At this point in time in 1850, Xu Yun was subconsciously stunned when he suddenly heard such an unusual word.
Oriental, exhibition, delegation.
When these words appear in today's era, they seem to be inexplicably inconsistent.
But he soon came back to his senses, straightened his body, and confirmed to William Whewell:
"Mr. Dean, are you talking about the Eastern delegation that came to participate in the World Expo?"
William Whewell nodded:
"That's right."
Xu Yun thought for a while and asked:
“Is this East some kind of general reference—for example, India, or the East of my hometown?”
"Of course it's your hometown, the one..."
William Whewell spat out a few words in Chinese awkwardly:
"Stupid hotpot."
When Xu Yun heard this, his eyes suddenly straightened up.
As a science major, he must have heard about the reputation of the International Industrial Expo - after all, it was the first Industrial Expo.
But on the other hand.
His knowledge of this conference was not very in-depth, and was limited to the keywords of 1851, Prince Albert, and the Crystal Palace.
As for the exhibitors...
He does have limited knowledge, and he only remembers that India and Africa participated in the exhibition.
At the same time in his impression.
Daiqing seems to have been inactive in communicating with the outside world. The most widely circulated thing is Emperor Guangxu's refusal to participate in the Olympic Games:
On the eve of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.
The Frenchman Coubertin once sent a letter to the Qing government, inviting the late Qing Dynasty to participate in the Olympic Games to be held in Athens, Greece.
At that time, he served as the Governor of Zhili and Minister of Commerce of Beiyang. The person in charge of foreign affairs was none other than the famous Li Zhongtang.
Li Zhongtang believed that since it was a world competition, the mighty Qing Empire should of course send athletes to participate.
Otherwise, it would be too shameful and embarrassing.
Then he wrote to Emperor Guangxu requesting an order.
Guangxu initially agreed and thought he could show his face.
However, Cixi and many ministers knew nothing about the rules of Olympic competitions, so they ultimately rejected Coubertin's invitation.
In addition, later generations also heard that Guangxu once wanted to send eunuchs to participate in the 100-meter race because they had been delivering orders in the palace for a long time and ran extremely fast...
This rumor is just a joke without any evidence, but the first part is historical fact.
Both the relevant oriental literature and Coubertin's own memoirs mention this matter.
I just didn't expect it...
Did Oriental participate in industrial expositions before 1896?
Then Xu Yun thought for a while and asked William Whewell:
"Mr. Whewell, what you mean by assistance is..."
William Whewell put his left hand on the palm of his right hand and leaned his right elbow on the sofa. His face looked very relaxed and he explained:
"It's mainly about the connection between some life matters. After all, the representatives from the East who came this time are mainly from Guangdong Province."
"There are barriers in language and concepts between them and Europeans that are difficult to break, and communication is not easy."
"For example, according to my friend who works at Oriental Commercial Bank, it is difficult to understand what the braised Hokkien is that these people often talk about..."
"And Luo Feng, as their compatriot, you should be able to communicate with each other in terms of language, so the school hopes that you can come forward to assist."
"Of course, your status is only as a consultant, and other substantive matters of the expo will be handled by dedicated personnel - after all, there are still some Orientals living in the UK."
Xu Yun nodded slightly.
To put it bluntly, this job is just a translation. It is not difficult. It is estimated that a certain translator named Wu will disappear inexplicably.
Then he looked at William Whewell and made another request:
"Mr. Whewell, I want to confirm one more thing - do you have a list of the members of the delegation?"
"Of course, just wait."
William Whewell rummaged through the documents around him and quickly took out a bound document with about ten pages and handed it to Xu Yun:
"Here, this is it."
Xu Yun took it with both hands.
The cover of the document looks ordinary when opened, using standard file paper, with the words "List of Oriental Industrial Delegation" written in English at the beginning.
Turn to the second page.
What appeared in front of Xu Yun was a simple black and white photo of a character.
This is a man in his fifties, who looks a little thin, wearing a blue python robe and an official hat.
He put his hands on his knees and deliberately kept a straight face, with a solemn expression and a hint of restraint.
It's a coincidence.
In his previous life, when Xu Yun first entered the field of online writing, he once wrote a Qing Dynasty article. The content was of course about making X.
After all, it was popular at that time to wear clean clothes without making sex, and wear chrysanthemums to cover sex, and it would be sprayed with dragon sky.
At that time, Xu Yun had collected some clothing information of Qing Dynasty officials out of creative needs. These contents are still fresh in his memory:
To identify the grade of officials in the Qing Dynasty, you can start with their hats and clothes.
For example, the top beads worn by first-rank officials are made of rubies, which are light red in color.
The raw material used for the top beads of second-grade officials is coral, which is deep red in color.
The top beads for third-rank officials are made of sapphires, which are deep blue in color. When you look at them, you will subconsciously want to shout out.
Later, there are lapis lazuli, crystal, clam, plain gold, engraved gold, etc.
The colors of these materials vary greatly, so this method can usually be used to identify the grade of the characters in some portraits.
But the current photo is in black and white, so the color is obviously not visible.
In this case, the only way to tell is from the clothes.
Students who participated in the Kowloon Conquest in their previous lives should know this.
There were only four specifications of python robes in the Qing Dynasty, namely:
The prince embroidered the five-clawed nine pythons.
The first to third products are embroidered with nine pythons with four claws.
Fourth to sixth grade embroidery with four claws and eight pythons.
The seventh to ninth grades are embroidered with four claws and five pythons.
The official in the black and white photo in front of Xu Yun couldn't tell how many paws he had, but the number of pythons was only Liao Liao and Liao Liao, so he was obviously an official of seventh to ninth rank.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Ranks seven to nine are really not high to be honest.
Even if it is the seventh grade, it will be nothing more than an ordinary county level in future generations.
Think of this.
Xu Yun couldn't help but touch his chin, a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes.
Every political power in ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad, is particular about ranking. In theory, the person who can be ranked first on the list must be the person in charge of the delegation.
And the top leader of such a delegation has an official rank of only seventh rank at most?
This is a little strange...
Are they relatives of the emperor?
Xu Yun then lowered his gaze to the name of the person outside the image.
"Ran Hongfu?"
I don't think I've ever heard of this person...
Then Xu Yun turned another page.
The photo on the second page is also of an old man in his fifties, but he is a bit fatter.
The braids on the back of this person's head are clearly visible in the photo, and his clothing is also made of four-clawed and five-python pythons.
According to the introduction, this person's name is Qu Zhongxing, and he is also a person Xu Yun does not recognize.
I don’t know if he and Ran Hongfu were characters who originally existed in history, or were they accidents caused by changes in the timeline?
Then Xu Yun flipped through the list again and found that all the names that appeared were unknown:
"Liu Qingji, Hou Kaiyin, Xue Shoufan, Yan Geng..."
In fact, what Xu Yun didn't understand was.
In the original history, the late Qing Dynasty actually sent people to participate in this exposition.
throughout the entire exhibition.
Wanqing has a total of three booths, displaying items such as models wearing Qing Dynasty official uniforms, vases, silk fabrics, mahogany furniture and oriental handicrafts, etc.
However, just as Emperor Guangxu refused the Olympics, the Qing government at the time also ignored the invitation.
Except for a few officials, the rest of the attendees were representatives of civil society organizations.
The most famous among them is "Guangdong Master" Xi Sheng.
This person was a very early comprador, and there were photos of him in later generations, and he even appeared next to Queen Victoria for a time.
The highest official in the entire delegation is only one of the seventh rank, and the rest are all small transparent officials from the eighth rank downwards.
Not to mention Li Zhongtang, Li Lianying can't even see him.
A few minutes passed.
Xu Yun folded the documents in his hand and handed them back to William Whewell:
"In that case... no problem, Mr. Whewell, I will take over this job. When will the Eastern delegation arrive in the UK?"
William Whewell took the document, made a calming gesture towards him, and explained:
"Student Luo Feng, the expo only starts in May, and it's only the beginning of February now, so don't be too impatient."
"The Eastern delegation should have just set off now. It is planned to arrive in Plymouth in mid-to-late June. Only then will we arrange for you to assist in the reception."
"So your main task at the moment is to try your best to fulfill our agreement."
Xu Yun nodded knowingly, indicating that he understood.
.........
After completing today's goal, William Whewell seemed a little relaxed. He briefly chatted with Xu Yun for a few words, and the two parted ways.
After leaving the dean's office.
Xu Yun walked alone on the campus path.
Today is a rare sunny day in the UK. The warm winter sun shines on pedestrians, making people feel warm from the inside out.
"Today is Tuesday, and there are no classes in the afternoon..."
Xu Yun muttered a rap that rivaled that of Ji Ni Taimei, and thought about the next arrangement as he walked:
"Where should we go, the library or the dormitory..."
As a result, after taking only two steps, Xu Yun suddenly stopped.
I only see this moment.
About ten meters in front of him, under a big tree, an acquaintance was standing:
Aveline.
Today, Aveline is wearing a brown sweater, a conservative light-colored long skirt on her lower body, and a scarf wrapped around her neck, which is simple but full of vitality.
She still held in her hand the "Classic Physics" that made Sylph feel the power of knowledge, and looked at Xu Yun calmly from a distance.
It is clear.
This descendant of Lilani did not pass by this place by chance.
She must have memorized the location from Stokes' words and waited for Xu Yun on this only way out.
be honest.
Ever since he met Aveline, Xu Yun had been inexplicably afraid of her.
In particular, although this girl doesn't like to talk very much, her eyes are like Conan's tranquilizer gun. Every time she glances at Xu Yun, Xu Yun's neck always feels a little chilly.
Although Aveline also sat next to Xu Yun this morning, the main right to speak was still in the hands of Lao Tang, and she was almost silent the whole time.
Xu Yun thought at first that she didn't like to talk much as usual, but unexpectedly...
She is actually waiting for me here?
And judging by her posture, she probably has something to say to herself today.
If Stokes hadn't appeared, maybe she would have stopped her after class.
Think of this.
Xu Yun couldn't help but take a deep breath, walked up and said hello:
"Good afternoon, classmate Aveline."
Aveline nodded to him:
"Good afternoon, Luo Feng."
After speaking, Aveline pushed back a piece of her hair, glanced around twice, looked at a bench to the right of the two of them and said:
"Come and sit down?"
"...."
Xu Yun was silent for a moment:
"good."
Then the two of them walked a few steps side by side, came to the bench and sat down.
be honest.
Xu Yun had never sat on a bench very often in his previous life - especially with members of the opposite sex.
I won’t talk about the time when I had a girlfriend. In addition, I would often sit on the bench and chat with my classmates, cousins, and the female teacher on my mobile phone.
But no matter whether it was a serious, serious or informal occasion, Xu Yun had never felt as deeply stressed as he did today.
Just when Xu Yun wanted to say something to liven up the atmosphere, the wind was very noisy today, Aveline suddenly spoke first:
"Luo Feng, I have a question to ask you."
coming.
Xu Yun suddenly looked stern and said:
"Classmate Aveline, if you have anything to say, just say it."
Aveline nodded, took out a piece of paper from her backpack and handed it to Xu Yun, her voice still as clear as the song of an oriole:
"Classmate Luo Feng, do you know what the perfect square terms in the Fibonacci sequence are?"