Chapter 94

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On April 18, 1844.

Zhu Jishi, accompanied by his three attendants Han Si, Liu Peng, and Liu Jiong, and his temporary mistress Maria Clementina, once again headed to Windsor Castle.

Prince Albert hosted a banquet for Zhu Jishi and Maria Clementina at Windsor Castle.

Queen Victoria also graced the occasion with her presence. It seemed that the queen's belly had been enlarged by Prince Albert again! When she saw Zhu Jishi, she wore a half-smile that was somewhat unsettling. Prince Albert, on the other hand, looked much more robust, seemingly developing into a muscular man. It appeared that he had been forced to exercise at the gym by the queen every day...

"Prince Albert, Your Majesty," after a few rounds of drinks, Zhu Jishi put down his glass and smiled respectfully, "I thank you and Her Majesty for your support over the past period."

In the spacious dining room, only the four of them were dining, served by court attendants. The others who accompanied Zhu Jishi had been entertained elsewhere and were not eligible to dine with the queen and the prince. Prince Albert smiled and nodded, "Your success is also the success of the British Empire. Due to the achievements of your Jishi Company in the pharmaceutical, rubber, and explosives industries, the British government has collected over 100,000 pounds in taxes. So, it's a win-win situation."

"Yes, indeed a win-win," Zhu Jishi smiled, "So I hope that the future Hong Kong Jishi University and Jishi Academy will also achieve a win-win, and that the future British Empire and China will also benefit mutually."

Prince Albert smiled and turned to look at his wife, "Alexandrina, didn't you say you were going to give Jason a special reward?"

A special reward? What kind of reward?

"Sir Zhu," Queen Victoria's voice sounded again, "In recognition of the substantial tax revenue and the enhancement of the British Empire's military strength brought about by your inventions of drugs, vulcanized rubber, and explosives, I hereby confer upon you the title of Baron of Ap Lei Chau."

I'm getting a promotion? Zhu Jishi hurriedly knelt on one knee to thank her, but he was wondering what the "Baron of Ap Lei Chau" meant. Was it to put some pressure on me to improve?

"Ap Lei Chau is a small island off Hong Kong Island, opposite Deep Water Bay. It is currently uninhabited, and the land there is also granted to you," Prince Albert explained.

Zhu Jishi thought, Queen Victoria had even prepared a base for rebellion for him! And it was right next to mainland China!

Once he, a descendant of the Ming Dynasty, a member of the British and French academies, and the Lord of Ap Lei Chau, arrived in Hong Kong, wouldn't Chen Jinan and Wei Xiaobao's disciples and grand-disciples come to join him one after another? If he didn't rebel, he would be failing Chen Jinan and Wei Xiaobao, and also failing the British Empire... And with these two titles from the British Empire, his image among the lower classes in southern China would surely improve greatly.

To some Chinese laborers who were unaware of the truth, the real purpose of the Opium War was to find a base for the Ming descendants to restore the Ming Dynasty! The British Empire was originally a good friend of the Ming people.

Of course, to another group of patriotic and loyal supporters of the Qing Dynasty, he, the "Lord of Ap Lei Chau" and a descendant of the Ming Dynasty, was the chief culprit who invited the British to invade, a traitor and a sellout who deserved to be executed!

With this identity, it would be hard for him not to rebel, and there would certainly be many young people from the Daoguang era who would oppose him as a British lackey. Zhu Jishi was deeply worried, but he still smiled on the surface.

"Prince Albert, thank you for your help. I know that my achievements are inseparable from your and Her Majesty's support."

"Jason, your success is also the success of the British Empire. If Jishi Company can grow further in the future, the pharmaceutical and rubber industries will become new growth points for British industry," Prince Albert smiled.

Britain was still the world's workshop, and industry symbolized the prosperity of the British Empire. The pharmaceutical and rubber production centers of Jishi Company were in Manchester, and if they could grow, it would undoubtedly further enhance Britain's leading position in the industrial manufacturing sector.

Zhu Jishi was taken aback and quickly calculated in his mind—indeed, the three main businesses of Jishi Company—pharmaceuticals, rubber, and explosives—plus the Jason Central Laboratory he had founded, had the potential to grow into a world-class company in the future, and might even slow down the decline of the British Empire.

"Jason, I believe that the cause you are about to start in Hong Kong will also be a success for the British Empire, won't it?" Prince Albert looked at Zhu Jishi with a smile.

"Yes, yes, Prince Albert, I was just about to discuss this with you." Zhu Jishi stood up and sat back down, then said, "Jishi Company is currently preparing to establish a joint-stock company to engage in trade with China, the Spice Islands, the Indochinese Peninsula, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. The expected profits of this company will be very good. Would you and Her Majesty like to invest in it?"

Prince Albert and Queen Victoria looked at each other, and Prince Albert said, "Just an investment?"

"Yes, just an investment," Zhu Jishi smiled. But he thought, if you and your wife become shareholders of Jishi Company's South China Sea trade, the Western powers in the South China Sea would have to give me some respect.

"Alright," Prince Albert smiled, "How much is the total investment for the South China Sea trade company? How much capital do you plan to raise externally?"

"Currently, the South China Sea trade company plans to invest 150,000 pounds in Hong Kong and the South China Sea trade, with 90,000 pounds coming from Jishi Company and the remaining 60,000 pounds to be raised externally."

"60,000 pounds, is it?" Prince Albert smiled, "I have that much money, and I also believe in your ability. Additionally, I have just been appointed as the Chancellor of Cambridge University, so I hope Cambridge University and Hong Kong Jishi University can collaborate on education."

Is this to control Jishi University and cultivate pro-British factions? Zhu Jishi was uncertain.

"Albert knows you don't have much time to manage the school, so he wants to take the opportunity to turn your Jishi University into a joint branch of Cambridge University and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst! But the funding for the school will have to come from you," Queen Victoria interjected with a smile.

You pay the money, but you want to meddle in the school's management! Zhu Jishi thought, "The British are really good at calculating!"

"Of course, Albert's request is very reasonable," Zhu Jishi thought for a moment and agreed to the queen's request. What else could he do? Without Cambridge University and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst sending professors, where would he find so many university professors? And, apart from him, who among the 400 million Chinese had been to university, let alone manage one?

"However, the Confucian studies courses in China cannot be canceled!" Zhu Jishi then added his condition.

"Chinese learning as the foundation and Western learning for practical use" was one thing in the historical Qing Dynasty, but it was another in the Jishi Academy and Jishi University that Zhu Jishi was about to establish. The former was a given, as the foundation of the Qing Dynasty was Confucianism and the imperial examination system. In the latter, the foundation of Chinese learning was the ideology that ensured Chinese students educated by Europeans still had Chinese hearts.

A bunch of yellow-skinned, white-hearted bananas was not what Zhu Jishi wanted.

"Of course, when Jishi University officially opens, Cambridge University will also send students to study Confucianism and Eastern culture," Prince Albert nodded with a smile. Sending Cambridge University graduates to Hong Kong Jishi University to study Eastern culture was also his genuine intention. To deal with China, one must understand their culture and ideology, which was a matter of course.

"Heh heh," Zhu Jishi chuckled and thought for a moment, then looked at Prince Albert, "Albert, how many teachers do you plan to send to Hong Kong? They probably don't speak Chinese, right? I want to teach them Chinese on the ship to Hong Kong... Chinese is not easy to learn, and it becomes more difficult if you start learning it when you're older. It would be best to send some young teachers to Hong Kong."

To be honest, Zhu Jishi was a bit annoyed by the "old stubborn" types in Europe and preferred dealing with younger people.

"Of course, the teachers sent to Hong Kong will mainly be graduates of Cambridge University. I think their knowledge is sufficient to serve as professors at Jishi University," Prince Albert thought for a moment and said, "Your friend, the Duke of Marlborough's younger brother, Robert Churchill, will also go to Hong Kong to serve as an instructor. He is a... top student from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst."

The prince's cheeks turned slightly red; the fat man looked more like a "poor student." "And he is also a lieutenant colonel in the Royal Horse Guards. I think he should be suitable to serve as the dean of the military college at Jishi University, right?"

"No problem," Zhu Jishi smiled on the surface but inwardly sighed. The fat man didn't look like he could fight. His military college hadn't even opened yet, and he already had such a chubby dean. Fortunately, Will Heming seemed competent, and he must take him to Hong Kong...

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