Chapter 407 Cooperation at the engagement banquet

Not long after, the news came out of the Guangdong Governor's Office that Governor Wu was about to marry Miss Zhang, and the streets and alleys were talking about this matter. After all, Governor Wu was a powerful figure, and some private affairs and gossip became a topic of relish before and after dinner. One day in late April, the Guangzhou Minbao indeed published a notice that Governor Wu would hold an engagement banquet at the Defeng Hotel on the evening of April 28, and sincerely invite friends from all walks of life to come.

The news published in the newspaper is for people I don’t know. As for the people I know, Wu Shaoting has sent someone to send exquisite invitations. Of course, if you want to attend the Grand Governor’s engagement banquet, a gift is essential. Whether it is to flatter or someone who is sincerely blessed, this engagement banquet is really a rare opportunity.

The day before the engagement banquet, Wang Yun led the Special Service Office to Defeng Hotel, checked the hotel up and down, and sent people to serve overnight at all important positions.

In the early morning of the next day, Guangzhou City Defense Police Commander Ni Yingdian and the police station sent 300 military and police officers to guard the police with guns near the Defeng Building. Before leaving, each of these military and police officers who participated in the alert received a red envelope of 100 yuan sent by Wu Shaoting, saying that they were also part of the engagement banquet.

Starting at eight o'clock, the hotel staff became busy and busy. While conducting the final arrangement and inspection, they welcomed the guests who arrived first. The first ones were naturally Deng Keng, Wang Yun, Ni Yingdian and others. They wore glamorous dresses and prepared their own gifts, but even when attending the wedding, they could not forget their responsibilities.

At around ten o'clock, bigwigs from all walks of life in the city arrived one after another. The guards and hotel staff received the orderly reception and recorded their names and gifts.

Zhang Xiaoya couldn't sleep at six o'clock in the morning. She tossed and turned on the bed, and the tension and sweetness in her heart were self-evident. Although it was just an engagement, it was still worthy of attention for her as the first time in her life. She suffered until around eight o'clock. The eldest brother Zhang Zhicheng ran to knock on the door and reminded the matchmaker and the female guest to come to the front hall and asked her sister to wash and dress up quickly.

Several close maids helped Zhang Xiaoya wash it, and then put on makeup after sending new clothes to her body.

Since the engagement was chosen to be a big foreigner's hotel, it also means that the ceremony will be held in a Western way. The engagement dress sent was a white long skirt dress specially cut. After Wu Shaoting's instructions, the foreigner's fluffy and wide skirt cage was deliberately cut off, mainly with normal evening dress hem, so that women can walk and sit and stand.

After changing into the dress, the female guests finally rushed to the bedroom to play for a while. Zhang Xiaoya no longer thought she was as lively and open as before, but instead seemed shy and aloof, just like a feudal lady.

The matchmaker is the wife of Finance Minister Li Yutang. Before the female guests played and put on makeup, she brought a bowl of bee sugar pearls and asked Zhang Xiaoya to drink it first, as a breakfast. She told Zhang Xiaoya that she had been waiting for a long time. Even if the banquet began, Governor Wu would toast and salute her one by one. Now if she didn't eat anything, she wouldn't be able to stand it when the time came.

Zhang Xiaoya had never experienced such a thing. She obediently listened to Mrs. Li's words and drank the soup.

Half an hour later, the Governor's Office sent a carriage to welcome the Zhang family to the hotel. Zhang Zhi himself had a carriage, but in order to show his respect for the Governor's Office, he used the carriage to carry relatives and friends, and he followed the carriage from the Governor's Office to go on the road.

Instead of wearing his military uniform, Wu Shaoting changed into a well-tailored Western-style black dress, with a beautiful bow tie on the neckline, and several medals of honor on his chest, and he was both upright and arrogant. He came to the hotel early and stood at the door waiting for his fiancée.

When Zhang Xiaoya's carriage slowly drove into the gate of the hotel under the public eye, he and some male guests came forward, took Zhang Xiaoya's hand personally, and led him out of the carriage. When Zhang Xiaoya saw Wu Shaoting, her carefully dressed face immediately turned red, and she gently bit her lips without saying a word.

Wu Shaoting deliberately took advantage of the opportunity to get off the carriage and came to Zhang Xiaoya's ear and whispered: "You are very beautiful today."

Zhang Xiaoya could only respond with a smile and couldn't think of how to answer.

Surrounded by the guests, the two walked into the hotel lobby hand in hand. At this moment, the guests who had been waiting in the hotel for a long time stood up and applauded enthusiastically. They walked along the red carpet to the front of the lobby. Wu Shaoting looked around the guests and then looked down at the beauty beside him. The fiancée was still very nervous and tried to muster up the courage to look ahead so as not to make Wu Shaoting lose face.

Wu Shaoting waved his hand, and the audience gradually became quiet. He finished speaking some of the things he had prepared, and then officially announced his engagement with Zhang Xiaoya. There was no priest in the engagement ceremony, and all the guests present were witnesses. The ceremony was simple and grand, and the banquet began soon.

As Mrs. Li told Zhang Xiaoya in the morning, Wu Shaoting held her hand to toast the guests. Of course, not all the tables were to pass by. This time, hundreds of people were engaged, and more than thirty tables were placed. The two of them were just toasting to familiar guests, and the others replaced them.

The banquet lasted until the afternoon highlights. Some guests returned home, while others stayed to play bridge and mahjong. There was still a banquet in the evening, so everyone just passed the afternoon time and waited for the fun of the evening.

Zhang Xiaoya was so dizzy that she drank a few glasses of wine on an empty stomach. Wu Shaoting asked several female guests to help her to rest directly at the hotel room. He stayed downstairs, walked between the hall and the private room, and greeted the guests who visited.

I originally thought that today would pass by happily, but I didn’t expect that a small accident happened at this time.

Wu Shaoting was watching Zhang Zhi, Li Yutang and others play mahjong. Deng Keng walked in quickly. He had a few more glasses of wine, his face was a little lustful, but he was still awake. He whispered in Wu Shaoting's ear: "Governor, the Germans want to see you."

"Andre of the Consulate?" He remembered sending invitations to consulates from various countries. Since Deng Keng said he was a German, he must be Andre, the German Consul General.

"Yes, he was in the corridor outside and said that there was something important." Deng Keng said.

"Hmph, I want to see what important things he has." Wu Shaoting sneered. He did not disturb the guests' entertainment, and turned around and walked out of the private room quietly, Deng Keng followed closely behind.

When he arrived in the corridor, Andrei was standing in the smoking area with his chubby beer belly. When he saw Wu Shaoting coming, he immediately extinguished half of the cigarette and quickly came over.

"Oh, my personal friend, today is your happy day, I am sincerely happy for you." Andre said in an exaggerated voice in a German tone.

"Thank you, Sir Andre. Since it's an important matter, let's go to the room and talk." Wu Shaoting said lukewarmly. Deng Keng, behind him, opened the door of a private room without anyone and asked Wu Shaoting and Andre to go in.

After closing the door, Wu Shaoting found a backrest chair and sat down. Andrei also sat down casually as if he was in front of his old friend.

"Tell me, what important things will Sir Andre have to come to me on a day like this?"

"To be honest, I wanted to talk to you, an old friend some time ago, but after the truce in Guangdong, you are so busy that I can't bother with me. Today is your happy day, and I didn't have the nerve to come to you until this afternoon. It's really a serious matter." Andre lowered his tone, as if he wanted to deliberately create a solemn atmosphere.

"Please forgive me for interrupting. Is the serious matter you said to be for you or me? Or... for Germany or China?" Wu Shaoting asked slowly.

"Uh... it's obvious that these are necessary connections. Please believe me, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you, Governor Wu." Andrei said cunningly.

"Okay, I'd like to hear it carefully." Wu Shaoting said without comment.

"That's right, Governor Wu, you should notice the changes in the situation in Europe in recent months, right?" Andrei said seriously.

"I used to pay attention to it, and recently you also know about Guangdong, which made me have no time to take care of other trivial matters, but I would like to hear the latest news from Sir Andre." Wu Shaoting immediately sat upright. When he heard this, he had guessed that this was a problem of tensions in Europe before World War I. Since Andre came to him specifically, he might have a chance to intervene in it and make a big profit.

"This matter is a long story, but at the beginning, we always mention the cowards of France. You should know that four years ago, Emile François Lube stepped down as president of the Third Republic of France. This is not good news for our German Empire. My Emperor William II has always hoped that Old Lube can continue to run for election and get re-election. Unexpectedly, this old guy is no longer interested in ***. After leaving office, he actually went to Oslo to live his own life." Andre said sighing.

Emile Françoisloubet (December 31, 1838-December 20, 1929). Frenchman, Prime Minister of the 58th Prime Minister of the Third Republic of France (February 27, 1892-December 6, 1892), and the 8th President (February 18, 1899-February 1806).

He entered the Senate in 1885 and became the Minister of Public Works of the Tilar government (December 1887 to March 1888). He became Prime Minister in 1892 and formed a cabinet. In August of the same year, workers from the Calmo coal mines in southern France held a general strike, where he served as an arbitrator and gave workers more rights in many aspects, so that the strike was calmed. In November, due to the outbreak of the Panama scandal, his government was criticized and criticized by the outside world, and announced his resignation in December.

In February 1899, he was elected the 8th President of the Third Republic of France. In 1900, with his support, the Paris Expo was successfully held. After his tenure in February 1906, he lived a private life until his death. In 1904, he was named "Knight of the Norwegian Lions" by King Oscar II of Norway.
Chapter completed!