Chapter 60
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 60
Chapter 60. Let's Catch the Rat (5)
I see. Even Captain Jin doesn't know the true identity of his opponents.
But I do.
They are sent by the Dong Trading Company.
I know about them because in my past life, the emperor was enraged by an attack on Jin Sang-dan and ordered an investigation, which eventually led to the discovery of the culprits.
The emperor ordered that the Dong Trading Company and all subordinates involved in the incident be executed along with their families.
To be honest, I didn't feel sorry for them because they brought it upon themselves.
However, during the investigation, many innocent people suffered.
Some died from brutal torture, and many were crippled.
Why should innocent people suffer for the sins of others?
But this time will be different.
First of all, Captain Jin is not in critical condition, and I am here.
I approached the masked men. Their masks had already been removed.
I picked up the masks they had been wearing, examined them, and said with a smile.
“This fabric is banpyeongjig, one of the fabrics produced in Gangso.
”Banpyeongjig?“
”It's a term used by merchants who deal in fabrics. You know how many threads there are in a piece of cotton fabric, right?"
“Of course I do. Eighty threads, right?”
“Yes, banpyeongjig is less than five threads, but its quality is as good as five threads, so it is used in many places. It is especially used for making clothes. And...”
I pointed to a part of the mask and said.
“Among them, there are some unusual ones that do not stain even when dyed black with ink.”
Looking at the unstained part I showed him, Captain Jinwoo-rim nodded.
“Indeed! That's right!”
“This is because a special oil with a unique scent is lightly applied to both ends of the fabric to repel insects. There is only one place that uses this special oil.”
“Is that how you knew that the cloth was made in Gangso?”
“Yes.”
“That's amazing.”
“It's just a trivial skill of a merchant who handles fabrics.”
I learned this through experience when I took over the silver and cloth store.
And currently, there is only one place that exclusively sells this fabric.
That is the Dong Trading Company.
The Dong Trading Company is based in Jiangsu Province.
At that time, the fabric producers had to endure poor working conditions under the Dong Trading Company.
The contract terms were unfair and unfavorable to them.
When Dong's Trading Company fell into ruin, they seized the opportunity to become independent and gained considerable fame.
“But couldn't they have bought that fabric to make masks?”
“I told you, the ends of the cotton cloth sometimes don't get dyed.”
“...?”
“That's when the ends of the cotton cloth weren't cut off. And when transferring from wholesale to retail, the ends are always cut off. This is to hide the oil.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means cotton cloth before it is sold, and there is only one place where you can get such cotton cloth.”
At this point, my opponent must have understood.
Jinwoo-rim smiled bitterly and nodded.
With one question answered, another question arose, and he asked me.
"But how did you know that we were attacked and come to our aid?
“How did you know you were being attacked? We were just on our way to buy some noodles for those who worked hard today when we heard the sounds of fighting, so we came to see what was going on.”
I scratched my ear.
“I'm just very curious...”
“You are a true merchant!”
“Hahaha, I guess so. Anyway, I'm glad you're safe.”
I said to him.
“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Eun Seo-ho, the son of the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
* * *
Jin Woo-rim is looking at a well-kept garden.
He and his party were currently at the Sichuan branch of the Eunhae Trading Company. Eun Seo-ho had asked them to stay there to recover from their injuries.
Thanks to their hospitality, his wounds had almost healed.
“This is a nice place.”
He came to that conclusion after staying there for a while and observing the trading company's branch.
At that moment, a Royal Guard approached him.
“The escort sent by His Majesty is waiting in the nearby forest.”
“I see.”
“And they are investigating the Dong Trading Company.”
Thanks to Eun Seo-ho, he knew who had attacked them.
He was grateful to Eun Seo-ho for saving innocent people from suffering.
“I owe him so much.”
Now he had to go.
He had not yet fulfilled the emperor's orders.
The attack was an accident, but he had to do what he had to do.
For the peaceful lives of the common people, he had to fulfill the emperor's orders.
He loved the people, which is why Eun Seo-ho's words, “coexistence,” sounded so pleasant to his ears.
He thanked Branch Chief Eun Myeong-sang and asked him casually, just in case.
“Do you know who I am?”
“Of course I do. I am also a merchant and have many connections. How could I not know?”
He continued.
“I know you are a highly respected person in Giju City. I am glad we were able to find someone like you.”
If he had said he didn't know him, he would have been slightly suspicious.
However, when he said he knew him, he completely let go of his suspicions.
“I want to repay my branch manager.”
“No, that's not necessary.”
“Tell me what you want. I will repay you to the best of my ability.”
“Then I hope you take good care of your health.”
“...You want me to take care of my health?”
“Yes. If I saved your life and you died early because you didn't take care of yourself, wouldn't that be sad?”
“Hahahaha.”
Jin Woo-rim laughed loudly without realizing it.
“Okay! I will!”
Eun Myeong-sang was impressed by his satisfied smile.
“That Eun Seo-ho…”
The answers he gave today were what Eun Seo-ho had told him.
If someone asked him if he knew Eun Seo-ho or how he would repay him, he would know how to answer.
After hearing his answers, Jin Woo-rim looked very satisfied.
“Who is this man that he is putting so much effort into?”
Eun Myeong-sang still didn't know exactly who Jin Woo-rim was.
This was because Eun Seo-ho hadn't told him.
With that, Jin Woo-rim and his party left the Trading Company.
The Sichuan branch of Eunhae Trading Company returned to its daily routine.
However, something had changed.
Until then, even though they were working in Sichuan, they felt like they didn't belong there.
But that wasn't the case anymore.
It seemed as if the people recognized the Sichuan branch as merchants of Sichuan, just like themselves.
Eun Myeong-sang thought that this alone made it worth giving away the salt for free.
The price of salt continued to skyrocket.
“By the way, I heard that the Dan Trading Company spent all of its spare funds to buy salt...”
It was bad enough that they had bribed one of the Sichuan branch's leaders, but they had also spread false rumors that the martial artists had “souls inside them.”
However, knowing what was going to happen, he felt a little sorry for them.
.
.
.
Half a month later.
The salt distribution law was enforced.
.
.
.
The head of the Dan Trading Company wondered what was going on when he heard what his subordinate had to say.
His subordinate told him about the enforcement of the salt distribution law, which he did not understand.
“What? Salt distribution law? What is that, and why are they making such a fuss?”
“It is said that a room containing His Majesty's sacred relics has been set up in every provincial office throughout the country. I have copied the most important parts of the salt distribution law.”
The captain snatched the paper from his subordinate and read it.
“...”
His hands trembled.
Bang!
Unable to contain his anger, he slammed his fist down on the table.
It was like a bolt from the blue.
“Damn it!”
He had invested all his remaining funds in salt, which had been steadily rising in price, and now he was ruined.
He racked his brains, but no solution came to mind.
“Damn it... Damn it! Damn it!”
There was only one option.
He had no choice but to sell the salt at a bargain price to the Yeonpyeong Trading Company, which was directly affiliated with the royal family.
“This is no different from throwing expensive salt into the air!”
The phrase “throwing into the air” reminded him of a report he had received not long ago.
It was a report that the Sichuan branch of the Eunhae Trading Company had distributed salt for free in a slum.
At the time, he thought they were doing something crazy.
However, the Eunhae Trading Company was also a trading company that pursued profit.
They must have acted on the judgment that distributing salt for free would bring them greater profits than storing it in a warehouse.
As a result, the public's opinion of Eunhae Trading Company was very favorable.
Come to think of it, Eunhae Trading Company only bought salt at the very beginning, so the amount was not that much.
That means they had no intention of stockpiling salt.
Their purpose was simply to distribute it to the people.
Then why did they distribute the salt instead of stockpiling it?
“Did they know this in advance?”
A reasonable suspicion arose.
At that moment, his subordinate cautiously spoke up.
“By the way, what shall we do about this afternoon's meeting?”
This afternoon, there was a meeting of the Sichuan region's trading company captains.
The atmosphere would undoubtedly be terrible.
That was understandable, as it was obvious that many trading companies in Sichuan would suffer losses as a result of this measure.
However, even so, the captains would attend the meeting today.
They wanted to obtain information that would help them minimize their losses.
He felt the same way.
.
.
.
That evening.
The head of the Dan Trading Company entered a tavern in Chengdu.
That was because it was the place where the meeting of the heads of the trading companies was being held today.
“Welcome.”
He entered to the warm welcome of the waiters, but as he had expected, the atmosphere was not very good.
The captains of the trading companies, who were usually boastful, were sitting with gloomy expressions, emptying their cups.
The banquet hall, which had been lively with heated and harsh words, was now filled only with the sound of musical instruments played by musicians.
Although conversation could be heard here and there,
it was then.
“This atmosphere is terrible.”
The atmosphere changed when a man entered. His name was Eun Myeong-sang.
He was the branch manager of the Sichuan branch of Eunhae Trading Company.
The heads of each trading company were also invited, which was why he was attending the banquet.
The captains had many questions about Eunhae Trading Company.
“Come to think of it, Eunhae Trading Company didn't buy salt in the beginning, did they? Did you know about this in advance and decided not to get involved?”
Eun Myeong-sang replied to the question.
“What do you mean? Withdraw? We bought the salt to distribute it for free in the first place. We never thought of it as an investment.”
They were speechless for a moment.
They knew what Eunhae Trading Company had gained by distributing salt for free.
It was reputation.
Eunhae Trading Company gained a good reputation.
In response, several other trading companies followed Eunhae Trading Company and distributed salt for free, but the majority did not.
No, they couldn't.
They scraped together every penny they had to buy salt that was too expensive.
They couldn't afford it.
Someone asked, “Then, did Eunhae Trading Company not get any profit from this?”
“So, Eunhae Trading Company did not get involved in the salt business from the beginning?”
“That's right.”
“That doesn't make sense! A company like Eunhae Trading Company just let this opportunity slip away...”
Eun Myeong-sang smiled and continued.
“That's because we thought it was dangerous. That was the information we got from higher up, and even with just a little bit of thought, it was clear that the imperial court would intervene.”
“...”
“So we decided to stay out of it from the beginning.”
Hearing that, the captain of the Dan Trading Company asked him in a questioning tone without realizing it.
“I didn't think you were like that! How despicable! Why didn't you tell us about that information beforehand?”
“Didn't tell you? What are you talking about? I clearly said at the last meeting that something smelled fishy and that it would be better to withdraw at this point.”
“...”
Several others nodded in agreement.
They were the ones who listened to Eun Myeong-sang and withdrew early, not only avoiding losses but also gaining profits.
“That's right.”
“The branch manager definitely said that.”
Seeing this, Eun Myeong-sang smiled inwardly.
‘He actually thought this far...’
He recalled his conversation with Eun Seo-ho.
“What? Tell the other captains to withdraw from the meeting today?”
“Yes, uncle.”
“Why would you tell them such important information?”
“Do you know how much salt costs right now? In this situation, how many people would withdraw when you tell them to?”
“Almost none.”
“Yes. Most will think it's a useless countermeasure, but if they listen to us and don't suffer any losses...”
“They will become our allies.”
“Even if they suffer losses, they won't blame us. We told them, but they didn't listen.”