Xiao Letian must admit that when facing Queen Victoria, no matter how strong your aura is, you can't overpower her. This is a woman with great blessings, and the prosperity of the empire on which the sun never sets is shaped by him.
Moreover, many years of working in politics have made her extremely senior. There are few people in the global political arena who can sit on an equal footing with him. Xiao Letian has to bow respectfully to the Queen.
"I wish you peace and health, Her Majesty the Queen! I wish the empire on which the sun never sets will have a long-lasting national destiny!" Xiao Letian bowed deeply to the Queen.
Unexpectedly, the queen actually stretched out her right hand, "Oh, are you Xiao Letian? You look much more handsome than in the photo... Your Chinese ethnicity has indeed created a miracle..."
"Of course, the bigger miracle is that you educated an enlightened emperor like Emperor Tongzhi... You are indeed very good at being able to change such an old empire..."
Xiao Letian quickly took the Queen's right hand from behind and gave her a respectful kiss on the hand!
When he stood up, the queen said meaningfully, "For Emperor Tongzhi of the country, he came too late! But for you, I think he came a little early..."
Xiao Letian's heart skipped a beat, as if he had been pinched by a pair of big hands. His mind began to tell the nervous analysis about the deep meaning of the queen's words.
Came early? What does it mean? Is it to discourage me from trying to get a piece of the European war? Or are you laughing at my radical foreign policy of the Chinese people?
There may be several reasons. In the eyes of the Queen, everything I did was indeed radical. I dared to compete with France and Tsarist Russia when the Chinese power was just starting out. This is not radical.
Xiao Letian smiled and said, "Time waits for no one! China can no longer afford to be slow. In fact, seventy-six years ago, when Minister Macartney wished Emperor Qianlong a birthday with British goodwill, we were already lagging behind Europe..."
"Not to mention the great geographical discovery three hundred years ago! China has lagged behind the world for too long... It is precisely because the gap is so big that we must catch up..."
"But even if I give the Chinese people angel wings, they will still be as small as fireflies in front of the glory of the empire on which the sun never sets... So we learn from the British Empire with a humble heart, hoping that a civilized and open world can Accept ancient China and my small Chinese race!"
Seeing that Xiao Letian understood her subtext, the queen couldn't help but look at him more highly. "The door to civilized society has always been open. As long as you can put aside your inherent prejudices, I don't think anyone will be willing to shut out ancient China." Outside...Okay, our reporters have been waiting for a long time, now it’s time to give their cameras some time!”
After a brief exchange of greetings, Xiao Letian stood side by side next to the queen. The reporters took pictures again. This was the big news that made the headlines in the newspapers the next day.
Emperor Tongzhi, Queen Victoria, and the heads of state of the Chinese ethnic group stood side by side, receiving the bombardment of cameras and the cheers of the people, and then other members of the royal family joined in.
Prince Edward and his youngest sons, including William of Prussia, all stood majestically in front of the camera, and then Chinese officials began to file in and salute the queen one by one.
Civil servants bowed and generals saluted. The long queue seemed endless. In the hot weather, the Queen maintained a high level of quality and returned the courtesy to the distinguished guests with a smile.
At this point, the morning's welcome ceremony finally came to an end. At 12:20 noon, cheerful trumpet music sounded on the lawn of Buckingham Palace, and the grand luncheon finally began.
At this time, the people were already hungry. They knew that there would be no excitement from now on, and the reluctant people began to disperse. Almost at the same time, restaurants, bars, and cafes all over the city hung out prepared menus. They were ready to meet the excited crowd.
Everyone who went out to the streets to watch the excitement today did not make lunch and it was too late to go home. Moreover, on such a festive day, people naturally wanted to have a drink to celebrate. I believe that the sales volume of drinks and catering in London today will definitely increase. More than triple that.
On the lawn of Buckingham Palace, a huge awning had been set up long ago. After the cheerful welcome trumpet sounded, the attendants pushed out small cars from the ice room, and there were actually huge ice sculptures on them.
In the hot summer, the royal family must ensure the health of their guests, and perhaps to show off, the British actually chose an open-air lunch, and even thought of the luxury method of using ice cubes to cool down.
The huge ice sculptures imitate many famous European sculptures, including myths and legends. These one-meter-high ice sculptures are undoubtedly art treasures, and each one has the hard work of the creator.
However, in the July weather, the beauty of these ice sculptures can only last for half an hour, but it doesn't matter, Britain's wealth cannot be shown without waste.
As soon as people walked into the sun-shaded colorful shed, they felt the coolness on their faces. Zai Chun carefully counted the sixty huge ice sculptures in the huge colorful shed to relieve the guests from the heat.
On top of the ice sculpture, the sculptor cleverly arranged many places to place drinks. Bottles of century-old bottles have already begun to feel cold.
Zai Chun had seen the luxury and wealth in the Forbidden City, but now compared with the British royal family, he could only sigh secretly.
"It's so exquisite! It's a pity that this beauty is destined to be instantaneous..." Emperor Tongzhi said with emotion.
Prince Edward smiled, "Your Majesty, you like it? Just like it. There are new sculptures being created in the ice room. In half an hour, new sculptures will replace these gradually fused ice sculptures... As long as the banquet lasts, there will be a steady stream of cooling ice sculptures." Push it over..."
Xiao Letian was also stunned by the extravagance of the British royal family. He picked up a glass of champagne from a statue of the goddess Venus. The sweet fragrance in his mouth and the cold air forced out the heat all over his body, and his whole body couldn't help but be lifted up. .
Look at the exquisite gold and silver tableware on the long table. They are studded with all kinds of gems, setting off the delicacies as exquisite as works of art.
The atmosphere of the buffet luncheon was undoubtedly relaxed. The guests and hosts mixed together and talked carefully. Both parties were on guard and hoped to find out some secrets. Countless beautiful European ladies shuttled through the banquet like butterflies, swaying gently. The fans covered their faces, revealing only a pair of cunning eyes looking at these Oriental guests.
Chinese military officers are undoubtedly the focus of women. Originally, Xiao Letian's love for military uniforms was close to obsession. In the design of military uniforms, he drew more lessons from the German military uniforms of World War II.
It is indeed recognized as the most handsome military uniform. When worn on these famous generals, they look even more heroic. The male hormones are almost intoxicating these European ladies.
"Damn it, don't set up a honey trap for my brother! These big horses have to drain all my men dry..."
