Chapter 1222 Ask Crawford for Help

The next day, Shi Lei went to visit Duke Scola, but even the old duke knew that Shi Lei's real purpose was obviously his son, Crawford, the current leader of the Labour Party.

Shi Lei did not hide his intentions. When chatting with Duke Scola, he made it clear that he wanted to meet Crawford and there were some things he needed to discuss.

Although Jenny knew that Shi Lei had no intention of her in that regard, she was still willing to be a good friend with Shi Lei. She immediately contacted her father. Crawford was very busy, but after hearing that Shi Lei was here, and Jenny's constant pleading, he finally agreed to finish today's affairs as soon as possible and come back for dinner.

In fact, Crawford himself also had a good impression of Shi Lei. After all, there were not many people who could talk to him about calligraphy and painting, especially after he took the position of leader of the Labour Party, there were even fewer people who could chat with him on an equal footing.

Now, almost everyone regards him as a very strong contender for the next British Prime Minister. In fact, since there will be a general election next year, even if Crawford cannot reach the top of the British political arena this time, he can at least get a position as an important minister, and his hope is still great in the next general election. After all, Crawford is much younger than the current British Prime Minister.

After chatting with Duke Scola for a while, the old duke was a little tired and went upstairs to rest.

Shi Lei sat in the courtyard of the castle, basking in the sun, and waiting for Crawford's return very calmly.

After the meeting, Shi Lei first explained his purpose, saying that Song Ziyan had a very good relationship with him. He also knew that Song Ziyan had a good personal relationship with Crawford, so he hoped that he could show this relationship in some public occasions. Especially in front of the Chinese people, this would help Song Ziyan return to politics.

Crawford smiled and said, "Mr. Shi, my personal relationship with Song is only at the level of calligraphy and painting. You are forcibly elevating our personal relationship to the work level. This is destroying our friendship."

Shi Lei also smiled and said, "Mr. Scola, since you have a good personal relationship, I believe you also know that Uncle Song did not want to retire at the height of his career. He still hopes to stay in his job and shine. Of course, perhaps your contact will not involve these contents, but as a senior politician, I believe you should understand this better than anyone else. I think you will not watch your old friend depressed, right? This is just a piece of cake for you."

Crawford nodded, but did not speak. Instead, he looked at Shi Lei, as if waiting for Shi Lei to give him a stronger reason.

Shi Lei thought for a moment and said, "Also, although you have become the leader of the Labour Party and a hot candidate for next year's prime minister election, you lack some experience in high-ranking positions in British politics. In recent years, most prime ministers have become important ministers first and then ascended to the position of prime minister. Your relationship with the royal family may even become an obstacle for you in this regard. However, if your presence can further strengthen the diplomatic relations between China and Britain, I believe this will be of great help to your success in the election. On the surface, Britain and China do not have any conflicts, but in reality, In recent decades, there have been some minor problems. This has caused a gap between the two sides. And you and Uncle Song are the best candidates to solve this gap. As China is currently the second largest economy in the world, I think the priority sequence in your country's diplomatic strategy should be greatly improved. Why not do it? "

Crawford laughed, patted Shi Lei on the shoulder, and said: "Mr. Shi is indeed a qualified lobbyist. Okay, I promise you, I will consider this matter carefully."

Shi Lei knew that it was impossible to get a satisfactory answer from someone like Crawford immediately. Politicians always have to be vague and can't say too much.

If he can promise to consider this matter, it means that he will really consider it and will try his best to promote it.

However, this involves two countries after all, and he must consider more for Britain, and in the process of operating this matter, he will encounter various troubles.

"Thank you, Mr. Scola."

"Okay, let's put work aside. To be honest, I haven't had time to come back for dinner for a long time. Mr. Shi, please have a couple more drinks with me, and we'll have a good chat after dinner."

Shi Lei understood that Crawford wanted to talk to him about calligraphy and painting. He smiled and took out his mobile phone.

"Before dinner, I'll show you something, Mr. Scola."

After that, he opened the album and put the photos of the manuscripts of twelve masters taken on his mobile phone in front of Crawford.

Crawford took a quick look and saw that the photo was just four simple words, and it seemed to be written on a piece of paper with more wrinkles. He couldn't help but feel a little strange.

Shi Lei said: "This set of calligraphy is the manuscripts of twelve masters, without signatures. There are a total of thirty-six pieces, and each master has three pieces. Mr. Scola might as well appreciate it slowly and see if he can recognize the handwriting of several masters."

Hearing this, Crawford became a little more serious and began to study the photo in detail along the brushstrokes.

After reading it, he flipped through the pages again.

After reading three pages in a row, he said a name uncertainly, and then looked at Shi Lei with an inquiring look.

Shi Lei smiled and nodded, saying, "Mr. Scola has a good eye. Let me forward these 36 pictures to you. Let's have dinner first, and you can enjoy them slowly after dinner."

Crawford returned the phone to Shi Lei unwillingly and asked, "Are the remaining eleven masters as famous as this one?"

Shi Lei nodded.

After dinner, Crawford impatiently pulled Shi Lei into the study. After each of them poured a glass of wine, Crawford uploaded the pictures that Shi Lei sent him to the computer, and then used the computer's large screen to display these manuscripts.

In the end, Crawford recognized more than half of the twelve masters, a total of seven, and Shi Lei also explained the remaining five to him in detail, and searched for the works of those five on the Internet, and compared them with these manuscripts, and finally convinced Crawford completely.

"Is this Mr. Shi's latest collection?"

Shi Lei nodded and said, "It was an accidental acquisition. Although there is no signature, there is a lot of evidence to prove that it is the work of twelve famous artists."

Crawford said with a little regret, "What a pity. If I could see the original..."

Shi Lei smiled and said, "This requires Mr. Scola to do my uncle Song a small favor. As long as Uncle Song can return to the Chinese political arena, you can start a foreign visit to China, which will also be of great benefit to promoting your future election. At the same time, when you go to China, I will of course give you these works. The original is for you to appreciate. "

Crawford was stunned, then burst into laughter, pointed at Shi Lei, shook his head and said: "Mr. Shi, you really can't forget this matter. However, it is difficult to impress me with just the manuscripts of these twelve masters."

"I have other collections, which can be opened to Mr. Scola unconditionally at that time."

"Including the early practice of Wu Daozi's Five Stars and Twenty-Eight Mansions?"

Shi Lei nodded and said: "Of course."

Crawford lowered his head and fell into deep thought, and stopped talking, but Shi Lei could see that this temptation would have a great impact on Crawford.

In addition to his previous promise, Shi Lei believed that he should try his best to help.

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