1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 87: Attending a banquet, crisis is coming!
On October 1901, 10, Ridgway brought Li San and Wilson to London.

After some inquiries, they finally found the Qing Dynasty Embassy in the United Kingdom.

Seeing the English words written on the plaque, Wilson exclaimed: "Oh, Bruce, why did you bring me to the embassy?"

Li Qiwei smiled and said, "Because there are real Chinese chefs here."

"It is the Qing Dynasty's ambassador to the UK who invited us to dinner today. You should feel lucky."

Wilson's mouth opened into an "O" shape. He didn't expect that he would have the opportunity to come to such a place.

Although the Qing Dynasty was weak, it was still a big country with a population of 4 million. Wilson's status was not enough to attract an ambassador from another country.

He understood that it was Li Qiwei's good intention. It seemed that this ambassador had an old relationship with him and the two of them had a good relationship.

That's why Li Qiwei brought him along to broaden his horizons.

Poor Wilson had no idea that he was being sold out and was still being grateful to others.

Li Qiwei took big steps and walked in.

Li San and Wilson followed behind him, looking around the entire embassy.

The guard at the door saw the person coming and went in to report.

Before entering the main hall, a powerful voice was heard in Chinese: "My dear nephew Qiwei, you are finally here. I have been waiting for you for so long."

The pot-bellied Luo Fuyu was all smiles, followed by the cold-hearted Feng Jin.

He laughed and talked happily, as if the previous German assassination had never happened.

However, when he saw that besides Li Qiwei and Li San, there was actually a foreigner, he suddenly stopped laughing and held back the words he was about to say.

Li Qiwei smiled disdainfully, and then said loudly: "Ambassador Luo, this is my colleague at Cambridge University, a senior lecturer at Cambridge University, Dr. Wilson."

As he spoke, he translated it into English for Wilson, and then introduced Luo Fuyu's situation.

At this moment, Luo Fuyu's face was extremely interesting, but his years of self-cultivation still allowed him to remain calm.

He communicated with Wilson enthusiastically in English, as if he had really invited him, which made Wilson feel embarrassed. The Qing people were too enthusiastic.

Then he looked at Li Qiwei meaningfully, with an inexplicable expression.

Li Qiwei ignored him and went straight into the house and sat down confidently.

At this time, more than a dozen delicious dishes with good color, aroma and taste have been neatly placed on the table, making people drool.

Luo Fuyu also quickly invited Wilson to come in, and he stood at the door, thinking about something.

I didn’t expect that Li Qiwei could actually invite foreigners.

It seems that Cecil has no good intentions and wants to use me as a tool by not telling me such important information.

It turned out that Luo Fuyu was once invited by British Prime Minister Robert Cecil to exchange views on matters between the two countries and then convey them to the country.

As an ambassador, he was far less majestic than ambassadors of later generations.

It sounds nice to say it's an invitation, but in fact it's just a notification from someone, you can come at your request and leave at your convenience.

Then he had to deliver information to the country every week, and was often scolded and suffered from both ends.

By chance, he met Cecil, the Prime Minister's grandson.

After some testing, the two found that they both hated Li Qiwei, so they hit it off and their relationship quickly heated up.

Cecil even took him to Cambridge University and told him many stories about Ridgway and said a lot of bad things about him.

Of course Luo Fuyu couldn't believe it all. He wanted to meet Li Qiwei in person to see if he was really capable, which led to today's banquet.

He had not originally planned to do anything at the banquet. Since the other party dared to come, he would definitely make full preparations. Luo Fuyu was not that stupid.

But today, no one expected that Li Qiwei would actually bring a foreigner with him, and it seemed that they had a good relationship.

This was clearly a warning to Luo Fuyu not to act rashly.

Especially this foreigner named Wilson, who is a PhD from Cambridge University.

Luo Fuyu has not spent these years in the UK for nothing, and he knows some basic common sense.

A foreign doctor is equivalent to a Jinshi in the Qing Dynasty, and they are both top-level scholars.

What’s even more terrifying is that the other party is a British PhD.

If such a distinguished person were to encounter problems in his own embassy, ​​he couldn't imagine how Prince Qing would deal with him.

In last year's war, the Qing Dynasty was defeated miserably and had to cede territory and pay compensation before the war ended.

Just a month ago, the Qing Dynasty's plenipotentiary representatives, Prince Qing and Li Hongzhang, signed treaties with various countries in the capital. It is said that the indemnity is an astronomical figure.

At this critical juncture, if we make a mistake, it will give Britain an excuse to continue to put pressure on the Qing Dynasty.
Luo Fuyu didn't dare to think any further.

Beads of sweat even broke out on his head. He suddenly looked at Li Qiwei, who was chatting and laughing with Wilson.

Is this a conspiracy by Li Qiwei, and is he trying to frame me?
For a moment, Luo Fuyu's heart was a little confused.

At this time, Li Qiwei found that Luo Fuyu was looking at him and still standing in front of the door, so he knew that the other party had guessed his intention.

But he didn't expect that Ambassador Luo's associative ability was so rich that he scared himself.

This is no wonder. People in the Qing Dynasty, especially officials, are most afraid of dealing with foreigners.

One careless mistake can lead to a diplomatic accident, and if not handled properly, your political career will end immediately.

"Ambassador Luo, why don't you come in and eat? You are the host. If you don't move, we won't be able to move either."

Luo Fuyu didn't care about Li Qiwei's impolite words. After calming down, he sat down.

Although it was a round table, Li Qiwei and Luo Fuyu still sat in the so-called main seats.

Feng Jin, Li San, and Wilson were sitting on the other side, silently eating all kinds of delicacies. Every time Li San introduced something, Wilson exclaimed.

Braised duck, sweet-scented osmanthus shark's fin, special fried chicken, mutton and tofu.
Li Qiwei smiled and said, "Ambassador Luo, don't worry about Dr. Wilson. He is used to being free and doesn't understand Chinese dining etiquette."

"You and I have a rare opportunity, so why not have a good chat."

"Meeting an old friend in a foreign land is one of the greatest joys in life." As he said this, he picked up the wine glass in front of him and drank it all in one gulp.

Then he shouted: "It's so delicious, Chinese liquor is more to my taste."

"Ambassador Luo, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but I haven't had a good meal or a good drink since I came to the UK."

“I really miss the taste of my hometown!”

"Today, I have to thank you for inviting me. I can enjoy a feast."

Luo Fuyu smiled, not angry that he was disrespectful to her, and just drank by herself, saying: "Since my dear nephew misses home, when you return home after completing your studies, you can use what you have learned to serve the motherland."

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if one day you were lucky enough to meet the emperor and be granted wealth and honor?"

"I heard that my nephew has made great achievements in the study of things, and even foreigners have praised him. Our Qing Dynasty is vast and rich in resources, so there are many talented people."

"Now I see that you, Qiwei, are a man of great talent and elegance. You are truly the essence of the talents of our Qing Dynasty."

Li Qiwei laughed loudly upon hearing this. "Ambassador Luo, you are really good at writing. Such a great talent was sent to be an ambassador. It shows that the court is not good at employing people."

Luo Fuyu's face suddenly turned gloomy and he looked at Li Qiwei with sinister eyes.

Feng Jin wanted to stand up, but was stopped by Luo Fuyu's eyes. Li San ate the roast chicken leisurely and enjoyed it very much.

Wilson didn't understand Chinese, but as long as there was no quarrel, it was none of his business, so he continued eating.

Luo Fuyu pretended to speak earnestly and said, "My dear nephew Qiwei, you are young and don't understand that the mouth can bring disaster. You must not be disrespectful to the court."

"When you become an official of the Qing Dynasty in the future, you will understand that being an official is not easy. Only by being careful and cautious can you live longer."

“The smarter a person is, the more stupid he is. He thinks he can change the situation with his talent and ability.”

Li Qiwei drank another glass and said, "I am still young, and I like to disrespect heaven and earth. I only respect natural science and technology, and I respect true power."

"Because false power will eventually be exposed, just like a layer of window paper, it will break with a poke."

"The shameful deeds of those shameless people in the room will be exposed to everyone."

“It turns out that it’s nothing more than that.”

At this point, Luo Fuyu has completely concluded that Li Qiwei and those who are currently calling for reform in the Qing Dynasty are basically the same kind of people.

They had no regard for the law and attempted to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. Just like the British, they treated the royal family as a mascot.

If this had happened in the past, it would have been a heinous crime punishable by death and extermination of nine generations of the clan.

However, there was such a rebel sitting in front of him, and he had no way to deal with him.

"Nephew, you've drunk too much. There are some things you can't say."

"Although you are far away overseas, you still have to think about your family."

Li Qiwei's eyes suddenly gleamed as he looked directly at Luo Fuyu, "Ambassador Luo, you must be joking. I didn't say anything. Even if the court is unreasonable, it's impossible for them to convict people without any reason, right?"

Luo Fuyu chuckled and changed the subject, "A few days ago, I received news from China that Li Zhongtang worked hard for the country all day and devoted himself to it. Unfortunately, he fell ill and is bedridden."

"He was the pillar of our Qing dynasty. Now he is seriously ill and unable to speak. I am deeply saddened!"

After saying this, he hypocritically raised his glass towards the east, expressing his deep affection and respect from afar.

Li Qiwei's expression changed slightly. He knew that Lord Li would die of illness in November this year.

The Manchu Qing Dynasty posthumously awarded him the title of Taifu, promoted him to the first-class Suyi Marquis, and gave him the posthumous name "Wen Zhong".

The old witch once praised him as "the man who recreated the Xuanhuang era", and regarded him as the man who "assisted in the revival of the country and eliminated major disasters" and "helped overcome difficulties and brought peace between China and foreign countries".

Li Qiwei never evaluates historical figures, but only objectively analyzes their merits and demerits.

What he is most concerned about now is what will happen to his family after Lord Li passes away.

Without the support of powerful people, the fate of a business family is very miserable.

Now I can only rely on my eldest brother and his connections in the military to support me.

So for the time being, Li Qiwei will not immediately break off relations with the Qing Dynasty.

He would first pretend to be cooperative, secretly accumulate strength, and do things that seem to be beneficial to the Qing Dynasty, but in fact they are actions that are counterproductive.

Wait for the right opportunity and act after careful planning.

So, Li Qiwei pretended to cooperate, looking excited, "I also toast to the old man, hoping that he can survive this disaster safely and continue to be glorious for China."

When Luo Fuyu heard the word China instead of Qing Dynasty, he snorted and thought to himself, I'll let you jump around for a while.

By this point in the meal, both sides had basically figured out each other's background.

So Li Qiwei stopped being polite and stood up to leave.

Luo Fuyu did not try to persuade them to stay and just watched the three of them leave the embassy quietly.

On the street, Li Qiwei asked, "Wilson, how is the food?"

Wilson said: "The food at the Hongmen Banquet is so delicious. I want to eat at the Hongmen Banquet next time."

"Hahahaha" Li Qiwei and Li Sanda laughed.

Next, Gen Urobuchi plans to change his writing style and write in a more refreshing way.

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(End of this chapter)