Wanli Xinming

Chapter 355 The Grand Duke
In his letter to Princess Leping, Xu Guangqi said that he could not enjoy the princes, which was actually an exaggeration. Even in later generations, traveling on business was a chore.What's more, for Europe at this time, the so-called enjoyment of princes is nothing more than that.

Compared with the cost of food and clothing, Xu Guangqi and Wang Jiaping paid more attention to their mission. In the second month after Xu Guangqi sent the letter to Leping, the mission set foot on the land of the Apennine Peninsula.

The entire Apennine Peninsula is like a high boot that is playing football inserted into the Mediterranean Sea. The Papal State divides the boot into two parts in the middle: the boot heel plus the ankle is the Kingdom of Naples, and the knee to the calf are Milan under Spanish rule. , the independent Republic of Venice, the Republic of Genoa and the home of the illegitimate son Carlo - the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

As for the deformed football, it was once an independent kingdom of Sicily, now also under Spanish rule.

In the south of Sicily, there is an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Malta. At this time, there is another name called the Shield of Europe-more than 50 years ago, according to the orders of Pope Clement VII and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, the three major The Knights Hospitaller, one of the Knights, came to the island of Malta and paid 1 Maltese eagle to the Kingdom of Sicily as a symbolic rent every year. Together with the Maltese civilians, they built the front line against the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.

Twenty years before Xu Guangqi visited Europe, the Knights of the Hospital led 20 infantry and [-] civilians to win the "Siege of Malta"—one of the bloodiest and fiercest siege battles between the Ottoman Empire and the Christian Union. It is also a highlight in the history of Europe in the sixteenth century.

These geographical and historical allusions were all told to Xu Guangqi by Carlo Medici along the way.

The illegitimate son of the Grand Duke of Tuscany had already made up his mind to follow the earl from the east, and he was happy to ask Xu Guangqi to take a bath every day. Anyway, in his heart, the piety of the earl of the east, who claimed to believe in God, was also nonsense— - He hadn't seen Xu Guangqi pray before meals these days. As for the fact that washing off the dirt every day might allow the devil to possess it, it's not even a blasphemous act.

Regarding the fact that he was an illegitimate child, Carlo Medici also took the initiative to confess to Xu Guangqi before the mission boarded the ship.Although it was a well-known secret, Carlo Medici was quite embarrassed to talk about it.

But it’s not enough if you don’t talk about it. By chance, he approached Xu Guangqi. Carlo has attracted the attention of European monarchs, including the Grand Duke of the Medici. Mission - After arriving on the Apennine Peninsula, he first visited the Duchy of Tuscany, and the Grand Duke himself has sent envoys to submit an invitation letter to the mission.

If nothing else, the letters from the missionary corps of Daming that 'Sai Chuan' kept writing back repeatedly told the Europa people at this time that Seris was too rich.And money is enough to level all distances, both geographically and psychologically.As the leading banker in Europe, the Medici Grand Duke will not let go of the possible expansion of financial business.

For Carlo, this task is entirely feasible.Because he knew that the embassy also wanted to investigate as much as possible, and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany was one of the destinations—to investigate the Renaissance, it was impossible to bypass the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and its capital Florence.

In the mouth of Carlo Medici, his father, Francesco I de' Medici, was a shame in Europe, a top scumbag.

Francesco's first wife, Johanna, was the princess of the Holy Roman Empire, the Grand Duchess of Austria, the youngest daughter of Ferdinand I, Emperor of the Roman Empire, and Anna, Queen of Bohemia. Johanna inherited her mother, Anna, who was particularly fertile. Gene, gave birth to eight children for the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and has survived three so far, but all are daughters.

Johanna gave birth to a child of the contemporary head of the Medici, with a deformed lumbar spine and a hunched back.When she was about to give birth to her eighth child, she accidentally fell down the stairs—well, a very familiar way of dying, one corpse and two lives.

Soon, Francisco Medici married his mistress in Venice, Bianca Capello, which made Carlo Medici most dissatisfied.

Anca Capello is a married woman. The Medici Archduke first got rid of her husband and then married her - the whole of Europe knows that this guy is the black hand, and he also raised Anca Capello brought a son and a daughter.

As the true blood of the archduke, he was abandoned like a shoe; while Regina and Antonio, as aliens brought by Anka Capello, were adopted by the archduke-Carlo Medici is incomprehensible The brain circuit of his own cheap father.

After listening to him complain about the immorality of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Wang Jiaping couldn't listen to Carlo Medici's bad comments on his father, and interjected: "How do you know that Antonio is not your father's biological son? son?"

This sentence closed the door of Carlo Medici. After thinking deeply, he said to Xu Guangqi: "Your Excellency Count, you should go directly to Rome. I personally suggest that it is better to keep a distance from the Grand Duke of Tuscany. —Really, you don’t have to worry about my feelings.”

Xu Guangqi laughed when he heard the words, and Wang Jiaping couldn't help but smile.Luo Mingjian, who was on the same boat, explained: "If the mission arrives in Rome before the middle of December in the Gregorian calendar, it will be in time. Since the Medici Grand Duke has warmly invited us, we can go to Florence first, if we consider Europe at this time. In the prosperity of the humanities, Florence surpasses Rome.”

……

On November 1584, 11, the mission arrived at the cultural center of Europa, the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence, guarded by the Iris family.

The couple, Archduke Francisco of Tuscany, and their younger brother, Cardinal Ferdinando Medici of the Holy See, warmly welcomed Xu Guangqi and his party.

The mission stayed at the Signaglia Palace that day. This palace has a history of more than 200 years, also known as the "Vecchio Palace", also known as the Old Palace. After the Grand Duke Cosimo I came to power, he changed it into the residence of the Medici family.

At the same time, Cosimo I also renovated the Pitti Palace and asked the famous architect Amanati to expand it. The Florentines call it the new palace. Between the new palace and the old palace, it is a Renaissance The Vasari Corridor, designed and built by the brother of one of the founders, Giotto's disciples - the Medici family can use this corridor to span the river between the Pitti Palace and the Vecchio Palace without the open air .

Of course, the original intention of my brother's design of this corridor was that there was a vegetable market and garbage discharge point in Florence below the corridor, and the river water was unpleasant-similar to the smell of Europe at this time, when Xu Guangqi visited the Vasari Corridor Can't complain anymore.

Although the smell was still unpleasant, the Florentine architecture, sculpture and painting still gave the mission a great impact.The "Poseidon Fountain" sculpted by Amanati, who is still alive, in the Palazzo Vecchio is not considered a top work among the Medici family, because there are too many works of art in this family.

Michelangelo has a sculpture named "Victory" in the Old Palace, Raphael's paintings have "Lorenzo de' Medici", Leonardo da Vinci has "The Virgin of the Rocks" and a large number of sketch manuscripts - Renaissance. The top figures have been sponsored by the Medici family, so they also left a large number of works in the Medici family.

The Medici family has been funding artists since the first generation of banker Giovanni, and it has been nearly 200 years now. There is a saying in later generations that is biased but not unreasonable: Without Medici, there would be no Renaissance.

After appreciating the artworks, Xu Guangqi naturally wanted to buy some of them: from Giotto to Raphael and Da Vinci, he was very interested in the paintings of dozens of top painters.

Francisco was very embarrassed: "Your Excellency Count, the Medici family has no precedent for selling art, I have to find an inescapable reason."

Xu Guangqi listened with a smile and said, "Unfortunately, um. His Majesty is very interested in oil painting and banking. Before leaving China, His Majesty the Emperor entrusted me to find a partner who, um, can open Seris Bank in Europe. "

"Oh, praise the Lord. I think - keeping these beautiful works of art in the peaceful East and not in Europa, where war is constantly breaking out, is the best protection for them, and their most honored place to return."

After saying this, Francisco coughed violently, and beckoned to call Carlo Medici who was standing behind Xu Guangqi - Your Excellency Count, this is my son Carlo Medici, I hope you can take care of it He, and allowing him to represent me, is always ready to offer you the devotion of the Medici family.

(End of this chapter)