save the bachelors

Chapter 4478 4480 [The Wizard of Oz]

"Governor, I found this on a pirate ship. I thought you would like it." Xiang Nan handed a pair of Chinese porcelain bottles to Weatherby.

"Oh, it's very beautiful. I really like it." Weatherby took a look and nodded with great satisfaction.

This pair of porcelain vases is not only beautiful, but also very valuable. In the 18th century, Chinese goods were very competitive in Europe. For example, tea, silk, porcelain, etc. were all very popular commodities in the upper class.

French King Louis XIV built a Chinese Palace in Versailles, decorated with tiles, porcelain and silk; Swedish King Frederick also built a Chinese-style palace to celebrate the Queen's birthday, which contained porcelain, lacquerware, palace lanterns, calligraphy and paintings, four treasures of the study, ivory products, etc. shipped from China.

"Also, these silks are for Elizabeth. The clothes made from them are light and comfortable." Xiang Nan said with a smile, and presented ten pieces of silk of various colors and patterns.

"Haha, James, you really understand her mind." Seeing this, Weatherby laughed even more happily.

Silk was also a very popular commodity. Ten rolls of silk were worth more than one hundred pounds, equivalent to one-fifth of his annual salary. For Weatherby, it was a windfall.

"Wow, these silks are so beautiful." Elizabeth was also very happy to see these colorful silks. "Dad, the clothes made of them must be very beautiful."

"Of course." Weatherby nodded with a smile.

"The clothes are beautiful, but it depends on who wears them." Xiang Nan said with a smile, "Only when Elizabeth wears them can they best show their beauty, and it won't be a waste of these silks that have come from afar."

Elizabeth blushed when she heard him praising her like that, and Weatherby Swan was naturally even happier.

……

"James, have you been out fighting pirates again recently?" Elizabeth then asked curiously, "Why did you fight them? What bad things did they do? Was the process smooth?"

"This group of pirates came from St. Louis. They robbed two merchant ships, the Iris and the Treader, in Port Royal. They looted the property on the ships and killed and wounded more than twenty people.

This incident had a very bad impact on Royal Port, and many merchant ships dared not come here to do business. So we had to crack down on them. Fortunately, the process went smoothly, they were captured in one fell swoop, and some of the looted property was recovered. "Xiang Nan said with a smile.

"Well done, James," Weatherby said with a smile.

"That's amazing." Elizabeth also said admiringly, "I really hope that one day I can go out to sea with you to catch pirates. I think that will be very fun."

"How can that be? You are a lady, not a navy officer." Weatherby waved his hand.

"I never underestimate anyone's ability. I believe that women, like men, have the same strength, courage and wisdom." Xiang Nan said with a smile, "As far as I know, among the nine pirate kings, Madam Qing, the Pacific Pirate King, is a woman. She has dozens of pirate ships under her command, and they roam the East China Sea."

"Wow, she's amazing," Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Yes, most of the mermaids in the sea are beautiful women. They are also very powerful. I don't know how many sailors have died at their hands." Xiang Nan laughed again.

"James, are there really mermaids?" Elizabeth asked curiously, "What do they look like?"

"I haven't seen them with my own eyes, but I've heard people say that they are very beautiful, each one is like an angel." Xiang Nan smiled, "But they are very evil at heart, and they will use their singing to seduce passing ships.

As long as the crew heard their singing, they would be mesmerized and couldn’t help but jump into the sea..."

"What happens next?" Elizabeth asked. "Then the mermaids will drag them to the bottom of the ocean and eat them alive until only bones are left." Xiang Nan said coldly.

"Ah!!" Elizabeth was immediately frightened.

"Hahaha, these are just legends. No one has really seen mermaids." Xiang Nan waved his hand and smiled.

"Really? Oh, how I wish there was." Elizabeth said disappointedly.

"Okay, as compensation for scaring you just now, I'll give you a storybook." Xiang Nan said with a smile, "I wrote it myself, you can't buy it outside."

"Is this the book you wrote? Really? Let me see it." Elizabeth took it quickly and saw "The Adventures of Oz" written on the cover.

……

"The Adventures of Oz", also known as "The Wizard of Oz", tells the story of a little girl named Dorothy and her dog Toto who were accidentally swept into a mysterious world by a tornado.

In order to find the way back, they had to go to Oz to seek help from the wizard there. On the way they met the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion.

They all wanted to ask the wizard for help, so they set out on the journey together. After many adventures, they all realized their wishes.

This story was originally written by Frank Baum. After it was released, it immediately caused a sensation and was warmly welcomed by readers.

Frank originally wanted to write some serious literary works, but in the end, under the pleading letters from his children, he had to give up his dream of serious literature and wrote thirteen sequels.

However, the influence and popularity of the later works are far less than the first one. Xiang Nan now gave Elizabeth the first one.

The reason why Xiang Nan gave her this book was because Elizabeth had grown up.

She had been twelve when she first came to Port Royal, and now she was fourteen, a semi-mature teenager.

It is no longer appropriate to give toys to a girl of this age. You must give her more mature, profound, and meaningful gifts, such as books, clothes, cosmetics, etc.

So the gifts Xiang Nan sent today included silk and books.

"This is my first time writing, and I don't know if it's good or not. I'm looking forward to your evaluation." Xiang Nan said with a smile.

"I will definitely watch it carefully." Elizabeth nodded immediately.

Although she was the Governor's daughter, there weren't many books for her to read in Port Royal.

On the one hand, the publishing industry was not well developed in the 18th century, and information and transportation were not convenient. Even if many books were published, people might not know about them, let alone buy them.

On the one hand, this is the Caribbean Sea, which has always been regarded as a wild land by Europeans, and the average lifespan of people who come here is no more than three years.

In Maupassant's short story "My Uncle Jules", after Jules squandered his own money and embezzled part of his brother's money, his angry brother was sent to America, which is the same as the exile to Cangzhou, Lingnan and Ningguta in ancient times.

There weren't many books in such a wild place. The books Elizabeth brought back from England were already curled up, and she was eager to read new books.