Chapter 78
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 78
Chapter 78. Shaanxi Scorpion (1)
I looked out the window.
The greenery was lush.
As I looked at my reflection in the mirror, Pal-gap said, "Young master, you know you're handsome.
“Everyone knows you're handsome, young master. You don't need to be so conceited.”
“Conceited? I was just checking my appearance. Appearance is very important to merchants.”
“Yes, I know. I've heard it so many times that I've memorized it.”
I should have kept my mouth shut.
It had already been two years since I traveled back in time.
Before I knew it, I was seventeen years old.
The salt retail business in Hubei Province, which was handled by Eunhae Trading Company, was going well.
And the work I was in charge of in Hyungpung-guk was also going smoothly.
“By the way, have you heard the news?”
“What news?”
“I heard that the Shaolin Temple's Master Isshin has ascended to the Chapter.”
“Oh, really?”
Master Isshin is higher in rank than the current Shaolin Abbot, Master Seyeon, and ascended to the Chapter through the Shaolin Five Powers alone.
However, he believed that wielding his power recklessly was not conducive to his training, so he entered seclusion to repent.
Even when I died, I did not hear that he had entered nirvana. He was over 100 years old at the time.
In any case, when rumors began to spread that Master Ilshim had ascended to the heavens, I knew that the time had come.
.
.
.
I headed for Hyungpungguk.
“Are you here?”
“Yes.”
Hyeonpung-guk, where I worked, was not far from my father's office.
Originally, it was a separate building, but because there were many important documents, it was moved to the Eunryongjeon for security reasons.
I sat at my desk in my office and tapped my fingers on the desk as I thought for a moment.
Then I called Pal-gap.
“Pal-gap!”
“Yes! Did you call me, young master?”
“Please bring Mrs. Hong.”
“Yes, sir.”
A moment later, Mrs. Hong Geum-so entered my office.
“I heard you called me.”
“Yes, please sit down.”
Mrs. Hong Geum-so bowed slightly and sat down in front of the table.
Soon, Pal-gap brought tea and placed it in front of us.
“Please have some.”
“Thank you.”
We drank tea and made small talk, then put down our cups and got down to business.
“How is your husband's condition?”
“Ah... He is still lying down. However, he is slowly getting better. He is now conscious for longer periods of time and can express himself. I am grateful that you are providing him with treatment at the hospital and helping us earn a lot of money.”
Mrs. Hong's face darkened for a moment, but she quickly regained her cheerful expression and replied.
She still remembers.
Then we can proceed as planned.
After comforting her and exchanging a few more words, I sent her away.
Then I sat quietly and thought about my past life.
In my past life, Mrs. Hong Geum-so was so skilled at sewing that she was called Cheon-ui-mu-bong.
She had been a great help to me, so I asked Heuk-jik-ui-seon to treat her husband in return.
At that time, Heukjeok-ui-seon gave the following diagnosis for Mrs. Hong Geum-so's husband.
“It's too late. Evil energy has already invaded his bone marrow. It's a miracle that he's still alive. He'll die within a month at most. If he had been given the right medicine six or even five years ago, he could have been cured.”
I was twenty-four years old at the time.
That was seven years ago.
There is still plenty of time.
The physician who was treating Mrs. Hong's husband was, frankly, incompetent.
Nevertheless, her husband had survived until then because of his will to live.
Despite his greed, he did not give up or stop treating her husband, who was a wealthy patient.
So, I formed a relationship with her in this life and arranged for her husband to receive treatment from our Trading Company.
Since we had a clear justification, the physician did not raise any objections.
After he began receiving proper treatment, his condition gradually improved.
However, it was not a fundamental cure.
What Heuk-jik meant by “he could have been cured” meant that his life would not be in danger.
Your husband is a martial artist.
Even if his life is saved, he will continue to feel self-loathing.
He has lost the ability to use his martial arts skills.
If he had been a chicken from the beginning, he would be satisfied with the life of a chicken.
But would a bird that once flew in the sky be happy if it had to live the life of a chicken again?
That is why I want to give your husband a completely new life.
There is an elixir that can be obtained around the time when Sir Ilshin reaches the Chapter of Enlightenment.
The name of that elixir is Bokshiring.
It looks like a cherry, but it has the power to restore a person's broken body.
One pill of Bokshiring can turn back ten years.
I plan to get Bokshiring and give it to Mrs. Hong's husband.
Ten years ago, your husband was healthy, so it should work.
Bokshiringwa, which can restore a broken body to its state ten years ago, is an incredible elixir.
It is also very difficult to obtain.
The reason why I am going to such lengths to help Lady Hong's husband is simple.
I owe him my life.
At that time, Lady Hong's husband regained some of his strength with the help of Heukjeok. However, his death was inevitable.
When he regained his ability to speak after about a month and a half, he told his wife everything he had been unable to say to her.
He said he was sorry.
He said thank you.
And he said he was sorry again.
He told her to live happily after he died.
After saying that, he told me he had something to say to me.
He thanked me.
He said he was truly grateful to me for recognizing his wife's talent and taking good care of her.
Then, with a serious look on his face, he said to me,
“My wife told me everything that happened to me. Thanks to you, I now know that one of the assassins I know is currently with you.”
Upon hearing this, I immediately called my bodyguard and had him arrest the employee who had been working at the fabric store.
A poisoned dagger was found between the employee's teeth and in his possession.
He was an assassin sent by a rival cloth shop run by Heukdo.
If Mrs. Hong's husband had not told me, I would have been seriously injured or killed.
It is true that I hired Mrs. Hong Geum-so and had her examined by Heukjeok, which enabled her husband to tell me about the assassin.
However, I could not say that I was not grateful to her husband.
I never forget my enemies, but I also never forget those who have been kind to me.
A life must be repaid with a life.
In my previous life, he died before I could repay his kindness, but in this life, he is still alive.
Therefore, it is only right that I repay his kindness.
But if I went to my father and explained, “Actually, I died and came back to life, and there's this favor you did for me...” would he just say, “All right, have a good trip”?
He would probably call a physician right away with a worried look on his face.
Even if he didn't call a physician, I didn't want to see my parents looking worried.
So I needed a good excuse to go to Shaanxi.
I had to go to Shaanxi to get the double-eyed seal.
I thought for a moment about what would be a good excuse.
Soon, I came up with a suitable excuse.
.
.
.
That afternoon.
I reported today's events to my father.
“I see.”
“And Father, I understand that you are going to Shaanxi Province on business.”
“That's right. I have to go get the box from Shaanxi Province.”
“I would like to accompany you on your trip to Shaanxi Province.”
I continued.
“I want to check on the sales of the writing desk at the Trading Company in Shaanxi Province.”
“Do you really have to go yourself?”
“I received a royal order from His Majesty to supervise the sales of wind instruments. How can I neglect my duty?”
“That's true.”
“And if I go myself, I can avoid any responsibility if something happens.”
My father stared at me intently.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“That's what you really want to say.”
“Hahaha.”
I laughed.
“But that business trip will take some time, won't it?”
“It seems safer than going back and forth separately.”
“That's true.”
After thinking for a moment, my father readily agreed.
“Make sure everything is in order so that there are no problems while you are away.”
“Yes, sir.”
I got his permission.
My father seemed to think that it would be better for me to travel with the trade mission than to go alone.
When I returned to my office, I said to Pal-gap, who was organizing documents.
“Pal-gap, pack my bags.”
“What?”
“I'm going to Shaanxi.”
“What?”
To be honest, the land route from Hubei to Shaanxi was not ideal.
This was because Mount Wudang and Mount Zhongnan blocked the road.
However, turning back would mean taking a long detour due to Mount Fuxing and Mount Hua.
The other option was to use a narrow and dangerous mountain pass.
However, the water route was different.
You could go straight from Hubei Province to Shaanxi Province via the Han River.
Fucha is called fucha because it is made during the three hottest days of summer.
It is a famous tea made in Shaanxi Province, with a unique aroma, a mellow fragrance, and a beautiful dark red luster.
I like it a lot because it makes me feel good when I drink it.
At that time, Ye Chang's aide, no, Ye Chang's second-in-command, said to me.
“Captain, does that mean I'm going too?”
When I was working at Jaegyeonggak, Ye Chang's aide was my assistant, and when I was put in charge of Hyungpungguk, he was brought along as my second-in-command.
Now he has been promoted and is a soldier.
He is the first person I saved when I returned to the past. In my past life, he died in a fire caused by a firebug.
His abilities were a waste, but now that he is alive, I am keeping him by my side and making good use of him.
“Of course you should go. There are many things for the lieutenant to do.”
“I understand.”
The preparations for the trip to Shaanxi were going well.
My purpose in going to Shaanxi was not to trade tea.
That meant I had nothing to do with the trade.
I focused on taking care of business in Hyungpung-guk so that things would run smoothly in my absence.
* * *
Eom Sam-taek is one of the representatives of Eunhae Trading Company.
He has been working for over ten years in the department responsible for internal tea at Eunhae Trading Company.
Therefore, he took great pride in his work.
He was also in charge of the trade mission to Shaanxi Province to trade bokcha.
He was busy preparing for the trade mission when he received unexpected news.
“What? Hyungpung-gukju is coming with us?”
“Yes, that's right.”
Two years ago, Eun Seo-ho became a captain and, at the same time, the governor of a place called Hyungpung-guk.
This was completely different from the usual practice of being put in charge of one of the shops under his command to gain experience.
He heard that this was thanks to the active support of Jik Byeong-cheol, the governor of Seungpung-gak.
“How did he manage to win over that old man...?”
Those who are high-ranking members of the Trading Company know.
Contrary to his gentle appearance, Jeong Byeong-cheol is a man as strong as a fortress.
To be honest, Eun Seo-ho has done a lot of good work.
However, that has nothing to do with Eom Sam-taek.
It didn't directly harm or help him.
“Come to think of it, Eun Hyung-soo was happy that thanks to Hyungpung-gukju, they were able to distribute Cheolgwanum without interference from the middlemen...”
However, that didn't mean a raise in his monthly salary, so he soon lost interest in the matter.
In any case, he was not very happy about accompanying Eun Seo-ho this time.
Eun Seo-ho is the son of a trading company owner.
Thinking about how much he would have to interfere in the business, his head began to ache.
This was because he had heard from other trading company managers about the troublesome things that happened when the son of a trading company owner accompanied them.
They said that he was greedy and meddled in everything, making their work more complicated.
So it was no wonder that he had a headache.
The day after he heard the news, Eun Seo-ho came to see him.
Eun Seo-ho had grown a lot in the past few years.
He was taller and more manly.
And when he looked at his face, he thought he was beautiful, even though it wasn't a word suitable for a man.
“Well, it's not like the original is gone.”
He said politely to Eun Seo-ho.
“Please have some.”
“Thank you.”
Eun Seo-ho sat down in front of the table.
“We're both busy, so I'll get straight to the point.”
“I'd prefer that.”
“I have business in Shaanxi Province and will be traveling with you on your way there.”
“I heard.”
“Please take good care of me on the way.”
“I will do the same. Hahaha.”
“And just so you know, I have no intention of interfering in any way during this trip.”