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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Finding My Roots
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If I do nothing, Joseon will fall.
That much was a fact confirmed by the history I already knew.
Even if the Daewongun had enacted different policies, he might not have been able to right the tilting ship of Joseon.
But that was merely in the realm of possibility; that it would fall if things continued as they were was an already determined future.
Of course, saying such things at a time when the Opium War hadn't even broken out would only get me branded a madman.
The Daewongun soon relaxed the tension in his eyes, sighed, and clicked his tongue.
"Your words are so absurd that I don't even feel the need to dignify them with a response. In the first place, it is not the act of a gentleman to overreact to the words of a lowly slave who knows nothing."
"Aren't you going to scold me for cursing the nation, despite my lowly status?"
"A man with the blood of a Westerner has merely spoken words befitting his origins. It is not so much infuriating as it is laughable."
"Although half my blood may be from England, the other half is undeniably of Joseon. I was born and raised in Joseon, so shouldn't I be considered more of a Joseon man?"
Yi Ha-eung retorted with a look that said, *What nonsense are you spouting?*
"If you plant a Westerner's crop in Joseon's soil, can you say it is entirely a Joseon crop? Its roots will always remain."
"But did not the scholar Mun Ik-jeom of Goryeo skillfully refine cotton seeds from the Yuan Dynasty and make them our own? Thanks to him, countless people were able to escape the cold. If a seed brought from a foreign land can contribute greatly to this land, what else could it be but a part of Joseon?"
The story of Mun Ik-jeom hiding a few cotton seeds in his brush cap and returning with them was a very famous anecdote.
In truth, the story was heavily fictionalized, but it was a fact that he had popularized cotton.
He was even treated as a meritorious subject in Joseon for his contribution, so Yi Ha-eung couldn't refute it and simply nodded.
"You're not wrong. You certainly have a way with words. I suppose, as you say, it doesn't matter where the seed comes from, as long as it can be dedicated to this land. In short, you are confident that you can become like the cotton seeds brought by Master Mun Ik-jeom?"
"Yes."
"Anyone can make such claims."
"I do not make promises I cannot keep. As proof, Young Master, now that you've spoken with me, you are engaging with me in a serious conversation, are you not?"
*Once you talk to me, you'll change your mind.*
Recalling my earlier words, Yi Ha-eung let out a hollow laugh, as if in disbelief.
"It's not that I've changed my mind… No, that's not right. It was I who said no one would have a proper conversation with someone of lowly Westerner blood, so I must admit I was wrong."
"Then, will you listen seriously to what I have to say from now on?"
"We'll see. But there is one thing we must address. If you've heard my name, you must know who I am, correct? I am someone who cannot be deeply involved in this nation's politics, no matter how much knowledge I accumulate. You are likely unaware of such matters, but…"
"As you are of the royal family, you cannot receive any official post other than an honorary one."
"You know that? No, but I cannot fathom why you would do this, knowing that."
Since the reign of King Sejo of Joseon, it was hard to find any instance in history where a member of the royal family held a government post with significant power.
Moreover, it was unlikely that the Daewongun, who was barely ten years old, had any intention of making his son king to wield power.
In his eyes, I must have seemed like a naive child who thought anyone from the royal family was worth approaching.
Now that he'd peeled back a layer, he seemed flustered to find that wasn't the case.
As expected, even if he was precocious, a child was still a child.
He couldn't escape my intuition, which had turned the tables on the most notorious swindlers of the modern era.
"If I build a connection when no one is paying attention, will you not value me more when you rise to great heights, Young Master? Even from this brief conversation, I am certain you are destined for greatness."
"I'm telling you, the law doesn't allow for it."
Though he said that, Yi Ha-eung let out a small laugh, clearly not displeased.
Just as he was about to say something more, his lips parted.
"Yuseok! Yuseok! Good heavens, you rascal, there you are!"
The number one most favored slave of my master.
Seoksan came running toward us, panting and in a great hurry.
"*Gasp, gasp!* Yuseok, we… we have to go now. The master… *gasp,* he's call… calling for you."
"Brother. You're going to pass out. Calm down and speak slowly. What on earth is the matter?"
"I don't know. I was told in such a rush, I don't know the details, but it seems a distinguished guest has arrived. So just come quickly!"
Seoksan was the Vice Minister of Rites' most cherished slave, so while I had run errands for him, the reverse had never happened until now.
For him to come looking for me meant something truly significant had occurred, but what could it be?
I glanced over at Yi Ha-eung, who gestured with his eyes for me to go ahead.
"Let's talk again when we have the chance. I promise that if you can truly convince me then, I will listen to your story seriously."
"Yes. Then I shall take my leave."
In any case, I had succeeded in making a strong impression during our first meeting, so all that was left was to slowly win him over.
There was still a long time until the Daewongun would become the de facto ruler of this country, so I had more than enough time.
If I used him to build connections with other powerful figures in the meantime, becoming a free man would be a matter of moments.
It would be difficult to fully utilize my major in Joseon, where modern systems and industrial structures were not yet in place.
Still, now that I had a rough grasp of the level here, making a huge fortune would be a piece of cake.
As I bid farewell and watched the Daewongun's back recede into the distance, I couldn't help but feel moved that my long hardship was finally bearing fruit.
My life, full of twists and turns.
The time had finally come to overcome the obstacles of these insufferable Confucian old-timers and make a proper start.
* * *
Dreaming of a rosy future, my steps were as light as air on my way home.
But when I arrived, the atmosphere in the house was truly unusual.
The servants were bustling about, preparing something, and not a single one was resting.
I'd been in this kind of situation many times before, so I knew.
Just as Seoksan said, it seems some important guest has arrived.
As I approached the servants to help with the preparations, Seoksan looked horrified and dragged me in another direction.
"Goodness! Yuseok! I told you to come this way, where are you going?"
"Pardon? There don't seem to be enough hands, so I was naturally going to help. Didn't you come for me because you needed every extra hand you could get?"
"No, no, what do you mean, help? Quickly, over there… no. Come with me. The master ordered me to find you, wash you, and dress you in fine clothes before bringing you to him."
"Wash me and bring me to him? Why?"
I wondered if it was because I had been going from house to house, trying to get people to listen to me, but that couldn't be it.
If that were the reason, he would have just given me a stern scolding. Why go to the trouble of washing me and dressing me in fine clothes?
"Ah, is it something I need to be clean for before I can help?"
"That's not it! Ah, how do I explain this? Like I said, I didn't hear the details, but it seems some people came looking for you."
"Looking for me?"
What was this all about? I didn't know a soul in all of Joseon.
I wondered if it was some Joseon-era hidden camera show, but seeing the entire household in such an uproar, that seemed unlikely.
Soon, I was led inside by the servants, almost dragged, and despite the weather not being particularly cold, I was washed with warm water and dressed in proper silk clothes.
I heard that even these clothes were hastily procured from a noble house with a child of similar age.
For them to go to such lengths, this was clearly no ordinary matter, but what could it be?
The answer became clear as soon as I entered the sarangchae, where the guest was staying.
"Oh! It seems he has finally arrived. This is the child. Come in."
The Vice Minister of Rites welcomed me with a gentle tone I had never heard before.
Sitting before him was a middle-aged man with a queue hairstyle, dressed in clothes that screamed, 'I'm from the Qing Dynasty.'
However, my gaze was not fixed on the first person from the Qing Dynasty I had seen in Joseon.
It was the man who had been staring at me with wide eyes from the moment I entered.
A gentleman dressed in formal wear, likely fashionable in the West in the early to mid-19th century, had captured all my attention.
"What do you think? Just by his appearance, you can tell this is certainly the boy you were looking for, can't you?"
The Vice Minister's words were translated into the Qing language, and then again into English, and relayed to the middle-aged gentleman.
"He is quite a handsome young man. I believe the old master will be very pleased when he sees him."
"Is that so? That is a relief."
Although the Vice Minister spoke with a slight hint of confusion, to be honest, it was true that my face in this life was quite handsome.
One might call me living proof of the old saying that mixed-race people are often beautiful.
It's true that a promising sprout shows its quality from a young age, and my current face, even by modern standards, was flawless.
Honestly, if I had this face in my previous life, I wouldn't have needed to resort to scams or anything of the sort.
I would have made an absurd amount of money as a model or an actor.
Unfortunately, the more handsome a mixed-race person was in Joseon, the more they were just seen as a big-eyed, pale-skinned goblin.
"In any case, this child has grown up so healthy here, so I have fulfilled my duty. Will you be taking him with you today?"
"Of course. The old master wishes to see his son as soon as possible. We will compensate you generously for taking care of him all this time."
"Ahem, I don't mean to boast, but this child is exceptionally bright, and I was very fond of him. You can tell just by the clothes he is wearing, can't you?"
"Yes. We are simply grateful."
Wow. So that's why they washed me and dressed me in silk.
As expected of a man who rose to the rank of Vice Minister of Rites, his skill at lying without batting an eye was truly top-notch.
While I stared in disbelief, the three men before me were already settling their accounts among themselves.
"Wait. Surely you haven't forgotten my contribution in bringing you from Qing to Joseon after hearing this information?"
"Of course not. The old master will certainly keep his promise. The goods coming from here will be allocated to you with top priority."
"Excellent. Excellent, indeed."
"Shouldn't we explain the situation to the young master now? He must not understand what is happening."
"Then I shall explain it myself! After all, I have cared for him all this time."
The Vice Minister quickly stepped forward, perhaps worried that his lies would be exposed.
It was no wonder he assumed I couldn't communicate with the other party for the time being, as he would never imagine I could speak English.
Perhaps the promised reward was quite large, for he was beaming as he spoke to me in the most affectionate tone I had ever heard from him.
"Yuseok. This gentleman here is a representative of your father, who is in the distant land of England. He heard news that you were in this land and has come to take you with him."
"My father? You mean the one who was said to be an English nobleman?"
"Yes, yes. And I hear that he has no other children to carry on his bloodline besides you. That is why he has come all the way to this distant land of Joseon to find his only kin."
Hearing the brief explanation, I understood the whole story.
My father, who had briefly come to Qing as a diplomat, spent a night with a handmaiden of a diplomat from Joseon and returned to his home country.
He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but as years passed and he reached an age where it became difficult to produce an heir, he began to grow anxious.
Even though it was the modern era, it was still the early to mid-19th century.
It would be stranger if the nobility, who valued bloodlines above all else, were not obsessed with them.
Then, on a subsequent visit to the Qing Dynasty, he heard a strange rumor from an official he had met before.
—I think there was a woman who became pregnant after spending a night with you some years ago?
Even so, he would strictly be an illegitimate child, but that could be smoothed over with enough determination.
Having all but given up on having an heir, he sent a representative all the way to Joseon, promising a Qing official he was close with enormous benefits in exchange for finding me.
The Vice Minister was happy to be able to sell me off, someone he already disliked, for a handsome price.
The Qing official was delighted to be promised benefits in exchange for pulling a few strings.
And my father was happy to have found his only bloodline, even if illegitimate. It was truly the best possible outcome, satisfying everyone involved.
"Then am I to follow that gentleman to England today?"
"Yes. You will first return to Qing, and from there you will board a ship bound for England. Although you grew up here, your roots are in England, are they not? It will be much happier for you to grow up there than to stay in Joseon."
Is there even a need to say it?
Not just some commoner from the West, but a nobleman of the British Empire.
The blood of a nobleman from what was, without a doubt, the most powerful nation in the world at this time.
Even as an illegitimate son, how could it even be compared to the status of a lowly slave in Joseon?
Besides, unlike this land of Joseon, Britain was undergoing tremendous growth through industrialization.
Wouldn't that land of opportunity allow me to perfectly utilize my talents and my major?
"Thank you for taking good care of me until now, Master."
"Hahaha. Yes, yes. Though I may have been a little… lacking in some ways, by feeding and sheltering you so you could grow up safely, I have fulfilled my duty, have I not? So if you have any lingering resentment, shake it off and start anew in a new land."
"Of course, my lord."
For some reason, the memories of being treated coldly and ignored because I was of Westerner blood were vividly coming to mind.
But in this man's mind, that was just being 'a little lacking,' was it?
There was no point in saying anything here, so I too played along with the mood and laughed heartily.
I wondered if we would be able to laugh and talk like this the next time we met, but I decided to save that for future enjoyment.
A short while later, after exchanging greetings with the middle-aged gentleman who had come as my father's representative, I boarded the ship bound for Qing with him.
As I glanced back, the land of Joseon, which I didn't know when I would see again, rapidly receded into the distance, but surprisingly, I didn't feel the slightest bit of regret.
For now, I was merely curious about how this land that had rejected me…
Would treat me in the distant future.