Today, the two sides are scheduled to meet at the Japanese Consulate in Shanghai. Fujiwara Hirofumi, as the highest-ranking special envoy from the Japanese side, will personally meet with this vice president.
Ning Zhiheng had been following Fujiwara Hirofumi around all this time, so he naturally followed suit and attended this meeting.
Fujiwara Hirofumi said with a smile, "This is just the initial contact. But you are right, he has no choice. However, the cabinet member Miyazaki said that this Mr. Wang is troublesome and always refuses to give in. I will put some pressure on him today."
As the two were talking, the vehicle arrived at the Japanese consulate, where two consuls, the consul general and vice consul, were waiting at the entrance for the arrival of Duke Hirofumi Fujiwara.
Fujiwara Hirofumi and Ning Zhiheng got out of the car, and everyone crowded around Fujiwara Hirofumi as they entered the consulate and arrived in the lobby.
At this moment, all the important officials of the puppet government arrived. Wang Tianhai stepped forward first, and everyone greeted each other. This was the first time Ning Zhiheng had seen this person.
It must be said that this person was indeed outstanding in appearance, handsome and elegant, with the look of a refined scholar. Who would have thought that this person was the biggest traitor in modern Chinese history!
After exchanging greetings, the two sides entered the conference room to discuss and talk. Ning Zhiheng was not a member of the negotiation team and did not hold any official position. Although he was of noble status, he could only wait outside with his entourage.
Negotiations always take a long time. Two hours passed, and the bargaining was still going on inside. Ning Zhiheng glanced at his watch, turned around, and went to the restroom.
At this moment, a young man quickly led the way for Ning Zhiheng. The man was in his twenties, with a handsome face and a slightly shy demeanor. He had been trying to strike up a conversation with Ning Zhiheng earlier.
Ning Zhiheng asked with a smile, "Are you Chinese or Japanese?"
He wasn't sure which side this person belonged to, but it seemed to be mostly consulate staff.
Sure enough, the young man quickly replied, "I am Matsudaira Hidemi, the Chinese translator at the consulate. I have always admired the demeanor of the Fujiwara family and have long wanted to learn from you. Please take good care of me."
Ning Zhiheng's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded and smiled, "So it's Matsudaira-kun. I wonder if you have any connection with the Matsudaira family of Matsue?"
The surname Matsudaira is an aristocratic surname, but it is far inferior in rank to the Fujiwara family, a thousand-year-old clan. Most of them are distributed in the Matsue area of Japan, and they had already declined before the Meiji Restoration.
Matsudaira Hidemi blushed and nodded, saying, "Our lineage can no longer be considered to have a genealogy; we've simply faded into obscurity. I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Fujiwara-kun!"
Clearly, this was just a commoner with a surname. Ning Zhiheng nodded and said, "May I ask when Mr. Matsudaira came to China?"
"After the Battle of Shanghai ended, I came to China. Because my Chinese was good, I was able to find a job as a translator at the consulate."
The two talked as they went, and soon arrived outside the restroom. After Ning Zhiheng went in to relieve himself, he came out and continued chatting with Matsudaira Hidemi.
Matsudaira Hidemi was quite reserved at first, but seeing Ning Zhiheng's amiable attitude, he quickly became talkative. Since it was still early, Matsudaira Hidemi led Ning Zhiheng on a tour of the consulate.
Before long, they arrived at a large hall. Matsudaira Hidemi pointed to the hall and introduced, "This is the consulate's banquet hall. A banquet will be held here to entertain the representatives of both sides after the talks conclude."
Ning Zhiheng nodded. He stood at the door and looked into the hall. The banquet hall was very large and luxuriously decorated. Several staff members were setting the tableware. Ning Zhiheng glanced at it casually and was about to leave.
Suddenly, his gaze swept over a staff member who had finished setting out the tableware and then turned around, pushing a cart full of tableware to a spot in the middle of the banquet hall.
There was a large decorative porcelain vase here. The staff member took out a clean white cloth and wiped the vase carefully. He squatted down and wiped the vase all over before getting up and leaving.
Ning Zhiheng glanced around casually for a few moments before turning to exchange a few words with Matsudaira Hidemi. The two walked and talked as they left the banquet hall.
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