The Joseon Prince Went To America And Didn’t Return – 34



< People Investment (2) >

A week passed and George Pardee didn’t contact me once.

Moreover he wasn’t showing any particular movement.

The only unusual thing was that the day after I left the governor’s residence Padi called in sick?

‘I guess it’s better to leave it alone.’

The more worried you are the less likely you are to rush the other person.

If you’ve provided enough information it’s best to just wait and see what choice the other person makes.

Because that will produce better results.

Because I trusted Padi I watched his every move with patience.

“Well then let’s end the discussion on the bill to turn the ruins owned by tax delinquents into parks here.”

Of course I wasn’t just sitting there playing around.

As Vice Chairman of the Special Committee I discussed and proposed several bills.

One of them was proposed to the Governor under the name of a special committee after discussion with the commissioners.

I told Padi about this separately on the day I was invited to the official residence so if nothing else comes up I will be able to pass right away.

“Then let’s end today’s meeting.”

Some sensitive.

For example if we exclude topics like ‘What to do with Chinatown that burned down in a fire?’

Most topics were covered in just two weeks.

This is because stakeholders are speaking with one voice and speeding up the reconstruction project.

“Your Majesty. A man has come from Governor Padi.”

It was only after about a month that I finally heard from Padi.

“A fruit basket?”

Padi sent me a message in a very unique way.

“Thank you Prince. I hope to see you again soon.”

I searched through the basket wondering if there was anything else hidden there.

Of course there was nothing inside except fruit and the simple note I had just read.

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‘What does that mean? Ah!’

I quickly opened today’s newspaper and realized something.

yes!

I think I know why Padi sent me that message.

【Major reform of the state prosecutors’ personnel. Governor Padi declares war on corruption.】

also.

George Pardee is also a politician.

A politician’s top priority is not an abstract concept like stabilizing people’s livelihoods.

No matter what anyone says winning my election is my top priority.

‘Yeah Padi! We have to hit the player first before the convention.’

Judging from the conversation we had at our last meeting Padi originally intended to purge Abe Luef after the election.

Meanwhile I convinced Padi by presenting some evidence.

Because the evidence was relatively credible George Pardee seemed to have pushed his plans forward even if it meant pushing them a little too far.

The next day.

A published newspaper article confirmed my hypothesis.

【California Republican Party Nomination Committee Chairman Abe Ruef Arrested. State Attorney Indicted on 15 Corruption Charges】

Yeah to this extent…

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to sleep soundly and comfortably?

Because Abe has been leaking evidence of my corruption all this time.

Prosecutors aren’t stupid so Abe Luef will probably be convicted.

‘I was a little nervous…’

I’ve been careful not to make any enemies all this time.

This time going all-in on helping Padi was in a way a gamble that didn’t suit my personality.

If Padi had collapsed I could have been hit too.

But the reason I supported him was because there was no one like him among my choices.

“Everyone pack your bags.”

I called my companions together and gave them an order.

“I’m thinking of leaving Sacramento in a day or two.”

“yes?”

“Boss you’re going back to San Francisco already? Sacramento is perfect no dust. Can’t you just stay here for a few more months until the city recovers? Ouch… Ouch!”

Aaron grabbed Max’s oblivious ear and covered his mouth.

I smiled slightly at Aaron and then comforted Max.

“I should go back home. The longer you leave a house empty the worse it gets.”

I guess I should probably leave at this point.

For a while George Pardee will be too busy dancing with his sword to notice.

Besides if I stay next to him for too long the world might notice.

I said that I helped arrest Abe Luef.

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“majesty.”

That was when.

Woo Hyun-sik suggested something to me.

“Before you head back to San Francisco why don’t you stop up north for a bit?”

“Why?”

“Isn’t the land Your Majesty purchased located nearby? I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go and check it out.”

yes.

Now that I think about it that’s true.

The land I bought was about a day’s drive from here in Sacramento.

Since it would take three days to get back to San Francisco I thought it would be a good idea to check the status while I was there.

“My next destination is not San Francisco but my farm.”

* * *

I took a ferry to the Sacramento Basin where my farm is located.

Because the waterways were well-maintained it was easier and faster to use ships instead of carriages.

“Ugh- Ugh-”

Whenever we take the ferry one person at a time gets seasick but today it seems like my financial manager Woo Hyeon-sik won.

Since there was nothing I could do I looked at him with a pitiful expression and as soon as I arrived I stepped onto the ground.

“oh….”

Even when looking far away it seems like I can see my lands at a glance.

Originally this place was a wasteland with soft soil and was all brown but my land was shining green.

‘Wow it’s spectacular.’

I can hear it. I can hear it.

When the ground shakes in San Francisco you can hear Lloyd’s stocks jumping.

As people flock to the North Wharf you can see the value of the Bank of Italy going up.

Even without a stock market scoreboard I could tell just by looking at it that the value of the real estate I owned was skyrocketing.

“Have you arrived Your Majesty?”

Hearing that I visited.

All the Koreans who were farming in the Sacramento Basin came flocking here.

Everyone’s face is dark.

It must be because my skin got tanned by the blazing sun.

There is a lot of weariness visible on his face.

But the expressions on their faces all looked bright.

“I have prepared a gift for you.”

“and.”

The gifts prepared separately were clothes for the overseas Koreans to wear.

Since farm work can get dirty I bought a variety of clothes in Sacramento from jeans to everyday wear and brought them here.

“By the way… it looks like the farming is going pretty well.”

“Yes. The soil is better than I thought.”

“Above all it goes very well with the seeds brought from our land.”

“Everyone seems excited about the harvest that will begin in three months.”

“Your Majesty you may look forward to it.”

“you’re right.”

“I think the crop will be better than expected.”

I looked around and noticed something strange.

There were too many people.

“By the way I see quite a few faces I’ve never seen before.”

“There are quite a few new immigrants coming in.”

Kim Deok-bae who has been with me since I was young and now works on the farm introduced me to some new faces.

“These people just came over from North Korea last month and the Koreans you see here are….”

“You must be from Hawaii.”

Koreans living in Hawaii grew sugar cane for a meager wage of $15 per month.

After three years of signing with the first farm owner they started coming to me one by one.

Well the terms you’ve agreed to with me are much better than the terms of your existing contract.

“Your Majesty. Do you remember our faces?”

I chuckled and remembered the past anecdote.

“Then. Didn’t you and I even shake hands? Didn’t you say your name was Hansoo?”

“You really remember me.”

“No I don’t lie.”

Why is it like this?

How many years have I been working as a lobbyist?

‘Lobbyists must be as good at remembering people’s faces and names as politicians.’

Even if you weren’t a lobbyist you had to be able to memorize people’s faces and names to have a successful social life.

That way we can become closer more quickly.

“I guess the gift I brought isn’t enough.”

I looked at the Korean residents with a slightly bewildered expression.

Afterwards he ordered Woo Hyun-sik to purchase additional clothes and deliver them to them.

“By the way I see quite a few women these days.”

“that is….”

When I first arrived here most of the Korean residents were men.

Because men were better suited than women to do the hard farm work.

Naturally a large number of bachelors without families applied and as a result the Korean community became a male-dominated society.

“You rescued the ladies and brought them here? And you did it just by looking at their pictures?”

“yes.”

After he had enough to eat and live he must have moved to relieve his loneliness.

But it wasn’t easy to find a match.

This was a time when racial discrimination was extreme so local American women did not view Asian men as men.

In the end there is only one way left.

Bringing a bride from your home country.

“It’s all thanks to Deokbae and Minwoo here.”

Kim Deok-bae introduced the new person next to him to me while whining.

“Minwoo here worked harder than I did. He stayed in Joseon for a while in my stead and processed the immigration applications of the Koreans here.”

After shaking hands with Minwoo who had just arrived I chatted with him.

It was a truly ingenious way to give a preview of the bride-to-be through a photo.

I praised this and highly praised his planning skills.

“But Your Majesty….”

Lee Min-woo was happy for a while then he made a slightly serious expression and continued talking to me.

“I am a little worried because the Japanese government has recently shown signs of trying to limit our citizens’ immigration to the Americas.”

When Deokbae first arrived here he was leading an advance party of about a hundred men.

After that there were at least a hundred and up to a thousand people.

Every month new immigrants were coming to California.

‘I didn’t think the Japanese government would stay still but it looks like they’re thinking of taking action.’

They robbed the Korean Empire of its diplomatic rights.

It was as if the Japanese were in control of the passport issuance that was essential for immigration.

‘I think the domestic forces that supported me have withdrawn to some extent… It looks like they will finally stop immigration.’

I bit my lip slightly and then quickly reassured the residents.

“That’s okay. If Japan takes action can’t we just find another way?”

As always the battle between spears and shields never ends.

If you block immigration there will always be a way around it.

I have thought of several plans so even if the Japanese try to block me right away the migration of Koreans will continue.

“Your Majesty the day is drawing to a close. Dinner is approaching. What will you do?”

“Hmm.”

I thought about it for a moment then immediately collapsed on the floor.

“I’m going to have dinner with everyone here. Why don’t we spread out a mat and share some side dishes?”

* * *

“Rice…..”

My eyes narrowed.

Because the shape of the rice grains in the bowl is unusual.

“This is new rice just harvested three days ago.”

“Some of us sowed them early last spring.”

I nodded and guessed something.

“It looks like you tried to do this.”

“Yes that’s right.”

One of the Korean residents continued speaking with a slightly worried expression.

“The first harvest was sent to Sausalito… I wonder if you didn’t receive it.”

“It seems like a mixed bag. I’ve been staying at a Sacramento hotel all this time.”

I put on a nonchalant expression and reassured the residents.

After that I looked at the steaming white rice and started to eat with my spoon.

“Should I try it once? Hmm….”

Is it because the rice wasn’t cooked properly or is it just because the rice doesn’t taste that good?

The taste is slightly disappointing.

‘It seems that breed improvement is not yet complete.’

But it’ll get better soon.

The enemy that modern Korean rice farmers fear the most is.

China too.

Thailand too.

Not even Vietnam.

Because it’s America.

Rice grown in California is inexpensive and tastes great.

If I closed my eyes and ate it the taste was so similar to that of rice produced in Korea that I couldn’t tell the difference so I was convinced that if I just paid a little more attention the quality of rice produced here would improve.

“So who grew this rice I’m eating now?”

One person raised his hand.

A familiar face.

This is Kim Jong-rim my best friend’s grandfather.

“It’s you.”

“Yes that’s right.”

“Would you like to come and see the farm you are farming tomorrow?”

“Of course. You are saying the obvious.”

* * *

As we moved further north yellow fields began to appear.

It looks like the rice was planted starting last January.

It is said that Kim Jong-rim sowed rice around the end of January to attempt this feat.

California winters are warmer than you might think with temperatures rarely dropping below freezing.

“The growing period is slightly short for double cropping. It seems difficult to double cropping unless we improve the seeds.”

“okay?”

Kim Jong-rim was the grandfather of my close friend Jay Kim and was an agricultural tycoon who owned a large farm in Won history.

I guess I’m different from the start.

No one is even trying but I’m the only one who can do this and analyze the results.

“But why did you attempt this?”

“The soil may be similar but isn’t the climate different? That’s why I gave it a try. This isn’t Joseon is it? I didn’t think that all the existing agricultural common sense would apply.”

Absorb what you need.

Learn something new.

Kim Jong-rim’s attitude and demeanor truly seem to be the best among the Korean residents here.

“I hope Your Majesty will quietly ask the immigrants to do this.”

Kim Jong-rim suggested it to me.

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s good to do things the old way but… don’t only think about what was done in Joseon.”

They ask you to say that because you have influence.

Well everyone believes everything I say.

“Isn’t the Korean Peninsula a small place? Our ancestors studied and studied for thousands of years to extract the most from limited resources. But this is America. We have to change our methods.”

right.

A land with plenty of land left.

I haven’t even utilized 1/10th of the land I bought.

Because there is a shortage of people to farm this land.

“What I’m saying is that we should prioritize absolute yield over efficiency.”

“you’re right.”

I chuckled and asked Kim Jong-rim back.

“If you say that your share may be reduced.”

My fellow Koreans and I have currently signed a contract.

Depending on the harvest those with larger harvests were allowed to take more.

When I mentioned this Kim Jong-rim shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s okay. Didn’t His Majesty say so? Our people are now one family and comrades. My family’s stomach will be fuller… How can I see it as my loss?”

I really like this mindset.

I walked through the fields shining yellow smiling brightly.

“Well let’s do that. After hearing your suggestion I think it’s not a bad idea.”

Kim Jong-rim followed me quietly.

But he kept mouthing his words.

“Do you have anything to say to me?”

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