"Lately I've been hearing various rumors. Do you happen to know anything about them?"
When I finally faced Lin Zexu again—after he had delayed our meeting repeatedly with all sorts of excuses—his eyes were already filled with suspicion.
"I've heard some things as well," I replied calmly. "Our merchants seem quite anxious these days. To be honest, I've been rather puzzled myself. I thought negotiations were progressing well, but your attitude suddenly changed."
"Negotiations were going well…?" Lin Zexu repeated slowly. "Did your country truly intend to negotiate with us in good faith?"
"Of course," I said. "If anything, you were the one postponing negotiations despite our repeated requests."
"Well, that's…"
Naturally, he couldn't very well say to my face that he had been busy investigating me behind the scenes.
If he believed I had ulterior motives, sitting down at the negotiating table would have been impossible.
But Lin Zexu still had no idea that Charles Elliot had secretly spoken with us.
So he was clearly trying his best to conceal the fact that he suspected something.
Still, the fact that he had agreed to meet again suggested that matters had been sorted out to some extent.
And I was genuinely curious.
What orders had arrived from Beijing?
"Did the emperor perhaps instruct you to change your policy?" I asked innocently.
Lin Zexu stared at me for a long moment before sighing.
"Do you truly not know? Well… whether you know or not, it's best to confirm something first."
"You said you were born and raised in Joseon, correct?"
"That's right."
"I hope you won't take offense, but after hearing that claim we conducted an investigation of our own. Not exactly a background check—Joseon is a tributary state of Qing, so verification was unavoidable. If you truly grew up there, I'm sure you understand."
"Of course," I replied lightly. "I have no objections."
My calm response made Lin Zexu's eyes flicker ever so slightly.
Judging from his reaction, I could already guess what kind of answer had come back from Joseon.
And sure enough, Lin Zexu began to explain.
"The envoy we sent to Joseon returned with a very different answer. According to both the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel, they could find no evidence whatsoever that you were born or raised there."
"That's strange," I said. "Joseon said that?"
"If we had asked about some random person, confusion might be understandable. But your background is… distinctive. It's the sort of thing one could hardly forget."
"So you ignored my request for negotiations because you were investigating this matter."
Lin Zexu nodded slowly.
Beijing had likely hoped that if I truly had strong ties to Joseon, they might use Joseon to exert influence over me.
But since I claimed closeness while Joseon denied any connection, the contradiction must have caused considerable confusion.
After all, one of us had to be lying.
"The emperor is not pleased with the current situation," Lin Zexu continued. "Either Joseon or Britain must be deceiving us."
"That is rather odd," I mused. "Why would Joseon send such a reply?"
Lin Zexu studied me carefully.
"I don't mean to accuse you, but do you have any proof that you were born and raised in Joseon?"
"Well," I said with a faint smile, "surely the fact that I speak Korean fluently counts as proof."
"If you bring an interpreter who knows the language, I'd be happy to demonstrate."
If I were lying, it would mean Joseon was hiding the truth from Qing.
And from Qing's perspective, that would be the most troublesome scenario of all.
They would much prefer to conclude that I had simply been exaggerating.
Unfortunately for them, on this particular matter I was completely innocent.
Joseon hadn't intentionally lied—they simply didn't remember.
Which, from Qing's perspective, amounted to the same thing.
"Hmm…" Lin Zexu muttered.
"It is theoretically possible you learned Hanguk in Britain."
"Oh? You mean I studied Hanguk, Mandarin, and Nihongo in Britain?"
"It seems unlikely," Lin Zexu admitted. "But we cannot say it is impossible."
"In that case," I said smoothly, "there is another way to verify my claim."
"You have never visited Hanyang, the capital of Joseon, so you cannot judge yourself. But if you record my words and send them to Beijing, those who have visited Joseon as diplomats will know immediately whether I am telling the truth."
"Allow me to describe what Hanyang was like when I lived there."
Then I began speaking.
I described the daily life of Joseon citizens, the layout of the capital, and the customs of the yangban aristocracy in meticulous detail.
Having grown up as a servant in a prominent household, I understood the lifestyle of the upper class better than almost anyone.
Few people—even Qing diplomats—could have matched my level of detail.
Of course, no one present imagined that my knowledge came from being a slave.
They simply assumed I had enjoyed privileged access to high society.
Lin Zexu, now unable to refute anything I said, pressed his hand to his forehead and sighed heavily.
"Then why would Joseon…?"
"I couldn't say," I replied.
"Have you had any recent contact with Joseon or Japan?"
"Personally? No. But if you include merchants and other officials… I can't be certain."
Technically, I wasn't lying.
But I left every possible ambiguity in place.
Lin Zexu's confusion only deepened.
Before he could speak again, I seized the initiative.
"If you need more time to sort things out, I'm happy to wait."
"That would be acceptable?"
"Of course. As I've said repeatedly, I want to resolve this matter peacefully."
"However, merchant dissatisfaction is growing. No matter how much I try to restrain them, they may continue smuggling opium behind the scenes. Until we reach a final agreement, I cannot completely control them."
"If they are caught committing illegal acts," Lin Zexu said coldly, "their opium will be confiscated and they will be punished accordingly."
"That would be entirely reasonable," I agreed. "If someone breaks your laws, confiscation is only natural."
"I have no intention of defending my countrymen simply because they are British."
I glanced sideways.
The recorder accompanying our delegation was diligently documenting every word of the conversation.
Excellent.
Since this was an official meeting between a minister and a governor, preserving an objective record was only proper.
It would clearly show how considerate I had been of Qing interests.
And how I had spoken nothing but the truth.
Lin Zexu, meanwhile, looked as though his mind was about to collapse from the strain.
But his suffering would not last long.
Even an imperial commissioner with full authority was ultimately bound by the emperor's command.
* * *
After thoroughly overloading Lin Zexu's mind, I immediately moved to the final phase of the operation.
Everything had gone according to plan so far.
But that didn't mean I could afford to relax.
Intricate schemes like this could collapse from the smallest mistake.
"Have all the agents who sailed out returned?" I asked.
"Yes. They confirmed that Qing patrol ships definitely noticed their course this time. Governor Lin Zexu will probably hear about it soon."
"Good. And the officials we bribed?"
"They've already sent word to Beijing."
Just as planned.
Soon Lin Zexu would hear reports that British merchant ships had been seen sailing toward Joseon and Japan.
The merchants I brought from London were deliberately sailing in those directions—making sure Qing fishermen and patrol ships spotted them.
They never actually reached those destinations.
They simply turned around halfway.
But the mere sight would be enough to fuel suspicion.
And since no real trade occurred, Qing investigators would never find any concrete evidence.
Meanwhile, the rumors would continue flowing into Beijing through officials I had quietly paid.
Lin Zexu might hesitate after seeing my cooperative attitude in person.
But the court in Beijing had never met me.
All they received were warnings that Britain posed a grave threat.
And they would never suspect that the reports themselves were part of my manipulation.
After all, if officials were bribed to submit false reports, one would expect them to say things like:
"Opium is harmless."
"Britain is a benevolent nation."
Not that Britain was plotting some grand conspiracy.
Which was why bribing them had been surprisingly easy.
They weren't being asked to support opium.
All they had to do was exaggerate how dangerous Britain was.
For that, they were paid handsomely.
"Since the negotiations ended without a clear conclusion, the merchants will likely continue smuggling opium," one aide said.
"Should we stop them?"
"Just pretend to discourage them," I replied.
"As long as we warn them that getting caught could be dangerous, we've fulfilled our duty."
The aide chuckled.
"I almost feel sorry for Lin Zexu. The information he receives from every direction contradicts what he sees with his own eyes."
"If I were him, I'd resign out of sheer frustration."
That was the entire point.
The trap had been designed so he would focus entirely on the chaos unfolding around him.
If he wasn't thoroughly confused, all my careful acting would have been wasted.
"Oh, and prepare the materials," I added.
"It's time to write the report to Parliament."
If I sent it now, it would reach Westminster in three or four months.
Considering the round-trip time for correspondence, this was the perfect moment.
After all, this would be Foreign Secretary Killian Gore's first report to Parliament.
I intended to make sure it caused the largest possible uproar.
Just wait.
* * *
At the center of the celestial order stood Beijing, capital of the Qing Empire.
The Daoguang Emperor, ruler of the Forbidden City, struggled to contain his anger as contradictory reports continued to arrive.
"Are they mocking me?"
"Y-Your Majesty! Forgive us!"
Even the grand secretaries and senior ministers who held the rare privilege of addressing the emperor directly dared not raise their heads.
"It has been more than ten years since I declared that the barbarian opium must be eradicated. Recently it seemed we were finally making progress."
"And now these reports arrive like cold water poured over my head."
"Your Majesty," one minister stammered, "the reports from the imperial commissioner and those from Joseon do not match. The court itself is confused…"
"That is precisely the problem," the emperor snapped.
"So what is the conclusion?"
"Is Joseon lying?"
"Or is this British minister speaking nonsense?"
"The imperial commissioner insists the British minister truly has ties to Joseon," the minister replied. "He believes Joseon may be hiding something and suggests further investigation."
"Joseon has no reason to lie to us."
Why hide something that could easily be uncovered?
Unless they believed Qing was too foolish to discover the truth.
"Your Majesty," another minister said carefully, "the commissioner's report may be incomplete."
"Reports from Huguang indicate that British opium smuggling remains severe."
"Furthermore, there are repeated sightings of British merchant ships sailing toward Joseon and Japan."
"What?" the emperor said sharply.
"I was told the British minister had been extremely cooperative."
"That is what the commissioner believes. But reports from other regions suggest otherwise."
The emperor frowned.
"Are you suggesting the commissioner is colluding with the British?"
"Impossible," the ministers replied quickly.
"Lin Zexu's integrity is well known."
"But precisely because he is so upright, he may have been deceived by British trickery."
"They may pretend cooperation while secretly plotting behind his back."
The reasoning was persuasive.
More than persuasive—it seemed the only logical explanation.
"If Britain is contacting Joseon and Japan," the emperor asked, "for what purpose?"
"Perhaps they wish to sell opium there instead."
"But there are… other rumors."
"What rumors?"
The minister hesitated.
"They are extremely disrespectful, Your Majesty."
"Speak."
With eyes tightly shut, the minister finally continued.
"Some claim Britain is plotting to completely neutralize our resistance to the opium trade."
"And that their contact with Joseon and Japan is part of a plan to undermine the entire celestial order."
"…What?"
The emperor's expression hardened.
"So these barbarians believe they can go beyond selling poison… and challenge the empire itself?"
"The source of this rumor," the minister said carefully, "comes from within the British camp."
The emperor clenched his fists.
"I see."
"I tried to resolve this matter peacefully."
"But if this is the result…"
He paused briefly.
Then spoke with cold determination.
"Send an imperial decree."
"Tell the commissioner to enforce the opium ban without compromise."
"And if the British truly intend to undermine the foundations of the empire…"
His jaw tightened.
"Then he is authorized to use force."
For the first time, the emperor wondered whether he should have issued such orders far earlier.
If Britain—or even Joseon—had forgotten their place…
He would remind them exactly where that place was.