I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 3

The Hidden Tycoon of the Great British Empire 3 (2)

The 19th Century and Joseon (2)

I once saw a modern version of Heungseon Daewongun’s [Heungseon Daewongun was a prominent political figure during the late Joseon Dynasty] college entrance exam scores go viral online.

I remember that he received top marks in all subjects, except for English, where his score was abysmal.

People joked about it, dubbing him the ‘Modern Heungseon Daewongun.’

That incident reveals how modern people perceive Daewongun.

A man skilled in everything else but completely isolated from foreign countries.

His very existence symbolizes the late Joseon’s policy of national isolation and rejection of foreign relations.

He is a living embodiment of the late Joseon Dynasty, from the Sedo politics era [Sedo politics refers to a period in Joseon dynasty where powerful in-law families dominated the political scene] to the Gabo Reform [Gabo Reform was a series of reforms in Korea during 1894-1896] and the establishment of the Korean Empire.

In fact, four people in the Joseon Dynasty were called Daewongun, but none had as much influence as Heungseon Daewongun.

As a result, the title Daewongun is usually used to refer specifically to Heungseon Daewongun.

And now, such a person stands before me as a young boy, completely different from his portrait.

I feel not only a sense of wonder but also a slight thrill at sharing this moment in history.

“What are you staring at so intently? Is there something on my face?”

“No. I just thought I recognized the young master’s name, so I was a little surprised.”

“You’ve heard my name?”

The future little Daewongun frowned, muttering to himself as if something bothered him.

“Is my name already so well known that even the slaves of the Vice Minister of Rites know it? This isn’t good…”

“Ah, no, that’s not it. I just think I overheard it somewhere, something like that.”

“Is that so? Then it doesn’t matter. Anyway, going back to what we were talking about earlier, you’re just wasting your time, so give up now. I’m only saying this for your own good. I don’t really have any obligation to tell you this, but I feel sorry for you since you’ve been doing this for years. It’s true that if you’re stupid, your body suffers, and you’re a perfect example of that. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

“Is it because I’m of mixed Western blood?”

“Of course. A slave with Western blood. And judging by your age, you must be about ten years old. Do you think any noblemen would seriously listen to such a young child?”

Probably not.

That’s a fact proven by the extensive data I’ve gathered from years of futile efforts since I became aware of my past life.

However, my desire to find a strong backer has not diminished but has grown even stronger.

That’s because a key figure I couldn’t afford to miss appeared before me.

In about twenty years, when Gojong [Gojong was the 26th king of Joseon and the first Emperor of Korea] ascends to the throne, he will become the Daewongun of Joseon and wield real power.

Is there anyone in Joseon right now with better potential for me to win over than him?

Then I need to make a good impression somehow.

“At least the person in front of me was kind enough to talk to me.”

“Hmm? Are you talking about me?”

“Yes.”

“You’re quite bold for someone with Western blood. But even if someone recognizes you, you’re still just a slave of the Vice Minister of Rites. Wouldn’t it be more urgent to gain recognition from your master than from me?”

Do you think I haven’t tried that?

Kim, the Vice Minister of Rites, who is my master in terms of status, is a man of considerable power who has been on a roll since he went to Qing [Qing Dynasty was the last imperial dynasty of China] as an envoy 10 years ago.

However, he doesn’t seem to like my existence, as I was born from an affair between his servant and another man.

Moreover, he is a rigid Confucian to the core, so no matter how much I try to demonstrate my abilities, he always ignores me.

“If there is a nobleman who values my abilities, wouldn’t he be able to buy me? There would also be a possibility of aiming for emancipation under him.”

“That means you think you’re worth that much, but you’re too out of touch with reality. Is it because you have Western blood?”

As expected of the man who erected the Cheokhwabi [Cheokhwabi is a monument erected nationwide in Korea by Heungseon Daewongun in 1871, warning against treaties with Western powers], he keeps calling me ‘Westerner,’ making this mixed-blood feel bad.

“If you talk to me a little more, I think the young master will change his mind.”

“Really? Then I have something I’m curious about, so I should satisfy my curiosity. How can there be a slave of Western descent in this Joseon land who speaks Joseon’s language so fluently?”

“When our master went to Qing as an envoy, a Qing official requested our master’s servant. That person was my mother. Have you ever heard of England… no, Yeonggilli?”

“I know Yeonggilli. Isn’t it a rising power in Europe recently? There’s no way I wouldn’t know a country you know.”

Daewongun Lee Ha-eung, the future Daewongun, retorted sarcastically.

“Yes. The person who asked for that was a nobleman from Yeonggilli, who is my father. I think the Qing official made that request to Kim Yeong-gam to get closer to my father.”

“Ah, so that’s how you were born. The Vice Minister of Rites must not have been very happy.”

A slave is strictly the property of the owner.

But a foreigner, even if he is a nobleman, took her, so it must have been a humiliation beyond displeasure.

It would never have happened if the Qing official, with whom he had to maintain close relations, had not asked for it.

The problem is that even that was unpleasant enough, but the servant even got pregnant.

“Our master initially tried to hand me over to the man who was said to be my biological father and receive compensation. But unfortunately, he had already returned to his home country. There was no way to contact the nobleman in that distant Yeonggilli from this Joseon land, so he gave up.”

In a way, it’s understandable that the Vice Minister of Rites doesn’t pay attention to me.

My very existence is a reminder of unpleasant events in the past, and he didn’t even receive proper compensation.

Just looking at me would make him feel uncomfortable and annoyed.

Of course, I understand, but that doesn’t mean I forgive him.

What a petty guy.

“Hearing the story, it doesn’t seem like the old man will value you. So you’re looking for someone outside to recognize you, and I understand your feelings. However, as I said before, the fact that it’s a futile effort will not change.”

“As I said before, if you have a proper conversation with me, I think your mind will change.”

“Conversation? Okay, then let’s talk. You probably haven’t read the Great Learning… have you? Did you finish the Elementary Learning?”

Oh, it’s getting tough from the start.

I wondered what topic we would talk about, but is it really the Four Books and Three Classics [Four Books and Three Classics are the canonical texts of Confucianism]?

“I roughly know the Thousand Character Classic [Thousand Character Classic is a Chinese poem used as a primer for teaching Chinese characters to children].”

“The Analects or Mencius?”

“I’ve never read them.”

“The Doctrine of the Mean? Have you ever seen any of the Book of Poetry, the Book of Documents, or the Book of Changes?”

It’s dizzying.

I’ve studied economics, accounting, architecture, and law to some extent, but I’ve never really thought about delving into Confucianism properly.

Why? Because there’s no reason to deceive Confucian scholars, and there’s no reason to pretend to be a Confucian scholar to scammers.

The problem is that in Joseon of this era, the value of the Analects and Mencius is a million times higher than the latest economics books popular in England.

I had a rough idea, but hearing a ten-year-old child say such things makes me feel suffocated.

“What kind of in-depth conversation can I have with someone who hasn’t even read the Elementary Learning, let alone the Four Books and Three Classics? This is also why I said that no nobleman would listen to your story.”

“Even if I haven’t read the Analects, I know the fundamentals, and even if I haven’t mastered the Doctrine of the Mean, I think I can discern people’s true nature.”

“That’s because your understanding is superficial, leading to such arrogance. Of course, it’s realistically impossible for a commoner to read the Four Books or Three Classics, but…”

Oh, our young Confucian scholar.

At this time, Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations has already been out for decades in England, and Jean-Baptiste Say is expounding Say’s Law in France, but he’s talking about the Four Books and Three Classics.

If I had known this would happen, I should have at least feigned knowledge of Confucianism in my past life.

I had a rough idea, but hearing a ten-year-old child say such things makes me feel suffocated.

“Young master. I’ve heard that the West is developing at a frightening pace right now. Even though they are Westerners who don’t adhere to Confucian ethics, their technology itself is at a level that cannot be ignored. Even the great Qing Dynasty cannot ignore and is wary of Western technology.”

“Did the Vice Minister of Rites say that?”

“Yes. I remember hearing him say that in passing.”

I have no choice but to use our old master’s name a little.

Anyway, what can a 10-year-old Daewongun do to verify the truth of my words?

It’s not like he’s going to go to the house of a Senior Third Rank official and ask if he really said that.

“Western learning, Western learning. That damn Western learning. Certainly, I’ve been hearing a lot of those words again these days. They say that our Joseon should absorb and learn Western technology.”

“If we continue like this, the difference in military power will become too great. And if they attack us with advanced weapons, I think the humiliation we suffered from foreign invaders before could be repeated.”

“You only know one side of the story. The topic has already come up in school. Those with radical ideas say that we should open the country and bring in excellent foreign culture, but that’s too short-sighted.”

As the topic of national isolation, which is his future specialty, came up, Daewongun’s expression had already turned serious.

He scoffed that there would be no story, but he’s more engaged than anyone else.

“I admit that Western technology is excellent, and there are many amazing aspects to their culture. But what if such things flood into Joseon without limit? We can only unilaterally buy their goods and cannot sell them. The resources of this land and silver will only flow out to other countries without limit, so what kind of trade and technology will we learn? Rather, it will only lead to our economy becoming subservient to the Western economy.”

“That’s right. Full opening is nonsense. I’m not suggesting that either.”

I was honestly a little surprised this time.

He’s not just blindly advocating for national isolation, but he’s looking at international trade in the age of imperialism with a pretty insightful perspective.

Even as a child of about ten years old.

The microscopic details are flawed, but the way he sees the world itself is impressive.

Well, if he wasn’t fundamentally intelligent, how could he have manipulated Joseon at will for decades as Daewongun?

The accounts that he was highly educated and called a prodigy from a young age were indeed accurate.

Just the fact that he’s reacting so seriously to the words of a slave his age is enough to show that the current Daewongun is a promising child.

It may simply be because he is still young and has no preconceived notions.

“Whether we fully open or not, if we show even a slight weakness, we will eventually have no choice but to concede more and more. We must completely lock it up and not show any vulnerabilities.”

“Young master’s words are certainly reasonable. But wouldn’t that be the same as slowly dying?”

Silence fell for a moment.

Was the choice of words too strong?

But there’s no other way.

Originally, if a person with no standing wants to attract attention, they have to provoke a reaction.

As expected, Lee Ha-eung, who will become the future Daewongun, glared at me with a completely different look than before.

“Do you mean that this Joseon is doomed? Even if you are a lowly slave, you should know that there is a line you should not cross, right?”

He doesn’t have real power yet, but is it because he’s a member of the royal family?

As expected, talking about the fate of the country is a trigger.

Depending on what I say here, my future, as well as the future of this country, may be determined.

So, of course, my answer is.

“Yes. If we continue like this, the worst outcome that the young master imagines will come to pass.”