I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 289

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I was doubtful whether Heonjong would actually allow the topic written by Heungseon-gun, but surprisingly, his reaction wasn’t bad.

“Wouldn’t it be interesting? It seems like there will be a fierce debate.”

With just that answer, I could clearly understand Heonjong’s position on the Qing Dynasty.

This isn’t simply about abandoning the policy of serving the great powers [a traditional Joseon foreign policy of subservience to stronger nations].

Doesn’t it clearly show his will to build a resolute relationship that wouldn’t even blink an eye no matter how much they rant and rave over there?

Some might say that Heonjong is going too far, but I could easily guess what calculations he was making.

What Joseon is trying to do is to completely dismantle the policy of serving the great powers that has continued for 200 years.

Leaving aside 10 or 20 years, 200 years is more than enough time for customs deeply rooted in society to become a law.

Of course, it wasn’t as sincere as when Joseon served the Ming Dynasty in the early days, but the inertia accumulated over 200 years was not light.

To shake all of this off, it is necessary to take an even more assertive stance on purpose.

If Heungseon-gun read Heonjong’s mind and deliberately brought up the Northern Expedition theory [a historical Korean aspiration to conquer Manchuria and reclaim lost territories], it could be said that he has considerable skill, but that’s unlikely, right?

“Your Majesty, I have gathered all the data of the candidates you requested last time.”

“Thank you for your hard work. After reviewing it today and tomorrow and watching the debate tomorrow, I’ll make my assessment.”

“I heard you came after seeing His Majesty. Did you happen to see the topic of the debate?”

“I saw it. It was interesting, of course, I received a request not to tell anyone, so I can’t tell you.”

“I don’t really have a candidate I’m favoring right now… Could you just tell me if it was a commonplace topic or not?”

Is it because it’s a Crown Prince selection contest that has never happened in Joseon history?

Even someone like Kim Hak-seo, who has been in the court for decades, seemed genuinely curious.

I absolutely can’t tell him the topic, but I can tell him that interesting topics will come up, right?

Anyway, Kim Hak-seo is someone who has fully bought Killian coins [invested heavily in my success], so he won’t go around blabbing his mouth.

“One is a commonplace topic, another is a topic that might be a little sensitive, and the last one is a topic that makes you wonder if it’s okay to do this.”

“Interesting. Hmm… If I do a little reasoning, I can roughly guess which person chose which topic.”

“Really? Then try to guess.”

“First of all, I think the topic that makes you wonder if it’s okay to do this was probably chosen by Duke Deokwan. After all, he is someone who doesn’t have a full grasp of court etiquette or Confucian knowledge yet, so he wouldn’t have been able to set clear standards for selecting a topic, and there would have been a high possibility of naturally crossing the line.

Next, the commonplace topic is probably Duke Gyeongwon. Since he is still young, it would have been difficult for him to take a bold adventure, and he probably chose a so-so topic from the words of ancient sages or books.”

“Finally, the topic that could be moderately sensitive is probably Heungseon-gun. With his experience and deep knowledge, he would be the most capable of riding the line appropriately among the candidates.”

Wow, that’s amazing. He laid out his reasoning with such confidence, but it’s so creepy that he’s completely wrong.

I asked him as a test, but it’s really amazing that he couldn’t get even one right.

“Your Excellency, Left State Councilor, your reasoning skills are truly amazing.”

“Hahaha, this is nothing much.”

“It’s really amazing. You’ll be surprised when the topic is revealed on the day of the event.”

“Do you think I would have risen to this position for no reason? I can tell right away.”

I guess you were really lucky while climbing up to the position of Left State Councilor.

“Oh, by the way, Your Majesty. Duke Deokwan, Duke Gyeongwon, and Minister Heungseon have sent requests to see Your Majesty, what should we do?”

“It’s annoying, what would happen if I just said I wouldn’t meet them?”

“Perhaps anticipating that, they are also giving the reason that they want to pay their respects to Your Majesty, who is a senior member of the royal family. Since it is ostensibly unrelated to this competition, it would be better to meet them.”

Well, if a subordinate takes the initiative to pay respects, it could be said that rejecting them is not befitting of an elder.

Even though it’s an obvious ploy, it won’t be a loss for me to meet them, so there may be no need to keep resisting.

In any case, one of those three will unconditionally become the king of this country.

For such a person to acknowledge me as a royal elder and come to pay their respects politely even before becoming the Crown Prince has a significant symbolic meaning.

“Then tell them to come to dinner tonight. Don’t forget to tell them that everyone will be meeting together in one place, as all sorts of speculations will be rampant depending on who I meet first.”

“Understood. That would definitely be better.”

Since there wasn’t anyone among the three who completely pleased me, I haven’t come to a conclusion yet.

Who will become the king of this Joseon and move for me?

Or, besides Heungseon-gun, who else is prepared to do so? I’ll have to take a close look.

* * *

That very evening, after delivering the message through Kim Hak-seo.

Three men were sitting in front of me, glancing at me with nervous faces.

“Originally, I wanted to meet each of you individually and talk, but the situation didn’t allow it, so I had to create a meeting like this all at once. Since it’s a meeting between members of the royal family, let’s not be too formal and have a free-flowing conversation while eating and drinking.”

“T, thank you! You must be very busy, but thank you for taking the time to do this. I will never forget your kindness.”

A young man with a naive impression, who looked to be in his early to mid-twenties, bowed his head deeply while using an awkward idiom.

With his angular forehead, prominent nose, and awkward demeanor that didn’t seem to fit the etiquette, I knew exactly who he was without even asking.

The person who should have become Cheoljong according to original history.

That young man must be Duke Deokwan, the owner of the laughable story of becoming king after digging up trees in Ganghwa Island [a remote island where he was found].

The bright-eyed and intelligent-looking child in the middle must be Duke Gyeongwon.

Heungseon-gun is someone I already know, so he wouldn’t be nervous, but Duke Gyeongwon, despite his young age, had a rather impressive gaze as he looked at me without being intimidated.

Since it’s an appearance that can never be seen in Joseon, I don’t know if it’s because he’s curious or if he’s bold, but whatever it is, it’s certain that he has a daringness that is not typical of his peers.

Come to think of it, wasn’t Duke Gyeongwon the one who was kicked out after coolly saying that this country was Kim’s country, not Lee’s country, in original history?

If he had the guts to say that, it wouldn’t be strange if he was the type to say everything he wanted to say even when he was young.

“First of all, I thank all of you for taking the trouble to come and show respect to the elders of the royal family, even though you didn’t necessarily have to.”

“We were just doing what we had to do.”

“I’m grateful that you think so. Well, since the first competition is coming up soon, I won’t bother having sensitive conversations in this place. I will think of all of you as the foundation of this country and talk to you, so don’t be too nervous and feel comfortable. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”

“Then I’ll go first.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Heungseon-gun raised his hand and scratched his head with a smile.

“How long are you planning to stay in Joseon, Your Highness?”

“I think I’ll be here until the Crown Prince selection is concluded. There’s something I’m doing in Qing China, but it seems like it will take quite a while to resume.”

“I see. If there’s anything that makes you uncomfortable during your stay in Joseon, please let me know at any time. I will do whatever I can, even if it’s a small amount of help.”

“I, I’ll help too!”

“Me too…”

As soon as one person finished speaking, the other two also made noises as if they couldn’t be outdone, and this flow continued.

Since everyone is looking at each other and a subtle check-and-balance structure has been formed, it can’t be said that the atmosphere is interesting even as a platitude.

If this is the case, there’s no reason to have gathered these three, so shall we slowly ignite the spark?

I wrapped boiled pork in cabbage and radish kimchi, took a big bite, and casually threw out the topic in an indifferent tone.

“By the way, everyone, are you preparing well for the competition?”

“…”

“We are doing our best.”

“Well, I’ll put aside any conversation that could affect the competition in this place, as it would be unfair. I just have some personal curiosity, so I’m going to ask a few questions. Is there anyone among you who is in the midst of marriage negotiations?”

“I’m already married…”

This time, Heungseon-gun answered first, followed by Duke Deokwan and Duke Gyeongwon shaking their heads.

However, before the two could open their mouths to say anything, Heungseon-gun took the lead.

“As far as I know, the Andong Kim clan is actively trying to arrange a marriage for Duke Deokwan. I’ve heard that the Pungyang Jo clan is also running around looking for candidates for Duke Gyeongwon.”

“I see.”

The reason why powerful families are trying to enthrone their favored candidate as king is obvious, so this is actually a natural flow.

If they can push their family member to be selected as queen, it will be even easier to lead the national affairs.

However, excluding in-laws is an essential process for strengthening royal authority, so it was not a welcome thing for me.

Heungseon-gun also smiled triumphantly, thinking so, but there is one fact that he is overlooking.

“Duke Deokwan, are you close with that… the key figure of the Andong Kim clan? Who was it?”

“Are you talking about Minister Kim Eung-geun?”

“Ah, that’s right. Are you close with that Minister Kim Eung-geun?”

“He’s the one who brought me from Ganghwa Island… I have a feeling of gratitude.”

Is it because he’s a naive country bumpkin? His emotions are clearly revealed on the outside as if they can be grasped.

The psychology of these people is very easy to read.

-I have a feeling of gratitude, but I don’t like the way they try to hold me and shake me, not just a little, but quite a lot.

Isn’t that kind of feeling pouring out?

Duke Gyeongwon is someone whose actions in original history prove it, so there’s no need to ask in the first place.

If he becomes king, he’s the type who will take the lead in stamping out in-laws, so what’s the point of saying anything?

Duke Deokwan also looks very dissatisfied with the Andong Kim clan, and since the Andong Kim clan will be automatically reorganized when Kim Jwa-geun returns from London, there’s no need to pay much attention to them.

Heungseon-gun doesn’t know all these details, so he seems to think that he is in an absolutely advantageous position, but in my opinion, he is the one who has a major bomb attached to him.

“Come to think of it, Minister Heungseon, you said you were already married, how many children do you have under your belt?”

“I have three sons right now. The name of the eldest son is Yi Jae-seon, the name of the legitimate eldest son is Yi Jae-myeon, and the name of the youngest son who was recently born is Yi Myeong-bok.”

Is the person who will become Gojong in original history the second son, Yi Myeong-bok?

Since the eldest son is still fine, even if Heungseon-gun becomes king, unlike in original history, the second son, Myeong-bok, will not become Gojong.

But the real problem is that Heungseon-gun’s eldest son is not a particularly capable person.

There are many criticisms about the father, but if he is well controlled by his side, he is evaluated as a person who can do his part, but there were many words that the sons were not able to use at all.

In particular, if my memory is not wrong, the eldest son was someone who was listed on the pro-Japanese list in modern times.

I don’t know if this is a truly vicious pro-Japanese person or if he just became a pro-Japanese anti-national actor because he was just going along with the flow, but frankly speaking, either way is a problem.

If it’s the former, there’s a serious flaw in his personality, and if it’s the latter, it means he’s an indecisive and weak person.

Therefore, from my point of view, he himself passes, but his son fails.

In the case of Duke Deokwan, who becomes Cheoljong, his own qualities are a bit lacking, and he died without an heir, but in some ways, that could be a strength.

Since there is no heir, we can hold this kind of competition once again to find a candidate who is truly without flaws and enthrone him as king.

This is really complicated and gives me a headache the more I think about it.

What’s going on, there’s no one who catches my eye when I’m about to make a decision.

Whether he knows my heart or not, Duke Deokwan couldn’t keep his eyes still, looking around anxiously, and Heungseon-gun was leisurely tilting his glass as if he was already the winner.

In the meantime, just one person.

Duke Gyeongwon, who was diligently picking up boiled pork, asked me a question in an innocent voice.

“By the way, Your Highness, this may be a bit of a random question, but I heard that you have the surname of Tokugawa, the leader of the shogunate over there.”

“I do.”

“Then, if the shogunate’s direct line is cut off in the future, just like Joseon is now, and we have to enthrone a king from a collateral line. Is there a possibility that a person from our Joseon royal family, who inherited Your Highness’s blood, could become the emperor of the shogunate?”

I don’t know if it’s a question he asked just because he was really curious or if it was a deliberate question, but the atmosphere in the room suddenly became quiet.

Duke Deokwan still had a bewildered expression, but Yi Ha-eung alternately looked at me and Duke Gyeongwon with a dumbfounded gaze.

This is a question that only a young child who doesn’t have to read the room can ask.

If he did it on purpose, he’s a pretty smart kid?

Maybe this kid could become an unexpected dark horse.

To bring Japan into the picture here, this is interesting.