"This is Mr. William de Bricassart," Mo Yang introduced the last British merchant to He Rui.

He Rui smiled. "Mr. Bricassart, were your ancestors from southern France?"

"Yes, my ancestors were Marseillais," the British merchant answered proudly.

"Those were nobles who followed William the Conqueror to England; truly a long history. Do you still hold a title?"

The pride on the British merchant's face turned into a bitter smile. Then he heard He Rui laugh, "Needless to say, Cromwell must have done something to your ancestors."

Mr. William de Bricassart was stunned. Since coming to China, this was the first time someone had noticed the ancient heritage contained in his name. Even Cromwell's blow to the British aristocracy was guessed correctly by He Rui; it was truly too unexpected.

After being led to his seat, Mr. William turned his head to look at this young, knowledgeable Chinese Governor and the young Mayor beside him. For a moment, he couldn't figure out exactly what kind of people he had met.

Whispering with his companion, the companion also couldn't understand how they could meet such people in the vast countryside outside the pass. William couldn't help whispering, "I'm starting to suspect if the train played some trick and hauled us to Shanghai."

His companion chuckled lightly. He turned to look at the long dining table in front of him, the snowy white tablecloth, the centerpiece made of flowers and beautiful fruits, the embroidered napkins, the beautiful porcelain tableware, and the shining knives and forks.

Even a restaurant in Shanghai would be no more than this.

At this time, He Rui had arrived at the host seat. On his left were all French merchants, and on his right were British merchants.

He Rui said, "Gentlemen, there are two more guests arriving soon. Please wait a moment."

Before his voice fell, footsteps sounded. Security Regiment Commander Xu Chengfeng walked up to the second floor. His boots were shiny, and his uniform crisp. He saluted immediately upon seeing He Rui.

He Rui introduced Xu Chengfeng to the merchants, and the merchants exchanged greetings.

Wu Youping waved his hand toward the kitchen. Immediately, someone came serving trays. Brandy was placed in front of all the French merchants, while Whiskey was placed in front of the British merchants.

The waiter poured wine for everyone. In front of He Rui and Xu Chengfeng was Northeast Sorghum Liquor.

He Rui raised his wine glass. "Thank you all for coming from afar." He led Xu Chengfeng to clink glasses with the merchants one by one. Then he and Xu Chengfeng drank the wine in one gulp.

Serving of dishes began here. The chef of Huaqing Tower muttered as he watched the waiters carry the dishes out, "Foreign devils are just strange; they insist on putting only a little food on such a big plate. Being pretentious shouldn't be done like this!"

After speaking, he looked at the sketches on the blackboard next to him. These sketches were the result of He Rui inviting the chef over to discuss together.

Although the plating method was vastly different from Chinese tradition, what could be put on the plate was the most delicious part of the meal. Even for fish, although the cheek meat and tail meat were the tenderest, they were too small to be suitable for plating. So what was put on the plate was the fish meat that looked the most succulent, with fish bones already removed.

Seeing this plating, the merchants felt they were attending a banquet of a Governor-General level figure. Moreover, the plating wasn't all in the French mode; for example, the fried lamb chops, golden in color and overflowing with fragrance, were piled full on the plate. Seeing that the dishes were all served, He Rui still had no intention of starting. This reminded the merchants that he said he was waiting for two people. Regiment Commander Xu Chengfeng was one, so there was another one.

Just as they were thinking, footsteps sounded on the stairs. A refined man wearing a silk long gown walked slowly up the stairs. He Rui went forward to welcome him, leading Zhao Tianlin to the table. Two of the French merchants showed surprised expressions.

He Rui introduced, "This is the former President of the National Beiyang University, Your Excellency Zhao Tianlin. He is a Ph.D. from Harvard Law School."

Although the British merchants felt American universities were inferior to British universities, they had still heard of Harvard University. Especially the Law School, a school that only nobles could attend. Trinity College of Cambridge University in the UK had four stone statues standing on the roof of its library, representing the four oldest disciplines: Theology, Law, Medicine, and Mathematics.

Law was a discipline second only to Theology, a discipline enthusiastically pursued by children of nobility. A Law School Ph.D. was also a person of high status in the UK. Such a person was valued by a power holder like Governor He Rui; at least in this place, Siping, his future was limitless.

After everyone took their seats, Zhao Tianlin didn't eat. Instead, he asked in fluent English, "Are you gentlemen here to invest, or to inspect?"

The merchants were stumped by this question. Whether French or British merchants, it was their first time coming to Siping. Before, they hadn't even heard that there was such a place in China.

The reason they came was entirely because they learned that a figure like Governor He Rui was in power in Siping. When *Ta Kung Pao* journalist Mo Yang invited everyone, he boasted that He Rui was a talent in military and diplomatic affairs, a most excellent local ruler.

Accepting He Rui's hospitality and seeing He Rui's bearing in every gesture, the merchants felt Mo Yang's words were not false, and He Rui might really be someone they could cooperate with. But this didn't mean the merchants had decided to invest.

Zhao Tianlin also roughly knew the merchants' thoughts and laughed. "Siping was originally a good place, and now with Governor He, it is an even better place. This was simply too tempting; I had to resign from Beiyang University to come to Siping and follow Governor He."

Zhao Tianlin's words were meaningful, and He Rui understood tacitly.

The French merchants knew Zhao Tianlin. Just two months ago, Zhao Tianlin served as Vice President of a local gentry opposition group in Tianjin that opposed the French expansion of the commercial district in the West District. He was indeed a prominent figure in Tianjin. The British merchants didn't know, so they turned to look at *Ta Kung Pao* journalist Mo Yang, who responded with a nod.

He Rui raised his wine glass for a toast. "Gentlemen, welcome to Siping again."

The food was delicious, and the merchants ate happily. During the banquet, the merchants asked about He Rui's plans. He Rui answered, "Siping has over ten thousand square kilometers. Among them, five thousand square kilometers belong entirely to the Siping government. These lands have already been reclaimed into farmland, just waiting to plant agricultural products next year. As a railway hub, a large number of merchants transport agricultural products to Siping for sale. So I hope to cooperate on agricultural products first."

A French merchant asked, "Your Excellency, pardon my presumption, does Siping have plans to produce industrial products?"

He Rui smiled. "Siping has a population of as many as three hundred thousand, and about fifty thousand possess the conditions to be industrial workers. Siping's industrial development is inevitable. However, if you gentlemen have any products you need, we can consider prioritizing cooperative production."