Chapter 472: An attempted drugging
It was the last day of the forum and Jun Muyang could personally not wait for its closure so that he could return to things that made him happier. It had been three days of dealing with egos that needed stroking and he was exhausted. No matter how many times the prime minister told him to smile, the frown on his face would not fade. It was as if someone had manufactured a frowning face stamp and used it on him. Thankfully, they were down to the last few minutes and the emperor was here personally to give concluding remarks and invite the dignitaries to the Palace for a royal banquet.
The press was extremely active today because of the emperor’s presence and everywhere one turned the glare of a camera or flash could not be escaped which further stirred up the irritation he was feeling like salt on a flesh wound. He did his best to avoid them, even lifting a piece of paper and covering the side of his face briefly.
The emperor suddenly said, "I would like to thank all the thirty and below young men and women who are here today. The youth are the future of our empires and kingdoms so it fills my heart with joy to see them participating in events like this. Listening to their opinions is like being given a guiding map to what steps we should take to build a better world for our descendants. I want to especially thank Mr. Jun Muyang..."
Muyang raised his head and the paper he was using to hide his face came down. He forced himself to smile and appear appreciative of this sudden attention that the emperor had directed his way. His lips were trembling slightly as he struggled to keep the smile up and the few individuals here that knew him well enough smiled or covered their lips and laughed silently.
Because the forum was covered live, the NBTV showed every session for the entire three days, all the other programs with the exception of the news were cancelled. The old master paid a lot of attention to this conference and this is how he was able to see his grandson in such a condition. He laughed and called his wife to come and take a look.
Three minutes later the forum was closed officially, the emperor was escorted out in the midst of heavy security and Muyang was relieved.
"Are you coming for the banquet?" The prime minister who was closest to him touched his shoulder as they walked out.
"No." Muyang shook his head. "I am going home to play a game of pass the ball with my children. Then we will build some blocks, go swimming and eat a home cooked meal before calling my wife for a very long video chat. I don’t care what media says, the forum has not ended on a positive note. We could not even agree on one trans Asian speed train. The Europeans have one and it has doubled their rate of development, why aren’t we doing the same thing?"