Threads of Suspicion
BOOOOM!
Nam Cha-seong slammed both palms down on the table, his face twisted with rage as he bellowed at his youngest brother, Nam Sang-do.
“You’re telling me we got cleaned out again?”
“I’m sorry, brother. I never imagined the Palro Naval Forces would be waiting at the Nanjing docks.”
Even Nam Sang-do understood that this latest failure had been unavoidable, yet the thought of having to cook up more excuses for the provincial governor and officials filled him with irritation.
“Do you even know what people are saying out there?”
“Pardon?”
“They’re saying we don’t know dog shit from horse shit.”
“What does that…”
“Didn’t you once claim that if you dried and chopped dog shit into fine pieces, it would be indistinguishable from sea cucumber?”
“I did say that, but you were the one who told me to hold off, brother.”
“And right after those words left your mouth, the same joke started circulating through the brothels. Can you imagine what would have happened if we had deceived the governor and sent that message to the Prince of Yong as you suggested?”
“I apologize.”
“If you had bothered to listen even once to the rumors spreading from the red-light districts, wouldn’t you realize how much trouble your loose tongue has caused us?”
“That… I’m sorry.”
“Huu…”
Nam Cha-seong let out a long breath, forcing his fury back down before speaking again in a low voice.
“I’m sorry. This wasn’t something you could control, yet I lost my temper. You risked the eyes of the government troops to return like this. I should be grateful for that alone. I’ve been too on edge lately, with nothing going right. I took it out on you. Forgive me.”
“It’s nothing, brother.”
“Still, Sang-do.”
“Yes?”
“You mentioned that someone reported the presence of contraband on our ship, which brought them down on us. Correct?”
“That’s right. And among the merchants aboard, there really were a few who had smuggled goods.”
“Is that so?”
“We were simply unlucky. The Palro Naval Forces discovered our cargo first and found that man’s contraband in the process.”
Among the peddlers, quite a few made their living through smuggling. No matter how far one traveled across the Central Plains, the profits from legitimate trade could never match the quick gains of smuggling. Once someone tasted that temptation, it was nearly impossible to break free.
That was why many merchants dabbled in smuggling. And even if caught, the usual punishment was simply losing the goods, receiving a few strokes of the rod, or spending a few days in jail. So they inevitably returned to it.
“Then it probably wasn’t someone connected to us who made the report.”
“To be honest, I can’t say that with certainty.”
“Really?”
“What is certain is that it wasn’t the same people who plundered our previous shipment.”
“Why do you think so?”
“At that time, only you and I knew the smuggling location. If they had known and launched an attack, they would have done the same this time—gathering information in advance, striking us, and stealing the goods.”
“Hmm… Listening to you, it does seem we were simply unlucky this time.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It can’t be helped. Still, since the Palro Naval Forces seized it, we should be able to recover most of it with a little bribe. Sang-do.”
“Yes, brother.”
“Let’s suspend the next smuggling run.”
“But then the smugglers from Haedong Kingdom…”
“Frankly, those bastards have begun to look suspicious to me.”
“Them, brother?”
“Yes…”
Two identical incidents in a row. Even if one called it bad luck, it was only prudent to be suspicious.
“So while you rest, look for other reliable partners besides them. Trading with the Japanese or the people of the Western Regions instead of Haedong doesn’t seem like a bad idea.”
“Understood. I’ll do that.”
“Good. You’ve endured a lot of hardship too. I’m sorry for raising my voice. Go rest.”
Once Nam Sang-do had left, Nam Cha-seong narrowed his eyes, clearly displeased with the current situation.
The financial loss from the seized contraband bothered him less than the damage to his credibility from failing to keep promises.
“If I have to ask the governor or officials for help over something like this, it will be truly humiliating…”
The lack of any clear solution was another problem.
“Where exactly did it get twisted?”
Nam Cha-seong was certain there was a knot somewhere, and if he could untangle it, the problems plaguing him would likely resolve themselves.
“First the gambling den, then the smuggling operation, and now the loan business… All of them are underground ventures.”
He mentally reviewed the secret illicit operations run by the Gangso Merchant Group.
They had suffered losses in every area except human trafficking and grave robbing.
“Those two don’t have bases in Jiangsu Province, so they escaped harm? That would mean our enemy is someone operating within Jiangsu.”
His thoughts deepened. He tried to recall any recent changes in the province.
“There haven’t been any major shifts… only that the number of people attached to the Haedong Merchant Group has increased slightly. But that’s normal for a trading company, so it probably isn’t worth worrying about.”
Beyond that, nothing particularly noteworthy had occurred in Jiangsu.
“Is there something I’m missing…?”
Without knowing who the culprit was, he had no way to strike back. The situation was beyond frustrating.
“In the end, I’ll have to borrow the hands of the Hao Gate?”
With their intelligence network, they might be able to provide answers.
After pondering alone with no results, Nam Cha-seong decided to visit the Hao Gate.
“Since I’m going anyway, I should also gather recent information on Jiangsu Province. There must be something I’ve overlooked.”
He rose from his seat.
Having thought of it, he wanted to handle the matter quickly and prepare countermeasures.
“So you’re saying someone is attacking your merchant group, but you have no idea who it might be?”
“Correct. Our legitimate businesses haven’t been touched yet, but every one of our illegal operations has run into trouble. If you look at recent changes in Jiangsu, the only notable events are the incident with the Untae Mountain Bandits of the Green Forest and the matter with the Black Demon Hall.”
“That’s not entirely accurate. Just as many things have happened in other regions of the Central Plains, many events have occurred in Jiangsu as well.”
“Is that so?”
“These are matters that tend to circulate quietly, so it’s possible you wouldn’t have heard. Now then, what information would you like to purchase from us?”
“General information on everything that has happened in Jiangsu Province. And if possible, I want to know who has been attacking our illegal businesses.”
“That’s quite a broad request. Since you are a regular customer, Lord Nam, I’ll provide the information for ten taels of silver.”
Nam Cha-seong thought that ten taels of silver meant the information probably wasn’t particularly valuable.
“Thank you.”
“First, allow me to tell you about the recent events in Jiangsu Province.”
Wu Do-mun, the branch leader of the Hao Gate’s Nanjing branch, verbally relayed the incidents that had taken place.
As he listened, Nam Cha-seong’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Because of these events, the movements of martial artists—separate from the merchants—have become noticeably more active.”
“Is the destruction of the Poyang Lake Fortress connected to what happened in our Jiangsu Province?”
“There is no direct connection. However, at the time, the pirates of Poyang Lake targeted a merchant ship. According to reports, the Haedong Merchant Group’s leader, his eldest son, and a young warrior who appeared to be an escort were aboard that vessel.”
“The Haedong Merchant Group?”
Nam Cha-seong’s expression grew intrigued.
“Yes. Also, I assume you already know about the incident inside the Wulin Alliance involving the second son of the Baemyeong Merchant Group, Bae Jae-man, and the young escort warrior from Haedong.”
“The Baemyeong Merchant Group asked for our help, but we refused.”
“A wise decision. Regarding your business sites, the only thing we’ve confirmed so far is that the one winning money at the gambling house and exchanging it for promissory notes is the young escort warrior from the Haedong Merchant Group. Nothing else has been identified.”
“The young escort warrior from Haedong?”
“Correct. There are also rumors that he won money at the gambling den, and when the Black Demon Hall accepted a request from the Baemyeong Merchant Group to kill the young warrior, they were instead completely wiped out.”
The story was sensational enough that people still occasionally spoke of it.
“Furthermore, the Black Demon Hall’s assets and all their business operations were absorbed by a place called Sinfungjang in the blink of an eye.”
“Hmm… Then there must be some connection between Sinfungjang and that young escort warrior.”
“We would need to investigate further to be sure, but based on what has been revealed so far, there is no connection.”
“Truly?”
“It seems too coincidental to be mere chance, so we are expanding our investigation to include Sinfungjang, the young warrior, and even the Haedong Merchant Group itself. However, we have yet to find any definitive links.”
“I see.”
“You are already aware that the number of people at the Haedong Merchant Group has increased, yes?”
“I am.”
“In the future, whenever you plan any schemes or actions against the Haedong Merchant Group, you must keep in mind their guest elder, the Sword Crazy, Baek Do-san.”
“Are you saying Baek Do-san is with the Haedong Merchant Group?”
Nam Cha-seong asked in surprise.
“Yes. He is currently traveling on a trading mission with the group’s leader, Yi Ja-saeng.”
Nam Cha-seong’s brow furrowed involuntarily.
The Haedong Merchant Group had once been counted among the Ten Great Merchant Groups. Its hidden strength could not be ignored. Moreover, although Yi Sang-woo had withdrawn to the rear, if the former supreme leader stepped forward, his personal connections alone would be enough to rebuild the group to a considerable degree.
“It seems we’ve missed quite a few things.”
“No one’s work can be perfect, so such oversights are inevitable. In truth, even we collect and categorize vast amounts of information, but roughly thirty percent of it turns out to be useless, so we cannot catch everything.”
“Understood. In that case, may I ask for the branch leader’s personal opinion?”
“What opinion would that be…?”
“Do you think the Haedong Merchant Group will rise again?”
At Nam Cha-seong’s question, Wu Do-mun thought for a moment before nodding.
“I haven’t lived long enough to claim great wisdom, but from the life I’ve experienced and the countless pieces of information I’ve handled, I’ve come to one conclusion.”
“And what is that?”
“That life and business are like surging waves.”
Nam Cha-seong looked at him, silently asking for an explanation.
“Waves created by surging water have clear highs and lows. Where there are peaks, there must also be troughs. The same applies to life and business. There are times to rise, and there are times to fall.”
“Hmm…”
“No matter how comfortable a person’s life may seem, I believe these waves apply to everyone. The only difference is that some face the small waves of a shallow beach while others confront the massive waves of the distant ocean. Life and business are much the same.”
“I understand what you mean.”
“I hope our information proves greatly helpful to the Gangso Merchant Group.”
“It has been helpful.”
Nam Cha-seong placed one gold tael before him.
“Considering the quality of both the information and the advice, I thought this was a cheap price and added a little more.”
Seeing the gleaming gold coin, Wu Do-mun smiled brightly.
“Haha, my life lacks for nothing these days, yet when I see something that shines like this, I can’t help but grin. I don’t know why.”
“There’s no harm in having more. Isn’t that why everyone struggles so desperately to earn it?”
“Indeed. Please visit us often.”
“I will. Today’s information was truly useful.”
Nam Cha-seong gave a slight bow to Wu Do-mun before leaving the Hao Gate’s Nanjing branch, the Manhwa Pavilion.
Once he was gone, Wu Do-mun let out a sigh.
“I gave him the information as requested, but I have no idea what he’s thinking. The Gangso Merchant Group is by no means an easy opponent.”
Wu Do-mun had received orders from the gate master, Mumyeong, to provide accurate information if the Gangso Merchant Group ever came asking.
“Well, watching for now should reveal the general outline soon enough.”