Departure (4)
Song Un, the sub-branch leader, continued in a trembling voice.
"N-Now that you mention it, this ledger was here. But when we heard the person in charge had run off with the money, we gave up on using it as evidence..."
"Doesn't that strike you as strange?"
"What do you mean?"
Talking about the Murim Alliance wouldn't convince Song Un, the sub-branch leader.
"The amount you were repaying was fifty nyang."
"That's right. We were paying it back every month."
"Who runs off with fifty nyang in silver? What could anyone even do with that?"
His expression began to twist at my words.
"Then...?"
"Yes. The Baegcheon Merchant Group deliberately used dirty tricks to seize the Changhae Merchant Group. In the process, the clerk in charge of the debt, Mo Cheong, was sacrificed."
"What?!"
Song Un, the sub-branch leader, spoke as if he couldn't believe it.
"B-But the Baegcheon Merchant Group is under the Murim Alliance. They wouldn't do something like that. Isn't that the kind of thing a shady loan shark would pull?"
Yes, exactly.
And that's precisely what the Baegcheon Merchant Group had done.
"To make you believe they wouldn't do it, they sacrificed the clerk handling the debt, Mo Cheong."
I tapped the ledger with my hand as I spoke.
"This ledger is the proof. Look here—there's Magistrate Ji Hyeon's seal. Why would Mo Cheong go through all that trouble?"
"......"
"To get a seal from Magistrate Ji Hyeon, he'd have had to show at least some sincerity, even if it was minor."
"......"
He didn't respond, but it didn't matter.
I wasn't asking because I expected an answer.
"It's because Mo Cheong was a truly good man. He anticipated that this seal from Magistrate Ji Hyeon would one day be useful."
At my words, he lowered his head.
"......I'm ashamed of myself for cursing him all this time."
"Don't blame yourself too much. Anyone in that situation would have resented Mo Cheong."
Song Un, the sub-branch leader, lifted his head and asked me with a resolute expression.
"So what should I do now?"
"I'll arrange the meeting. Take this and plead your case."
I continued.
"Of course, Ji Taekmun, the clerk from here, will have to be there too."
He was the Baegcheon Merchant Group clerk who had come to take over the Changhae Merchant Group's operations.
I could already imagine the look on his face.
Song, the sub-branch leader, nodded at my words.
"Understood. So when do we go to Cheongdo?"
"Why Cheongdo?"
"Well, this seal is from Cheongdo's magistrate..."
"Aren't we busy right now preparing for foreign trade under His Majesty's orders? A round trip to Cheongdo would take at least six days even at top speed. We can't spare that much time."
I smiled as I replied.
"Cheongdo's Magistrate Ji Hyeon is coming here."
"What?"
"And the place where you'll plead your injustice isn't with Magistrate Ji Hyeon. Honestly, do you think a local magistrate could pressure the Baegcheon Merchant Group?"
"Then why bring in Magistrate Ji Hyeon?"
"We need a witness."
I recalled meeting Ji Hyeon the day before.
Namgyeong and Cheongdo were quite a distance apart.
Even riding at full gallop, it would take six days round trip.
But I was a super first-rate martial artist. That distance was nothing—a half day at most.
Cheongdo's Ji Hyeon had naturally refused my proposal at first.
But...
"Please take a look at this."
I presented the inspector envoy's badge and said,
"The one who gave me this is watching."
"Hahaha! Ignore what I just said—it was nonsense. No, yes, I'll go! Of course I have to. Hahaha."
Some might call it abusing power, but this wasn't abuse.
It was about delivering justice to the wronged common folk.
His Majesty would surely understand.
After a moment's thought, he looked shocked. He'd caught my meaning.
"Just keep that in mind for now."
"Understood."
"And this matter is top priority for secrecy. If they find out, they'll surely make a move."
"Understood."
"Don't tell a soul. Not even your closest aides or your wife."
"I'll do that."
Since secrecy was crucial, it might be better to tell Song, the sub-branch leader, only when Ji Hyeon arrived and proceed immediately.
But there were reasons for giving him advance notice like this.
First, the moment Song Un, the sub-branch leader, regained the Changhae Merchant Group's rights, they had to set sail.
So this was to prepare him in advance.
Second, to gauge his character.
Things often went wrong because people trusted those around them too much.
And no matter how much you stress secrecy, it's hard to never tell anyone close.
If he could pull it off, it would prove his self-control and cool-headedness.
We were helping the Changhae Merchant Group for revenge against the Baegcheon Merchant Group, but it would be a shame if that was the end.
This was to decide early whether to build a good ongoing relationship or let it fade as a passing acquaintance.
In my previous life, we had no connection, so I wouldn't have bothered.
But now...
Ji Hyeon should arrive in three or four days.
Our Eunhae Merchant Group's ships would arrive by then too.
Splash—!
Two ships cut boldly through the waves.
The characters on their sides read [Eunhae].
These were the two merchant ships recently built by the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Yeong Eung-wan, a man watching the waves from the deck of the lead ship, felt a rush of fresh emotion.
He had scraped by as a lowly sailor from the bottom ranks, and now he was returning as captain of these massive merchant ships.
"You look that happy?"
"Hm?"
Turning, he saw his colleague and close friend Song Juk standing there.
"I said, you look that happy?"
"You're asking the obvious. Who wouldn't be thrilled to go home with enough advance pay to make me and my family free folk?"
"Well, true enough."
For this voyage, Yeong Eung-wan had personally recruited the crew and trained them near the Yangtze River around Yangyang.
The ships weren't built yet, so they'd made rough ship models on land for practice, but training was essential.
The larger the ship, the more perfectly their teamwork had to be to avoid accidents.
In truth, he had planned to repay the advance from Eun Seo-ho with profits from trade and become a true free man to live happily with his family.
But over the past few months, his thinking had changed.
The Eunhae Merchant Group's potential was greater than he'd imagined.
Turning down a position like this would surely lead to regret.
His family had been unjustly enslaved.
Rather than staying in a land filled with those bitter, sorrowful memories, moving to a new home didn't sound so bad.
"We arriving soon?"
Then a man approached from behind.
His name was Eun Jeong-ho.
Sub-branch leader of the Eunhae Merchant Group and the designated next leader.
He was sailing with them to Namgyeong for this trade venture.
After seeing off Yeong Eung-wan's crew in Namgyeong, he would return to Hubei.
Song Juk answered.
"Yes, about half a shichen more."
"I see."
Yeong Eung-wan said to him, who wore a broad smile,
"You seem in a good mood."
"Of course. Just thinking about how thrilled Seo-ho will be to see these ships makes me grin."
Yeong Eung-wan nodded.
They always seemed like such close brothers.
Seeing them reminded him of his own brother.
The brother who had become a combat slave with him when they were falsely accused and fell from grace. He didn't know if he was alive or dead... but he hoped he was alive.
For the family, and for himself.
"Young master! Young master! The merchant group's ships have arrived!"
At Palgap's words, I jumped to my feet.
"Really? Then we should go welcome them."
The messenger was from the Eunhae Merchant Group's intelligence team. He'd been waiting at the docks and ran over the moment the ships arrived.
Moments later, I reached the docks.
And there they were, lowering the gangplank from the ship.
[Eunhae] written clearly on the side.
Our Eunhae Merchant Group's ships.
But seeing them, I couldn't help but gape.
Ah, Father?
Were you always this bold?
The ship before my eyes was bigger than I'd imagined. Much bigger.
"It's been a while since I've seen that look on your face."
Then Jeong Ho hyung's voice came from behind.
Turning, I saw him disembarking from the ship.
"Hyung! You're here too?"
"This is a big deal for our Eunhae Merchant Group, so Father told me to come welcome you."
That meant Father was considering Jeong Ho hyung as the next leader too.
Just as Jin-ho hyung and I intended.
I grinned widely.
"Of course! So where's Captain Yeong?"
"Ah, he's finishing up."
Soon, Captain Yeong Eung-wan completed the final checks and came down.
At his side was Song Juk, his right-hand man from before.
"Yeong Eung-wan greets the third sub-branch leader."
"Song Juk greets the third sub-branch leader."
These two would handle it perfectly.
"You've all worked hard. The ship is bigger and more impressive than I expected—quite the shock."
"I was shocked too."
"You must be exhausted. Rest first. I've booked an inn for you all to relax."
I led them to the inn I'd rented out.
A short while later.
Everyone had washed up refreshed and come down to the first-floor dining hall.
Captain Yeong and Song Juk sat with me and hyung, eating dinner and chatting over tea.
"By the way, Seo-ho."
"Yeah?"
"Why'd you have us bring plums of all things?"
Hubei Province was full of plum trees. In spring, when the plum blossoms bloomed, it was a spectacular sight.
The fruit was used in herbal medicine, but back then, I didn't know.
That plums were a miracle cure for the ailments from long voyages.
"Captain Yeong, you've sailed long distances before, so you know. People stuck on a ship too long get bleeding gums, start coughing blood, and their bodies weaken terribly."
"You know your stuff. We call it 'leaking blood disease'."
Meaning a disease where blood leaks out.
"It's the curse of long-haul sailors. That's why some grow bean sprouts on board..."
Then Song Juk seemed to catch on.
"Don't tell me the plums..."
"Exactly. Plums are a cure for leaking blood disease."
It was a fact discovered after large-scale trade boomed in my previous life.
Many sailors suffered from bleeding gums and weakness, with no good cure.
Vegetables helped, so they tried growing bean sprouts on ships, but it had limits.
Lack of space and water.
Then, by chance, they learned plums worked.
One merchant group heading overseas loaded plums by mistake instead of provisions. The crew who ate them returned perfectly healthy.
Plums proved effective, and their price skyrocketed.
I couldn't miss this chance.
The plum-filled mountains in Hubei were already my personal property.
"We picked unripe plums and pickled them with sugar as you said... but do they really work?"
"Of course. And hyung knows too—plums are used as medicine in many ways."
Jeong Ho hyung nodded.
"I know. Good for quenching thirst, stopping vomiting, dysentery, and fatigue recovery."
"Exactly. It'll be a huge help."
On long voyages, spoiled water could cause diarrhea and misery.
Plums were the cure then too.
"So make sure everyone eats one plum a day."
"Got it."
Captain Yeong Eung-wan nodded.
"By the way, what trade goods are we loading?"
"Tea and ceramics."
"Tea?"
"You told Father before, right? You wanted to sell Guangxi's Liubo tea."
"Yes."
"So we've prepared Liubo tea from Guangxi and various others. And we've coordinated with the Mudong Merchant Group for plenty of teacups and ceramics."
"Impressive. I'll make sure we bring back hefty profits this trip."
"No need to feel burdened."
I smiled.
"Just rest easy until departure."
Three days later.
Palgap entered my room.
"Young master, Magistrate Ji Hyeon from Cheongdo has arrived at the Provincial Commander's Office."
"Good."
I stood and said,
"You reserved the banquet hall as I mentioned before?"
"Of course, young master. At the nearby tavern."
That was the stage for today's affair.
I planned to invite officials dispatched from the palace and those from the Provincial Commander's Office to tonight's banquet.
Along with reps from the merchant groups handling this trade.
With them as witnesses, Ji Taekmun clerk... no, the Baegcheon Merchant Group would suffer a massive loss.