Lin Zexu, Imperial Commissioner entrusted with full authority by the Son of Heaven and Governor-General of Liangguang—the most critical region in the empire—bit down on his lip as cold sweat trickled down his back.
What did I just hear?
Surely this wasn't some kind of sick joke.
No… none of his subordinates were foolish enough to joke in a moment like this.
Then what was this supposed to mean?
He had asked Yang Shengyuan to gather intelligence, but this report was far beyond anything he had expected.
A governor of the Great Qing Dynasty was required to remain calm at all times.
No matter how shocking the news, he must never allow emotion to show.
If the governor lost his composure, the unease would spread through every official beneath him.
Yet even knowing that rule better than anyone, Lin Zexu could not completely steady his voice.
"So… what you're saying is that the British are merely pretending to cooperate with us?"
"If Elliot's words are true, then yes."
"And this Elliot—are we certain he's trustworthy?"
"I confirmed his identity personally. Elliot was indeed the British representative who met frequently with Governor Deng Tingzhen before Your Excellency arrived. Even then, he acknowledged our intention to ban opium, though he argued that Britain could not completely ignore the interests of its merchants."
"So he's the sort of man one can reason with."
Lin nodded slowly.
"Which makes this situation even stranger. If Elliot was dismissed for being too conciliatory, then why would his replacement behave even more cooperatively?"
If Britain truly intended to abandon the opium trade, they could simply have told Elliot.
Given his personal dislike for opium, he would have welcomed such a decision.
"Then it seems reasonable to conclude that Killian is hiding his true intentions," Lin said quietly.
"And according to Elliot, those intentions are to buy time—time to prevent us from enforcing the opium ban."
"Yes," Yang Shengyuan replied. "They pretend to negotiate in good faith while continuing to smuggle opium behind the scenes—and possibly conducting diplomatic maneuvers as well."
Lin frowned deeply.
"Smuggling opium is nothing new. But diplomatic maneuvers… are they truly considering involving Joseon or the Japanese?"
"I cannot say with certainty."
Lin Zexu rubbed his temples as a flood of unsettling possibilities raced through his mind.
It seemed increasingly clear that Britain was plotting something.
But Joseon? Japan?
That still seemed difficult to believe without stronger evidence.
"Tell me honestly, Shengyuan. Do you truly believe Britain could persuade Joseon to act against us?"
"In theory, perhaps. But whether Joseon has any reason to do so… that's another matter."
Lin nodded.
"Exactly. Our relations with Joseon may not be perfect, but they still recognize the order of the Middle Kingdom. Why would they side with some barbarian kingdom from the far west?"
"But the Japanese have long had contact with Westerners," Yang said carefully. "And if Joseon were promised enough advantages… who knows?"
Lin sighed.
He couldn't entirely dismiss the possibility.
Even men of the same nation betrayed one another all the time.
Trusting a foreign state absolutely would be foolish.
And the fact that Britain's representative had deep ties to Joseon made the matter even more troubling.
"Did Killian truly speak favorably about Joseon?"
"Yes. When I asked whether his childhood there had been difficult, he said he had been treated kindly."
"That would make sense. If he's a nobleman in Britain, he must have formed ties with Joseon's upper class. Even a foreign barbarian would not be mistreated under such circumstances."
More importantly, Killian's fluency in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese spoke volumes.
Few except professional interpreters could master three languages so well.
For a foreign nobleman to achieve that level of fluency as a child meant he must have received formal education.
And that implied cooperation from Joseon.
"Perhaps there was a reason he was trained in all three languages," Lin murmured.
The theory might have been far-fetched.
But one thing was undeniable: some sort of connection existed between Killian, Britain, and Joseon.
"For now, we wait for the messenger we sent to Joseon," Lin said. "Their reply may clarify matters."
"And if Joseon denies any connection to him?"
Lin gave a bitter smile.
"That would only strengthen our suspicions."
Yang nodded immediately.
"Exactly. Such an answer would be nonsense."
If a high-ranking British noble had truly been born and raised in Joseon, it would be impossible for them not to know.
And if Joseon had indeed trained him in Chinese and Japanese as well…
Then their cooperation would be undeniable.
"If they claim he has no connection to them at all…"
Lin's eyes hardened.
"In that case, we may have to advise the Son of Heaven to adopt a stronger response."
Perhaps it was time to demonstrate Qing authority once again.
To the Western barbarians.
And to the surrounding tributary states.
To remind them which nation truly stood at the center of the world.
* * *
About two weeks after I had thoroughly planted suspicion in Yang Shengyuan's mind, reports began reaching me that Qing officials were moving about far more actively than before.
The opium merchants also seemed nervous.
Lin Zexu must have taken the bait and was now scrambling to investigate the information we had "accidentally" provided.
Exactly as planned.
By now he had probably already sent messengers to Joseon to investigate my background.
But whatever answer they received, it would never satisfy them.
The chance that Joseon remembered me was close to zero.
And even if they did deny knowing me, the Qing would never believe them.
"Minister… are negotiations truly progressing well?"
The question came from one of the merchants.
"The atmosphere during our last meeting was quite positive. Is something troubling you?"
"Well… there are rumors that Governor Lin intends to intensify the crackdown on opium."
"A crackdown?"
Technically speaking, opium had already been illegal in Qing territory for quite some time.
But did anyone seriously expect British merchants to obey such laws?
They had established countless smuggling routes and continued selling opium while avoiding Qing patrols.
The most amusing part was that British smugglers often pretended to be Americans—and Americans pretended to be British.
A magnificent collaboration in hypocrisy.
Although people often blamed Britain alone for the opium trade, American merchants were also deeply involved.
Seeing Britain's profits, Americans had begun importing opium from the Ottoman Empire and selling it in China as well.
English-speaking foreigners were rapidly becoming the most despised people in Qing territory.
The only difference was that the United States was still too weak to confront the Qing openly.
"We've heard they plan to block even offshore supply ships," the merchant continued.
"Ships like the Fast Crab and the Scrambling Dragon."
"Those vessels anchor outside Qing jurisdiction," I replied thoughtfully. "Do they intend to enforce their laws beyond their own waters?"
"We don't know. But if they go that far… what will happen to us?"
"Relax," I said calmly. "We are negotiating peacefully. They won't act recklessly."
From any outside perspective, Foreign Secretary Killian Gore was working tirelessly to resolve the crisis peacefully.
If the Qing suddenly acted aggressively, the blame would clearly fall on them.
And the unfortunate victims would be the opium merchants themselves—men like William Jardine and James Matheson.
Strictly speaking, they were sacrifices.
But I had never forced them down that path.
If they stopped smuggling opium now, they could still avoid the worst outcome.
They would lose money, certainly.
But compensation could easily be extracted from the Qing later.
Unfortunately, human greed rarely allowed such sensible decisions.
"Has Governor Lin informed you of anything directly?" another merchant asked.
"We've scheduled another meeting next week," I said. "Officially, opium smuggling is illegal—but if enforcement were slightly relaxed, your situation would improve considerably, wouldn't it?"
"That alone would be more than enough for us."
"And how likely do you think that is?"
"Governor Lin and his officials seemed quite receptive during our last conversation. If we respect Qing sovereignty while quietly maintaining certain… arrangements… we might reach a mutually beneficial outcome."
"And ultimately?"
"My ultimate goal is to travel to Beijing and meet the Emperor."
No British envoy had ever successfully achieved such an audience.
Cultural differences had always prevented it.
But simply expressing the desire to meet the emperor made Britain appear deeply committed to peaceful resolution.
"So… perhaps we should purchase additional opium from the East India Company?"
I shrugged.
"That's a commercial matter. I'm a politician, not a merchant."
"Of course. My apologies."
The merchants exchanged eager glances.
"In that case, we'll expand our stock and observe how things develop."
"Please do. I'll inform you immediately once the next negotiations conclude."
It was remarkable.
A few optimistic words were all it took for their faces to brighten.
I had made no promises whatsoever.
But their greed filled in the rest.
They would soon accumulate enormous stockpiles of opium.
And when the inevitable crisis came, the East India Company would stand exposed before the world as an institution incapable of controlling the chaos it had created.
Once public outrage erupted—especially after silver payments vanished alongside confiscated cargo—the company's very existence would be questioned.
And when you want to pour new wine into a new wineskin…
The old, rotting one must first be thrown away.
* * *
Joseon, 1838 — Hanyang
Another political storm had struck the already troubled kingdom.
Minister Jeong Won-yong, head of the Ministry of Rites and one of Joseon's highest-ranking officials, struggled to restrain a string of curses as he read the Qing envoy's request.
"Are they serious?" he muttered angrily.
"They just show up and demand we locate some random man? Do they think we'll simply say, 'Of course, Your Majesty,' and hand him over? There are millions of people in Joseon!"
Finally losing patience, he slammed the paper down.
"Does anyone have anything useful to say?"
Silence filled the room.
"…Of course not," he muttered. "Foolish of me to expect otherwise."
The Ministry of Rites had spent several sleepless nights dealing with the sudden Qing envoy.
And now they were being asked to locate a man who might not even exist.
The vice minister spoke up with bloodshot eyes.
"My lord, this is absurd. It seems nothing more than an attempt by the Qing to toy with us."
"I agree," Jeong sighed. "But what choice do we have? The order comes directly from the Son of Heaven."
"The order demands we investigate whether any Joseon noble or merchant fathered a child with a British aristocrat named Killian Gore! What nonsense is this?"
The officials all shared the same outrage.
Such a request was deeply insulting.
It implied that Joseon aristocrats mingled with Western barbarians.
Even the king—though only ten years old—might have reacted angrily had he been older.
"Has anyone ever heard of this Killian Gore?" Jeong asked.
"No records exist of any British noble residing in Joseon."
"If a foreign noble had appeared here, surely we would know."
"Exactly. And if such a man existed, our meticulous records would mention him."
One junior official suddenly spoke up.
"My lord… I once heard of a slave with Western blood serving in a noble household. Could this Killian Gore perhaps be that man?"
"A slave?"
Jeong stared at him incredulously.
"The document states he is a British noble fluent in Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. Do you really think anyone would teach three languages to a slave?"
"My apologies!"
"Enough. Draft a reply."
Jeong waved dismissively.
"Inform the Qing that we have searched thoroughly across all eight provinces of Joseon. This man—Killian Gore—does not exist and has no connection to our kingdom."
The officials nodded.
Three days later, Joseon delivered its official response to the Qing envoy.
Despite extensive investigation, they had found no evidence that a man named Killian Gore had ever existed in Joseon.