I

  Chapter 530 527 [DArtagnan]

  The Lantern Festival lasts for ten days.

  Charlie still remembers the bright appearance of the whole city, as if he was in heaven. This is a grand event that cannot be seen in Paris.

  After the Lantern Festival holiday ended, the Chinese emperor started to work, and the French envoys were also summoned.

  Charlie followed the earl into the imperial city, and his musket was also seized when he entered the palace.

  They walked along the palace wall and passed through winding or wide stone roads. It was like walking in a maze for twenty minutes, and there seemed to be no sign of reaching the end point at all.

  How spacious is the palace of the Chinese emperor?

  Charlie's full name is Charlie de Baz Castelmer. His father was a nobleman, his mother was also a nobleman, and her mother's title was Countess d'Artagnan.

   This product is the prototype of the hero of "The Three Musketeers"!

  The real Charlie, of course, cannot be the jealous d'Artagnan. This guy can make a fortune, and he is the successor of Richelieu, Mazarin. After the disbandment of the Musketeers, he directly became Mazarin's retainer, and was immediately recommended to the Queen Mother as the captain of the guard.

  Unfortunately, he is a foreign aristocrat, and according to the rules, he cannot be the captain of the palace guard, so he spent a lot of money to buy another official position.

  At this time in France, most official positions can be inherited, gifted, and resold.

  Charlie later served as the captain of the Musketeers, which was also bought with money. When they want to be promoted, they sell their original position and raise some money to buy a higher position.

   Walking in front of Charlie was the leader of the French envoy: Henri-Louis de Bourbon, a minor nobleman with swords from a branch of the Bourbon family.

  There are two types of French nobility today, one is the nobility in robes, and the other is the nobility with swords.

  The robed aristocracy was born along with the bourgeoisie, consisting of factory owners, farmers, wealthy farmers, and traditional aristocrats. They contract local taxation, lend money to the state, or spend money to buy officials, mainly as judges and other positions. Judges can also be hereditary, or sold out.

  Aristocrats with swords are traditional nobles.

  Under Richelieu's reforms, there was only one official position in France that could not be hereditary and bought and sold, that is: imperial envoy!

  Henry's mind was almost dizzy, and he finally saw the three halls from afar.

  The wide square and tall palaces give people a strong sense of visual impact, and the majesty of the imperial power makes Henry have the urge to kneel down.

  In Europe, there are also kneeling salutes.

  Especially in France, etiquette is particularly strict and complicated. For example, if a local nobleman is lucky enough to participate in the banquet at the Palace of Versailles, he is only eligible to sit on a canvas folding stool, and only to sit on a wooden chair at the dinner party of the local nobleman.

  Henry and Charlie are not doing well at this time, otherwise they would not travel thousands of miles to China.

  Too far away, easy to die!

   Every time a certain distance is passed, those who are responsible for leading the way for the envoys will be handed over and changed. Only the civil servants of the Ministry of Rites have not changed.

  Finally, the emperor's maidservants led them to Jinshen Hall.

   "French envoy Henri-Louis de Bourbon, pays homage to His Majesty the Emperor of China, and on behalf of the King of France, extends his most respectful greetings to His Majesty." 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 getting the translation, Zhao Han smiled and nodded: "Give me a seat."

  Zhao Han has read "The Three Musketeers", a world famous work, but he really didn't know that the leading actor was right in front of him.

Henry began to speak on the scene: "Great Majesty, when we arrived in Malacca, we heard that China had defeated Spain. This is really good news. France and Spain are also enemies. China and France have a common enemy. I think it can be a firm ally."

  Zhao Han said: "I prefer to use friends to define. China and the Netherlands are friends, France and the Netherlands are also friends, and friends of friends are friends."

   "Your Majesty is really wise." Henry flattered.

   After withdrawing for a long time, Henry finally explained his intentions: "Your Majesty, France hopes to do business with China and set up a French trading post in Guangzhou. Please grant a piece of land in Guangzhou, Your Majesty."

  Zhao Han said: "France can set up trading posts, but they can't get land grants. A deserted seaside beach in Guangzhou can be leased to France, and you can pay to hire local people to build a French trading post."

  Henry asked: "French merchant ships, can you buy goods in Guangzhou at will?"

   "Of course." Zhao Han affirmed.

  Henry stood up excitedly: "Your Majesty, benevolent and generous, may the Lord bless you!"

  France's main colonial direction is North America and Africa, as well as Asia, which occupies an island near Mauritius. As for going further, it is beyond reach.

   Batavia is exclusively owned by the Netherlands and no country is allowed to enter.

  France was able to buy Chinese goods in Banten before, but was squeezed out by British and Arab businessmen.

  Two French warships went to Burma and Cambodia to show off their force and asked those kings for exclusive trading rights. As a result, they were regarded as mentally retarded by the kings of Southeast Asia. Not only did they not get exclusive trading rights, they even ordered the direct expulsion of the French.

  Under a series of operations, French businessmen who want to buy Chinese products have to sail to Guangzhou by themselves.

  Although France has a good relationship with the Netherlands, heavy taxes have to be levied when they pass through Malacca to ensure the interests of the East India Company.

   Zhao Han reminded: "Remember, your trading station is only allowed to engage in trading activities. If you dare to use it for missionary work, China will immediately take it back and never lease it to France again!"

  Henry said quickly: "We will obey His Majesty's decree."

  Zhao Han also said: "After the trading station is established, you can contact the officials in Guangzhou. The local government will introduce merchants to you. At that time, your trading station will have a relatively stable supply of goods."

  Henry was having a headache about this matter, and he was overjoyed when he heard the words: "Your Majesty, you are the most benevolent monarch in the world!"

  Although Henry has the same surname as the King of France, the Bourbon family is everywhere, and there are countless little 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 great French nobles all lived near the Palace of Versailles, and attended the Versailles banquet whenever they had something to do.

  As for Henry, he doesn't even have the qualifications to be bound in the Palace of Versailles. A little noble like him likes to go wherever he likes.

   It was because of Bourbon's surname, and other nobles were unwilling to travel thousands of miles, that Henry got a mission to China. As long as the task can be successfully completed, he will be reused when he returns to France, and maybe he can become a marquis.

  Zhao Han glanced at the clock. After fifteen minutes, he ordered the meeting to end.

  The emperor still has business to do. According to the news sent back by the detailed work, both Shanxi and Liaodong are transferring materials on a large scale. Any fool can guess that Li Zicheng and Dorgon must have colluded, and a war will break out in the next month or two.

  The Nanjing imperial court also began to frequently mobilize resources.

  Leaving the imperial city, Henry was still reminiscing about his meeting with the emperor. He said to Charlie: "Your Majesty, benevolent and majestic, is truly the greatest existence in the world."

  At this time, although Charlie was only a member of the Musketeers, he was still the successor of Count d'Artagnan, and he had climbed up to Minister Mazarin, stronger than Henry, a young count who had no territory.

  The two have been wandering at sea for more than a year, and they have already become best friends.

  Charlie said: "The Chinese emperor is really rich, and the Chinese are also very rich. 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 are earls, have no fiefs of their own, which means they have no income at all. .

  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 is indeed a French name, assisting the king to realize the dictatorship of the monarchy. But he was very cruel to the people, he didn't care about the life or death of the people at all, peasant uprisings continued one after another, and before his death, he had pre-levied taxes on the people all over the country for three years.

   It seems that those foreign envoys like to go shopping when they arrive in Nanjing.

  Henry and Charlie, after leaving the palace, went shopping again. They were dazzled by the dazzling array of commodities, and the city of Nanjing was too big for them to shop for another half a month.

   "Music box, a new gadget that has been reported in the palace! It was made by His Majesty and Liu Niangniang's craftsmen, and it has been less than a month since it was reported to the palace..."

  In a watch shop, the guy stood at the door and hawked.

  This guy held a beautiful box in his hand, and after a while of winding, he made crisp and melodious music.

   Pedestrians stopped and stood there to listen.

  Two French envoys also ran over to watch, thinking it was a magic music box.

  A passer-by asked: "Why is this box called a music box? Can it play eight pieces of music?"

  Someone beside him said with a smile: "Paod soil leather, wood, stone and gold. Silk and bamboo are octaves. You haven't even read the Three Character Classic?"

  The man blushed suddenly, and everyone burst into laughter.

  Charlie whispered: "This kind of magic box can be bought back and dedicated 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 a change in their destiny. There are many novelties, which are not found in Europe. Not only can they be presented to the king for appreciation, but they can also be bought back and resold to make a lot of money.

  Henry is poor, Charlie is rich, his parents are local nobles, and he will be able to inherit two fiefdoms in the future.

   In the novel, d'Artagnan, who is jealous and hateful, is especially good at exploiting in reality. He later trained his two cousins, one as a French marshal and the other as a musketeer captain. Two sons, one became the captain of the infantry guards and the other the captain of the cavalry guards. It is equivalent to rounding up the French royal guard and army!

  The two thought of the idea of ​​pleasing the king, so they searched for new gadgets all over the city. Presumably, the Chinese style in France will blow even more violently.

  (end of this chapter)