The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 60

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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 60

Chapter 60. Catching the Rat (5)

I see. So even the Jin Merchant Lord doesn’t know their true identities.
But I do.
They were sent by the Dong Merchant Guild.
I know this because in my previous life, when the Jin Merchant Lord was attacked, the enraged Emperor launched an investigation and eventually uncovered the perpetrators.
The Emperor ordered the extermination of the Dong Merchant Lord and all his subordinates involved—three generations of their families.
Honestly, I felt no pity for them, as it was of their own making.
But during that investigation, countless innocent people suffered greatly.
Some died under brutal torture, and many others were left crippled.
Why should the innocent bear the consequences for crimes they did not commit?
But this time will be different.
First, the Jin Merchant Lord isn’t on death’s door, and besides, I’m here now.
I approached the masked intruders. Their masks had already been removed.
I picked up one of their masks, examined it, and let out a soft chuckle before speaking.
“This fabric is fanping weave, one of the cotton textiles from Jiangsu Province.”
“Fanping weave?”
“It’s a term used among merchants who deal in textiles. You know how many threads are in one bolt of cotton cloth, don’t you?”
“Of course. Eighty threads, isn’t it?”
“Yes, fanping weave uses less than five bolts, yet its quality is as good as five-bolt cloth, so it’s used widely everywhere. Especially for making garments. And…”
I pointed to a specific part of the mask.
“Interestingly, even when dyed black with ink, the edges of the fabric sometimes remain undyed.”
The Jin Merchant Lord nodded as he observed the undyed portion I showed him.
“Indeed! That’s right!”
“To prevent insects, a special oil with a distinctive scent is lightly applied to both ends of the fabric. Only one place uses this special oil.”
“So that’s how you identified it as fanping weave from Jiangsu Province?”
“Yes.”
“Impressive.”
“It’s merely a humble skill of a merchant who deals in textiles.”
This was knowledge I had gained through experience when I took over the Eunhae Textile Shop.
And currently, there is only one place that exclusively sells this fanping weave.
It is the Dong Merchant Guild.
The Dong Merchant Guild is based in Jiangsu Province.
The textile producers had to work under harsh conditions beneath the Dong Merchant Guild at that time.
The contract terms were unfavorable to them—a coercive agreement.
When the Dong Merchant Guild collapsed, they seized the opportunity and broke free, achieving considerable renown.
“But couldn’t they have purchased that fabric and made the mask from it?”
“As I mentioned, there are cases where the edges of the fabric remain undyed.”
“…?”
“Specifically, when the edges of the fabric haven’t been cut away. And when wholesale transitions to retail, the edges are always trimmed. It’s done to conceal the residual oils.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means fabric before sale—and there’s only one place where such fabric can be obtained.”
By this point, my counterpart understood.
Jin Woo-rim smiled bitterly and nodded.
As one mystery unraveled, another seemed to occur to him, and he asked me a question.
“But how did you know we were under attack and come to our aid?”
“How would I have known you were under attack? I simply happened to hear the sounds of fighting on my way to buy noodles for those who had worked hard today, so I came to investigate.”
I scratched behind my ear.
“I’m naturally quite curious….”
“A true merchant through and through!”
“Haha, it seems so. In any case, I’m relieved you’re all safe.”
I spoke to him.
“Ah, I’m late with introductions. I’m Eun Seo-ho, son of the Eunhae Trading Company’s leader.”

* * *

Jin Woo-rim gazed upon the well-maintained garden.
He and his companions were now at the Eunhae Merchant Guild Sichuan Branch. Eun Seo-ho had invited them to recover from their wounds here.
Thanks to this, they received excellent treatment and their injuries had nearly healed.
‘What a fine place this is.’
After carefully observing the branch during his stay, he had reached that conclusion.
Then a Golden Robe Guard Warrior spoke to him.
“An escort sent by His Majesty awaits in the nearby forest.”
“I understand.”
“And they say an investigation into the Dong Merchant Guild is underway.”
Thanks to Eun Seo-ho, he had learned who the culprits behind the attack were.
Because of this, innocent people would be spared suffering, and for that too he was grateful to Eun Seo-ho.
‘I’m accumulating quite a debt.’
Now I had to leave.
I had not yet completed the Emperor’s command.
Being attacked was one thing, but I had to fulfill my duty.
For the peaceful lives of ordinary people, I had to complete the Emperor’s orders without fail.
I cherished the people, and that’s why the word “coexistence” that Eun Seo-ho spoke of sounded so pleasant to me.
I conveyed my gratitude to Branch Manager Eun Myung-sang and, just to be sure, asked cautiously.
“Does the Branch Manager happen to know who I am?”
“Of course I do. I’m a merchant myself, and my connections are quite extensive—how could I not know?”
He continued speaking.
“I understand you are a person of considerable influence in Guizhou. I’m fortunate to have found you.”
Had he claimed not to know me, I would have harbored some suspicion.
But his acknowledgment of knowing me dissolved my doubts entirely.
“I wish to repay my Branch Manager for this favor.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Tell me what you desire. I shall repay you to the extent of my ability.”
“Then, I would ask that you take good care of your health.”
“…Your repayment is that I maintain my health?”
“Yes. If a life I’ve saved passes away prematurely due to poor health management, wouldn’t that be a tragedy?”
“Hahahaha.”
Jin Woo-rim found himself laughing heartily at those words.
“You’re right! I shall do exactly that!”
Eun Myung-sang inwardly marveled at his satisfied expression.
‘This Eun Seo-ho….’
Every response he had given today was something Eun Seo-ho had taught him.
Should the question arise about whether I knew him, or if he asked about repayment, this was how I should answer.
And Jin Woo-rim’s expression upon hearing his response was one of deep satisfaction.
‘What manner of person is this fellow that he takes such pains?’
Eun Myung-sang still did not know precisely who Jin Woo-rim was.
Eun Seo-ho had not told him.
Thus, Jin Woo-rim and his party departed from the Merchant Guild Headquarters.

The Eunhae Merchant Guild Sichuan Branch returned to its ordinary routine.
Yet something was subtly shifting.
Until recently, despite operating in Sichuan, there had always been a sense of standing apart, of not quite belonging.
But those days were gone.
The common people now seemed to recognize the Sichuan Branch as merchants of Sichuan itself, one of their own.
Eun Myung-sang thought that alone made distributing salt freely well worth the cost.
Still, salt prices continued their relentless ascent, climbing ever skyward.
‘That said, I heard the Dan Clan Merchant Guild exhausted all their liquid capital buying salt….’
They were the ones who had corrupted one of the Sichuan Branch’s senior managers and spread baseless rumors that the Jamu Dolls possessed ‘souls within them’ to incite attacks.
Yet knowing what lay ahead, I felt a twinge of pity for them.
.
.
.
A fortnight later.
The Salt Distribution Edict was enacted.
.
.
.
The Dan Clan Merchant Leader found himself bewildered by his subordinate’s report.
His subordinate had spoken of the Salt Distribution Edict in such incomprehensible terms that he could make no sense of it.
“What? Salt… salt distribution… edict? What in blazes is all this commotion about?”
“My lord, the Emperor’s imperial decree has been posted at every county office throughout the realm. I have transcribed the most crucial provisions regarding the Salt Distribution Edict for your review.”
The Merchant Leader snatched the paper from his subordinate’s hands and began to read.
“….”
His hands trembled uncontrollably.
Crash—!
Unable to contain his fury, he brought his fist down upon the wooden table.
It was a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
“Curse it! Damn it all!”
Watching salt prices climb ever higher, he had poured every remaining coin into purchasing more—only to face complete ruin.
He racked his brain for solutions, but none came.
“Blast… blast! Blast!”
There was only one path forward.
He would have to offload the salt at a pittance to the Yeompyeong Merchant Guild, the Imperial Direct Merchant Guild.
“This is no different from scattering expensive salt to the winds!”
The mention of scattering to the winds suddenly recalled a report he had received not long ago.
A report that the Eunhae Merchant Guild Sichuan Branch had distributed salt freely in the Slum District.
At the time, he had thought them mad for such foolishness.
Yet the Eunhae Trading Company, too, was a merchant guild pursuing profit.
They must have calculated that distributing salt freely in such a manner would yield greater profit than hoarding it in warehouses.
As a result, the public’s evaluation of the Eunhae Trading Company was exceptionally favorable.
‘Come to think of it, the Eunhae Trading Company only purchased salt in the very beginning, so the quantity was quite limited.’
In other words, they had never intended to stockpile salt in the first place.
Their purpose was simply to distribute it among the people.
Then why did they scatter the salt instead of hoarding it?
‘Could they have known about this beforehand?’
A reasonable suspicion took root in my mind.
At that moment, my Subordinate spoke carefully.
“But what shall we do about this afternoon’s gathering, sir?”
This afternoon, there was a meeting of the Sichuan merchant lords.
The atmosphere would surely be dreadful.
It was evident that this measure would cause considerable losses to numerous trading companies throughout Sichuan.
But precisely because of this, the merchant lords would attend today’s meeting.
To obtain whatever information might reduce their losses, however slightly.
I was no different.
.
.
.
That evening.
The Dan Clan Merchant Leader entered a tavern in the Provincial Capital.
It was the venue for today’s merchant lords’ gathering.
“Welcome, sir.”
Though greeted warmly by the Shop Attendants, the atmosphere was not as pleasant as he had anticipated.
The merchant lords who usually carried themselves with arrogance sat with gloomy expressions, merely emptying their cups.
The banquet hall, which had once been lively with sharp and substantive discourse, now echoed only with the music of the courtesans’ instruments.
Though occasional conversations could be heard.
Then it happened.
“This atmosphere is simply unbearable, gentlemen.”
A man entered, and the mood shifted. His name was Eun Myung-sang.
The Branch Manager of the Eunhae Merchant Guild Sichuan Branch.
Since the branch managers of each trading company were also invited, he too had attended the banquet.
The merchant lords had many questions about the Eunhae Trading Company.
“Now that I think about it, the Eunhae Trading Company didn’t purchase salt in the beginning either, did they? Could it be that you knew about this beforehand and withdrew?”
To that question, Eun Myung-sang replied.
“What are you saying? Withdrew? We purchased the salt from the start with the intention of distributing it freely, not as an investment whatsoever.”
They fell silent for a moment.
They too understood what the Eunhae Trading Company had gained by distributing salt freely.
Reputation.
The Eunhae Trading Company had earned a reputation.
While a few other trading companies followed suit and distributed salt freely, the vast majority did not.
No, I could not.
I scraped together every coin I had, borrowed what I didn’t, and purchased salt at an exorbitant price.
I simply lacked the means.
Someone posed a question.
“Then the Eunhae Trading Company did not involve itself in this salt matter from the beginning?”
“That is correct.”
“That makes no sense! How could the Eunhae Trading Company simply let such an opportunity slip away….”
At those words, Eun Myung-sang smiled and continued.
“Well, we determined it was too risky. The information we obtained from above suggested as much, and even a moment’s thought made it clear the Imperial Palace would intervene.”
….
“Thus, we excluded ourselves from this venture entirely from the start.”
At his words, the Dan Clan Merchant Leader found himself questioning him sharply.
“I never took you for such a man! How cunning of you! Why did you not share this information with us beforehand?”
“Share it? What are you talking about? I clearly mentioned it at our last gathering. I said something smelled dangerous about this, and it seemed wise to withdraw while we still could.”
….
Several others nodded in agreement.
They were the ones who had heeded Eun Myung-sang’s words, withdrawn early, and not only avoided losses but actually profited.
“That is true.”
“The Branch Manager certainly said as much.”
Observing this, Eun Myung-sang smiled inwardly.
‘That boy thought things through to this extent….’
He recalled his conversation with Eun Seo-ho.

“What? You want me to tell the other merchant lords at today’s gathering to withdraw?”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“Why would you share such crucial information?”
“Do you know what salt costs now? In such circumstances, how many would actually withdraw when told ‘we should step back’?”
“Hardly any.”
“Exactly. Most would dismiss it as a petty attempt at interference, but if they heed our words and avoid losses….”
“They become our allies.”
“Moreover, even if they do suffer losses, they cannot resent us. We warned them—they simply chose not to listen.”

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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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