The Joseon Prince Went To America And Didn’t Return – 52



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The two Asians I was seeing for the first time quickly turned their gaze in my direction.

And then they started whispering something among themselves.

‘Looks like you’ve noticed.’

It can’t be helped.

My existence was so striking that not only them but everyone present at the event noticed it.

Even the servers who help with the event are only black or Hispanic.

I’m probably the only Asian among them.

It is an environment where even people who don’t know my identity cannot help but watch me.

“*&*$$#@*&^@@@@##&?”

“^@@@@##&! @@#@#@@?”

As I approached they smiled warmly and spoke to me in a language I couldn’t understand.

It sounds a bit like Mandarin Chinese.

But to find out more about their origins I politely asked them in English where they were from.

“Are you by any chance from the Qing Dynasty?”

“Yes that’s right.”

Of the two the one on the right answered my questions in fluent English.

He didn’t have any drink in his hand and the clothes he was wearing didn’t look that expensive.

Considering the above circumstances it seems that the interest is an interpreter.

“My name is Lee Cheong. May I ask your name?”

“This is Kang-il Lee.”

I answered briefly and then turned my head.

After that I started introducing myself to the man who was just looking at the interpreter’s mouth.

“I was granted the title of Prince Ui of the Korean Empire five years ago. It’s nice to meet you.”

He extended his hand toward the man.

Then the interpreter translated what I said into Qing language.

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The man who had been listening quietly told me his name briefly in broken English.

“My name is Aisin Gioro.”

huh?

What kind of a name is this long?

Usually Chinese people have names with two or three characters so it’s easy to remember.

Uh-uh.

Is he from the Western Uyghur side?

“I belong to the Gongchin Prince Department.”

Prince Gongchin’s wife?

So is this person also a member of the royal family like me?

I became a little curious about the identity of the interest.

at that time.

The interpreter next to me opened his eyes wide and explained in detail in English the identity of my superior.

“He is one of the Qing Dynasty’s royal relatives who is known as Aisin Gioro. He serves His Highness Prince Gong very closely.”

Oh so to put it simply it’s a side dish.

He came here on behalf of his superior Prince Gong.

but.

There’s no way a member of the Qing Dynasty’s royal family would come all the way to America.

‘If the real Prince Aisin Gioro had come he would not have been treated like this.’

After entering the venue I was treated with extreme respect and had conversations with several celebrities.

Because they are royalty.

But interest was just floating around the event like water not mixed with oil.

“Prince Lee Kang. Oh you are Prince Lee Kang right? Do you remember me? We met once in San Francisco a while ago.”

I would have liked to talk more but this is not the place to bond with fellow Asians.

There were quite a few people looking for me.

So I had to hurry to another place leaving the two Asians behind.

“I’m sorry. I’ll come back later when I have some free time. Ah! Nice to meet you. I saw you at the banquet hall last time…”

So I was walking through the venue meeting other celebrities.

‘You’re staring at me.’

The back of my head kept stinging.

Because the two Asians kept glancing at me throughout the charity event.

I looked around with a sidelong glance.

They were looking at me with eyes that seemed half envious and half jealous.

‘By now I think I’ve already shaken hands with everyone I’ve met.’

It was only after about two hours of the event that I was finally free.

I wanted to pick up the conversation I had with the two Asians I had been talking to briefly in the middle of the conversation.

“It’s nice to see you again. I guess I came back before it was too late.”

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As I was handed a new glass of champagne by the server I started chatting with them.

* * *

“You look popular.”

Aisin Gioro Uchieng who was sipping alcohol in the corner threw a tantrum at me with a jealous look in his eyes.

“What can I do when I’ve been like this since I was born? I can’t blame the heavens….”

I answered his question back very cleverly without showing any sign of irritation.

Aisin Gioro Uchieng snickered and raised the white flag at my answer.

“You have the kind of looks that would make anyone man or woman fall for you. Yes I will admit that right here and now.”

Oh my!

Except for men.

I’m not that type of person.

“Are you jealous? Then you should learn some English too.”

“yes?”

“If you can communicate basic information without an interpreter you’ll be able to talk to them more easily than you think. Then you won’t have to wander around like this.”

“I guess it would be easier to express what’s on our minds if we could communicate in language.”

Aisin Gioro Uchieng answers and the interpreter translates it.

When I answer the interpreter translates it again.

Although the communication took some time I held on and continued the conversation because I was very curious about the identity of the person in front of me.

“By the way you look like you’re in a really bad mood. Is it because of this auction?”

“Yes.”

Aisin Gioro Uchieng sighed and spoke to me with a slightly aggrieved expression.

“Do you know that a significant number of these auction items come from our royal family?”

I know.

Qing Dynasty artifacts were sold in large numbers at this auction along with Egyptian Byzantine and Indian artifacts.

I also bought a jade ornament and an inkstone.

“Those bastards are truly poisonous.”

Aisin Gioro Uchieng narrowed his eyes and mocked the Americans drinking in front of us.

“We take 10% of the winning bid as a commission and 30% as a donation. What we end up with is only half of the final price.”

“Why are so many relics being put up for sale here? There seem to be more valuable items than I thought. If I had gone through another route instead of a charity auction I could have gotten a better price.”

“There are circumstances. I had to get rid of these as soon as possible.”

I squinted my eyes and tried to match the circumstances.

“I guess you need to spend some money urgently.”

“I am sorry but as Your Majesty said we need a lot of money. Aren’t these bastards ruining our Qing Dynasty?”

They are slowly eating away at China.

After the Boxer Rebellion they were very openly torn to pieces.

“Moreover in recent times the Han Chinese locals who had been entrenched in the provinces have gradually begun to rebel against our Qing Empire.”

I nodded.

I don’t know for sure but that huge continent has been through repeated divisions and unifications.

It was time for the warlords of the late Qing Dynasty to raise their flags.

“It seems that Prince Gong is worried that the Qing Dynasty will enter a period of chaos and is preparing in advance.”

“you’re right.”

I was led by Prince Aisin Gioro the former Gongchin Prince.

In Korean Hanja pronunciation Aesin Gakra Hyeokheun was a person with an extraordinary mind.

At least in Lee Kang’s memory.

His grandson also seems to have a very good grasp of the current situation.

‘Then what should we do? The Qing Dynasty will fall soon.’

I don’t know the exact reason.

Because I am not a historian and I have no particular interest in Chinese history.

However I was well aware that the Qing Dynasty would fall around the same time as the Korean Empire.

‘It’s like a couple in the same boat.’

Not exactly the same though.

Prince Gong is trying to save the Qing Dynasty from ruin but I am not planning for the short term but rather preparing for a new and changing future.

I guess this could be seen as the decisive difference between the two of us.

“I’ve heard that Joseon is similar. I know this isn’t the place to give advice but please be careful. Perhaps as time goes by Joseon artifacts will start to appear in the auction house here.”

I guess so.

Because the Japanese will start smuggling precious relics out of the country with fire in their eyes.

‘Actually it’s already started.’

A telegram came from San Francisco three days ago.

Because Hulbert who was in Hanyang asked me for help.

‘Was it the 10-story stone pagoda of Gyeongcheonsa?’

Earlier this year it is said that Japanese Imperial Household Minister Tanaka Mitsuaki visited the Korean Empire dismantled this stone pagoda and stole it back to his country.

He used the name of Crown Prince Lee Cheok who was his older brother to commit fraud and smuggle the stone pagoda to Japan claiming that it was bestowed by his older brother.

It is said that because of this the Korean Empire is currently in chaos.

‘That’s a crazy kid. He really screwed over the Korean Empire by stealing its diplomatic rights.’

Hulbert relayed this fact to Ahn Chang-ho and Dosan reported it to me again.

So I immediately asked Ahn Chang-ho to do one thing.

He sent another telegram to Hulbert urging him to secure relevant evidence.

Because I planned to make the evidence I gathered known to the American media as well as other European media outlets to raise objections.

‘The problem is….’

If we lose our sovereignty things like this will happen more and more openly.

I guess I won’t be able to protest like this then.

‘I really need to make a lot of money.’

These are the antiques that came out this time.

Where did they all come from?

Egyptian Byzantine Indian and Qing Dynasty artifacts all came from the colonial territories of the great powers.

‘You can’t stop them but you can buy them all.’

Like the early Qing Dynasty jade ornaments and inkstone I bought today.

“If you ever come to the US again let me know. I’m also very interested in Qing Dynasty artifacts.”

“Yes I will do so.”

I gave him my business card.

Aisin Giorno told me that he had gotten quite a bit of information about me while I was at the event and that he would definitely stop by San Francisco sometime in the future.

‘If you do that I’ll be grateful.’

Judging from the Qing Dynasty artifacts traded today Prince Gong’s palace must have at least hundreds of treasure-level antiques.

In addition to Qing Dynasty artifacts there are probably quite a few Chinese antiques from other periods so if you buy them you can resell them at a high price later.

‘You may be able to create a connection with the Qing royal family.’

Do you know?

It might help later.

It’s a good idea to build connections when you can.

‘by the way….’

What are some Joseon artworks that we absolutely must acquire?

I slowly left the venue thinking about the Joseon relics that might be taken overseas.

* * *

After attending the charity auction hosted by the mayor of New York City Giannini and I stayed in the hotel for a while.

Because I had such a tight schedule since setting foot in this city I needed a break.

“Oh my gosh I’ve been lying in bed for three days now and it feels fucking great.”

“Yes there is nothing better than a hot spring to relieve accumulated fatigue.”

“Ho-kang-soo? Holy crap! I’ve never heard that word before. What does it mean?”

“It’s an expression used to describe a vacation at a hotel. I just made it up a bit.”

“You’ve combined the vacation of a hotel and a vacation into one. Oh! Now that I hear the explanation it makes sense.”

Giannini and I worked hard to relieve our stress by chatting in a coffee shop on the first floor of the hotel.

“Actually I thought I was successful before I came here.”

At first we only talked about pointless things but as time passed the topics gradually became heavier.

“Fuck I think I became proud without even realizing it.”

“I guess you learned a lot from your last conversation with Morgan Jr.”

“Yes. After coming to the East I realized that I was no good. The last charity event was the same. Everyone was curious about our bank’s profit structure so I told them about it. They all looked down on me. It was like seeing Mrs. Hans who used to sell fruit and always ignored me.”

That happens sometimes.

A time to reminisce about the past and talk about the difficult times we had with each other.

Now was the time.

Looking back on his past life Giannini began to console himself.

“Shall I tell you my past? My mother was not my official wife. She was my second wife a concubine. My first wife Queen Min hated my mother so much that my mother and I could not live in the palace because of that.”

“….”

“No one stood up for us. Not even my father.”

“….”

Prince Lee Kang who was the master of my body had lived a difficult life which was not befitting of a prince so he had a lot to say to Giannini.

Giannini listened to my past life with a look of surprise on his face.

I thought he was a precious prince who had been living protected in a greenhouse but it turned out he was just a weed growing in the harsh wilderness.

“It must have been hard for you. I didn’t even know there were such circumstances.”

“You didn’t say anything so I couldn’t know. You don’t have to apologize.”

Giannini’s eyes became softer as if he felt a sense of kinship.

It’s good to maintain this kind of intimacy since we’re meant to be lifelong partners.

I smiled to myself and continued the conversation with him.

“Brother. I’m back.”

Pablo Giannini’s subordinate just entered the hotel lobby.

We were getting older and were just lounging around in hotels but Pablo was still in his 20s and seemed to be in good spirits.

“What about your relatives? That little kid you mentioned before must be an adult already.”

Giannini asked about Pablo’s family.

“Well all kids are like that. Don’t they grow up so quickly?”

“If you have any useful kids bring them to me. Not all of FXXX but enough of your family to support me.”

“thank you.”

As I was sipping my coffee I realized that Pablo was holding something in his hand.

It looks like an advertising flyer.

In New York what products are advertising flyers used to promote?

I was curious so I asked Pablo.

“You’re holding a flyer I’ve never seen before. Where did you get it?”

I looked at Fabio and asked.

Fabio is Giannini’s right-hand man and we have seen him several times since the earthquake on business at the BOI Bank.

He answered me in a friendly manner as he had been with me on my trip to Mexico.

“Oh this is it? Someone handed it out to me on my way home earlier. They told me to make sure to come to the investment briefing tomorrow.”

Pablo asked holding out the flyer he was holding to me.

“Would you like to read it? By the way I see that the prince is very interested in this kind of investment activity. Should I go around the streets and collect some other similar things?”

“No it’s okay. Just looking at that is enough.”

How do you promote an investment seminar in New York?

Feeling curious I took the flyer Pablo was holding and began to read it slowly.

“Want to know the future of the New York Stock Exchange? Invest in Livermore Trust. I will take responsibility and double your wealth….”

I looked at the flyer and rubbed my eyes for a moment.

Because the name of an unexpected person appeared in the flyer.

“Jesse Livermore?”

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