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Chapter 1273 Farewell
"Your Majesty, Governor Cohen wants to see you. He said he's here to say goodbye, and this might be a farewell forever, so he wants to see Your Majesty one last time."

A few minutes after Wang Datou left, Hong Tao was thinking about where to choose as a breakthrough point to launch a decisive battle with the European coalition forces in front of the big map. Flathead Brother quietly walked in and whispered.

"Goodbye, and see you one last time! Pingtou, your speaking skills are getting better and better. In the future, try to let your subordinates do this kind of thing. I still want to live a few more years!"

Compared with Wang Chengen, Wei San is really not suitable to stay in the deep palace and serve others. It is because there are not so many red tapes in the palace now, otherwise he would not be able to survive for half a decade, and he would definitely die because of this mouth.

"Then I'll go and tell him!" After being scolded for no reason, Flathead Brother didn't know why. He just thought it was Governor Cohen's fault, so he turned around and was about to chase him away.

"Wait! Please invite Governor Cohen... Never mind, let's go to the Hall of Supreme Harmony. After all, I have been the governor for nearly twenty years. Before I leave, I might as well see my main hall."

Seeing that Pingtou didn't understand, Hong Tao stopped complaining. Just as he was about to ask him to come in, he found that the desk and conference table were filled with all kinds of materials and maps. These were all moved by Wang Chengen from the Imperial Household Department. When the General Staff came, they would need them. It was too troublesome to pack them back and forth, so he simply moved them to another place.

The restoration of the three main halls in the Forbidden City finally started at the beginning of last year. After nearly a year of hard work by hundreds of skilled craftsmen, the Hall of Supreme Harmony has just been renovated. The Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony will probably be delayed for a few more years. When a war breaks out, the treasury must first be used to replenish military expenses, and all other expenses will be suspended. There is no point in repairing without money.

In fact, Hong Tao did not like sitting in the Hall of Supreme Harmony to meet with ministers. He did have a feeling of being high above and ruling the world, but he also felt more lonely, as if he was at war with the whole world.

In that kind of atmosphere, the ministers would not speak the truth, and would certainly be full of flattery and perfunctory words. On the contrary, face-to-face conversations in the smaller Yangxin Palace were more likely to narrow the distance and eliminate barriers.

However, the court officials all believed that the emperor of a great country should attach great importance to his dignity. Especially when meeting with foreign envoys, the size and grandeur of the Hall of Mental Cultivation were obviously mismatched, so that many pomps could not be staged, which was very detrimental to the national prestige.

Another reason why Hong Tao disliked the Hall of Supreme Harmony was the temperature. In summer, it was OK because the tall space and thick roof could block most of the heat, so even wearing long clothes and long pants would not feel stuffy.

But it became uncomfortable in winter because the houses were too tall and leaky everywhere. If we wanted to maintain a certain indoor temperature in winter, we would probably have to place dozens of large copper stoves in a circle. And how to place the chimneys was another big problem.

"No need to be polite, come up! It's been a while since I last saw you. Governor Ke seems to have lost some weight. Although money can't buy you slimness in old age, there should be a limit. Too much fat is not all bad. When you are sick, it is your food reserve and may even save your life."

Standing on the Danbi, Hong Tao couldn't help but think of his first morning court session more than thirty years ago. Time flies, and everything has changed in a blink of an eye. The court officials who stood on the left and right at that time have basically left the court, and he, the young emperor, has passed away in his sixties.

As they were sighing, two figures walked over from a distance and stopped at the foot of the Danbi, looking a little overwhelmed. They had not worked in the Hall of Supreme Harmony for many years, and the young eunuchs did not know how to arrange the etiquette.

"Hey, governor, don't go up here, east, east. Wei San, you are a dead man, do you know the rules?" Hearing the emperor's hearty ridicule, Cohen was no longer nervous about the sudden change of the reception venue, and raised his legs to go up. This frightened Wang Chengen, who could not get angry at the guest and could only curse the flat-headed man.

"It's okay. There are no outsiders here, so forget it. Governor Ko, do you know what this staircase is for? It is a symbol of imperial power. Unless it is a major celebration, even I should not step on it casually."

Hong Tao waved his hand, indicating that Cohen didn't need to change the steps and go around. But he still had to explain why he was not allowed to go from the Danbi, which could be considered a gesture of goodwill or grace.

"Then I'd better move to the next step!" Cohen didn't want to receive this preferential treatment. Based on the experience accumulated over the years, it was absolutely dangerous to take advantage of Emperor Jingyang, especially small advantages, which would often cost a greater price.

"Oh, I said so, so go ahead. This place has not been repaired yet, it can only be regarded as a construction site. Hurry up, don't let me stand here waiting foolishly. I heard from Wei San that you are here to say goodbye. Prince of Orange hasn't even seen me yet, so you are leaving now? Is it because I didn't treat you well enough?"

As he was used to staying in the Yangxin Palace, Hong Tao was not wearing thick clothes, only cotton underwear and military uniform, and he put on a fur coat before going out. After standing in front of the Taihe Palace for a while, the northwest wind blew through his clothes.

"I helped His Royal Highness purchase a batch of cast iron furnaces, which have now been shipped to Dagukou for loading. His Royal Highness has the Speaker and the Mayor to assist him, and I can't help him either. I will just follow the ship back to Batavia, where there is still a lot of work to be arranged."

He had come to say goodbye, but when the emperor asked him this, Cohen didn't want to tell him that he had resigned as the governor of Batavia. He felt that he shouldn't be so close to the emperor without holding any official position.

"Hey, it's just a pile of scrap metal. Why escort it yourself? Just find a cargo ship heading south. With your title as governor, do they dare to embezzle it? Let's play a game of badminton with a few people in a few days when I'm not busy. I heard that you built a badminton court in Batavia and practice all the time. I wonder if your skills have improved?"

Hong Tao didn't know why Cohen lied, and he didn't want to guess. But if he didn't tell the truth, he must have been in Beijing. There were too many reasons. The emperor wanted to play badminton with you, and you dared to leave without saying goodbye!

"I have indeed made progress. I invited two acquaintances to play basketball with me during this trip to Beijing. I won more than I lost. However, there is still a gap compared to Your Majesty. I admit defeat!" Speaking of playing basketball, Cohen's face was obviously less gloomy and he even showed a little smile.

It was during his second visit to Beijing that he was taken by the emperor to the Western Garden, where he first saw the sport of badminton. He felt good after trying it, and was given more than a dozen sets of badminton equipment when he left.

After that, every time he went to Beijing, he would play a few rounds with the emperor after handling official business, but the gap between the two sides was a bit big, just like an adult beating a child. Fortunately, many stadiums and gyms have been opened in the capital, and although there are also masters, they can still fight back and forth.

After years of continuous training, Cohen has become the badminton master in Batavia, winning many championships. Even in the capital, he is considered a top-notch player, and can fight on par with the officers in the General Staff. But he is still destined to be abused by the emperor, and he may never have a chance to turn things around in this life.

(End of this chapter)