Lu Zhengxiang's eyes brightened after hearing Yan Huiqing's introduction. Yan Huiqing struck while the iron was hot, saying, "Brother Lu, although it is a regulation that current officials cannot have religious beliefs, there are many positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs outside of formal officials that are not within this scope. Our ideal back then was to make China rich and its army strong. We wasted twenty or thirty years before; now is officially the time for us to display our talents. With Brother Lu's talent, why take this to heart?"

Hearing Yan Huiqing's persuasion, Lu Zhengxiang was stunned. He was really not disheartened because of this religious issue.

Before Lu Zhengxiang could answer, Tang Shaoyi beside him also persuaded, "Brother Lu, if you care about the Paris Peace Conference and the Twenty-One Demands back then, I think there is no need. Everyone knows the situation back then very well, and Chairman He understands it even more. Besides, which one of us sitting here hasn't been scolded? Why can't you let it go?"

Lu Zhengxiang knew his old friends were persuading him sincerely, so he could only say again, "Brothers, this matter is because I promised my late wife that I would definitely send her back to her hometown for burial. As for going to the monastery, it is also to accompany my late wife, recover my mood, and give her and myself an explanation..."

Hearing this, Tang Shaoyi disregarded everything else and said directly, "Since that's the case, why doesn't Brother Lu study the local situation in Belgium more? When you come back, we can also have a profound understanding of Belgium. Although Belgium is a small country, its geographical location is very critical. If there is a next war, Belgium will inevitably be very important. What does Brother Lu think?"

Lu Zhengxiang felt helpless yet somewhat grateful. His old friends valued him so much and insisted on giving him a chance to stay in the diplomatic circle; this intention was very sincere. Lu Zhengxiang sighed, "If Brother Tang wants to understand Belgium, I will write letters to Brother Tang."

Yan Huiqing answered immediately, "Why only write to Brother Tang? We will hire Brother Lu as a consultant. Write a report every month, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will naturally pay Brother Lu a consultant's salary."

"Sigh..." Lu Zhengxiang sighed and could only stand up and cup his hands to everyone. "Since you gentlemen insist, I can only respectfully obey."

Feeling he had kept Lu Zhengxiang, Yan Huiqing went to see He Rui. Going to see He Rui naturally had nothing to do with Lu Zhengxiang; rather, Yan Huiqing had prepared a series of diplomatic actions against Japan and also planned to go to Shanghai. He had to communicate and confirm with He Rui before this trip.

When Yan Huiqing entered He Rui's office, he saw Parliament Speaker Duan Qirui was in He Rui's office. Seeing Yan Huiqing come in, He Rui laughed, "Minister Yan, Speaker Duan has been waiting for you for a long time. Come, come, there are some things you simply must help Speaker Duan handle."

Duan Qirui had also stood up. After shaking hands with Yan Huiqing, Duan Qirui said, "Minister Yan, some members of parliament probably read British and French newspapers and finally learned about the Chinese Exclusion Act. They insist on lodging a strong protest against the United States and feel that the content of the 'Special Tariff Act on US' is not satisfying enough, wanting to give the US something harsh. I actually don't understand diplomatic matters either, and being just a Speaker, I must ask Minister Yan to help me understand."

Yan Huiqing's emotions were a bit complicated. Generally speaking, he didn't want to get entangled in professional diplomatic issues with the old Beiyang clique and local assemblymen. For the 20 years from the late Qing to He Rui's administration, Yan Huiqing despised the ability of this group of people quite a bit. After He Rui came to power, the level of this group didn't improve, but their temper towards the outside world grew a lot. Especially after the end of the Sino-British War, these assemblymen were excessively tough towards the outside world. If the current parliament weren't truly controlled by the He Rui government, heaven knows what they would come up with.

However, seeing that He Rui obviously still wanted to show respect for the current parliament, Yan Huiqing answered, "I wonder how I can resolve doubts for Speaker Duan and the parliament?"

"Currently, some people in parliament demand the US Congress explain the 'Chinese Exclusion Act', and some want the US government to explain the 'Chinese Exclusion Act'. They say that if the US Congress and government do not explain, they will add content to the 'Special Tariff Act on US'. Although I don't understand diplomacy, I also feel something is wrong with doing this. I would like to ask Minister Yan to give me some advice."

Yan Huiqing originally wanted to explain from the standpoint of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but on second thought, he changed his wording, "Parliament is inherently an organ of state power; members of parliament can say whatever they want. This is inherently the power of parliament members; how can our Ministry of Foreign Affairs interfere?"

These words made Duan Qirui somewhat uncomfortable. Duan Qirui had been the Chief Executive; previously, parliament and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had to conform to the Chief Executive's ideas. Now Yan Huiqing speaking like this made Duan Qirui feel a bit like he was making things difficult. But on second thought, Duan Qirui replied, "Minister Yan, I also think the parliament members are completely right to be angry about the 'Chinese Exclusion Act', but these members always need to consider priorities. What is the most important thing right now?"

Yan Huiqing agreed with Duan Qirui's view very much, but as Foreign Minister, Yan Huiqing certainly couldn't give orders to the Speaker of Parliament, so he answered, "As long as the 'Special Tariff Act on US' can be passed in the quickest time, the government can immediately begin to implement tariff requirements according to this act, and the United States will suffer a head-on blow. As representatives of public opinion, if the parliament members fail to get a satisfactory response from the US side, they can add more content to the act later."

Now Duan Qirui understood. What He Rui wanted now was to launch a further blow against the United States immediately. This matter would have immediate effects and would also give parliament members ample space to display themselves, that is, space for grandstanding. Duan Qirui laughed, "I am just a Speaker; whether it passes or not depends on the members' proposals."

Since everyone was speaking in official jargon, Yan Huiqing knew this better than Duan Qirui. Moreover, Duan Qirui's words already hinted that he would definitely complete the passage of the act. Yan Huiqing immediately engaged in a round of mutual commercial praise with Duan Qirui.

Having gained both face and substance, Duan Qirui asked He Rui, "Chairman, Brother Zhang's birthday is approaching. Once this matter ends, I will set off..."

"I will go with Speaker Duan," He Rui answered.

Yan Huiqing knew immediately upon hearing this that they were going to celebrate Zhang Xiluan's birthday, and he couldn't help feeling somewhat emotional. Before Zhang Xiluan yielded power, although he couldn't be described as good for nothing, he could only be said to be an old man with a little reputation. After yielding power, his reputation became prominent, and he became the banner of the old Beiyang lineage. When He Rui wanted to release goodwill to the old Beiyang clique, he went to visit Zhang Xiluan. Fate is truly unpredictable.

However, Zhang Xiluan didn't grasp for power or speak out. Even if he came out to do something, it was all for the brothers of the old Beiyang clique. This self-restraint was indeed not something ordinary people could achieve.

After Duan Qirui left, Yan Huiqing presented several documents to He Rui. The first was He Rui's congratulatory telegram to the government of the Japanese Republic. The main theme was 'surprise', phrases like 'shocked to hear the Japanese people made a choice for their future', 'cannot help sighing', 'the Japanese Republic will surely have a bright future'. Of course, the core was one sentence: 'The Republic of China recognizes the government of the Japanese Republic and prepares to establish formal diplomatic relations with the Japanese Republic.'

Articles under heaven are one big copy. The overall wording was exactly the same in meaning, if not identical in words, to the statement by the Soviet government when it was the first to recognize the He Rui government.

The second document was about sending a negotiation delegation to the Japanese Republic to negotiate the establishment of formal diplomatic relations.

The third document was an invitation from the Chinese Go Association for personnel from the Japanese Go circle to visit China.

He Rui was very satisfied after reading them. "Do this for now. Economic and trade cooperation can proceed, but it must never be made public. In addition, regarding Japan's territorial issues, we must leave space. Japan's revolution this time is not submission to China, but a Color Revolution."

Having said the four words 'Color Revolution', He Rui felt Yan Huiqing wouldn't understand, so he spoke more bluntly, "This Japanese revolution happened because Japanese revolutionaries believe China has grasped the truth, or at least grasped a line of thinking closer to the truth than Japan, walking ahead of Japan. Therefore, we must absolutely not demean Japan's national self-esteem. I wonder if Minister Yan can understand?"

After speaking, He Rui looked at Yan Huiqing, only to see Yan Huiqing stunned for a moment, and then his eyes suddenly turned red.

A 50-year-old man was actually about to cry. While sighing with emotion, He Rui could also understand. From 1840 to 1927, almost 90 years, China's confidence as the Celestial Empire had been struck again and again, shaken again and again, almost completely destroyed. Recovering somewhat at this time, it was not strange for Yan Huiqing to be so emotional.

Yan Huiqing took out a handkerchief and wiped the corners of his eyes. After calming his emotions, he sighed, "Chairman He, if you had sat in today's position in 1915... that would have been good."

"If I had entered the central government at that time, I'm afraid the grass on my grave would be as tall as a person by now." He Rui laughed, "In the Beiyang central government, I would certainly have been powerless. So I am very grateful to Chief Duan and Lord Zhang."

Hearing this, Yan Huiqing knew he couldn't control his emotions and had said some useless words, so he immediately gathered his mood. "I wonder what we should pay attention to regarding the Chairman's instruction not to demean Japan's national self-esteem?"

"Don't talk about the past; only talk about the present and the future!" He Rui answered word by word.

Yan Huiqing understood quickly after hearing this. China and Japan had been neighbors for thousands of years with similar cultures. As long as Japan didn't distort history, there was nothing to talk about. This was also why Yan Huiqing chose 'Go' as the first stop for friendly exchanges between the two sides. Go originated in China and is also a representative recreational activity of spiritual sentiment very important in both Chinese and Japanese cultures.

Since China and Japan wanted to solve current problems and face the future, there was indeed no need to dwell on the past.

"In addition, I emphasize again, do not talk about borders and territory now; I have my own arrangements," He Rui emphasized again.

"I wonder if the Chairman can reveal a little?" Yan Huiqing also knew this issue couldn't be bypassed, so naturally, he wanted to know He Rui's plan very much.

"Now the riots in Korea have expanded a lot because of the Japanese revolution issue. Moreover, since the Sino-Japanese War, Korean restorationists have wanted to use China's power to restore their country very much. Therefore, I plan to resolve issues like Korea, Taiwan, and Ryukyu along with economic issues in one go. So touching upon this matter at this stage, firstly, the time is not right, and secondly, there is not a solid enough foundation. If we touch upon these issues now, how do you think the Japanese side will view it?"

Yan Huiqing nodded. He wanted to solve these problems immediately, but Yan Huiqing believed that with his ability and ideas, he really couldn't solve them.