Liu Ji's words made the ministers in the court nervous. Liu Ji looked at the ministers standing down quietly, knowing that these people were worried that they would not be able to come back if they went out..com In their minds, Europe is a wilderness and full of crisis and strangeness. He knew that he couldn't tell these people clearly for a while, fortunately the emperor's rights were so sacred and inviolable. Although everyone was not convinced, no one dared to object. Liu Ji struck while the iron was hot and said, "This matter was decided like this. Tomorrow, all the yamen will decide the people who went abroad to inspect and report the list to me."

After Liu Ji finished speaking, the court officials knew that these matters were not needed to be discussed. Although the ministers were muttering in their hearts, these matters did not touch the core interests of the literati class, but were just to strengthen contact with foreigners. As for whether to go to the West, these officials would naturally find reasons not to go, so the matter was passed with Liu Ji's insistence.

Another thing that happened today's court meeting was to meet British envoys. Usually, foreign envoys were received in the Old Summer Palace. Liu Ji chose the meeting place at the court meeting in the Qianqing Palace of the Forbidden City, which made some ministers puzzled. In fact, Liu Ji's idea was to let his subordinates have an intuitive understanding of foreigners.

Soon the eunuchs passed the message, and the English Minister Thackeray, who had been waiting outside the hall for a long time, was brought in.

Thackeray, who had a shocking understanding of the Forbidden City, thought about the mood of Marco Polo entering the palace and entering the mysterious palace of the Eastern Kingdom. He was in a complicated mood and took off his hat on his head and stepped into the front of the hall under the leadership of a former eunuch.

Thackeray opened his curious eyes wide and looked around from time to time. He was completely fascinated by this huge palace. When he saw the protruding Golden Luan throne in the hall, he almost exclaimed. This colorful throne is definitely an unparalleled art work. The elephant, Kori, Xiangting and Crane in front of the throne made Thackeray dazzled. He noticed a man wearing a bright yellow dragon robe on the throne, who looked at him with a smile. He had a kind of nobility in his affection, and a kind of transcendence in his expression.

Thackeray realized that this man was the emperor of China, so he knelt down on one knee. Since he could not kiss Liu Ji's hand, he just lowered his hat and bowed deeply with one hand on his back.

Although it seemed to be a big gift to Thackeray, an official in the hall stood up and shouted: "The barbarian country is so rude, why don't you kneel down quickly."

Thackeray naturally couldn't understand. The foreign comprador he brought with him was so scared that he trembled and said humbly to him: "Sir, please kneel down quickly. If you offend the emperor in China, you will be beheaded."

Thackeray's expression became uneven. In his opinion, no one except Jesus could make him kneel down like this. What's more, Thackeray has the consciousness of representing the empire that the sun never sets.

Just when the two sides were about to have a dispute, Liu Ji waved to give the Secretary of Rites Wang Tingzhen, who was out of the list, to return the sequence.

In the English that Liu Ji worked hard in college to take the TOEFL exam, he could basically understand the conversation between Thackeray and the foreign comprador. He was wearing a dovetail suit, a bow tie, and a top hat. Liu Ji decided to make good use of it and make Thackeray a bridge between him and the West. So he stopped the Minister of Rites Wang Tingzhen, who must have the British kneel down in the palace. He asked Thackeray to describe his future intentions. The foreign comprador translated by Thackeray reposted Thackeray's words, and mentioned many times that the Chinese emperor wanted the British to ensure the safety of the British in China and open more trade ports. Finally, he mentioned that the Chinese emperor asked the Chinese emperor to investigate the British captain who died in China and make appropriate compensation after the investigation.

Liu Ji looked at the passionate ministers in the hall, and the foreign comprador's voice became less and the cold sweat was spreading on his forehead. Not to mention Liu Ji's deep English skills, he could guess that the words behind the foreign comprador had begun to tamper with it, and he changed all the unpleasant words Thackeray said to be nice. In secret, Liu Ji decided to communicate with Thackeray in person.

Liu Ji had this idea, and the morning court meeting ended soon.

Today's morning court was slightly longer than the sky, making the court officials stand a little sore and weak, especially the elderly ministers walked out of the court with the help of their colleagues.

When the ministers walked out of the court, they found that a gust of wind blew up from the sky early in the morning, leaving the sun that had originally emerged. The sky was gray, and occasionally rolling wind and clouds revealed a gap, sprinkling a golden light.

The ministers of the scattered court walked out of the White Marble Square outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and the ministers were in a heavy mood and seemed a little confused. The surging weather made them a little worried, and officials with good looks were whispering public opinion. They keenly felt that a change was about to begin. Everyone was thinking about what kind of change it was and what attitude they should have in this political storm.

Thackeray was guarded by a eunuch and some guards following the courtiers. He quietly asked the entourage about the officials' conversation. Unfortunately, the entourage behind them lowered their voices and told them not to speak. Thackeray also closed his mouth at the reminder of the entourage.

Although Thackeray was full of fascination with the works of the East, Thackeray was still full of contempt for the Chinese emperor in the court. However, this view changed when Thackeray saw the Chinese emperor again.

Thackeray saw the Chinese Emperor Liu Ji again in the Palace of Qinzheng in the Old Summer Palace. If seeing the Forbidden City made Thackeray suspect that he had reached the palace in the kingdom of heaven, then he thought he had arrived at the Garden of Eden of God.

The Old Summer Palace is fully worthy of this metaphor. It is the crystallization of China's thousands of years of gardening art. It condenses the most beautiful landscapes in China, is a model of the combination of nature and humanities, and is a perfect embodiment of the Chinese idea of ​​unity between man and nature.
Chapter completed!