The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 687

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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 687

Chapter 687. Cho Seol-hui (1)

After successfully resolving the counterfeit note incident, my companions and I returned to the Beijing Branch.
Of course, we dispelled the Divine Transformation Technique and returned to our original appearances.
I wondered if Kang Il had reunited well with his family.
Well, the Sect Leader surely showed him proper consideration.
The staff welcomed me upon my return.
“Did you have a successful business trip, sir?”
“Yes. Thank you all for your hard work in my absence.”
“Young Master!”
Palgap came rushing toward me from a distance, his footsteps thundering.
“How could you leave me behind! Do you know how much I’ve missed you?”
“I missed you too. Let’s go inside.”
I entered the office with a refreshed body and mind after a thorough wash.
“Welcome back.”
“Thank you for your diligent work.”
Seo Hyang tapped the wooden table in the office as she spoke.
“Please, have a seat.”
“Of course.”
Thus I plunged into the depths of administrative work.
Still, the business experience from the pawn shop proved invaluable—I could now examine documents with a perspective different from before.
Perhaps this is why experience matters so much.
But work is work, after all.
There’s no such thing as effortless labor in this world.

It wasn’t until that night that I finally managed to escape the sea of work.
“Phew….”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“The aftermath of being away for the past fortnight is quite substantial.”
“Usually it’s not this severe. However, summer is approaching soon.”
Indeed, summer was the season of the Jak Pung Organization.
“Still, I’m worried about this coming summer. There will be quite a bit of rain this season.”
“Summer rain is manageable. Isn’t autumn rain the real problem?”
If rain fell frequently in autumn when the crops needed to ripen, the lack of sunlight would damage the harvest.
Fortunately, this year wouldn’t see much rain in autumn. However, summer would bring considerable rainfall.
“That’s what I wanted to mention—I suddenly had a thought. What if we engraved our company’s name on umbrellas and distributed them to our employees? Wouldn’t that serve as excellent promotion?”
Hmm?
Now that I thought about it, that was quite a brilliant idea.
“And by carrying such an umbrella, it becomes a matter of pride…—a way of fostering a sense of belonging.”
“That’s an excellent idea.”
I smiled with satisfaction and asked.
“Usually people think of painting beautiful designs on umbrellas, so how did you come up with such a notion?”
“I was thinking how wonderful it would be if the Eun Hae Trading Company became widely known everywhere, and suddenly this idea came to me.”
“I see. Thank you. For caring so deeply about the Eun Hae Trading Company.”
“We’re all in the same boat now. If I don’t cherish the Eun Hae Trading Company, who will?”
At her words, I laughed lightly.
The plum blossom fragrance that emanated from her seemed particularly enchanting today.
I should implement Seo Hyang’s proposal immediately.

The next day.
I rose early in the morning and trained at the Training Ground.
As always, Seo Hyang also came to practice martial arts with me.
That was when Palgap approached.
“Young Master! A messenger has just arrived!”
“A messenger?”
“Yes. They brought word that those departing from Jinan will arrive around lunch today.”
Ah! So the handover at the Jinan stone quarry has finally been completed.
That means people from the Eun Hae Trading Company Headquarters have arrived at the Jinan stone quarry and are proceeding with operations.
This is welcome news indeed.
“Ah! And I hear the Merchant Guild Leader is also among the party.”
“What? Father is coming?”
I’m delighted to see Father!
But that aside, I need to move quickly.
If we happen to face an unexpected inspection, it could become troublesome.
“Palgap. Bring Eun Jung-ho and the Branch Manager at once.”
“Understood.”

Around midday that day.
Those who had been dispatched to the stone quarry in Jinan, Shandong Province, returned to the Beijing Branch.
And from one of the carriages emerged a familiar face.
Eun Jung-ho and I bowed respectfully to Father.
“Your son Eun Jung-ho pays his respects to Father.”
“Your son Eun Seo-ho pays his respects to Father.”
Eun Jung-ho’s family and Seo Hyang also came out to pay their respects to Father.
Father graciously received our greetings and exchanged pleasantries with the Branch Manager.
“We pay our respects to the Merchant Guild Leader.”
“You have always worked hard. I look forward to your continued service.”
“I am always prepared to dedicate myself entirely.”
We went inside and gathered as a family in the Guest Reception Room to talk.
“How is the family in good health?”
At Eun Jung-ho’s question, Father nodded.
“Yes. Everyone is well.”
“That is a relief.”
“I never expected Father to come in person.”
Father laughed at my words.
“Haha, with such a large stone quarry coming to our Eun Hae Trading Company, of course I had to see it myself.”
He seemed to be in excellent spirits.
“In truth, I was troubled by Baekcheon Trading Company’s monopoly on the whetstone production area. But then you brought me the news that you had purchased a whetstone production area—ta-da!”
“So that is why you are in such good spirits.”
It felt like drinking cool, refreshing water on a sweltering summer day.
“I’m glad it proved beneficial to the Trading Company.”
“However, I heard that the Namgung Family Estate sent ronin mercenaries to assault that stone quarry.”
“That’s correct. Fortunately, with the assistance of the Geumui Guard and the Hwangbo Family, we were able to repel them.”
Father nodded at my response.
“So I heard. I went personally to the Hwangbo Family to express my gratitude. Of course, that didn’t mean they reduced the whetstone prices.”
Typical of Father.
I chuckled softly and added my explanation.
“And we’re preparing to supply whetstones produced from that quarry to the Imperial Palace. Once that happens, the Namgung Family Estate won’t dare interfere with the operation.”
“A sound strategy.”
“And just to be safe, we should strengthen the security there.”
In a few years, the Baekcheon Trading Company’s newly acquired quarry would no longer be able to produce whetstones.
The stone reserves would be depleted.
When that time comes, there’s no telling what they might attempt.
As the saying goes, it’s better to prepare in advance than to be caught unprepared.
“I’ll be meeting with the Emperor soon, so I’ll handle that matter personally.”
“See that you do.”
Father withdrew documents he had brought and handed them to me.
“Our engineers have compiled a survey of that quarry. Use this as reference when preparing for the Imperial Palace delivery.”
“Thank you.”
Father smiled and changed the subject.
“And the reason I came in person wasn’t just about the quarry—it’s also about your marriage.”
Ah, my wedding is only a few months away now.
It’s already June.
“So we have only about four months left.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Father produced another envelope and handed it to me.
“This contains everything we’ve prepared so far. If anything is missing, write it down and send it to me.”
“Understood.”

That evening.
I asked Lee Pil Warrior to deliver a letter to Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster.
There was no point in dragging out the matter of supplying whetstones to the Imperial Palace.
Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster received my message and visited the Beijing Branch.
“So-sang greets the Great Swordmaster.”
“Yes, I heard you’ve been traveling. Did you have a good journey?”
As expected, he knew about my absence.
“The Emperor’s grace always remains with me, so I find peace wherever I go.”
“Ha ha ha. I see. Then let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I entered the Imperial Palace alongside Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster.
Shortly after, I was able to meet the Emperor.
I performed the highest courtesy, and the Emperor nodded and spoke.
“Raise your head.”
“Your Majesty’s grace is boundless.”
I lifted my head and looked at the Emperor.
“I told you to rest and left you alone… yet where have you been running about so busily?”
“There was an urgent matter, Your Majesty.”
I explained the entire situation to the Emperor.
“Surely we cannot simply ignore those who forge promissory notes?”
“So you took action yourself?”
“Yes. And during that investigation… there was one matter I needed to report.”
I explained how the Namgung Family was behind introducing the job to Kang Il’s father.
“Indeed… it is suspicious.”
“It is. While we lack physical evidence, we have considerable circumstantial evidence.”
“I understand. I will take that into consideration.”
The Emperor clicked his tongue as he looked at me.
“Do you seek out trouble, or does trouble seek you out?”
“If I knew that, would I be so busy?”
“You certainly are a man blessed with work.”
“It is my fate, so I accept it.”
As expected, a smile played at the Emperor’s lips.
Sigh, please stop teasing me.
I’m already irritated enough as it is.
“So what can we do? Since I’m blessed with so much work, shouldn’t I at least earn good money from it?”
I continued.
“Speaking of which, is there nothing this time?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“When I caught that swindler selling medicine made from earthworm root, I worked quite hard as well.”
I went on.
“I don’t believe Your Majesty would offer no compensation simply because my name doesn’t appear in the official documents….”
At my words, the Emperor responded with a benevolent expression.
“Of course not. How could I think such a thing?”
Yet his benevolent tone only made me more suspicious….
The Emperor retrieved a pouch from his wooden table and handed it to the Eunuch, who accepted it and passed it to me.
“What is this?”
“Open it.”
I opened the pouch and saw the gold coins inside.
It appeared to be about ten taels.
“Will that suffice?”
“Your Imperial Grace is boundless.”
Sensing the Emperor was about to dismiss me, I quickly continued.
“Your Majesty, I have a matter to present to you.”
“What is it?”
“Our Eunhae Trading Company wishes to supply whetstones to the Imperial Palace.”
“Whetstones?”
“Yes. We recently discovered a quarry, and it has received high praise for its quality.”
“Is that so.”
The Emperor looked toward the Eunuch, who understood his intent and nodded in acknowledgment.
“I shall summon the official in charge of this matter.”
After a brief wait, an Imperial Official entered.
“Your humble servant, the Minister of Works, pays respects to His Imperial Majesty. Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor!”
Wow….
He had summoned the highest-ranking official of the Public Works Department.
“Rise and lift your head.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“The Eunhae Trading Company here wishes to supply whetstones to the Imperial Palace.”
“As it happens, we were in negotiations regarding a change in our existing whetstone suppliers.”
The Minister of Works answered thus, then asked me a question.
“Are you perhaps reselling whetstones purchased from the Baekcheon Trading Company?”
“No. A whetstone quarry was discovered on a mountain recently purchased by our Eunhae Trading Company. The whetstones extracted from that location possess exceptional quality, and we wish to supply them to the Imperial Palace.”
“I see!”
He asked with a relieved expression.
“May I inquire about your proposed price first?”
“Half a tael of silver per forty catties of whetstones.”
“…!”
At my words, his expression showed utter astonishment.
“Such a low price?”
He then spoke to the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, this is an exceptionally satisfactory proposal in terms of price. Those currently in negotiations are demanding higher rates.”
“How much did they raise the price?”
“They’re calling for nearly double the previous price. However, since they have a monopoly on the whetstone production areas, we couldn’t simply refuse, so I was deliberating.”
So that’s why he asked about the price first.
They’re demanding one silver tael for forty jin of whetstones?
Baekcheon Trading Company—these shameless extortionists!
The Emperor’s expression darkened as well, sharing my sentiment.
“So even with conditions for convenience, we would need to contract at quite an expensive price. There’s no reason to refuse such a proposal.”
He continued.
“However, since the quality of whetstones supplied to the Imperial Palace is of utmost importance, we must verify it.”
“I’m confident in the quality of those whetstones.”
I added clarification to the Emperor’s remark.
“We’ve already signed supply contracts with the Hwangbo Family and Baek Yeom Merchant Guild. The whetstones are of such excellent quality that they praised them highly. Furthermore, since the whetstones come in various grades of coarseness, you can select and receive the ones you prefer.”
The usefulness of whetstones varies depending on their coarseness, after all.
“If Baek Yeom Merchant Guild praised them, there’s nothing more to consider.”
“Then let us discuss the details outside.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I shall take my leave, Your Majesty.”
Thus we withdrew from the Emperor’s presence.
“Your name is Eun Seo-ho, correct?”
“Yes, Minister of Works.”
“Coming to us with such perfectly timed supplies! I’m truly grateful.”
I smiled awkwardly and asked.
“It seems you were reluctant to contract with Baekcheon Trading Company.”
He shook his head with a weary expression.
“Sigh, there’s no choice. I must manage the Imperial Palace’s affairs with limited funds, and I cannot allow expenditures to suddenly increase like that.”
The Minister of Works possesses a truly admirable spirit.
That money comes from taxes paid through the blood and sweat of the Empire’s people.
I could feel his determination not to waste even a single coin of those taxes.
“Spending money recklessly without accounting for even a single coin—that’s the one thing His Imperial Majesty despises most. If caught doing that, you’re forced to do farm labor for three days.”
“Ah….”
Indeed, direct experience teaches better than mere words.
Thus we headed to the Government Office and consulted with the Minister of Works and other officials regarding the supply contract before leaving the Imperial Palace.
.
.
.
The next day.
As soon as I opened my eyes early in the morning, I performed my breathing exercises.
Since I had woken up a bit earlier than usual, I decided to tackle a task I had been putting off.
Examining Cho Seol-hui, the foundational martial arts manual of Seolpung Palace.
Master would be arriving in Beijing soon.
So I need to study Cho Seol-hui before Master arrives.
With that thought, I began reading Cho Seol-hui.
This was my tenth time reading it. Honestly, there were quite a few passages I didn’t fully understand.
In such cases, reading multiple times is indeed a method.
As I turned the final page.
“Hm?”
On the inside of the book’s back cover, something that hadn’t been visible before now appeared clearly.
What is this…?

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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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