I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 163

The Story Only You Don’t Know

The world is truly mysterious.

Heungseon-gun [a royal title, roughly equivalent to “Prince of the Court,” given to a member of the royal family who is not in the direct line of succession], a member of the Joseon [Korean dynasty from 1392 to 1897] royal family, never imagined he would be sailing overseas like this.

He knew that the maritime ban imposed during the Ming [Chinese dynasty from 1368 to 1644] and Qing [Chinese dynasty from 1644 to 1912] dynasties was now meaningless, but even so, taking a ship across the West Sea [Yellow Sea] to Shanghai was a bizarre experience he could never have dreamed of before.

“Minister of War, you must be used to going abroad since this isn’t your first time.”

“I went by land last time, but this time I’m going by sea, so I feel different too.”

“Ah, that’s right. By the way, I understand why you’re the head of this delegation since you’ve met Guilian Guai in person before… but why am I included here? No one has told me the detailed reason.”

Kim Jwa-geun, who had remained silent despite being asked until now, opened his mouth after the delegation landed in Shanghai.

He glanced around and told Heungseon-gun the real reason he was included here in a small voice that no one else could hear.

“You remember the story you told me before, about seeing a slave with mixed barbarian blood when you were young.”

“Ah, yes, I did. But as far as I’ve investigated, that child named Yoo Seok died of a strange disease…”

“Of course, he did. All the slaves who lived with him said the same thing. So, we concluded that Yoo Seok was not Guilian Guai, but no matter how much more we investigated, we couldn’t find anyone who could be presumed to be Guilian Guai.”

“Then, could it be that he didn’t actually live in Joseon?”

Barbarians are said to lie through their teeth. Maybe they deliberately leaked false information to confuse us.

However, Kim Jwa-geun frowned and immediately shook his head.

“Those who say that haven’t actually seen him. If you meet him once, you’ll understand what I mean right away. The problem is that after investigating this far, someone should be identified, but that’s not the case. So, my conclusion is that someone tampered with the records.”

“Tampered with the records? Why?”

“Well, whoever would be in trouble if this was known would have done it. Thinking about it in reverse, the most suspicious person is still the child named Yoo Seok, who supposedly died of a strange disease.”

“So, the slave I met before is Guilian Guai? Still, that’s…”

It’s an old memory that’s hard to recall now, but I vaguely remember it.

Even though he was a slave, he was strangely bold and knew suspiciously much.

If I had met him a few more times, I would have been able to remember him clearly, but unfortunately, the details are not clear in my mind, as if shrouded in fog.

But this was not his fault.

No matter how impressive someone was, how could he remember in detail someone he only met once around the age of ten?

And no matter how smart a child was, does it make sense that the slave is now in a key position in the most powerful country that has brought Qing China to its knees?

I don’t know exactly how to express it, but it doesn’t quite add up.

Of course, this is just Heungseon-gun’s personal opinion, and Kim Jwa-geun seemed to see it completely differently.

“Just looking at the age range, the two are similar. And how common is it to have a mixed-blood barbarian in all eight provinces of Joseon? There might be one or two, but there’s no way two people of similar age would appear. If Yoo Seok is Guilian Guai, and his family members are all lying, then all the pieces fit neatly.”

“But why would they lie?”

“Guilian said he didn’t have good memories in Joseon. He must have been persecuted by his family for being a mixed-blood barbarian. If this fact were revealed, could his family withstand the aftermath?”

“That sounds plausible.”

To be honest, I wonder if it’s necessary to go that far, but if Yoo Seok is really Guilian Guai, I can understand why the head of his family hid the truth.

This could escalate into an international diplomatic issue, and if you trace Guilian Guai’s lineage, it even leads to the ridiculous fact that it’s connected to the royal family of this country.

If they abused and harassed such a person, what kind of criticism would they face?

At this point, it was a major disaster that even the Andong Kim clan or the Pungyang Jo clan would have difficulty handling.

“I can guess why you brought me here. You’re telling me to check if Guilian Guai is Yoo Seok, right?”

“Yes. That’s exactly it. It could be, but it might not be… I can’t ask him directly.”

“I understand. Asking the British envoy, ‘Were you a slave when you were in Joseon?’ is impossible.”

If it’s a complete misjudgment, such a question would be an unprecedented diplomatic disaster that cannot be explained by the word ‘rude’.

No, even if it’s understood correctly, it could be an extremely unpleasant question depending on the situation.

I understand Kim Jwa-geun’s intentions. And I can fully agree with the intentions of His Majesty who permitted it.

The problem is… even if I see Guilian Guai’s face, I’m not confident that I can tell if he’s Yoo Seok or not.

No, unless I saw him after he finished growing up, how can I recognize the grown-up appearance of a 10-year-old child I saw more than 10 years ago?

But what can I do?

“…I’ll try my best.”

I can’t back out at this point, so I have no choice but to strain my eyes and try to recall the past as much as possible.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Guilian Guai did not return to Shanghai for a while after arriving in Shanghai.

During that time, Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung spent time with Kim Jwa-geun, touring the Shanghai Governor-General’s Office and the British naval base.

“Those British bastards… I don’t know about anything else, but their ships are amazing.”

“You can feel it when you see it in person, right? Antagonizing those who drag around such ships is something that should never happen. There’s a reason why Qing China was crushed without even putting up a fight.”

“Huh… but if the ships are so big, wouldn’t they be heavy and slow?”

“Not at all. They move much faster than the ships we use, and they can even almost ignore the flow of the wind, so even their maneuverability is incomparable. Even the range of their cannons is almost more than double, so even if General Yi Sun-sin [Korean naval commander noted for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon Dynasty] came back to life, there’s no way he could stand up to them.”

Even so, I wonder if General Yi Sun-sin could perform a miracle, but seeing the majesty of the warship in front of me, which couldn’t even be compared to the ship they came on, Kim Jwa-geun might be right.

In any case, fighting the barbarians who drag around such warships is something that I now agree with in my heart, not just in my head.

Actually feeling that Qing China was crushed for a reason was on a different level than just seeing the results written in words in the country.

Heungseon-gun, who felt the seriousness of the reality in his skin, suppressed his nervous heart and waited for Guilian Guai to return to Shanghai.

And finally.

“It’s been a while. I heard you’ve risen much higher than when I saw you before. I feel so excited and overwhelmed that His Majesty is so successful, as if I were the one who succeeded.”

“Hahaha, thank you. I heard that you were appointed as the Minister of War this time? At that rate, you’re on a fast track to success that no one else in Joseon can compare to, right?”

“I don’t know what to do with such compliments. Ah, this is Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung, a member of the Joseon royal family who came with me this time.”

“Nice to meet you, Your Majesty!”

The British envoy who made even the powerful ministers of the Andong Kim clan, who shook the entire Joseon Dynasty and made even the flying birds fall, nervous.

Heungseon-gun, who met Guilian for the first time, desperately examined his face, pretending to lower his eyes slightly.

Ah, looking at it like this, it seems a bit similar to the face I saw when I was young.

Or is it not?

Maybe it just looks similar because I’m thinking that way.

Guilian, unaware of the burning heart on this side, nodded with a friendly smile as he nonchalantly turned his gaze.

“Nice to meet you. If you’re a member of the Joseon royal family, then are you a distant relative of mine in terms of family register? Hahaha.”

“You could see it that way. Heungseon-gun also admires His Majesty’s fame, which is shaking the entire world beyond the eight provinces of Joseon, and insisted on following me to this place. I was so touched by his sincerity that I was almost moved to tears.”

“Oh, really?”

I tried to read the emotions in his gaze as he looked at me with interest, but unfortunately, I couldn’t read any of his inner thoughts.

It was a somewhat shocking experience for Heungseon-gun, who had always prided himself on being the best in Joseon when it came to reading people’s minds and the atmosphere since he was young.

Slightly impatient, Kim Jwa-geun, who had been silent, glanced over and sent a look.

‘What’s going on? So, is it him or not!’

I can guess what he’s trying to say just by looking at his eyes.

But what am I supposed to do?

Heungseon-gun also looked at Kim Jwa-geun with a wronged expression and shook his head.

‘Westerners all look the same, so how am I supposed to tell them apart!’

In the end, I can’t tell just by looking at his face. Thinking that I had to extract information through conversation somehow, Kim Jwa-geun paused for a moment, then took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

* * *

The power of the Andong Kim clan and the person who may become the Daewongun [Grand Internal Prince, a title given to the father of the King when the King is not in the direct line of succession] of Joseon in the future, overthrowing the powerful families and wielding power.

And both of them were desperately watching me, trying to figure out what I was trying to dig up, which made me laugh even more.

I deliberately kept beating around the bush, watching what those two, who seemed completely out of place at first glance, were saying.

“Your Majesty and Heungseon-gun seem to have some similarities when you look closely, perhaps because they are distant relatives. That makes me wonder if you might feel like you’ve met somewhere before…”

“Is that so? Do we look alike? I don’t see it at all.”

“Ah… hahaha, well, that’s right. Now that I look closely, I don’t think you look alike either. Ahem.”

“Did you say Heungseon-gun? Do you feel like you’ve seen me somewhere before?”

When I threw a fastball, Yi Ha-eung couldn’t hide his embarrassment and lowered his head.

“Uh… well, that’s…”

“Since we’re relatives, I guess you might feel that way. Blood is amazing, isn’t it?”

“Haha… that’s right.”

I know you’re not even related by blood, right?

Of course, I can’t even utter those words, so Kim Jwa-geun and Yi Ha-eung froze like stone statues and just kept giving awkward smiles.

Still, I recognized him as soon as I saw him, but Yi Ha-eung didn’t recognize me?

That’s a bit disappointing. I thought I had an impressive appearance that you wouldn’t easily forget.

“Your Majesty, I heard you went to the capital of Waeguk [derogatory term for Japan], did you have any success from going there in person?”

“Yes. I had quite satisfactory results. Maybe it’s because it was an unexpected invitation. And that goes for this meeting as well. I didn’t expect you two to come all the way to Shanghai while I was here.”

“Since Your Majesty, a member of the Joseon royal family, came nearby, how could we not come out to greet you in person? Moreover, Your Majesty has also promised to help Arasa [Korean name for Russia] and Joseon sign a non-aggression pact, so we came to thank you as well.”

“As expected of a country that values etiquette, Joseon knows the law. But to show sincerity, you have to show it with actions, right? I think I deserve to be compensated since I took care to build a bridge for you to sign a non-aggression pact with Russia.”

“That’s absolutely right.”

Kim Jwa-geun’s appearance of bowing his head in a fluster was not new, but seeing Yi Ha-eung not knowing what to do made me feel quite strange.

I used to think about trying to get ahead by getting on his good side, but that’s just a distant memory now.

I was wondering if it would be more fun if he recognized me and acted like he knew me, but since he’s just being hesitant like that, I kind of want to tease him even more?

“Then, shall we hear the opinion of our Heungseon-gun? What do you think if Joseon establishes diplomatic relations with Great Britain? Personally, I think it would be a result that both countries can smile about.”

The icon of Wijeongcheoksa [a 19th-century Korean movement that opposed Western influence and advocated for the preservation of traditional values] and Seoguk [Western countries].

What will our future Daewongun, who shouts that making peace with the barbarians is selling the country and that if we trade, all the silver coins of the country will run out, say?

Heungseon-gun, who was receiving the gazes of me, who was openly curious, and Kim Jwa-geun, who was stiff with tension, couldn’t do this or that and just rolled his eyes.

“Ah, don’t be too nervous and tell us your honest opinion.”

Who’s going to eat you? Tell us something confidently like you did when you were young.

Whether he gained strength from my kind encouragement, Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung, who took a deep breath, finally opened his mouth.

“Personally, I think… it’s too early to conclude a trade agreement… but.”

“N, no, no! Heungseon-gun! What are you saying! There are things you can say and things you can’t say, what kind of place do you think this is! Are you out of your mind!”

Yi Ha-eung, who said what he had to say even while flustered, and Kim Jwa-geun, who raised his voice and even pointed his finger at him, whether he was a member of the royal family or not.

What a collaboration of madness.

Yeah, this is the Joseon I remember.

I knew it.