The Joseon Prince Went To America And Didn’t Return – 203



< Recovery (3) >

The place the middle-aged man pointed to was a bar called Daehanok.

A famous tourist attraction that was often visited by Koreans.

‘I’ve heard that the owner of this place is Korean not Chinese or British.’

I guess it wasn’t just a rumor.

An Jung-geun and Kim Gu followed the middle-aged man to Daehanok.

‘Tch. I guess there’s a loophole we don’t know about.’

During that time Patriotic Corps agents had been closely observing Daehanok.

It is said that a person believed to be of the Min surname arrived at this place first.

Since they had never observed any strangers entering the building Ahn Jung-geun and Kim Gu assumed that there was another back door to Daehanok that they were unaware of.

“Please wait a moment.”

Suddenly large men stopped Ahn Jung-geun and his group from moving.

“There are bodyguards everywhere.”

“As rumored he appears to have considerable wealth.”

An Jung-geun and Kim Gu observed the large men who were presumed to be locals.

“Everyone else please wait here for a moment.”

The middle-aged man who had guided them looked back and then started pruning.

“Just the two of you please follow me. Oh! Before entering Daehanok please leave any dangerous weapons here.”

“….”

“….”

The man called Min Daegam was a very cautious man.

Because it was very rare for someone to check their belongings like this before meeting.

“This way.”

An Jung-geun and Kim Gu entered Daehanok after handing over their self-defense weapons to their bodyguards.

‘There’s no one here.’

It should be bustling originally.

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Today there were no employees in sight inside Daehanok.

Ahn Jung-geun and Kim Gu were convinced by this.

The owner of this bar is said to be Mr. Min.

“Your Majesty this is Youngsoo.”

As they reached the innermost room the middle-aged man who had guided the group began to shout loudly.

“Come in.”

“Please come in.”

A middle-aged man opened the door.

A pleasant smell spread through the hallway.

In the room a neat-looking gentleman was sitting wearing a hanbok.

“Come in quickly.”

“Are you Lord Min?”

“That’s right.”

An old man in his fifties sitting with his legs crossed.

His true identity was ‘Min Yeong-ik’.

Late Joseon Dynasty.

A key figure in the Yeoheung Min clan famous for its relatives.

He was legally the nephew of Queen Min and by blood he was also the half-brother of Empress Sunmyeong the first wife of Emperor Sunjong.

“Hello Your Majesty Min. My name is Tae-geon Ahn.”

“Greetings to His Majesty Min. My name is Kim Chang-am. We are both members of the Korean Patriotic Corps.”

From the moment I became an agent of the Patriot Corps I had to hide my real name as much as possible.

That is why Ahn Jung-geun and Kim Gu revealed to Min Yeong-ik the aliases they usually used.

“Yes. I see you two here so you must be the boss and vice boss. Come on let’s have a drink.”

Min Yeong-ik mistook the Patriotic Corps for a completely different group.

The Korean armed forces operating in southern China were viewed in a negative light as nothing more than gangsters or street thugs.

“You are protecting the safety of our citizens in Shanghai and Hong Kong. I am grateful to you.”

South China was a jungle-like world so Li Kang ordered that separate funds be provided to protect the Koreans in the area.

The Patriotic Corps was in charge of and carrying out work related to this.

Thanks to this the Korean Patriotic Group was known to the outside world as an armed group like the Triads rather than a group that assassinated traitors and spies.

This is because in addition to real agents he gathered some men with some power and instructed them to personally guard the stores run by Koreans.

“By the way…..”

Min Yeong-ik glanced at the faces of Ahn Jung-geun and Kim Gu.

Both are muscle-bound armed agents.

Is that why?

Min Yeong-ik’s expression softened as he realized that they were now trustworthy.

After that he started pouring out the questions he had been holding back inside.

“Rumor has it that you have some connection to the American Synthetic Association… Is that true?”

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“Yes that’s right.”

“I don’t know if this will help but…”

Kim Gu took out a photo and a letter from his bosom.

“Oh. It’s a picture taken with Gudang (Yoo Gil-jun).”

The Patriotic Corps is an organization that exists under the Ikmunsa Temple.

Ikmunsa is an organization that works under Lee Kang.

However both agencies must operate in secret.

At least the connection with Lee Kang should not be revealed to the public.

That is why they were operating under the name of the Synthetic Association which can be said to be the representative organization of Koreans.

“The handwriting is clearly that of Gu Dang.”

Min Yeong-ik was a figure who once stood at the pinnacle of power.

Because as the nephew of Queen Min he received all the royal favors.

That is why he also had a connection with Yu Gil-jun who was active as a member of the new force in the past.

“Well if it weren’t for the support of the association you wouldn’t have been able to grow this much in such a short period of time. Even if you’re a bunch of rascals you need operating expenses.”

Min Yeong-ik was a man of great power.

That’s why he had a habit of naturally belittling and ignoring those below him.

“Have you ever spoken with His Majesty the King?”

“yes.”

“I have met Your Majesty in person twice.”

Korean Americans often meet Lee Kang.

Since the early immigrants had more experience talking to Lee Kang there was no reason to hide this fact.

So Kim Gu and Ahn Jung-geun pretended to brag about it by only changing the number of meetings appropriately.

“Oh! Really?”

Min Yeong-ik looked back and forth between the two people with an expression of disbelief.

But soon I accepted it.

“There’s a rumor that you make time every week to meet with Koreans… I guess that’s true. Yes. How is Your Majesty?”

“Yes that’s right.”

Although there was a natural ignorance underlying it Ahn Jung-geun and Kim Gu did not care about it.

Because there was no expectation whatsoever on Min Yeong-ik.

“There’s a rumor that Queen Ui’s mother is giving birth this month. Do you know anything about it?”

Min Yeong-ik tried to use his old identity as a weapon to find out what he knew about Lee Kang.

Then Kim Gu stopped talking with a serious expression.

“I’m sorry Your Majesty Min.”

“….”

“Why did you come to us separately?”

If you talk roughly you can get an estimate.

The time for small talk is over.

Min Yeong-ik whom the Patriotic Corps had been looking for so desperately.

Since it was now known that he was in Shanghai the initiative naturally shifted to the Patriotic Corps.

“We also have eyes and ears so we were able to get hold of the rumors that had been going around. I heard that Lord Min doesn’t meet Koreans easily.”

“….”

“But there must be another reason why you wanted to see us. For example immigration to America…”

“What what?”

Min Yeong-ik is embarrassed.

Kim Gu and Ahn Jung-geun made expressions like ‘Well that’s right.’

“As expected.”

“expectation?”

“yes.”

“How could you have guessed that I would leave Qing? I am living happily here.”

“Yes I know. You’re acting like royalty in exile.”

Kim Gu snickered and slyly mocked Min Yeong-ik’s past behavior.

“But that is only possible when the Qing Dynasty is still in existence. The current situation in the Central Plains is turning against Grand Master Min.”

“Well Hong Kong and Shanghai are British concessions. What does it matter if the Qing falls?”

Although the Triads are expanding their influence in Shanghai and Hong Kong these two places are clearly British territories.

In response to Min Yeong-ik’s objection Ahn Jung-geun and Kim Gu made expressions of agreement.

“What Lord Min said may be true. But Koreans today are treated as stateless by the British government.”

“….”

“It means that even if you are not discriminated against you are not protected. It is not strange that you could be assassinated at any time or in any way. You have no homeland to protect you.”

“Furthermore there was a rumor that a bounty was placed on Lord Min’s head. It is said that Japan was behind the scenes instigating this. It is said that Lord Min was in seclusion for a while because of this.”

“What does that mean?”

Min Yeong-ik suddenly became angry.

However since the two had already heard this rumor they looked puzzled at Min Yeong-ik’s reaction.

“Your reaction is strange. It’s not like it’s the first time you’ve heard of it.”

“….”

“As you know Japan is currently suffering from a financial crisis. Min Daegam is a relative of the king who manages His Majesty’s back pocket.”

Japan made steady efforts to recover Emperor Gojong’s secret funds.

Didn’t Park Byeong-jun who possessed Lee Kang’s body in 1907 eliminate Lee Yong-ik and recover some of Emperor Gojong’s secret funds?

“Haven’t you been in opposition to Japan all this time Lord Min?”

“….”

“Japan is currently in a financially tight situation. They are trying to increase their revenues by squeezing a dry towel. In such a situation if they can embezzle the slush funds managed by Min Dae-gam it would be a great help.”

This time Kim Gu began to pressure Min Yeong-ik.

“There is a story that Lord Min monopolized the red ginseng that was brought over from the Korean Empire in the past. We also know this so how could Japan not know this?”

When King Gojong created slush funds he always used red ginseng.

This is because the only product that made money in Joseon was red ginseng.

Red ginseng was a product monopolized by the royal family and selling it in Qing would bring huge profits.

If you separate these and embezzle them you can create a huge slush fund.

Since Min Yeong-ik was in charge of this in the late 19th century Ahn Jung-geun and Kim Gu mentioned this fact.

“His Majesty’s other vault keepers who have come into exile in Shanghai or Hong Kong are disappearing one by one.”

“Even Lord Min will not be able to escape their clutches.”

“….”

Min Yeong-ik kept his mouth shut and glared at the two people.

I clenched my teeth so hard that a little bit of blood came out of my mouth.

An Jung-geun and Kim Gu watched this and put even more pressure on Min Yeong-ik.

“But it would be difficult for you to bow your head and beg for your life in Japan.”

“That’s right. As you know sword dances are taking place all over the mainland.”

“It is said that it has been largely forgotten but the antipathy of the Korean Empire’s citizens toward the Yeoheung Min clan is still very strong.”

“Just think about the fact that there is one more thing added to it. The late queen was the maternal aunt of the grand lord.”

“Who murdered the Queen? It was none other than Japan. To become a puppet of the Japanese… is in fact an act of political suicide that can be seen as a waste of time in the Korean Empire. In the end there is only one card that Min Daegam can choose: emigration to America.”

Traitors active within the Korean peninsula are being executed one by one.

If Min Yeong-ik cooperated with Japan after returning to the Korean Empire it was obvious that he would be criticized on a level higher than Yi Wan-yong.

In such a situation can his safety really be guaranteed?

‘You seem anxious.’

An Jung-geun and Kim Gu were in charge of the task of punishing traitors.

He planned to eliminate Min Yeong-ik before he left Shanghai if he thought of defecting to Japan.

“So what are you trying to tell me? Are you telling me to give you some money and head to America right now?”

When Ahn Jung-geun brought this up and pressured him Min Yeong-ik glared at the two men as if he was going to kill them.

“well.”

“If it were me I would apologize first.”

“apologize?”

“yes.”

“We cannot just bury the mistakes we made in the past. We must apologize to the people of the Korean Empire.”

“….”

“Then shouldn’t we ask for His Majesty’s mercy? I believe that is the only way for Lord Min to survive.”

This was also Lee Kang’s intention.

An Jung-geun and Kim Gu indirectly conveyed this to Min Yeong-ik.

Min Yeong-ik thought about this for a moment.

“….”

“….”

“….”

There was silence in the room for about five minutes.

“I will contact you again soon.”

Min Yeong-ik suddenly stands up.

An Jung-geun and Kim Gu were ultimately unable to hear the answers they wanted.

“As expected… I guess I didn’t get an answer today.”

“If it were up to me I would strangle the author right now.”

“Truly.”

An Jung-geun dissuaded Kim Gu.

“Then only the bank that holds His Majesty’s secret funds will be happy.”

The person who entrusted the safe with the item must visit in person to receive the contents.

Min Yeong-ik would certainly have taken advantage of this so Ahn Jung-geun advised that they wait and see.

“Now that we have figured out the material let’s be satisfied with that for today. Come on let’s get up too.”

* * *

‘Min Yeong-ik…’

A person who was reluctant in many ways caught the radar of the Patriotic Corps.

‘Head of the Min family that ruined the country.’

But it’s not complete garbage.

Although not as bad as Min Yeong-hwan who committed suicide as soon as the Eulsa Treaty was signed.

Compared to traitors like Min Yeong-jun who actively collaborated with Japan he can be treated like a human being.

‘He also said that he supported Korean merchants operating in Shanghai and Gwangju and donated funds to support independence fighters operating in Manchuria and the Maritime Province.’

Moreover he sells red ginseng to southern China and has a distribution network in the relevant region.

In addition since he was in exile and gave a lot of money to high-ranking officials in the southern Chinese region he must have built up some internal human network in Guangdong Province or around Shanghai.

It means that if you kill Min Yeong-ik right away all of this will disappear.

I wanted to take over as much as possible so I tried to persuade them as much as possible.

“Your Majesty. Your Majesty!”

As I was checking the Ikmunsa activity log Choi Hyun-woo came to me in a hurry.

He reported one thing to me unable to hide his trembling hands.

“Queen Ethel has just entered labor.”

“Is that so?”

Ethel is currently at her home in New Jersey her maternal home.

Since the birth was earlier than expected I quickly packed my bags to leave.

“Ethel! Ethel!”

We traveled quickly from New York to New Jersey.

I drove as fast as I could and just as I arrived at the Rockefeller home I heard a baby crying.

< Recovery (3) > End