In the first year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty, the seventh fifth day of the tenth month of the lunar calendar. In three days, it will be the Queen Mother of the West, and the whole city of Beijing seems to have become much more lively.

In fact, it's really a lot more lively. The people sent by the governors and important ministers to give gifts to the Empress Dowager of the West have all gone to Beijing. The south and the north gathered together, all of them were generous, or full of special gifts. There are so many more people in Sijiu City, can it not be lively?

……

"I'm so unlucky that I'm here, Mr. Berg, my request has not been granted. Mr. Berg, I hope to get a pleasant reply from you. Petrov said with a smile.

"Colonel, what are you bothered about? I'm here to help. ”

"Oh no. Mr. Berg, I don't have something to bother you. It's because of a banquet. Petrov said this, apparently knowing that what he had just said was somewhat misleading. His Excellency Kai Yangde will hold a small evening at the Legation tonight. Before Petrov came to Beijing, he was a regular at the St. Petersburg ball. He smiled happily and said, "I would like to invite my sir and your wife to the legation." …… I think you're going to have a great night. ”

Berg is an Englishman and the representative of Swire & Co. in Beijing and Tianjin. A British merchant with a certain hostility towards Russia. Although he was only a businessman, he turned down the invitation cleanly. Anyway, Swire & Co. has little to do with the Russians in North China.

"I'm glad to have an invitation from you. What time does the party start? My wife and I will arrive on time. ”

"Seven o'clock in the evening. We look forward to welcoming you. Petrov handed Berg an invitation. Turned and walked out of Berg's house. He's going somewhere else.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Berg and his wife were preparing. Although their home is so close to the legation. But Berg is such a person. His belief was that, whenever possible, one should make friends with people of higher status than oneself, and only then could one experience the pleasures and benefits of being able to travel widely.

"So that we can imitate and learn something, and we can also ask people for advice, and get a little benefit, you see me, how did I go from the lowest porter to where I am today? If you don't make friends with people with higher status than you, you may still be a lowly worker. Hard work every day. But I still have to worry about filling my stomach. ”

Not all of them were invited by the Russian legation. Only some of the merchants from all over the world in Beijing are eligible. But when Liu Xian appeared at the banquet, his eyes were almost all foreigners. The only Chinese who arrived at the meeting were a few officials from the Prime Minister Yamen and a few generals from the Janissaries. Liu Xian also found a familiar face among the few Chinese - a reporter from Ta Kung Pao in Beijing.

Liu Xian was definitely the most respected guest of honor at this party. His arrival also officially marked the beginning of the evening.

With an interpreter by his side, he clinked glasses one by one with the ministers of the host, Kaiyangde, Britain, France, the United States and Germany with red wine, and said polite words that had no practical meaning. After a round and a bit, a few people gathered at a table and sat down.

In his previous life, Liu Xian was a dick, if the hamburger was not considered Western food, he had never eaten Western food. After more than ten years of travel. The blurring and loss of some memories made him have no memory of Western food at all.

Invited to come tonight, Liu Xian was of course very curious why he was invited. But when it came to the party, I saw knives and forks, red wine, grilled steaks, and so on. There was a little interest. However, the bloody steak Liu Xian can't eat, Russian-style Western food. Caviar, he tasted it a little and found that he didn't seem to be blessed.

I don't know what the reason is, it wasn't like this when he didn't cross over, and the taste wasn't so good. Is this a change in taste caused by crossing, or is it a problem that has been raised after years of eating and drinking? Liu Xian doesn't need to be serious. When you get back, you can eat it again.

Being invited to come today, Liu Xian felt that the visitor was not good. Kai Yangde must have some way.

"Your Excellency, the Marquis, I invite you to come here today, firstly, to express my personal respect for the Marquis; Second, I would like to exchange views with you on the incident itself before formally filing a complaint with the Prime Minister Yamen of your country. After all, you are also a party in this matter. ”

Kaiyang Depi said to Liu Xian with a smile. Liu Xian pricked up his ears and waited for him to speak. This Russian guy is a bunch of rough goods, especially when facing the other party he looks down on, he doesn't even do superficial work.

As far as Kai Yangde's tone and tone were concerned, Liu Xian knew that the other party must be looking for trouble.

"Tell me about it." Liu Xian leaned back in the chair.

"This is the question of Sakhalin." Kai Yangde was triumphant, his eyes looked at Liu Xian, and his eyes revealed infinite contempt and contempt. The expression is very arrogant!

"Sakhalin?"

After listening to the translator's words, Liu Xian was stunned. Where is this? Does it have anything to do with you?

Liu Xian's completely unfake expression made Wei Tu Mahaha laugh. Let Kaiyangde's face flush with Wei Tuma's laughter, as if he was about to bleed.

"Your Excellency, are you humiliating me? Are you humiliating the great Tsarist Russia? ”。

Looking at Kai Yangde, who was jumping and about to explode, Liu Xian was really innocent. He really doesn't know what Sakhalin is. It was his completely real reaction.

"Marquis Liu." He speaks without an interpreter, and speaks fluent Chinese Mandarin himself. "Sakhalin is what your country calls Sakhalin."

Liu Xian's face immediately became colder than ice. What do Russians mean? Cixi is about to celebrate her forty-first birthday, and when the whole country is celebrating, he made such a mistake?

This is an insult to the Qing government. Also a humiliation of China!

No matter what Liu Xian thinks of Cixi in his heart, how he disagrees. Now the Manchus represented China. Cixi represented China, and the Manchus were humiliated. It's China humiliated! Liu Xian didn't tear and tear the wild boar skin on China's body for a day, and this 'representative' made him feel uncomfortable, and he must admit it!

[This is my personal opinion.] Perhaps some readers will disagree. In the Biqu Pavilion, there www.biquge.info a group of people who did not think that the Manchus represented China. I don't know what they think, all I want to say is: love the motherland, love all of it.

We have loved, not only in its glory, but also in the face of its shame. As written in the previous chapter, the truly strong have to face up to their enemies. We must also face up to the darkness of our motherland. 】

Empress. The ruler's birthday celebration is a tradition in China's 2,000-year-old feudal history. Long live the thousand autumns, the thousand autumn festival of the empress of the Qing Dynasty, the longevity festival of the emperor. Cixi, as an emperor who was not an emperor, had a holiday in the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Although this year is not a full birthday, it is still celebrated by the whole country, at least on the surface.

The Russians are simply trying to add to the blockage. It can be said that as long as Kai Yangde will poke this matter to the prime minister's yamen. This is a slap in the face that I can't understand.

If this is the case, Liu Xian will follow the food. Because it's the South Sakhalin Island that Liu Siam wants. But Liu Xian doesn't care about this, what he cares about is this shame!

"You want to submit this matter to the Prime Minister's Yamen within the next two days?"

It was very unexpected by Kaiyangde, and very unexpected by all the ministers such as Wittoma and Bailuo. Liu Xian did not burst into flames. Furious, his expression was just cold to calm.

Kai Yangde raised his eyebrows, and he felt a little regretful not seeing Liu Xian's expression that he jumped up with anger. Said with a shrug. "Yes, Your Excellency the Marquis. I am going to protest tomorrow at the Prime Minister's Yamen. ”

"Master Hou. If this foreign devil wants to make a statement, he will go to the prime minister's yamen to protest. ”

Liu Xian's expression was calm. The translators he followed were different. One by one, they glared at Kaiyangde, and they were angry that they wanted to eat people. But I have to suppress it again, and I don't break out. The expressions of these translators made Kai Yangde, who didn't see Liu Xian's anger, a little relieved, and finally saw a little performance that made his heart refreshed.

"You sue sù this old Maozi, next year I will ask myself to defend Xinjiang. When the tenth Russo-Turkish war breaks out, I will let them know what the price is—"

"Sakhalin? That's Sakhalin! ”

Kai Yangde's expression changed instantly. The ministers in China, such as Wei Tuma and Bai Luo, who were watching the play on the sidelines, instantly showed surprise, shock, and heartfelt smiles. For example, Wittoma!

"Ministers, Liu still has trivial matters, so I won't accompany you. Say goodbye! ”

With a fist in his hand, Liu Xian turned around and strode out. Don't look at the commotion behind you!

"You, you ......" Kaiyang was so angry that he was about to faint. The most small minister to China, he himself did not provoke the power of the Qing Empire at all, especially at the juncture when the Russian-Turkish war was about to break out again.

The reason why he held such a party and invited Liu Xian was just to find pride in Liu Xian, so as to brush Wei Tuma's face. Yes, he ended up pointing the finger at Wittoma. Just because of the words of Wittoma at the end of the day's exercise.

If Liu Xian jumps like thunder in front of Kai Yangde today, as long as the two sides tear their faces, Kai Yangde can only say that he has not achieved his goal. But if Liu Xian was frightened and apologized, then Wei Tuma would be disgraced.

It's just that Kaiyang De never expected that Liu Xian was-for-tat and unconvinced.

"All my Qing people, come home with me at once—" Walking to the center of the party hall, Liu Xian shouted without any consideration.

Soon a horse-drawn carriage pulled out of the Russian legation. The surrounding area was densely packed with dozens of personal guard cavalry. In terms of safety protection, Liu Xian is a hundred attentive. (To be continued......)