The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 683

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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 683

Chapter 683. The Forged Receipt Incident (1)

Upon my return to Beijing, what awaited me was not merely Eun Jung-ho and Seo Hyang, but a torrent of others as well.
“Small Guild Master, your approval is needed on this.”
“What should we do about this matter?”
“Please, handle this one first.”
Well, I would have felt disappointed if there were no work waiting for me upon arrival.
Thus, the moment I returned, I bathed, ate, and immediately threw myself into the duties at hand.
Two days vanished in what felt like an instant before I could finally catch my breath.
Seo Hyang had shouldered so much of the burden in my absence—I could scarcely believe it.
Without her, matters would have spiraled into true catastrophe.
And Yeon Ju-hyuk’s contributions were equally invaluable.
During my time away, Seo Hyang had evidently subjected him to rather rigorous training, for his competence and efficiency now rivaled her own.
After completing today’s tasks, I made my way to my quarters, and the moment I finished washing, I collapsed onto my bed.
Ah! Today was truly exhausting.
“Kwee!”
At that moment, Geumryeong’s voice reached my ears. Turning my head, I saw Geum-ryeong fluttering through the window with rapid, graceful movements.
She could pass through walls if she wished, but doing so makes her hungry quickly, or so she claims.
I rose from the bed and received her in both hands.
“You’re back?”
“Kwee!”
Geum-ryeong had just returned from delivering a letter to Master.
Among the things Hwangbo Hui had entrusted to me was a beginner’s martial arts manual from Seolpung Palace.
And as the Lesser Palace Mistress, I bore the obligation to inform Master, the Palace Master, of this matter.
Of course, before that, Master would surely be delighted upon learning of it.
How could I possibly withhold such news?
I placed Geum-ryeong upon the bed and unfastened the reply from her tail.
Then I read the letter.

[The news you conveyed is indeed joyous. Cho Seol-hui is a martial arts manual I myself studied in my youth. My heart yearns to rush to Beijing at once, yet I find myself bound by current duties—a regrettable circumstance.]

The letter’s tone seemed measured, yet from the brushwork alone, I could discern Master’s true feelings.
One could sense how he was restraining an urge to dance with joy.

[Once my duties are complete, I shall come to Beijing. I have other matters to attend to regarding the court, so this is not a special journey.]

And the Emperor again, it seems.
These days, Master appears to be handling various matters under the Emperor’s command, though he hasn’t disclosed the details to me.

[If you come to Hubei before then, please send word through Geumryeong. Your master worries about his disciple constantly. Sleep at least three hours each day, I implore you.]

Master, I wish I had time for that myself.

[Cho Seol-hui is a most fundamental martial arts manual. Therefore, I hope the Small Guild Master will review it thoroughly and master it completely.]

Another assignment, then.
The rest was merely a simple greeting mixed with pleasantries.
Master continues to fare well, it seems.
“Squeak?”
Just then, Geum-ryeong tugged at my sleeve with her mouth.
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Squeak? Squeak!”
Ah… so I should pay her for running the errand, shouldn’t I?
Indeed, she never forgets her compensation.
I chuckled softly and produced a silver coin, which Geum-ryeong clutched as she tumbled across the bed.
As always, her love of money remains unwavering.
Now then, I ought to collect my reward from the Emperor for what I accomplished during that Jinan venture.
Two days had passed, yet the Emperor had not summoned me.
That is to say, he understood my intentions and was graciously allowing me to rest.
But I cannot allow him to overlook the compensation owed to me.
Soon, those dispatched from the Beijing Branch will return, and I should contact him through the Jingyeong Alliance then.
I must proceed with formally supplying whetstones to the Imperial Palace.

The next day.
After breakfast, just as I was about to begin my work.
The door burst open.
Palgap entered hurriedly.
“Young Master! An urgent visitor has arrived.”
“An urgent visitor?”
“They say they’ve come from the Geumsan Money Lender.”
From the Geumsan Money Lender? What could this be about?
Since I belong to the Merchant Guild, we maintain close relations with the money lenders, but having them seek me out so early in the morning rarely bodes well.
There’s a strong possibility something has gone wrong.
I tilted my head curiously, rose from my seat, and made my way to the Guest Reception Room.
The door slid open.
Inside, a man with a familiar face sat nursing a cup of tea, his expression grave.
“It’s been quite some time, Bo Vice-Master.”
“Ah! Small Guild Master!”
The Geumsan Money Lender had a Master at the top, with a Deputy Master as his successor below him.
And there were various departments, among which the one relevant to us was the Premium Exchange Division.
Unlike small personal transactions dealing in modest sums, this division handled large transactions with wealthy Manor Lords, high officials, or merchant guilds.
We met and conversed perhaps once every few months, so you could say we were fairly well acquainted.
Though our meetings were strictly business, meeting that frequently certainly counts as being close.
“Please, make yourself comfortable. I hope the refreshments suit your taste.”
“I was just thinking they’re quite delicious.”
“I’ll have some wrapped for you when you leave. Please share them with your staff.”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
He withdrew a handkerchief and wiped the perspiration from his brow.
It wasn’t even hot enough yet to warrant such sweating.
He exhaled heavily before speaking.
“The reason I’ve come so urgently is that we’ve discovered duplicate notes among the Eun Hae Trading Company’s promissory notes.”
“Duplicates? How could such a thing possibly exist?”
When issuing promissory notes, the branch number and issue number are always recorded on them.
Therefore, identical notes should not exist in this world.
“Precisely. Identical notes shouldn’t exist.”
“Wait a moment.”
I raised my hand as I spoke.
“If they’re identical notes, could they be… counterfeit?”
He nodded at my question.
“It appears to be the case.”
This is something that never happened in my previous life.
“But surely the Geumsan Money Lender’s anti-counterfeiting technology is among the finest?”
It’s precisely because of that technology that we can operate so many branches.
Otherwise, if we had to verify the serial numbers on every receipt, it would have taken considerable time, and we couldn’t have grown to this extent.
In any case, after the money is paid out, the receipt is sent back to the place that issued it.
It must have been during the inspection process of the returned receipts that the forged ones were discovered.
“That’s what I’ve been confident about, but….”
He too wore a troubled expression as he produced the receipt.
“See for yourself.”
I took the receipt and compared the two documents side by side.
“….”
I couldn’t help but be startled.
They were identical down to the smallest detail.
Even the anti-counterfeiting measures were exactly the same.
“Could it be that your money exchange’s anti-counterfeiting technology has been leaked?”
“We investigated that suspicion, but it wasn’t the case.”
He continued.
“First, we’ve processed the money that was mistakenly paid out as our loss, but the problem doesn’t end there.”
“They’ll continue using forged receipts going forward.”
“That’s correct.”
I couldn’t help but grow serious.
This wasn’t merely a problem for Geumsan Money Exchange—they were draining our Eun Hae Trading Company’s funds using forged receipts.
Which meant that until the genuine receipt for the paid-out transaction appeared, it would be our loss.
The same applied to others as well.
Wait.
At that moment, I sensed something strange emanating from the receipt I was holding.
“Could it be… that the receipt on the right is the forged one?”
“Pardon?”
Bo Vice-Master blinked and spoke.
“How did you know?”
“Ah! Have you found a way to identify forged receipts?”
Saying it that way meant I had discovered how to identify the forgery.
He shook his head at my question.
“That’s not it. We discovered the forgery because that particular receipt was a special case.”
“A special case, you say?”
“During the investigation, we found testimony that when the receipt was being written, an employee accidentally spilled tea on the receipt paper. So when we matched the tea stain with the stain in the receipt issuance ledger, they matched perfectly.”
“So that’s how you identified it as fake. Which means there are quite a few that haven’t been discovered yet.”
“Sigh… that’s right.”
I looked at the forged receipt in my right hand.
I could sense the aura of the Sura Blood Sect emanating from this receipt.
It wasn’t just a fleeting trace—it seemed to have lingered there for quite some time.
Now that I thought about it, the Sura Blood Sect must be suffering considerably because of my actions.
I began to suspect that with their funding dried up, they might be resorting to this to secure operational funds.
Of course, that doesn’t mean causing harm to so many people can be forgiven.
Besides, if those bastards had considered such things, would I have witnessed what I’ve seen until now?
In any case, this matter must be resolved.
It will cause tremendous damage to the Merchant Guild.
The Eun Hae Trading Company itself faces a crisis of significant loss.
“But how did you really know?”
“That is….”
I set down the two documents and spoke.
“Something about this one simply felt wrong.”
“…Pardon?”
“When I held this one, something felt distinctly foul.”
He wore an expression of bewilderment.
But what could he do when I said so?
“I see. Then I shall take my leave. Should anything else arise, I will visit again.”
“Yes. Please return safely.”
After seeing off Bo Vice-Master, I returned to my office.

That evening.
I had stepped out to the garden pavilion of the Beijing Branch.
I came here while pondering how to capture and crush those bastards.
Crushing them is one thing, but the greatest problem is capturing them in the first place.
Yet to accomplish this, I must seize their tail, and that is no simple matter.
It’s not as though I work at a money exchange….
Ah?
When a brilliant scheme suddenly occurred to me and I smiled without thinking, I sensed the presence of someone approaching.
And the fragrant scent of plum blossoms brushing against my nose.
If plum blossom fragrance drifts when it’s not the season for plums, there’s only one answer.
“Gwak Vice-Manager, what brings you to this place?”
“I heard you were here, so I brought some tea.”
“You could have sent a maidservant….”
“They’re bothersome, and I was coming this way anyway.”
“I shall enjoy it.”
I sat in the pavilion and drank the tea that Seo Hyang had poured for me.
“It’s delicious.”
“I’m glad. Palgap brewed this tea.”
“Is that so?”
“The Small Guild Master said you were here and gave me this teapot.”
“Ah….”
Palgap’s mischievous expression naturally came to mind.
“You seem to have something on your mind.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
I nodded and shared with her everything I had heard today.
It was sensitive information, but there was no harm in telling her.
Seo Hyang wasn’t the type to gossip, and she was my companion for life’s journey.
She had every right to know about this matter.
“I see. It certainly is a grave issue.”
“Indeed.”
Her eyes lost focus for a moment before returning to clarity.
“Ah….”
“What is it?”
“A very important guest will be arriving tomorrow.”
Who could that be?
“The Master of Geumsan Money Lender will be coming in person.”
“What?”
Her words caught me completely off guard.
And for good reason—the Master of Geumsan Money Lender was a figure so elusive that people questioned whether he even existed.
According to public knowledge, he was merely known as a supreme master of martial arts.
In his youth, he had been robbed of his accumulated fortune by bandits and barely escaped with his life.
Driven by a desire for vengeance, he encountered a stroke of fortune while fleeing.
Through that fortunate encounter, he learned martial arts, and through another twist of fate, he became a supreme master.
He resolved that others would never suffer the same injustice of having their money stolen, and thus established Geumsan Money Lender.
Because of this conviction, Geumsan Money Lender operated around a single principle.
[A customer’s money is precious]
A kind of motto displayed at every branch.
He also lent out the money he accumulated, charging interest, and the reason Geumsan Money Lender grew so rapidly was because the repayment rate on loaned funds was flawless.
With the Master himself being a supreme martial artist and the existence of those he trained—known as the Green-Robed Collectors—there was no possibility of defaulting and fleeing.
His relentless pursuit of debt collection also stemmed from that same principle: a customer’s money is precious.
In any case, the Master only appeared in person when the debtor was a martial master themselves….
Was the situation far more serious than I had thought?
.
.
.
The next day.
Palgap informed me of our visitor’s arrival.
“The… Master of Geumsan Money Lender has come in person.”
Just as Seo Hyang had said, he truly had come.
I rose from my seat and made my way to the guest reception room.
Opening the door and stepping inside, I found Bo Vice-Master and an unfamiliar man.
Bo Vice-Master’s expression was tense.
Then the man he had brought must be the Master of Geumsan Money Lender.
His prayers are no joke.
I nearly let out a hollow laugh.
Who on earth called this man a supreme master?
He’s definitely a Hwagyeong Master, not a supreme master.
The Master of Geumsan Trading House greeted me first.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I am Hwang San, Master of Geumsan Money Lender.”
“Ah, the pleasure is mine. I am Eun Seo-ho, Small Guild Master of Eun Hae Trading Company.”
“I apologize for this sudden visit.”
“Not at all. And please, feel free to speak casually. How could I be so formal with you?”
“I couldn’t possibly be so presumptuous with such a valued client.”
Wow.
His merchant demeanor is absolutely flawless.
But this appearance—it reminds me of someone.
– Squeak?
Geum-ryeong, what are you saying?
It’s not me.

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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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