Chapter 232 The Duke's Lady

[… “It is a great pleasure to have friends coming from afar.” The National Day holiday is not only a time for Chinese people to celebrate and rest, but also provides an opportunity for international friends who have come from afar to learn more about China. ]

【As the national cultural center and international exchange center, the imperial capital, with its rich historical and cultural heritage and beautiful natural scenery, makes visitors from afar feel "at home". Climb the Great Wall, visit the Temple of Heaven, tour the hutongs, and feel the warm festive atmosphere at Tian'anmen Square. This golden autumn, the imperial capital has brought smiles to countless foreign faces...】

Milo stayed in the Chinese imperial capital until the 3rd, then he boarded his Boeing 747 sky palace and left this hot land.

As for what he did in the imperial capital these days, who he met, and where he went.

It's the kind that you can't even write a little bit about.

If I have to write something, it would be seeing someone wearing square-frame glasses.

The future number one male protagonist also saw it.

The two sides had a lively conversation, exchanged their views on each other, and were both surprised.

One side discovered that, as expected of a relative of the Texas bush, it does tend to have a more positive and friendly view of this side.

One party discovered that at this time, in order to develop, they were actually willing to pay a lot of price.

All in all, the guests were very happy.

If this happens one or two more times, Milo Blackburn will be able to become an old friend of the XX people.

"Boom...squeak..."

Accompanied by the harsh roar of the turbine engine and the sound of the pulley rolling rapidly.

The huge body of the Boeing 747 passenger plane slowly landed at Heathrow International Airport.

Heathrow International Airport is the main airport in the British capital London and a major aviation hub in the world. It is not only the busiest airport in Europe, but also one of the busiest airports in the world. In this era, it ranks third in the world.

When Milo and his companions stepped down from the ladder of the plane, he smiled and took a deep breath - after hundreds of years of environmental protection, the air around London finally had no industrial smell.

This is because the country has, so to speak, completely abandoned its industry.

As the first country in the world to complete industrialization, it has also become the first pre-industrial country in the world to successfully deindustrialize.

"We are finally here. This is London, the heart of the former British Empire."

Milo let out the anger in his chest and muttered to himself.

"Let's go."

Following Milo's order, everyone got on the fleet of black Rolls-Royce Phantoms prepared by Kenny, who had arrived here earlier.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Rolls-Royce is still owned by the British, although it is about to be acquired by the Germans.

So now that you are in the UK, why not experience the British industrial style of the past.

Sitting in the carriage of the Black Phantom, Milo observed everything outside the window and looked at the city.

"Everything changes. There is no eternal overlord in the world. The empire that once was the sun never sets is now in decline!"

Looking at the buildings that kept appearing in his field of vision, Milo sighed inwardly.

At first glance, there are almost no new buildings.

London's development seemed to have come to a standstill.

Most of the buildings are old houses that were built at the beginning of the century.

Just as he said, Britain had indeed declined, and John Bull, who once dominated the world and was extremely powerful, was now like an old man.

But the proud John Bull still refused to admit it and was still immersed in the glory of the past and unwilling to wake up.

More than fifty years ago, the cheating little mustache roamed across Europe, defeating the Allied forces. The ruthless little mustache even attacked the foundation of Britain.

The Rothschild family, which to some extent represented British capital, was particularly targeted by the little mustache, who used means of confiscating property and exterminating the entire family, causing severe damage to Britain.

Although in the end, due to the intervention of the United States, the German tanks did not cross the English Channel and land on the British Peninsula.

But World War II not only drained Europe's vitality, but also almost drained John Bull's blood.

In addition, the once huge Red Bear never gave up its ambition to move westward, which tied down the energy of Britain, one of the leaders in Europe.

So even though it has been more than 50 years since World War II, Britain's economy is still in recession, and it has fallen to the point where it has to recognize its former younger brother, America, as its big brother.

Things will change over time!

The relationship between a conjugated father and son is just so messy.

Milo's only regret was that he arrived too late.

If it had happened a dozen years earlier, the so-called Iron Lady of Britain would have ascended to the pinnacle of power, and then, representing the interests of capital, would have opened the curtain of privatization and tried to make Britain's economy rise again.

As a result, Britain's economy did not rise again, but instead became a carnival of capital.

It was then and in the hands of the Iron Lady.

The British completely became a vassal of the Americans, both economically and militarily.

The only independent will they have left is to occasionally come out and stir up trouble, disgusting the Americans and the whole world.

The place they stayed was the Hilton London Paddington Hotel, and Milo had the entire hotel booked.

Because this time he came with a lot of people, nearly two hundred people.

So instead of going through the trouble of booking a room for each person, it is better to just rent a hotel for a while.

This four-star Hilton Garden Inn is located in the heart of London, surrounded by famous buildings such as Trafalgar Square, the British Museum, 10 Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the National Gallery.

The farthest one is no more than 5 kilometers away by car, and the closest one is only two or three kilometers away.

Milo wanted to take a tour, after all, this was the old London that his physical ancestors had loved but failed to develop.

When we arrived at the hotel and were busy for a while, the sun was about to set.

It took more than 16 hours to fly from the imperial capital to London, England on a direct Boeing 747.

Although London was nearly 7 hours slower than the capital due to the longitude difference, it was still four o'clock in the afternoon when we arrived in London. It took more than an hour from the airport to settling down, which was considered fast.

It is now October again, and the sun has returned to its direct point, having passed the Tropic of Cancer.

So at this time, the days are longer and the nights are shorter in the northern hemisphere, and it is almost dark in London.

Milo simply left the hotel, ordered the convoy to start, and wandered around London aimlessly.

The car was driving on the London Bridge. In the distance, the sea and the sky were one color, the setting sun was blood-red, and the scenery was beautiful.

Passing by the London Bridge, Milo looked at the prosperity of West London on the opposite bank and the many tall buildings reaching into the sky, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, what a unique geographical advantage it is.

As the first port city in Europe, countless international financial institutions have gathered here.

After crossing London Bridge, you will reach King William Street.

King William Street is a street in the City of London, the historic core of London and the modern financial centre of London.

Its northern end is at the intersection with Lombard Street at St Mary's Church, southeast to Monument Junction, where it intersects with Grace Hall Street and Cannon Street, and then continues south to London Bridge.

The number of pedestrians on both sides of the street gradually increases, and the street becomes more and more prosperous. As night falls, countless lights turn on, dazzling and brilliant.

"boss."

Kenny, who was in the passenger seat, was listening to a phone call.

He turned back to Milo and said, "I had a feeling when we first arrived at the hotel this afternoon. I felt like someone was following us. I asked the CIA London Bureau to help check it out, and they confirmed that someone was indeed watching you."

Milo's gaze toward the night view of London outside the car window did not change at all. He just smiled and asked, "Who is it?"

"ClA is sure there are three main groups of people. One group should be from the British Secret Intelligence Service. One group is probably from the British Noble Alliance, and another group is from the Oil People."

“No Irish troops?” Milo joked.

Kenny: "Probably not. Not to mention that they have reconciled with the British government. Even if they haven't reconciled, there is no need for them to target us."

"What do you suggest?"

"Don't worry about them. We have enough manpower, and we have identification from the American Embassy in the UK, so don't worry about them."

"OK, I understand."

Just like when he went to China, people there took him very seriously.

He is now in London.

There is no reason why Londoners should not take it seriously.

After all, the last time he was in Tokyo, he made big news.

Although everyone knows that Tokyo is an American enclave.

But everyone was also afraid that this person would make international news in his own territory.

Not to mention whether it’s scary or not, at least it will be extremely troublesome to deal with.

So if it can be avoided, of course we will try our best to avoid it. If it is really unavoidable, we will send someone to keep an eye on him.

I guess that's why the British Secret Intelligence Service is keeping an eye on him.

As for why the London Noble Alliance and the British Oilers are eyeing him.

Milo only had some guesses, and the specific reasons were not yet clear.

After driving around in the car for a while, Milo finally decided to go to the Thames River and take a cruise to visit London at night.

When you go out to play, you should have the mentality of a tourist, have fun, and not miss out on the scenery or the delicious food.

Compared to a night tour of Hudson Bay in New York, a night tour of London does have a different flavor.

Depart from the Tower Bridge Pier in London, take a boat trip along the Thames, the mother river of the British, and enjoy the scenery on both sides of the river.

Along the way, one by one, famous London buildings will appear before your eyes: London Eye, Tower of London, Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Tower of London and Tower Bridge, etc.

Under the gorgeous night sky of London, the dazzling scenery is in full view.

Milo was on the deck enjoying the cool night breeze when he was suddenly greeted by several uninvited guests.

"Mr. Blackburn, it's really you, haha, I thought I saw the wrong person."

A fat young man walked over and was blocked by Milo's bodyguards.

This guy is fat and a little bald, and you can tell at first glance that he is of genuine British descent.

At this moment, the bald, fat white man had a smile on his face and spoke standard Cambridge English, which is the so-called upper-class language that is more respected in London.

Behind the fat man were two bodyguards in black and two beautiful foreign girls with good figures. They were looking at Milo curiously.

"Who are you?"

Milo was puzzled and thought about it but couldn't remember.

The fat man looked to be about the same age as him, and if he was an acquaintance of the same generation, he would definitely be able to recognize him.

With his memory, he couldn't recognize any of the words.

Either this guy was irrelevant, or Milo really had never seen him.

Seeing Milo's expression, the fat man did not feel embarrassed and said with a smile: "Mr. Blackburn is a noble man who forgets things easily. I once went to Harvard Yard in Boston with my father. At that time, you and your grandfather received me and my father, although you were with many people."

After his reminder, the figures of a fat young man and a fat middle-aged man gradually overlapped in Milo's mind.

He remembered and said with a smile: "Sorry, sorry, you are the eldest son of Marquis Edward, right? You are his heir, right? I remember your name is William Bute. Sorry, I didn't remember it for a moment."

The fat young man was named William Bute, the heir of the British Bute family.

The Bute family is a marquisate family that has existed for over 400 years.

This guy should be the eleventh or twelfth generation of this family, Milo couldn't remember clearly.

He only remembered that the Bute family, a marquisate family, was quite wealthy.

They do not rank high in the British aristocracy, but they are rich, keen on business, and are one of the richest lord families in Britain.

The cruise ship that Milo took tonight was called Victoria.

It is the largest cruise ship on the Thames River, with four floors of cabins and a complete range of food, drink, entertainment and recreation.

Since the deck is at the front, it has the widest view and the best scenery.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

So after getting on board, Milo was on the first deck.

At this time, in the VIP lounge of the third-floor cabin, there were a few young people standing by the window, paying attention to the movements on the deck.

Someone asked: "Who did Fatty William meet that made him so excited?"

"He brought a lot of bodyguards. He looked so arrogant, and he must be an American. Could he be the Bout family's business partner in North America?"

Someone recognized him, and whispered, "No, not just any American. I suppose... none of you haven't heard of Milo Blackburn?"

"Milo Blackburn? That name sounds familiar."

"Idiot, the richest man in the world! Chairman of Paladin Media, controller of Yahoo!"

"It's him! Oh, no wonder William is so excited. This is the kind of American his family loves the most."

"Should we go down too?"

"No need for that. Fatty William should invite him up. It will be the same if we get to know each other then."

The people present were all sons of nobles, the worst of whom were sons of viscounts. Some were even lords themselves.

Whether in the past or now.

They are very proud.

For a long time, even now.

The richest Americans would be proud to marry a lady from any British aristocratic family.

Even if she is the daughter of a lord of the lowest rank, even if the noble is poor and destitute, she can still marry the richest American tycoon.

Who told everyone to know that those North Americans are just the country bumpkins from Europe?

These noble children in particular were not the kind of impoverished nobles who had fallen so far as to sell off their property, or who could not even afford to maintain their family castles and had to give them away to the country.

Rather, they are the aristocrats who are still active in British politics and still have a lot of influence in the UK.

So it was difficult for them to do what William Bute did and humble themselves and make friends with Milo.

I've been a dad for so long.

They have not yet realized that in front of today's Americans, they are actually not even as good as their grandchildren.

This is probably why the Bute family is the richest British lord family.

As long as there is money to be made.

Even if it's just a possibility.

They are really good.

They really don't care about face.

The deck below.

William Bute smiled and said, "Mr. Blackburn, would you like to go up and sit for a while? There are authentic British food up there. And if you sit at a higher place, you can see a better view."

The Victoria cruise takes 45 minutes at night, passing the last attraction, the London Eye, before ending the journey and docking.

And when it comes to British cuisine.

Or authentic British food...

Milo, who was originally somewhat interested in the scenery above, suddenly lost all interest.

Milo declined: "Your Excellency, maybe next time. I've been busy all day today and I'm tired from playing until now."

William Bute was a little disappointed, but he didn't dare to force him to stay, so he asked, "Mr. Blackburn, can you please leave me your contact information?"

"Sure!" Milo did not refuse. After exchanging his contact information at the hotel, he called on the bodyguards to get off the boat.

The people on the third floor were dumbfounded.

No face?

Or is it the fat guy who eats all by himself?

Several people hurried to the deck, but Milo had already taken them off the boat and left in a car.

William was hugged by women on both sides, leaning against the fence and enjoying the sea breeze, with an inexplicable sense of pride on his fat face.

They are all children of the rich and powerful.

They can get off the ship whenever they want, and there are special rooms for them to rest when they are tired or sleepy. There is no 45-minute limit.

"William, what's going on?" someone asked in a low voice.

William pretended to be confused, "What are you talking about?"

"And the American?"

"You mean Mr. Blackburn? He's gone."

After he finished speaking, William deliberately said "oh" again, pretending to suddenly realize something: "So you want to meet him? He is tired and has already returned to the hotel to rest."

Several people looked at each other, but there was nothing they could do. It was their own fault that they couldn't bring themselves to make friends with Milo.

After they left, the girl walking at the back said with a smile, "William, give me the contact information of that American."

William asked with a smile: "Erin, are you interested in him too?"

The fat man felt a little strange.

As one of the 24 most noble ducal families in the UK and the only granddaughter of the Duke of Argyll, Eileen Kembell has a high status in the circle.

Her father is the heir to the Duke, and therefore only has the title of Baron (he can only become the new Duke after the old Duke dies).

Her brother, the next heir to the Duke of Argyll, still does not even have a lordship.

The young Irene Kembel was favored by her family and became a baroness at the age of 22, with the title of Baroness of Lorne.

It was an actual fiefdom in the town of Lorne in Surrey.

In name, the entire town's land belonged to her, and taxes had to be paid to her every year.

Of course, it’s already the end of the 20th century.

Even super landlords like the Windsor family couldn't collect much tax.

From her territory in Lorne Town, she could only collect a small symbolic amount of tax every year, which might not even be enough for her to buy cosmetics in a month.

But even so.

She is also the granddaughter of a distinguished duke, the daughter of a future duke, and a baroness.

How could a person like her have feelings for an American? Could it be that the Duke of Argyll's family was short of money? That was quite possible.

Among the large number of ancient aristocrats in Britain, there are actually not many who are truly capable of making money.

As time went on, British law became increasingly restrictive on the nobility.

The nobles no longer had the ability to use the state's public power to make money as unscrupulously as they did in the past.

The capitalist class has truly seized control of state power, and all that is left of the ancient nobility are their ancient family lintels and glorious traditions.

Lord families like the Bute family, who embraced capital early on and were very interested in business, were actually among the best-off nobles in the aristocratic alliance.

Many ancient families like the Duke of Argyll, which have high status but are not very good at business, are now unable to make ends meet.

Some dukes did not even have an estate in London and had to live by renting a house.

After all, in this era.

Even the Duke of Kent (the earliest duke name of the Windsor family), the most beloved family in the entire British Commonwealth, does not live as carefree as before.

What about the other members of the ancient British noble alliance? Thinking of this, William Bute began to understand Irene Campbell.

At this time.

The granddaughter of the Duke of Argyll looked at him straight in the eye. "Do you want to negotiate with me, dear William?"

William had no choice but to ask the bodyguard next to him to take out a pen and paper and rewrite the hotel phone number that Milo had just left for him.

Then he handed it to Irene: "Here is the contact information. But I only have his contact information at the hotel. If you really want to find him, don't say it's me... Never mind, he just arrived in London today, he can guess it's me."

The Duke's granddaughter said complacently, "Don't worry so much, William. You have nothing to lose."

"Don't say I didn't warn you, this American is no docile little sheep," William Bute warned.

"He is different from us. He is an ambitious and enterprising pioneer. He was able to earn almost as much money as all the assets of the entire British Ancient Noble Alliance combined in just two years. He is definitely not an ordinary person."

"I also heard that those Bostonians now vaguely regard him as the new leader."

"It's just like the gap between the national strength of the United States and the United Kingdom right now."

"Please be more cautious."

"You don't have to worry about that." Irene swung the car keys in her hand, in a good mood.

It is said that heroes love beauties, but who knows that beauties also love heroes.

This young legend is really exciting.

Male second-generation playboys will take the initiative to find ways to pick up girls.

And when the second generation females of high enough rank see prey and are excited, they are by no means as passive as ordinary women.

Especially someone like Irene Kemble who was spoiled by her family.

(End of this chapter)