Chapter 1973: The Assignment

"Do you not think so?"

"The Arsenal in Longyan City was built with our money in the first place; shouldn't we be entitled to these rewards?"

"And then there is the Panama Canal. Everyone knows what a canal connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean signifies. We in Britain are now allies of Longyan, so I consider it very reasonable to obtain such a thing."

"Do you wish to object?"

The Military Department fell silent; they did not agree with Kelinxi's words, yet they had no reason to refuse.

Kelinxi slowly stood up, the chair sliding back steadily and emitting a grating sound that grated on everyone's nerves.

Kelinxi straightened his slightly wrinkled collar until he was satisfied, then said indifferently: "This is a mission, not a suggestion, nor is it a matter open for discussion."

"Alright, that is all. Notify Qiaozhi to set off quickly; our battlefield cannot wait too long."

"After all, every soldier who dies now is one of your Military Department's men."

Kelinxi turned and left in a very good mood.

But inside this room, the others fell into silence.

They were the ones who had sponsored Qiaozhi to become a Councilor, hoping to pull Qiaozhi into their camp.

Qiaozhi was their man, so they wanted him to continue performing meritorious service and return to the council.

"Perhaps we can only abandon him..."

The people from the Military Department said after a long silence.

This was also a choice with no other Method; of the missions Kelinxi proposed, even one was difficult to complete, let alone three.

Moreover, if Qiaozhi were to bring them up, it would very likely lead to him being finished off by Longyan, worsening the relationship with Britain.

No matter how one looked at it, this was a situation with no chance of survival.

But now that Kelinxi had already issued the order for Qiaozhi to go, he had to go; there was no room for any other choice.

After thinking of this, everyone nodded, all tacitly agreeing with this statement.

Abandon Qiaozhi!

Abandon the Councilor they had personally recruited.

And at this moment, Qiaozhi was hosting a banquet at Mount Vernon.

This was the etiquette among the Noble class, and also a form of social interaction.

In Fojilisi, those with high incomes and status would hold regular banquets to consolidate their relationships.

Or perhaps to find a good match for those who lacked a wife or husband.

Many matters would be resolved at such banquets.

Ever since Qiaozhi married Masha, he had not held a decent banquet.

Instead, he had received quite a few invitations.

But during that period, Qiaozhi had just been promoted to Councilor and had little time to attend banquets, and Masha had not accompanied him.

This time, they took the initiative to host a banquet, thinking of reconnecting with old friends.

The people Qiaozhi and Masha invited this time were all those they were familiar with; there is no need to mention Sister-in-law Danni.

Natasha arrived together with Count William.

"Oh, look who this is!" Qiaozhi and Count William embraced warmly.

"Qiaozhi, it seems you have recovered quite well during this time. How is life as a Councilor? Is it as wonderful as you imagined?"

Qiaozhi smiled and shook his head: "Being a Councilor is a dull and tedious life."

"At least that is how it is for me."

Count William nodded: "Hmm, it is clear that you have grown weary of this job, but you have Masha now; the life of licking blood off a blade in war is no longer suitable for you."

"It is just that brat Gelin; when he returns, I will absolutely not let him step onto the battlefield again!"

Natasha, beside Count William, glanced at him and said with annoyance: "Gelin is fighting for us."

He looked at his niece Natasha and said affectionately: "Natasha, have you forgotten the days spent worrying about him?"

"Please forgive my selfishness; after all, I do not want to see you worrying about him every moment."

"Qiaozhi, when Gelin returns, you must make him marry Natasha quickly; she can no longer wait."

Natasha stomped her feet and said shyly: "Uncle!"

Qiaozhi smiled; he understood Count William's meaning, which was to have Gelin stay and not continue living a life of licking blood off a blade.

After all, for people like them, this kind of life was too worrying.

Qiaozhi said: "Rest assured, I think when he returns this time, he should marry Natasha and settle down for a long while."

I hope so... he added silently in his heart.

Count William laughed: "That would be best."

Qiaozhi stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation: "But before that, please both of you taste the dishes carefully prepared by a chef from Longyan; this time he brought something fresh."

Hearing that it was a chef from Longyan, Natasha's eyes lit up and her throat moved; she asked: "Is there 'Three Not-Sticking'?"

Qiaozhi nodded: "Naturally there is. This time there is also a dish called Nine-Turn Intestines; its preparation is overly complex, and the ingredients themselves are commonly seen, yet under this chef's preparation, the taste is superb and very unique."

Both of their eyes lit up even more as they said: "I cannot wait to taste the flavor of this dish."

Qiaozhi nodded slightly.

The two walked inside.

And after Count William, Earl Ryan and Miss Qin arrived.

Qin often invited Qiaozhi and Masha to attend gatherings at her place, but Qiaozhi always found various reasons to decline.

But today, what Qin did not expect was that Qiaozhi would take the initiative to invite her to attend this banquet.

But seeing Masha and Qiaozhi standing closely together, even their shadows under the lamplight were overlapping.

The two people looked just like one person.

Seeing such a scene, Qin's expression froze slightly, and she forced a smile to greet Qiaozhi: "Hi, Qiaozhi, it's nice to see you."

She directly ignored Masha, who was beside Qiaozhi.

Earl Ryan, who had come with her, frowned; Qiaozhi was already married, yet Qin still hadn't given up her pursuit, which made him, as a father, feel somewhat angry toward Qiaozhi.

But rationally analyzing it, Qiaozhi had stated directly after meeting Qin that his heart already belonged to someone else.

Sigh... everything could only be blamed on his daughter's wishful thinking.

Seeing that she was being ignored, Masha took a step forward, grabbed Qin's small hand, and said enthusiastically: "Welcome, Miss Qin, I hope you enjoy today's ball."

"This is also the first gathering I have held since I married Qiaozhi so long ago."

"For this gathering, the two of us spent a great deal of time and energy."

Qin looked at Masha, her expression stunned, then she squeezed a smile onto her stiff face and quickly pulled her hand away from Masha.

"Thank you for your welcome."

Seeing that Qiaozhi and Masha's affection was so loving, Qin felt very uncomfortable in her heart.

She desperately wanted to escape.

"I'll go in first." Without finishing the sentence, Qin walked in all by herself.

Qiaozhi looked at Earl Ryan awkwardly.

Earl Ryan originally had no complaints against Qiaozhi, but seeing his daughter so heartbroken because of Qiaozhi, he let out a cold snort and walked in as well.