Chapter 636
Chapter 636
Chapter 636. A New Business (3)
At those words, Hwang Gon blinked.
“H-Huuurgh!” (Hwang Gon)
He was startled out of his wits. That was because the face of the man he had thought was Craftsman Son Mun until just now was an entirely wrong face.
“Y-you aren’t Craftsman Son Mun!” (Hwang Gon)
“That is correct. This is my escort martial artist, Martial Artist Yeo Eungam. But Martial Artist Yeo, why are you here?” (Eun Seoho)
At Eun Seoho’s question, Martial Artist Yeo Eungam said,
“He gave me this money and asked me to assassinate my liege. Hah! There are plenty of people to buy off, so how could he make such a request to me, asking me to assassinate my liege!” (Yeo Eungam)
“What? Is that true?” (Eun Seoho)
When Eun Seoho asked as though startled, Martial Artist Seowoo and Martial Artist Jin Yu, who had come down from the tree with him, drew their swords and confronted him.
At this, Hwang Gon’s escort martial artist, who had been standing at a distance, ran over, but he was no match for them from the start.
Martial Artist Seowoo alone was at the peak realm, while Martial Artist Jin Yu was at the supreme peak.
Overwhelmed by their aura, Hwang Gon’s escort martial artist asked with a pale white face.
“Young Master Gon, did you truly intend to assassinate Young Company Leader Eun Seoho?” (Escort Martial Artist)
“Wh, what are you talking about! When did I ever!” (Hwang Gon)
“You clearly said you were going to buy off Craftsman Son Mun, did you not? Were you not meeting Craftsman Son Mun right now?” (Escort Martial Artist)
There was a reason Hwang Gon’s escort martial artist asked that. Because he had been made to stand far away, the other party’s face had not been clearly visible to his eyes.
“Believe me! I was certainly trying to meet Craftsman Son Mun. To obtain information from him about the Eunhae Trading Company’s jewelry business.” (Hwang Gon)
“Then why is this person, who is not Craftsman Son Mun, here?” (Escort Martial Artist)
“That is…….” (Hwang Gon)
Hwang Gon was frantic.
That was because buying off someone from another trading company to obtain information and attempting to assassinate the young company leader of another trading company were crimes of completely different severity.
“Do you have a way to prove it?” (Eun Seoho)
At Eun Seoho’s words, he was bewildered. Because he had no evidence.
From the beginning, this was something that should not leave evidence behind.
Because of that, he was now in a situation where he would helplessly be framed for trying to murder Eun Seoho.
If Eun Seoho formally reported this to the county office, even if it was not the death penalty, he would be beaten severely with the cudgel and would have to pay an enormous compensation to Eun Seoho’s side.
Then he would be expelled from the Hwang Trading Company.
If he was lucky, it would end with him paying an enormous compensation and being driven out of the family.
The fact that he had moved with great caution was now instead poison to him.
And seeing how Eun Seoho had appeared at just the right moment after being up in the tree, there was no doubt.
He had fallen into a trap.
‘Damn it! Damn it! Uwaaah!’ (Hwang Gon)
He screamed soundlessly.
---
I chuckled inwardly as I looked at the man named Hwang Gon.
As expected, this man was the culprit who had bought off Craftsman Son Mun back then and even silenced him.
In my previous life, we had confirmed that Craftsman Son Mun had been bought off, but we had not identified the exact culprit.
However, there had been several people considered strong suspects, and this man was one of them.
Right now, Hwang Gon was a dragonfly caught in the spiderweb I had spread.
He flutters his wings, but he cannot escape.
I had asked Martial Artist Yeo Eungam to use Divine Transformation and Disguise Art to change his face into Craftsman Son Mun’s, then pretend to be Craftsman Son Mun.
We did need to throw out bait, but we could not throw out Craftsman Son Mun, who did not know martial arts, as bait.
That was how he ended up caught in my trap.
Martial Artist Yeo Eungam and I, just as we had planned beforehand, drove the conversation as if he had tried to assassinate me, and as I had expected, in order to escape attempted assassination, he confessed his true crime.
“You are saying you did not try to assassinate me, but tried to buy off Craftsman Son Mun and extract information?” (Eun Seoho)
“That is right!” (Hwang Gon)
“Then do you admit that you tried to buy off Craftsman Son Mun?” (Eun Seoho)
“I admit it!” (Hwang Gon)
“I see. Thank you. For confessing like this, I mean.” (Eun Seoho)
“……What?” (Hwang Gon)
He blinked, and then shouted as if he had realized something.
“N-no way! From the start, you were trying to get a confession from me that I had bought off Craftsman Son Mun!” (Hwang Gon)
“Yes. That is correct.” (Eun Seoho)
In truth, even if he confessed, we could not impose any strong legal sanctions.
Buying someone off to obtain information was considered theft, and for theft, depending on its severity, compensation was about the full extent of it.
Moreover, since it had stopped at an attempt, the compensation would only be a small sum.
And this sort of thing was fairly common, so even the county magistrate would find it bothersome and tell us to settle it moderately.
That was also why he had desperately insisted that he had not tried to assassinate me, but had tried to buy off Craftsman Son Mun.
I could push ahead like this and report him for attempted murder, but I did not do that.
If I set my mind to framing him for a crime, I was confident I could succeed without being caught, but that would be a bad deed.
Of course, that bastard would deserve even that, but at least I did not want to punish him through cowardly methods.
That did not mean I intended to receive only a trifling compensation from Hwang Gon like this.
He was a man who had killed Craftsman Son Mun and even his son out of fear that his crime would be discovered.
I grinned and said to Hwang Gon,
“Go and tell your Trading Company Leader. Since your side touched us first, do not resent us for what happens after this.” (Eun Seoho)
The reason I tried to hear Hwang Gon’s confession was to identify the culprit precisely and for self-defense.
Because even without using such a cowardly method, I could trample them well enough.
Since he had confessed that he had touched us first, they would not resent us for what happened afterward.
But how likely was it that Hwang Gon would return and obediently relay my words to the Trading Company Leader?
In my view, there was none at all.
If it was revealed that this situation had arisen because of him, his position would become unstable or weaken, so he would try to hide it as much as possible.
Rather, there was a high chance that escort martial artist would inform him about this.
What decision would the Trading Company Leader make?
Well, that is that, and now I should go see Brother Jeongho.
Since Brother Jeongho is the one starting and taking responsibility for the jewelry business, I should go and discuss it with him.
The next day, in the afternoon.
I headed to Brother Jeongho’s office.
“Is Brother inside?” (Eun Seoho)
“He is inside.” (Escort Martial Artist)
Brother Jeongho’s escort martial artist said so and reported inside, and soon Brother Jeongho’s voice was heard.
“Come in.” (Jeongho)
I went inside.
Brother Jeongho was handling work frantically. That was because, in addition to the work he already had, the jewelry business newly starting this time had been added as well.
“What is it?” (Jeongho)
“Brother, drink a cup of tea before you continue.” (Eun Seoho)
At my suggestion, Brother Jeongho stretched and got up, then came to the tea table and sat across from me.
“Whew, I suppose I should.” (Jeongho)
Just then, a servant brought in a teapot, and I lifted the teapot and poured for Brother Jeongho’s teacup and then for my own as well.
After Brother Jeongho drank a sip of tea, he asked,
“So, what is it? I doubt someone as busy as you came to find me for no reason.” (Jeongho)
“That is right.” (Eun Seoho)
I raised my head and looked at Brother Jeongho.
“I heard a jewelry craftsman named Son Mun received an attempt at being bought off.” (Eun Seoho)
“……News travels fast. That is right.” (Jeongho)
I had instructed Craftsman Son Mun to go see Brother Jeongho and tell him that someone had tried to buy him off.
Because Brother Jeongho was the person in charge of the jewelry business, and Brother Jeongho was also the one who had led the contract with Craftsman Son Mun.
Even if Craftsman Son Mun had confessed to me, if I conveyed this, from Brother Jeongho’s position, it would be something that would draw a sigh.
“To think forces trying to obstruct us have already begun their work! This really makes it impossible to let our guard down.” (Jeongho)
“Exactly…….” (Eun Seoho)
I drank a sip of tea and continued speaking.
“It means they are that tense. If they did not feel a sense of crisis, they would not even pay attention.” (Eun Seoho)
“Is that a good thing?” (Jeongho)
“Yes. It is a good thing.” (Eun Seoho)
I chuckled.
“After hearing about Craftsman Son Mun, I investigated it in my own way. And I found out who approached Craftsman Son Mun.” (Eun Seoho)
“You found out already? Who on earth was it?” (Jeongho)
“The Hwang Trading Company.” (Eun Seoho)
“You mean the people in the jewelry business in Beijing?” (Jeongho)
“That is right. They say Craftsman Son Mun’s son is ill, and it seems they used that to approach him.” (Eun Seoho)
“Yes, that is right. Craftsman Son Mun said he had to keep feeding his son Suppression Herbs.” (Jeongho)
I nodded.
“So about that, how about providing the Suppression Herbs?” (Eun Seoho)
“I was already thinking of doing so. That way, we can resolve Craftsman Son Mun’s problem and also earn the trust of the other craftsmen.” (Jeongho)
As expected of Brother Jeongho.
“But how did you know the Hwang Trading Company did that?” (Jeongho)
“I told you. I investigated it in my own way.” (Eun Seoho)
I smiled and asked,
“Should I tell you how I investigated it?” (Eun Seoho)
“Ah, no. Ahem, there is no need to go that far.” (Jeongho)
Brother Jeongho said with a dry cough, and I chuckled.
“In any case, they touched us first, so is there any need for us to show consideration?” (Eun Seoho)
“There is not. So what are you planning to do?” (Jeongho)
I grinned and answered,
“Brother, let us try holding an exhibition.” (Eun Seoho)
“An exhibition?” (Jeongho)
“Yes. Let us promote the jewelry our trading company made this time to people through an exhibition.” (Eun Seoho)
“Not promote it to the noblewomen?” (Jeongho)
“Of course, we have to introduce it to the noblewomen too. And there, while talking about the exhibition, we should hand out invitations.” (Eun Seoho)
“Invitations?” (Jeongho)
“Yes. How about giving a discount if they bring that invitation and come to the exhibition?” (Eun Seoho)
“That is a good idea.” (Jeongho)
“We make word of mouth spread like that and pull in customers in a rush at the beginning.” (Eun Seoho)
I ground my teeth and muttered.
“To dare touch our Eunhae Trading Company! We cannot leave them alone.” (Eun Seoho)
.
.
.
Several days passed.
Seeing as there had still been no contact from the Hwang Trading Company, it seemed Hwang Gon had not revealed it.
Or even if he had revealed it, they planned to feign ignorance to the very end.
If they had come and sincerely apologized, I would have gone a little easy on them.
Now, this was their own doing.
“Seoho. Let us go.” (Jeongho)
“Okay.” (Eun Seoho)
I followed Brother Jeongho out of the office.
The place we were heading now was a residence in Beijing.
To be exact, it was a place bestowed by the emperor upon Imperial Son-in-law Yeon Yumun and his wife, and it was also the house where he and his wife, the princess, lived.
And for the princess’s wedding gifts, the imperial family had contacted each trading company in Beijing.
So our Eunhae Trading Company had also replied that we would attend.
And at that place, we planned to introduce our Eunhae Trading Company’s jewelry to the noblewomen.
We had originally planned to attend a gathering of noblewomen and introduce the jewelry, so we had to actively make use of this opportunity.
A short while later.
We arrived at a residence.
“Where and how have you come…….” (Soldier)
A soldier I had seen in Chungyeong Castle was serving as the gatekeeper, and when he saw me, he quickly ran over.
“Who is this? Is this not the Young Company Leader of the Eunhae Trading Company?” (Soldier)
“Haha. It has been a long time.” (Eun Seoho)
“What brings you here?” (Soldier)
“Today, the imperial palace summoned the trading companies of Beijing that deal in jewelry, and so I answered the call like this.” (Eun Seoho)
“I see. If you enter there, there is a waiting area on the left. You can go there.” (Soldier)
“Understood. Thank you.” (Eun Seoho)
We went to the place he had taught us about, and the person there asked for our affiliation and names, then recorded them.
When we entered the building, the Trading Company Leader of the Hwang Trading Company and Hwang Gon were there as well.
“……Hm.” (Hwang Trading Company Leader)
“Ahem.” (Hwang Gon)
When they saw us, they coughed dryly and turned their heads.
Seeing the Trading Company Leader’s reaction, it seemed the Trading Company Leader also knew about Hwang Gon’s matter.
I turned my attention away from them, and the people of the trading companies were called in one by one.
“Next is the Eunhae Trading Company!” (Attendant)
“Yes!” (Eun Seoho)
We followed the person who had come to call us and went inside.
Slide.
The door opened, and we stood before it and gave a proper greeting.
“The humble merchants of the Eunhae Trading Company greet the noble ones.” (Eun Seoho)
“Raise your heads.” (Princess Yeoryang)
The one who received our greeting was Her Highness Princess Yeoryang.
She had another real name, and the name the emperor had bestowed was Yeoryang.
She had accompanied us during the Sword Tomb incident in Chungyeong Castle, so this was not our first meeting.
“It is good to see you, Young Company Leader.” (Princess Yeoryang)
“Yes. Have you been well too, Your Highness?” (Eun Seoho)
“I am always well.” (Princess Yeoryang)
By her status, she could speak casually to me, but she was treating me with respect.
As she treated me warmly, the attention of the noblewomen gathered there focused on us.
“We cannot waste Your Highness’s and the noble ladies’ busy time, so we will first show you the items our trading company has prepared.” (Eun Seoho)
When I looked at Brother Jeongho, Brother gestured to the workers who had come in with us, and boxes were placed on the prepared table.
At this, the princess and noblewomen rose from their seats and looked at the jewelry on the table.
“Oh my! This brilliance!” (Noblewoman)
“Oh my, oh my!” (Noblewoman)
“It is beautiful.” (Noblewoman)
“Ah…….” (Noblewoman)
They could not hold back their admiration. That was because, even to my eyes, the quality of the works made by the craftsmen Brother Jeongho had prepared was considerable.
There were even several that could be called works of art.
The eyes of the noblewomen looking at them were full of desire.
However, they could not purchase those things on the spot here.
Because this was a place to seek the princess’s wedding gifts.
If they bought jewelry here, that could become an insult to the imperial family.
But the reason this place could become an opportunity for us was that if we brought out jewelry that pleased the noblewomen in a place like this, we could sell it to them later.
And we had prepared one more thing.
Brother took out the invitations he had prepared in advance and handed them to the princess.
“Your Highness, this is a gift our trading company gives to Your Highness and the noble ladies here.” (Jeongho)
“What is this?” (Princess Yeoryang)
“It is an invitation. Three days from now, our Eunhae Trading Company intends to hold a small event displaying the jewelry we have made. If you bring this invitation, we will discount all products by twenty percent.” (Jeongho)
“Truly?” (Princess Yeoryang)
“Before what presence would I dare speak falsely?” (Jeongho)
“I must… go.” (Princess Yeoryang)
* Kkui!
Geumnyeong smelled money. That meant a great deal of money would come in.