Imperial Silk Supply Competition (9)
Namgung Bo seethed inwardly as the managers huddled together, debating an appropriate price.
"...Considering transportation costs as well, we should charge at least fifteen nyang of silver for this Suzhou silk."
"I agree, that seems right."
They jotted down the agreed price and moved on to the next silk.
Swoosh.
At that moment, Namgung Bo picked up his brush and began writing a different price beneath it.
But the price was absurdly low.
Fifteen nyang became seven, twenty became ten.
The other managers gaped in horror at Namgung Bo, who was slashing prices by nearly half.
"Candidate Namgung, what is the meaning of this?"
"That's an outrageously low price!"
In response to their protests, Namgung Bo spoke with grave sincerity.
"We must win this competition. Please help me."
"When have we ever not helped?"
"Of course, I'm grateful. But just this once, trust me."
"But this is too cheap..."
"It's fine. The imperial family won't dislike a low price."
Namgung Bo lowered his voice further.
"Besides, some of the other merchant groups have written even lower amounts than what you've proposed."
As a martial artist, Namgung Bo could overhear the discussions from the other tables.
He'd wanted to eavesdrop on the Eunhae Merchant Group too, but for some reason, their voices were muffled.
Namgung Bo addressed the managers.
"That's why we need to offer an even lower price."
"..."
"In a supply competition, the lowest price wins, doesn't it?"
"Well, yes, but..."
"I'll take full responsibility."
With Namgung Bo insisting so firmly, the managers had no choice. After all, he was blood kin to the merchant lord and the representative for this competition.
And if they failed, the blame would fall squarely on him, since he'd said as much.
"Understood."
The time had come.
"Submit your papers now."
At the command, we handed our price sheets to the eunuch.
The Empress had them posted on the wall.
Thanks to that, everyone could see what each merchant group had bid.
Hmm, the lowest bid... from the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
I glanced at them. Namgung Bo's face beamed with smug confidence, as if victory was already his.
Is it, though?
The Empress isn't that simple.
Doesn't she know what 'appropriate pricing' means?
The next lowest was from a merchant group out of Sichuan Province.
Our Eunhae Merchant Group came in fourth lowest. But I had no intention of going any lower.
I was a merchant, after all.
"Hmm..."
The Empress examined the bids and summoned the eunuch.
"Eunuch Yu."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"What was the price we calculated in advance?"
When the eunuch stated the amount, the Empress nodded and declared,
"Any total below that gets the lowest score."
"Yes."
The eunuch drew thick red lines through three of the bids.
But ours was above it, so we avoided the bottom mark.
Namgung Bo raised his hand.
"I have an objection."
"Speak."
"If a merchant group offers a low price, doesn't the palace benefit? Why penalize the low bids with the lowest score?"
The Empress smiled enigmatically.
"Aren't you a merchant?"
"A... merchant, yes."
"Merchants pursue profit. For them to offer such low prices? It doesn't add up! The more they supply, the more they lose."
Exactly.
No matter how big the imperial silk deal was, if it meant operating at a loss, there'd be no reason to take it.
"..."
"So a merchant group has only two options. Lower the silk quality. Or cover the losses elsewhere."
The Empress smiled coldly.
"Like selling palace secrets, for instance. Do you think you wouldn't? Merchants hate losses more than anything."
"..."
"Either way, it's deceiving the imperial family."
I was genuinely impressed inside.
Wow, Her Majesty is incredible.
She sees right through it!
No wonder she was poisoned in my previous life. Someone like her must've been a threat to the Murim Alliance.
The Empress tapped our Eunhae Merchant Group's paper with her finger.
"The Eunhae Merchant Group takes only the barest profit. It's ambiguous."
An alarm blared in my head.
This could knock us out.
I stepped forward quickly.
"Might this humble merchant say a word?"
"Permission granted."
"As Your Majesty said, I am a profit-seeking merchant. And I confess plainly that our bid isn't the bare minimum profit you fear."
"Not the minimum?"
"No. Your Majesty factored in transport costs for acquiring the silk, but we did not."
"Explain in detail."
I described to the Empress the method I'd used in my previous life to grow the Eunhae Fabric Shop massively.
"...By buying high-quality silk at good prices, suppliers flock to us. So we don't need to spend on transporting silk to buy it. We just need a large warehouse."
"I see."
"Then we only transport it to the palace via well-maintained roads, leaving us profit above that amount."
I could say it confidently, thanks to my past life's experience.
The Empress nodded.
"That leaves a decent margin. But is it wise to reveal your method? Others might copy it."
"They might, but I'm not worried."
"Not worried?"
"Short-term profit is like sweet candy."
The Empress pondered briefly, then burst into laughter.
"Hohoho! Indeed it is."
It was the first time I'd seen her laugh so heartily.
She'd grasped the meaning behind "not worried."
Why wasn't I worried?
Because in my previous life, I'd learned almost no merchants could pull it off.
Buying high-quality goods at good prices is harder than it sounds.
A merchant's "good price" differs from a supplier's.
And customers have their own idea of "good."
The "good price" I meant was good for the supplier.
Not undercutting them, but paying fair value so you can sell without backlash— that means slimmer merchant margins.
It's obvious, but how many would actually do it?
And even if they tried, few could endure the low profits until results showed.
In my case, it worked because it was our Eunhae Merchant Group's ethos. And I was certain of the long-term gains.
Many merchant groups had tried copying my successful Eunhae Fabric Shop, but they all gave up quickly. That past life experience let me speak so boldly.
"But the Eunhae Merchant Group can do it?"
"We follow some unusual teachings passed down."
"I see. We can discuss that later sometime."
The Empress nodded firmly and addressed everyone.
"Here are the scores for each merchant group so far."
At her words, the eunuch hung a long scroll on the wall.
Seven scrolls listed each group's scores, with totals below.
As expected, ours was highest.
"And for this final stage, the Eunhae Merchant Group takes top marks. Therefore, the winner of this imperial silk supply competition is the Eunhae Merchant Group!"
Yes!
We did it!
I did it! Brother Jeong Ho!
This moment felt utterly joyful and happy.
The Empress, other consorts, princesses, and ministers withdrew, leaving only eunuchs and merchant group members.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
"Quite an impressive contest."
"I agree."
We exchanged greetings with the others.
In the merchant world, there are no eternal enemies or friends.
So even if it stung inside, we maintained amicable facades on the surface.
Except for the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
"Ahem!"
Namgung Bo stormed out without hiding his displeasure.
His managers approached me awkwardly to apologize.
The representative's foul temper must make life hard for his underlings.
I shot a glance at the door Namgung Bo had exited through.
Now that the competition's over, time to make him pay.
But in the end, I didn't need to lift a finger.
Namgung Bo returned to the inn.
"What the hell happened?! Summon the man watching Eun Seo-ho right now!"
Soon, a man was dragged in.
His name was Gong Sip.
A servant of the Yeonjun Merchant Group tasked with surveilling Eun Seo-ho.
Namgung Bo questioned him about yesterday, learning Eun Seo-ho hadn't set foot outside the Yeonjun Merchant Group.
"What? Manager Geumsook was never kidnapped?"
"No, he returned perfectly fine."
"..."
Namgung Bo ground his teeth.
The men he'd hired had clearly pocketed the advance and vanished.
I should've known better than to trust scum like that.
He forcibly suppressed his rage and waved the man off.
"Get out."
"Yes."
Then he signaled to his trusted subordinate, Chwi.
Eliminate him.
He slammed the table viciously.
Thud-!
The new table splintered to pieces.
This imperial silk supply competition was a total defeat for the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
"Damn it!"
And the blame for the loss would all fall on him.
It would derail his plans to become the next merchant lord.
As he pondered how to salvage it, a loud voice boomed.
"Criminal, come out and receive your punishment!"
"...?"
Criminal? Punishment?
Startled by the sudden clamor, he flung open the door.
A Gold Guard warrior stood in the courtyard, leading Gold Guards.
"Are you Namgung Bo?"
"Y-yes, but..."
"You're the criminal! Seize him!"
"Yes!"
"M-me, a criminal?! What nonsense is this?"
"You bribed palace servants for this imperial silk competition—do you deny it?"
Shit!
Namgung Bo cursed inwardly.
Losing the competition was bad enough, but being hauled to the palace for investigation meant his future was finished.
Unable to contain his fury, he drew his sword and swung at the Gold Guards.
Drawing a weapon against the emperor's Gold Guards and Gold Clothed Guards was tantamount to treason.
He'd let emotion lead him to the worst possible blunder.
"Showing your true colors at last!"
The Gold Clothed Guards were the emperor's personal guards, trained in palace martial arts.
Rigorously, every day.
Even if the Namgung family's arts were peerless, Namgung Bo— who slacked on training while strutting on family prestige— couldn't beat them.
Clang-!
Clang-clang-!
Dozens of exchanges passed, and the fight ended.
Slash-!
Thud-!
"Arrrghhh!"
Namgung Bo clutched his severed right arm, howling in agony.
"Escort him away."
"Yes!"
I blinked in surprise.
"Pardon? Namgung Bo of the Baekcheon Merchant Group... him?"
That evening, I heard unexpected news from Brother Seonil.
Namgung Bo had been arrested by Gold Clothed Guard warriors for bribing palace servants. In the struggle, he'd drawn his sword and lost an arm.
Well, His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress wouldn't let that slide.
I hadn't gotten to avenge it personally, but I wasn't disappointed.
This is probably harder for him to bear.
Is this what they call reaping what you sow?
Suddenly, I thought of the other managers.
"What about the rest of the managers?"
"They were arrested as accomplices and are under investigation. But they seem clear of charges, so they'll be released soon."
"I see."
As expected of a Hanlim Academy official.
He knew things other officials wouldn't...
Wait.
Officials are bound by duty not to leak palace matters outside.
Even if it's a nominal rule, Brother Seonil was the type to uphold it strictly.
No way?
I couldn't help but smirk wryly.
There was only one reason he'd tell me this.
Brother Seonil looked embarrassed, then cleared his throat.
"Her Majesty seemed very interested in you."
Yeah, a bit obsessed, even.
But I couldn't say that, so I just smiled.
"Oh! And some people want to meet you. Got time before heading back to Hubei?"
"Pardon? People who want to meet me?"
Not one person, but people— plural?
"Yes. Two people, in fact."
Two? Who?