Before Gladstone could think about it, the guests behind him shocked him even more. A vice president of the Bank of England actually walked in with a smile.
"Oh! Hello Minister of Finance, last time we had a big quarrel over the national debt issue. I hope you won't kick me out?"
Gladstone quickly laughed and said, "Old Jason, are you kidding me? Why would I drive you away? On the contrary, I will give you the best wine. Please come in..."
Just after shaking hands with his old partner, Gladstone was choked up in the second half of his sentence. Behind the vice president, there were actually three senior people in the banking industry in the City of London. They were usually very low-key and never interacted with politicians. Too many contacts.
"You guys...oh, God, there are so many surprises today!"
Representatives from the Financial City arrived, followed shortly by a giant from the steel industry and a giant from the textile industry. Each of them lowered their hats, as if they were afraid of letting others know.
At this moment, Gladstone felt faintly uneasy. He seemed to have guessed some of the Crown Prince's intentions but was not sure. The old fox immediately became nervous.
The royal family sent representatives, representatives from the financial and industrial circles also came, the political rivals the Tories sent liaisons, and you don't have to guess that the Whigs would also come later.
Sure enough, the Whig Party sent a total of three visitors. Gladstone smiled bitterly and said, "My Lord, I'm afraid the following are representatives of the military community, right?"
Edward opened the wine cabinet in the living room by himself, picked a bottle of red wine that he had admired and said with a smile, "In about ten minutes, Garnet Joseph Wolseley will come over. There are too many things in the Navy, so I will represent it." …”
Gladstone swallowed and sighed in his mind that what was supposed to come would come. If I can't pass this test, I'm afraid my position will not be secure.
There were twenty people in the room, including almost all the major political parties in the UK and various civil forces. The royal family and the military were also involved.
Some people were standing and some were sitting. The aroma of cigars and the sweet aroma of wine filled the air. People pretended to be relaxed, but the atmosphere was very strange.
Edward has the highest status and is in an embarrassing situation. He has the obligation to break it. "Okay, gentlemen, please be quiet. Today's meeting is a top secret of the empire. I have given repeated orders. I hope everyone can keep silent..."
"Gladstone, everyone who is doing this today has only one identity, and that is the elite of the British Empire. We are just citizens of the empire on which the sun never sets. Please forget our parties and our usual positions!"
"We are here just worried about the current situation and hope to have a frank communication with you... Why do you want to use the power of the Chinese to impeach the Prime Minister? Once you become the successor, will you have any influence on the Chinese? Any act of conveying benefits!”
"In the history of the empire, it was normal for political parties to rotate prime ministers, but today's incident is an exception. This is the first time in British history that Chinese forces have participated, so we are deeply uneasy. For the sake of the empire, We must understand your trump card for the sake of profit!”
Taking a sip of whiskey, the mellow wine in the past was extremely bitter today, but the shrewd old fox also heard some different sounds from the threatening tone.
"Your Highness... Gentlemen, if I am not wrong... are you all going to give up on Benjamin? Otherwise, so many of you would not come together to meet me secretly, especially since most of you are political enemies..."
Everyone looked embarrassed. Count Larendon, a member of the Tory Party, snorted, "No, don't think too well. We are just here to answer some questions at the invitation of the prince. Don't think you are the prime minister so quickly..." …”
"I can tell you very clearly that if the doubts of the people in this room are not answered, you will gain nothing!"
Gladstone did not get angry when he heard the explosive words, but got an accurate answer. He nodded, "I understand, the situation is like this...well, I have to admit to everyone, Xiao Letian and I do have some differences. cooperate……"
Gladstone didn't talk nonsense. He began to reveal the details of how he and Xiao Letian cooperated bit by bit. From the initial political donation, to the later cooperation with the media to build momentum, and then the information transmission at the banquet, all the details were without any trace. hide.
Especially Xiao Letian's trickery in the later stage to cause this imprisonment incident shocked everyone present. They had already obtained information about many things before, and they all guessed the truth of the matter.
However, guessing and finalizing were completely different feelings, and everyone felt a trace of deep worry about Xiao Letian.
There is no way to fake his eyes. Gladstone has become a master in cultivation. How can he not understand what these people are thinking? "I know what everyone is worried about. In fact, what I just said is pretty much what you guessed, and If our empire’s intelligence agencies don’t even make this judgment, then they should all be fired!”
"Is Xiao Letian a threat? Or an ally that can be relied on in Asia? This is the question you really want to ask, right?"
"Okay, I have a new proposal. How about we let Xiao Letian answer this question himself?"
Everyone looked at each other and asked, "How is this possible? How could he tell us the truth?"
"No, even if he doesn't tell you the truth, I think he will tell the truth to me... I made an appointment with Xiao Letian to have dinner at the Berkeley restaurant tonight. I think you all should know where..."
Edward's eyes lit up, "Berkeley! Why didn't I think of that somewhere!"
The people present are all top figures in the pyramid. How could they not know that the Berkeley Restaurant is a secret base of the Royal Intelligence Service? It seems that Gladstone also has his intentions.
"I think the invitation has been delivered to Xiao Letian at this moment..." Gladstone lowered his head and smiled, but felt uneasy in his heart.
Xiao Letian, I really didn’t expect that the situation would change so much. This is your last hurdle. These people are representatives of various forces in the UK, and there are countless people behind them who are waiting for news.
Whether I can go on stage and whether you can get what you want depends on whether you can convince these people!
It's a pity that you are fighting in an away game after all. You have no idea that such an exam exists... Bet on your life. Just bet on your own life. If you pass the test, you Chinese will be able to make a difference. If you can't pass, you will be able to make a difference. Guan, then I'm afraid you really won't be able to live back.
You can fight Benjamin, but you can't fight the entire empire on which the sun never sets. I really can't help you in this final battle.
Gladstone saw Edward's warning look, so he didn't dare to leak any information to Xiao Letian. He didn't dare to gamble his own political life!
God bless you dear Shaw!
