Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Sinophile Arthur Lee (4)

Midnight.

Prince Chun Yixuan returned home out of his mind.

“Why is the face full of worry.”

“Looks so?”

The one waiting for him was the main wife Yehe Nara Wanzhen (Yehe Nara Wanquan).

The moment seeing her face who knows nothing, Prince Chun tasted a feeling like a huge burden pile contained in the chest pouring onto himself with a crash.

“Not a matter for a woman to intervene. Night is late so quickly go in and rest.”

“I am just a young woman and know nothing, but what Your Highness worries is definitely because of today’s chaotic situation.”

“...”

“If a problem occurs in Your Highness’s safety I will also definitely hard to escape the predicament, how would I not hesitate anything for Your Highness? If Your Highness says will say nothing will follow those words, but if can relieve Your Highness’s worry will do anything.”

Hearing those words Prince Chun’s eyes reddened and seemed like something would flow out with a gush.

Only the two alone after dismissing the surroundings, Yixuan slowly opened his mouth.

“Our lives have reached a critical moment.”

“Prince Gong Your Highness is never a person who will harm brothers recklessly.”

“Older brother might be so! But how many in the Central Plains world chewing older brother’s flesh? Who will those wanting to oppose older brother elevate?”

Die.

No matter how much think the end is a great traitor.

Ultimately he vomited everything he heard a little while ago with his own mouth.

Produce a boy.

Impregnate one of the Xianfeng Emperor’s concubines and shake the political situation.

Wanzhen who listened to the end this miserable conspiracy that disturbs even heavenly principles let alone loyal heart.

Did not frown even once.

“Do you remember how my father died?”

“...Of course know.”

Prince Chun’s father-in-law Yehe Nara Huizheng (Huizheng) while smoothly doing official life was dispatched to Jiangnan where battle with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was in full swing and received the mission of managing military funds and military provisions.

But a problem burst.

Before the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom army the Anglo-French allied forces appeared.

The Qing army was defeated miserably, and Huizheng fled.

Even as soon as the Qing army was smashed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom army advanced as if waited, and the already crushed Qing army became completely powder.

The Xianfeng Emperor who was vigorously looking after state affairs because Beijing had not yet burned was enraged, and those who did not die on the battlefield and fled were almost all executed.

Huizheng was not executed, but convinced the emperor would soon kill him and trembled and the heart disease deepened and died in the place he fled. A miserable end as a Manchu high official who was an imperial relative.

“His Majesty might have wanted to leave my father alive, but ultimately hard to avoid death. The treacherous subjects around His Majesty would have necessarily advised to kill the criminal.”

“Right... probably.”

“So. Struggling to live is a natural thing.”

She agreed.

Rather pushed the back of the hesitating husband.

“Meet my older sister.”

“Consort Yi?”

“If older sister will willingly participate. Because strength and guts and ambition all point to older sister.”

Will never die miserably like father-in-law.

Will go alive to the side of the throne.

At this moment Yixuan resolved.

***

Actually, this problem was like a not greatly complicated equation.

To 21st century people living in a democratic society a too bizarre and hard to understand story, but to people wanting to go even near the sweet honey of power in an absolute monarchy country this level of calculation is only elementary school math workbook difficulty. Guys without this ability all die and are naturally selected. Even modern people learn quickly just playing a few rounds of fun family-centered games if cannot learn this deserve to die.

The traitor of the world Prince Gong who sold the world’s center Qing to Westerners then colluded with them and imprisoned the older brother and slaughtered the subjects.

How can such him wield omnipotent power?

Precisely because according to Qing’s clan law he is the next throne successor.

According to Qing’s succession law in one generation there can be only one emperor.

Until now Qing’s throne always continued from father to son, and there was not even the collateral succession to younger brother or nephew common in other countries.

However now, the Xianfeng Emperor-Prince Gong-Prince Chun brothers are Qing’s lowest generation.

Because none of them has a son, naturally Prince Gong becomes the owner of the next throne.

If understood the flow up to here the answer comes out quickly.

The Xianfeng Emperor is not in a body state to proceed with the offspring production project, and Prince Gong is of course staying away from women.

So Prince Chun just needs to make one son!

If Prince Chun makes a son at that moment Prince Gong falls from succession rank 1 to 2, and Prince Chun himself becomes the emperor’s biological father so becomes a position like Daewongun as Heungseon-gun did in the original history.

- But Prince Chun is pure young? Is that possible?

Opposite.

Because young not yet received much check.

If Prince Chun was born a bit earlier and inserted into the sharp throne succession battle royale he would have immediately without anyone’s advice tried hard saying will give birth to a son and change fate.

But instead Prince Gong would have obviously checked Prince Chun more actively. Because regarded Prince Chun as not a participant in this game so left alone, if a participant would have somehow processed long ago.

Up to here is stage 1.

- This is not the end? Well, the content chattered as advice was not just make a kid by working hard at night with the wife...

Right.

Fifteen-year-old, fourteen-year-old kids making a son with childhood play? Easy in this era?

Early marriage probability is too low. First whether son or daughter is 50:50 strict and if calculating the probability the child is born safely and the born child is healthy the batting average is too low.

Moreover not just a chaebol house successor but the absolute monarchy imperial family’s successor structure problem. The possibility of strange drugs entering the pregnant Prince Chun consort’s rice bowl and teapot is absolutely not 0.

Let’s organize.

The probability that luckily a child is born without incident and that child is a son and grows healthily while simultaneously not having the child snatched by Prince Gong and protecting?

None.

Still unripe rookie Prince Chun if Prince Gong says ‘hand over’ will say ‘w, will hand over!’ and offer the son. Obvious even without looking.

Therefore stage 2.

Must go with the method of someone other than Prince Chun consort giving birth to a son.

- What this. Scary.

Why whining so much. Has there never been a matter this big in China’s thousands of years of history?

If one of the Xianfeng Emperor’s concubines has a child instead of the fourteen-year-old Prince Chun consort enormous advantages arise.

First since age will be more pregnancy is also advantageous.

Also an advantage that hard for Prince Gong to put hands on the pregnant woman.

And the most important point. Impossible for Prince Gong to snatch the child.

- From making a child by a fifteen-year-old kid is a problem.

That is a problem they must overcome well on their own.

If informed up to here must resolve on their own. If impossible for Prince Chun to make a child well, really find even a person resembling the Xianfeng Emperor as much as possible on the street and make them make.

The planner is human the accomplisher is heaven.

I fulfilled my role so the remaining work those wanting to live will do on their own.

Probably.

***

The meeting with Qing’s absolute power holder Prince Gong took place at the Prince Gong residence, in other words Prince Gong’s house.

- Calling to the private residence is not a good thing?

No.

This is the meaning of not recognizing me as a formal envoy.

Prince Gong Yixin.

A person who grasped the power of the world’s largest country, Qing before even thirty.

Come to think of it somehow Heonjong is also so, the Xianfeng Emperor who is about to die now is also so, even the Japanese shogun belongs to the young side. What omen is this.

- You are also young what picking on such things.

Aheo. Please calculate me not by the age of the flesh but by mental age.

“This small person Arthur Lee. Came here receiving Your Highness’s order.”

“Sit.”

Thought even if not yelling to bow would not give a chair, unexpectedly he recommended me to sit in the seat and sat facing at the table.

A truly fragrant tea came out in a teacup looking very luxurious as if shouting this is the Qing imperial family!! and briefly.

“Right. Met my younger brother?”

Prince Gong immediately took out the gun and shot from the first words. Can’t we have our ice-breaking time a bit?

“Yes.”

“Not denying.”

“Not that I went looking but Your Highness came so how can refuse.”

“Right. What advice was my younger brother seeking?”

“Said save me.”

Prince Gong’s eyes soaked in fatigue became even thinner.

“Save me, ra.”

“Because believing Your Highness will definitely kill him, told the way to live.”

“What chattered.”

“Said if serving Prince Gong Your Highness with loyal heart and brotherly love Your Highness will definitely repay.”

“Perhaps a joke of Britain I don’t know?”

Not eating even a seed.

“Those opposing the Self-Strengthening Your Highness advocated are full in the Central Plains, told if embracing them and becoming the head of a faction Your Highness also will not easily kill.”

“Now chattering in front of me that incited to rally those opposing me?”

“Because cannot report lies to Your Highness.”

- This bastard. Casually stretching lies.

But plausible words?

“Anyway groups that cannot be together with Your Highness. Rather better for a member of the imperial family to be together with them and receive control. Isn’t that so?”

“...No reason to tell you.”

Since a person already regarding me as hostile folded the thought that will listen to words long ago.

So chatter plausible stories.

To hide the ‘cuckoo project’ chatter a more plausible ‘opposition party establishment project’ and turn Prince Gong’s gaze from the concubines to elsewhere.

Sure enough.

Prince Gong did not pick more fights about this and moved on to the next business.

“Now say the Joseon king’s message.”

“...There is no such thing separately.”

“Joking? Didn’t the Joseon king send you as envoy.”

“I am not an envoy but just one merchant.”

“Just one merchant scatters gold silver treasures that much to all high officials of Qing? Chattering to believe that now?”

“All to help this small person’s business-”

“If trying to evade with such word play once more will immediately dismiss the seat.”

Young.

As expected still young.

This fragrant rookie smell.

The scent of a young second-generation CEO whose shoulders seem to soar to the sky but subtly feels pressure that must do well, who received the company the father built just because child, tickles my nose.

However do not look down.

Young people lack skill but have spirit and boldness.

Even in a rookie’s hand a gun is a gun. If a guy like me fails to grasp the topic and teases as rookie there is a way of going to the grave hit by that gun. Going to the grave like that once is enough.

“Joseon king Hwan (Heonjong’s name) fears most that in his generation war with Qing occurs and the ancestral temples and altars become endangered, so prepared to respond to anything if only can protect the altars from Britain’s anger.”

“...”

Prince Gong was silent for a while.

When I passed about two sips of tea, he opened his mouth again.

“Same as told to Waein. Are you now pointing out that Qing failed to fulfill the superior country’s duty?”

“Meaning please acknowledge that the situation was urgent and British troops came right in front of the capital so could not help it. Insulting the superior country is not the Joseon king’s intention.”

Interpreted like this.

[About to perish the country briefly bowed the head to Britain what to do if saying something with that?]

[Now giving points because we couldn’t protect? Britain is scary and we are not?]

“Now the Joseon king also knew that Britain’s intention is only in the profits of business not in conquering and ruling this land. As time passes Joseon will bow the head again.”

“If we become strong bow the head, if still looks chaotic bite words truly archaically. Arrogant guys.”

He snorted. A reaction feeling the will to raise Qing again.

“If Joseon truly wants to fulfill the serving the great loyalty to Qing must fulfill that courtesy from now on.”

“Will necessarily convey.”

“And you. Called Arthur?”

Prince Gong extended a finger toward me. Feeling of becoming a sparrow. Like this ‘you are a harmful guy’ and earth wind extending from the finger-

- In this situation have room for such nonsense thoughts?!

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Even wanting to refine the Self-Strengthening will anew and introduce Western objects and systems those who deeply understand the West are rare. I want to bestow an official post and treat you well will you not help me and plan Qing’s revival?”

No, a scout offer here?

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