Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Three Kneels and Nine Kowtows (1)
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German Empire, Berlin.
"So this is Berlin..."
Prince Chun, Jai Fung, who had arrived in Berlin by train alongside the Qing delegation, widened his eyes as he gazed upon the capital of the German Empire—one of the world's foremost great powers.
Hamburg, the first European city he had ever set foot in, had been an astonishing metropolis in its own right.
But Berlin was on another level entirely.
"We went to war against a nation like this."
"Your Highness..."
"The notion that our Qing sits at the center of the world is nothing but a tale from bygone days."
Prince Chun muttered to himself, overwhelmed by an inexplicable sense of intimidation.
It was only natural that Qing had lost the war.
They had made enemies not of just one such monstrous power, but eight.
There was no way they could have won.
"Your Highness, even if it feels daunting, you must hold firm. The Germans are watching you—watching all of us."
At that moment, when Prince Chun seemed on the verge of slumping under the weight of despair, Yangsing spoke up from beside him.
"We cannot let them look down on us. Please, summon your courage."
"...Thank you, Yangsing."
Heartened by his loyal retainer's words, Prince Chun straightened his shoulders, his face hardening with resolve.
He was right.
The more fear he showed here, the more they would scorn both him and Qing.
"Your Highness, German soldiers are waiting outside for your protection."
"Understood. So we're heading straight to meet the Emperor, then?"
In response to Prince Chun's question, Yangsing conferred with the official dispatched by the German government.
Soon, he bowed at the waist.
"The Emperor resides in the palace at Potsdam, a short distance from Berlin. It might be best to rest here today and tomorrow, then have your audience two days from now."
"Very well."
Prince Chun let out a quiet sigh of relief inwardly.
Even he felt it would be wise to steel himself mentally before facing the Emperor.
Prince Chun and the Qing delegation stepped out of the station.
As Yangsing had said, German troops stood waiting, fully armed.
Their uniforms differed from those of the German soldiers he had seen in China, but the fierce aura was the same everywhere.
With tense expressions, Prince Chun and Yangsing boarded the waiting carriage.
"To the hotel."
"Yes, sir."
A brief exchange in incomprehensible German passed outside the carriage, and then it lurched into motion with a jolt.
Thirty minutes after the carriage began rolling smoothly along the well-paved streets...
"We've arrived."
The carriage carrying Prince Chun's party came to a stop before a grand building.
He had heard it was a lodging frequented even by Europe's royalty and nobility.
'It certainly has the splendor to justify that.'
Though it bordered on garish ostentation.
Stepping down from the carriage, Prince Chun kept his impressions to himself as he followed the guide inside with his entourage.
"Is that the Qing royal come to apologize to the Kaiser?"
"Disgusting barbarians. After committing such atrocities in China, they strut around shamelessly."
As they entered the hotel, whispers from the foreigners reached their ears.
He couldn't understand the words, but their faces—brimming with open disgust and hatred—told him it was nothing good.
"Your Highness, pay them no mind."
"I know."
Such incidents would doubtless occur countless times during their stay in Germany.
Humiliating as it was, they had to endure for now.
After all, here they were nothing but sinners.
Knock knock knock.
"What is it?"
While unpacking in his quarters and reclining on the bed to shake off his fatigue, a knock sounded at the door.
"Your Highness, the German Foreign Minister and the Emperor's representative wish an audience with you."
Yangsing said.
"The Foreign Minister and the Emperor's representative?"
"It seems to be regarding the audience in two days' time."
Prince Chun nodded.
It made sense to discuss matters beforehand.
"Let them in."
"Yes, Your Highness. However, they say this room may be inconvenient for discussions and have prepared a separate space. Is that acceptable?"
"It doesn't matter."
It was all the tiger's den anyway.
A short while later.
Prince Chun and Yangsing—who would serve as both diplomatic advisor and interpreter—followed the German official to the appointed meeting place.
Soon, a spacious, serene garden came into view, with a tea service laid out.
The fine weather made it an ideal spot for conversation.
"Hm?"
But when Prince Chun spotted the German Foreign Minister and the Emperor's representative who had requested the meeting, his expression turned peculiar.
"A child?"
And not just any child—an Oriental one, just like himself.
Why was an Eastern child here, of all places—and on the German side, no less?
Prince Chun glanced at Yangsing to ask what was going on, but even he looked utterly baffled, clearly unaware of the boy's presence.
"Excuse me. We were told that the German Foreign Minister and His Majesty's representative would be attending. So who is that child? And why is he here?"
The flustered Yangsing asked the German official who had escorted them.
The official's face twisted slightly as he replied.
"Mind your tongue. That is none other than Baron Hans von Choi, representative of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great German Empire."
"Wh-what?!"
Yangsing let out a dumbfounded yelp despite himself.
He relayed the official's words verbatim to Prince Chun, who likewise doubted his own eyes and ears.
'...Is this some deliberate mockery orchestrated by the German Emperor to humiliate me?'
Given the Emperor's capricious reputation, it was entirely plausible.
"Ah, you spent over two months at sea, so you wouldn't know."
But the German official's next words shattered Prince Chun's suspicions like fragile glass.
"Baron Choi is the one who saved His Majesty's life and enjoys his utmost favor. He's here because of his deep knowledge of Far Eastern politics and culture. Well, race being what it is, and all."
The official added that last bit with his personal bias slipping through.
His tone was polite out of necessity—given the boy's rank and backing—but the respect was only skin-deep.
But Prince Chun and Yangsing's ears were deaf to the official's words by then.
Their minds were already brimming with curiosity about Hans.
"To think there's a yellow-skinned noble on German soil. I can scarcely believe my eyes."
"I had no idea either, Your Highness. We've never even heard of an Easterner receiving a noble title in these white men's lands—let alone a child..."
Prince Chun and Yangsing murmured in Chinese.
And simultaneously, a hopeful thought crossed both their minds: perhaps this situation could turn out well.
After all, the boy serving as the Emperor's representative was Eastern, just like them.
Might he be sympathetic to their side?
Harboring that faint hope, Prince Chun and Yangsing approached the two waiting figures.
"You must be weary from your long journey from distant Qing to Germany. I am Baron Oswald von Richthofen, Foreign Minister of the German Empire."
"I am Baron Hans von Choi, serving as proxy for His Majesty Kaiser Wilhelm II of the German Empire. Greetings, Prince Chun of the Great Qing."
Once the Germans had finished their greetings, Prince Chun nodded in acknowledgment.
Then Yangsing, the only one who could communicate, introduced himself.
"Pleased to meet you. I am Yangsing, diplomatic advisor and interpreter to His Highness. I look forward to working with you."
True to his experience dealing with Westerners, Yangsing shook hands deftly with Hans and Foreign Minister Richthofen.
With greetings concluded and both sides seated at the prepared table, the real discussions began.
"I never imagined I'd encounter a fellow countryman here in the German Empire."
Yangsing spoke first.
Before diving into the main topic, he sought to probe Hans—the wildcard in the room—for as much information as possible.
"A noble with a baronial title, no less. At first, I couldn't trust my own eyes or ears. Ha ha ha!"
"Ho ho, it caused quite a stir even in our Germany. Isn't that right, Baron?"
Foreign Minister Richthofen responded to Yangsing's laughter with his own.
Then he shot Hans a look, urging him to reply well.
"I have merely received grace far beyond my station from His Majesty the Kaiser."
Hans continued.
"That said, 'fellow countryman' is a bit of a misnomer. Our skin may be the same color, but I am, through and through, a German and a servant of His Majesty the Emperor."
"Well said. But blood is thicker than water, regardless of the nations or sovereigns we serve."
When Hans tried to draw a line between them, Yangsing pushed back, desperate to find some common ground.
But Prince Chun and Yangsing were making one critical miscalculation.
They assumed Hans was Chinese.
Any yellow-skinned person in Germany was typically Japanese or Chinese, and Hans's surname, Choi, sounded more Chinese than Japanese—so naturally, they pegged him as one of their own.
But contrary to their assumptions, Hans hailed from neither China nor Japan.
"Ha ha, blood is thicker than water, you say. Regrettably, though, the same blood doesn't flow in my veins. I'm from 'Joseon,' you see."
"!"
Yangsing's face stiffened at the word "Joseon."
Not that it mattered much—why would a Joseon man be in Germany, of all places, and so recently at that?
"What's wrong?"
"Baron Choi is from Joseon."
"What? Joseon?"
When Yangsing whispered back, Prince Chun's eyes widened.
He, too, was visibly shocked to hear Hans was Joseon.
"For reference, my Joseon name is Choi Hansu. Somehow it became Hans here."
"Ha ha, is that so?"
"朝鮮人勝過奸詐的日本人。"
As Yangsing tried to mask his shock at Hans's unexpected Joseon revelation with laughter, Prince Chun spoke up to assist.
Naturally, it was in Chinese, unintelligible to anyone but Yangsing.
"What did His Highness say?"
"'A Joseon man is better than a treacherous Japanese.'"
"!"
Yangsing translated Hans's question.
Prince Chun continued, and Yangsing relayed it—in Korean, no less.
Though the grammar and phrasing differed from 21st-century Korean due to the era, Hans hadn't expected to hear his native tongue here, and his eyes went wide.
"Joseon has long been hailed as the Land of Propriety in the East—a fine nation. But the Japanese, aping the West, wreak havoc in Joseon and other lands. His Highness says it's a grave wrong."
"Ha ha, yes. On that point, I must agree with His Highness."
Hans smiled, savoring the rare chance to speak Korean, and Prince Chun's face brightened.
"Qing and Joseon have maintained close ties since ancient times, so he wishes to foster the same good relations here."
"Of course."
Hans nodded at Prince Chun's words.
Then, in a whisper low enough for only Foreign Minister Richthofen to hear...
"He says since his homeland and Qing were close, he'd like to continue that here."
"Commendable effort."
"It's Chinese arrogance. Back home, after the Japanese, we dislike the Chinese the most."
"Heh, is that so?"
Clap!
Richthofen Baron clapped his hands to draw attention, smirking inwardly.
"Well then, enough about the Baron. Let's get to the main point."
"Very well."
The moment had arrived at last.
Yangsing nodded with steely determination.
"Last year, your nation brutally murdered Clemens von Ketteler, the diplomat dispatched by His Majesty the Emperor, and committed unspeakable atrocities against the German people. Do you acknowledge this?"
"Yes. His Highness asks you to convey his deepest regret over the matter."
"His Majesty the Emperor demands an apology from Prince Chun. Does your nation object?"
"We are prepared to accept any demands, provided they are not 'excessive.'"
When Yangsing firmly drew the line at unreasonable requests, Richthofen and Hans sighed inwardly.
What they had to demand from Qing now went far beyond "excessive"—into the realm of the outrageously exorbitant.
"As proxy for Wilhelm II, I shall convey His Majesty's demands."
With the baton passed to him, Hans steeled his face like iron and spoke.
"His Majesty demands that Prince Chun perform the 'Three Kneels and Nine Kowtows.'"