Chapter 499
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 499
Chapter 499. Baekroju (3)
Only Yong-gu tilted his head at Yong-gu's face, which looked as if he had bitten into a rotten cucumber.
“What's wrong?”
“Hyung-nim. I have urgent work to do, so I don't think I can go.”
“What are you talking about? I already checked with your superior and he said you don't have any urgent work.”
“....”
Seeing Eung-gu speechless at his thoroughness, only Eung-gu spoke.
“Yes, when the youngest decided to follow in the footsteps of Joo-do, you were especially upset. I also opposed it, but thinking about it, I don't think it was something to be so against.”
Eung-gu continued.
“As long as he doesn't do anything bad and stays healthy, doesn't it matter where he is? And what does it mean to have a good family? Won't it give him strength if we support him at a time like this?”
Unaware of Yong-soo's feelings, Yong-man tried to appease him.
“Come on, let's go.”
“...”
“Hurry up.”
“Yes...”
*
It is the second day of the liquor tasting competition.
I apologized to the Crown Prince and Captain Go for being away for so long yesterday.
They seemed to think it was no big deal.
“No need to apologize. I heard you had some trouble. Was it resolved?”
“Yes, it was resolved.”
“I'm glad to hear that. Don't worry too much about it.”
“Thank you. I will do my best to stay here until the end today.”
Today is the day when Palm print presents his sake.
When I looked in his direction, he was breathing deeply, probably because he was very nervous, and staring straight ahead.
There was nothing I could do to help him.
I thought he would relax as time passed.
There were no snacks on the table in front of them.
This is because Baekroju has a refreshing taste on its own.
Also, even if you drink a lot without snacks, it doesn't weigh heavily on your stomach.
Therefore, it is the perfect drink to have instead of tea when chatting.
When it was time to start the tasting, the guests moved around randomly and began tasting the sake.
“Hmm...”
“Mmm...”
The guests who tasted the white wine wrote their evaluations with mysterious smiles on their faces.
The Master of the Gyeongju Province also let out an unreadable sigh.
“This is nerve-wracking.”
“What do you mean?”
Next to me was Master Dong-hyuk, who had come to cheer on the Palm print master.
“I can't tell if the subtle reactions of those who tasted his wine are positive or negative.”
I smiled.
“Don't worry. I think the reactions are positive.”
“How do you know?”
“They're all smacking their lips, aren't they? That means they want another glass.”
“Ah!”
Master Dong-hyuk nodded at my words.
Then he looked at one spot and tilted his head.
“Why are those guys here...?”
“What's going on?”
“Over there.”
He pointed to the place where Mister Gong, whom we saw yesterday, was standing. Looking at his face, it was clear that he had been dragged there against his will.
Next to him stood a man who looked similar but was even more imposing.
“They are Gu Jin's older brother and second older brother.”
The larger man must be the older brother. Didn't he say his name was Gu Man yesterday? And wasn't he on a business trip?
They must have spotted us because they approached us.
“Are you Captain Eun Seo-ho?”
“Yes.”
“Nice to meet you. I am Gu Jin's eldest brother, Yeong-gu.”
Upon his introduction, Yeong-gu also greeted me reluctantly.
“I am Gu Jin's second brother, Yeong-gu.”
“I am Eun Seo-ho, the captain of Eunhae Trading Company.”
After exchanging greetings, Yeong-gu turned his head and greeted Dong-hyeok-su, the master.
“Long time no see.”
“It's been a long time. By the way, what are you doing here?”
“I came to cheer on Gu Jin.”
“When Gu Jin said he wanted to follow the path of a master, you said you would cut off all ties with him, and now you're here to cheer him on?”
“I've been reflecting on my actions.”
“....”
Hearing his sincere answer, Master Dong could no longer treat him coldly.
“Come to think of it, as long as he's not doing anything bad and is healthy, it doesn't matter where he is.”
“I hope Chunbu-jang feels the same way.”
“You misunderstand. My father also supports Gu-jin's participation in this evaluation.”
“What?”
But something seemed strange.
I cautiously brought up the subject.
“I understand that Palm print Master Yong-gu is currently in Gijoo City.”
“That is correct.”
“Wouldn't it take quite a while to send news there?”
Mister Yong-gu replied casually.
“Would we just leave Gu Jin there? Like it or not, he is a member of our family. My father assigned someone to protect him from the beginning, without his knowledge.”
“What?”
Mister Yeong-gu was taken aback and asked, “You mean your father assigned someone?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
I asked Mister Yong-man.
“I think it was not just for protection, but also for surveillance.”
“...I cannot deny that.”
He smiled bitterly.
“What our family hates most are evil people who destroy this country. The second thing is giving up easily before achieving anything.”
“....”
“If he had become an evil person, our family would have taken action and killed him. And if he had left the family and returned quickly, we would have cut off all ties with him.”
“So you wanted to see his goodness and determination?”
“That's right. As a result, it turned out to be a little harsh on him.”
“I guess he still has someone watching him.”
“That's right. Thanks to you, I heard that he had a difficult time making a living due to the prohibition on alcohol, but then he met a good patron named Eunhae Trading Company.”
He bowed his head to me with clasped hands.
“I came here to express my gratitude as his older brother.”
I also bowed to him with clasped hands.
“Don't mention it. He is a Palm print who makes good sake, so we are only sponsoring him for the benefit of our Trading Company. I heard you were on a business trip. Did you rush here for today?”
“Yes. I left the palace as soon as I submitted my report.”
At that moment, Mister Yong-man looked at Mister Yong-sang next to him and tilted his head.
“Huh? Are you sick? Why are you acting so strange all of a sudden?”
That was because his face had suddenly turned black.
I smiled to myself as I looked at his face.
It seemed that he had done something without knowing that he was being watched.
In fact, I already knew that Palm Print Master was being followed.
Strangely, there was someone hanging around Palm Print Master.
And they followed us here.
But they didn't seem dangerous, and their aura was similar to that of Palm print, so I pretended not to notice...
As I thought, they were people assigned by his family.
I felt the same aura when I found Palm print being detained last time.
They must have seen him being detained.
He probably didn't intervene because he hadn't crossed the line yet.
Nevertheless, I rescued Palm Print Master Eung-Goo because of the wine tasting competition.
I couldn't wait for him to take action.
“Hyung-nim, I have to go. I suddenly feel sick...”
“Go ahead.”
Watching him rush away, I felt a sense of satisfaction.
Tsk, tsk. Why did you do that?
Mister Eung-gu watched the tasting for a while, then left, saying he had something to do.
The tasting ended without incident.
That evening.
The craftsmen returned from the tasting, but they couldn't relax.
Although they said that all the remaining sake had been taken away by the imperial palace, they had to protect the ingredients for making sake.
I mobilized the Eunpungdae warriors to stand guard for the craftsmen from the night before the evaluation to the morning after the evaluation.
This was to allow them to rest well and do their best at the evaluation, and to thank them for their hard work.
So, the Palm print craftsmen and their party were able to get a good night's rest.
“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
I smiled as I heard them groaning on their beds after taking a bath and going to their rooms.
Well, they worked hard today.
And judging from the guests' reactions, it seemed that we could expect good results.
I was about to encourage those who would be participating in the review the next day and leave the craftsmen's quarters.
“Young master! We have a guest. He said you would know him, that he is Palm print's older brother, Yong-man.”
A moment later.
I welcomed him.
“Please come in.”
“We meet again. I apologize for visiting at such a late hour.”
“It's fine. It's not that late.”
As we exchanged greetings, I noticed a pungent smell.
Is that the smell of blood?
Ah... He must have heard about what Mister Eung-gu did.
If it smells like blood, he must have beaten him badly.
“May I see my brother?”
“Of course. Please come in.”
I led him to the reception room and ordered the master craftsman to be called.
Then, I had a conversation with Mister Eung-gu in the reception room.
A moment later, the master craftsman entered the reception room.
“Mister Eung-gu, you asked for me?”
“I heard you called for me.”
“Yes.”
Palm print craftsman Eung-gu-jin looked at Young Master Eung-gu-man and flinched.
“Hyung-nim...”
“It's been a long time.”
“Yes.”
I quickly said to Palm print craftsman Eung-gu-jin.
“I couldn't tell you earlier, but Young Master Eung-gu-man actually came here to cheer on Palm print craftsman Eung-gu-jin.”
“Oh, yes. Hyuk-soo told me.”
“I'm so glad you achieved such quick results! My father was also very happy to hear about you.”
“....”
“And I'm sorry.”
Palm print craftsman was startled when Young Master Yong-man bowed his head.
“Hyung-nim! Why are you doing that?”
“I heard what Gu-sang did to you while I was away.”
“....”
“It is undoubtedly my fault for not correcting his insolent behavior in your father's absence.”
“Hyung-nim....”
“I will make sure this never happens again.”
He straightened his posture and said to him.
“It is good to see you looking well and healthy again.”
Then he turned his head and bowed politely to me.
“I apologize for coming at such a late hour. Please continue to take good care of my younger brother.”
With that, Mister Yong-man left the Beijing branch.
On the way back to my quarters after seeing him off, Palm print told me, “Your second brother must have told your eldest brother about what happened.”
“No, he didn't.”
I shook my head.
“I heard that Chun-jang had already assigned someone to Palm print.”
“What?”
I told him what Eung-man had told me earlier.
After hearing my story, he nodded.
“Is that what happened?”
He looked moved.
He seemed deeply moved that his father, whom he thought had abandoned him, had not abandoned him after all.
“But... will your second brother be all right?”
I asked him cautiously.
“Are you worried even though you detained Palm print and made such unreasonable demands?”
“It's not because he's my brother...”
He scratched his cheek and said.
“If my eldest brother gets angry and throws a punch, it won't just knock out his teeth, it will break his jaw.”
Ah... That's understandable.
So that's why I smelled blood earlier.
“If that's the case, my father will find out. But if my father hits me, my jaw won't just break, it will be crushed.”
That's enough to take sick leave.
.
.
.
Time passed, and finally, the first round of evaluations was over.
And as I expected, Eung-joo's white rice wine was selected as one of the hundred best wines.
Now it was time to show the process of making sake and evaluate the sake made on the spot.
Making sake can take as little as half a month or as long as over a month.
A separate space was set up for the 100 sake brewers to ensure accurate evaluation.
That place was our Eunhaesang Trading Company's Beijing branch.
The sake brewers who were eliminated in the first round took turns, so there was plenty of space.
There weren't many places that could accommodate this many people for half a month to a month.
Among the brewers I sponsor, there were 20 remaining, including the Palm print master, and two others in Hangzhou, including the Moon Tavern. That left 23.
There were also 10 brewers affiliated with the Cheongsu Trading Company.
What surprised me was that there were more brewers who made fine sake than I had expected.
I gathered as many brewers as I could, but there were many that I was unable to sponsor.
Thus, the final evaluation began.
I saw the Palm print artisans working hard to brew sake.
They looked focused, but somehow their expressions seemed very light and refreshed.
Perhaps it was because they had been recognized by their families.
The process of making sake is very tedious and difficult.
The craftsmen did their best to make sake, as they could not afford to neglect even a single step.
If there are no special problems, most of the sake that passed the first test will be included in the 100 best sake of the empire.
Among them, the top ten wines would be given priority for trade with foreign countries.
Of course, in the case of our Eunhae Trading Company, we have trading rights with foreign countries, so even if our wine is not included in the top ten, we can still load it onto our ships.
Even knowing that, they still do their best, probably because of their pride and self-esteem as craftsmen.
While the craftsmen were making wine, I was working in my office.
The liquor tasting is important, but I cannot neglect my duties as the head of the liquor division.
And soon, there will be a poetry contest.
“Captain!”
Gal Hyun, my assistant, entered my office and called me.
Because of Dong Dae-hyung, Young Mistress Seo was staying in my office as much as possible, and Gal Hyun was in charge of communicating with the outside world.
“What is it?”
“We have just received word that the sake is ready and preparations are being made for the tasting.”
“What kind of sake is it?”
“It is Baekroju.”
I quickly finished my work and headed to the tasting room set up in the Beijing branch.
Before I knew it, the invited guests were arriving one by one.
Soon, the tasting began, and Palm print poured the prepared liquor into cups.
Churr.
Huh?
For a moment, I couldn't help but be surprised.
How... How is the energy of Taeum Byeonghae-gong contained in that liquor?