The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 52

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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 52

Chapter 52. False Rumors Spread Thus (2)

The next day.
A meeting convened at the Eun-wol Pavilion, and I attended as well.
“We’ve uncovered the source of these rumors.”
Father spoke thus and slid forward the document he had placed before him.
“It’s a report sent by the Hao Organization.”
So he had indeed utilized the Hao Organization.
Our own information could flow into their channels, so we had to expend considerable additional effort, but among the intelligence networks available to us, they remained the most trustworthy.
Recalling the information we received when uncovering Gong Mil’s whereabouts made me sigh.
Jeok Gak-ju seized the document and unfolded it.
“It’s Sichuan Province.”
“Indeed.”
“And the likely candidates are….”
Intelligence organizations invariably provide only information proportional to the payment received. The Hao Organization was no exception—they did not furnish precise or detailed intelligence.
This time too, they merely identified several suspect trading companies.
This truly infuriated me.
These worthless fools who took money and delivered nothing of value.
I composed myself and examined the candidates. Then I exhaled.
I sensed I already knew the answer.
The Dan Clan Merchant Guild.
It could be nowhere else.
Yeon Gak-ju, who had been reviewing the documents alongside me, spoke.
“It’s them—the Dan Clan Merchant Guild.”
“I concur.”
The others shared this assessment as well.
“It appears the Dan Clan Merchant Guild orchestrated this affair.”
I chuckled inwardly.
“That greedy old codger would naturally be capable of such a thing.”
Yeon Gak-ju continued.
“The question is where exactly our surveillance network was compromised.”
They were one of the trading companies that manufactured decorative dolls, and we had been monitoring them.
Yet their surveillance network had been breached?
This meant either something had gone wrong at our branch in Sichuan Province, or the Dan Clan Merchant Guild had moved with such secrecy as to evade our observation.
“Could there be another collaborator involved?”
Father nodded at Eun Jung-ho’s words.
“That’s certainly possible. Since we can’t judge anything at this moment… the immediate problem is how to respond to these malicious rumors about the Jade Automaton.”
At Father’s words, everyone let out a sigh.
“It would be such a waste to abandon a business we’ve already started, especially one that will bring us nearly permanent income going forward, wouldn’t it?”
As he spoke, he glanced at me.
It seemed he was keeping me in mind.
In truth, the reason the Eunhae Trading Company had grown to this point was because we had made trust our greatest virtue.
Honestly, there was something the Eunhae Trading Company had lacked.
It was the ability to devise stratagems.
For the Eunhae Trading Company to become an even greater merchant guild, we needed the capacity to conceive clever schemes.
Knowing this, when Eun Jung-ho became the Merchant Guild Leader, I volunteered to take on the role of devising those stratagems.
It suited my aptitude well.
And so our guild, which had languished at the bottom of the Top Hundred Trading Companies of the World for years, began to climb higher.
I care deeply for the people of the Eunhae Trading Company.
So for their sake, and for the sake of the Eunhae Trading Company, I intend to take charge of devising a stratagem this time as well.
That doesn’t mean I intend to betray the trust that the guild values most.
Trust.
That is the virtue a merchant must uphold until the very end, the lifeline of any merchant.
I looked at Father and spoke.
“Father, may I offer a thought?”
“Of course. What is it?”
“I believe I have a good solution.”
I explained the stratagem I had been considering, and Father, along with the others, nodded in agreement.
“Excellent.”
“It’s not a bad approach.”
The others agreed with Father’s assessment. Then Eun Jung-ho spoke with an expression of admiration.
“How do you manage to come up with such tactics every time?”
Eun Jung-ho continued.
“I heard it was you who devised the stratagem of using the false to confuse the true when the previous Luzu of the Hwa Yeon Pavilion committed the injustice of setting fire to the Jaegyeong Pavilion.”
“Haha.”
I scratched behind my ear.
Whenever I received praise, my ear would itch—perhaps I had an allergic reaction to compliments.
Father called out to me.
“Seo-ho.”
“Yes, Father.”
“But to execute the stratagem you’ve proposed, there’s one condition that must be met first. Do you know what it is?”
“Yes, of course I do.”
I continued.
“A trustworthy person must take the lead in this matter.”
“Moreover, we cannot rule out the possibility that people in our branch in Sichuan Province have already been bought by them, so it’s all the more crucial that someone reliable goes.”
“That’s right.”
“And you must be able to move swiftly in response to changing circumstances.”
At Father’s words, Yu Chief Manager exhaled a long sigh. Jeok Gak-ju, observing Yu Chief Manager’s reaction, let out a quiet laugh.
Yeon Gak-ju also chuckled softly and spoke to Yu Chief Manager.
“What can we do? Our assistant is simply too capable.”
In other words….
“So then, Seo-ho. Go to Sichuan Province and return.”
Just as I had anticipated, Father commanded me to journey to Sichuan Province.
Sichuan Province was a natural fortress of sorts, and to reach it swiftly, one had to either navigate the treacherous Yangtze Three Gorges by boat, traverse the narrow and perilous Sword Gorge mountain path, or pass through the western jungles of the Sichuan Basin.
Of course, there was also the route through Shaanxi Province, but that would consume far more time.
This matter needed to be handled with urgency.
In other words, this journey would be grueling.
I would have preferred spending the entire day poring over documents in Yu Chief Manager’s office—it would have been a hundred times easier.
Yet I had no choice but to go to Sichuan Province.
Even without this task, I had already intended to journey there.
So when this matter arose, I felt a certain satisfaction about it.
However, when my response was delayed, it seemed the others interpreted it as hesitation.
Go External Chief Manager spoke.
“In truth, sending Young Master Jin-ho would also be an option. But do you think, sir, that Young Master Jin-ho could move with the necessary flexibility to adapt to circumstances?”
Elder Brother Jin-ho was truly a good person, but he could not tolerate injustice.
His sense of chivalry and justice were so overwhelming they became a liability.
“…It would be fortunate if he didn’t draw his sword and cause trouble.”
Indeed, as Jin-ho’s sword instructor, Go External Chief Manager knew my brother all too well.
Father continued speaking.
“The objective of this plan is to handle it as quietly as possible. Only then can we avoid giving the buyers any sense of resistance.”
Father had listened to my plan and seen through to its essence.
The ability to perceive the true nature of things.
That was Father’s greatest strength.
It was thanks to that ability that our trading company had risen to where it stands today.
“So go and return.”
Elder Brother Jung-ho interjected.
“Truth be told, I would like to go myself, but your elder brother is occupied.”
“….”
Indeed, Elder Brother Jung-ho was currently so busy managing a new venture that he had scarcely a moment to spare.
The most trustworthy person.
Someone who could adapt and move according to circumstances.
Someone with sufficient authority.
The person with the most free time.
There was truly no one but me who fit all these criteria.
So I had anticipated that I would be the one sent.
“And since this plan is your own design, you would understand it best. Wouldn’t you?”
At Eun Jung-ho’s words, Father nodded.
“Go and return safely.”
“Yes, Father.”

* * *

Sichuan Province.
The Dan Merchant Guild Master sat in his office, listening to a report.
“It appears the Eunhae Trading Company is suffering considerable losses because they cannot sell the automaton dolls.”
“Of course they are.”
“Regardless, it was a truly ingenious strategy.”
The Dan Clan Merchant Guild’s method of countering the losses caused by the Eunhae Trading Company’s automaton dolls was simple.
Prevent the automaton dolls from being sold.
To accomplish this, they spread malicious rumors about the automaton dolls.
The automaton dolls were crafted with such exquisite detail that they resembled real people.
Because of this, when rumors circulated that human souls were trapped within them, people found the claims plausible.
Those who felt an inexplicable unease refused to purchase the dolls, exactly as intended.
“This success is thanks to that person.”
“Indeed. He informed us that the Eunhae Trading Company was watching us.”
“And he even turned a blind eye to our actions. We must reward him handsomely for this.”
“See that you do. But remember—we must never divulge any of our information to him.”
“Of course not.”
A man who betrays once will betray again.
“The real concern is how the Eunhae Trading Company will respond to this.”
“The Eunhae Trading Company will abandon this venture.”
“But they’ve invested so much—will they really abandon it so easily?”
“Rumors cannot be suppressed so easily. The rumors will continue to follow the automaton dolls, and when that happens, the Government Authority will launch an investigation, will they not?”
“Ah!”
The Eunhae Trading Company’s leader surely understands this. Would he truly continue the venture despite knowing?”
“I see. But what if they refuse to abandon the business even then?”
“Then the Government Authority will investigate, and in the process, we’ll discover the manufacturing method for the critical components.”
“Ah!”
It was precisely this—the manufacturing method of the critical components—that had been their bottleneck in replicating the automaton dolls.
The manufacturing method of the critical components.
“With that knowledge, we can create similar dolls.”
“But then wouldn’t we be buried under the very filth we spread?”
“You might think so, but as long as they don’t resemble human forms, we’re fine.”
He chuckled.
“People are simpler than you’d think—they believe that anything that looks different is different.”
“Ah! Of course! How clever!”
The Dan Merchant Guild Master and his deputy broke into grins.
Before them, a rainbow-hued future gleamed brilliantly.

* * *

Clop, clop.
The rhythmic sound of hoofbeats echoed steadily.
I was now riding toward Sichuan Province on horseback.
The carriage carrying my belongings for use in Sichuan Province was following behind me.
The reason I rode ahead on horseback rather than taking the carriage was absolutely not because it was uncomfortable.
I needed to execute the strategy I had devised and simultaneously inspect the Eunhae Trading Company’s branch in Sichuan Province.
Should anyone at the Eunhae Trading Company’s branch have allied with the Dan Clan Merchant Guild, my arrival would alert them to my presence.
That could interfere with my plans.
Thus, I had requested that my journey to Sichuan Province be conducted in absolute secrecy.
Father had agreed that my reasoning was sound.
And so I was now riding ahead to Sichuan Province even more discreetly than planned.
“Goodness, Young Master. When do you plan to rest?”
At Palgap’s words, I turned my head slightly and asked.
“Why? Are you tired?”
“My backside is absolutely sore, sir.”
“For someone complaining so much, you ride quite well.”
I chuckled softly.
A personal attendant and a servant were fundamentally different roles.
A personal attendant served their master directly at his side, so they had to cultivate various skills befitting that position.
Though Palgap appeared clumsy as a bear, he was the son of a senior manager at the Eunhae Trading Company.
My grandfather had recognized the qualities of a personal attendant in Palgap from an early age and trained him accordingly, eventually making him my attendant.
Thus, horsemanship was merely the foundation—he also knew martial arts and could wield a sword reasonably well.
At that moment, a warrior from the Eunpung Corps who had come to escort me spoke.
“It would be wise to rest for a while, as Palgap suggests.”
To prepare for any contingency, a squad from the Eunpung Corps was following us.
Two of them had been assigned to escort me—warriors named Yeo Eung-am and Lee Pil.
It seemed Yeo Eung-am was frequently tasked with being my escort warrior.
“If you don’t rest at proper intervals, you’ll be exhausted by the time we reach Sichuan Province.”
That was true enough.
Sichuan Province had an intensely hot and humid climate that drained one’s vitality.
That was why spicy and fiery cuisine had flourished there—fighting heat with heat.
“Then let’s rest for a bit before continuing.”
“Yes, sir.”
We decided to rest briefly beneath a tree visible ahead.
“Whoa, whoa.”
We arrived beneath the tree and tethered the horse to the side. In the meantime, Palgap swiftly spread out our seating area.
“Please, sit here.”
“Thank you.”
“And how about some dumplings?”
Now that I thought about it, I was feeling a bit peckish. Besides, who knew what might unfold the moment we arrived in Sichuan Province.
So I ought to eat while I had the chance.
“Let’s eat.”
“Yes.”
I offered dumplings to Yeo Eung-am Warrior and Lee Pil Warrior as well.
It was just as the four of us sat in a circle, eating dumplings and sipping tea.
Suddenly, I felt something repugnant.
It was revulsion.
The same revulsion I had felt when visiting the Jegal Family Estate.
That meant the Black Path was in this vicinity.
I immediately rose from my seat and grasped the hilt of the sword at my waist.
At my actions, both Guard Warriors likewise placed their hands on their sword hilts.
“What is the matter?”
“There appears to be someone nearby.”
Then Yeo Eung-am Warrior closed his eyes briefly before opening them and spoke.
“Over there.”
He pointed to the very spot where I had sensed someone’s presence.
“What should we do?”
The best course of action here was to leave at once.
There was no good in needlessly confronting them and spilling blood.
So I was about to depart.
“Please, save me!”
Had it not been for a child’s voice calling out.

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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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