Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The Returning Prodigal Son

1850.

Heonjong 16th year.

In the original history Heonjong dies in 1849, at the young age of only twenty-one not even young. He ascended the throne at seven and struggled against the powerful and ended that short life.

But the big event of Cheoljong’s ascension disappeared far far beyond history with the appearance of the vicious Anglo-Saxon boy.

No one, not Heonjong himself of course nor 21st century Arthur and the Dragon King know, but this historical alteration where Heonjong is alive started from a very minor place.

“This decoction called chocolate and coffee is truly mysterious.”

“Since the ministers also started drinking this decoction sleep has completely fled and energy surges so it does not seem an ordinary famous medicine.”

They say Heonjong had a great need for vitality enhancement and tonic from young.

He suffered from the huge weight of being the last survivor of the three lineages bloodline. The pressure that he must quickly produce a successor from young, even without ministers fanning it he himself whipped himself more than anyone.

Is that why. From middle and high school age he drank ginseng and deer antler, various tonics like water for several years yet if the body is healthy that is just the human itself being strong.

Except for crab soy sauce king Yeongjo who great-succeeded in absorbing essence and life force conversion and sucked even the lifespans of ministers and older brother and son, originally the family members of this household are not a household with particularly strong lifelines. Heonjong’s early death is not a particularly unusual thing from the modern medicine perspective.

Doctors say coffee and chocolate are not good for health, but at least if told to choose between eating ginseng and deer antler decocted tonic as a dessert for nearly 10 years VS eating coffee and chocolate one would unconditionally choose the latter.

So Heonjong who inhaled coffee instead of ginseng lived.

He even obtained a son that didn’t exist in the original history.

Moreover compared to the original history these Joseon people had their eyes opened wider to see the world.

Originally they would have only believed Qing propaganda and regarded the Opium War as about ‘Western barbarians caused a disturbance but Great Qing well soothed and sent them back’, but because they took on the time bomb called Arthur they awakened much earlier to the truth that ‘Qing was beaten like a dog and disgraced’.

So Heonjong cried out for strengthening national defense.

It was just a problem that the king’s order was not properly carried out and became an empty echo.

However where in the world is there a free lunch?

If there is something gained there is also something lost.

“Your Majesty. The Jeolla Governor submitted a report-”

“Again?”

“Yes. A certain British merchant said to freely trade-”

“No need to hear more. Quickly drive him out.”

As a result of the First Opium War the Western powers obtained the bridgehead of Hong Kong, and succeeded in opening several additional ports instead of the existing Guangdong.

The problem was that even though they started an all-time filthy war and received signatures on the treaty as they wanted the trade balance did not improve.

Britain still had to import an enormous amount of tea from China.

The only money-making thing among the things Britain could sell was still opium.

As soon as they heard the sound that the Chinese market opened wide all the traders of the country flocked in groups carrying goods and headed to China, but the idiots who tried to sell pianos or forks, knives etc. bled profusely and hit the lower limit.

At that moment the gospel appeared.

The brilliant gospel named <​Arthur’s Drift Record>.

[Joseon is an agricultural country with a population of about 20 million full of mountains and hills.]

[Joseon people have much curiosity and enjoy learning so they have much interest in Western objects and technology, learning, but due to a series of recent political conspiracies and Catholic believers’ rebellion and treason attempts they are thoroughly hiding their curiosity...]

Those who expected that if they invest in Arthur Lee he would wide open the door of that mysterious country Joseon overflowed.

But those full of adventurous spirit believed they could open Joseon’s door themselves before Arthur Lee comes and bravely raised the anchor.

“Your Majesty!! Recently Westerners who come and go as they please all claim they are Lee Aseul’s close friends.”

“Even if Westerners learn the Way they are ultimately just Westerners! How would beasts know grace just because they know how to speak human words?”

“Isn’t it clear it’s a lie no matter who sees. How can one trust the words of ruffians who don’t even know what Lee Aseul looks like?”

If only merchants come and go it would be fortunate.

But a few years ago, the Joseon court directly experienced the threat of Western powers.

[The point that the Joseon government unilaterally executed our nationals the missionaries can never be overlooked.]

[The reason such a thing happened is because there is no exchange between Joseon and our French government, so just as we decided to open friendly trade with Qing it would be right for Joseon to also open its doors.]

France brought warships.

Before the court startled by their military threat could prepare anything, the French warship ran aground and the French rather received help from the Joseon government office and a huge embarrassment exploded and their armed blackmail ended as a historic dog disgrace.

However the atmosphere of the current court of course and the Confucian scholars was not ordinary.

A powerful yet threatening force is approaching from across that sea.

The Andong Kim clan and Pungyang Jo clan, the king and young officials, and private Confucian scholars are right before frontal collision over Joseon’s future and countermeasures at this very moment.

“They say a Western ship appeared at Ganghwa Island!”

“Another Western ship. Which country’s Westerner do they say this time?”

“Britain, a young man who identified himself as Lee Aseul has come!”

Arthur came.

***

From Britain to India.

From India to Hong Kong.

Finally from Hong Kong to Joseon.

Since there is no Suez Canal yet, to go to the Far East one of course has to go around the Cape of Good Hope.

And on the way to India.

“Hold on tight! Storm!”

“Shi... t...!”

Fortunately the ship did not wreck, but they say a startled chest from seeing a soft-shelled turtle is startled even seeing a pot lid.

As soon as I arrived in India I immediately offered a rite.

- Don’t know fish east meat west fish east meat west?

Although there was not a single Joseon or Chinese style ancestral rite item, according to what the jar ghost informed I set up a table as plausibly as possible and also scattered some meat into the sea.

There were minor issues like the sailors murmuring a bit or my faith being slightly suspected but it didn’t matter. After holding the sea god rite surprisingly there was no more fucked thing of encountering storms.

So is the local Dragon King really watching because he received the rite?

- No... I don’t know well either...

This guy knows nothing.

“That... after performing a pagan rite the storm doesn’t blow?”

This person looking at me with narrowed eyes is John Coleridge Patteson. A senior who graduated from Eton in the year I entered, and after graduating from Eton entered Oxford, the owner of a very excellent tech tree.

A person who has some interest in the faith side and also great interest in the linguistics field, originally he had great interest in Arabic or Hebrew but after reading <​Arthur’s Drift Record> he suddenly became interested in the Far East and Member Gladstone introduced him to me.

“How could that be.”

“Right?”

“Of course. Originally sailors have a lot of superstition, they say if you do a show with such exotic customs they go crazy. Since I’m famous as a Far East expert it would have looked more plausible.”

“I see.”

Senior Patteson seems to have greatly developed interest in missionary work recently, and seeing that he quickly decided to board the <​Henry> saying an opportunity to go to the unknown country Joseon arose this person also doesn’t seem an ordinary extraordinary person. As a 21st century person I can’t follow that burning passion for faith at all.

More important than that is trade preparation.

In principle since I am not some diplomat I couldn’t stamp or whatever just by going to Joseon, but originally in this demon village 19th century there were also cases where merchants roughly acted like diplomats and received post-approval if successful.

Anyway since my immortal masterpiece <​Arthur’s Drift Record> is being mentioned even in parliament and some members seem to have many expectations for this voyage of mine, if I succeed in opening Joseon who would care about that ‘minor’ procedure.

- Is this that... politics-business collusion or something.

Where else is there expressing expectation as much as providing money? It’s tremendous expectation that much. Will you call it the combination of public interest and private interest?

The goods I prepared were diverse.

Let’s exclude the gifts to scatter to the boy king and Andong Kim clan influential people, people I owe like Heungseon-gun. Splendid vessels or porcelain, tobacco and tobacco pipes, telescopes, laudanum, music boxes, books etc. I prepared everything that might attract interest.

The first pick as goods was sugar, chocolate, coffee. Honestly there are almost no people who would dislike such luxury goods.

Next cotton cloth. This cotton cloth mass-produced by the power of the industrial revolution is definitely the thing that will sell best in Joseon.

Stupid British traders whine that they don’t know why Chinese people don’t buy cotton cloth and woolen fabrics, but is Guangdong in southern China ordinary weather from the beginning?

But in Joseon cotton unconditionally sells. Since it is a neighborhood where cotton cloth even works as currency just piercing cotton trade will definitely copy money.

And water buffalo horn.

It is material for bows, but Joseon is not some primitive ugauga land and not a country where archers are still the main force.

But as far as I know cavalry sometimes prefer bows over guns, and Joseon scholars basically have a need for archery so this water buffalo horn also definitely has demand. Honey information that only I who am Joseon-fluent know.

And a few hundred of the British Empire’s bestseller prepared for promotion, the Brown Bess musket and saltpeter and gunpowder that can be happily scooped at almost free prices from India.

Since I packed full the items Joseon would covet, just proceed with the trade at a moderately mutually reasonable price.

Contrary to what people commonly think, Far East trade is not simply buying goods from Britain or India and selling them to China. Rather doing intermediary trade in India or Southeast Asia, the Far East would make much more money.

According to my grand conception, in Joseon obtaining red ginseng as much as possible is the best and next is gold or silver. Instead in Joseon just selling essential materials like Indian gunpowder or water buffalo horn, or horsehair would satisfy all of Joseon’s needs.

As expected Joseon is a small country.

I can’t share this with others and I’ll eat it all alone.

***

Ganghwa Magistrate Jo Hyeongbok of course knew me.

“Hello. I returned as promised.”

“My goodness! That child has grown so much!”

In fact even if he doesn’t know it wouldn’t matter.

Where else in this world is there a blue-eyed youth who dresses in a gat and durumagi and speaks Joseon language fluently like a native other than me.

“Although the country’s law says not to recklessly communicate with Westerners, since you can be said to be a scholar who early studied under excellent recluses how would the law targeting other Westerners apply to him?”

“I am truly grateful for welcoming me so warmly. This is my sincerity though small.”

“Ahem. What is all this.”

The sailors of the Henry ship got off the ship and ate a grand meal, and could borrow private houses and sleep there. I did slip some silver coins to the magistrate, but since I received supply of fresh vegetables and meat and even secured a place to sleep a few coins were not regrettable at all.

Not long after the magistrate hurriedly submitted a report, I received the order to come up to Hanyang and immediately headed to the palace.

But.

“You bastard! Do you know your crime!!”

“This lowly Lee Aseul, with only the heart of wanting to repay Joseon that warmly treated the boy who drifted and washed up and even taught learning, ran in one breath as soon as I became an adult. But why are you holding me accountable for a crime?”

“Noisy! What bizarre heresy did you spread after returning to your hometown land that your Westerners bring ships every time and threaten to trade!”

“This time the Minister of War’s words are truly right.”

Kim Jwageun who has become Minister of War put even more strength in his neck and shouted loudly. His face has become a bit damaged compared to before.

Looking now the court ministers all seem to have darker dark circles than before... is it an illusion?

“Quickly return! We who thought beasts could be edified with the Way were foolish! Since there is old affection we will not cut the neck, so quickly board the ship and return!”

As a 21st century salesman I can’t be flustered just by that. Common sense, if they were really going to tell me to get lost they wouldn’t call me to Hanyang and would just issue an expulsion order.

I quickly rolled my eyes and scanned the surrounding atmosphere.

The young king who is saying nothing.

Kim Jwageun who is continuously raising his veins.

The Pungyang Jo clan looking at Kim Jwageun as if displeased.

There is definitely some twist.

Although Kim Jwageun is a corrupt official, he is not a person who would do things like a reckless gangster like this.

But absolutely not because I am a bad guy... the Anglo-Saxon DNA flowing in my blood vessels seemed to think a bit differently.

- Hey you bastard. What scheme are you up to again?

No. Calling a person and scolding hard in front of the face of course hurts my feelings too. No matter that sales is emotional labor I am also a person.

If I set my mind I can call the true specialty of the British Empire, the world’s strongest army Redcoats and make everything a sea of blood... should I endure?

- Are you crazy?

Hmm hmm. No, this vicious bloodline keeps whispering ‘if you kill and take it why do business?’. It’s not my fault. It’s all because of this pirate gene.

But I am a 21st century person.

I just do the transaction a bit spicily.

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Author's note

Thank you to Time Flight for your sponsorship!!