The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 359

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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 359

Chapter 359. In Shandong (5)

I quickly called out to him.
“Over here!”
“Ah! Eun Small Merchant Leader!”
Bok Yun Sub-leader approached with a delighted expression, and I rose from my seat to greet him with a fist salute.
“It’s been quite some time.”
“Indeed! It has been a while. About that trip to the Northern Sea back then… judging by your face, it seems it was a profitable venture.”
“Thanks to your kindness, I returned safely and it proved to be a successful trade.”
I continued.
“And how did your journey to Beijing fare?”
“Mine was also a profitable venture.”
For merchants, a profitable venture meant conducting business without losses and gaining substantial profits.
“Please, have some tea.”
“Ah, yes, that would be welcome.”
We sipped tea and exchanged updates on our recent circumstances.
Indeed, meeting with a kindred spirit was always a pleasure.
As we conversed, I heard Jin Yu Warrior’s voice transmission.
– My lord, forgive the interruption, but the person who just entered… is someone from the Baek Yeom Merchant Guild, the one who spoke with the Baekcheon Trading Company’s Merchant Guild Leader at the Geumgyeru.
Hmm?
– He is now attempting to converse with someone else. If you permit it, I shall eavesdrop on their discussion.
Something felt off.
– You have my permission.
And about an hour later, Jin Yu Warrior’s voice transmission came through.
– My lord, I have discovered the execution date for the task commissioned by the Baekcheon Trading Company’s leader. It is the day after tomorrow.
What?
The day after tomorrow… that’s the day of the gathering, isn’t it?
At that moment, Bok Yun Sub-leader asked me.
“Is something the matter?”
“Pardon?”
“Your expression suddenly became serious.”
Ah… did I let that show?
Glancing sideways, Palgap shook his head.
It meant I hadn’t failed to maintain my composure.
How did he figure it out then?
First, I needed to apologize.
“I apologize. Thinking about the gathering scheduled for the day after tomorrow, I grew anxious about how to conduct myself before such distinguished Merchant Guild Leaders.”
“Even the Eun Small Merchant Leader feels worried?”
“Of course I do.”
“Whenever you deal with the Merchant Guild Leaders, you always appear composed and confident, so I never thought you’d be concerned….”
“I’m merely putting on an act.”
The Baekdae Trading Company Alliance gathering.
It was a silent reconnaissance and warfare disguised as a banquet.
Operating within the Baekdae Trading Company meant possessing considerable capability while simultaneously harboring great ambition.
The desire to earn even more wealth.
So they exchanged various information with one another, all while pretending otherwise, seeking to uncover each other’s weaknesses.
Those weaknesses could prove quite useful after all.
What would happen if one showed alarm or trembled when facing an opponent in such a place?
Would they think, ‘Tsk tsk, how pitiful,’ or ‘Ha! Is this because of me? My apologies’?
Not at all.
They would see an easy prey.
Ruthless as it may be, that is the nature of the merchant world.
Of course, my claim about worrying over how to conduct myself before the Merchant Guild Leaders was merely an excuse.
I was not trembling in the slightest.
I had met with His Imperial Majesty, who could be called the ultimate authority, several times over.
“Ah, now that I think of it, I heard this gathering will be held at Iwharu.”
“That’s correct.”
Bok Yun Sub-leader nodded.
“I heard it’s operated by the Baek Yeom Merchant Guild, and their main headquarters is nearby.”
“That’s right. I understand it’s an enormous establishment.”
“After the banquet concludes, it seems the Merchant Guild Leader will show us around the headquarters. I’m quite looking forward to it, as I’ve repeatedly missed such opportunities.”
Ah… that’s right. It was indeed so.
The Merchant Guild Leader of the Baek Yeom Merchant Guild came from a blacksmith’s background.
Having lived with contempt, he harbored a desire to boast of his accomplishments to others.
Thus, whenever he hosted a gathering of the Baekdae Trading Company Alliance, he would personally invite them to tour his establishment.
I began to understand why that man had attempted to execute his plan on that day.
When numerous outsiders visited, the interior of the merchant guild would inevitably fall into disarray.
Such circumstances would create an opportunity to shake the Baek Yeom Merchant Guild with ease.
But what method would be used to shake the Baek Yeom Merchant Guild?
Lost in thought for a moment, I soon shook my head slightly and took a sip of tea.
It would be rude to entertain other thoughts while in the presence of my old friend.
I should return to the inn and contemplate this matter.
“And….”
Bok Yun Sub-leader scratched his cheek with his finger, his words trailing off.
Why had his face suddenly flushed?
“What is the matter?”
He produced a red envelope from his breast pocket.
I tilted my head curiously and opened the envelope. Inside lay a letter written on red paper.
Red outer envelopes were used often enough.
But it was rare to see both the outer envelope and the inner pages dyed red.
Because this was something used only for auspicious occasions….
Hm? Auspicious occasions?
I quickly read through the contents.

[The Old Man of the Moon has bound two souls with crimson thread—how could this not be fate? Thus, having chosen an auspicious day, we now formally….]

I looked up and asked.
“Are you getting married?”
“Haha, yes.”
He nodded with an embarrassed smile.
“I’m nearly twenty-two now, so the time has come.”
Since Bok Yun Sub-leader and I shared the same birth date, he would also turn twenty-two after November passed.
“So I’m planning to marry next summer.”
Most people preferred spring or autumn for weddings, but Bok Yun Sub-leader’s choice of summer had a simple reason.
The Liaoning Land where he lived was a cold region.
Summer was actually the best season for gathering people and hosting celebrations.
“Congratulations.”
“Haha, thank you.”
Bok Yun Sub-leader clasped his fists in gratitude.
Though next summer was still far away, there was a reason for sending the invitation so early.
The Empire was vast, and everyone was busy.
It took considerable time to travel to and from Liaoning, so advance notice was necessary.
Still, to deliver the invitation personally like this.
There was a saying that if you received an invitation directly from the Groom or Bride but failed to attend, you would live alone for the rest of your life—so attendance was absolutely mandatory in such cases.
It meant he held me in particularly high regard.
I nodded and spoke.
“I will definitely attend.”
.
.
.
After sharing a pleasant lunch with Bok Yun Sub-leader, I returned to Cheongsan Inn.
Upon arriving near the inn, I smiled.
I had spotted the person I was waiting for.
But he lingered near the entrance, unable to enter the inn.
I understood why he couldn’t bring himself to go inside.
Tattered, foul-smelling clothes.
It seemed he’d put on his cleanest clothes, but they were still just clothes.
Honestly, a high-end Inn would find them objectionable.
That wasn’t discrimination against people.
It was a measure for guests who paid premium prices to enjoy cleanliness and comfort.
Besides, there were likely people dining or drinking tea on the First Floor right now.
Honestly, if you’re enjoying a delicious meal at a Dining Hall and someone walks in wearing clothes they haven’t changed in a year, picking at their ears and nose beside you—your appetite would vanish in an instant, wouldn’t it?
Dressing appropriately for the time and place was both common sense and consideration for others.
Come to think of it, people without consideration for others always got angry, asking, “Aren’t you discriminating against people?”
People who didn’t even understand what real discrimination meant.
Suddenly, memories from my previous life surfaced.
Being humiliated and slapped by a junior official younger than me, simply because I was a lowly merchant….
Ah, of course, I made sure to pay him back several times over later.
I pushed aside my thoughts and called for Yeo Eung-am Warrior and Lee Pil Warrior.
“May I ask a favor?”
“Please command us.”
“It seems we need to wash him and dress him properly. Could you arrange for some soap and decent clothing?”
“Understood.”
They immediately headed toward the Marketplace.
“And Palgap. Go bring him here.”
“Yes, understood.”
Palgap returned with Yong Eung-wan, the young man who had been loitering around the Inn.
He greeted me with a nervous expression.
“I greet Seon Hyeop Mi-rang.”
“….”
I hadn’t expected him to know my title.
“My name is Yong Eung-wan.”
“I’m Eun Seo-ho. If possible, I’d prefer to be called Eun Small Merchant Leader or Eun Lord rather than by my title.”
“Understood.”
“So, have you given thought to my proposal?”
“Yes. But… would I truly be of help to you, Eun Small Merchant Leader? I have no abilities.”
“No abilities? You possess four remarkable abilities.”
“….”
He bit his lip for a moment before speaking.
“Could you tell me what those are?”
I raised my right hand, made a fist, and extended my index finger.
“First! You can speak the language of the Dae-Wol Kingdom. Of course you can—it’s your native tongue.”
“…!”
He seemed startled, stammering as he asked.
“H-how did you know that?”
“How could I not? That tattoo on your collarbone—isn’t it the mark of a warrior family from the Dae-Wol Kingdom?”
“….”
My words painted his expression with bewilderment.
The tattoo on his collarbone was hidden beneath his clothes, invisible to the eye.
But I knew.
“Rest assured. For now, only I am aware of it.”
“How did you know about the tattoo on my collarbone?”
I learned of that tattoo in my previous life.
Years from now, when he became the Emperor’s man and led merchant vessels, he told me directly with his own mouth.
But I cannot speak of that.
“I saw it earlier when you were scratching inside your clothes in front of me.”
“Ahem, ahem.”
His face flushed crimson in an instant.
“In any case, since Dae-Wol Kingdom speech is your mother tongue, you possess far greater advantage than Empire citizens who merely learned the language. You understand, don’t you? No matter how well one learns a language, without understanding its culture, grasping subtle nuances becomes exceedingly difficult.”
“Yes, that is true.”
“And in merchant transactions, those subtle differences prove quite significant. That ability is a tremendous asset.”
I paused briefly, then extended my middle finger as I spoke.
“Second! You know the sea routes to Dae-Wol Kingdom.”
He bit his lip once more.
“You harbor thoughts of returning someday. If so, you must either remember those routes clearly or have recorded them somewhere.”
“….”
“Third! You possess remarkable perseverance. You endured work so grueling that ordinary people would surrender, yet you never gave up.”
Finally, I extended my pinky as I spoke.
“And lastly, you possess merchant talent.”
“Pardon?”
His expression turned utterly dumbfounded.
“Merchant talent? I’ve never heard such a thing.”
He doesn’t know it now, but his merchant talent is truly exceptional.
That’s why in my previous life he earned the title of Trading King. But I cannot speak of this now, so I glossed over it vaguely.
“Actually, I possess the ability to read physiognomy, and you have merchant talent. In any case, based on these four abilities, I intend to entrust you with command of the Eunhae Trading Company’s merchant fleet.”
“…Are you pitying me?”
“Pity?”
I let out a soft laugh.
“The world calls me Seon Hyeop Mi-rang, but my true nature is that of a merchant. A merchant who never retreats before profit.”
I met his gaze directly.
“If I pitied you, I would have simply handed you a few silver coins and been done with it.”
“….”
“Without confidence in your abilities, would I entrust you with responsibility for such a massive capital venture?”
“That would be….”
He flinched suddenly.
“R-responsibility, you say?”
“You’ve misheard me. I intend to appoint you as the captain of a merchant vessel belonging to the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“….”
He pondered for a moment before speaking, as if he had reached a decision.
“Before that, would you answer me one question?”
“What is it?”
“How did you know that I need ransom money for my family?”
His eyes as he asked were as sharp and predatory as those of a beast stalking its prey.
And rightfully so—the answer to that question was of utmost importance to him.
He was a beast prepared to shed blood at any moment, whether for his own safety or that of his family.
At his killing intent, my Guard Warriors placed their hands on their sword hilts.
“Ah, so that’s what troubled you.”
At my words, the killing intent vanished in an instant.
“The necklace around your neck.”
“…!”
“The names carved into that necklace—they are your family members’ names, are they not?”
His pupils dilated at my words.
He had carved the names himself into wood, fearing he might forget his family’s names, and wore it as a necklace.
That was the very necklace hanging around his neck now.
“And the tattoo on your collarbone tells me you are a warrior of great pride. So why do you live here as a laboring sailor?”
I gestured toward the back of his left hand.
“Those burn scars on your hand—you did that deliberately, didn’t you?”
“…!”
In the Dae-Wol Kingdom, slaves are branded on the back of their left hand.
Though you deliberately scarred over the brand to erase it, it must have caused you tremendous pain.
“When this much evidence accumulates, discerning the truth becomes simple. Do you still find it difficult to trust me?”
“Then why didn’t you report me? Surely you’re aware that Dae-Wol Kingdom trading vessels frequently pass through the waters below, and you could have received a reward for reporting me to them.”
“How much is the reward?”
Seo-woo Warrior answered.
“From what I’ve heard, they offer fifty silver taels for reporting an escaped slave from the Dae-Wol Kingdom.”
“That’s all they offer?”
“…Pardon?”
I chuckled and spoke.
“If they were offering fifty thousand taels, perhaps I’d consider it, but you expect me to travel all the way down to Shanghai for a mere pittance?”

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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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