But the person standing in front of him was a thin old man in his sixties who had a gentle face but had white temples, a long white beard, and even his eyebrows were white.

A long face with a sense of vicissitudes of life, not angry and intimidating, with slender and sharp eyes.

The crane on his chest, with its head raised high and looking up at the sun, is not a true reflection of his inner world.

At this time, Chen Tianhua really could not overlap the gentle old man in front of him with the majestic, suspicious, fickle, and arbitrary Jiangnan native emperor Zhang Marshal in his imagination.

"What? You're surprised, aren't you? Do you think the governor is different from the one you imagined?"

Looking at Chen Tianhua's sweating but confused eyes, Zhang Zhidong seemed to have read through his mind and asked with a wry smile.

But this unintentional joking question may not even have occurred to him. For the nervous Chen Tianhua, it was a big trap.

"Huh? Yes, it's not the same..."

At this time, Chen Tianhua's mind was in a state of confusion and he answered subconsciously.

But it is really disrespectful to report back to the governor of Liangjiang, who is a high-ranking official.

"Bold maniac!"

The senior staff members nearby shouted loudly after hearing the sound, and Zhao Fengchang also looked nervous.

Not only the staff were glaring angrily, but even the guards with swords were holding the handles of their daggers and glaring angrily.

Just waiting for a word or a gesture from the Governor, they can swarm forward and capture this disrespectful madman and cut him into pieces.

Even the half-foreign face, who was most likely Gu Hongming's chief aide, frowned and sighed.

Did I say the wrong thing?!

Oops, it's over...I accidentally fell into the pit!

Chen Tianhua knew that he had made a big mistake, but he could not undo it. He closed his eyes in despair and waited for the verdict.

In this chaotic moment of stalemate.

"Haha...hahahaha..."

Zhang Zhidong stroked his long beard with his hand and burst into laughter, breaking the deadlock.

The Governor was not angry, but rather happy.

This shocked all the staff present.

"Young man, you are honest and straightforward. You dare to speak and act. You are just like the legends in the world. Although there are some flaws in your verbal expression, in the eyes of this governor, compared with those who are pretentious, your speaking etiquette is spotless.

People who flatter me are much better."

"As the saying goes, the ignorant are fearless, and of course they are not guilty. Don't be so nervous. I will never blame you."

Zhang Zhidong nodded towards Chen Tianhua with a smile and continued:

"I heard that the eldest young master is self-reliant. He started from scratch and set up an entity in his hometown to benefit the villagers. Later he set up a bank and is now planning to open a coal mine. He is very ambitious. He can be considered a considerate person to me and a role model for young people in Jiangnan."

Zhang Zhidong spoke in an organized manner, which not only clarified Chen Tianhua's confusion, but also sounded truthful and touching.

It seems that he is not that kind of narrow-minded person.

"Commander, I am a passionate man of China. Although I cannot go to the front line to resist foreign aggression, I can do business and run entities and do my best to strengthen the country and enrich the people, and I will not give up even if I die!"

Chen Tianhua had calmed down at this time, and he replied very calmly but with gorgeous words.

This made Zhang Zhidong, who was keen on being unconventional and pursuing Westernization to save the country, feel very warm and his blood boiled with excitement.

"Hehehe, that's very good. I'm relieved."

Seeing Chen Tianhua's plump figure, straight facial features, and majestic posture, Zhang Zhidong smiled so hard that his cheeks were wrinkled, like flowers blooming on the sides.

"Come on, young man, you have met my staff. This is Mr. Licheng, the chief of staff!"

Zhang Zhidong happily introduced Chen Tianhua and his close aides in person.

Chen Tianhua guessed correctly that the mixed-race middle-aged man standing next to Zhang Zhidong talking was the chief staff officer Gu Hongming.

The first time I saw the legendary Gu Hongming, I felt like thunder and was extremely shocked.

Regarding Gu Hongming, there is a popular saying among Westerners: You can go to China without seeing the Three Great Halls, but you must see Gu Hongming.

He is proficient in nine languages ​​including Chinese, Malay, English, German, Japanese, and French, and has obtained thirteen doctorate degrees from prestigious universities in England, Germany, and other countries.

He could read English newspapers backwards and laugh at the British and say Americans were uneducated. He was the first to translate the Chinese Analects and Doctrine of the Mean into Western countries in English and German.

With his sharp tongue, he talked about the past and the present to Japanese Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito, who claimed to be a Sinologist and Confucianist. He talked about Confucius and Confucianism, and discussed the world culture and political situation.

He corresponded with the Russian literary giant Leo Tolstoy and talked about literature. The two had a close relationship.

He was called "the most noble Chinese" by India's Mahatma Gandhi.

Gu Hongming is a standard mixed-race child. His father was an authentic Fujianese before going to Nanyang, but his mother is a pure-blood British.

He was born in Nanyang, studied in the West, married in the East, and served in Beiyang (China). He was called a weirdo in the late Qing Dynasty.

Now, he helped Zhang Zhidong coordinate foreign affairs, gained great respect, and was gradually promoted to chief staff and chief of staff of the shogunate.

"Chen Tianhua, who was born late, has met Mr. Licheng." Chen Tianhua bowed with great respect.

"Haha, young man, no courtesy!" Gu Hongming squinted at Chen Tianhua, put his hand on his long beard, nodded and smiled.

Today is the last day in Jiangning Mansion. He heard that Zhang Xiangshuai invited five of his staff to have a drink on the Wuming Mountain at noon. He was very happy to go.

Their five staff members, plus Zhang Xiangshuai, were praised as the "Six Gentlemen of Jiangnan".

They used to have time to get together, and they liked to talk about the past and the present, and recite poems and write poetry. But they have been very busy recently, and the six of them haven't gotten together for half a year.

I heard that Xiangshuai also invited a special guest, a young businessman from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, named Chen Tianhua, also known as the Young Master.

Gu Hongming had heard a lot about this young master. The first thing that caught his attention was the Japanese complaint to the Liangjiang Governor's Office. He had to handle it and report it to Xiang Shuai.

Years ago, the Japanese Consulate in Wuchang forwarded a diplomatic advisory.

It is said that someone is planning to establish Niutoushan Coal Mine in Guangde County, Anhui Province. The miners are led by Zhejiang Fengzhong Bank, with many industrialists participating, and there is British capital behind it.

This was originally a normal thing, but the Japanese side said that it has been proven that the Niutoushan underground coal mine is connected with the Changxing coal mine.

The main unit of Changxing Coal Mine is Yaojin Mining, and the controlling shareholder of Huijin Mining is the Japanese-owned Zhengyuan Industrial Co., Ltd.

The meaning of the Japanese consultation is that Zhejiang Fengzhong Bank has violated regulations and asks Zhang Xiangshuai to seek justice.

After Gu Hongming accepted the consultation letter, he sent people to find out that Niutoushan Coal Mine was going through land acquisition, enterprise registration and other related procedures. It was a purely domestic-funded private and commercial enterprise, and the owner's representative was Chen Tianhua.
Chapter completed!