The sun never sets in America

Chapter 223 National Gifts and Harem

Han Palace...

"Your Majesty, this is a gift to the Queen of England. Please take a look at it." (Queen Victoria's birthday is May 24th, and she can visit the UK during that time)

The new Foreign Minister Zhou Heng took a memorial and handed it to Liu Peng, who was sitting on a wicker chair in the garden.

After Liu Peng took it, he opened it and saw that most of them were specialties of the Han State and some small industrial products of the Han State, such as gold-plated and carved chime bells, jade longevity peaches, etc.

There was something, or rather a plant, among them that attracted Liu Peng's attention. He pointed at it and asked Zhou Heng: "What is this? This thing, I remember, is a new thing made by the Agricultural College under the Ministry of Agriculture. Can it be given to the British??”

What Liu Peng was talking about was the grafted tree of the Han Dynasty. When Liu Peng was on a tour, he saw a lot of walnut trees planted in the northern region. He suddenly mentioned it to his subordinates, but he didn't expect that they actually made it. .

On one tree, more than ten or twenty varieties are grafted.

When he built the first such tree, Liu Peng personally named it Fulu, which means good fortune and longevity.

"Your Majesty, although this tree is not a fairy tree, it can still be used to coax foreigners." Zhou Heng glanced at Liu Peng's strange expression and quickly explained the reason.

It's just to open the eyes of the British and brag in front of the British.

Liu Peng looked at the watch in his hand, then at Zhou Heng's expression, and finally said with an extremely weird expression, as if he was suppressing a smile:

"Okay, let's go down and prepare things!!"

"Yes, Your Majesty..."

Zhou Heng bowed to Liu Peng, and then carefully left the back garden under the leadership of the palace maid.

"Ha ha……"

"Ha ha……"

After Zhou Heng left, Liu Peng immediately burst out bursts of laughter, causing the palace ladies to look sideways, wondering what was going on with His Majesty.

Liu Peng picked up the memo on the table, opened it and read it a few times, then murmured to himself:

“Giving Victoria Fairy Tree, is this considered a scam??”

Liu Peng then stood up and told the palace maid: "Ask Concubine Wen to come over and play chess with me."

After hearing this, the leading maid immediately ran out of the back garden and ran to call the new Concubine Wen.

This Concubine Wen came from Nanyang. It is said that she was of mixed Chinese and foreign descent. She was the third daughter of He Xiong, a local Chinese businessman in British Malaya, and her name was He Lianqing.

The reason why she entered the palace was because Liu Peng came to Youzhou during his last tour, and He Lianqing just happened to visit Han with her cousin. Because of her previous experience of studying in England, she took the Atlantic road, and It’s not the Pacific where most Chinese came to Han.

The encounter between Liu Peng and He Lianqing can be described as plain as water. There is neither a so-called romantic plot nor a so-called hero saving a beauty, pretending to be a pig and eating the tiger, or a domineering president.

There is just a man's love for a beautiful woman, that's it, nothing else.

Then, the eighteen-year-old girl named He Lianqing spent the least special night in her life on Liu Peng's special train.

The next day, she was classified as a Wen concubine. The reason why she was a Wen concubine was simply because Liu Peng saw that she had a high degree of education and could play chess, so she gave her a title.

Later, after Liu Peng returned, the concubine Wen naturally followed him and stayed there until now.

Let’s not mention He Xiong and Boss He who haven’t heard about his daughter’s entry into the palace yet, let’s talk about He Lianqing herself.

Because there was no suitable palace for her, Liu Peng arranged for her to live in the same courtyard with Concubine Jing, which was a lively affair.

…………

"My dear, you are so beautiful, just like the people in the Western paintings."

Xiaolan, the personal palace maid who was dressed up by He Lianqing, looked at the face in the dressing mirror, which was a perfect blend of Chinese and Western, with western and oriental faces, and felt from the bottom of her heart the beauty of Concubine Wen. (Refer to Li Jiaxin)

"Who did you learn this little mouth from? Why do you talk so sweetly?" He Lianqing was only eighteen years old after all and couldn't bear the compliment.

"Your Majesty is naturally beautiful. I don't think there is anyone in this palace who can compare to you." Xiao Lan continued what she just said and continued to praise the Concubine Wen.

"Haha, you are always good at lying. I think Sister Jing Fei across from me is prettier than me." Even though she was very proud of herself, He Lianqing was still very humble on the surface. The reason for being humble was not for anything else, but because she didn't want to Others pick her gifts.

After all, because of her beauty since childhood, she was often jealous of her sisters.

In this way, she developed a modest and even somewhat hypocritical character.

For example, last time Liu Peng bought some pink diamonds from overseas, which were originally intended to be used to make a necklace for the queen. She found out about it and just cut a few diamonds from Liu Peng to make earrings. You can imagine her character.

"Empress, I heard that Your Majesty is going to go hunting in the woods of Xijing recently. It is said that Your Majesty is the only one. Do you think His Majesty will take you with him??" Xiaolan inserted a gold Luan hairpin inlaid with rubies into He Lianqing , while lowering his head and asking the Concubine Wen.

It looks like a question, but it's actually a hint that it's time to take action.

When He Lianqing heard this, her eyes lit up, and then she sighed and said to Xiaolan:

"Well, who knows? Anyway, His Majesty hasn't come to see me in the past few days. I heard that he spent the night at the Queen's house for three days in a row." He Lianqing's tone was full of jealousy towards the Queen. In He Lianqing's view, The queen has already given birth to two children, why do you still want to occupy His Majesty's precious time? Shouldn't it be given to a newcomer like her? ? (The queen gave birth to two sons, the eldest son is the prince Liu Yu, and the younger son is Liu Jun who was born at the end of February)

"The Queen's son is a prince. If Your Majesty doesn't go to the Queen's place, who will you go to??" Xiaolan said to He Lianqing in a yin and yang manner, and her words were all aimed at the Queen.

"Prince, how could the crown prince's position be decided so easily? This, this is not..." When He Lianqing heard this, she almost said what was in her heart in a moment of panic. Fortunately, she stopped her mouth in time in the end. Living.

After all, if words like this were spread, especially if they reached Liu Peng's ears, it would not be a capital crime, but it would be almost as serious as a capital crime.

After all, the royal family has been troubled since ancient times, and once the reserve is designed, it is often the loser who loses his head. If you don’t believe it, you can read the story of Li Shimin’s completion.

More recently, Kangxi's Nine Sons seized the throne. It sounds nice to say that they are Nine Sons, but in fact there are only a few ambitious and powerful among them, and some of them are just walk-ons and auxiliaries.

"Mother, the things in this palace are difficult to say, easy to say, and the most important thing is to fight!!" Xiaolan inserted the last kingfisher into He Lianqing, and then said in a suggestive tone.

When He Lianqing heard this, her eyelids moved inadvertently, and then she asked implicitly: "Do you know what your Majesty likes best?"

"The empress is joking, your Majesty is the real Dragon Emperor, how do I know what your Majesty likes?" Xiaolan was stunned for a moment when she heard this, and then replied, "But I heard that your Majesty likes to work in that No. 18 bungalow. He often corrects memorials at night, and often summons the concubine very late, and sometimes does not even summon the concubine at all, or calls the concubine over when there is time during the day..." Xiaolan said that she didn't know anything, but she quickly started talking. They talked about Liu Peng's behavior and habits.

"Villa No. 18, is it the one I went to last time??" After hearing this, He Lianqing immediately turned back to Xiaolan and asked her about the last time she was summoned by Liu Peng to a Western-style bungalow at ten o'clock at night.

"Yes, that's the bungalow. I heard that there is a telegraph line connecting to the outside, and there is a sofa inside. Anyway, it is said that His Majesty likes to go there. Living here feels like going home..." Xiaolan He told He Lianqing everything he knew.

"Then tell me, what kind of woman does His Majesty like? I always feel that the way His Majesty looks at me is a little weird, like looking at a character in a book." Every time He Lianqing sees Liu Peng looking at him, it's like she's reading a comic. The characters in it were all the same, which always made her feel a little alienated.

"Mother, I heard that Your Majesty likes to eat cakes. Next time you can make some cakes and send them to His Majesty, so that His Majesty might look at you, which would be better." Xiaolan thought of Concubine Jing's original gift of cakes to Liu Peng, Take it out and tell He Lianqing.

“Is it that kind of Western-style cake??”

Hearing this, He Lianqing remembered the English cake they had eaten in Malaya.

"That's true. Anyway, it is said that there are both Western and Chinese styles." Xiaolan knew everything about He Lianqing and tried her best to help her new master. After all, she can only be better if the Wen Concubine is better. .

"Then His Majesty still likes..."

"Concubine Wen..."

He Lianqing wanted to ask some questions about Liu Peng, but was interrupted by the palace maid who ran in from outside the door.

"Concubine Wen, Sir Cheng is here, saying that His Majesty invites you to come over." The palace maid took a breath, and then said to He Lianqing, who looked surprised, and the Sir Cheng in her mouth was Liu Peng's new female officer. It turned out to be the female officer because Some problems have been sent out of the palace in advance by Liu Peng.

"Ah..." Hearing this, He Lianqing was so excited that she couldn't even speak.

"Quickly, change your clothes quickly..."

Xiaolan was the one who reacted quickly and immediately asked someone to change clothes for He Lianqing, Concubine Wen.

By the time He Lianqing went out wearing an emerald Song Dynasty Hanfu, a Luan bird gold hairpin and a kingfisher on her head, it was already past two o'clock in the afternoon, and half an hour had passed since Liu Peng called Concubine Wen over. "Your Majesty, all blessings..." The first time He Lianqing saw Liu Peng, he made a bowing ceremony and a blessing ceremony. This kind of etiquette was very common in Han Dynasty. It was mostly done by women for their elders or their husbands, but it was more It's the officials who do this, but ordinary people don't play with this kind of mother-in-law and mother-in-law stuff.

"Lianqing is here, sit down and play a game with me." Liu Peng saw the gorgeously dressed and charming He Lianqing in the back garden. His eyes lit up, and he immediately arranged for her to sit on a stone bench in the pavilion to play chess with him. .

"Thank you, Your Majesty..." He Lianqing made another Wanfu gift, then took a graceful step and sat down on the stone bench opposite Liu Peng very elegantly.

Liu Peng looked at He Lianqingzhang sitting opposite, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. Although it disappeared quickly, the smile was just caught by He Lianqing opposite.

He Lianqing's heart suddenly became cheerful.

Then the two started playing chess, during which He Lianqing kept teasing Liu Peng with a gentle tone.

"Your Majesty, I'm going to eat your chess piece."

"Your Majesty, you are cheating, this game will happen again!!"

"Your Majesty, tell me, what will happen if I win??"

Then he brought his face up, Liu Peng laughed dumbly, and gave her a kiss.

All in all, Liu Peng is very angry in this game of chess and needs to be relieved.

Thousands of trees are in dew state, where can they shine red? In the fairy source of phoenix warmth, in the country of spring and water.

When everything cleared up, Liu Peng put his arms around He Lianqing's shoulders and looked at the Luan Feng above his head, not knowing what he was thinking in his heart.

He Lianqing, who was leaning in his arms, looked up at the beard on Liu Peng's chin, reached out and touched it, and then stopped when he felt a sting.

Liu Peng lowered his head and looked at He Lianqing's pretty face that blended east and west, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart that nature is so magical that it could create such a beauty.

"Your Majesty, is there something on my face??" He Lianqing looked at Liu Peng's eager eyes, shrank her neck shyly, and then plucked up the courage to ask.

Liu Peng did not answer, but reached out and touched her hair, as if stroking a docile kitten.

Seeing that Liu Peng didn't answer, He Lianqing leaned in his arms obediently and said nothing.

Wait until Liu Peng speaks:

“Your family is from Malaya, right??”

"It's your Majesty, my concubine's family is in Bincheng." Although He Lianqing didn't understand why Liu Peng asked this, she still answered the question honestly.

"How many people are in your family??"

"Including my parents, there are seven people in total, including two sisters and a brother."

“What kind of business are you doing??”

"Sell some sugar and spices."

"Forehead……"

After asking some questions, Liu Peng fell into silence for a while.

"How do you think the British ruled Malaya?" Liu Peng asked He Lianqing a relatively sensitive topic.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, most of them are jointly managed by the local Tuwang and Chinese businessmen, but the Tuwang is above the Chinese merchants." Although He Lianqing was not sure what His Majesty the King of Han was asking, she still told everything she knew.

"You said, this is the same as Britain, why should Chinese businessmen be placed under the king of the earth??" After Liu Peng listened, he continued to ask He Lianqing.

"This is probably due to fear of the Earth King's strength." He Lianqing really couldn't understand the reason and could only blame the matter on strength.

"Haha..." After hearing this, Liu Peng burst out laughing, leaving He Lianqing in his arms confused as to what he meant.

"What kind of strength does the Tuwang have? It's just a few people and a certain reputation." Liu Peng was very disdainful of the so-called Tuwang. In his opinion, these people are just helpless people. They will go wherever the wind blows. It is one-sided and has no certainty. It all depends on the strength of the ruler.

"Let me ask you again, why do the Dutch use the local indigenous people to oppress the Chinese?" Liu Peng asked another question similar to the one before.

"I don't know..." He Lianqing really couldn't figure out the reason and could only answer with her head buried in the end.

"Because the Chinese control the money, they cannot be in power!!" Liu Peng's eyes brightened slightly and he said in a low tone as he looked at the beauty in his arms.

"If you have money, you cannot have power??" For a moment, He Lianqing was confused by Liu Peng and couldn't figure out what it meant.

"Let me ask you, if someone were to take charge of your family's finances, would you let him be responsible for the safety of your family?" Liu Peng looked at the ignorant He Lianqing. Somehow, he liked such a woman. No need. Being too smart is not good, as it can easily lead to trouble.

"We definitely can't let him take charge. If he has evil thoughts, wouldn't it mean that even the concubine's home belongs to him?!" At this time, He Lianqing finally understood what Liu Peng meant.

"Your Majesty is saying that the British think the same way?" He Lianqing looked at Liu Peng with clear eyes and said.

"I don't know if the British think so, but I know you think so." Liu Peng scratched He Lianqing's nose and joked in a teasing tone.

"Your Majesty..." Hearing this, He Lianqing hammered Liu Peng's strong chest with his school powder fist, and two red clouds appeared on his face.

Liu Peng smiled, said nothing more, and pulled the curtain.

"His Majesty……"

.............................................

"Your Majesty, just stay with me for a while!!"

"His Majesty……"

Early in the morning, He Lianqing hugged Liu Pengdu's arms and coquettishly held her tightly, as if not letting him go.

Liu Peng lowered his head and kissed He Lianqing, then raised his head and said:

"There are state affairs to deal with. If you want to play, you can go to Yuhuatai. There is a new amusement park there, which should be suitable for you."

Liu Peng lowered his head and told He Lianqing, who was arranging his clothes.

(The so-called amusement park is actually from this period. The children's paradise built by Liu Peng was mainly steam-operated merry-go-rounds and the like. Compared with later generations, it was not even as good as the beggar's version, but in this period, it was considered a very novel thing. Yes, many concubines and princes in the palace like to play, even if they don’t play, just stroll around)

"Your Majesty will bully others..." He Lianqing pouted at Liu Peng, as if I was angry and wanted to comfort him.

"You little goblin!" Liu Peng pinched He Lian's innocent and rosy face and said teasingly.

"His Majesty……"

He Lianqing was playing tricks on Liu Peng.

"Okay, Gu will leave the palace for hunting in a while. You and Gu will be together then." Liu Peng touched He Lianqing's shiny black hair and said with some affection, "I will only take you alone!! Liu Peng Later I added another sentence.

"Then I'll thank you, Your Majesty!!" He Lianqing immediately became excited when she heard that Liu Peng was going to take her hunting, and only her alone.

When Liu Peng left, he kissed him again on the face with a lingering look in his eyes.

Liu Peng acted as if he hadn't seen him and left the palace named Xiujing.

He Lianqing watched Liu Peng leave with reluctance in her eyes. How much she wanted Liu Peng to pamper her directly. It would be best to make her his queen. That would be fine.

Unfortunately, it was no longer possible. Thinking of this, He Lianqing felt sad, and her happy mood suddenly dimmed again.

It wasn't until she remembered the way Liu Peng looked at her yesterday and today that she regained a glimmer of hope.

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(End of this chapter)