Chapter 1170: Big Ambitions
Xiao Peng was surprised that William was willing to take the Vikings' shipwreck treasures - it seemed that the Dutch had quite big ambitions!
The Dutch royal family is undoubtedly wealthy, but there's something interesting about them: the queen wears a crown when they go out, but the king rarely does. To be more precise, their king doesn't even get a crown when he ascends the throne.
The reason for this can be traced back to more than 200 years ago, when the Kingdom of the Netherlands included what is now Belgium. When the king ascended the throne, a problem arose: the Dutch were Protestant, while the Belgians were Catholic, which led to the question of who would place the crown on the king's head.
After all, a coronation is a religious ceremony that embodies the "divine right of kings," so the Pope should be the one to perform the coronation. However, the Pope's presence would be disrespectful to Protestants, so the Dutch king at the time creatively chose to ascend the throne without a coronation. This practice became a trend in many European countries, including the Nordic countries, where registration is performed without a coronation.
Of course, what would a king or royal family do without a crown? They have one, too. But unlike the gold-encrusted and diamond-encrusted crowns of other countries, the Dutch crown is silver plated with gold. The pearls and gemstones are fake, mostly tinted glass. It looks incredibly frugal.
But don't believe that the Dutch royal family is poor. The Netherlands ranks fourth in the global royal wealth ranking. Its total assets exceed 12 billion and it does not have to pay taxes. The royal family spends more than 350 million euros a year, and this money is all taxpayers' money.
The crown worn by their king is so shabby, but the crown worn by their queen is so luxurious.
Back then, they had a crown called the Stuart Crown, which was made entirely of platinum and inlaid with over 800 diamonds and sapphires. The largest diamond in it weighed 39.75 carats.
When Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands passed away, she left the crown to her daughter Juliana, who dismantled the "Stuart Crown" and made other jewelry for her daughters.
Let’s just say that the Dutch royal family seems very low-key, but every time they attend formal occasions, the jewelry worn by the ladies is always the most eye-catching.
But one thing is certain: they are Protestant, just like the British.
The main reason why Xiao Peng wanted to donate these things salvaged from the Viking shipwreck was that these things represented endless trouble - the British must be extremely eager for these things.
He actually wanted to donate the things to the Vatican. He just asked William casually, but he didn't expect William to agree directly!
What did he mean by accepting these things? Was he going to confront Britain head-on? Was he really planning to seize Britain's position in Europe? It's terrifying to think about it. If this happened a few hundred years ago, Britain might have gone to war over it!
But what about now? They're probably just talking. Are they going to take on the entire EU on their own? That's unrealistic! If the Netherlands really accepted these things, wouldn't it be like they were trying to become the core of European Protestantism?
What a big ambition!
But no matter what William thought, Xiao Peng was very clear about what he was thinking: transfer this trouble away first.
A person should wear a hat that fits his head. He should bear the consequences that he can handle. This matter has become a big deal and has become a game among several countries. It is not something that an ordinary person like him can get involved in.
On such a principled issue, there's no such thing as playing both sides. The best thing to do is to make a statement quickly! How the EU and the UK engage in a battle of wits and courage is your own business!
Xiao Peng then demonstrated his "friendship" with the Netherlands by visiting the Mauritshuis and announcing before a crowd of reporters that he would donate all of his works from the Mauritshuis to the Sunflowers and Windmills Gallery. William of the Netherlands also publicly stated that these works would remain permanently at the Sunflowers and Windmills Gallery and would not be allowed to leave the country.
Xiao Peng also stated that he would further deepen cooperation with EU countries on ocean development, starting next year to further develop the North Sea's wealth. Through joint efforts, he said, he would improve the level of ocean exploration technology and achieve true 'science without borders.'
Xiao Peng couldn't even read the speech himself - isn't this too fucking fake?
Chen Zetao has to take the blame for this. This is the speech he brought to Xiao Peng.
But the facts proved that Xiao Peng did another stupid thing.
He originally wanted to relieve the pressure on himself by doing this, but the result was the opposite of what he expected: his action caused an uproar - Xiao Peng was severely criticized.
And this time, people from both the East and the West are cursing together.
Why do Westerners scold him?
Xiao Peng left a 'small tail' in this donation. He donated everything else but the 'Holy Grail' remained in Daxia!
This donation had a minor incident. He hadn't originally said he was donating the Holy Grail, but rather the items currently in the Netherlands. The Europeans, however, were naive and assumed Xiao Peng was donating everything, including the Holy Grail he was supposed to bring back to Daxia. They hastily announced that the Holy Grail Xiao Peng had retrieved from the seabed was the true Holy Grail.
Now, Xiao Peng donated the rest of the items but not the Holy Grail, and the most important of all the salvaged items was undoubtedly the Holy Grail. This made the Westerners very upset: "Aren't you kidding us?" So they cursed Xiao Peng.
Meanwhile, Xiao Peng was being scolded in Daxia: "Xiao Peng, how dare you donate things to European countries? You're so ungrateful!"
As a result, all kinds of weird remarks emerged one after another, and each one was filled with righteous indignation, as if Xiao Peng had dug up their ancestors' graves.
There's nothing you can do about it. There are so many people like this in this world: they just can't stand seeing others do well, they just love to watch those who are doing better than them get into trouble and then point fingers. Xiao Peng really couldn't be bothered to pay attention to them: You guys know nothing! You're just a bunch of idiots. Do you know how much trouble this has caused me? Do you know that I was kidnapped because of this? Do you know that three of my bodyguards were shot?
If you have that much free time, can't you just live your own life?
In addition to being scolded, there are now more people who are annoyed by Xiao Peng: He originally thought that the British could turn their attention to the Netherlands, but who knew that now, in addition to the British, people from other countries are also looking for Xiao Peng, and the reason is one: the Holy Grail!
Anyway, you've donated everything else, so you don't need the Holy Grail anymore...
The entrance to Villa Eikenhorst was always blocked by people, but only a few people could see Xiao Peng.
"Oh my God! I've been doing good deeds all my life, what have I done wrong to deserve this punishment?" Xiao Peng roared, "Brother Chen! You are fully responsible for my current condition!"
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