The state of the Jangchun Store was truly a sight to behold. The wooden floor was broken, and several people were embedded in the ceiling and walls. If moving a person's heart is art, then this could also be called a form of art.
A passerby who was about to enter the store scread, "Aigoo-ya!" and fell on his butt, then hurriedly got up and fled. Ye-er, who had finished her splendid artistic performance, watched him and dusted off her palms.
"Hmph."
Blood dripped from the ceiling, 'hududuk, hududuk'. So had their heads broken, and so had their noses broken. No one's life was in danger, but no one was conscious either.
In the quiet, with the sound of dripping blood as a backdrop like the sound of rain, Jang So-gil leisurely checked the ledgers.
'Most of the businesses are in a favorable state of managent, but the expenditure compared to the profit is not good. It seems they just rolled the money around instead of accumulating it. Normally, I might have praised it as aggressive managent.'
The Jangchun Store had the power to support aggressive business expansion. Until now, they would have held the comrce of the nearby region in one hand and seen great profits.
'Although he's a fellow who got beaten by Ye-er and is stuck in the ceiling. It's enough to hold the neighborhood in his grasp with the prestige of Huashan at his back.'
But such a managent style was difficult to cope with in a sudden change of situation.
Right now, the Jangchun Store had little cash available. It was a state where it was difficult to even pay the overdue taxes.
The punishnt for tax embezzlent was to receive a flogging and be done with it if one could pay all the embezzled taxes and the fine. If one could pay the taxes but not the fine, one would have to beco a slave and work.
If one could not pay either the taxes or the fine, they would be charged with treason and their three clans would be exterminated.
So if they were reported to the Embroidered Uniform Guard as they were, they would have to organize the businesses they had expanded haphazardly and get money even by mortgaging the store.
'If it becos like that in the current state, the Jangchun Store is finished. He'll know that much.'
The Jangchun Store had power. Then what about the wisdom side?
Neat ledger organization. You can see the person by looking at the ledger. If they managed to make even the trivial numbers match so well, they were a very competent rchant.
Moreover, the ability to handle money without any losses even with an aggressive managent policy. At a glance, their skills were quite good.
It was probably the ability of the woman, Son Chun, who was worrying about Jang Hyeon-ik, who was stuck in the ceiling with a pale face.
But if she was a capable rchant, she shouldn't be standing still right now. She had to try to persuade Jang So-gil sohow.
The golden hour for negotiation was very short. She had to speak quickly before Jang So-gil made up his mind.
Could she do it?
"Inspector-nim."
"Ho."
Son Chun was a rather capable person.
She clenched her trembling hands and took a step forward to open her mouth.
"Inspector-nim, it seems you have co because of taxes, but I have a request."
"I'll at least hear you out. Speak."
If even in this situation, she were to make all sorts of nonsensical excuses, such as that they were actually active as a Daoist sect, that would be the end of it. Jang So-gil had decided that it was not worth listening to and was planning to make a summary judgnt.
Did she read his mood? Son Chun lowered her eyes and spoke politely.
"Currently, this store's financial situation is not good."
"Heung. You're not denying that you established a ghost sect and embezzled taxes?"
"I will not deny it."
"Wise."
She was worth dealing with. Jang So-gil closed the ledger and looked at Son Chun.
Her beauty was not outstanding, but she had an intelligent-looking appearance. Her eyes were deep and blue, as if she had a little blood from the Western Regions mixed in.
She carefully added.
"I can sohow pay the overdue taxes, but I have heard that the fine for tax evasion is an enormous amount."
"Of course, it's enormous. Because it's a fine imposed as a punishnt."
"If that happens, we will go bankrupt. But it's not particularly beneficial to you, Inspector-nim, if we go bankrupt and end up on the streets. So how about we handle this matter quietly?"
"Handle it quietly, you say."
It ant to bury it so that rumors would not spread.
Looking deeper, it also ant that if he kept it a secret from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, she would give him a large share.
"How about five?"
Five-tenths, she would give half of the money to be paid to the country. Jang So-gil did a light calculation.
The overdue taxes of the Jangchun Store were about three thousand taels. Since the expenditure was too large, despite having many businesses, it was similar to one large escort agency.
If he collected three thousand taels like that, the Martial Alliance's share would be one-tenth, three hundred taels.
"What profit would I get from making you go bankrupt for three hundred taels? So you're asking to take fifteen hundred taels and bury this matter?"
Realistically, it was the best offer Son Chun could make.
Jang So-gil was not an official dispatched from the imperial family. Here, only a little Dharma protector had co with him. There were no colleagues or superiors watching.
So Jang So-gil would earn fifteen hundred taels for free. And the Jangchun Store would block the three thousand taels of taxes and an unknown amount of a large fine with fifteen hundred taels.
Wouldn't this be a good thing for both sides?
Ye-er frowned. She didn't like it, but it wasn't a bad offer to her ears.
So this money ghost would accept. It was the mont she thought so.
Jang So-gil cut her off.
"But I refuse."
"Was five-tenths too little? Then six-tenths..."
"Even if you give all of it, I refuse. It's a sha if I looked like a moron who would put the noose of treason around my own neck for a re three thousand taels."
Tax evasion was treated as an act that shook the foundation of the country, so it was punished as the cri of treason. Embezzlent exceeding a certain amount was directly equated with the word 'treason'.
And treason was the strongest weapon that could cut off three generations of a family with a single denunciation. Son Chun must have intended to reduce an imasurable loss to fifteen hundred taels and at the sa ti, create a weakness for the Martial Alliance inspector and tie him together with her.
But the opponent was bad.
"It wasn't a bad attempt. If you offered fifteen hundred taels to swallow, ordinary people's heads would turn white at that enormous amount. But I am a person who has handled hundreds of thousands of taels. My judgnt won't be clouded by such a small amount of money."
"Keuk..."
"Therefore, I refuse. From now on, just worry about being collected from by the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
Son Chun took a step back. The opponent, despite his young age, was a person with not only outstanding martial arts skills but also a brilliant mind. He had already read all the cards she could play.
Another move. Was there any other move she could play?
'Ah, there is. But that's...'
Son Chun had a thought but then shook her head.
That was a bad move that should not be chosen. It would be better to just pay the fine.
As she was composing herself like that, Jang So-gil, who had approached right in front of her, was quietly looking at Son Chun's eyes.
Startled, she stepped back, and Jang So-gil grinned.
"The thought you just had wasn't bad. I think it would be good to do that."
"W-what are you talking about? I have no idea."
"Are you going to lie like that even in front of King Yama? You must have thought about selling soone else."
"...!!"
Son Chun's knees buckled and she collapsed helplessly.
Jang So-gil had read her thoughts exactly. Her teeth chattered.
"H-how did you know my heart!"
A monster that reads people's minds, a monster. Or a sorcery?
If not a ghost, was he really King Yama?
Jang So-gil slapped his knee and laughed.
"There's nothing to be so surprised about. It's not like you're the only ones who have abused the tax exemption privilege. You must have thought, 'What if I sell the corruption of the people I know and make a deal with him?' But then you thought again and realized that even if you got out of this situation, you would never be able to do business in Huashan again. Because the people you sold out would not stand by. Right?"
"Heu... heuu..."
A low moan. She couldn't say anything. In the first place, if all her thoughts were read, wasn't language unnecessary in front of this monster?
Jang So-gil, who was watching Son Chun, who was trembling all over like an aspen tree, placed his hand on her head.
"What a pitiful and pathetic person. How can you be so short-sighted? There's no need for a rebuttal, so just listen slowly. Now, you must have thought like this. Even if you get hit by the tax thunderclap and have to organize several businesses. Even if you have to sell everything you can and still co up short, and even have to take out a mortgage. As long as you don't sell out others, you'll be able to continue to set foot in Huashan and do business, so even if aggressive managent like before is impossible, you'll be able to earn enough to support yourself."
"..."
"But why don't you know that that's a very stupid thought? Think about it. What do you think will happen if I end the collection as it is?"
Son Chun, dazed, continued her thoughts.
'If the inspector reports it, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will co. I have to pay the money, but I have no cash. How many stores will I have to dispose of? And then how much in kind will be left? If I sohow continue to do business with that...'
"Do you think you can continue to do business as you think after that? Do you really think you can beat your business partners, who will be in a sound state, by scraping together that little bit of remaining in-kind?"
"...!"
"Business is unfair. It's competition. In order to sell my things, I have to make others unable to sell theirs. In the end, it's no different from the sword fights of martial artists. The things I have don't have to be absolutely good. It's enough if they just look better than the things others are selling. Then others' things won't sell, and my things will sell. This is a rchant who is good at business. A person who walks just one step ahead of others."
"..."
"So in order to sell things, there has to be sothing good about them, whether the performance is better, the price is more conscientious, or it looks better. But to think of beating others while doing business by scraping together scraps after being half-ruined. Are you such an outstanding rchant? And do you think your business partners will just stand by and let you get back on your feet like that?"
"...!!"
Jang Hyeon-ik, the strongest among the secular disciples of the Huashan Sect in the vicinity, and the ruffians hired with money. They were business partners who had been coaxed and sotis pressed down with force. If they could no longer wield power as before, they could no longer hold them in their grasp.
Goosebumps rose. If Jang So-gil ended his work as an inspector as it was, the only one to be ruined would be the Jangchun Store.
What did that an?
"The most frightening thing in relative competition is to be the only one left behind. The Jangchun Store is already finished. From now on, you should rather be afraid that there might be even one among the ghost sects that were embezzling taxes that I failed to catch and let go. If that happens, the position that your store occupied until today will be occupied by that fellow from tomorrow. Now, what should you do to prevent that from happening?"
"Everyone... together."
"That's right. Even if you get hit with taxes, it's better if everyone gets hit together, not just you alone. If everyone is shaken together, it's no different from now, so you can maintain the business world. What does it matter if you pay so money, everyone else will have to pay too. It's a fair thing."
"..."
"So I'll ask you again. The thought that ca to your mind earlier, can you tell it to ?"
A demon of the unorthodox way. A monster in the appearance of a handso young man whispered.
The slight reluctance she had felt about selling information about her colleagues in the sa industry soon disappeared.
Son Chun, with a clear mind, decided to grab the lifeline that the monster had lowered.
"There are many who are not active as Daoist sects but are not paying taxes by using that tax exemption privilege. I want to denounce them."
"I appreciate your voluntary cooperation. Then shall we talk slowly?"
(End of Chapter)
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