I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 253

Throughout history, across all cultures, one of the greatest fears for any politician is assassination.

No matter how high one rises in the ranks of power, assassination can bring it all crashing down in an instant, rendering all accumulated influence utterly meaningless.

From ancient times to the modern era, countless powerful figures have met their end through assassination.

From Caesar, who uttered the infamous line ‘Et tu, Brute?’, to numerous Roman emperors.

Even among the Emperors of the Central Plains [China], as many as 20 met their end through poisoning.

Thus, those who wield power have always gone to great lengths to avoid assassination.

If an assassination attempt occurs, regardless of the circumstances, it escalates into a major incident that throws the entire nation into turmoil.

The side in trouble will try to conceal it at all costs, but if caught red-handed, they can’t.

Especially when they openly set the stage in front of everyone, only to fail as in this case.

“Uwaaaaaaaagh!”

In any case, with such an incident occurring, it is inevitable that Qing’s position becomes precarious.

No, to put it mildly, it has become precarious; frankly, they are screwed.

The sight of the Crown Prince still screaming and shaking the corpse by the collar vividly demonstrates this fact.

But it is strange.

As someone who has been targeted for assassination countless times since childhood, I can tell that these guys are clumsy amateurs.

What kind of fool would try to carry out a major operation by barging in when the military is so densely packed?

Anyone would think it’s a staged act.

Hmm? A staged act?

Feeling a sense of unease, I subtly turned my gaze to observe Napoleon and Robespierre’s reactions.

“Who on earth would do such a thing!”

“We must thoroughly investigate the mastermind and bring them all to justice!”

On the surface, they seem genuinely angry, but… it’s hard to tell just from this.

If they staged it themselves, they would naturally overreact and get more worked up.

But if they staged it without even giving me a heads-up, that’s quite infuriating.

Depending on the circumstances, I might even consider removing them from their positions for such a reckless act.

Regardless of the complexity of my thoughts, this incident was immediately spread by the accompanying reporters.

[The worst welcoming event ever! Attempted assassination of Prime Minister Christian.]

[Was it really a mistake? Who is behind it?]

[The inadequacy of Qing’s security system is proven once again. Incompetence that allowed the assassin to get so close!]

With such a scoop breaking, it’s only a matter of time before this news spreads worldwide.

France, having gained such a good excuse, will not be inclined to let this fire die down easily.

“I am truly! Truly sorry! This is entirely our fault! We are currently conducting an investigation, so please wait a little longer! We will root them out and execute them by dismemberment!”

The Crown Prince visited me almost every day since the incident, begging with his hands and feet.

He seemed to have thrown away all pretense, even performing the *samguegogodurye* [three kneelings and nine prostrations, a formal act of submission] that he would do when meeting the Emperor, which honestly made him look pathetic.

“So, have you identified the culprit?”

“Well… they seem to be some kind of secret society, composed of those with strong anti-Western sentiments.”

“Of course, that’s why they attempted the assassination. Would they have tried to assassinate us if they were friendly?”

“Yes, yes. Too obvious… I apologize. Still, we are tracing the route they took to get here, so please give us a few more days.”

In short, does that mean ‘We don’t know anything right now’?

Seeing Qing’s incompetence, Napoleon raged and demanded that the treaty be nullified.

“How long has it been since the ceasefire agreement was signed for such a bizarre incident to occur! We must immediately raise an army and secure the Emperor, who fled north, as retaliation for this.”

Even Robespierre, who was relatively moderate, spouted radical claims.

“How about setting up a guillotine in the middle of the Forbidden City? We must execute everyone involved in this incident. And if possible, they should be beheaded while lying down with their eyes facing our direction.”

“Oh, Governor-General. That’s a great idea.”

“Isn’t it? We cannot simply execute the bastards who dared to assassinate the Prime Minister. We must set a thorough example.”

I appreciate the sentiment.

I really do appreciate it… but am I just imagining things, or are my aides’ loyalty becoming frightening?

I wonder if the parliament will send an official document ordering the destruction of Qing.

I dismissed everyone around me and had a private meeting with Napoleon and Robespierre.

“Listen to me carefully.”

“Yes. Actually, we wanted to talk to you about something as well.”

“Really? What a coincidence. Me too. Are you guys sane? No matter how secretive you are, there’s no such thing as an eternal secret. Have you not considered the repercussions if it’s revealed later that you staged this?”

“……Pardon?”

Napoleon and Robespierre, momentarily stunned, exchanged glances with wide eyes.

“Well… wasn’t this your doing, Prime Minister?”

“What?”

“We were admiring how much bolder you are than us. We were impressed that you came all the way to Beijing to carry out such a thing.”

“…This wasn’t your doing?”

Seeing their unusually foolish expressions, it seemed certain that they weren’t lying.

Well, even if they handle things independently these days, it doesn’t make sense that they would have independently staged an assassination attempt on me.

But… then there’s something that doesn’t make sense.

“Wait… if it wasn’t staged, does that mean it was a real assassination attempt?”

“…Eh, no way, if it wasn’t staged… no, really?”

“That’s impossible……”

Everyone, in unison, looked up at the sky outside the window for a moment.

“Are they really crazy?”

“…I guess so. And that means Qing’s security was breached by those pathetic guys.”

“……”

My mind was briefly blanked by this unimaginable twist, but I quickly regained my composure and tried to sort out the current situation.

“I thought you guys were behind it, so I didn’t have any particular ideas about what to do next… this is troublesome.”

“We were just waiting, thinking that you would give us instructions soon. What should we do?”

“Well, the incident has already happened and the rumors have spread, so we have no choice but to thoroughly exploit everything we can.”

“That’s right. This is a huge opportunity to demand an official apology from the Emperor. We should at least extract one or two more ports.”

However, one thing to consider is the existence of the secret society that the Crown Prince mentioned earlier.

Now that it’s been revealed that this wasn’t our doing, we have to assume that the organization is real and actively operating.

So, what could they be?

Judging by their extreme hostility towards us, they are not the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Strictly speaking, they are closer to the Boxers [members of a Chinese secret society who rose up against foreigners and Christians].

However, the Boxer Rebellion began in earnest after the Taiping Rebellion failed.

The problem is that Hong Xiuquan, who will lead the Taiping Rebellion, hasn’t even been born yet.

Of course, Qing is collapsing decades earlier than in the original history, so it wouldn’t be strange for an organization like the Boxers to emerge first.

If the flow is heading in that direction, we need to prepare in advance.

If things escalate like the Boxer Rebellion in the original history, the damage to our citizens and merchants here would be significant.

“First, pressure the Crown Prince to accurately identify the organization that plotted the assassination. We don’t need specific information like who the leader is, but get at least a rough outline.”

“Understood!”

Napoleon’s face looked strangely excited as he left the room, but in contrast, my insides continued to burn.

I was starting to think that maybe I shouldn’t have come here.

Wouldn’t it have been better to be assassinated and regress [return to an earlier state]?

This is driving me crazy.

※※※

The atmosphere in Beijing grew more ominous with each passing day.

No dynasty in the history of China has ever treated the king of another country as an emperor.

Overturning that long history, they treated the prime minister of another country like an emperor, and then an assassination attempt occurred.

Not many countries could immediately decide how to deal with this absurd situation.

Qing soldiers, with fierce eyes, indiscriminately searched those who seemed even remotely related to the assassins, and quite a few were actually dragged away.

If they misbehaved here, they might be wrongly accused and even affect their home country.

Jeong Yak-yong and Seo Yong-bo, who came to meet Christian, held their breath and decided not to step out of their residence for a while.

“What on earth is going on?”

“Indeed.”

“Has there been any progress in the investigation? I heard rumors that it might be a staged act by France.”

“I heard that too, but recently, the prevailing opinion is that it’s not. Some say it was the work of lunatics shouting ‘Support Qing, Destroy the Foreigners’ [a nationalist slogan]?”

“Support Qing, Destroy the Foreigners? Does that mean supporting Qing and destroying the Westerners?”

From the perspective of those who knew how Qing was destroyed, it was a slogan that only elicited laughter.

In particular, Seo Yong-bo, who saw the Crown Prince of Qing kneeling three times and prostrating nine times to the French Prime Minister, felt even more so.

“Being behind the times is truly a sad thing.”

“When Minister Woo-sang says that, it certainly resonates differently.”

“…Mock me all you want.”

Seo Yong-bo couldn’t deny that he had made a huge misjudgment until now.

When he first went to the capital of France, he knew it in his head but couldn’t accept it in his heart.

But after coming to Beijing, he automatically grasped the reality without having to try.

It’s not just about the superiority of power.

From the beginning, Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom] was not the type of country to simply prostrate itself before a stronger opponent.

The important thing was Qing’s current situation, which was so pathetic that even a third party could see it.

Of course, Joseon mocking Qing was like a pot calling the kettle black, but Qing was still the master of the Central Plains who had led history until now.

Since such a country was showing signs of decline that anyone could see, it became much easier to make a choice.

He had already told the home country that a country that truly revered Confucianism was the rightful successor of Chinese civilization, so there was no room for problems.

In fact, the fact that Joseon’s envoys came all the way to Beijing to see the French Prime Minister already conveyed their will to the other side.

“Minister Woo-sang. Then, shall we… do as planned?”

“…Shouldn’t we? Judging by the current atmosphere, it seems that we need to make a decision quickly.”

He wanted to think a little more before deciding, but with such a major accident occurring, it seemed better to decide on a position as soon as possible.

Like getting hit first is better, if it’s an unavoidable path, wouldn’t it be better to walk it first?

Having made a decision, Seo Yong-bo looked at the lavish tributes he had brought from his home country and sighed.

“It’s sad that we have to do this to a Western country… but since Qing did it first, at least it won’t be a disgrace. Let’s decide to pay tribute.”

End