C2243 Humiliation

"It's here, the Chinese people are here …" The reporters were in an uproar. Countless of camera shutter were pressed, the hand holding the pen was in shorthand, every expression on Sima Yun's face, every scene at the scene would become the headlines of the newspaper.

The had long known that Sima Yun had come, the butler was waiting for them inside. The moment the doorbell rang, the courteous butler opened the door.

"Hello, mister. What can I do for you?" He wore a neat black tailcoat, a professional smile, and friendly eyes. One could tell with a glance that he was a typical British butler.

There were questions and answers, and both sides knew that the conversation wasn't for the other side to hear. It was for the surrounding reporters.

"I am here to deliver the invitation card to the Prime Minister on behalf of the Head of the Guards. Please inform him that the Head of the Guards, Xiao Letian, wishes to attend the banquet at a convenient time with the Prime Minister. The time will be decided by you!"

"Please wait a moment, I will pass on the message to the Prime Minister!" The butler took the golden invitation card and turned to see Benjamin.

Logically speaking, even if there was no appointment for the guests, there was no reason for them to wait at the main entrance. However, the host and guest did not know what was going on as Sima Yun did not enter the hall to wait, and the butler did not allow him to come either.

Sima Yun just leisurely stood at the entrance like this, his expression not one bit impatient.

"General Sima, can we ask you a few questions? May I ask if this is an official or a private banquet? "

"General, may I ask how big this banquet is? What sensitive issues are we talking about? "

"What does the Eastern Head of State think of the British Prime Minister's rejection two times? If we can't exchange letters of credence, may I ask which countries the Chinese will go to next? "

smiled but did not say a word. He was forced to ask for more than ten minutes before he could only say one thing, "Calm down everyone, I am currently waiting for Prime Minister's reply, please calm down!"

At the window on the second floor, Benjamin turned his head to look at the chaos at the main gate and sneered continuously while holding the invitation in his hand, "Take a look, invite me to a meal in my own name, and only Xiao Letian and I … Is he determined to see me? "

In the room, there were Montaubon, Sir Gordon, the Foreign Secretary Lalenden, and even Vice-envoy Yi Wan, who was about to return home after recuperating. There were more than ten people in the room.

"First, they tried to engage in formal diplomatic negotiations, then they were rejected and they wanted to hold informal consultations. Once again, they were rejected and they wanted to have a one-on-one banquet … It looks like Xiao Letian will not rest until he achieve his goal! "

"It seems like this Xiao Letian is not just being arrogant. In front of absolute strength, he still knows how to lower his head!"

"Of course!" Sir Gordon held onto his pipe, and said in a high-spirited manner, "During this period of time, I accompanied His Majesty Tongzhi, and obtained a lot of top secret information about him. This man is arrogant only on the surface, but actually knows how to advance and retreat!"

"When the Chinese were first established, many powerful officials wanted to hold him as their king. However, this cunning fellow refused to do so no matter what. In the end, he only held power as the Prime Minister. This is not that simple!"

"According to the people around the Tongzhi Emperor, if Xiao Letian had dared to call himself king, then the entire Qing Empire would have cut off all relations with him, and a war might even have broken out! "When that happens, he will probably have his roots in the Chinese Special Zone and so many industries!"

"This man knows how to bow his head to reality. He is a smart guy! In the current world, if you want to become an independent nation, you need the recognition of my British Empire.

Sir Gordon was originally not a character from the British Center of Power, but because of his special relationship with the Emperor of Tongzhi, he had become a frequent guest of the Prime Minister's residence. This was the peak of his political life.

It was not an exaggeration to say that she had reached the same level as Xiao Letian, but now, analysing Xiao Letian, she was practically beaming with joy.

Benjamin closed the curtains and walked back to the sofa: "Alright, my husband, stop analyzing the relationship between Xiao Letian and the Qing Empire. Now, help me analyze it, if he wants to treat me to a meal, what kind of strategy would he use against me?"

"What else can we do? We can bow our heads and give in before exchanging benefits!" Maybe you'll get an astronomical amount of bribes in your life... "Believe me, Chinese people are good at this kind of thing!" Gordon said with incomparable contempt.

"I agree with Sir Gordon's analysis. At the moment, Xiao Letian does not have much cards left in her hands, although Her Majesty has shown good intentions, at the same time, she has also shown a clear sign of neutrality …"

"I was worried that the Liberal Party would play Chinese cards and speak up for them, but I didn't expect that Gladstone would understand that the British Empire's interests are paramount at a crucial moment, and didn't say a word. It's really rare …"

"What can Xiao Letian do now? You can't possibly rely on his two thousand odd soldiers to fight against our British Empire, right? "

There was a roar of laughter in the house, which was not forbidden to be heard in the street through the windows.

After laughing, Benjamin threw the invitation back to the butler: "Go! Take the invitation back, I don't have time for this kind of trashy party... "By the way, tell the Chinese to give up on this idea. I will never negotiate with these bandits and warlords!"

"Huh?" The steward was shocked. "Prime Minister..." Do you really want to say that? "Would it be rude …"

"That's how it is! "These Chinese scoundrels don't know what dignity is. If you don't block all their fantasies, God knows what kind of devious ideas will come out afterwards. I'm already sick of this game of rejection, that's all!"

The butler walked downstairs with a bitter face. The moment the reporters at the entrance saw this, they swarmed over, almost knocking over those policemen who were trying to maintain order.

"I'm sorry, Sir, Prime Minister has rejected your invitation!" With that, she returned the invitation card with both hands.

Sima Yun feigned shock when he received the invitation and asked, "You rejected? This was just a banquet for the dead, not an official meeting. There was no need for any speeches or memos … "Is the Prime Minister's schedule too good? We can wait!"

The steward could only cough awkwardly and say, "Prime Minister..." The Prime Minister has asked me to inform you that he will not negotiate with the bandit warlords in the east! "

Ah … His words caused a huge uproar among the surrounding reporters. All of them had gone crazy. Their pens were trembling and their eyes were filled with excitement.

This was super big news! Prime Minister Benjamin actually dared to humiliate the Chinese as bandits and warlords in front of everyone. This had completely closed the door to the negotiations.

Sima Yun's face changed greatly. "What? Please repeat, I hope my English level is not misread! "

When the butler confirmed again, Sima Yun's face turned pale white. The butler really couldn't handle this kind of situation.

At this time, only Sima Yun was left standing alone at the entrance of the residence. All the reporters were looking at him, and all the policemen who were maintaining order were also looking at him.

"Hehehe …" Sima Yun laughed dryly, "So this is the British Empire's Prime Minister? This is a gentleman from a civilized country? To be rude to such an extent, that's something that is rarely seen in the world! "

"Dear gentlemen, please bear in mind that we have received an official invitation from the Royal Family and the British Cabinet for this State visit! "There was a grand welcoming ceremony in London, during which the British authorities acknowledged us as the Führers!"

"It's only been a month, is it really going to overturn everything? Bandits and warlords? When did the bandit warlords get an audience with the Queen? "

"Strong protest! We must protest strongly! "