The smile on Xiao Letian's face froze. He felt a different and strange atmosphere, as if something was touching the darkness around him.
He knew very well in his heart that this was the idea of imperial power and divine power that had existed in China for thousands of years and had quietly surrounded him. This was the spiritual belief in the heart of every Chinese person.
Xiao Hexin's face was pale when he was greeted. He immediately asked the officials who organized the welcome ceremony, but the answers he received made him rub his hands even more.
"The head of state... was not arranged by our officials. Please believe me, there is really no Chinese official who arranged such a scene... it was all a spontaneous act by the people!"
Xiao Letian quickly raised his hand and blocked his mouth. The meaning was very clear. Let’s talk about this topic later!
With a forced smile, Xiao Letian walked off the boarding bridge. The soft red carpet was stepped on for some reason. Xiao Letian suddenly recalled the feeling when he stepped on the corpses on the battlefield in Europe.
Why does this foot feel so the same? How come stepping on a pure wool red carpet feels the same as stepping on the belly of an enemy's dead body?
Shaking his head desperately, Xiao Letian finally forgot the scene of the brutal fight. The scene in his imagination of blood oozing out from the cracks in the grass when he put his boot down was gone.
Putting on a standard professional smile, showing eight snow-white teeth, Xiao Letian did not shake hands with the British Governor first, but directly stretched out his hand to help an elderly Chinese who was nearly seventy years old.
"Ouch...my husband, you can't do it, you can't do it...you keep kowtowing to me, you are shortening my life!"
The gray-haired old man was wearing a long black brocade gown. His trembling legs were like chaff when he was lifted up by Xiao Letian. "No...it should be...it should be...the head of state is the emperor, the real dragon, and he will lead our Chinese clan... Don’t be bullied again!”
"You are Zhu Yuanzhang who drove away the Mongolian Tatars, and you are the Han Emperor who overthrew the Qin Dynasty! We kowtow to you, that is a blessing..."
Xiao Letian frowned slightly, "Don't say that, old man, I am not a real dragon, nor an emperor... I am also an ordinary person. If I have to say that I have credit, it is the soldiers who shed their lives and blood, and the builders who work day and night." We have achieved results!"
"Without millions of Chinese people, who am I? I'm just a poor scholar who can't afford to eat!"
"Everyone get up! Everyone get up! What does our Chinese code stipulate? Completely abolish the kneeling ceremony except for the ceremony of worshiping heaven and ancestors!"
"We can kneel to the ancestors of heaven and earth and the heroes of all generations, and our own grandparents must also kneel... As for others, we must not kneel!"
"Especially for Chinese officials, anyone who accepts the kneeling of the people will be given a demerit... My fellow citizens, do you want the Chinese Assembly to impeach me? Give me Xiao Letian a serious demerit... Hahaha... …”
Xiao Letian's teasing aroused the laughter of all the people present. Only then did the soldiers of the expeditionary force help the kneeling people up one by one.
The British governor was dumbfounded. He had never seen such a scene of military and civilian families. He had worked in Asia for many years and was very familiar with these ancient feudal countries.
In these countries, especially the Qing Dynasty, the people were afraid of soldiers to the core. As the saying goes, "crossing soldiers is like crossing water", it means that the army is like a ruthless flood, which will wash away and plunder all the people's property.
It's too late for the big-headed soldier to hide. How could there be such an intimate scene!
But now, more than two thousand expeditionary troops, whether from the army or the navy, rushed into the crowd to help the kneeling elders, and those elders hugged these soldiers and touched the golden medals, and burst into tears one by one.
In particular, soldiers who were injured or even disabled were admired by all the people. Before this chaotic military parade was over, the Chinese Disabled Veterans Foundation received a donation of nearly five million silver dollars from merchants!
"Soldiers cannot be allowed to bleed and shed tears. The disabled Chinese veterans must be supported by the state's tax revenue...We, the people, must also do our part!"
In today's Chinese business district, many things no longer require people like Fan Lian and Hu Xueyan to talk much. Second-level wealth gods like Mi Fu and Niu Jinfu have begun to emerge, and they can organize many political and business activities.
So Fan Qian did not come to the Lion City to meet his uncle. Of course, Xiao Letian didn't want his father-in-law to be too busy, so he sent a telegram asking his father-in-law to enjoy his life at home and stop rushing to the sea ship so hard.
Mi Fu and Niu Jinfu were not what they expected. In just one hour of the welcome ceremony at the pier, they helped the Chinese Disabled Veterans Foundation raise 5 million silver dollars, of which the two of them had 1 million each. They are really rich!
Xiao Letian looked at the two of them and smiled faintly. Just this change in expression made the two rich men so excited that blood spurted out from their scalps. It seemed that the flattery was done right this time.
After appeasing the tens of thousands of Chinese people who greeted him, Xiao Letian and the British Governor conducted a routine welcome ceremony. The two sides conducted a military parade and then met with representatives from all parties at a lunch reception.
The diplomatic etiquette lasted until past two o'clock in the afternoon, so Xiao Le had some time to rest.
The Chinese office in the Lion City was upgraded to a consulate because of the screams with the British. In the gorgeous consulate library, Xiao Letian held a bowl of Shacha noodles and swallowed it with big mouthfuls.
From morning to noon, everyone looked like they were not hungry. According to diplomatic etiquette, they were not allowed to eat as much as they wanted. They had to pay the deposit themselves after the meeting.
Mi Fu and Niu Jinfu stood in front of Xiao Letian with sweat on their heads. Xiao Letian had been waiting for the two of them for a quarter of an hour without letting them sit down. He just ate noodles quietly and ate the barbecued pork in front of him. .
It wasn't until Xiao Letian finished the last bit of soup, put down his bowl and chopsticks and touched his belly comfortably that Mi Fu, who was already sweating profusely, dared to bring over a cup of hot tea.
Xiao Letian glanced at the two of them, "Did you arrange this scene today?"
The two of them were immediately frightened. Niu Jinfu's knees weakened and he was about to kneel down. Xiao Hexin next to him yelled, "Stand up straight! I already said that kneeling should be abolished. Why don't you remember it?"
Niu Jinfu braced himself and stood upright, "The Yuan... the head of state... really has no arrangements. We dare not disobey your order even if we are killed..."
"This is the kowtow from the hearts of the common people... Let me tell you the truth, there is no one I know in the Chinese clan who doesn't want you to be emperor!"
"The head of state... This is really the will of the people! They really want you to take another step... We really didn't lie, we really didn't organize it privately..."
Listening to Mi Fu and Niu Jinfu's explanations, and watching the two of them tremble with fear, Xiao Letian recalled the appearance of the small vendor when he first met them, and knew that they would not dare to lie to him.
"Okay... let's do it... I heard that you two have been worried about money for the past two years and have almost hanged yourself. Do you still have money to donate?"
When money was mentioned, the two of them immediately shed tears of grievance.
