The Joseon Prince Went To America And Didn’t Return – 8



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The next evening.

“His Majesty Lee Geun-sang has arrived.”

The happy face has returned.

“Come in and tell them.”

Lee Geun-sang who seemed to be suffering from alcoholism approached me while holding my stomach with one hand.

‘At that age he drank so much… there’s no way he’d be in good health.’

I felt sorry for Lee Geun-sang when I saw him like that.

However I tried my best not to show my feelings towards him.

I looked at Lee Geun-sang with my fists clenched.

“Yeah. Did you think about what we talked about yesterday all night?”

I’ve already said everything I wanted to say.

A situation where the only thing that needs to be agreed upon is the amount of activity support funds.

I intend to stick to my view that five hundred thousand dollars is not even close.

“Yesterday’s you and today’s you are probably different. So what will today’s you offer me?”

Lee Geun-sang answered my question while wiping away his cold sweat.

“I thought it was not something I could judge on my own so I told your Majesty about the conversation we had yesterday.”

Lee Geun-sang handed me an envelope.

It was the same envelope I saw yesterday but it was a little thicker.

“Fortunately I was able to hear the answer quickly because it was via telegram.”

I opened the envelope he handed me again.

The amount offered yesterday was $500000.

‘her….’

As the days change does interest accrue?

The amount had doubled.

“This time please… I hope you will accept your Majesty’s sincerity.”

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It feels like I have a magic wand.

Tick ​​tock-

Once you strike it gold pops out.

‘If I endure this one more time how much will Lee Geun-sang offer me?’

I looked at Lee Geun-sang’s expression and took a look at him.

“The amount has increased a little bit compared to yesterday.”

“A little? I offered you a whopping five hundred thousand dollars more Your Majesty.”

As he said Lee Geun-sang offered twice the amount from last night.

And that too in one day.

‘You wouldn’t be thinking of me…. Could it be that the concubine was very fond of Iza?’

Five hundred thousand dollars at once….

‘As Lee Geun-sang claims even five hundred thousand dollars is a huge sum of money.’

A large sum of money that could be used by the Imperial Household Agency of the Korean Empire for one year.

It was absurd to think that this could have been achieved in one day.

‘And yet Lee Geun-sang presented me with a bond worth five hundred thousand dollars in just one day.’

A time when there were no airplanes.

It is highly unlikely that this large sum of money could be delivered from Hanyang in one day.

‘Did they borrow it from the Japanese?’

Under the circumstances the queen consort was looking to make her son the next successor.

They will use any means necessary.

She will be looking for allies both domestically and internationally and Japan will be an attractive ally for her.

‘Gwi-bi will also be extremely wary of Japan but she will probably think that this time they can work together. If so they may have joined hands for a while.’

But there’s one catch to that.

The bonds I hold in my hand are bank notes issued by British or American banks.

If the Japanese and the concubine had joined hands I should have had yen bonds in my hands instead of dollars or pounds.

‘There’s no reason for the Japanese to lend pounds or dollars to Lee Geun-sang.’

Yen bonds are useful to the Japanese.

If I cash this out I’ll be able to roughly figure out the timing and purpose.

Plus he was able to show off by doing me a favor while I was searching for the huge sum of money.

‘Then there is only one hypothesis left.’

In the first place it seems that the concubine gave Lee Geun-sang one million dollars.

Lee Geun-sang would have offered me only five hundred thousand dollars and kept the rest for himself.

If I had accepted the offer last night I could have pocketed the blind money.

‘It is also possible that the report to the concubine was false.’

If you had brought a million dollars in the first place you could have offered me the maximum amount again.

A rough picture formed in my head.

‘It’ll be the latter. 100%. There’s no business in front of a large sum of money.’

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When I worked as a lobbyist I often heard stories about delivery accidents like this.

Lobbying is legal in the United States.

But in many other countries outside of the United States it was quite illegal.

Because of that I didn’t take on such cases very often but I occasionally saw my colleagues who work mostly overseas take on such cases.

Because it was an illegal transaction the amount involved was quite large and a lot of money was involved so accidents happened every time.

I guess the situation is probably similar now.

‘How annoying.’

Let’s be patient.

You shouldn’t give priority to emotions.

I had to calmly sort out the situation from now on.

If you brought a million dollars to begin with that means you still have room to spare.

“It’s not enough.”

“Huh? Your Majesty your joke is too much. Do you know how much money a million dollars is?”

“I see. A million dollars is a lot of money to run the Imperial Household for two years.”

“If you know so well why are you making such an unreasonable demand?”

I snapped my fingers and glared at Lee Geun-sang who seemed to be asking if that made any sense.

“As I said last time if I go back to the US I plan to do my best this time. The US is a great country. A million dollars is a lot of money to us but in the US even the local gentry have a ridiculous amount of money.”

Even in America there aren’t many people who have a million dollars.

Since Geun-sang Lee who had never studied abroad had no way of knowing this I shamelessly demanded more money and looked straight into his eyes.

“I know it’s a bit much but… I can’t help it for smooth operation.”

“….”

“Instead I promise you one more thing. If you give me more operating funds….”

Lee Geun-sang who had been silently listening to me stopped trembling and pricked up his ears.

“I’m going to take my whole family and leave for America.”

You may not believe it but I’m married.

This is because the possessed body was already married when it was young.

Since he couldn’t leave the woman he was marrying alone he planned to call her to the United States for the time being.

“It refers to all of my family members including the Queen.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. Then wouldn’t you be able to focus your energy on activities in the US? Since you’ll be staying in the US for a while that would be more convenient.”

If you act like that the concubine will welcome you.

Because I will be staying abroad not just for 1-2 years but for longer.

Even if King Yeong is officially designated as the next successor it will take a long time before he ascends to the throne.

The position of successor was also one in which things were uncertain until one ascended to the throne.

It means that it could end right before the end.

My offer to stay in America for a long time will surely ring a bell in your ears.

Because the variable is removed.

“If you offer me more operating expenses than I have now… I will also delegate to you the right to dispose of my property.”

He also made a tempting offer to Lee Geun-sang.

‘Lee Geun-sang is a typical Moribae.’

Although he was greatly lacking in ability as a bureaucrat he was a man with a good head on his shoulders.

A person who knows the opportunity to earn extra income.

Wasn’t it like that yesterday too?

He tried to take half of the secret funds that the concubine had given him.

Since he is naturally greedy for money Lee Geun-sang will surely know what this proposal means.

“What do you think? Doesn’t it sound quite appealing?”

Lee Geun-sang rolls his eyes diligently.

Judging from his past actions he must be calculating hard.

How much should I raise the activity fee to satisfy me?

How will the concubine react?

Above all how much of the beans will fall on you?

It would be mind-bogglingly complicated to calculate each and every one of them.

“I’ll give you the end of this week’s work. If there are no other offers by then….”

Knock knock-

I didn’t say anything but I showed my actions.

Touching the luggage that was left unpacked.

It means that I will return to the Korean Empire.

Gulp-

Lee Geun-sang swallows.

You probably interpreted my actions just now without me having to say anything.

“What are you doing? Don’t move.”

As soon as I finished speaking Lee Geun-sang left the room.

I laughed to myself as I watched his back as he hurriedly left.

* * *

Another week has passed since then.

‘at las….’

A whopping two million dollars came into my hands.

Lee Geun-sang ended up doing the work.

‘If I use this as seed money I will be able to easily operate in the United States as well.’

There was also news from Hulbert.

Looks like you just arrived in Shanghai.

“Your Majesty are you leaving now?”

“okay.”

That’s why I could pack my bags without hesitation.

“It’s a shame.”

Sakamoto is nominally an official dispatched by the Japanese government for my convenience.

He was loitering around me with a very sad expression on his face.

‘You’ve been watching me diligently all this time…’

Sakamoto has two faces.

As I looked at him I too began to express my regret.

“That’s right… We could have become closer but somehow I was so focused on returning to my home country that we never had a chance to meet.”

“If you have time could you postpone your studies in the United States for a while? It would be too bad to part ways like this.”

You say things you don’t mean.

Anyway Japanese people lie without even blinking an eye.

I patted Sakamoto on the shoulder and politely declined his offer.

“I should leave. Shouldn’t I finish my studies before it’s too late?”

That’s what I said but I won’t be going back to Roanoke College where I originally studied.

What I need is not a degree.

I need money and power more than a purse string.

“That’s too bad. His Excellency the Prime Minister also wanted to talk to the Prince… If you could stay a few more days I could pursue that.”

“No. Now is not the time.”

“All right.”

“If by any chance we are destined to meet again let’s meet again someday. Don’t be too sad.”

They kept spitting out stories that they didn’t mean to each other.

Having lived as a lobbyist I am not a fan of these kinds of pointless conversations so I decided to part ways with Iza.

But then suddenly Sakamoto grabbed me.

“Your Majesty here…..”

Sakamoto handed over an envelope.

what?

this.

“His Majesty told me to hand it over to the prince.”

Ito Hirobumi?

“Hasn’t Japan also produced a large number of international students? We know very well how difficult it is to live in a foreign country.”

Are you experiencing an abundance of wealth these days?

They all ask for money.

I turned my head away to avoid eye contact.

Then Woo Hyun-sik who was next to me misunderstood my signal grabbed the envelope and checked the contents.

“Your Majesty. These are yen bonds.”

also….

It’s not as expected.

Sakamoto quickly continued his story and answered me.

“Please think of it as a consideration by our Japanese government for the sake of friendship between our two countries. There is a bank established by Korean investors in the United States so if you cash it out there it will be helpful for your study abroad.”

Additionally they advised people to deposit the money they had saying that they would take care of it.

With the added bonus of paying generous interest.

‘Unlike the officials of the Korean Empire…’

You are really meticulous.

If he had been a prince who only cared about money he might have been cruel.

That’s because Sakamoto has been making a lot of tempting suggestions.

Gulp-

Woo Hyun-sik swallowed once and looked at me.

‘Oh that’s right. Woo Hyun-sik doesn’t know yet.’

I also learned how much of Emperor Gojong’s secret funds I had secured and how much of the activity funds the concubines gave me.

He doesn’t know.

‘To Woo Hyun-sik I am a boss who doesn’t have a single penny to give.’

Since he was in charge of managing my accounts he gave me a silent look telling me to accept their offer right away.

“I’m sorry but I can’t accept it.”

But I rejected it outright.

Woohyunsik’s eyes shook at my reaction.

He continued to shoot me a look full of resentment asking why I was refusing such a large sum of money.

“Huh? That… why do you say that?”

Sakamoto also seemed embarrassed.

I explained the reason for my rejection.

“I am a prince but at the same time I am your Majesty’s subject. How can I a diplomat of a country receive anything other than a salary? And it is money given to me by an official of another country.”

That’s what I said but it was all a decision I made for my future.

Japan is the political enemy of the Korean Empire.

If the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated it will only get worse not better.

‘It’s a poisoned chalice. The money they give you.’

As time goes by the world will know that I received money from the Japanese government.

I will immediately lose trust in the Korean community.

All Koreans whether in Korea or abroad would think the same.

Antipathy toward Japan was intense.

‘Korean Americans are my support base.’

Although their numbers are still small Korean Americans will definitely be a source of strength for me.

‘You have to look to the future.’

As time goes by all Korean Americans will become naturalized and become citizens of the United States.

All citizens will have the right to vote.

America’s two great values.

One is capitalism the other is democracy.

The flower of democracy is voting.

‘I have to become the leader of the fun Koreans.’

So I will negotiate with American politicians on their behalf.

That’s why we shouldn’t take their money just to escape our immediate hunger.

“Just put the money aside. I only want your sincerity.”

Woo Hyun-sik who was next to him swallowed again.

This is because he refused an offer of 500000 yen.

“under….”

A situation where I have something to say but no one can stop me because everything I said is correct.

Just take a deep breath.

I gave one more order looking away from the financial officer’s almost resentful gaze.

“Pay the hotel bill in full without deducting a single penny.”

“…Yes Your Majesty.”

Sakamoto couldn’t leave my side biting his lip as if he felt regretful about something as he drew the line until the end.

Ignoring Sakamoto I urged the group on.

“We’ll be late. If we miss the boat leaving today we’ll have to wait three more days.”

Hellish longing.

I want to leave even one day sooner.

‘It was dirty being together. Let’s never meet again.’

Phew-

As the ship’s horn sounds to signal departure the cityscape of Tokyo gradually disappears into the distance.

I clenched my fists as I watched this.

‘The next destination is….’

The place where he promised to reunite with Hulbert was San Francisco.

But before that there is a place you should visit briefly.

‘Hawaii the fantasy island. I’m going.’

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