Chapter 74

In the grand hall of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce, Third Lady accompanied a middle-aged man in his thirties, who was sitting there. The man was not tall, with a square face and a mustache, and his skin was very fair. He looked refined and scholarly, but unfortunately, he had narrow eyes that seemed to squint when he looked at people, and his eyes occasionally flashed with a sharp light, making it clear that he was a very shrewd person.

"President Jin, your visit truly brings great honor to our Nanyang Chamber of Commerce. However, I wonder what important matter has brought you here to see our master?" After having tea served, Third Lady asked with a smile.

The middle-aged man sitting in front of her was named Jin Wenxian. From his name, it was clear that he was a Korean, and he was not an ordinary Korean. The Korean community in the North Harbor area had many factions, but most were very weak. Among them, there were two powerful chambers of commerce: one was the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce, which they had just eliminated, and the other was the Chungcheong Chamber of Commerce, of which Jin Wenxian was the president. Like the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce, the Chungcheong Chamber of Commerce was a regional organization, with most of its members coming from the Chungcheong region of the Korean Kingdom, and its influence was not much weaker than that of the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce.

Jin Wenxian was originally the son-in-law of the old president of the Chungcheong Chamber of Commerce. Fortunately, the old president's only son was incompetent and lacked the ability to manage the chamber. Therefore, when the old president passed away, he passed the position of president to his son-in-law. The old president had five daughters, and Jin Wenxian's ability to defeat the other four sons-in-law and become president was a testament to his exceptional qualities.

"Third Lady, you are too kind. My father-in-law once said that the relationship between our chamber and your chamber is like the relationship between Korea and the Ming Dynasty. We have always relied on the support of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce to establish ourselves in North Harbor and gradually reach our current position. Therefore, I am deeply grateful to the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce. When President Zhou had his incident, I was also deeply saddened. Now that the young master has finally arrived, I naturally have to pay a visit!" Jin Wenxian's Chinese was fluent, sounding no different from a Han person. When he mentioned Zhou Hai's death, his face was full of sorrow, as if he had lost his own father.

Hearing Jin Wenxian's insincere words, Third Lady could not help but sneer inwardly. Initially, both the Chungcheong Chamber of Commerce and the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce were suppressed by the Japanese chamber of commerce and relied on the support of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce to reach their current position. However, when Zhou Hai had his incident, although the Chungcheong Chamber of Commerce did not seize the chamber's assets like the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce, it still took advantage of the situation by demanding repayment of a previous loan, showing no mercy. Now, seeing that the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce had eliminated the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce and formed an alliance with the powerful Xie family, Jin Wenxian came to curry favor, not mentioning the previous incident at all. The thickness of his skin was truly rare.

Although Third Lady despised Jin Wenxian's character, he was there to visit Zhou Chong, so she could not be too cold to him. Moreover, in the business world, there were no true friends or enemies, and the chamber might need to use him in the future, so she had to put on a show and deal with him.

"Third Lady, is this President Jin?" At this moment, Zhou Chong finally arrived from the back courtyard, greeting Third Lady with a smile while also sizing up Jin Wenxian. Behind him, Xie Lingyun followed.

Seeing Zhou Chong enter, Jin Wenxian immediately stood up and also noticed Xie Lingyun behind Zhou Chong. Although he had never met the young lady of the Xie family, he could guess her identity. He thought to himself that the rumors were indeed true; the young master of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce and the young lady of the Xie family were indeed very close, and it was not impossible that they would marry in the future.

Thinking this, Jin Wenxian hurried forward and bowed, saying, "This humble person, Jin Wenxian, greets Young Master Zhou and Miss Xie!"

Seeing the president of a chamber of commerce refer to himself as a humble person, Zhou Chong and Xie Lingyun were both taken aback, but they were not ordinary people and quickly recovered. Zhou Chong helped him up and smiled, "President Jin, you are too kind. I have heard that you are humble and cautious, and a long-time friend of our chamber. It is indeed a pleasure to meet you today!"

Although Zhou Chong's words sounded like praise, they also carried a hidden barb. He had heard from Third Lady about the Chungcheong Chamber of Commerce's opportunistic behavior, so he had no good feelings toward Jin Wenxian.

However, Jin Wenxian seemed to miss the sarcasm in Zhou Chong's words and still wore a friendly smile, fawningly approaching Zhou Chong, "Thank you, Young Master Zhou, for your praise. I often had dealings with the old president, and I frequently heard him speak highly of you, calling you a person of great talent. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to meet you, which was a great regret for me. Today, being able to meet you finally fulfills my wish."

Hearing Jin Wenxian's shameless flattery, Zhou Chong felt his skin crawl, and even Xie Lingyun, standing beside him, was speechless at his shameless praise. She thought to herself that she had often heard her father and others say that Koreans were the most shameless and the Japanese were the most brutal, and now it seemed to be true.

Zhou Chong could not bear Jin Wenxian's shameless flattery. After a few perfunctory words, he quickly got to the point, "President Jin, you said you had something important to report. What is it?"

Hearing Zhou Chong ask about the matter, Jin Wenxian immediately sat up straight, looked around to ensure there were no outsiders, and then whispered, "Young Master Zhou, I have come here at great risk to report two extremely confidential matters to you and Miss Xie."

Zhou Chong and Xie Lingyun exchanged a surprised glance and then asked, "What are these confidential matters, President Jin?"

Jin Wenxian looked around, then sighed, "Young Master Zhou, I have come here at great risk to my life. You and Miss Xie must promise to keep these two matters secret and not let anyone know that I reported them to you!"

"Rest assured, there are only four of us in the hall, and Third Lady and Miss Xie are not outsiders. They will not leak any information!" Zhou Chong said, somewhat impatiently. Although the other party emphasized that these were extremely confidential matters, he felt that Jin Wenxian was just making a fuss.

Hearing Zhou Chong's assurance and seeing the curiosity in Third Lady and Xie Lingyun's eyes, Jin Wenxian finally bit his lip and said, "Young Master Zhou, the first matter I want to report is about the person who supported the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce. This person has great influence in Korea and is the one who supported Park Won-gang in the human trafficking. Almost all the girls and boys were sent to his residence!"

Hearing this, Zhou Chong turned to Jin Wenxian, his eyes blazing, and gritted his teeth, "Who is this person?"

"Your Excellency, this person is named Lee Eok, the half-brother of the King of Korea, currently titled the Prince of Jinju. He has ambitious plans and has always been disrespectful to the Ming Dynasty, often speaking ill of the Founding Emperor and the Chengzu Emperor. He even had Park Won-gang secretly gather information about the Ming Dynasty and frequently criticized the current emperor's policies. He is truly a man without loyalty or filial piety!" Jin Wenxian spoke with righteous indignation, his disgust with the Prince of Jinju evident.

Zhou Chong was not particularly concerned about the Prince of Jinju's comments about the Ming Emperor, but the fact that he was the mastermind behind the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce and directly involved in human trafficking was what Zhou Chong hated the most.

However, compared to Zhou Chong's anger, Xie Lingyun looked at Jin Wenxian with a meaningful gaze. He only needed to tell them that the mastermind behind the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce was the Prince of Jinju, but he then unnecessarily mentioned the Prince's disrespectful comments about the Ming Emperor, which seemed strange. If she was not mistaken, Jin Wenxian's words were meant for her, and he likely already knew who was behind their Xie family!

Perhaps sensing the depth of Xie Lingyun's gaze, Jin Wenxian involuntarily glanced at her. When their eyes met, he quickly turned his head away, a look of embarrassment on his face.

"President Jin, are the information you provided accurate?" Zhou Chong asked, his face cold.

"Absolutely accurate. If you don't believe me, you can send people to inquire with other Korean chambers of commerce. Many people know about this. Additionally, you have already eliminated the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce, and there must be correspondence between Park Won-gang and the Prince of Jinju in the chamber. Most of the money the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce earned over the years was given to the Prince of Jinju!" Jin Wenxian patted his chest, guaranteeing the information.

"Indeed, I was wondering why the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce, being one of the largest in North Harbor, did not have much wealth. Even with the goods, the total was only a few thousand taels of silver. It turns out they were giving all their earnings to someone else!" Third Lady also spoke, Jin Wenxian's words finally solving a mystery for her.

Hearing Jin Wenxian's explanation, Zhou Chong finally believed him and harbored a grudge against Lee Eok. However, he soon looked at Jin Wenxian with some confusion, "President Jin, I don't understand. What's the point of telling me about the person behind the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce? Do you expect me to go to Korea and kill him?"

"No, no, no, Young Master Zhou, you misunderstand!" Jin Wenxian said, glancing at Xie Lingyun again. Seeing her half-smiling, half-serious look, he quickly said to Zhou Chong, "Actually, I am telling you this to warn you. Although the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce has been eliminated, the Prince of Jinju may send people to seek revenge. Therefore, your chamber should be prepared!"

Hearing this reason, Zhou Chong still found it somewhat far-fetched. After all, the Prince of Jinju was in Korea, and even if he wanted to seek revenge, what could he do? However, he did not delve into this issue and asked, "Thank you for the warning, President Jin. What is the second secret you want to tell me?"