I stepped forward and spoke first.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve heard of this kind of thing before. They drive out the tenant of a thriving shop so the owner can take over and run it himself.”
“Yeah, that’s truly vile.”
Father clicked his tongue.
“But the problem is, there’s no legal punishment for it. It’s clearly immoral, but do you think people like that care about morality?”
Well, he had a point.
Father sighed and continued.
“We can’t buy the place for ten times its value either, so we’ll have to give up on that one.”
“Is there no other way?”
“We’ll have to think on it.”
Then, a thought struck me.
Even if he owns the premises, he’s just a single shop owner. Yet he’s making completely unreasonable demands of us.
We’re the Eunhae Merchant Group, ranked forty-ninth among the Hundred Great Merchant Groups Under Heaven.
We’ve chosen to operate with morality, but if he’d tried this with a group that had no such scruples… who knows what might have happened to him.
As Father said, those without morals all share one thing in common. They bow deeply to the strong and act arrogant toward the weak.
“Father, something’s strange about this.”
Everyone turned to look at me. I calmly shared my thoughts.
Father and the others all nodded.
“Honestly, it is suspicious.”
“That’s right. Even if we’ve never gone out of our way to threaten people, plenty still fear the name Eunhae Merchant Group. And yet he dares pull something like this…”
“We should investigate.”
At Pavilion Lord Yeon’s suggestion, Father nodded and looked toward me.
Hm?
No way…
But my instincts were right.
“Go and take a look.”
“Pardon?”
“You seem the most suitable.”
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
Hey, I’m busy too.
I was about to protest… but then I realized. I was actually the freest among them.
So I headed to Dongting Lake in Hunan.
.
.
.
Dongting Lake.
The largest lake in the Central Plains. Famous for Yueyang Tower and the autumn moon reflected in the water.
The scenery is so beautiful that anyone with a refined taste dreams of climbing Yueyang Tower and reciting a poem there at least once in their lifetime.
But it’s also a place where fierce competition breaks out between merchants like us.
“So that’s our shop?”
“Looks like it.”
Dongting Lake is vast. To enjoy the full view, there are really only two options.
You either climb a tall pavilion or take a boat out on the lake.
You could also circle it in a carriage or palanquin, but that takes far too long.
So, the two most popular businesses here were boat rentals and high pavilion visits, which naturally led to intense competition.
The shop under our Merchant Group that’s about to get pushed out runs boats. But it’s a bit different from the others.
It was still packed with customers. People were lining up, waiting for their turn.
Watching the scene, I recalled Pavilion Lord Yeon’s explanation.
“The Shopkeeper of the Flower Carp Ferry is a man named Gang Seung. He’s got a sharp business sense and knows exactly what customers want. For those with lighter purses, he introduced full-lake tours on a large boat, which made the shop a success.”
“I see. But there’s something I’ve been wondering.”
“Go ahead.”
“If the location was that good, why didn’t we buy the premises? Why is it leased?”
“There’s a reason. He used all his spare funds to purchase the large boat. He had no capital left to buy the shop.”
“I see.”
That explained it.
It wasn’t even one of our main branches. Just acquiring a large boat for a place like this would have been a stretch already. Buying the property outright would have been impossible.
“He still hasn’t repaid all the money he borrowed for the boat.”
Given that, trying to borrow more would’ve raised questions of fairness.
As we quietly observed the Flower Carp Ferry, it happened.
“Ahem. Is Shopkeeper Gang here?”
A group walked into the shop, asking for the Shopkeeper. A moment later, a middle-aged man came out to meet them.
“Greetings, Mr. Cheon.”
“Yes. I came to see if you were preparing to vacate, but you don’t look the least bit ready.”
“…Please don’t worry.”
“Hmph. Make sure it’s empty by the deadline. I’ll be going.”
Shopkeeper Gang trembled as he watched the man leave.
So that’s the owner of the building.
I recalled the briefing I’d received from the intelligence unit before coming.
His name is Cheon Deuk-yeo.
He owns about twenty shops in the Dongting Lake area.
I called over Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am.
“Escort Guard Yeo.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“The man standing in the center over there is Cheon Deuk-yeo. Keep an eye on him. Let me know if anyone makes contact.”
“Understood.”
“And Palgap.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Tell Shopkeeper Gang that I’ll visit him tonight.”
“Got it.”
The Cheon family had lived in wealth for generations, collecting rent from dozens of shops around Dongting Lake.
As a local figure of influence, Cheon Deuk-yeo had no financial worries and lived comfortably.
One day, a friend he often drank with brought up a topic, half in jest.
“Hey, isn’t the Flower Carp Ferry building yours?”
“That’s right.”
“You’ve got quite the stomach.”
“Hm? What do you mean by that?”
“Do you know how much money that shop is raking in? And you’re satisfied with just collecting rent?”
“What else would I do? That shop belongs to the Eunhae Merchant Group, doesn’t it?”
“Hrm.”
At that, the friend leaned in closer.
“Sure, but it’s based in Hubei, right? As they say, when the mountain is far, even the tiger stays quiet. This is Hunan. Do you think they’d come all the way here over a small matter?”
“…”
After glancing around, the friend whispered.
“Truth is, the Daegun Merchant Group wants that location.”
“The Daegun Merchant Group?”
It was another of the Hundred Great Merchant Groups, based right here in Hunan.
“If you handle this right, you’ll make far more than just rent.”
After a moment, Cheon Deuk-yeo narrowed his eyes.
“Did they send you?”
“Oh dear, caught me.”
“You!”
“But I agreed because it benefits you. If this would’ve harmed you, I wouldn’t have touched it.”
“…”
“So think it over.”
Two days later, Cheon Deuk-yeo went to the Daegun Merchant Group with his friend.
In exchange for cooperation, he was promised forty percent of the shop’s total earnings.
It was a far better deal than what he had now.
He left satisfied, pressed the Flower Carp Ferry again, and began dreaming of the riches he’d earn in just ten days.
That evening, a servant entered.
“Sir, someone from the Daegun Merchant Group is here.”
“Show them in.”
“Yes.”
Late at night.
The lanterns that had lit the lake had all gone out, and a quiet stillness hung over Dongting Lake.
Even the heavy drinkers had returned home by now.
I stepped into the Flower Carp Ferry.
I’d heard they lived on the premises, so he should still be here.
A small lamp burned on a table, and there sat Gang Seung, lost in thought.
He didn’t panic when he saw me. He stood and cupped his fists.
“I greet the Deputy Merchant Lord.”
Though I serve as the Chief of the Virtuous Wind Department, my official title is Deputy Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group.
“We’re meeting for the first time. How did you know who I am?”
“You carry yourself with ease, and your clothing is fine. This shop caters to those with modest purses. And you didn’t even glance at the price board, so you’re clearly not here for a boat ride.”
“I see.”
As Pavilion Lord Yeon said, he’s sharp and quick-witted.
I smiled inwardly and formally introduced myself.
“I’m Eun Seo-ho, Deputy Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“I’m Gang Seung, Shopkeeper of the Flower Carp Ferry.”
He offered me a seat.
Once I sat down, I got straight to the point.
“Father, the Merchant Lord, ordered me to investigate this matter.”
“By investigate… do you mean…?”
“We suspect there’s someone behind this.”
“You mean… someone is backing Cheon Deuk-yeo?”
Just then, Palgap came over and whispered to me.
“It’s the Daegun Merchant Group.”
“…!”
Shopkeeper Gang’s eyes widened.
In this region, the Daegun Merchant Group carried more weight than people might expect.
They were still smaller than us, but it’s hard for an outsider group to beat a local one on its own turf.
“I hear they’ve bought a large boat of their own recently.”
“…!”
His fists clenched and he trembled.
“I suspected as much…”
He let out a deep sigh.
“Then I have no choice but to shut down the business.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Pardon?”
“You still haven’t finished repaying the loan for the boat. Do you think the Eunhae Merchant Group would just let you quit?”
“…”
“You’ll keep working until the debt is fully repaid.”
“I want to… but…”
“Is there a law that says you must run the business right here?”
“N-no, but…”
“Come to think of it, this place is cramped.”
I smirked.
“What about relocation? And expansion?”
He didn’t seem to understand, but still answered seriously.
“I’ve considered moving. I just couldn’t secure a location, no matter how hard I tried…”
“So you had thought of it.”
“Of course. I’d hardly be a merchant if I didn’t. But if the Daegun Merchant Group is involved, that changes everything.”
“If finding a place is the only problem, leave it to me. Start preparing to move.”
The next day,
I began scouting vacant shops.
“Oh, I like this one.”
At my words, the broker beamed.
“An excellent choice!”
“I’ll buy it.”
“You mean… purchase it? Not lease?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“N-no, of course not. It’s just that the price here is a bit high…”
“It’s a lakeside property. I came expecting that. So, how much?”
He named a price.
“…”
You greedy bastard.
It’s way higher than the estimate I got.
But that’s fine.
That inflated price will become a venomous fang that makes this deal impossible to undo.
“I’ll buy it at that price. Let’s draw up the contract.”
“Yes, of course.”
We finalized the contract quickly.
“One more thing. I’d like to add a clause.”
“What kind of clause?”
“If the contract is voided, the seller must pay one hundred times the purchase price in compensation.”
“Huh? Why such a clause?”
“I once bought a shop, only to be kicked out because the landlord’s son suddenly wanted to run a business there.”
“My goodness.”
“So just in case.”
“Understood. I’ll include it.”
The purchase was completed.
“Palgap, go fetch Shopkeeper Gang from the Flower Carp Ferry.”
“Right away.”
.
.
.
A little while later, Shopkeeper Gang arrived.
“How do you like it?”
“Pardon?”
“This is the property I just purchased. It’s where the Flower Carp Ferry will relocate and expand.”
He blinked, stunned.
It took a while before he found his voice.
“T-this place?”
“Yes.”
“This BIG place?”
“Yes.”
It was quite a bit bigger.
Compared to the current shop, it was four or five times the size.
Only after taking it all in did he finally calm down and ask.
“You wouldn’t just give something like this away. What do you want from me?”
“Safety.”
“Pardon?”
“I hear you’re very strict about safety with passengers. Some people even complain.”
“That’s true.”
“Keep running the business that way. Be even stricter about safety than you are now.”
There’s a reason I emphasized safety like this.
An accident is going to happen soon.
–TL Notes–
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