The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 335

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

The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 335

Chapter 335. This Is Most Troublesome (4)

At my words, he showed clear signs of panic, but he shook off my hand and made excuses.
“I-I only spilled tea yesterday, that’s all! Don’t blame an innocent person!”
“Do I appear to be a fool who cannot distinguish whether water seeped in from tea or if the fabric discolored from freezing? And how do you explain the damage to the cloth itself?”
“W-well, that is….”
Sweat poured down his face in rivulets.
There was no escape left, yet he persisted in his efforts.
“This wretch!”
At that moment, the Provincial Inspector, now certain that Pyeong Tak was the culprit, swung his fist at him.
Thwack!
“Ow!”
Pyeong Tak clutched his face and staggered backward. When he removed his hands, his split lip was bleeding, and two white teeth fell to the floor.
Blood-stained teeth—two of them—clattered across the ground.
Remarkable.
The Provincial Inspector must have been quite the brawler in his day.
He appeared to have never trained in martial arts, yet how could a single punch knock out two teeth?
He had put his full force behind that blow—his anger was genuine and profound.
“You dare do this when you know how serious I am about this matter?”
“I-I have committed a grave sin!”
“Who put you up to this?”
“W-who put me up to it? There is no such thing!”
Pyeong Tak shook his head desperately.
Of course he would. If he revealed a backer, it would mean he had accepted a bribe as the Provincial Inspector’s deputy, making his crime far more severe.
Yet the Provincial Inspector’s expression remained cold.
“Will you only confess if I have you tortured?”
“I-I truly….”
Then someone spoke.
“Provincial Inspector, I beg your pardon, but someone mentioned Deputy Pyeong to me not long ago.”
He was another deputy under the Provincial Inspector.
“It was said that Deputy Pyeong has been frequently associating with people from the Oseong Trading Company.”
At the mention of Oseong Trading Company, Pyeong Tak’s face betrayed clear dismay.
So Oseong Trading Company was behind this.
“There have been numerous suspicious matters, and I have been conducting my own investigation. I intended to report once I had confirmation, but this incident has occurred.”
He bowed his head.
“It is my fault for failing to give you advance notice, Provincial Inspector.”
At those words, the Provincial Inspector shook his head and helped the man to his feet by grasping his shoulder.
“It’s fine. I understand that Ji Deputy acted only to prevent unnecessary discord.”
“Your Excellency….”
“But you mentioned something suspicious just now?”
At his question, the man called Ji Deputy nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
In that moment, a thought flickered through my mind.
If they were willing to steal artifacts at the behest of the Oseong Trading Company, wouldn’t they have engaged in similar activities before?
Ji Deputy opened his mouth.
“When we previously received timber deliveries for building repairs, didn’t we conduct competitive bidding through various merchant guilds?”
“We did.”
“At that time, Your Excellency instructed us to prioritize the quality of the timber over price, so we visited personally to inspect it. The Oseong Trading Company had prepared everything perfectly for what we wished to see.”
“That’s right. The timber was in the best condition, so the Oseong Trading Company won the contract, didn’t they?”
“Correct. But doesn’t something seem odd to you?”
While the others tilted their heads in confusion, I stepped forward.
“No merchant guild can prepare perfectly for what another party desires unless they possess advance information.”
At my words, everyone’s gaze turned toward Pyeong Tak.
“Surely not?”
Ji Deputy continued.
“Yet the timber that was actually delivered was of poor quality. The Master Carpenter raised complaints about this repeatedly, and the deputy officer in charge apparently suppressed those complaints.”
“That deputy officer is this bastard?”
“Yes, sir. And that’s not all.”
As his account poured forth, the Provincial Inspector let out a hollow laugh of disbelief.
Then he looked at me and spoke.
“Perhaps your loss of that artifact was actually a blessing for me. Had I continued to employ that wretch, I surely would have suffered grave misfortune.”
At those words, I offered a bitter smile.
Because I remembered that in my previous life, it was the Oseong Trading Company where the Prefect’s Daughter had been defrauded and died.
Through that chain of events, when the Oseong Trading Company was thoroughly exposed and dismantled, this deputy officer Pyeong Tak would have been swept up in it as well.
But what good does that do? His daughter is already dead.
There could be no greater misfortune than the death of one’s daughter. So the Provincial Inspector’s words were indeed correct.
I bowed respectfully and spoke.
“It seems the heavens are watching over Your Excellency with benevolence.”
“You speak truly. It appears the heavens have sent me a noble benefactor in the form of yourself.”
“I am merely a humble merchant, sir.”
“How can there be humility in one sent by the heavens?”
He glanced at Pyeong Tak and issued orders to the soldiers.
“Bind that wretch to a post and gag him.”
“Yes, sir!”
I bowed respectfully and spoke.
“Then may I proceed to reinstall this artifact?”
“Of course! Go ahead and install it at once!”
“Then I shall take my leave.”
I headed toward the cabin where the box was stored, accompanied by the Guard Warriors. I opened the box and hung the ornament that I had disguised as a ritual vessel.
Of course, I did not forget to infuse it with cold energy once more.
The Oseong Trading Company remained completely oblivious to this situation.
It seemed the Provincial Governor would dispatch soldiers to the Oseong Trading Company the moment he arrived in Guizhou.
In truth, it is commonplace for a merchant guild to bribe someone within a rival organization to extract information.
But the Oseong Trading Company should not have crossed that line.
According to what the Ji Deputy mentioned earlier, Pyeong Tak appeared to have falsified documents for the Oseong Trading Company on numerous occasions.
No matter how vital the guild’s interests may be, there are principles that must be upheld.
It is not that we lack the capability to commit such acts.
We refrain from doing so because it violates our principles.
.
.
.
Several days had passed.
After the incident of Pyeong Tak’s theft of the ritual vessel, I could now openly command the guards to protect the box.
Now they could not voice complaints such as “Do you not trust us?”
And honestly, after such an incident, it would be absurd not to guard the box.
Pyeong Tak remained bound to the pillar.
In truth, being bound in a space where everyone passed through must have been torment for him.
His honor as a Deputy Officer, not merely a common soldier, had been utterly destroyed.
But it was of his own making.

“How could he wear a human mask and do such a thing? When he knew full well how much the Provincial Inspector loves his daughter.”
“Exactly! How could he do such a thing to Lady Ja-ryeong?”
“To betray Lady Ja-ryeong!”
“That bastard deserves to die for what he did to our Lady Ja-ryeong!”
“Still, we’re fortunate! If it weren’t for Eun Small Merchant Leader’s foresight, Lady Ja-ryeong would have been devastated.”
“Lady Ja-ryeong will surely smile when she sees this outcome, won’t she?”
I tilted my head slightly at their words.
They were far more enraged by the fact that Pyeong Tak had nearly caused the Prefect’s Daughter distress than by his document tampering or information theft.
Though I had never seen her, I found myself curious about this young lady who was so beloved by everyone.
So I waited for an opportunity and casually asked the man who held Baek Ho’s position.
“What sort of person is the Provincial Inspector’s daughter?”
“Hmm? You mean Lady Ja-ryeong?”
“Is the young lady’s name Ja-ryeong?”
“Ah, yes it is.”
Since the Provincial Inspector’s name is Dong Hui, then she must be Lady Dong Ja-ryeong.
“But why do you ask?”
“It’s somewhat awkward to inquire about such things, but I thought it best to know so I don’t make any mistakes. Yet I couldn’t very well ask the Provincial Inspector himself….”
“Mm, I understand.”
He nodded and spoke to me.
“Very well, I’ll answer what I can. What would you like to know?”
“If I may ask, what is the young lady’s age?”
“She’s nineteen this year.”
In a typical official’s household, she would already be married by now.
But confined to her sickbed as she was, marriage must have seemed like a distant dream.
I nodded thoughtfully and asked carefully.
“Then she’s been ill since childhood?”
“Ah, no, that’s not it.”
He shook his head.
“Before I became Baek Ho, I served as a personal soldier in the Provincial Inspector’s household. So I know—our Lady Ja-ryeong was quite healthy in her youth.”
“Then when did it start….”
He let out a heavy sigh.
“About three years ago, when the young lady turned sixteen, she suddenly fell ill. Now she can barely leave her bed.”
“I see.”
I nodded.
“And I’ve heard the Provincial Inspector remained in Guizhou all this time.”
“That’s right. He served there as Vice Minister and Minister for many years.”
Though a provincial official, the Vice Minister—the practical administrator of the Six Ministries—holds rank 7, while the Minister—the head of the Six Ministries—holds rank 3.
The Provincial Inspector holds rank 4.
Which means he held high office from the beginning?
Now that I think of it, the current Provincial Inspector is quite young for his position.
Then….
“By any chance, does the Provincial Inspector’s household have any connection to the imperial family?”
“How did you know? The Provincial Inspector did pass the imperial examination with top honors, but in truth, he is the grandson of Emperor Jianzhong through his mother’s side.”
So the Provincial Inspector’s mother was Emperor Jianzhong’s daughter.
That makes sense then.
There are two primary reasons why someone can hold a high position at such a young age.
Either they work with extraordinary diligence.
Or they were born with a silver spoon in their mouth.
Still, it’s surprising.
Usually, those born with silver spoons don’t need to work to survive, so they show little interest in studying. Yet he managed to pass the imperial examination with top honors.
However, if I think about it carefully, the Provincial Inspector of Guizhou is indeed wise.
No matter how prestigious the imperial bloodline, its status declines sharply with each passing generation.
Moreover, the current Emperor has begun confiscating the imperial family’s wealth entirely, instead providing them with monthly stipends for maintaining their status.
Under such circumstances, only the grandsons of the current imperial generation receive these stipends, but those below that rank struggle to obtain them.
So he began studying early on for the sake of his descendants.
I hadn’t realized it before, but he is truly remarkable.
Now I also understand why the Provincial Inspector, despite passing the imperial examination with top honors, remains in Guizhou as an administrator rather than serving in the capital.
Guizhou is far from Beijing, so he must be there to ensure that no seditious forces arise in such distant places.
In exchange, he was given a high position from the start and assigned important duties.
From the Provincial Inspector’s perspective, this arrangement is quite comfortable.
He avoids suspicion from the Emperor, stays clear of troublesome entanglements, and lives peacefully.
Considering how peaceful Guizhou was in my previous life, he clearly possesses administrative competence.
Now, returning to the original topic….
“It seems everyone is quite fond of Lady Zaling.”
“Of course they are!”
He smiled contentedly.
“Lady Ja-ryeong brings energy just by being seen. How kind, how charming, how beautiful she is….”
I listened to his praise of Lady Zaling for quite some time.
“But that bastard Pyeong Tak!”
And then came his anger toward Pyeong Tak.
.
.
.
We, who had traveled down the Wu River, began preparing to disembark.
We had arrived at Guiyang, the provincial capital of Guizhou.
The boat slowed its pace, and soon the ferry terminal came into view.
The sailors threw ropes, and the terminal workers secured the boat.
Creak—! Thud—!
A long wooden plank connecting the boat and the ferry terminal was laid down for disembarkation.
We walked across the plank and stepped off the boat.
Since there were quite a few passengers disembarking, it took considerable time to unload everyone.
The journey from the ferry terminal to the Guizhou Provincial Office took half a day, so we could have proceeded directly, but since the horses had been confined to the boat for an extended period, they needed rest.
The horse station near the ferry terminal happened to have exactly ten horses available, so the Provincial Inspector sent nine warriors and his Deputy Officer ahead first.
It was to dispatch soldiers to the merchant guild before the Oseong Trading Company could sense the situation and make their move.
Pyeong Tak was now concealed inside a large burlap sack.
This was to prevent the spies of the Oseong Trading Company from catching sight of Pyeong Tak.
After resting for a day at a nearby inn, we prepared ourselves at first light and headed toward the Guizhou Provincial Office.
The Provincial Inspector’s family was staying at the official residence there.

Guizhou—had it been three years?
I had come because of my Paternal Uncle, Eun Jo-san, the Merchant Guild Leader.
After that, I had no reason to visit directly.
Now the Mi Gwa Trading Company bore only the name in title; in reality, it was scarcely different from a branch of our Eunhae Trading Company.
The thirty percent of all profits flowing in from the Namho Trading Company, with whom we had engaged in such bitter competition back then, remained quite lucrative even now.
I recalled the reply I had received from my Father.

[Since you are going to Guizhou anyway, convey my regards to Song Sik on my behalf.]

With my Father’s request in mind, I would need to stop by the Mi Gwa Trading Company briefly on my way back after concluding my business.
Before long, we arrived at the Guizhou Provincial Office.
“You must have endured a most arduous journey, sir.”
Officials in their robes emerged to the gate to receive the Provincial Inspector.
The Provincial Inspector descended from his carriage.
“You have labored greatly in administering the province during my absence. I shall soon arrange a banquet to honor your efforts.”
“We are grateful for your magnanimity, sir.”
It was then.
Someone came rushing out from within in a frantic state.
“Wait—sir! Sir! This is grave!”

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