ps: The battery is out. I just received a call. Sorry.
The Francis family was born as counts. Although they were Spanish, they had stayed in Beijing as ambassadors over the years because of their two daughters.
Since they have connections in both countries, their family can be considered to be rich and powerful, and they have earned an unknown amount of money.
You don't even need to do business independently at all, you can make a lot of money just through an intermediary.
However, as a relative of the emperor, the Ministry of Internal Affairs naturally had business, such as importing silver, chiming clocks, glass, Western paintings and other things from Spain, and was the main supplier.
Even a monopoly to some extent.
In this way, even if there are not many goods between the two countries, the Silva family can still earn tens of thousands of silver dollars every year.
With such a huge wealth, even if their family's properties in Spain were sold, it would be difficult to get rid of it, so they have stayed in Beijing all these years.
Nobles, money is not important.
Besides, as a relative of the emperor, his status in Beijing is much stronger than that of the previous count.
Francis looked at his two daughters, and then at his two mixed-race grandsons, and couldn't help but ask, "My daughters, how are you living in the palace?"
"I heard that the Ming Emperor had dozens of mistresses. Have you fallen out of favor?"
Kress was sitting. She had already become accustomed to Daming's chair. She pinned her skirt and said helplessly: "Dad, I'm not his mistress, I'm his wife."
"Second to his wife's wife."
she emphasized.
Nicole on the side also echoed: "The palace is very luxurious, but you don't have freedom."
"However, whether it is food or clothing, it is much better than Spain."
As she spoke, she said proudly: "Even all of Europe combined cannot match the luxury of the Forbidden City."
However, the entire Francis family was proud of it.
His younger brother William said proudly: "It makes me laugh when I think about how they ate baked apples and didn't want to put in half the spices."
"I'm afraid they can't imagine that in Beijing, spices are sold by the pound."
For a moment, everyone laughed out loud.
Francis wore a cotton robe with exquisite embroidery patterns, and he seemed to have become a powerful man in the Ming Dynasty: "I can't even imagine returning to Europe."
"Suddenly, Beijing is the most civilized place in the world."
"It's just that it's still a bit regretful."
Francis sighed.
Kress narrowed her eyes: "Dad?"
"Title." Francis said with a straight face: "European countries recognize each other's title. Nobles are nobles in any country. This is not the case in the Ming Dynasty."
"If the loss allows the Silva family to stay in the Ming Dynasty for a long time, they must obtain a title."
"Do you want to send William to the army?"
My sister Nicole was shocked: "Dad, this is not a good idea, it is too dangerous."
William's expression also changed drastically.
In the East, unlike Europe, there are no privileges for nobles, and there is no redemption. Once on the battlefield, you will definitely be killed or injured.
The level of danger is greatly increased.
Moreover, even if he went to the army, he could only start as a grassroots officer step by step, and he would not be able to rely on the advantage of his title to become an upper-middle-class officer.
Kress didn't take it seriously: "Relying on our relationship, William can be allowed to serve as a captain in the army."
"If you are really afraid of danger, you can also take part in the imperial examination and become an official."
Francis frowned when he heard this: "I heard that the Ming Dynasty is going to conquer the Tatars in the north. This is a good opportunity to make contributions."
"The team is afraid that it won't be able to obtain meritorious service, right?"
"It's very difficult." Kress sighed: "Dad, give up. There is no shortcut in Ming Dynasty."
"There is still a shortcut." At this time, Nicole chuckled.
The family quickly turned their heads, their faces full of curiosity.
Nicole said casually: "In about ten years, when your grandson grows up, the emperor will make him a vassal king and have his own vassal country. By then, it will be easy to give William a hereditary title."
"Prince——" Francis fell into thinking.
William's eyes lit up: "It's not too late to wait for more than ten years. The title of the vassal state is also recognized in the Ming Dynasty, and you can stay in Beijing for a long time."
In the Ming Dynasty, the fifth-level titles of Duke, Prince, Bo, Son, and Prince were implemented, but in the vassal states, they were Duke, Prince, Prince, Prince, and Prince, which corresponded to the Ming Dynasty.
But in fact, among the nobles in Beijing, the county prince is only equivalent to the earl. No one below the county earl will be recognized as a noble, but only as a civilian.
Of course, above these fifth-level titles, there is also a title of Maharaja.
This is equivalent to a county king, which is granted by the vassal king's parent and son.
After all, if the vassal king could confer the title of county king, the entire vassal and vassal system would be in chaos.
Many kings of foreign vassals were just county kings. Princes would arbitrarily designate their own children as county kings, and the title of county kings would immediately flood into disasters.
Referring to North Korea, set up a monarch.
For example, Lord Wu'an in the pre-Qin period was below the king and above the nobility, and could not be granted titles unless he was a prince.
In the future, the nobility of the clan will be based on the old rules, three generals and three lieutenants.
The rules were naturally adopted from the Ming Dynasty, and were gradually reduced from generation to generation, just to avoid the proliferation of clans.
After all, the Ming Dynasty was vast and rich in resources, and could support hundreds of thousands of clans, but those vassal states had difficulty feeding hundreds of people, so that was all.
"The Duke is hereditary and can be replaced. Although his annual salary is a little lower, he can retire with the country and has some prestige in the Ming Dynasty."
Nicole said seriously: "When William inherits your father's title, and holds the title of the vassal country, he will be the title of the two countries, which is very majestic."
Francis fell into a state of motion. He ignored his son's excitement and remained silent for a while before saying, "It's still too long."
"Is there any good way?"
William was disappointed.
"Then there's only one way."
Kress felt a little disappointed.
Although her son is still young, she has already begun to prepare for his future.
Although the vassal clan had the support of the court, it was far from enough. It also needed the support of the mother clan.
For example, the King of Liao, whose grandfather was the governor of Chahar at the time, could directly recruit Mongolian soldiers and select elites, which saved a lot of effort.
This is something that not many princes would envy.
If the Silva family fully supports their son, the road ahead will be much smoother.
"Go to Luzon!"
Kress said softly: "There are many Spaniards in Luzon. They form villages and accept the jurisdiction of the imperial court."
"William is from a noble family and is Spanish. He will definitely be able to assist the Governor's Mansion in running the government well."
"And whether it's the suppression of pirates or the suppression of the indigenous people, there is meritorious service,"
"That's not bad."
It was clear that Francis was tempted.
This is an opportunity for their family.
"What's this called? Using barbarians to control barbarians." William was overjoyed and clapped his hands.
"Don't talk nonsense."
Kress and Nicole glared at him.
Yi is not a good word.
Ichival's return home has actually laid the foundation for the future of the Silva family.
The weather in Beijing is getting colder and colder. The first snow since winter fell at night, and the most beautiful area under the sky immediately turned into a world covered in snow.
This white snow scene between heaven and earth attracted literati and poets to recite poetry. Although it was a temporary pleasure, for the common people, it was not so poetic and picturesque.
Xishan, coal field.
The colder it is in Beijing, the busier the business here is.
With the increase in population, the scale of Xishan coal mines has continued to expand, and there are now dozens of large and small mines. There are four to five thousand miners working every day, and no less than three to five hundred mule carts are running around.
As snow is trampled, even the strongest roads can become slushy.
"Bah, this official road is becoming increasingly difficult to leave."
"It's better to just call it Mu Dao."
Liao Sheng was wearing a black cotton coat, which was still mended. He was driving the car and walked hard on the official road. He couldn't help but complain.
There were two big men standing behind him, and they all agreed upon hearing the words.
"Brother, when will this road not be repaired? Let's go faster and transport the coal back before we talk!"
The three of them quickly quickened their pace and finally found the inn before dark, and they were instantly overjoyed.
This inn is large in scale, only a hundred steps away from the official road, and connected to it by a spacious road paved with stones and straw, which makes it easy to travel.
Compared with it, it is more like an official way.
The post station is brightly lit, with no less than a dozen large and small guises. Basically, they are inns and restaurants, and there are many restaurants and stalls. They are open despite the severe cold and it is very lively.
Every thirty miles, the court would build a post station near the official road.
In other words, they walked for most of the day and only covered thirty miles.
From Beijing to Xishan, it is sixty miles.
"Brother, this inn is so lively."
A silly guy said with a smile: "There is also Kunyuan, I don't know if it is expensive."
"Shit, look at the lanterns. They're more expensive than our net worth. I'm afraid we'll go bankrupt after just one night."
Liao Sheng gritted his teeth and said, turning his head resolutely and leading the two brothers to the deepest place.
He swore in his heart that he would come back once after finishing this business trip.
Finally, the three of them found a slightly shabby inn in the deepest part, with no shortage of guest rooms.
"The price of a bunkhouse is ten cents a night. If the guest wants to book a room for three people to live together, just a penny will be enough."
The child said softly: "But if you live in Datongpu, there are no horse feeds. The single room comes with horse feeds and a hot bath!"
Liao Sheng was in a dilemma.
A silver dollar is equal to ten cents, which means that one cent is equivalent to one hundred cents. This is too high.
The Datong bunkhouse is extremely long and can accommodate more than a dozen people. The shabby quilts stink, and people are crowded together. There is not even room for people to move around.
More importantly, the security is extremely poor.
He touched the money bag in his pocket and had to choose a single room.
The money he carries on his back is the capital of his business, so he cannot ignore it.
The three of them entered the single room, and they were indeed very different.
There was a big kang, a table, three chairs, and three old quilts. At least there were no fleas in sight.
The fire kang had already started to simmer, but when it was slightly lit, it started to heat up, and the room warmed up instantly.
"Brother, why are there so many inns in this inn?" The two younger brothers looked puzzled.
As ordinary people, they can actually live in the inn. This is really exaggerated and completely unexpected.
"Although the post station has a post manager, he only takes care of his own one-third of an acre of land."
Liao Sheng said casually: "Have you seen the dilapidated courtyard in the middle? That is the post station, specially used to entertain those officials."
"Ah?" Neither of them believed it. They thought it was a stable. It was too shabby.
"Three dishes and one soup, horse feed is paid for."
Liao Sheng said softly: "There are only a few officials who want to move in. Only those urgent messengers will go in."
"So the dignitaries stayed in the inn, and the inn paid rent to the inn."
"Yicheng is a very good job. I heard that he can make thousands of yuan a year, even if he gives it to the county magistrate..."
The two of them felt inexplicably unbelievable, but they felt it was natural.
"Brother, can we really make this trip happen?"
"Of course." Liao Sheng gritted his teeth and said, "I followed that stingy old ghost a few times and I'm already familiar with it. This time we go to Xishan to transport coal, we will definitely succeed."
"Don't worry, I'm guaranteed to make a lot of money."
Without talking all night, the three of them drove the mule cart to the Western Mountains before dawn.
After arriving in Xishan, Liao Sheng finally got a load of coal with the help of resources and bribes.
What the other three people were dissatisfied with was that the briquettes were in dilapidated condition, with most of them being pitted and half broken.
This made the three of them very angry, but they had no choice but to take away the coal they bought.
Coal is the active party, and they are the passive party. Even if they borrow the crushed coal, they dare not say anything.
"Meile, coal!"
Liao Sheng calmed down and drove the mule cart back to Beijing, not to mention the hardships along the way.
He still refused to give up and kept selling in the capital.
As a result, there were very few buyers.
The three brothers suffered a big loss and were hit hard.
Suddenly, there was light snow, so that the whole car was piled up, and the black turned into white. The mule was shivering with cold even in its cotton coat, let alone the three brothers.
At the corner, the three of them were hiding from the wind and snow, their morale was extremely low.
Suddenly, a carriage stopped in front of the three of them, and a middle-aged man with a jade face and starry eyes stepped out, but his skin was tender and tender, and he looked pampered and full of momentum.
He didn't mind it either. He swept away the snow with his hand. When he saw a large pile of broken briquettes, he couldn't help laughing and said, "You must be short-sighted. Who would buy such coal?"
"What's the price?"
"Two cents for one piece." Liao Sheng said weakly.
"Expensive."
The man chuckled and said, "It's winter now. People who haven't bought coal at this time are basically poor people. If you sell it so expensive, who would be willing to buy it?"
"A piece of coal on the market costs three cents. Although my briquettes have broken some corners, they are still good coal and can withstand burning."
Liao Sheng retorted.
"If you sell crushed coal as whole coal, if it doesn't look good, who will buy it?"
The man shook his head: "You might as well smash all these pieces of coal into cinders, and then buy them by the pound instead of selling them by the piece."
"Those who take advantage will be happy then."
Liao Sheng fell into deep thought.
When he turned his head, he saw that the carriage had left and the man was nowhere to be seen.
He gritted his teeth: "Crush them all for me and sell them by the pound?"
(End of chapter)
