I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 117

Became a Hidden Power in the British Empire 117

The Butterfly Effect

My brain was momentarily overloaded by the nonsensical barrage, and the United States congressmen’s debate had already ended.

What the hell is wrong with Adams? He never said anything like that when he came to England before. Did he eat something wrong?

Why is he suddenly talking about Eastern royalty?

Feeling strange, I asked him about it after the schedule was over, and as expected, I got an absurd answer.

“…What? Aren’t you Eastern royalty? I thought it was confirmed information.”

Wow, without me knowing, I’ve been promoted from an Eastern slave to royalty.

But why don’t I, the person in question, know about it?

“I’m sorry, but could you tell me the source of that information?”

“It was clearly written in a report sent by the ambassador in the British Empire three days ago. It’s a recently officially confirmed fact.”

“…Three days ago?”

What is really going on?

If the US embassy officially confirmed and sent the information, they wouldn’t be blatantly lying, but I don’t understand why this is happening.

Could it be that the report has already been sent to Canada without me knowing because I’m in the United States?

I can’t move without knowing the situation. I’ll have to go to the British Embassy in the United States and get a report on how things are going.

“By the way, Minister, you are so humble. I heard that you suffered a lot as an Eastern mixed-blood, but if you had revealed that you were royalty, you could have had a much easier time.”

“Um…”

“But as a result, it seems that the Minister’s judgment was correct. You rose to the position of the youngest minister of all time solely on your own ability, so if you had revealed that you were royalty, your abilities would not have been fairly evaluated because of your background.”

“Haha, hahaha.”

If I were really of royal blood, I wouldn’t have hidden behind others to get ahead.

I’m not some kind of pain-loving pervert, so why would I not take the opportunity to rise if I had the chance?

“You are a national hero in Ireland, and you finished your term as the Canadian ambassador successfully. When you return to your home country, you will spread your wings even further than now. Europe, the United States, and Asia will all have the task of figuring out how to develop trade, and no one will be able to surpass the Minister’s position.”

“Well… Asia is my specialty.”

“Hoo. That’s why the United States should quickly get rid of outdated things like slavery and actively turn its attention to the outside world, but the Southern congressmen who can’t see the times are holding us back, which is frustrating. The president is also from the South, so he’s protecting them…”

“Everyone prioritizes their own interests. Who would listen if you told them to sacrifice themselves for the distant future?”

In fact, I hope that the Southern congressmen will be more steadfast and resolute so that the United States can experience internal strife for a longer time.

Otherwise, no matter how I calculate it, it will be difficult for Canada to surpass the United States with fair means.

No, it was close to impossible to take even a small piece of the pie that the United States had in the original history.

Even if we took the lead and snatched it away, if the United States, with its eyes turned upside down, demanded it back and started a war, we would have no choice but to return it.

It’s obvious that they’ll come out and act like it’s a clear mandate from heaven, so it’s too burdensome to go to war with the United States to take over the southwestern part of North America.

If you knew how much value that land has in the modern era, you would think that you should take it no matter what sacrifices you have to make now, but unfortunately, it’s not the 21st century now.

Even the Crimean War, which will happen in a few years, has a famous record of having unfavorable public opinion in England despite winning the war.

No matter how strong the world’s strongest country is, it cannot fight wars with multiple countries simultaneously.

So, we need to appease and coax the United States to listen to us, and then create a situation where they split up and fight each other.

In the meantime, if we expand to the southwest as much as possible and then incite Mexico, we can buy at least decades of time.

The problem is that even if we do that, the overall national power will still be ahead of the United States.

It’s not for nothing that the land these guys occupy is called the most blessed area in the world.

So, we need to handle things as tightly as possible without wasting a single moment, but… suddenly, this is a bolt from the blue.

Could it be that these guys are all in on a hidden camera prank?

I greeted Adams as naturally as possible and parted ways, then rushed to the British Embassy to find out the whole story.

And surprisingly, Adams’ words were completely true.

“Minister! The letter that the Prime Minister sent directly arrived this morning. I heard that they also sent it to Canada just in case, and this is it.”

I received the letter without a word, tore open the envelope on the spot, and read Wellesley’s familiar handwriting.

-Therefore, not only the current government but also the parliament is buzzing with this news. It seems that you will have to decide on the policy yourself, so send me a reply as soon as you read this letter.

I thought that the US ambassador might have known something wrong and sent it, but this completely eliminated that possibility.

I calmed myself down and slowly read the letter again to analyze the current situation.

No… why is this real?

* * *

Back when Killian was first appointed as the Canadian ambassador.

The chaos caused by Qing Dynasty’s crushing defeat had a significant impact on all countries in Asia.

Even countries like Joseon [historical Korean kingdom], which had their eyes and ears closed, were no exception.

There were quite a few people who had already been to Qing Dynasty as envoys. As a result, rumors about Gillian Quai, the English secretary from Joseon, spread widely.

Kim Jwa-geun, who suddenly became the head of the countermeasures headquarters against the English, sighed day by day.

‘How did I end up in this mess?’

The higher-ups don’t know the seriousness of the situation, and the subordinates don’t listen to me, so it’s just a total disaster.

Still, when Lee Ha-eung first told him about the mixed-blood slave Yoo Seok, he felt that everything would work out well.

However, after investigating, it was said that Yoo Seok died of a strange disease when he was young.

If the slaves in that family all give consistent statements, it must be an undeniable fact.

Then who is Gillian Quai?

He searched all the records for a year and sent investigators to Hanseong [historical name for Seoul] and all eight provinces, but there was no harvest.

Could it be that Gillian Quai is lying to mess with us?

If his Joseon language, which he spoke directly, was a little less fluent, he might have suspected that.

If this is the case, there is only one conclusion.

Someone who was afraid of the truth being revealed must have erased all records or traces of Gillian Quai.

Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense that we can’t get proper information even after searching so thoroughly.

Just in case, he even suspected that the Vice Minister of Personnel was trying to hide the truth about Yoo Seok and dug into his background.

However, it was too late to reveal the truth because Yoo Seok died a long time ago.

Even Lee Ha-eung himself doesn’t remember the child he met a long time ago, so how can there be progress in the investigation?

The problem is that as the situation stagnates, those who doubt his ability are starting to appear.

“Brother, is there still nothing more to report?”

“I’m sorry. I’m searching all eight provinces like lice, but there is no harvest, whether he soared into the sky or disappeared into the ground.”

“There are slowly talks coming out from the Border Defense Council. They are saying that you are deliberately delaying things.”

“Then put the person who says that in this position instead of me.”

The most powerful person in Joseon, who is currently in charge of the regency on behalf of the young king.

Queen Sunwon Kim sighed as if she was frustrated.

Kim Jwa-geun, who was watching it, was also upset.

Who would waste time and do nothing because they didn’t want to find it?

What can I do if it doesn’t come out no matter how much I search?

Even recently, the Japanese have been acting up because of this issue, which makes me even more upset.

“Brother, I’m not trying to blame you. But as you know, Japan is claiming that their blood flows in Gillian Quai’s body. I don’t know what their intentions are, but there are very harsh words coming out from within the court because of this.”

“Of course I know.”

Isn’t it the bad habit of the Japanese to take anything that looks good?

I can roughly guess why they are doing this.

They must be jealous that one of the leaders of the military powerhouse that brought Qing Dynasty to its knees is from here, so they are trying to get a foot in.

The problem is that there is no evidence to deny that.

If I knew who Gillian Quai was, I could refute it for sure, but I can’t confirm his actions when he was in Joseon, so I can’t refute such absurd manipulations.

“But Mama, what the Japanese are claiming is not worth listening to. A mixed-blood with Tokugawa’s blood mixed in during the Japanese Invasion is Gillian Quai’s ancestor, does that make sense?”

“But Japan has officially sent an envoy and even released a genealogy.”

“Of course it’s fabricated. A genealogy is something that can be created right now if you want to.”

I was speechless at the meticulousness of trying to achieve their goals by even fabricating a genealogy, but the Joseon officials decided not to acknowledge this.

Even those who initially said that they shouldn’t put in such effort for a Western mixed-blood completely changed their attitude when the Japanese intervened, and it was like a scene from a Beijing opera.

Whether Joseon should embrace Gillian Quai or not, they can’t stand the fact that the Japanese are intervening, and honestly, I agree.

“Since Japan is claiming that Gillian Quai is their bloodline by presenting a genealogy, we need to provide corresponding evidence. So, we need to find out where he was born and raised as soon as possible…”

Why am I going through this trouble because of the Japanese because of that genealogy?

‘Wait. Genealogy?’

Kim Jwa-geun forgot that he was in front of Queen Sunwon and clapped his knees at the idea that came to his mind.

He belatedly realized that he had shown a disrespectful appearance, cleared his throat, and opened his mouth.

“Ahem, Mama. In my opinion, it is impossible to find information about Gillian Quai. And even if you ask him, it is impossible for him to know who his ancestors are. The fact that the records are not coming out even after searching this much means that someone is intentionally concealing the truth.”

“No, who would dare to do that…”

“But if you change your perspective, this is not bad for us. The fact that someone has erased all the records means that the current situation is like a blank slate. It’s not what the Japanese intended, but that’s why we can’t properly refute their claims right now, isn’t it?”

“Are you saying…”

Queen Sunwon asked with a look of disbelief, but Kim Jwa-geun was convinced that this was the only way to solve the problem most easily.

“Yes. Why can’t we do what the Japanese are doing? Just create a suitable position and put Gillian Quai’s name in it. And then formally apologize. You had a hard time in Joseon, but in fact, you were from a noble family in Joseon. We will correct the facts and help you restore your honor even now. If we say something like that, they won’t be able to pick on us about what happened when we were young.”

Isn’t this a win-win situation that can block the Japanese nonsense and relieve Gillian Quai’s feelings?

What’s important now is to prevent the guns of the Westerners who devastated Qing Dynasty from pointing at us.

If we can prevent that by fabricating a genealogy, there is no cheaper deal than this.

Some may say that it is impossible for a member of the most prestigious family, the Andong Kim clan, to talk about fabricating a genealogy, but Gillian Quai is not a Joseon person anyway.

Even if we fabricate a genealogy, he will live on the other side of the world in England for the rest of his life.

“…This is not a matter that I can decide. You should discuss your opinion with the manufacturers and vice-ministers of the Border Defense Council.”

“Yes.”

“But if you make a genealogy, which family are you going to put him in? Our family?”

“The Japanese claim that he is a distant relative of the Shogunate, the head of their leader. Then shouldn’t we create a corresponding position? If we adjust the degree of kinship well, we can create a position that is high in status without demanding any rights from us.”

It was an outrageous statement, and Queen Sunwon stared at her brother several times to see if he was in his right mind.

But in terms of practicality, this is the best.

If we made him the same Andong Kim clan, how would we handle it if he tried to do something as a member of the family?

And decisively, if we give him a clumsy position, Gillian Quai may react by asking who we are kidding.

The Japanese have taken a strong stance, saying that he is a descendant of the Shogunate’s leader, the Shogun.

To avoid being looked down upon by them, we need to give them a corresponding position.

It was a decision that could never be made in Joseon under normal circumstances, but surprisingly, many officials agreed with Kim Jwa-geun’s opinion when they became entangled with the Japanese.

In the end, Kim Jwa-geun took all the responsibility, and the fake genealogy he created with all his heart flew to Shanghai, which was occupied by the British Empire.

-Gillian Quai is definitely a member of the Joseon royal family, not Japanese. It was only late to identify him because he was involved in a treasonous family.

-No. Gillian Quai is definitely a descendant of Joseon, but he is also a distant relative of the Shogunate Shogun.

Shanghai, which could not judge the truth of this world’s best fabrication competition, which had escalated into a battle of pride between Joseon and Japan, eventually accepted all the claims of both countries as facts.

This amazing report was sent to London as a confirmed fact with the seal of the Governor-General of British Shanghai.

Honestly, I don’t know what’s going on, but the Governor-General of Shanghai made the best decision in his own way because both countries were insisting that it was true.

Japan, which opened the door to the incident, as well as Joseon, which responded to it, and even Killian, the person involved, did not expect it.

This gentle breeze, which started with a light butterfly effect, soon became a huge storm and completely turned London upside down.