I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 220

Kim Jwa-geun himself might not have realized it, but his arrival in London with his entourage was perfectly timed for my plans.

I was already looking for a way to divert attention from the French, and the arrival of an envoy from Joseon [historical Korean kingdom] provided an ideal opportunity.

To properly welcome my friends from the distant land of Joseon, I hosted another lavish banquet.

My intention was to demonstrate to the ambassadors of other countries that the world was at peace and that Britain was enjoying that peace to the fullest.

Under the guise of introducing Kim Jwa-geun to the ambassadors of other nations, I extended invitations to ambassadors from France, the Ottoman Empire, Spain, Austria, Prussia, and more.

Kim Jwa-geun, upon receiving the invitation, eagerly accepted, stating that he would rearrange his schedule to attend.

On the day of the banquet, Kim Jwa-geun appeared burdened, as if carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was huddled in a corner, but upon spotting me, his expression immediately brightened, and he hurried over.

“Your Highness! It has been too long. I should have greeted you immediately upon arrival, but I was overwhelmed with duties… Please accept my apologies.”

“Not at all. I understand better than anyone how demanding your schedule has been since your arrival. There’s no need for apologies.”

“Thank you for your understanding. And thank you even more for inviting me to this event.”

“The other ambassadors and members of our Parliament are quite curious about the ambassador from the distant land of the Eastern Dawn. So, relax and mingle freely. Interpreters are readily available, so please don’t hesitate to ask for assistance.”

“Thank you! Thank you!”

He was like a puppy wagging its tail, his demeanor even more deferential than before. This gave me a good indication of the trials he had endured to secure an audience with Victoria.

Victoria had described his demeanor as that of a drenched puppy, barely escaping a near-drowning experience. The shock, it seemed, had been considerable.

Aware of all this, I feigned ignorance and posed a probing question.

“What are your impressions of London? It must be quite different from Shanghai, which is still developing.”

“Indeed. How should I describe it? It feels as though I’ve stepped into an entirely different world… It has fundamentally challenged the ideologies and beliefs I’ve held until now. Not just myself, but the other young men accompanying me seem to feel the same way. Ah, they also expressed their desire to meet Your Highness and pay their respects if the opportunity arises.”

“Is that so? I’ve been rather occupied lately… but it’s only proper to make time for guests who have traveled so far, wouldn’t you agree? I’ll endeavor to arrange something soon.”

“I cannot express my gratitude enough… The others will be overjoyed. These young men are determined to absorb as much knowledge as they can from England before returning to Joseon. In time, they may even hold Your Highness in higher regard than His Majesty the King. If word of this reaches Joseon, I’ll surely be exiled. Hahaha.”

While it could be dismissed as mere flattery, I detected genuine sincerity in his words, which naturally brought a smile to my face.

I suppose I would feel similarly.

If someone had spent their entire life in Joseon and then experienced Great Britain for the first time, they couldn’t help but draw comparisons.

And if they grew accustomed to life here and then returned to Joseon to face the King again, would they be able to offer the same unwavering loyalty as before?

It would probably feel like meeting a local village chief.

At that point, love for the country and loyalty to the King would likely be separated by a significant margin.

The husband of the Queen, who reigns at the pinnacle of this Great British Empire and is treated with the utmost respect by all high-ranking officials, would undoubtedly appear far more impressive than the King of Joseon, who is, in essence, no more than a village headman.

It would be strange if that weren’t the case.

Even Kim Jwa-geun seems to be following that very trajectory.

Wait a moment.

If I play my cards right, I might be able to orchestrate something truly significant with this.

As my mind raced, attempting to formulate a brilliant plan, Gladstone and Lord Palmerston, having noticed me from across the room, approached and addressed me.

“Your Highness, you’re here. And this gentleman is… Ah, the envoy from Joseon.”

“Minister Kim Jwa-geun, allow me to introduce you to Liberal Party members Gladstone and Palmerston. They are leading figures in the opposition party. In Joseon terms… since there’s no direct equivalent, you might consider them key members of the Border Defense Council.”

Upon hearing my explanation, Kim Jwa-geun hastily straightened his attire and bowed respectfully.

“I am Kim Jwa-geun, the ambassador from Joseon. It is a great honor to meet such prominent figures of Great Britain.”

“Hahaha, prominent figures? That’s quite an exaggeration. We are simply dedicated to serving our country and working diligently each day.”

Gladstone, who had been chuckling as if it were nothing, glanced back and forth between me and Kim Jwa-geun, then smiled and continued.

“You’ve been in London for some time now. What has impressed you the most thus far? Or is there anything in particular you would like to see?”

“Everything has been so remarkable that it’s difficult to single out just one thing. If you ask if there’s anything I wish to see… I am curious about the educational system that has fostered such advanced development. Do you have institutions similar to our *Seodang* [village schools] or *Seowon* [private Confucian academies], or do people primarily study independently at home?”

“Here, we have schools. Students acquire knowledge appropriate for their age, and upon reaching a certain level, they attend university for more specialized studies.”

“Oh, I see. Then, do you not have a system akin to our civil service examination here?”

Perhaps this intense focus on academic achievement and higher education has been ingrained in our people since that era.

His primary interest isn’t anything else, but rather the British school system or the European equivalent of the civil service examination.

It’s so quintessentially Korean that I can’t help but nod.

“Then, why don’t we arrange a tour for him? I wonder where would be most suitable…”

“Your Highness, why hesitate? Eton, of course!”

Gladstone exclaimed with uncharacteristic enthusiasm.

“Ambassador Kim Jwa-geun wishes to see the finest educational institution that cultivates the future leaders of this country, does he not? Then, where else would we take him but Eton?”

Kim Jwa-geun, after hearing the translation, inquired with shining eyes.

“Is Eton the most prestigious educational institution in this country? Should I consider it comparable to our Sungkyunkwan [Joseon’s highest educational institution]?”

“Well…”

“No. Not at all.”

My attempt to suggest that it was a reasonable comparison was drowned out by Palmerston’s voice.

Even under the scrutiny of myself and Gladstone, who were puzzled by his interruption, Palmerston confidently puffed out his chest and stood his ground.

“If we are to provide a tour, we should direct him to Harrow School. Member of Parliament Gladstone is distorting the facts based on personal bias. Eton may have been renowned in the days of King Arthur and Excalibur, but the reality is that Harrow surpassed it long ago.”

“Eton didn’t even exist in the time of King Arthur, Lord Palmerston.”

“I’m simply stating, in a roundabout way, that Eton has never been superior to Harrow.”

“Haa… Harrow graduates are all well and good, but they invariably make such claims. Wouldn’t you agree, Your Highness? To suggest that Harrow is superior to Eton is a preposterous notion that even Christ would find absurd.”

“Mr. Gladstone, isn’t attempting to involve Your Highness in this debate, simply because your argument is weak, a cowardly act of coercion? Even if Your Highness is an Eton alumnus, the fundamental facts remain unchanged.”

These grown men, old enough to have lived full lives, are suddenly behaving in this manner.

I invited these individuals with the expectation that they would conduct themselves with some decorum in front of the Joseon ambassador, but what am I to do when they bicker over such a trivial matter?

Look at him. He’s utterly bewildered by their sudden outburst.

No, but I’m also dumbfounded? Harrow is better than Eton, really?

“Your Highness, why are those gentlemen acting in such a way? What are Eton and Harrow that they, who were laughing and conversing just moments ago, are now behaving like this…”

“Simply think of them as the Noron [faction] and Soron [faction] factions.”

“Ah! I understand perfectly.”

He nodded at the explanation, which couldn’t have been clearer, and then asked again with a serious expression.

“But… which one is the Noron?”

“……”

Indeed. Aligning oneself with a faction is a universal sentiment, so what can I do but save my breath by saying more?

“For the record, I graduated from Eton.”

“……”

After a moment of silence, Kim Jwa-geun soon laughed heartily and clenched his fist.

“What does it matter which is Noron and Soron, Sipa [faction] and Byeokpa [faction]? Eton, from which Your Highness graduated, is the best, and it is only right that it should be the object of admiration and envy for our Joseon people!”

“Then, shall we arrange the tour to Eton?”

“Of course! Eton! Eton is the best. Please, allow me to see Eton!”

Gladstone nodded in satisfaction at Kim Jwa-geun’s earnest cry, while Palmerston clicked his tongue quietly with a look of utter disappointment.

He’s definitely a man with good sense, unlike other Joseon people.

I was prepared to deduct points if he had forced me to explicitly declare Eton as the best, but he handled himself admirably and gracefully.

Kim Jwa-geun from Joseon.

First stage of the Sense Test. He passed, for now.

* * *

About an hour after the one-sided debate over which was the best educational institution in Great Britain concluded.

French Ambassador Count Beaupoil was traversing the banquet hall, basking in the prestige of the resurgent great power of France.

“Count, the conflict in the Italian region has recently intensified. What is France’s perspective on this situation?”

“Ambassador, regarding the Papal States’ recent statement, as a country representing Catholicism…”

“How does France…”

France, having recently regained stability, began to gradually intervene in the major and minor affairs of the European continent once more, but the reactions of other countries were different from before.

Instead of acting as a bully in Europe like Napoleon, suppressing those who didn’t comply, they were gently addressing the difficulties of other nations.

Austria, for example, overcame its challenges without significant issues thanks to France, but it was not subjected to excessive demands under that pretense.

The same was true of Italy, which aspired to unification.

Rather than employing coercive methods, France acted as a mediator in Europe, actively engaging in dialogue with various countries, and as time progressed, they could sense their influence expanding.

Ordinarily, when France was prospering, Great Britain would invariably interfere, but now Great Britain was their closest ally, wasn’t it?

Indeed, instead of antagonizing each other and undermining their strength, it is far more advantageous to be aligned with Great Britain and share the benefits together.

France is pleased to be able to assert itself as a great power in Europe once again, and Great Britain need not worry about anything if France stabilizes Europe.

This is what one might call a win-win situation.

He has no interest in the ambassador from that weak, remote country in the east that initially brought humiliation to France.

Unlike other ambassadors who showed interest in Joseon, he was actively seeking other advantages to bring back to his home country.

And he happened to overhear Gladstone speaking with the Ottoman ambassador.

Fortunately for him, Gladstone’s slightly flushed voice was loud, perhaps due to having consumed some drinks.

“Ambassador, if you were to entrust the administration of the Holy Land to our Great British Empire, wouldn’t the relationship between our country and the Ottoman Empire become even stronger?”

“Hmm… but that’s…”

“There’s no reason for your country to be at a disadvantage either. If you entrust the administration of the Holy Land to us, surely our country wouldn’t turn a blind eye to the difficulties of the Ottoman Empire. In the event of an unforeseen incident, we will take more active measures than we do now.”

Even a common laborer would understand that this was a veiled reference to Russia.

The Ottoman ambassador displayed a reaction that was quite tempting, unlike before, and Gladstone emptied his wine glass and departed, stating that they would discuss it further later.

The administration of the Holy Land… it is certainly one of the greatest honors that a Christian country can attain.

Although religion’s influence on politics has diminished in this era, the Catholic forces in France were still not at a level that could be ignored.

In particular, unlike Great Britain, which is strictly Protestant, France is the traditional guardian of Catholicism, isn’t it?

If they could secure the administration of the Holy Land from the Ottomans, the justification and repercussions would be far more significant on the French side, Count Beaupoil reasoned.

However, the conditions proposed by the Great British side were somewhat concerning….

No. The fact that they mentioned taking responsibility and resolving any issues if the Russian side caused trouble suggests that they have already calculated everything.

It’s frustrating, but it has already been demonstrated that their intelligence was superior to ours during the last revolution.

What is the reason for the Great British side’s confidence that they can prevent Russia from causing trouble?

Of course, it’s because they are confident that Russia cannot touch the Ottoman Empire as long as Great Britain stands firm.

If you think about it logically, that’s the case.

With the triangular alliance of Great Britain, France, and Austria formed, and Prussia considering joining, how could Russia attack a country under their protection?

If they were to do such a thing, it would be either the act of a crazed madman or an incompetent individual who couldn’t grasp the broader implications, one of the two.

Russia certainly had individuals who were somewhat suspected of being either the former or the latter, but they wouldn’t be complete morons.

In any case, they have only had a brief conversation and have not formally exchanged documents, so France’s involvement would not necessarily be stealing the interests of Great Britain.

Count Beaupoil, having taken a moment to gather his thoughts, approached the Ottoman ambassador, who was standing alone, with a knowing smile.

“Ambassador. I didn’t intend to eavesdrop, but how about continuing the conversation with us? Our France can offer you better conditions.”

Even though we are allies, it’s not beneficial to always be dragged along by Great Britain, is it?

Indeed, that’s right.

If the other party is Great Britain, this party is the traditional rival, the Great Kingdom of France.

So, it’s our turn to make the first move this time.

A deep smile spread across Count Beaupoil’s face, convinced that the opportunity to finally give Killian, who was always so confident, a taste of his own medicine had arrived.

France will take responsibility for the peace of the European continent, so Great Britain can simply sit back, observe, and act arrogant, as they are currently doing.