London has many attractions, and there are many things to play.
But An Feng still encounters a lot of things that he can't understand. After buying a house and living in the south of Tower Bridge, in addition to having an invincible city view, it is also close to scenic spots, such as the Tower of London, which is the former royal palace, a very famous and classic Normandy-style building.
Joanna explained to him that the Tower of London, as a royal palace, also served as the Royal Mint, and it is more famous that it used to be a prison.
An Feng asked: "Is that the kind of cage where prisoners are held?"
Joanna nodded: "That's right, the prison, and it's a prison for serious offenders."
An Feng frowned, expressing that he could not understand the way of thinking of the Saxons, but the weirder thing was yet to come.
"For a while, it was also used as a zoo." Joanna said cautiously, staring at An Feng.
"What?" An Feng couldn't help laughing, "You're sure it's the palace, and what you want to tell me is: a zoo where a group of monkeys and orangutans gather together and squawk?"
Joanna knew it would have this effect: "Of course."
"Haha—" An Feng covered his mouth, be serious...but you can't understand the funny world.
Joanna curled her lips and said, "It's a royal zoo, and it's only for princes and nobles."
"Well, I believe this is also a kind of grandeur." An Feng nodded, "I just don't know what the princes and nobles who lived there think."
Joanna said to herself: "The Tower of London is more useful."
After the tour, the two walked slowly along the banks of the Thames. In the afternoon, the rare sun came out and bathed in bursts of warmth. When passing by a street restaurant, I decided to try oysters. Oysters, also known as raw oysters, are a great season to enjoy delicious food, especially char-grilled.
There are quite a few people in this restaurant, with a French flavor. It seems that the continental oysters are more enjoyable... But the goal of a group of foreigners is quite unified, to enjoy fresh and attractive grilled oysters. Not long after they sat down face to face, two ladies came to the next seat, speaking in authentic Chinese.
"The oysters here taste good, everyone recommends to try it, but the price is not affordable enough..."
Hearing a familiar voice, An Feng looked away from Joanna, looked at one of the two ladies, and asked hesitantly, "Zhang Li?"
The lady with tied hair and hat looked up, looked at An Feng a few times, and said pleasantly, "Oh! It's you! I didn't expect to meet you here!"
"Yeah, what a coincidence." An Feng smiled, saying that Zhang Li was his colleague when he was a hard worker in the company, and the two were simply bickering enemies.
Zhang Li was obviously very happy to meet friends in London, and kept talking: "You have changed so much! It's a pity that I didn't have time to attend your wedding last time. I have a lot of entertainment on October 1. I hate those picky holidays." A person who does great things! I heard that you have settled down in the United States? Hey, who is this?"
An Feng received a lot of questions in his head, and explained one by one: "This is my wife, Joanna. I have settled in the United States, and this time I came to London for the New Year."
"Nice to meet you, my name is Lilian." Zhang Liying greeted Joanna, "I used to work with Anne, oh, this is my friend Anne."
Joanna smiled and said, "Nice to meet you, Lilian and Annie."
When acquaintances meet each other, there are naturally many topics to talk about, so we just gather around a table to chat later. Obviously, Zhang Li is an outgoing girl who talks non-stop, even with her friends. If they are not concerned about public occasions, they will definitely become the focus of the audience. After dinner, we also went for a walk together.
An Feng said that it is right for three women to be on the same street. Joanna doesn't talk much, and her Chinese is not proficient enough to communicate quickly, but adding a sentence occasionally can bring more new topics. Listening with a smile, while the two ladies are in charge of talking.
An Feng followed and listened. Their thoughts jumped quickly and they were full of gossip. Zhang Li said: "In addition to eating, drinking and playing, I finally came to England. I must meet Miss Du and ask her to give us some advice. These ordinary people show what is the demeanor of a noble lady."
Zhang Li's words have contempt in it. An Feng was curious: "Who is Miss Du?"
Zhang Li turned around: "It's your new colleague who came here after you resigned. He kept working with famous brand bags. After working for half a year, I heard that her boyfriend's family immigrated to the UK and was awarded the title of nobleman. After that, I heard her talk about it all day long. How powerful my boyfriend is, high-class people, family glory and so on."
Annie asked: "So you specially dragged me here to travel, and gain knowledge by the way?"
Zhang Li smiled: "There is a certain element, but I can't get used to the face of a green tea bitch. I don't believe that nobles are so easy to get, but she said that she has a certificate. Who knows if the certificate is fake?"
Joanna looked at them and reminded professionally: "So far, there are only three Chinese descendants who have been knighted by the Queen."
Zhang Li turned to look at her: "Really?"
Joanna nodded: "I'm sure, and they are all non-hereditary lifelong nobles."
Zhang Li is still puzzled: "But she said she has a certificate, and she looks quite high-end. In addition, her boyfriend's family can immigrate, which means she has some money."
Joanna shook her head: "Impossible, if you are a citizen of the United Kingdom, you have a chance, but it's ridiculous to confer a seal just after immigrating there."
Zhang Li smiled: "Great! Finally we can expose her hypocrisy."
An Feng asked at this time: "I have heard before that there is an activity of buying and selling titles among the British folks. As long as you pay money, you can exchange titles."
Joanna suddenly smiled: "Do you believe it? If you buy a few inches of land for hundreds of thousands of pounds, and then the seller provides you with an unknown title, such as a baron viscount, you can really integrate into it." Those circles of nobles conferred by the queen or hereditary?"
An Feng shook his head, if it was so casual, why would Joanna lose her inheritance right?
Zhang Li suddenly realized: "Maybe she is talking about this kind of shabby title bought for hundreds of dollars! Haha, I have to ask her out and have a good talk."
At noon the next day, An Feng was sitting on a soft chair, watching some news on his tablet while bored.
The news is about some recent big and small things in London, such as what's going on at Christmas, and how many thousands of people this year's New Year's Day parade will exceed... After flipping through it, a headline caught his attention, probably saying that the Queen conferred the New Year's Day In the knighthood, there is the shadow of a financier.
A few years ago, due to the bad economic situation, people in Europe and the United States were very resentful towards financiers. The economic crisis caused them to lose their jobs, and the unemployment rate doubled. The British royal family did not consider conferring on financiers. Start rewarding contributing financiers.
Joanna got out of bed barefoot, came over and hugged his neck, and watched the content on the tablet together: "Conferring a financier? It seems that the recent economic recovery has been good."
An Feng asked: "Is there a conferment every year?"
"Of course, twice a year, once for the Queen's birthday and once for New Year's Day," Joanna said.
An Feng asked again: "Who are the people who have been awarded? I think there are both men and women here. Look at this lady, DBE? It seems to be jazz?"
Joanna glanced at it and said: "DBE is a type of Medal of the British Empire. Its rank is quite high. After being awarded, it is generally called with honorifics. The female is Dame, and the male is Sir. It is still rare for women to be awarded Yes, most of them are political figures or have influence on society."
An Feng said: "What if you also have a positive impact on society?"
Joanna said with a smile: "It's not too difficult. As a citizen and Lady, I will do some charity activities and support social welfare construction. I will get a medal in the end."
An Feng discovered the New World: "Doesn't that mean you have been re-granted the title of nobility?"
Joanna shook her head: "Sirs are not nobles."
An Feng clicked on a woman's experience: "It's okay, the level is raised step by step. Didn't you see that she also started from DBE? After mixing for a while, she was naturally nominated for Baroness, and the queen personally conferred the title Although the baroness is a lifelong nobleman, it is of great significance."
Joanna also read the experience of the baroness, and commented: "Of course, this is also a way to obtain a title, but it will require a lot of expenses."
An Feng didn't mind: "Money is not a problem, just do a few good deeds, and then give you a different title, so that everyone will use honorific names for you in the future."
Joanna smiled and kissed him: "You have so many thoughts."
An Feng continued to check other information: "It's a sense of accomplishment to upgrade you to a noblewoman, and you can continue to go up... Oh, no, the baron is the highest among the lifelong nobles. It doesn't matter, it's not bad to have one, maybe wait for the law After the reform, you can get hereditary."
Joanna thought of a point: "I've seen a Scottish baron before, and it needs a million pounds, and some trivial conditions, but it's a pity that it's male."
An Feng was overjoyed when he heard it: "I thought the royal family wouldn't get in. It turns out that if you have money, it's easy to say."
Joanna curled her lips: "It's not the first time the royal family has sold their titles. It's not allowed to do so now, but it doesn't mean it can't be done in other ways."
She added: "You also have a chance. As a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations, you are also listed."
An Feng shook his head: "I'm afraid we still have to go back to the political background? As sad as I am, at most, you can get a lifelong title with gray hair, but you are different. If it weren't for the inheritance law that discriminates against women, you would have been a countess by now. And it's hereditary, passed down from generation to generation."
Joanna has excellent conditions. First of all, she is not from an ordinary background. She has been an aristocrat for several generations. The family has made outstanding contributions in World War I and World War II. After the death of her ancestors, the Queen personally mourned her. An Feng even saw photos of her and the Queen of England in different periods , so the family background is good; secondly, the feminist movement has been frequent in recent years, the government has continued to stimulate the economy, the society needs outstanding people, and capable women have begun to emerge.
The last point is on An Feng: money.
Money can do a lot of outstanding things. After Joanna made enough contributions to society, she was nominated to the queen. The queen took a look: Hey, didn't you see this little girl before? The first impression is fine, and with emotional points, other procedures will be easy. In the end, of course, the sword patted the shoulder, with the title in hand.
Although it has no real power, it sounds and feels completely different.
An Feng YYed a bit, the sense of accomplishment of the baroness cultivation plan is incomparable, and it can also fill the emptiness that he has money and no place to spend after he has developed.