I was the Founding Father of the United States

Chapter 93 Lord Chen

9:20 a.m.

North bank of the Thames, Palace of Westminster, Queen's Room (House of Lords).

Led by a young clerk wearing a wig, Chen Wenbin, Franklin, and the legal team including John Adams and David Jones entered the lower-ranking seats in the hall and took their seats.

Seated on the stage were more than a dozen members of the House of Lords and members of the Privy Council who were whispering among themselves, including Whig leader William Pitt, Chief Justice Lord Mansfield, Bishop Thomas Seck of Cumberland, Edward, Duke of York, brother of George III, as well as some senior members of Parliament and Fellows of the Royal Society.

Chen Wenbin recognized three of them: Francis Russell, the heir to the Duke of Bedford (Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire), who had come to join the fun; Colbrook, the expressionless big boss of the East India Company; and John Hadley, a Cambridge University chemist who was smiling at Chen Wenbin.

The latter was an old friend of Franklin and a Fellow of the Royal Society. Although he was only 33 years old, his health had always been poor. When Chen Wenbin found out, he arranged for him to stay in the VIP ward of the Robin Hospital in London.

These are the people attending the patent examination and inquiry for the Jenna spinning machine and Diana sewing machine today. Chen Wenbin had already rehearsed this, and knowing that today was just a formality, he was not flustered at all.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Lord Mansfield, who was presiding over the inquiry, struck his gavel a few times. Once the hall had quieted down, he nodded to Chen Wenbin and said:

"...Dr. Robin Chen, you may now make your statement."

"Yes, Your Honor!"

Chen Wenbin first stood up and bowed slightly to the audience on stage, showing proper etiquette, before picking up the carefully revised statement prepared by his legal team and reading it aloud in his London accent.

The content mainly described the technical details, application scenarios, and market potential of the two inventions, and it was all presented in just ten minutes... Anyway, these gentlemen already knew what they wanted to know, so there was no need for him to waste everyone's time here.

After he finished reading, he put down his manuscript and said to the lord, "Your Honor, I have finished my statement!"

"Please have a seat!"

The elderly lord seemed to understand Chen Wenbin's meaning, gave him a barely perceptible smile, and continued with the proceedings, asking the Privy Council members and members of parliament in attendance, "The patent applicant has finished his presentation. Do any of you have any objections?"

There was naturally no objection.

Then came the questioning session. Lord Mansfield first asked whether the patent rights were counterfeit or copied from others, to which Chen Wenbin naturally denied it with righteous indignation.

Then Edward, the Duke of York, who was only twenty-four years old, asked a few questions about the sewing machine with great interest, and Chen Wenbin answered the questions he could.

Then several people took turns asking questions, which Chen Wenbin answered one by one. Then Lord Franklin was asked to act as a witness to vouch for him. The process quickly reached the final oath and verdict stage.

Chen Wenbin first swore to God that both inventions were his first inventions... Finally, the Privy Council members and members of parliament present made a ruling on the patent rights.

The result was, of course, unsurprising. Everyone raised their hands in agreement, and Lord Mansfield declared in court that Chen Wenbin's two inventions met the requirements of the Monopoly Act. The Privy Council would submit them to the King for a patent license, which would be valid for 14 years from the date of issuance.

Once King George III stamps and signs the document, Chen Wenbin will have achieved one of the main objectives of his trip to Britain.

After bidding farewell and leaving the Queen's Hall, a relaxed Chen Wenbin took Diana's hand and was about to return with everyone to celebrate when a voice called out to him from the back of the corridor.

"...Dr. Robin! Dr. Robin! Please wait!"

Chen Wenbin felt the voice sounded familiar, so he stopped and turned around. It turned out to be the old man in the tuxedo, Colbrook, and his confidant, Warren Hastings, who had followed him out. It was the latter who had called him earlier.

Chen Wenbin learned from Henry Coates that it was Hastings who had given Colbrook the bad idea, so he felt disgusted, but he still had to save face and nodded to them.

"Sir! Mr. Hastings, is there something you need?"

Colebrook glanced at Chen Wenbin and Diana, who was holding his arm, as well as Franklin and the legal team around them, and shook his head slightly. "Robin, can I speak with you alone?"

"sure!"

Although reluctant, Chen Wenbin nodded and said, "Sir, please take my carriage to my new home! I happen to have something I'd like to discuss with you!"

"Is this your Pacific Trading Company?" Colbrook asked.

Chen Wenbin said, "Not entirely. I also want to sign a long-term supply contract with the East India Company, as the raw materials from Mafi are very suitable for cultivation in India."

"...Maffei!"

Colbrook's eyes flashed, and he slowly nodded: "Alright! We need to have a serious talk!"

……

Four days later, on Friday, January 5th.

Chen Wenbin, dressed in formal court attire, arrived at St. James's Palace by carriage with Diana.

Today is the day that George III issued him the patent certificate, and also the day he was officially created a baron of Great Britain.

Because the title of baron is not a noble title, the investiture ceremony is very simple. Without any onlookers, one does not even need to kneel before the king. One only needs to bow when the king reads the investiture certificate. Of course, Chen Wenbin would rather not kneel than kneel, and he decisively chose not to make the investiture public.

Guided by Count Butt, Chen Wenbin and Diana arrived at the investiture hall. Not long after, George III, dressed in formal attire, walked over, surrounded by two court attendants, one of whom was carrying several documents protected by leather.

Upon seeing Chen Wenbin, King George III picked up the top document from the attendant's hand, unfolded it, and read aloud:

"...Robin Chen, in the name of God, I, King George III of Great Britain and Ireland, now grant you the title of baron!"

May you uphold justice and kindness, and be worthy of this honor!

Following protocol, Chen Wenbin did not kneel, but simply stepped forward, bowed his head, and said, "I will defend our honor with all my might!"

After he finished speaking, George III closed the certificate, smiled, and tucked it into his arms, then asked with curiosity:

"...Alright! Sir Chen! We can sit down and talk about your new invention! Can your Robin Battery really bring corpses back to life?"

"Oh! Diana! Please sit down too! Sophie is at Buckingham Palace; she didn't come today."

Chen Wenbin casually handed the certificate of investiture to Diana, shook his head and laughed, "I'm just a doctor, I don't have the ability to bring the dead back to life!"

I suspect the Robin Battery can make a corpse move by interfering with the body's motor functions, thus temporarily restoring some muscle vitality... If this hypothesis is correct, then the energy that powers us to live must also be a form of electricity, but I still don't know exactly how it works!