Charlie still remembered the dazzling look of the whole city. It really felt like he was in heaven. This was a grand occasion that could not be seen in Paris.
After the Lantern Festival holiday, the Chinese emperor began to go to work, and the French envoys were also summoned.
Charles followed the Earl into the imperial city, and his musket was also seized upon entering the palace.
They walked along the palace wall, passing through some zigzag or wide stone paths. It was as if they were walking in a maze. They kept walking for twenty minutes, and there seemed to be no sign of reaching the end.
How spacious is the palace of the Chinese emperor?
Charles' full name is Charles de Baz Castelmer. His father is a nobleman, his mother is also a nobleman, and his mother's title is Countess d'Artagnan.
This guy is the prototype of the male protagonist of "The Three Musketeers"!
The real Charles, of course, cannot be the jealous d'Artagnan. This guy was able to achieve great success because he was Mazarin, the successor to Richelieu. After the disbandment of the Musketeers, he directly became Mazarin's retainer and was immediately dismissed.
Recommended to the Queen Mother as Captain of the Guards.
Unfortunately, he was a foreign noble and could not serve as captain of the palace guard according to the rules, so he spent a huge sum of money to buy another official position.
In France at this time, most official positions could be inherited, given away, or resold.
Charlie later served as captain of the musketeers, which was also bought with money. When he wanted to be promoted, he sold his original official position and raised some money to buy a higher official position.
Walking in front of Charles was the leader of the French envoy: Henri Louis de Bourbon, a small sword-wielding nobleman from the Bourbon family.
There are two types of French nobles today, one is the nobles who wear robes, and the other is the nobles who wear swords.
The robe-wearing aristocracy was born with the bourgeoisie and is composed of factory owners, farmers, wealthy farmers, and traditional aristocrats. They contract local taxes, lend money to the country, or spend money to buy officials, mainly serving as judges. Judges can also be hereditary
Inherit or sell it.
The sword-wearing aristocracy is the traditional aristocracy.
Under Richelieu's reforms, there was only one official position in France that could not be hereditary or bought and sold, and that was: Minister of Imperial Envoy!
Henry's mind was almost spinning, and he finally saw the three main halls from a distance.
The wide square and tall palace gave people a strong visual impact, and the majesty of the imperial power made Henry have the urge to kneel down.
In Europe, kneeling is also practiced.
Especially in France, the etiquette is very strict and repetitive. For example, if a small local aristocrat is lucky enough to attend a banquet at the Palace of Versailles, he is only eligible to sit on a canvas folding stool. Only at the local aristocratic dinner can he sit on a wooden chair.
Henry and Charles were both doing well at this time, otherwise they would not have gone all the way to China as envoys.
It’s too far and you could easily die!
Every time a certain period of time passes, the person responsible for guiding the envoys will be handed over and changed. Only the civil servants in the Ministry of Rites have remained unchanged.
Finally, the emperor's maid led them to Jinshen Hall.
"Henry Louis de Bourbon, envoy of France, pays homage to His Majesty the Emperor of China, and extends his most respectful greetings to His Majesty on behalf of the King of France." Henry put his arms on his chest and bowed to the Emperor of China.
Charlie, the captain of the guard, also bowed and saluted.
After receiving the translation, Zhao Han smiled and nodded: "Give me a seat."
Zhao Han had read "The Three Musketeers", a world famous novel, but he really didn't know that the leading actor was right in front of him.
Henry began to speak: "Your Majesty, when we arrived in Malacca, we heard that China defeated Spain. This is really good news. France and Spain are also enemies. China and France have a common enemy. I think we can become a firm
ally."
Zhao Han said: "I prefer to use friends to define it. China and the Netherlands are friends, France and the Netherlands are also friends, and friends of friends are friends."
"Your Majesty is so wise." Henry flattered him.
After retreating for a long time, Henry finally explained his purpose: "Your Majesty, France hopes to trade with China and set up a French trading post in Guangzhou. Please grant me a piece of land in Guangzhou."
Zhao Han said: "France can set up a trading post, but it cannot receive land grants. A deserted beach in Guangzhou can be leased to France, and you can pay to hire local people and build a French trading post."
Henry asked: "Can French merchant ships purchase goods at will in Guangzhou?"
"Of course." Zhao Han affirmed.
Henry stood up excitedly: "Your kind and generous Majesty, may the Lord bless you!"
France's main colonial direction is North America and Africa, and it also has Asia, occupying an island near Mauritius. As for further areas, it is beyond its reach.
Batavia was exclusively owned by the Netherlands and no other country was allowed to enter.
France used to be able to purchase Chinese goods in Banten, but was squeezed out by British and Arab merchants.
Two French warships went to Burma and Cambodia to show off their force and demanded exclusive trade rights from the kings. As a result, they were regarded as mentally retarded by the kings of Southeast Asia. Not only did they not get the exclusive trade rights, they even ordered the French to be expelled directly.
After a series of cunning operations, French businessmen who wanted to buy Chinese goods had to sail to Guangzhou by themselves.
Although France and the Netherlands have a good relationship, heavy taxes have to be levied when passing through Malacca to protect the interests of the East India Company.
Zhao Han reminded: "Remember, your trading post is only allowed to engage in trading activities. If you dare to use it for missionary work, China will take it back immediately and never lease it to France again!"
Henry quickly said: "We will obey your Majesty's decree."
Zhao Han added: "After setting up the trading post, you can contact Guangzhou officials. The local government will introduce merchants to you. By then, your trading post will have a relatively stable supply of goods."
Henry was having a headache about this matter, and he was overjoyed when he heard this: "My great Majesty, you are the most merciful monarch in the world!"
Although Henry had the same surname as the King of France, the Bourbon family flourished everywhere, and there were countless minor nobles like him.
In order to centralize power, the French king adopted a similar approach to the Japanese shogunate, which was to force local lords to live in the capital. Those French nobles all lived near the Palace of Versailles, and they would attend the Versailles banquet whenever they had something to do.
Henry, on the other hand, is not even qualified to be restrained in the Palace of Versailles. A small noble like him can go wherever he likes.
It was because of his Bourbon surname that Henry was able to get a job as an envoy to China because other nobles were unwilling to cross the sea. As long as the mission could be successfully completed, he would be put into great use when he returned to France, and he might even be able to become a marquis.
Zhao Han glanced at the clock and saw that it had been fifteen minutes since the meeting, and then ordered the meeting to end.
The emperor still has business to attend to. According to the news sent back by the editor, both Shanxi and Liaodong are transferring supplies on a large scale. Any fool can guess that Li Zicheng and Dorgon must be colluding, and a war will break out in the next month or two.
.
The Nanjing court also began to mobilize resources frequently.
After leaving the imperial city, Henry was still recalling his meeting with the emperor. He said to Charles: "This majesty is kind and majestic. He is truly the greatest being in the world."
At this time, although Charles was only a member of the musketeers, he was still the successor of Count d'Artagnan, and he had become the minister Mazarin, making him more powerful than Henry, a young count with no territory.
The two have been drifting at sea for more than a year and have already become best friends.
Charlie said: "The Chinese emperor is really rich, and the Chinese people are also very wealthy. I heard that these palaces have just been built, and there are similar palaces in the north."
"Yes, the Chinese are really rich." Henry sighed.
Nobles also have poor people. Nobles like Henry, who may be called a count, have no fief of their own, which means they have no income at all. They have long been extremely poor. He has a fief in name, but it is controversial and cannot be controlled.
As for the Chinese people, especially the people in Nanjing, Henry felt that many people lived better than him.
In comparison, the French people are miserable.
Richelieu was indeed the famous Prime Minister of France, assisting the king in achieving monarchical dictatorship. However, he was very cruel to the people and did not care about their life or death. Peasant uprisings occurred one after another. Before his death, he had levied taxes on the people of the country for three years.
It seems that those foreign envoys like to go shopping when they arrive in Nanjing.
After Henry and Charlie left the palace, they went shopping again. The dazzling array of merchandise dazzled them. Nanjing was so big that they could spend another half month shopping.
"Music box, a new gadget from the palace! It was made by the craftsmen ordered by Your Majesty and Empress Liu. It was less than a month after the news came out of the palace..."
In a watch shop, a waiter stood at the door and hawked.
The man held a beautiful box in his hand, and after winding the clockwork for a while, he made clear and sweet music.
Pedestrians coming and going stopped one after another and stood there listening.
Two Frenchmen also ran over to watch and thought it was a magic music box.
A passerby asked: "Why is this box called a music box? Can you talk about eight pieces of music?"
Someone next to him laughed and said: "Turtle, leather, wood, stone, gold, silk and bamboo are all eight tones. Have you not even read the Three Character Classic?"
The man suddenly blushed and everyone laughed.
Charlie whispered: "This kind of magic box can be bought back and presented to the king."
Henry's eyes lit up: "Yes, the king must be happy!"
The two felt that this trip to China was the beginning of changing their destiny. There were many novelties that were not available in Europe. Not only could they be presented to the king for appreciation, but they could also be bought back and resold to make a lot of money.
Henry is a poor man, but Charlie is rich. His parents are local nobles and they will be able to inherit two fiefs in the future.
D'Artagnan, who hates evil in the novel, is particularly good at digging into camps in reality. He later trained his two cousins, one to be a French marshal, and the other to be a musketeer captain. One of his two sons became a captain of the Guards Infantry.
, one became the captain of the Guards Cavalry. It was equivalent to encompassing the French royal guard and the army!
The two of them came up with the idea of pleasing the king, and searched for new gadgets all over the city. It is believed that the Chinese style in France will become more fierce.
