I want us to be friends.”
Does that make any sense?
I grumbled to myself, but I replied politely.
“Your Highness is too kind.”
“Even His Majesty thinks highly of you.”
I had to change the subject quickly.
“By the way, are you in charge of the liquor tasting this week?”
“Yes. His Majesty has high expectations for this week's liquor tasting.”
The reason why the emperor has high expectations for this week's liquor tasting.
It's not just because of the participation fee.
There is something more important than that. It is the public sentiment.
The prohibition on alcohol is still in effect.
However, if a liquor tasting event is held in the name of the emperor, those who see it will have hope that the prohibition will soon be lifted.
The lifting of the prohibition does not only mean that people will be able to drink alcohol, which has been soothing their physical and mental anguish.
The fact that there is no longer a need to maintain the prohibition means that the famine is over.
It is a ray of hope for those who are living day by day, wandering in a dark cave due to the famine.
It is a light that represents the exit from the dark cave.
From the emperor's perspective, the public sentiment is more important than the participation fee.
That is why he sent the crown prince.
However, it seems like there is something else going on.
“Oh, I heard that the head of the Cheongsu Trading Company is in Beijing.”
“Is that so?”
He already knows why he came to Beijing.
It is to find a merchant ship to ship the sake they distribute. They need a contract to ship the sake in order to obtain a license to produce it.
In my previous life, the Baekcheon Trading Company approached them at this point.
However, in this life, the Baekcheon Trading Company does not have a ship.
How delicious.
“So I sent someone there and told them to come here.”
“What?”
The prince said.
“The clause that gives priority to the liquor you proposed with excellent results as a trade commodity is for the Cheongsu Trading Company, isn't it?”
You noticed.
“Of course, that clause is also for your trading company.”
“...”
Our Eunhae Trading Company made a lot of preparations and investments in advance to trade alcohol this time.
However, the outside world sees things differently.
No matter how much capital we invest and how hard we work, people will inevitably say that it is unfair.
The purpose of this week's liquor tasting competition is to dispel such rumors.
From an outside perspective, it is important to ensure that everyone has a fair chance.
Of course, this is not a rigged game.
The purpose is to discover talented brewers who have not been able to repay their debts.
If there is a brewery that produces better alcohol than those I have acquired, then naturally they should win.
And I have no doubt that the breweries affiliated with the Cheongsu Trading Company will receive high ratings.
The alcohol produced by the Cheongsu Trading Company is the real deal.
As we were talking, Pal-gap announced that a guest had arrived.
“Please come in.”
“I am Go Yoon-bae of the Cheongsu Trading Company. I have come to see His Royal Highness. Long live the prince!”
“Please sit down.”
“I am honored.”
I looked at the captain sitting in front of me.
He was just as I remembered.
He must have been in his mid-fifties. His face was full of kindness.
Perhaps because he had tasted so many wines, his nose was slightly red, but I heard that he could drink a lot.
He looked quite thin, perhaps because he had been through a lot of mental anguish due to the prohibition on alcohol.
The crown prince was the first to mention this.
“I hear that your trading company has suffered greatly due to the prohibition on alcohol caused by the troubles in the country. I am truly sorry.”
The captain of the trading company bowed his head hastily and replied.
“How can you say that? Although our trading company has suffered losses, business is not always smooth sailing. We do not hold any ill will toward the Crown Prince or His Majesty the Emperor.”
He said that, but there was no way he didn't feel resentment.
However, he couldn't express his resentment in front of the Crown Prince.
“Thank you for saying so. Anyway, I called you here because we have decided to hold a liquor tasting event. Isn't Cheongsu Trading Company the most knowledgeable about liquor in the empire?”
“Of course.”
I could sense pride in the captain's reply.
“Therefore, I have decided to entrust this task to Eunhae Trading Company and Cheongsu Trading Company. I look forward to your cooperation.”
“We will do our best.”
I said to him.
“For your information, the sake that is recognized as excellent this time will be given priority in trade rights.”
“...!”
The captain's eyes lit up at my words.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. This is a favor granted by His Majesty the Emperor to allow the Cheongsu Trading Company to spread its wings once again. You must not forget this.”
“I am deeply grateful to His Majesty!”
That night.
Everyone had left, and I was alone in my room, lost in thought.
It was because I had to make a list of guests to invite to this week's liquor tasting event.
The imperial family, the Cheongsu Trading Company, and our trading company could each select 30 guests.
Ten more would be decided later, for a total of 100 guests.
“Young master, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
I turned my head toward Pal-gap and asked.
“You recommended the Cheongsu Trading Company, so why did you attribute it to His Majesty's benevolence?”
“Even if I recommended it, there was nothing I could do if His Majesty rejected it.”
“Still, if it were you, you could have found a way to include the Cheongsu Trading Company.”
I chuckled.
Pal-gap knows me so well.
“That's true. And if I said it was because of my recommendation, you would be grateful. But.”
I turned around and continued.
“You know how work is. It's best to work as little as possible and achieve the maximum results.”
“So...”
Pal-gap looked at me and let out a sigh.
“You wanted to motivate them as much as possible so that they would work hard, and you wanted to make your work easier for yourself?”
“That's right.”
Pal-gap looked at me as if he had a lot to say.
But I was confident.
I gave Cheongsu Trading Company a chance to make a comeback through the liquor tasting competition.
And I know that Cheongsu Trading Company and Captain Go will definitely be able to make a comeback.
This is enough to repay their kindness.
You may have to work a little harder, but it's not right to take work away from someone who is so motivated, is it?
Don't I have enough to do already?
Three days after the liquor tasting competition, there will be a poetry contest.
Who on earth started all this?
Oh, it was me.
“Excuse me.”
“What else do you want to know?”
“I heard that there is an entry fee for the liquor tasting competition.”
“Yes, that's right.”
“But honestly, aren't most breweries in a difficult situation right now?”
“That's true. With the prohibition, they haven't had a way to make money.”
“But do they have the money to pay the participation fee?”
“Where there's a will, there's a way.”
“What?”
“If they really want to participate, they'll find a way to pay the participation fee.”
Honestly, if they have passion and determination, they can easily come up with the participation fee.
It's not that much.
“And if necessary, our Trading Company can lend them the money.”
With that, he began to write down the names. At that moment, the voice of Yeo Eung-am could be heard from outside the door.
“Liege, Yeo Eung-am reporting. It's time for the shift change.”
“Come in.”
At my words, the door opened and Yeo Eung-am, Lee Pil, Seo Woo, and Chang-woon entered.
“We will relieve you of your guard duty.”
Yeo Eung-am and Lee Pil had been guarding us until now. Now it was Seo Woo and Chang-woon's turn to take over.
“It's already time. Thank you for your hard work. And thank you, Seo-woo and Chang-woon, for your hard work.”
“Of course.”
“We will do our best.”
The moment I saw them, a thought crossed my mind.
“Is there anyone you would recommend for the liquor tasting competition? It would be better if it's someone well-known.”
It would be faster to ask several people than to think about it alone.
They thought about my question for a moment.
The first to speak was Lee Pil.
“How about the Pojeongsa of Guizhou Province?”
“What?”
“I heard when I visited Guizhou Province that he is very knowledgeable about alcohol.”
“I see. Thank you.”
I immediately added the name of the Grand Master of Gui Zhou City to my list.
Since Cheongsu Trading Company is the trading company of Gui Zhou City, it is highly likely that they would also have his name on their list.
But there is always a possibility.
This is perfect.
I wanted to introduce Seo Hyang to my father, and now I have the opportunity.
Seo Hyang will be delighted.
The next day.
I met Mister Seo-bin of the Seo-bin Trading Company.
This is because the Seo-bin Trading Company is in charge of the poetry contest with us.
Just like last time, he seems to be in charge of this project.
“It's been a long time.”
“I thought I would see you at the Baekdae Trading Company meeting, but Captain Eun-jeong-ho came instead.”
“Ah, I was a little busy.”
At that time, I was in Chunjing City, Yunnan Province.
“And what do you mean, ‘in place of’? No! I was attending in his place, and this time my Hyung-nim will be attending properly.”
“So, the next captain has been decided?”
“It has been decided from the beginning.”
“I see.”
In-gye-seong Mister nodded.
“Oh, and Captain Bok-yoon seemed a little disappointed.”
“I'll have to apologize to him later.”
“I think that would be best. Shall we talk about business?”
“Yes.”
That was when it happened.
“Someone from the imperial palace is here.”
Huh?
At that, we immediately went outside, and a court official looked at us and said,
“Your Imperial Highnesses, His Majesty the Emperor orders you to enter the palace immediately.”
We headed straight for the imperial palace.
In-gyeong-seong said to me in a low voice,
“I'm a little scared.”
“What do you mean?”
“The fact that we were ordered to go to the palace together means that they know our location, doesn't it?”
I smiled silently at his words.
Did the emperor really only know our location?
We were immediately led to the emperor's office.
We bowed deeply, and when we were given permission to raise our heads, we quickly expressed our gratitude and looked up.
“The reason I called you here is because, upon reflection, I realized that there are more than a few people in this empire who enjoy poetry.”
“....”
“Is that not so?”
“Yes, it is.”
“That is correct.”
We quickly agreed. This doesn't feel right...
At that moment, the crown prince entered.
“Did you call me?”
“Yes. Stand beside me.”
The crown prince took his place beside him. But why did he call him here?
The emperor continued.
“I was thinking that since the wine tasting competition is being held throughout the empire, it would be good to hold a poetry contest throughout the empire as well.”
“....”
“As it is, we received many complaints that the previous poetry contest discriminated against the provinces.”
The emperor smiled and looked at me.
“What do you think? Can you do it?”
The meaning behind his gaze was clear.
Damn, he found out that I assigned the task to the Trading Company.
“Yes, sir.”
“And I will appoint the crown prince as the person in charge of this poetry contest.”
“I will do my best.”
So that was why the crown prince came here.
Following our response, the crown prince made a request to the emperor.
"Then, Father. As the scale has increased, the expenses will inevitably increase as well, so please grant your permission. The participation fees will also increase accordingly, but I believe it will not be a burden on the finances.“
”Hmm, that's true.“
”And..."
The crown prince asked the emperor for what he wanted without hesitation, and the emperor looked satisfied.
As expected, there is no one under a good father.
The future of the empire looks bright. But why am I crying?
By the way, the crown prince looked very familiar.
The way he actively thought and asked for what he wanted... I've seen that somewhere before.
After thinking for a moment, I gasped.
I thought I knew who it was.
Um... Is it me?