The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 14

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company – Chapter 14

Chapter 14. An Unexpected Journey (2)

A peculiar pastime that had begun among the wives of high-ranking officials at some point in time.
The rules were simple.
The deadline was one month.
The wives would take turns, and when it became someone’s turn, she had to procure the object that the previous wife had requested.
If a wife failed to obtain the item, she had to lavishly entertain the other wives with a grand feast.
And the item that remained unprocured would become the task for the next wife in rotation.
Any object could be requested, but items that were difficult to obtain became the preferred challenges.
After all, the true purpose of this pastime was to take turns hosting extravagant entertainments.
The more difficult the item, the more thrilling the game became.
However, if a wife succeeded in procuring the item, she would be treated almost like an empress by the other wives for an entire month.
So it was a game where failure could be laughed off without consequence.
But as this became a matter of pride among the wives, the situation began to spiral.
Countless people were mobilized to find increasingly rare artifacts, and unreasonable demands were made.
Due to the fortunate wives’ prideful competition, countless common people suffered harm.
Eventually, the Emperor himself, moved by a memorial from Hanrim Academy, issued an imperial decree forbidding this practice.
However, this pastime had not yet reached its peak of excess.
And the artifact that Song Jang-ju had just mentioned was procured by one of the wives half a year later.
The name of this artifact was the Self-Dancing Figurine.
The popularity of the Self-Dancing Figurine spread across all regions in an instant, and everyone rushed to spend fortunes acquiring one.
As a result, the trading company that sold the Self-Dancing Figurines made an enormous fortune.

Song Jang-ju spoke.
“Would you be able to find it?”
Father’s expression grew slightly troubled. Yet it would be discourteous to refuse outright.
Father answered gently.
“I shall do my utmost to locate it.”
“I must ask this of you. It must be found by the end of this month without fail.”
With that, Song Jang-ju made his plea once more and departed the Reception Room, while Father accompanied him to see him out.
Only then did I grasp the full extent of Song Jang-ju’s downfall.
He must have exhausted every avenue in his search for the object the Magistrate desired.
More precisely, it was what Magistrate Po’s Wife sought.
And since the Magistrate cherished his wife dearly, had Song Jang-ju procured the doll, the Magistrate would have been grateful for preserving his wife’s dignity and might have overlooked Song Jang-ju’s transgressions.
But Song Jang-ju failed to find the desired object, and once he had fallen from favor, his ruin followed swiftly.
We waited in the Reception Room for Father, who had stepped out briefly to see Song Jang-ju off.
“I wondered when he would arrive, and here he is at last.”
At Yeon Gak-ju’s remark, I let out a quiet laugh.
She had already known that the noblewomen’s entertainment and this very task concerned a doll that danced of its own accord.
And that Song Jang-ju had been searching for that object.
Which meant Father already knew as well.
‘She truly is a masterful actress.’
Yu Chief Manager shook his head as though his head ached.
“A doll that dances of its own accord every hour! Where on earth could one possibly find such a thing…”
“It will not be easy, but we must make inquiries through every channel. Otherwise, we risk suffering losses ourselves.”
At my words, Yu Chief Manager spoke.
“You understand well, Young Master. Song Jang-ju is one of our principal clients. His downfall would mean considerable loss for our Trading Company.”
As Yu Chief Manager said, Song Jang-ju’s ruin was hardly welcome news from the perspective of Eunhae Trading Company.
The quantity of grain he supplied as the region’s great landowner was by no means insignificant.
Yet because I had witnessed how the future resolved this setback far more easily than expected, it did not weigh heavily upon me.
‘But there is a more crucial fact.’

I recalled a certain day from the future I had experienced.
That day was when the representatives of the Top Hundred Trading Companies of the World gathered for their assembly.
I had attended that gathering alongside Father and Elder Brother.
There I met the Master of Jingyeon Trading Company, who had risen to become one of the Top Hundred Trading Companies of the World by selling dancing dolls in one fell swoop.
It happened that the topic of dancing dolls came up, and the Jingyeon Trading Company Master, flushed with intoxication from potent spirits, eagerly regaled us with tales of his exploits.

“Ah, that young fellow has such remarkable craftsmanship! He produces the most ingenious contraptions with ease!”
“Where on earth did you encounter such a Master Craftsman?”
“You know, at the great marketplace that opens in the village beside the mountain pass where Hubei Province transitions into Jiangxi.”
“Ah, I see!”
“And I presented him with a jade automaton figure.”

Through that merchant’s introduction, the Magistrate Po’s Wife came to trust him, and he amassed considerable wealth through those contraptions.
In the future I experienced, that Master Craftsman belonged to Jingyeon Trading Company, but this time I intend to bring him into the Eunhae Trading Company.
This isn’t poaching someone else’s craftsman.
Doing so would make that Master Craftsman happy.
Despite being the creator of those contraptions, he never lived happily—he was forced to work ceaselessly, day and night, until he died from exhaustion.
When that Master Craftsman perished and could no longer produce his contraptions, Jingyeon Trading Company swiftly collapsed. After all, the company master’s talent was unremarkable, and the company’s foundation was never solid to begin with.
Still, they managed to survive for a time, but within half a year, they crumbled entirely.
Because I made them collapse.
Curious about how they had recruited the Master Craftsman who created the jade automaton figures, I commissioned the Hao Organization to investigate.
Through them, I learned how that company had recruited the craftsman and how they had squeezed him mercilessly.
They had kidnapped his family members and tortured them before his eyes.
And whenever he failed to create new contraptions that satisfied the noblewoman, they threatened and tortured his family as hostages.
Imagining how much that Master Craftsman must have tormented himself, suffered, and swallowed his tears of blood, I felt chilled to realize that Jingyeon Trading Company was counted among the Top Hundred Trading Companies of the World.
They say there’s nothing one won’t do for money, but surely not that.
They say money is heartless, but money exists for people.
Those who committed such atrocities were not human, and thus had no right to possess wealth.
My Elder Brothers were enraged as well, and I began formulating a plan to save that Master Craftsman.
But before I could execute that plan, the Master Craftsman died.
I attempted to rescue his family from that company’s clutches, but by then they had already killed them all to silence them.
I felt profound guilt over that fact.
Had I discovered the truth even slightly sooner, that Master Craftsman and his family would not have died.
So, as both revenge on behalf of that Master Craftsman and atonement, I brought down Jingyeon Trading Company.
And that resolve remained unchanged even now.
Therefore, I needed to secure that Master Craftsman before he suffered and perished in that future.
Someone with such talent deserves treatment befitting their abilities.
And incidentally, our Eunhae Trading Company would benefit considerably as well.
Originally, I had planned to recruit that Master Craftsman somewhat later.
But the fact that circumstances have unfolded this way tells me something unknowable.
Act now, it whispers.
The problem is….
That Master Craftsman lives in Jiangxi Province.
Of course, Chongyang County here, bordering Jiangxi from Hubei, isn’t terribly distant from Jiangxi.
Yet at merely fifteen years old, I couldn’t travel there without Father’s permission.
How could I possibly reach Jiangxi Province?
As I pondered, a brilliant idea suddenly struck me.
I decided to sacrifice my winter solstice leave for the sake of the Eunhae Trading Company and the Master Craftsman destined to work himself to death.

* * *

After seeing off Song Jang-ju and returning to the Reception Room, Eun Gil-sang, Master of the Eunhae Trading Company, exhaled deeply.
“A mechanical doll that dances of its own accord every hour….”
It was an object he had never heard of nor seen before.
‘The woman who posed such a task, the woman seeking it, and the man trying to obtain it—none of them are in their right minds….’
Of course, this was merely his private thought.
As Master of the Eunhae Trading Company, Eun Gil-sang carefully observed the surrounding circumstances, and thus he had already grasped the situation.
That Song Jang-ju had fallen out of favor with the Magistrate Po who governed Hubei Province, and that he was searching for a self-dancing doll.
Song Jang-ju’s failure to reflect ten hectares of his own land in the tax records was surely no mere oversight.
‘So he’s in quite the predicament. What an amusing fellow—he’s already exhausted all his options, and only now comes knocking on our door.’
Likely he had tried various approaches on his own, unwilling to publicize such matters and reluctant to suffer losses from them.
Eventually, he must have come to the Eunhae Trading Company’s door.
‘Sigh, this is troublesome.’
Moreover, he had probably sought assistance from several other establishments with whom the company maintained connections.
It would be problematic if Song Jang-ju collapsed, but it was equally undesirable if others helped him—his grain trade might shift to them instead.
‘How are we supposed to find something that Song Jang-ju himself cannot locate despite exhausting every method….’
As he sank deeper into contemplation, Eun Seo-ho called out to him.
“Father, I have something to discuss with you.”
“What is it?”
“I would like to travel to Jiangxi Province during the winter solstice leave.”
Jiangxi Province!
Faced with this sudden request for leave, he had no choice but to ask the reason.
“What is your reason? This isn’t merely a pleasure trip to get some fresh air, is it….”
“I wish to see the marketplaces of Jiangxi Province with my own eyes.”
Eun Gil-sang regarded Eun Seo-ho quietly.
His third son had seemed suspicious lately.
The boy who had suffered from frequent ailments suddenly became healthy.
And his posture, once hunched from poring over books, had straightened.
Moreover, his practical abilities were beyond reproach.
Though Eun Gil-sang had brought him in himself, even the fastidious and meticulous Yu So-ak had taken him as his assistant.
And upon returning from Hwa Yeon Pavilion this time, Yu So-ak had said something.

“How on earth did you manage to pinpoint the exact location that serves as evidence of Baek Ruju’s embezzlement?”
“What do you mean?”
“The ledgers you examined and used to uncover the misconduct were quite skillfully falsified. Seo Su-chang possesses considerable talent.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, most merchants would find it difficult to detect the embezzlement from such records.”
“….”
“It appears the youngest young master’s abilities exceed what I had previously assessed.”

Upon hearing this, Eun Gil-sang examined the Yeonhwa House ledgers once more and confirmed that Yu So-ak’s words rang true.
‘Now that I think about it, Eun Seo-ho even proposed a use for Yeonhwa House that we hadn’t considered. Does the boy possess a talent for commerce?’
Moreover, Eun Seo-ho had recently begun studying martial arts.
He had requested to learn from someone other than External Chief Manager Go Il-pyeong, and I had instructed Go Il-pyeong to meet with this person.
And upon his return, what he reported.

“Young Master Eun Seo-ho possesses a constitution suited for Ice Force cultivation. Therefore, Gwak Pyo-du is the only master capable of teaching Young Master Eun Seo-ho.”
“Is he not a suspicious character?”
“No. I cannot speak with complete certainty about Gwak Pyo-du, but he is someone worthy of trust.”
“I see….”
“By the way, the youngest young master is quite fortunate. Had he begun earnestly studying the martial arts of both rivers, he would have been in danger.”
“What danger could there be… You would have noticed before that point.”
“No. I only came to understand after hearing the circumstances. Without this matter, I would have simply taught him my own martial arts as is.”
“Now I’m even more curious. I should meet with Gwak Pyo-du. Arrange a meeting.”
“Understood.”

And so Eun Gil-sang met with Gwak Pyo-du.
In truth, he had seen Gwak Pyo-du several times before. After all, he was the head of the Changin Escort Agency, which had contracted with the Eunhae Trading Company.
Each time they met, there was something about him that suggested he was no ordinary man.
Though according to the information he had gathered, there was no record of his whereabouts before he established himself here in Hubei Province.
Yet the instinct he had cultivated through years of experience spoke volumes.
Gwak Myung-hyun was no ordinary escort agency head.

“This one greets the Trading Company Master.”
“Dispense with such formality. There is no need for excessive courtesy toward the father of one’s student.”
“I shall do so.”
“You have agreed to become my son’s master?”
“I have.”

That day, they exchanged various stories, and thus Gwak Myung-hyun formally became Eun Seo-ho’s master.
Recalling that time, Eun Gil-sang gazed upon his son.
‘What exactly drew such a towering figure to agree to become Seo-ho’s martial arts master?’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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