I was the Founding Father of the United States

Chapter 70 The Young King

"...Benjamin, do I need to remind you? Who said you can't ride in the king's carriage to see the king?"

Chen Wenbin asked curiously, "I really don't understand, how can a scholar from a North American colony care more about this than the British aristocracy?"

Franklin shrugged and said, "After all, I am a Fellow of the Royal Society! His Majesty the King is the Society's largest financial backer, so I must maintain the proper respect for His Majesty!"

Chen Wenbin remained noncommittal. As the successor of the Republic, he couldn't quite understand the complex feelings of the British and North Americans towards the King.

The last person who wanted to be emperor ruined the great historical position of the end of the imperial system and the first supreme leader, and became a usurper.

He felt nothing for the so-called king or emperor...

Upon seeing the three alight from the carriage, a middle-aged court butler dressed in a white shirt, tailcoat, and wig approached, his right hand behind his back, and bowed slightly to them, saying, "...Dr. Robin, Mr. Franklin, and Miss Spencer, is that right? The Lord asked me to wait for you. Please follow me."

The three looked at each other and followed the butler into St. James's Palace.

After passing through a long corridor, the group arrived at a large hall. The decorations inside were not luxurious; they were simply decorated with mirrors and candlesticks to make the room brighter.

The middle-aged palace steward gestured to the high-backed chairs on either side of the throne and said to the three, "Please sit here and wait a moment while I inform His Majesty the King and Princess Charlotte!"

With that, he left through the side passage.

For some reason, Chen Wenbin felt that the place was a bit eerie. He subconsciously grabbed Diana's hand to reassure her.

As for Franklin, he seemed to be here for the first time as well, looking around with curiosity in his eyes.

They didn't have to wait long, only about three minutes. A young man in his mid-twenties, dressed in French aristocratic attire (a Rococo-style embroidered long coat, waistcoat, and breeches, paired with a silver-white wig and white lace stockings), and a young noblewoman in her early twenties carrying a baby hurried into the hall. Count Butt followed behind them with a helpless expression.

Upon seeing Chen Wenbin, the young nobleman's eyes lit up, and he stepped forward excitedly, exclaiming, "...Ah! I think you must be Dr. Robin Chen! You really are from the East, and you're so tall and handsome!"

Hello! I am George William Frederick Hanover. You can call me George, or William, I prefer the latter!

Is this... the King of England?

Chen Wenbin was a little taken aback by his enthusiasm... He subconsciously sniffed, and thankfully it was only the smell of perfume, not garlic.

Count Butt quickly coughed and stepped forward to introduce them: "Your Majesty, this is Dr. Robin Chen, a member of the Rhode Island Colony Council and the one who discovered allicin. This is Miss Diana Spencer, and this is Mr. Benjamin Franklin, a Fellow of the Royal Society."

Chen Wenbin immediately bowed in accordance with etiquette, addressing the king as "Your Majesty." Diana and Franklin also performed a bow and a skirt-lifting gesture, respectively.

Unless it's a particularly formal occasion, such as the investiture of nobles or the coronation of a king, the British do not need to kneel before the king, and the same is true even in France, where the monarchy is at its peak.

Even when being conferred a title, kneeling before the king was merely a symbolic gesture, with the knees resting on a low chair... Chen Wenbin had specifically inquired about this, as he had no intention of kowtowing to anyone else.

Seeing this, George III waved his hand somewhat disappointedly. "Robin! I told you, just call me William... You're the doctor who saved little Fred, don't you want to be my friend?"

Become friends with the king?

Chen Wenbin glanced at the helpless Earl Butt beside him and Queen Charlotte, who was holding her child and looking grateful, and then he realized that this guy... seemed to really want to be his friend.

Since that's the case, what else is there to say? He doesn't want to be cautious and tense in front of others... Since he initially escaped the survival crisis, he usually does whatever he wants to relax.

"Alright, William!"

Chen Wenbin shrugged and chuckled easily, "I don't think anyone would refuse to be friends with a king!"

This time it was George III's turn to be stunned. Then he came to his senses, slapped Chen Wenbin's arm twice, and laughed loudly: "...Haha! That's right! Robin, you really surprised me!"

"God! I'm so fed up with all those boring and tedious formalities!"

Count Butt was clearly used to the king's outrageous remarks, so he pretended not to hear them and continued to introduce Queen Charlotte to Chen Wenbin.

This time, after Chen Wenbin performed the hand-kissing ceremony, he looked at the baby in her arms and asked directly, "Is this Prince Frederick?"

"Yes! Dr. Robin! You can just call me by my first name, Sophie!"

Queen Charlotte said gratefully, "Little Fred's diarrhea terrified me at the time. Without your allicin, William and I might have lost him!"

"God is protecting the prince!"

Chen Wenbin first feigned a pious demeanor, then frankly stated, "Of course, I don't deny that discovering allicin is one of my proudest achievements!"

This candid and unpretentious attitude naturally attracted attention, but they all felt it was only natural. Chen Wenbin, who discovered allicin, was destined to be recorded in history and become a great doctor who would be praised forever. If it were them, they would certainly be even more proud.

"That's right! That's right!"

King George III nodded repeatedly, exclaiming, "You know what? Robin, a few days ago George... oh, I mean, Prime Minister Grenville!"

He reported to me that since the method of extracting allicin became popular, at least 1,500 patients with dysentery and whooping cough throughout the UK have been saved as a result!

Alas! The only problem is that garlic has a low allicin content; less than 50 milligrams of allicin can be extracted from one pound of fresh garlic, and allicin is difficult to preserve for long periods, making it unaffordable for many poor people!

Unexpectedly, this young king is quite concerned about the people's suffering... This is quite unlike the usual style of Great Britain!

Since he was so concerned, Chen Wenbin simply went along with it and said, "I've also been considering how to increase the extraction rate of allicin. I think the actual content of allicin is about one-thousandth, and there is still room for improvement in the current extraction method."

"Robin! You mean it? It really can increase the extraction rate?" King George III exclaimed in surprise.

Chen Wenbin nodded. "It should be possible, but I can't guarantee it. It requires many sophisticated instruments and more specialized scientists... It's difficult for me alone to continue this work!"

"That's not a problem!"

King George III immediately said, "Robin, I support your research! I will write to the Royal Society today and ask them to elect you as a Fellow immediately so that we can work together to increase the production of allicin..."

"cough!"

Seeing that his words were becoming increasingly outrageous, Count Butt, standing nearby, had to cough and remind him, "Your Majesty! You are the King and should not interfere in the selection of new members of the Royal Society... That is the work of scholars!"