Chapter 364: Marquis of Bauhinia

Shao Quanzhong bowed as he stepped out of the ranks, wondering what official position the Empress would give him.

At Shao Quanzhong's moment of glory, Rong Hui, Shao Quanzhong's closest daughter-in-law, stood beside him.

"Shao Quanzhong is loyal to the British Empire, has done his best for the Windsor royal family, and has maintained the British Empire's position as a world leader. I will reward him generously."

"Today, the Royal House of Windsor has taken back the Jersey Island, and Shao Quanzhong has been promoted to the Marquis of Bauhinia to rule the Hong Kong colony for the Empire. I decree this."

Hearing Rong Hui's Chinese translation beside him, Shao Quanzhong was shocked and immediately knelt on one knee, "Thank you, Lord, for your grace!"

This kneeling was made with sincerity. The British Emperor was very generous and actually gave Hong Kong to me.

Although Shao Quanzhong did not dare to take the territory granted by Britain back to the Qing Dynasty, he only had the power to collect taxes. He did not dare to do so now, and it was hard to say what would happen in the future.

Hong Kong's area is not necessarily larger than Jersey, but its tax revenue can be countless times more. It seems that Britain really thinks Shao Quanzhong has made too many contributions and has to reward him generously.

Of course, Shao Quanzhong was only granted the title of Hong Kong Island. A lot of territories such as Kowloon and West Island were still directly governed by the Windsor royal family, but were managed by Shao Quanzhong on behalf of the royal family.

But as a lord, Shao Quanzhong has the right to appoint the Governor of Hong Kong.

Why did the UK make this appointment? Because Hong Kong is predominantly Chinese, the British-appointed governor has always been boycotted and has had many difficulties in carrying out his work.

The British had long wanted to appoint a Chinese governor to facilitate governance. However, no Chinese had such great prestige and made sufficient contributions to the British Empire. Therefore, the British had always been stumbling and uncomfortable in the position of governor.

Shao Quanzhong has demonstrated sufficient loyalty to the British Empire. He is a member of the Windsor royal family and has prestige among the Chinese. He is the best choice to govern Hong Kong.

The British did not have to worry about forming the anti-German alliance this time. It was Shao Quanzhong who made it happen, and he really won the favor of the British Emperor.

In order to form an anti-German alliance, Shao Quanzhong needed to reconcile with France and establish good relations. He did not even ask for cession of territory or compensation for this, and sacrificed too much. It is appropriate to give him tax compensation in Hong Kong to reward his contribution.

As long as the British Empire continues to lead the world, money will continue to flow in. A portion of it can be given to Shao Quanzhong as dog food, which will show that the British Empire is fair and just, right?

As for Shao Quanzhong's secret idea of taking back Hong Kong in the future, how could the rising British Empire have imagined that it would one day decline?
The Queen was crowned and a banquet was held for all the ministers, but Shao Quanzhong declined the British state banquet.

What is this? Roasted swans and boiled dolphins?
Don't you think it's unscrupulous to roast and eat a swan? Boil and eat a dolphin? Only the British can do such a thing, as they are intelligent creatures.

Once again, Jiming was allowed to skip classes and go out with his dad to attend the state banquet. He ate with gusto. It wasn't easy, but he finally didn't have to eat mashed potatoes.

"Dad, the Huai Army is the best in the world. Are you going to declare yourself emperor when you return this time?"

"You bastard boy, you are so anxious to become the crown prince? I tell you, I plan to live a few more years. Even if you become the crown prince, you won't be able to become the emperor for a while. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"You are now the heir of the Heshuo Prince. Is the annual salary of six thousand taels of silver and six thousand bushels of millet not enough for you to eat?"

Jiming felt very aggrieved, "I have a salary of 6,000 taels of silver, but I eat mashed potatoes every day, Dad."

"What's wrong with eating mashed potatoes? I'm sixteen and I still need food. If you can't endure hardship, you can't be the head of the Chinese family, understand?"

"And don't brag about the Huai Army being the best in the world. What will the British think of you? When I get back, I will disband the Huai Army and go back to Hailing to live in seclusion. Now is not the time for us to step into the spotlight."

"To do great things, you must be patient and wait for the right time, don't you understand? Now that we have become famous, we should hide away and let them pinch us while we reap the benefits."

It was a rare occasion for father and son to meet, so Shao Quanzhong took the opportunity to educate his son.

Knowledge is easy to learn, but wisdom is hard to learn. The art of slaying dragons is a family secret, passed down orally from father to son, and there is no place to teach. Rong Hui watched the conversation between father and son with a smile, "Brother Shao, if Ji Ming is really not suitable to be an emperor, then let Ji Si do it. Sister Xiu'er would love it. Ji Ming is a little foodie who is satisfied with delicious food. It doesn't matter whether he becomes an emperor or not."

Shao Quanzhong glared, "No, we can't break the rules. Ji Ming is my eldest son, he must inherit my business."

"I'm telling you, you can't just instill in Jiming those ideas of being fatherless and kingless. Big Brother Britain is invincible in the world, doesn't he have an emperor? I fought so hard to conquer the world, how can I live without a son to inherit it?"

Jiming is nine years old and already in the fourth grade of elementary school. He has started to be close to his father. With his father's support, he immediately straightened his back and said, "Mom, you are not good to your own son. Dad is still on my side."

"Hong Kong belongs to our family now. Dad has a lot of money in his territory. Can you open a special kitchen for me and hire a Chinese chef? I don't want to eat British food anymore. I beg you, mom."

"That's all fine. Jersey was taken back by the royal family and I haven't even been there for a holiday yet."

Shao Quanzhong waved his hand and lowered his voice, "Just because it's not my territory, I can't go on vacation? Hong Kong is the goose that lays golden eggs. I have the title of Hong Kong lord. If the day comes when big brother Britain is no longer able to do anything, it will only take a word from me for Hong Kong to return to China."

The family reunited after a long separation and were chatting and laughing at the state banquet, so it was inconvenient for others to disturb them.

Shao Quanzhong took a sip of red wine, but was not used to the taste, so he put down the glass and sighed.

"Hui Er, I encountered something in Paris that disturbed my spiritual heart. I worked hard to conquer the world, but many people don't want the world I conquered to be passed on to their descendants. They want to divide my property. I may have worked in vain, which makes me feel very uncomfortable."

"I've been feeling anxious these days. Hui'er, do you have any way to cure my anxiety?"

Shao Quanzhong was worried about losing his hair, but it was not a problem for Rong Hui.

Rong Hui smiled sweetly, "Brother Shao, you just take the throne too seriously. Regardless of whether there is an emperor or not, this world belongs to the virtuous. It is impossible to expect your descendants to rule the country forever."

"Zhu Yuanzhang wanted his descendants to live forever, and so did Nurhaci. How long can the Aisin-Gioro family rule the country now?"

"When I was chatting with Sister Xiu'er, Sister Xiu'er told me that one time you brought Sister Xiu'er back from Xiaoxiang Cliff at night and talked to her about your ideals. You said that your ideal was to 'be virtuous to all people.'"

"I think your ideals are great, Brother Shao. Why do you want to seize the throne now that you are powerful? Isn't that just like Zhu Yuanzhang and Nurhaci, wasting your efforts?"

"I think you have forgotten your original intention. I don't know who wants to share your property. As long as you can always do your best to benefit the people, so that the people have food to eat and clothes to wear, their children can go to school, and the hardworking people can make money, the people will hold you high. Your iron kingdom will never be taken away by anyone."

"If you only think about the prosperity and wealth of the Shao family and forget about the common people, no matter how hard you work, the common people will abandon you. Isn't this a simple truth?"

Shao Quanzhong broke out in a cold sweat, as if waking up from a dream. He suddenly slammed the table and said, "That's right! If the common people are willing to follow me, no one can take away my kingdom and property. I am getting closer to the throne, and my selfishness has increased. I have forgotten my original ideal."

Everyone around was startled. Shao Quanzhong smiled and bowed, "I'm sorry, I got excited at the moment."

Looking back, he was relieved and no longer had any worries. He sternly taught his son a lesson, "Jiming, did you hear me? When you are in power in the future, you must also keep the people in mind, otherwise the Shao family will be gone."

"Hehe, if one day the descendants of the Shao family only know how to make money and forget to seek benefits for the people, then I, Shao Quanzhong, will not recognize such unfilial descendants. The world will be given to whoever deserves it. I don't care anymore."

Ji Ming curled his lips and said, "You act like you know what's going on. Didn't your mother teach you that?"

Shao Quanzhong was not angry. "That's right. Hui'er is the guiding star that ties me down. Humph, I will carve these five words 'Virtue is for the people' on the gate of the old Shao family, so that the descendants can see them every day. Whoever forgets will be kicked out of the house!"

Um, "德被苍生" is five words, is Shao Quanzhong illiterate? Actually, Rong Hui and Shao Quanzhong said five words in their conversation, but it was displayed in classical Chinese, so it became four words.

(End of this chapter)

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