Chapter 531
Chapter 531
Chapter 531. Carelessness Is Forbidden (2)
The people who had been staring blankly at the sight of the landslide murmured among themselves and looked at me.
“If we had gone as originally planned, we would be passing through there right now, wouldn’t we?” (Unidentified Person)
“Th-that’s right.” (Unidentified Person)
“Then we nearly died, and Young Master Eun Seoho saved us?” (Unidentified Person)
“Uh…….” (Unidentified Person)
They ran over to me, repeatedly bowing their heads and thanking me.
“Thank you!” (Unidentified Person)
“Thank you so much.” (Unidentified Person)
And Lord Gaksawoerang approached me.
“Truly, thank you! If not for you, something terrible might have happened!” (Gaksawoerang)
“I merely did what I had to do.” (Eun Seoho)
The Head Escort also expressed his gratitude to me.
“All of us owe Young Master Eun a debt of life-saving grace.” (Head Escort)
“I merely did what I had to do, so if you go that far, it makes me embarrassed. Hahaha.” (Eun Seoho)
I glanced behind me.
The ones who had grumbled earlier about taking the detour were now looking at me with eyes full of awe, as if they had never done such a thing.
I looked at Warrior Seowoo, and Warrior Seowoo shrugged and smiled faintly.
Lord Gaksawoerang said,
“It is fortunate that we are safe, but I should send people to inspect that area.” (Gaksawoerang)
“Yes.” (Eun Seoho)
Lord Gaksawoerang immediately sent the imperial guards, and after inspecting the place where the landslide had occurred, they returned and reported.
“We report. The road on the eastern side of Mount Myodun is completely blocked by the landslide.” (Imperial Guard)
“It seems it will require considerable manpower and time to restore it.” (Imperial Guard)
“Fortunately, there seem to have been no casualties, as no one was passing through there.” (Imperial Guard)
“No casualties? That road has quite a lot of traffic.” (Gaksawoerang)
“Yes, it seems someone placed a large boulder in front of it, so people were unable to remove the stone and took a detour.” (Imperial Guard)
Hearing that, Lord Gaksawoerang approached me.
“Young Master Eun.” (Gaksawoerang)
“Yes.” (Eun Seoho)
“Was it you who blocked that road?” (Gaksawoerang)
“Ah…… If you mean blocking the road with a boulder, then yes, I did it. Since it was certain a landslide would occur, I thought it would be too unfortunate if someone happened to pass by and suffer an accident.” (Eun Seoho)
So I had done the same on the opposite side as well.
And checked whether anyone was passing through.
“You must have been cursed at quite a bit by those who tried to pass through there.” (Gaksawoerang)
“It is fine. I already get cursed at a great deal, so a few more people cursing me will not change anything.” (Eun Seoho)
At my words, he let out a hearty laugh.
“There truly may be no one who suits the alias Beautiful Chivalrous Gentleman as well as you do.” (Gaksawoerang)
The alias Beautiful Chivalrous Gentleman is still embarrassing.
When will I get used to it?
“I will go visit the county magistrate of this village.” (Gaksawoerang)
“Understood.” (Eun Seoho)
The landslide had been severe.
Therefore, he had to inform the county magistrate and have him take measures.
Well,
If he ignored this and simply went to Nanjing, His Majesty the Emperor would learn of it later and reprimand him.
I do not know whether he is doing this from the heart, or because he does not want to be scolded.
But handling it before being scolded is a skill in itself.
“Then we will have to camp nearby.” (Eun Seoho)
“It seems we must.” (Gaksawoerang)
I glanced at the place where the landslide had occurred and thought.
As expected, carelessness is forbidden.
That evening, the rain stopped.
That is fortunate.
Honestly, when transporting goods, there is no way rain could be good.
And Lord Gaksawoerang, who had gone to the county office, also returned.
“You have returned. How did it go?” (Eun Seoho)
“The county magistrate says he will report it to his superiors.” (Gaksawoerang)
Having the county magistrate send a dispatch would be far faster than us going to Nanjing and informing them about it.
The next day.
We set out for Nanjing again.
Since it was a detour, we spent an extra day and arrived in Nanjing after five days.
“Welcome.” (Lord Ak)
Lord Ak, the Regional Military Commissioner of Nanjing, personally came out to welcome us.
“For you to welcome us like this, sir, I do not know where to put myself.” (Gaksawoerang)
“Are you not precious people who came under His Majesty the Emperor’s command? Therefore, I am merely treating you preciously as well.” (Lord Ak)
Hm, there is a thorn in his words.
He means he will cast us aside if we do not properly carry out the Emperor’s command, does he?
“Rest comfortably. The sea route ahead is rather rough, is it not?” (Lord Ak)
“Thank you for your consideration.” (Gaksawoerang)
Lord Ak wrapped up the conversation like that and then spoke to me.
“Come to think of it, I heard you went to meet them.” (Lord Ak)
“That is correct.” (Eun Seoho)
At that, Lord Gaksawoerang gently cut in.
“In truth, on our way here, we nearly suffered a most shocking incident.” (Gaksawoerang)
And he explained the full circumstances of the landslide.
“Oh my! To think such a thing happened! It is truly fortunate that everyone is safe.” (Lord Ak)
“If Young Master Eun Seoho here had not rushed over in advance and informed us about it, we would not have arrived safely, and we would not have been able to properly carry out His Majesty the Emperor’s command.” (Gaksawoerang)
At that, Lord Ak looked at me with a pleased expression.
For some reason, that gaze made me a little embarrassed.
“I had wondered why that fellow Bang Hyomyeong took you as his successor, but now I understand the reason.” (Lord Ak)
So Lord Ak also knows that I became Lord Yuksik’s successor.
Well, this place is also within Lord Bang’s sphere of influence……
“Now, everyone, rest well.” (Lord Ak)
“Yes.” (Everyone)
I headed to my quarters.
“My liege!” (Warrior Changun)
“You have returned, my liege.” (Warrior Myeongjong)
Warrior Changun and Warrior Myeongjong, who had remained here, welcomed me.
“Nothing happened, right?” (Eun Seoho)
“Yes.” (Warrior Changun)
“That is a relief.” (Eun Seoho)
I continued.
“What about Adjutant Gwak?” (Eun Seoho)
“She is in her quarters.” (Warrior Changun)
I did have to tell Jeongho hyung that I had returned, but before that, I had to meet Miss Seohyang first.
“Adjutant Gwak.” (Eun Seoho)
“Yes, come in.” (Miss Seohyang)
I opened the door and entered Miss Seohyang’s guest room.
She was handling documents on the writing desk.
“Were you handling documents in my stead? I am sorry about this.” (Eun Seoho)
“No. It is something I should do.” (Miss Seohyang)
She cleared away the documents and greeted me.
“You returned safely.” (Miss Seohyang)
“Yes.” (Eun Seoho)
I nodded and said,
“Thanks to you, everyone is safe.” (Eun Seoho)
“That is truly a relief.” (Miss Seohyang)
Why does her smile look so very beautiful?
“I saw the changed future. It was an incredibly terrible future……” (Miss Seohyang)
She continued speaking.
“And you changed that future, Young Master.” (Miss Seohyang)
Was it only this matter?
Come to think of it, there are quite a few futures I have changed.
Because of that, crises I had not expected had come my way at times, but I had resolved them well with the help of people whose lives had improved because of the futures I changed.
At such times, I would sometimes feel as if the future I had changed was repaying its debt to me.
.
.
.
The next day.
The loading of the goods began.
In the case of goods to be loaded onto the Eunhae Trading Company’s ships, each and every one had to go through Jeongho hyung’s and my inspection before being loaded.
A considerable portion of the goods we were taking was liquor.
There was not only the liquor selected at this liquor tasting competition, but also liquor produced by the Eunhae Trading Company itself.
The liquor bottles made this time by Trading Company Head Go of the Cheongsu Trading Company and Young Master Dam of the Mudong Trading Company with imperial support were extremely beautiful in and of themselves.
They were so impressive that I thought quite a few potters must have been ground down making them.
With this, demand in Dai Viet and the Maraeseo Kingdom would be enormous.
It would bring tremendous profit going forward.
In that way, Jeongho hyung and I checked all the goods once more, and had them sealed again before our eyes.
“How very troublesome.” (Eunuch)
A eunuch who saw this said so while looking at me. He was a eunuch who had come together with Lord Gaksawoerang this time.
In matters like this, a eunuch trusted by the Emperor often accompanied the group to supervise the work.
However, even that eunuch could not behave arrogantly, because the Royal Guards were also here.
Since there was a subtle rivalry between the two, they could not help but be conscious of each other and mind one another.
And not only that, there was also an unseen shadow.
Like me, an Inspector.
I smiled and said,
“My brother and I came as the ones responsible for this matter. If there is anything strange, we must bear responsibility for it, so we have no choice but to be thorough.” (Eun Seoho)
I continued.
“Moreover, this matter is also one that spreads far and wide the benevolence of His Majesty the Emperor. How could we be negligent with such a matter?” (Eun Seoho)
“That is true.” (Eunuch)
The reason I was checking this thoroughly was, of course, because of the two reasons I had stated, but there was one more reason.
At some point, unauthorized goods had begun to be placed inside the boxes of products packed for trade with foreign countries.
A kind of contraband.
When trading with foreign countries like this, the Trading Companies had to report every single item they intended to sell, without omission.
And food would be purchased in proportion to the proceeds from selling those goods.
Here, if they smuggled and sold items other than the products reported to the imperial palace, the profit from the smuggled goods would be baseless income, so it would become pure income for the Trading Company.
Later, once the famine ended and there was no longer a need to purchase food, this became even more rampant.
At that time, ships trading with foreign countries were taxed on the goods they sold abroad and on the goods they brought back from abroad.
It was under the pretext of encouraging self-production and self-sale, but the tax was not particularly high.
But perhaps they thought even that was a waste, because they smuggled goods in all sorts of bizarre ways to evade taxes.
Naturally, as the tail grew longer, this was exposed, and the Emperor punished them severely.
Because it amounted to deceiving the Emperor.
At the time, quite a number of people from Trading Companies died in prison.
I was acting like this to thoroughly prevent it from the very beginning.
It would serve as a warning to employees of the Eunhae Trading Company who might attempt smuggling, and it would give trust to the Emperor’s people and the officials.
It was then.
“Seoho! We have a big problem!” (Eun Jeongho)
“What big problem?” (Eun Seoho)
“This cart…… the things that should be here are missing.” (Eun Jeongho)
“What?” (Eun Seoho)
I quickly checked the goods on the cart. But the inside of the boxes was empty.
That cart held boxes containing small-bottle liquor.
Small-bottle liquor came in bottles about one-fifth the size of an ordinary liquor bottle, and they contained the liquor selected at this tasting competition.
It was inspired by the gifts the Emperor had previously given to high officials, and they were gifts to be given to the kings of Dai Viet and the Maraeseo Kingdom.
They were in small boxes, each containing ten bottles of liquor, ten boxes to a cart, twenty in total.
One cart was goods bound for Dai Viet, and the other was bound for the Maraeseo Kingdom, but the goods bound for Dai Viet had disappeared.
If it were ordinary goods, we could simply accept the loss, but the loss of goods meant as a gift to a king could not be overlooked.
Naturally, there was no choice but for an uproar to break out.
“I definitely loaded them onto the cart.” (Unidentified Person)
“I also confirmed that they were loaded onto the cart.” (Unidentified Person)
Everyone said they had definitely been loaded onto the cart. And that at every checkpoint, the quantity and contents had been inspected.
And yet they had vanished without a trace.
Then that means they disappeared recently?
Ah, seriously…… I can’t let my guard down for even a moment.
I sighed inwardly.
Then does that mean that from the time they arrived at Nanjing’s Regional Military Commission until now, someone swapped the cart?
Warrior Jinyu beside me said,
“However, as far as I know, the carts were also continuously guarded.” (Warrior Jinyu)
“Yes. That is correct.” (Eun Seoho)
“I do not know where or how an opening appeared.” (Warrior Jinyu)
Those in charge of security could say nothing, merely wearing troubled expressions.
Because clearly, they bore responsibility as well.
But now was not the time to assign blame; it was the time to resolve the matter.
In any case, if I had felt even the energy of the black blade from the cart, I could have used it as a clue to track it…… But that is not the case.
Should I call Chunil or Geunseong?
At that moment, the pirates in Nanjing Castle’s prison suddenly came to mind.
In a hurry, I will have to borrow even a cat’s paw.
Even a small clue will do.
The fact that Miss Seohyang did not say anything about this either means she did not see it, or that it will be resolved well.
At that moment, Palgap tilted his head.
“Why?” (Eun Seoho)
“It is because I smell the scent of roses from somewhere, sir.” (Palgap)
“That is true. It is not yet the time for roses to bloom, so someone must have sprayed rose scent.” (Eun Seoho)
“It is better than the smell of rotting fish, sir.” (Palgap)
I arrived at the prison in Nanjing Castle.
“Have you been well?” (Eun Seoho)
I greeted the former pirates in the prison.
“We have been eating very well and sleeping very well.” (Former Pirate)
“Keh-keh-keh, this place is paradise.” (Former Pirate)
I plopped down in front of them.
“In truth, I came here to seek advice.” (Eun Seoho)
“From fellows like us?” (Former Pirate)
“Yes.” (Eun Seoho)
I nodded.
“Confucius said that when three people walk together, among them there is surely a teacher. All the more so, if you are people who have mastered a certain field, it is worth seeking your advice.” (Eun Seoho)
At my words, one of the men among them said,
“By any chance, is it related to pirates?” (Former Pirate)
“I do not know that.” (Eun Seoho)
I explained this matter in detail.
“……And so, right now, we are in a truly difficult situation.” (Eun Seoho)
At my words, they began discussing among themselves.
“The entire cart was swapped out, yet no one knows anything about it?” (Former Pirate)
“There were no openings, and there was no one who would betray trust.” (Former Pirate)
“If there was no one disguised and hidden either…….” (Former Pirate)
As they were putting their heads together and talking like that, someone clapped his hands and said,
“Huh? Then could it be that? The thing that makes people bewitched!” (Former Pirate)
“You mean the method we heard about before while having drinks with other pirates?” (Former Pirate)
“Weren’t they the Blood Claw Gang? The fellows active around here, I mean!” (Former Pirate)
“That’s right! Yes! The Blood Claw Gang! That is a method the Blood Claw Gang often used. What was that incense called?” (Former Pirate)
“I think they called it Bewitching Soul Incense.” (Former Pirate)
Startled, I asked them again.
“Did you say Bewitching Soul Incense?” (Eun Seoho)
I knew about Bewitching Soul Incense.
“That is right. Among the pirates, there is a group called the Blood Claw Gang, and their captain possesses an artifact. It is an artifact called Bewitching Soul Incense, but we do not know what it looks like. However, they say that if one smells the scent of that artifact, one comes to follow the artifact owner’s commands.” (Former Pirate)
Hoo…… Is it heaven’s will that I have encountered that wicked artifact like this?