The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 403

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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 Eun Hae Trading Company Chapter 403

Chapter 403. Setting Sail (5)

A ship from the Changhae Trading Company—or rather, from the Baekcheon Trading Company—had arrived.
Ji Taek-mun Manager, sent by the Baekcheon Trading Company, grinned widely as he watched the vessel.
“So that ship is coming back loaded with money, is it?”
He rubbed his hands together.
His ultimate goal was to catch Namgung Kang’s eye and become the chief manager.
This trade venture was the stepping stone to achieve that.
So how could that ship not look precious to him?
That was when it happened.
“Manager.”
“What is it?”
“There’s a banquet today, sir. The Eun Hae Trading Company is hosting it, and orders have come down for everyone to attend.”
“Then I must go.”
But he was not the only one invited. Song Un, who had been holed up in his room refusing all visitors, was also invited.
“What brings you here?”
“I too received an invitation.”
“Then what—”
Ji Taek-mun chuckled and spoke.
“You must have looked quite pitiful.”
“Yes… I suppose I did.”
At that response, Ji Taek-mun tilted his head. Unlike usual, Song Un hadn’t bristled defensively; instead, he’d agreed with his remark.
At this, Ji Taek-mun inwardly mocked him.
‘So he’s finally come to his senses and become obedient!’
Thus they entered a tavern near the Provincial Military Command headquarters. It had been quiet ever since the liquor ban was issued.
But today, it was bustling with activity.
This was because Eun Seo-ho had invited many people to tonight’s banquet.
Because of this, the tavern keeper and even the shop attendants all greeted the guests with bright smiles.
“Welcome, welcome. Where are you from?”
“From the Changhae Trading Company.”
Since he was still officially stationed with the Changhae Trading Company, Ji Taek-mun answered accordingly.
“Ah, please come this way.”
“Is that the place of honor?”
“Of course. Aren’t the merchants the main guests of tonight’s banquet? So the seats of honor have been prepared for you.”
At the mention of the place of honor, Ji Taek-mun’s mood improved once again.
Though he was a manager of the Baekcheon Trading Company, a subsidiary of the Murim Alliance, he was still a merchant.
That’s why he never dreamed of sitting at the head table alongside imperial officials, yet here he was!
He was deeply moved by this moment.
“Please, sit here.”
Across from where he was seated sat Eun Seo-ho, the Small Guild Master of the Eun Hae Trading Company.
“Welcome.”
“Good to see you. So you’re the one who organized this banquet?”
“Yes, with the upcoming trade expedition, I wanted to strengthen our bonds. I hope today becomes a memorable gathering for all.”

* * *

I smiled inwardly.
Today would be an unforgettable banquet indeed.
I observed Song Un, the Small Guild Master sitting beside Ji Taek-mun Manager.
According to Jin Yu Warrior’s continued surveillance reports, he hadn’t revealed anything about the ledger to anyone.
A man with such resolve and patience would be someone I could trust and work with going forward.
Just then, the Provincial Military Commander entered the banquet hall and took the seat of honor.
“Provincial Military Commander, would you grace us with a few words for today’s gathering?”
He nodded at my request.
“All of you must heed the will of the Emperor and cast aside personal greed to serve this Empire.”
Though brief, his words carried a powerful warning beneath them.
It meant the merchants should abandon their selfish desires and work for the nation.
Quite capable, this one.
I knew something of his background.
He was an official whose temperament I personally appreciated.
He maintained a strict separation between public and private matters while still possessing flexibility.
That’s precisely why I invited him.
In other words, he would serve as the judge of today’s proceedings. As a high-ranking official of the third rank, he was more than sufficient.
“Now then, let us drink.”
At his words, everyone began raising their teacups.
It would have been wine if we could, but the prohibition on alcohol hadn’t been lifted yet.
I caught the eye of Song Un, the Small Guild Master sitting across from me.
He swallowed hard and rose from his seat.
“Provincial Military Commander, I am Song Un, Small Guild Master of the Changhae Trading Company. If I may, I would like to speak on this occasion.”
At his action, the complexion of Ji Taek-mun Manager beside him changed. He was anxious, uncertain what would happen next.
“Go ahead.”
“In truth, our Changhae Trading Company has been absorbed by the Baekcheon Trading Company because we could not repay our debts.”
“And?”
“But this is not the truth. Our Changhae Trading Company did repay our debts. However, the Baekcheon Trading Company claims that Mo Cheong Manager, who received the money from our company, has fled, and thus they know nothing of it—and they have swallowed our Changhae Trading Company. I beseech you to right this injustice.”
At this, Ji Taek-mun Manager’s face went pale, and he hastily rose, crying out.
“Provincial Military Commander, please hear our side as well. We certainly did not receive that money. And our absorption of the Changhae Trading Company is our rightful prerogative as the Baekcheon Trading Company. Moreover, with Mo Cheong Manager’s escape, our company has suffered considerable losses.”
“Enough!”
The Military Commander raised his hand to speak.
In that instant, the hall fell silent.
“Your situation presents only one problem—I lack the authority to resolve it for you.”
That was when it happened.
“Military Commander, I actually know something about this matter.”
At precisely the right moment, the Qingdao Magistrate, who had been seated at one end of the long table where I sat, rose to his feet.
“Ah, aren’t you the Qingdao Magistrate?”
“Yes, Military Commander.”
“You said you know about this matter?”
“I do.”
He glanced at me briefly before continuing.
“The man responsible for Baekcheon Trading Company’s debt was Mo Cheong Manager. And he came to find me.”
He went on.
“He seemed to have chosen me as a witness to the debt. As proof that Baekcheon Trading Company received money from Changhae Trading Company, I affixed my seal to the ledger.”
“What are you saying? There’s no way such a ledger could exist….”
But Ji Taek-mun Manager’s words could not continue.
The Qingdao Magistrate smoothly withdrew a ledger from his sleeve.
“This is that ledger.”
“…!”
It was the ledger I had quietly handed to him when he arrived at the banquet hall earlier.
Upon seeing it, Ji Taek-mun Manager’s eyes trembled violently.
“He left this ledger behind at that time. Knowing he would surely come to retrieve it, I have been keeping it safe.”
At his words, the Military Commander extended his hand.
“Give me that ledger.”
“Yes, understood.”
The Military Commander took the ledger from the Qingdao Magistrate and examined it.
“Hmm, it’s clearly written here. In the third month, Baekcheon Trading Company received money from Changhae Trading Company, and this is stated as the final repayment. It’s also written here that repayment is complete. And there’s the Magistrate’s seal.”
I added gently.
“With the entry in the ledger and the Magistrate’s seal, I believe the repayment can be considered complete.”
“I think so as well.”
Ji Taek-mun Manager protested desperately.
“B-but the money never reached our Baekcheon Trading Company.”
The Military Commander did not answer that remark. Instead, he examined the ledger more carefully and tilted his head in puzzlement.
“This is quite strange. Looking at this ledger, for every debt repayment so far, he went to find the Magistrate and received his seal in the form of notarization. That’s quite troublesome work.”
He looked around and asked.
“If he intended to flee, why would he bother going to find the Magistrate for his seal? And merely fifty silver taels? A manager of Baekcheon Trading Company, who handles such vast sums, would flee with only this much…. Does that make any sense?”
At those words, everyone around nodded in agreement.
Everyone except Ji Taek-mun Manager.
“Don’t you think so?”
At that question, Ji Taek-mun Manager reluctantly nodded his head.
“That may be true, but this could be an operation for thorough misdirection, or it could be a deception, or….”
Ji Taek-mun Manager rambled nervously, sweat beading on his forehead.
The Military Commander shook his head firmly and placed the ledger he was holding onto the table.
As the ledger shifted, something white protruded from within it.
A white envelope.
“Hmm?”
The Military Commander picked up the envelope and asked.
“Does Magistrate know about this envelope?”
“I’m not entirely sure either. It was originally tucked inside, but I thought it wouldn’t be right to look at it without the master’s permission, so I never examined it.”
“But your name is written on it here, isn’t it?”
“Pardon?”
“Read it.”
Jihyeon took the envelope and withdrew the letter from inside.
“It appears to be a letter addressed to me.”
As he read the letter, his expression grew sorrowful.
“Ah, this person… so that’s why his face was so dark….”
He handed the letter to the Military Commander.
“I believe you should read this, sir.”
The Military Commander’s complexion hardened as he examined it.
He returned it to Jihyeon and spoke.
“Read it aloud.”
“Yes.”
Jihyeon began reading the contents of the letter.

[If you are reading this letter, Magistrate, it means I am no longer of this world.
Baekcheon Trading Company has executed their plan to eliminate me and seize Changhae Trading Company.
Baekcheon Trading Company will claim they removed me and that I fled. And since the final debt was not repaid, Changhae Trading Company will fall to Baekcheon Trading Company.
But Changhae Trading Company has certainly repaid the final debt.
Baekcheon Trading Company will claim that the money never reached their coffers, rendering the repayment void.
However, I have clearly deposited that money in the name of Baekcheon Trading Company at Geumsan Money Lender.
Should Baekcheon Trading Company seize Changhae Trading Company as I foresee, I humbly beseech you to use this ledger to clear their grievances.
You may wonder, Magistrate, why I foresaw all these things yet still walked into this trap.
As one who cherishes Baekcheon Trading Company, I have resolved to perish alongside it.
If I do not die, another will be sacrificed in my stead.
I cannot bear to see Baekcheon Trading Company’s blade turned toward another.
Please forgive this shameless merchant.
Mo Cheong Manager, Baekcheon Trading Company]

The hall fell silent.
“This is….”
The Military Commander turned his head to look at Ji Taek-mun Manager.
“Is this true?”
“I, I know nothing of this, sir.”
“Are you truly telling me that Baekcheon Trading Company consorted with street thugs and preyed upon common folk like some wretched loan shark?”
“N, no, that’s not true!”
“Not true? Then what of Mo Cheong Manager’s testament? You still claim this after seeing it?”
His voice cut like frost-laden wind.
Ji Taek-mun Manager’s world must have gone dark in that moment.
I smiled faintly to myself.
The ledger originally contained no such testament from Mo Cheong Manager. I had inserted the testament he wrote for me later.
First, to expose Baekcheon Trading Company’s crimes.
And to protect Mo Cheong Manager’s safety.
If word spread that he was alive, his life would be threatened anew.
So I employed this method to make them believe he was dead.
The Military Commander, who had been thinking for a moment, spoke.
“First, we must verify whether the money was received. Who’s outside!”
“Yes! Have you found something?”
The Military Commander’s Deputy Officer entered promptly.
“Go at once to Geumsan Money Exchange and verify whether fifty taels of silver arrived in the third month.”
“Yes, sir!”
Having issued this command, the Military Commander looked at me and spoke.
“Well, I’m sorry our pleasant banquet has come to this.”
“I’m truly sorry for causing such a situation.”
Song Sub-danju also apologized to me. I shook my head.
“Not at all. We can hold another banquet another day. What matters is clearing away this injustice.”
The Military Commander surveyed the hall and made his declaration.
“Since matters have come to this, we cannot continue enjoying the banquet. Let us end it here. You may all depart now.”
Yet no one rose from their seats.
They were curious to see how this would unfold.

Shortly after, the Deputy Officer came rushing in.
“Dae-in! I’ve returned from the money exchange!”
As I understood it, Geumsan Money Lender had well-trained carrier pigeons, so they could exchange information faster than messenger birds.
“Well, what happened?”
“Apparently, Mo Cheong Manager definitely deposited money under Baekcheon Trading Company’s name at Geumsan Money Lender in the third month.”
“Is that so?”
At those words, Ji Taek-mun Manager’s face turned ashen, while Song Un’s face flushed red.
He was suppressing the surge of emotion welling up inside him.
“However… there is something strange.”
“Something strange?”
“Yes, Baekcheon Trading Company confirmed this themselves.”
At the Deputy Officer’s words, the Military Commander’s brow furrowed.
Meanwhile, I smiled inwardly.
This…
An unexpected windfall?
“It seems Mo Cheong Manager’s suicide note was truthful after all.”
At the Military Commander’s words, Ji Taek-mun Manager prostrated himself flat on the ground and spoke.
“This humble merchant knew nothing. I merely followed orders from above.”
“Is that so?”
He took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking.
“Based on all this evidence, it is abundantly clear that Changhae Trading Company is innocent. Therefore, Baekcheon Trading Company must restore Changhae Trading Company to its original state.”
“…Ugh!”
He swallowed hard before responding.
“I will report this to the main headquarters.”
The Military Commander continued.
“Furthermore, this is clearly a case of fraud! We must investigate this matter thoroughly.”
There was another reason I had invited this Military Commander here.
If the case were handed over to Henan’s Imperial Inspectorate as things stood, Baekcheon Trading Company could bribe their way out of it.
But this Military Commander is a straightforward person.
And his surname is Ak—he belongs to the Shandong Ak Family, one of the Three Great Families within the Murim Alliance.
He grinned wickedly and spoke.
“I shall go directly to the Murim Alliance and lodge a formal protest about this matter.”
In other words, Baekcheon Trading Company could no longer resolve this on their own terms.
Namgung Kang would take quite the beating from the senior members of the Murim Alliance this time.

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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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