"Come, ladies and gentlemen, let us toast to the great victory of His Royal Highness Prince Joachim! Cheers! ”

Under the bright moonlight, on the soft sand, in the snow-white tents, people drink fragrant barbecue. Although he failed to win the King's Cup www.biquge.info Prince Gustav of Sweden was still in high spirits, and the glass of sweet wine made his face flushed and drunk, and the German prince Joachim, whom he regarded as his confidant, was also an exception for heavy drinking, and the two princes actually sang together shoulder to shoulder.

In addition to the team from the Friedrich shipyard in Germany, he also invited other like-minded friends, the Dutch, Italians, and Spaniards. Despite their different languages, their common hobbies and similar ages allowed them to talk, gest, tease and laugh as they pleased.

"Guys, guys, let me tell you a great secret!"

After three rounds of drinking, Natsuki staggered with his glass and deliberately put on a triumphant posture.

"You probably think that my 'Kraken' has been used to the extreme today! Ha, did you notice the 'big cigars' on the sides of its hull? The Kraken could have gone faster if they had been removed, but why not? Hey, they're important, very, very important...... Big secret! It's a big secret! ”

"You're drunk, Your Highness." Uncle Wiesel cooperated to remind him.

"I'm not drunk! Not drunk! Natsuki's head shook with his body.

"The Kraken is the most amazing design we've had in years, and I can guarantee that no speedboat will surpass it in five years, even ten years! It's priceless, priceless! I will dedicate it to the great German Emperor, and His Majesty will be very pleased...... However, he already had 'Thunderbolt' and 'Thunder', and it didn't cost a single mark to get two genius designs...... I please him, but I only get empty compliments, what's the use of compliments, eh? ”

Uncle Wiesel sincerely persuaded: "Okay, Your Highness, we should go back and rest, let's go!" ”

"Oh, why don't we sell it for hundreds of thousands of pounds, and buy whatever we want, aren't we going to expand the shipyard? Aren't we going to take more orders? Sell it, and any wish will come true! Natsuki first said to Wiesel, then turned to Gustav and shouted:

"Hey, Your Highness, don't you want to buy my 'Kraken'? A fixed price, £600,000, how's that? A full set of technology transfer, this is a chicken that can lay golden eggs! ”

"Well, 600,000 pounds, a chicken that lays golden eggs." Gustav was obviously really drunk, and repeated Natsuki's words with a smile.

"Deal, deal!" Natsuki was dancing and swaying, and when Wiesel saw that the situation was not good, he beckoned two of his men to help him out of the tent, and then turned back and said to everyone: "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, Your Highness is drunk, please forgive me!" ”

With that, Wiesel cautiously swept around, and saw that most of the people were also drunk, and then walked out of the tent with a helpless face.

Back at the accommodation, Natsuki washed his face, straightened his loose neckline, straightened out his slightly messy hair, sat down at the table, picked up the hot milk brought by Louise, and drank a few big sips.

Louise sat next to him and looked at him, and said softly, "You drank a lot of wine tonight, and you smell very strong. ”

"Hmm." Natsuki responded, "People always think that drunkards are undisguised, so I took this opportunity to let the wind go and let them see the opportunity to acquire the 'Kraken' technology. ”

"Is it because the shipyard expansion is in urgent need of funds?" Louise is also apparently still worried about Natsuki's excessive drinking.

"The shipyard expansion does require funds, but that doesn't really justify the sale of the Kraken." Natsuki wanted to go on, but a smell of alcohol came up from his stomach, and he burped heavily, and the smell of meat, wine, and milk mixed together, and the smell made him feel disgusted.

At this time, Wiesel knocked on the door and came in, and asked with concern, "Your Highness, are you okay?" ”

"It's not enough to kill me." Natsuki replied.

"They seem very interested in what you're divulging." Wiesel said, "It's just a price of £600,000......"

Natsuki took a sip of milk and said, "Too high? ”

Wiesel's reply was cautious: "I wonder who would buy a speedboat design for enough money to build a first-class armored ship?" ”

"British." Natsuki replied.

"British?" Wizel was very surprised, "They are now like us, such a deal will definitely cause an uproar, we will be criticized and even strongly criticized by public opinion when we return to China, and if we don't do well, we will be detained as traitors." ”

Natsuki smiled slyly: "We don't have to worry too much about this, the British are the most cunning foxes on the planet, and no one is better at tricks than them - such means are needed to maintain the supremacy of the seas." In this regard, we are still far behind! ”

As usual, Wizel asked no more questions.

When the wine came up, Natsuki was dizzy and his smile disappeared. After this while, he shook his head and said, "I have to go to sleep, let's take a shower tomorrow morning!" Remember to help me prepare a bowl of fish soup, what the hell...... It's better to drink less alcohol. ”

The day after the King's Cup race, the winner of the championship, to the displeasure of the whole of England, arrived in London from Great Wakeling. After cashing the cheque for 100,000 pounds, the handsome prince swaggered through the city with a beautiful German princess and a band of bodyguards, sweeping London's top jewellery stores and fashionable clothing stores to buy many expensive luxury items. A British tabloid unceremoniously described him as a "coarse country nouveau riche" and blamed the incompetence of British speedboat designers and shipyards for this "buying jewelry from British window shops with money from British pockets".

Most people apparently ignore gambling as a way to get rich with both risk and reward. During the King's Cup Water Race, British bookmakers raised more than £5 million in winnings and paid out about $4 million, with an unpopular outcome that brought them a profit of more than 30%, with bookmakers making a lot of money, and gamblers who bet on the Friedrich shipyard team in Germany before the race were also big winners. According to internal sources from bookmakers, about one-third of the bets on the winner are "big bets" of more than £6,000 in a single bet, which means that many people have made a net profit of 100,000 pounds overnight, and if someone spreads bets across different bookmakers in order to avoid a sensation, it is even possible to give birth to a new millionaire in one fell swoop!

Soon after, the celebration of the 9th King's Cup Water Race was held at Kensington Palace, the Royal Lodge of England. As the designer and rower of the championship team, Natsuki brought his sister Princess Louise to the dinner, but they didn't bother to put too much thought into the occasion. Natsuki chose the traditional Prussian military dress and did not wear any medals that belonged or did not belong to him, and if he had been at a military-style party, his simple attire would probably have been treated as an ordinary waiter; Louise opted for a plain trailing dress, which could only be described as "unpretentious" compared to the glamorous ladies of the glitter, but her pure and touching appearance was enough to make her the center of attention for men, and the new necklace priced at £9,900 was enough to set off her noble temperament.

The brother and sister, who are accustomed to big scenes, will not feel restrained or lonely on such an occasion attended by many members of the British royal family and aristocracy. They are proficient in several foreign Chinese languages, and it is easy to find acquaintances to talk to here, not to mention that they are the winners of this water race and are the real protagonists of this dinner. The British organisers, who should have been disappointed by the result, showed gentlemanly generosity, and the British Crown Prince George and the Crown Princess attended the banquet to give warm congratulations to the participants from various countries, and also congratulated the winner from Germany.

For most of the sponsors, designers, pilots and mechanics of the participating boats, this kind of royal feast is also a rare pleasure in their lives, and there are no national and linguistic boundaries, no winners and losers, high and low. People drank and indulged, and the royal dinner became a truly international gathering!

At the beginning of the dinner, Natsuki saw Duke Hill next to the British Crown Prince, and found Commodore Hill from a group of Royal Navy generals, presumably Charlotte's mother and daughter also came to the scene. During the dinner, Natsuki's eyes kept wandering in the crowd, but all the female guests attending this occasion were carefully dressed, and it was difficult to quickly identify who they were from their backs or sides.

Just when Natsuki was at a loss, Louise suddenly said, "Oh, the person you like is there." ”

Natsuki subconsciously asked, "Huh? Who? ”

Louise stared intently in one direction, and Natsuki could easily follow her gaze to find the beautiful young mother and daughter.

"Charlotte from House Hill, of course. Miss Hill! ”

"Well, I don't have a good opinion of the British." Natsuki disguised.

"But isn't it precisely your effort to get invited to Hill Manor?"

Louise's tone didn't sound angry, and Natsuki turned her head and read a heartfelt encouragement in her expression. Faced with this problem, any explanation will make people feel weak, and Natsuki, while worrying that his sister may fall in love with a young Englishman who should not be loved, admits politely: "Okay, I have a crush on her, but I can't really like her yet." ”

Louise turned her face to look at her brother and smiled, "Shouldn't men take the initiative?" ”

Natsuki is no longer the shy and hesitant self, and when he walks towards Charlotte, who is like a little fairy, the deepest moment in his memory is like a tide under the moon. Young, hazy and indescribable, this wonderful feeling seems to be called first love?

Wearing an amethyst flower crown and a pink gauze dress, Charlotte stood quietly beside her mother, like a beautiful flower fairy accompanied by an elegant and delicate peony.

(End of chapter)