The Joseon Prince Went To America And Didn’t Return – 5



< Seed money (2) >

After two loud voices were exchanged in Tokyo.

My father’s people came to see me.

“Are you waiting for me in the hotel lobby?”

“Yes that is correct.”

I cheered inwardly.

Because they moved according to the plan I had in my head.

‘Your butt looks pretty heavy… You must be in a hurry. You’re going to Japan in just five days.’

Well I acted so passionately but they didn’t come to Japan and put up with it?

‘Let’s calm down.’

Still I had to hide my happy feelings for a moment.

If I reveal it in front of them my next plan might go awry.

That’s why I asked Choi Hyun-woo with a trembling face.

“So who came as a representative?”

“The Minister of the Interior awaits Your Majesty’s call.”

If you’re the Minister of the Interior…is it Lee Ji-yong?

‘Lee Ji-yong Lee Ji-yong….’

I was born and educated in the United States.

As a second-generation Korean American the only historical Korean figures I know are King Sejong and Yi Sun-sin.

That’s why I slowly tried to recall Lee Kang’s memories.

‘Lee Kang and I are legally 6th cousins.’

That means he is a member of the royal family.

hmm….

It seems like he’s trying to persuade me by putting his blood relatives first.

No way.

‘Of course Hulbert didn’t come.’

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I checked the faces of the other party members but there were no foreigners.

Well I wasn’t expecting him to come this time so I wasn’t too disappointed.

Think about it.

Emperor Gojong was surrounded by Joseon officials who were able to use both hands and feet.

In that situation a foreign official named Hulbert comes to see me?

No way.

‘But my purpose is one.’

The blue-eyed safekeeper ‘Hulbert’.

In order to obtain the slush funds he had to be called to Japan.

To do that.

The next action had to be taken.

“Go back and tell them.”

“Your Majesty? What did you just say?”

Right now I’m in a very very advantageous position.

And now is the time to let go of the pressure.

So I spoke to Choi Hyun-woo again with a very firm and expressionless face.

“What good will it do to talk to them?”

“majesty!”

“Do you think the Minister of the Interior understands my current situation? How long has he lived in a foreign land? Wasn’t he born and raised in Hanyang?”

“However….”

“I don’t want to say it twice. Order them to go back quickly.”

An evacuation order was issued.

But he continued to subtly emphasize that he was not rejecting the conversation itself.

I made my intentions clear to Choi Hyun-woo by repeatedly mentioning that I would talk to someone who would understand my situation.

‘So please change the person and come. If possible send Hulbert away right away.’

Well that would be my wish.

Hulbert won’t come right away.

‘Hanyang officials with study abroad experience will come first…’

Next time I will send people I think are close to me.

If people I don’t want keep coming I’ll just lament my fate and say “You don’t understand me” and then issue another ban.

I planned to continue repeating this behavior until Hulbert came to Japan.

‘Of course at the same time you have to show some movement that suggests you’re going to Hanyang right away.’

If I do that the officials of Hanyang will become impatient and look for someone to appease me.

‘I can’t stand it unless you grant my demands.’

If you continue to ignore it you might actually end up setting foot on Hanyang soil.

Father too.

The concubine too.

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Pro-Japanese ministers in Hanyang as well.

And the Japanese government too.

Since I didn’t want to go to Hanyang even Hulbert would come to Japan someday.

“What are you doing? Do I have to repeat what I said earlier making my mouth hurt?”

However Choi Hyun-woo who was standing next to me had no way of knowing my true feelings so he looked very anxious and wavered.

“…I will follow your orders.”

After my repeated scolding Choi Hyun-woo eventually went down to the hotel lobby.

An hour later.

Choi Hyun-woo returned to the room once more but when I got angry again he hurriedly went downstairs and informed them of the current situation again.

Another hour later.

A group of Koreans could be seen grumbling and walking out of the hotel.

I looked at their backs through the hotel window and smiled faintly.

* * *

Bitten and bitten again.

Do that four times.

The blue-eyed treasure keeper has finally arrived in Japan.

“Wasn’t it hard coming this far?”

He shook Hulbert’s hand while patting his shoulder with the other hand.

“You look very tired. You must have had a hard time because of me.”

Exchanging glances with Hulbert I told him that I had had a hard time.

And then he quickly turned his head and gave the same encouragement to the man next to him.

“You came too.”

It would have been nice if Hulbert had come to Japan alone but as expected they came in a group.

‘Lee Wan-yong the Minister of Education…’

Lee Wan-yong is my senior from my study abroad in the US.

In Lee Kang’s memory Lee Wan-yong is a person with quite an extraordinary mind.

‘So right now he’s probably holding the title of Minister of Education.’

People grow through learning.

Even ordinary people are like that so what about the government officials in Hanyang who are all so smart?

‘In the end I sent them as I intended.’

After analyzing my actions several times they formed a group of people they wanted and sent them to Japan.

Now there’s only one thing left.

The finale must be finished.

‘I have to have a private conversation with Hulbert.’

The next plan is also naturally prepared.

I prepared in advance.

I lifted the glass on the table and lamented my current situation.

After that he turned his gaze to Choi Hyun-woo.

Then Choi Hyun-woo placed several empty glasses in front of them.

“These days I can’t sleep without drinking this damned alcohol. Come on you guys have a drink too.”

Alcohol has the property of inducing relaxation when it enters the human body.

It also works magic to briefly reveal to others the inner feelings that have been kept hidden.

‘That’s why whenever I met someone I would treat them to a drink if possible.’

That’s why lobbyists basically had to be good at drinking.

When talking to a client or a lobbying target if you get drunk first you won’t be able to find out what they really want.

‘Well that’s not why I’m bringing out alcohol…’

I need to talk to Hulbert alone.

But now there were others before me besides Hulbert.

‘There are too many eyes and ears watching me for me to say let’s meet separately.’

Is there any way to have a natural one-on-one meeting with Hulbert?

‘There’s no other way than to knock everyone in this room unconscious with alcohol.’

If you talk to Hulbert after that a scene will unfold that no one will suspect.

The previous four times.

I intentionally created that kind of appearance by meeting with people from Hanyang.

It was all my intention to drink with the rest of us and complain about our fate until the end.

‘Fortunately the possessed body can handle alcohol quite well. The Hulbert in Lee Kang’s memories also seemed to be quite good at drinking.’

I poured drinks for the three people sitting in front of me hiding my sinister intentions.

After that he emptied the glass and then filled it again.

“Yes. Do you have any good news?”

Lee Kang’s original personality is impatient.

I had to act like a full-body person so I put aside small talk and got straight to the point.

“majesty.”

“Tell me.”

“Your Majesty… has not permitted His Majesty to return to the country.”

“You did not allow me to go to Hanyang?”

“Yes Your Majesty.”

Although we met several times the Hanyang government’s policy remained unchanged.

I answered him with a rather angry expression.

“I have not committed a crime and am being exiled so why did Abama give such an order when I am returning to my home? Is this really Abama’s will? Have you not distorted it?”

I banged my chest and made up words I didn’t mean.

He shot me a suspicious look and asked me if I was trying to sow discord between myself and King Gojong.

Of course I had a drink too.

“Your Majesty.”

The angry superior empties his glass.

Then he gives a hint.

Then quite naturally others also began to empty their full glasses.

‘You have to create an atmosphere… like you’re bullying someone.’

As a lobbyist in my old days I was exposed to many drinking parties.

There were times when I had to bow my head and please others and there were times when I had to show some humor to those gathered together.

Sometimes you have to use force and take half-threatening actions to pressure the other person.

‘In the current case….’

Close to the end.

I filled and emptied their glasses asserting my status.

Then he raised his voice.

“It’s been six years. Six years! For over two thousand days I’ve been wandering around like a vagabond.”

“The gods are well aware of Your Majesty’s suffering.”

“So! At this point can’t I go back to my homeland?”

“Your Majesty please hold on tight.”

I held the hands of Lee Wan-yong who had come as a representative and complained.

“Don’t you know how I feel? / Haven’t you also experienced / how difficult life in a foreign country is?”

Torrr-

Tears welled up in his eyes.

The juice is sure to win.

There is no item that is as sincere as chicken shit and tears.

“majesty!”

Then Lee Wan-yong responded.

“God also knows Your Majesty’s feelings well.”

Lee Wan-yong’s expression changed subtly.

He held my hand tightly with a look of understanding on his face.

“I also lived in America. I still remember that time. I know. The hardships of living in a foreign country cannot be known unless you have experienced it.”

“I thought you would understand.”

“However… Your Majesty cannot return to the country. Your Majesty is the only one who can represent the Imperial Family of the Korean Empire in America.”

As if he had applied a lot of sesame oil to his tongue Lee Wan-yong began to persuade me like a flowing stream from a mountain.

He again refused my return even reciting the international situation to me.

“This is a moment more important than ever. This is a moment when the fate of our country depends on it. Please think of this country and hold on just a little longer.”

If they were royalty who grew up like greenhouse flowers they would have been moved by Lee Wan-yong’s words.

But I was feeling increasingly worse.

‘What would I do if I stayed in America?’

No one was unaware that there was a limit to what a mere prince could do.

‘Let’s end the melodrama here.’

What’s important now is what comes next.

I had to slowly prepare for my one-on-one meeting with Hulbert so I filled my empty glass.

“Let’s have another drink first. You! Have a drink.”

Nature is a world of survival of the fittest.

The reality is that the weak die first.

I started killing people who couldn’t drink well.

“I I’m already too much…”

“Oh I told you to have a drink!”

We started with Choi Hyun-woo who is as big as a tiger but can’t drink.

Officially he’s my guy but now he’s just a nuisance in my one-on-one time with Hulbert.

“Do you understand my situation well?”

“Your Majesty! I think I drank too much today…”

Finally Lee Wan-yong’s tongue is twisted.

However as I poured a few more glasses and offered them to Lee Wan-yong Lee Wan-yong suddenly fell over with a “thud.”

“Oh my dear. Are you sleeping? This person… How can he be so weak to alcohol?”

He called Woo Hyeon-sik whom he had known since childhood and ordered him to take care of the fallen people.

Woo Hyun-sik started to move the drunk people to the next room while groaning.

“The alcohol is quite strong.”

“No. The foreign press also drank it wrong at first.”

“okay?”

As a result I finally had a chance to have a drink alone with Hulbert.

“Yes but Your Majesty it seems you have not taken any.”

Hulbert is whining.

Instead he praised me and started pouring drinks into my empty glass.

“You still don’t seem drunk. Isn’t your face the same?”

“Isn’t it because your face is originally red?”

I’ve been through a lot over the past four weeks meeting countless Hanyang officials.

That means you’ve been working hard for this moment for a long time.

“Hulbert.”

“Yes Your Majesty.”

I looked at the blue-eyed safe-keeper my burning throat throbbing.

I didn’t want to waste any more of this precious time chatting.

Aren’t the troublemakers like Lee Wan-yong who came with us also drunk and not here?

“I have something to tell you.”

Up until now I had to pretend to be slightly drunk so I pretended to have a tongue-tied expression and my eyes were half-open.

But now is the time to have a real conversation.

Looking into Hulbert’s eyes I opened my mouth bluntly.

“Father’s slush fund is in danger. It seems the Japanese have caught on.”

< Seed money (2) > End