The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 51

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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 51

Chapter 51. False Rumors Spread Like This (1)

A Village in Sichuan.
The Dan Clan Merchant Guild had established itself there.
They primarily manufactured and sold decorative figurines.
The figurines they crafted were quite beautiful, and their artistic value was widely recognized.
Thus, high-ranking officials and those of considerable wealth adorned their display cases with Dan Clan figurines.
However, the Dan Clan Merchant Guild’s revenue had plummeted dramatically in recent months.
The culprit was a dancing figurine released by the Eunhae Trading Company, based in Hubei Province.
It was a limited edition of a thousand units, and remarkably, it was said to dance of its own accord.
Moreover, the clothing adorning the figurine was so exquisite that courtesans began fashioning similar garments, making it a trend among them.
Curious about what manner of figurine could cause such a stir, the Dan Clan Merchant Guild managed to acquire a Xi Shi dancing figurine.
Even I had to admit it was extraordinary.
When I wound the mechanism at the back of the figurine, it truly danced.
Furthermore, the colors of its garments were vibrant yet restrained, arranged in perfect harmony.
It was craftsmanship so remarkable it stirred envy.
But that was not all.
The figurine’s face was sculpted so masterfully that one might mistake it for an actual person.
Greed took hold, and I ordered a replication, but the answer that came back was ‘impossible.’
So I summoned a Master Craftsman directly to inquire.
“It cannot be replicated?”
“No, sir. Whoever created this figurine, I cannot say, but such skill could only belong to a master of exceptional caliber.”
The Master Craftsman shook his head repeatedly.
“Truthfully, I could imitate most other aspects. But the key lies in these wheels and how they interlock to create synchronized movement. No matter what material I use, it simply will not work.”
“Is that so?”
I commissioned other Master Craftsmen as well, but they all threw up their hands in defeat.
In the midst of these efforts, the figurine broke.
It was inevitable, given how many times I had disassembled and reassembled it in my attempts to study it.
‘Now that I think about it, didn’t the product warranty say it would be repaired free of charge?’
With nothing to lose, I took the warranty and visited the shop where the figurine had been purchased.
And exactly a fortnight later, I received the dancing figurine back in perfect condition.
Witnessing this, the Dan Clan Merchant Leader felt a chill run through him.
Technology that could not be imitated.
Aesthetic excellence unparalleled.
And flawless after-sales service to boot.
At this rate, the Dan Clan Merchant Guild’s figurine business would be swallowed whole by the Eunhae Trading Company.
I couldn’t leave things as they were.
I had to find some way forward.

* * *

These days, I found myself in good spirits.
Yesterday especially, my mood was exceptional.
The Palgap Pharmacy had submitted its profit report yesterday.
The Palgap Pharmacy settled accounts twice a month—once every fortnight.
It was during these settlements that my share was calculated.
And yesterday, when I heard the net profits and my portion, the figures exceeded my expectations.
The Palgap Pharmacy was thriving beyond measure.
Lately, physicians had been posting notices at the Palgap Pharmacy to promote themselves, or so I’d heard.
So the Palgap Pharmacy created a dedicated bulletin board where physicians could post their advertisements, and customers chose their physicians based on what they saw there.
Truth be told, that idea came from me.
By doing so, it created an appearance of mutual benefit, and the physicians couldn’t claim territorial rights.
Hearing the pharmacy’s reputation, customers were coming from other prefectures as well.
My goal was to establish Palgap Pharmacies throughout the Central Plains.
Reduce the suffering of those plagued by minor ailments, and I earn my fortune.
What could be more beautiful and noble than this?
And the money accumulating steadily would become a great force in the future.
Now that I think about it, we’re launching a new doll sale soon.
Following the Xi Shi doll, this time it’s the Diao Chan doll.
Diao Chan, whose beauty captivated the hearts of two men—Lü Bu and Dong Zhuo—simultaneously, the one whose beauty inspired the phrase “closing the moon.”
The Diao Chan doll, crafted to resemble her beauty, was truly exquisite even to my eyes.
The dolls, along with the Palgap Pharmacy, would provide lasting income streams.
So I needed to pay closer attention to this venture.
Complacency with the present was forbidden. The moment one became complacent, profit turned into loss.
That was a truth I’d learned and experienced through my past life.
By the way, was Father returning now?
Father had gone to meet with the Pojeongsa official in Hubei Province, bringing the Diao Chan doll with him.
He was supposed to return several days ago, but he still hadn’t arrived.
What could be the matter?
Then I sensed someone’s presence.
It was Jo Young-young, my deputy.
Soon I heard her voice.
“It is Jo Young-young, your deputy.”
Yu Chief Manager nodded, and I responded.
“Come in.”
She entered, performed a slight bow in greeting, and immediately stated her business.
“The Merchant Guild Leader has returned. He’s calling for an immediate meeting. You must go to Eun-wol Pavilion.”
“Understood.”
At Yu Chief Manager’s words, she turned to me and spoke.
“Eun Seo-ho must attend as well.”
“…Me too?”

A short while later.
I arrived at Eun-wol Pavilion with Yu Chief Manager.
Already gathered there were not only the other officers but also my elder brother Eun Jung-ho, who had recently become a Small Merchant Guild Leader.
Upon becoming a Small Merchant Guild Leader, he had gained the formal qualification to attend meetings at Eun-wol Pavilion.
“You’ve arrived. Take your seat. Seo-ho, sit as well.”
At Father’s words, we quickly took our places. Father’s expression looked grave.
“Everyone is here. I’ve called this meeting because of some rather unusual rumors circulating.”
“Rumors, you say?”
At Eun Jung-ho’s question, Father continued.
“When I met with Pojeongsa recently, he hinted at rumors concerning the ‘Wooden Puppet.’ I’ve been investigating these rumors, which is why my return was delayed.”
“….”
I understood why I had been summoned to this meeting.
I was the employer of the craftsman who created the Wooden Puppet, and I was deeply involved in this matter.
“The rumor is none other than this: a human soul is trapped within the Wooden Puppet.”
“…What?”
I couldn’t help but question it.
This had never happened in my previous life, so I was bewildered.
More than that—a human soul?
This came out of nowhere.
“A human soul? There’s no such thing.”
“That’s right, there isn’t.”
Father nodded and continued speaking.
“But such rumors are spreading, and I’ve confirmed this through the Hao Organization.”
“Where exactly are these rumors spreading?”
At my question, Father unfolded a map and pointed to various regions as he explained.
This… it’s spreading everywhere?
No matter how I think about it, something feels wrong.
Normally, rumors start in one place and spread outward. They don’t emerge simultaneously from multiple locations like this.
That means someone orchestrated this.
As expected, Yeon Gak-ju immediately grasped the implication.
“Whoever this is, they must be jealous that the Wooden Puppet is selling so well.”
“That’s my thought as well.”
“However, Merchant Guild Leader.”
Yeon Gak-ju continued speaking.
“We anticipated interference from other trading companies and have been monitoring for it, but there has been no significant activity.”
At her words, Eun Jung-ho spoke.
“That means they moved with considerable discretion.”
Jeok Byeong-cheol Officer from Sefung Division, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
“Or perhaps our surveillance network was compromised.”
“I share that assessment.”
At their remarks, Yu Chief Manager spoke.
“What matters most is anticipating the expected consequences and preparing countermeasures in advance.”
“That is precisely why I convened this meeting.”
We immediately began our crisis response meeting.
Someone had deliberately spread this rumor. In other words, I had to consider the worst-case scenario.
The rumor could trigger a flood of refund requests for the Jamuin dolls sold thus far, and the Imperial Court might even launch an investigation into the matter.
If that happened, the entire venture would collapse.
That absolutely could not happen.
After all the grueling effort I had poured into this business!
A thought suddenly struck me.
If I had known this in advance, I could have responded effectively.
Ordinarily, trading companies consult the Hao Organization or Gaebang when they need information.
But such methods are only employed after an incident occurs, for damage control.
Without any incident having happened, one cannot simply collect information preemptively.
To gather intelligence related to the trading company across various regions for the purpose of preventing incidents, one must privately operate an intelligence network. And information obtained that way generates far greater profits.
But this is not practically feasible. It requires enormous capital.
Perhaps the top ten trading companies of the Realm possessed the wealth to maintain such an intelligence network.
In the future I experienced, Eunhae Trading Company also operated a separate intelligence network once funds became available. And that became the foundation for becoming one of the Three Great Trading Companies of the World.
How desperately I needed that intelligence network we operated back then.
But we still lacked the surplus capital.
Once my personal funds accumulated further, could I establish an intelligence network?
In any case, today’s meeting concluded with the establishment of several countermeasures.
Yet because we could not yet assess the extent of damage from the rumor, the conclusion felt incomplete.

Three days later.
I realized once again that people are far more easily swayed by rumors than I had anticipated.
Out of a thousand Choson figurines, only two hundred and thirty had sold.
.
.
.
I was at the marketplace.
More precisely, I was sitting in the Ghost-Face Pao Elder’s Miscellaneous Shop, and the old man clicked his tongue at the sight of me.
“Why do you keep coming here and lingering about all day?”
“Well….”
I smiled sheepishly.
“It’s comfortable here.”
“In all my years, you’re the first person I’ve met who finds sitting beside me comfortable.”
Despite his reproach, the old man did not order me to leave.
“So what is it?”
“Pardon?”
“What troubles you that your face shows such an expression?”
In truth, I do not readily reveal my emotions through my expression. This stems from the education I received growing up in a merchant family and the habits it instilled in me.
Yet the old man saw through my facade.
The Ghost-Face Pao Elder’s reputation is indeed well-earned.
“Actually….”
I explained the situation from beginning to end, and upon hearing my account, the old man chuckled softly.
“People are naturally prone to being swayed by rumors. Do you have a countermeasure?”
“I’m not sure. This happened so suddenly that my mind went blank.”
“Tsk tsk….”
The old man clicked his tongue at my words.
“You are truly peculiar. At times you seem like a merchant who has weathered every storm, yet at other moments you appear as an ordinary boy.”
“Haha.”
I had nothing to say in response.
Perhaps it is because I lived for thirty-nine years before dying and being reborn into this form.
“And at this moment, all I see before me is a perfectly ordinary fifteen-year-old boy.”
I turned my head to gaze at my reflection in the mirror.
Though my appearance shows fifteen years, my mind belongs to a thirty-nine-year-old who once stood on the threshold of the Three Great Trading Companies of the World.
In that instant, something struck the back of my head like a blow.
I had been wallowing in self-pity over such a trivial obstacle!
The shock felt greater precisely because this was something that never occurred in the future I had known.
The Jingyeon Trading Company had sold their figurines without any such interference.
Yet no business venture escapes obstruction from rival trading companies.
Just as the Palgap Pharmacy had faced various forms of interference at the outset.
Surely the Jingyeon Trading Master had faced such opposition as well, and if I know him as I do, he would have responded with forceful measures as a warning.
Such as assassination or ambush, for instance.
In this life, since I’ve brought the Wooden Puppet business under my control, the methods other trading companies use to counter me will naturally differ accordingly.
This is something I must accept to a certain degree.
But it’s quite intense, isn’t it?
Are they evaluating our trading company’s capabilities that highly?
Well, I’m grateful for that.
At that moment, the Ghost-Face Pao Elder looked at me and grinned widely.
“Now I see a merchant who has weathered every storm sitting before me.”
I bowed respectfully to his words.
“It is thanks to you, Elder, that I’ve grasped something important. I am truly grateful.”
“What did I do? Then let me ask again. Do you have any countermeasures?”
“Yes, Elder.”
I smiled with quiet confidence.
“Rumors must be countered with rumors.”
“Using barbarians to control barbarians?”
“Something similar to that.”
I would ensure that no one ever dared attack using the Wooden Puppet business again.
I rose from my seat and headed toward the trading company headquarters. I needed to assess the situation in detail and respond accordingly.
It was then that a group of children caught my eye.
They chattered noisily as they passed by me, and watching them, I stopped in my tracks.
“That’s it!”
“Pardon? Why suddenly, sir?”
At Palgap’s question, I chuckled softly.
“A brilliant idea has just occurred to me.”
And the method I had just conceived was one I had employed in my previous life.
I still don’t know who orchestrated this,
but you’re dead, you bastard.

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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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