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These French envoys were sent by Louis XIII.

Little did they know, the king was dead, and the present King of France was the young Louis XIV.

The leader of the mission was stuck in the crowd and moved forward with difficulty: "It's unbelievable, it seems that half of France has so many people crowded into one city tonight."

Of course not that many, although Europe is vast and sparsely populated, both France and Italy have very high population densities.

"Shh~~~ bang!"

"Shh~~~ bang!"

Over the Forbidden City, the second round of fireworks was set off. This year's Lantern Festival is very lively.

Chapter 527 [DArtagnan]

The Lantern Festival lasts for ten days.

Charlie still remembers the radiant look of the whole city, as if he was in heaven, which 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 confiscated 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 10 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 Buzz 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.

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

In France at this time, most official positions could be inherited, gifted, or 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 who came 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 with the bourgeoisie, consisting of factory owners, farmers, wealthy farmers, and traditional aristocracy.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.

Saber nobles 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 a distance.

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 repetitive.For example, if a local nobleman is lucky enough to attend 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 local nobleman's dinner party.

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

Too far, 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.

In the end, the emperor's maidservants led them to Jinshen Palace.

"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 had 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 purpose: "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 barren 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!"

The main colonial direction of France 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 monopolized by the Netherlands and no country is allowed to enter.

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

Two French warships went to Burma and Cambodia to show off their force and demand exclusive trading rights from those kings.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 coquettish operations, French businessmen who want to buy Chinese goods 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, so as to protect 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. When the time comes, 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 method similar to that of 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.

Henry, on the other hand, didn't even have the qualifications to be bound in the Palace of Versailles. A little noble like him would go wherever he liked.

It was only because of Bourbon's surname and the fact that other nobles were unwilling to travel thousands of miles across the sea 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 and saw that the meeting had been held for 15 minutes, so 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.

After leaving the imperial city, Henry was still reminiscing about his meeting with the emperor. He said to Charlie, "Your Majesty is kind and majestic. He 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 the minister Mazarin, stronger than Henry, the little 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. inside.

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 famous French figure, 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.

After Henry and Charlie left the palace, they 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 Empress Liu, and it has been less than a month since it was reported to the palace..."

In a watch shop, the clerk stands at the door and sells.

The guy held a beautiful box in his hand, and after a while of wind-up, it made crisp and pleasant music.

Pedestrians stopped and stood there to listen.

During the two French seasons, I also ran over to watch, thinking that it was a magic music box.

A passer-by asked: "Why is this box called a music box? Can you talk about eight pieces of music?"

Someone beside him laughed and said, "Paod soil leather, wood, stone and gold. Silk and bamboo are octaves. Haven't you even read the Three Character Classic?"

The man blushed immediately, 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 changing 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.

DArtagnan, who hates evil in real life, 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!

Thinking of the idea of ​​pleasing the king, the two searched for new things all over the city. Presumably, the Chinese style in France will blow even more violently.

Chapter 528 [Datong Theology]

Be careful.

Zhao Han likes to come here to rest at noon, or take a nap for a while, or read some idle books for entertainment.

What I read today is "The History of the Christian Expedition to China".This was the task for the European officials of the Imperial Academy and the Qintian Academy, to let the East India Company bring Western books and hand them over to missionary officials for translation.

This book is actually Matteo Ricci's work report, brought back to Rome for the Pope to read, and Matteo Ricci did not give any title.

Another missionary, Kinney Court, made additions and annotations to this report, and wrote an inscription on the cover: The History of the Christian Expedition to China by Father Matteo Ricci of the Jesuits. Five Volumes of Conference Records. To Pope Paul V...

Zhao Han read this book because he wanted to see China's strengths and weaknesses from a European perspective.

From the title of the book, we can see the wolfish ambition of the European guys. At the beginning of the book, Jinnige said that large-scale expeditions and vigorous feats are done after various conditions are ripe. The first things are trivial, but after many years will develop into something important.

What do you mean?

It is to regard the mission of the Jesuits in China as an insignificant but necessary beginning to conquer China.

At the same time, Jinnige was in awe of China, and evaluated China as a "noble nation".

The text of Matteo Ricci is very systematic. The opening chapter tells about the history and geography of China, combined with ancient European classics, and tells the evolution of Chinese titles.Some content contained bragging elements, such as the fact that Chinese people, rich or poor, wear silk clothes.

Some of the content was very funny, which made Zhao Han laugh out loud.

For example, Matteo Ricci has been an official in Beijing for many years, and he has only bowed down to the emperor's throne.He had never met Emperor Wanli, because Wanli didn't go to court at all, and he rarely met ministers in private.

It has to be said that Wanli is really a scam, and the Ming Dynasty's official administration was completely corrupted by this person.

Don't talk about the three major Wanli campaigns. Since he neglected his administration, many state departments have begun to shut down, and the Ming court has been systematically damaged.

In fact, if Wanli had only neglected his administration, Ming Dynasty would not have declined rapidly.

This guy is angry with the civil officials, deliberately does not cooperate with the work of the civil officials, and even after the official dies of illness or retires, he does not sign a new official to take office.As a result, there is a large shortage of ministerial-level officials in the central government, and there are not many department-level officials to do things. Some departments have no officials at all, and even the official seal of this department has been lost.

Emperor Wanli was bad, and civil officials followed suit.

He has been negligent in politics for so many years, and he was still able to control the court without any powerful officials. It was not because of Wanli's brilliant political methods, but because the Ming court was so bad that there was no environment for powerful officials to appear.What the minister of power wanted to do was to collude with the eunuch who held the pen. Without the signature of the eunuch and the emperor's seal, the minister of power could not accomplish anything.

Moreover, who can the powerful minister command?

The chief assistant of the cabinet looked around, Nima, why am I the only one in the cabinet, and half of the six ministers are missing?Hey, why are there so many lack of people in the left and right ministers and the doctors of the various ministries who are really in charge?

The central ministers in the last years of Wanli didn't even follow the etiquette.Even in the highest-level sacrificial activity, the Dashou Tiandi, the officials not only did not fast and bathe, but also drank alcohol on the day of the sacrificial ceremony, and even went missing directly.Worshiping the heaven and the earth often turns into an outing, and you can also bring your servants and cakes.

Sacrifice to heaven and earth dare to play like this, what else is there not to dare to do?

Anyway, the emperor didn't care, anyway, the procuratorate was in a semi-shutdown state, anyway, no one read the memorials of the officials.Then just embezzle at will, and it's yours to get the money.Even if he made political achievements, the emperor would not give him a promotion.

Even cabinet ministers and ministers resigned and returned to their hometowns because they had nothing to do all year round.

What's even more ridiculous is that Emperor Wanli didn't even bother to read the minister's resignation memorial.As a result, some people resigned for several years, but they have not been approved.

Take Li Tingji as an example. After joining the cabinet, he found that 43% of the vacancies for officials in the central government, not including low-level officials and civil servants.Li Tingji couldn't do business, and was impeached by the Donglin Party. Although the emperor didn't read the impeachment memorial, Li Tingji still couldn't bear it.

Li Tingji wrote a memorial and resigned, but Emperor Wanli did not approve it at all.He simply gave the house to the poor and ran to live in the temple to show his determination.

This old man lived in the ruined temple for five years, wrote 123 resignation letters, and only got the nickname of "Miao Zhu Ge Lao".

Li Tingji couldn't take it any longer, so he hung his seal and left, which is a serious crime of beheading.What broke Li Tingji was that Emperor Wanli didn't care about the disappearance of one of his cabinet ministers.