In Guangzhou in September of the Gregorian calendar, the sun is still extremely hot. The streets of Guangzhou are even more bustling and prosperous. The people of the Ming Kingdom wear a variety of clothes - some are Ming Dynasty style, some are Qing Dynasty gowns and mandarin jackets,

There are also Western-style dresses and hats, rubbing shoulders on the street

The Ming Dynasty only cares about men's braids and women's feet, and does not care about the clothes worn by the people. For ordinary people these days, clothes are a fortune. Zhu Jishi wants to force people to change their long robes and mandarin jackets.

Wearing any kind of Hanfu will inevitably cause resentment among the people.

However, the braids on the back of men’s heads still need to be managed. It’s not that they can’t be kept. They have to pay a tax! The braid tax, which has never been heard of since ancient times, was finally born in the Ming Dynasty under the rule of King Zhu Da. This braid tax is actually not high.

Men with pigtails must pay a tax of one silver dollar to pass through checkpoints and city gates! Well, isn’t it heavy? It’s really not heavy, because no ordinary people are willing to pay a tax of one silver dollar.

Those who paid taxes with their pigtails had already cut off their hair to show their allegiance to the Ming Dynasty. Most of the scholar-bureaucrats who were loyal to the Qing Dynasty had their wealth stripped off and fled to the north. Those who still wear their pigtails are wandering around the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

They were merchants engaged in "Ming and Qing trade". Without this braid, they would have been in trouble in the Qing Dynasty, so they were willing to pay taxes. Anyway, they didn't care about this little silver dollar.

The other thing is a woman’s small feet. This matter is more troublesome. Several edicts have been issued to encourage foot relaxation, but the aesthetic values ​​developed over hundreds of years cannot be changed with just a few edicts, and it is not easy to use force.

, there is no way to use force. You can't send Jin Yiwei to rush to someone's house to see if their daughter's feet are bound.

? So we have to rely on publicity to slowly change people's thinking. The change in aesthetics, of course, started with the royal family and the nobility. All daughters of the Zhu Ming royal family and aristocratic families are not allowed to bind their feet - the reason is very simple, because aristocratic women will be

Candidates for the prince's marriage will be disqualified from marrying the prince as long as their feet are bound!

At the same time, all the maids and ladies of Zhu Ming’s royal family did not choose women with bound feet. Zhu Ming’s court did not use eunuchs, but men could not be allowed to enter and leave the harem at will, right? This matter is nothing in the West, but it is important in China

Being gossiped about. So

The palace can only use maids and officials to serve the concubines. There is also a female battalion in the Jinyi Guards. Most of them are Hakka girls aged 16 or 17, wearing bright red flying fish uniforms, walking around in the palace of the Ming Dynasty.

Patrolling, it’s quite eye-catching to look at.

Oh, by the way, there are more than a hundred little Japanese lolita in kimonos in the Ming Palace. Some of them are maids brought by Tokugawa Akiko from Japan; some are the daughters or younger sisters of Zhu Jishi's Japanese retainers, and the daughters of retainers.

It is a Japanese tradition to serve as the lord's maid. Moreover, the Japanese do not have any concept of chastity. Girls from low-level samurai families do not have any responsibility even if their lord sleeps with them, unless they are pregnant with a child.

Two Ming Dynasty courtiers wearing red official robes hurriedly walked into the palace gate. They were led by the chief minister of the cabinet, Zuo Zongtang, the prime minister, and Luo Zenan, the military adviser. Several Japanese lolita who were sweeping the palace courtyard looked at them deeply.

Bow, the attitude is extremely gentle. Zuo Zongtang's family is virtuous

His wife, of course, didn’t even look at them, but Luo Zenan couldn’t help but take a few more glances. A few days ago, King Zhu had already given two little Japanese lolita to him as concubines, and they were both perfect without sex, and now they

I saw a few stunning beauties who seemed to be new here, but I was too embarrassed to ask for them again...

"Brother Luo Shan, come this way." Zuo Zongtang pulled Luo Zenan's sleeve and pointed in the direction of the palace. Luo Zenan smiled awkwardly, shook his head and strode forward.

He and Zuo Zongtang came to the palace to discuss important matters with Zhu Jishi, not to look at women.

"Your Majesty, do you have something important to do when you urgently invite me to the palace?" Zuo Zongtang and Luo Zenan walked into the side hall and saw Zhu Jishi, Mrs. Du Lan, and Luo Xiangju sitting around a small round Western-style table.

Chat and have afternoon tea.

"Please sit down." Zhu Jishi asked the serving maid to bring two Western-style armchairs and let Zuo Zongtang and Luo Zenan sit down. Then he picked up a letter written in French from the small round table, waved it, and said with a smile: "

Maria Clementina’s letter: In February this year, a riot occurred in France. On February 24, French King Louis Philippe announced his abdication, the Orleans Dynasty collapsed, and now France has become a republic again!”

**? The fall of the Orleans Dynasty...Does this have something to do with the Ming Dynasty? Zuo Zongtang and Luo Zenan looked at each other, both with blank faces. Although France has a good relationship with the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the Manchu Qing Dynasty did not rely on the support of France to exist.

Until now, right? And now it is mainly Britain, not France, that is blocking Zhu Ming's Northern Expedition? If an uprising occurs in Britain, it may be more beneficial to Ming Dynasty, right?

Zhu Jishi looked at Zuo Zongtang and Luo Zenan quietly. Seeing that they both looked confused, he sighed slightly in his heart. No matter how enlightened the Chinese gentry are in this era, they still don't care much about foreign affairs, let alone

Consider the impact of international changes on China's internal affairs.

"The French revolution is the beginning of a series of revolutions in Europe!" Zhu Jishi said calmly, "The revolutionaries in various European countries have always been connected in series, and they will imitate each other. Now that the Orleans Dynasty has fallen, it will definitely inspire Britain and

Champion of the German Confederation."

"Your Majesty, what do you mean...there will be rebellion in Britain?" Zuo Zongtang showed an expression of interest on his face. If chaos breaks out in Britain, no one will care about Zhu Ming's Northern Expedition!

"The British court is much more powerful than the French court and will not fall easily." Zhu Jishi shook his head. He had stayed in Britain for a long time and knew that the British aristocrats and bourgeoisie supported the government. Unlike the French aristocrats,

It is divided into the Orleans faction, the orthodox faction, and the Bonapartist faction, which fight against each other. The Orleans faction is the weakest among the three factions, so it is easy to be defeated.

Luo Zenan looked at the smiling Zhu Jishi and frowned: "Since there will be no problems with the British court, why is the king so happy?"

What kind of thinking? Zhu Jishi smiled bitterly after listening to Luo Zenan's words. He didn't compete with Victoria for the world, so would it be good for him if her court had problems? Jishi's business in Europe is very big! As for the competition between China and Britain...

…It’s too early to consider this issue now.

"In France, the Bonapartist faction is very powerful. Maria Clementina, her daughter, and the Countess Deneuve are all members of the Bonapartist faction, and the leader of the Bonapartist faction, Napoleon III, and I

Yes. I estimate that Napoleon III will be elected president of France soon, and will restore the Bonaparte dynasty and become emperor of France in the future."

"This... is a good thing." Zuo Zongtang said, "In this case, France will not support the Manchus, right?"

"No." Zhu Jishi smiled, "Maria Clementina conveyed the wishes of Napoleon III in her letter, hoping that after he becomes the president of France, he can promote an alliance between the Ming Dynasty and France."

"Alliance? This Napoleon III doesn't want to draw us to go to war with Britain, right?" Zuo Zongtang said with some worry.

"Probably... no?" Zhu Jishi was not sure, but there must have been no war between Britain and France in history. He thought for a moment, shook his head and said: "In any case, it is definitely beneficial to form an alliance with France.

.In addition, Prime Minister Liu met with Tsar Nicholas I in Russia, and the Tsar expressed that he could consider forming an alliance with us to jointly oppose the Manchus."

Hearing this, Zuo Zongtang frowned: "Tsarist Russia is eyeing Xinjiang, Khalkha Mongolia and Manchuria outside the Pass... If it wants to attack the Manchu Qing Dynasty with us, will it make demands on these lands?

"

Zhu Jishi smiled: "Not only that, but also Tibet. The greed of these Russians for land is almost unlimited!"

"Your Majesty, do you really want to unite with Russia?" Zuo Zongtang's tone became more solemn.

Zhu Jishi waved his hand: "It is impossible to unite with Russia, because Russia's expansion into the Balkans and the Middle East will definitely cause conflicts with the United Kingdom. And we cannot stand against the United Kingdom, otherwise our foreign trade will have big problems...

...However, the alliance with France and getting closer to Russia are the capital of our bargaining with Britain.
Chapter completed!