Wanli Xinming

Chapter 361 Strange Goods
After careful consideration, Xu Guangqi came to Rome this time with a young and handsome Carlo Medici, but did not introduce him in the Roman social arena according to social customs. As a result, the relationship between the mission and the Medici family changed again. In the fog, he himself can continue to maintain a neutral and detached position.

Although he did not solemnly introduce Carlo, Xu Guangqi had already agreed to the Grand Duke of Medici and made every effort to ensure Carlo's safety.As a result, Carlo Medici, who was closely protected by two elite guards in Jinyi, became a special sight in the city of Rome. The envoys of various countries were speculating about what this guy paid for the protection of the Eastern Mission.

Carlo was entrusted by the Archduke to negotiate with the Holy See about his uncle's crime of trying to kill the Archduke of Tuscany - the Archduke did not dare to come due to safety concerns, and it is not enough to send envoys to communicate with such a big matter, and Carlo can be regarded as a blessing in disguise Otherwise, it is still unknown whether the three words "Medici" in his name can be recognized by the Grand Duke.

As for Xu Guangqi himself, after his baptism, Gregory XIII received him on his sickbed, blessed him and made him bishop.Although there are now more bishops than Christians, the Holy See has no psychological burden to continue canonizing bishops-the bishops have the ability to expand the diocese by themselves.

Earl Xu, who has not been baptized by the Daming officialdom, tried his best, but he couldn't act that kind of flattery.

From December 12th, Xu Guangqi began to take turns to meet the envoys and nobles of European countries in Rome.The emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, the king of Hungary and Croatia, the king of Bohemia and the younger brother of the Archduke of Austria - Matthias is the most distinguished of them.

Mr. Mathias is a young man less than 30 years old, with bright eyes and looks full of energy.Although he was the younger brother of the Holy Roman Emperor, the Emperor had many siblings—five brothers and six sisters.

The old emperor Maximian II gave both the royal property and the throne to his elder brother Rudolf II, and only gave Matthias some pension annuities, and his elder brother almost ignored his growth—— It's no surprise that His Majesty the otaku is almost indifferent to anything on the surface.

Over the years, Matthias has worked hard to get a position that fits his status. As the nephew of Felipe II of Spain, he actually accepted the invitation of the rebels of the rebel province of the Netherlands to serve as the governor of the Netherlands, which is enough See how hungry he is.

Three years ago, the Netherlands announced the abolition of Felipe II and its independence, and Matthias could no longer serve as a nominal governor. At Felipe's strict request, he returned to Linz, Austria, and came to Rome many times as a bishop. Position.

The poor child is not very demanding, he is not looking for a cardinal, he only wants to be a local bishop: for example, Münster, Liege, Speyer and the like, these cities now have no population of even fifty thousand— —However, the dignified prince of the Holy Roman Empire has not been able to satisfy even this request, and has been continuously rejected.

He also relied on his royal status to negotiate with the great nobles in Poland, Hungary and other places, trying to be the king of these two countries. However, the French black queen Catherine de Medici and her otaku royal brother continued to stumble behind the scenes. Let him fail several times - Matthias is completely angry, and he has become the most famous squatter and shitposter in Europe at this time.

After repeated setbacks, Matthias did not have the arrogance of the great nobles. He first saluted, congratulated Xu Guangqi for winning the title of bishop, and expressed strong envy.

After a period of hard work, Xu Guangqi already had some ideas about the intertwined families in Europe at this time.Although Matthias doesn't have an acre of territory now, but as a member of the royal family, when Rudolf II has not yet given birth to a male heir, with Matthias's tossing energy, he might have great prospects in the future. .

Therefore, Earl Xu graciously met Mathias and invited him to taste the special black tea.The exquisite utensils and the mellow tea soup made Mathias a little excited - he tried to show indifference, but peeking at the beautiful ornaments of the embassy betrayed his mood.

After exchanging pleasantries, Matthias said that he was very familiar with the governor of Venice, Necro da Ponte. Although the governor of Ponte is over 90 years old, as far as he knows, the old man still holds his promise in the ruling coalition. Xu Guangqi intends to visit Venice, and he can help the mission to match up.

Matthias said eagerly: "My Count, I heard that you are very interested in the Renaissance. You must know that since the robbery of Rome, real artists have gone to Venice, and now there are no masters in Europe."

The so-called robbery of Rome refers to the large-scale burning, killing and looting in Rome after the "mutiny" of the army under the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (note: he is also the king of Spain, called Carlos I) 57 years ago , which is the worst cultural tragedy in European history.As a result, Rome lost forever the centrality of the Renaissance—marked by this, the Renaissance that had lasted for two centuries came to an abrupt end, and this event was also the source of the hatred between the Papal State and the Habsburgs and Spain. [note 1]
Xu Guangqi heard the words and said: "Thank you for your help. In my mission plan, there was no Venice. But these days, I have heard a lot about the government of the Republic of Venice - how to say, this kind of election The style of the lord of the country is only seen in the rule of three generations in our country, and to be honest, I am very interested in it."

Matthias listened to Xu Guangqi's interest, and his cheeks flushed with excitement.He rubbed his hands, and then flattered Xu Guangqi's demeanor and wealth—although Earl Xu already knew that the folk customs here were vulgar, he still felt a little embarrassed to hear Matthias's naked flattery.

Seeing that Xu Guangqi kept nodding and smiling, Matthias didn't know that this was a unique ambiguity of the East, and thought that his "demeanor" had already convinced His Excellency the Count.

So he said directly: "Your Excellency, I heard that you had some adventures in Tuscany. There was a coup d'etat in the old palace, and you played a key role in it."

Without waiting for Xu Guangqi's rebuttal, he continued: "Can you help me get a loan from the Medici Bank? You know, I am negotiating with Poland to get the king's position - I will use the future proceeds As a mortgage, we only need a loan of [-] ducats this time.”

When Xu Guangqi heard the words, his understanding of European politics immediately deepened.He pondered for a while, then smiled at Wang Jiaping who was sitting beside him: "To Nan Gong, is there anyone who can live with this rare item?"

Wang Jiaping frowned and sighed: "This is the place where the rites are broken! Can the king buy it?" Xu Guangqi smiled and said, "It seems that the king of Poland is elected by the nobles. If he buys enough votes, it is really possible."

Hearing the two communicate in Chinese, Mathias didn't take it personally, widened his eyes and held his breath, eagerly waiting for Xu Guangqi to say a "ke" in his mouth.

Unexpectedly, Luo Mingjian, who was sitting next to Wang Jiaping at this time, also interjected in Chinese: "Zixian, I heard that this guy's negotiation with Poland has failed. This should be because he has no money to spend - the King of Poland has not So cheap."

Xu Guangqi thought about it silently, and smiled at Mathias: "I don't have as much influence on the Medici as you do."

Seeing Matthias turning pale, Xu Guangqi continued with a smile: "But [-] ducats are not a lot of money. If you are willing to cooperate with Seris in depth, I would like to discuss this issue with you in depth— suitable opportunities in the future.”

When Matthias heard the words, he stuttered a little with excitement: "Dang, of course, this is my honor!"

(End of this chapter)