Zhu Jingyuan quickly adjusted his mentality and changed the topic directly:
"I'll go say hello to everyone first, and then I'll take you to your residence..."
Ciel was still smiling and said expectantly:
"Okay, okay, let's talk by candlelight that night, and then sleep together, just like the ancient friends of China..."
Zhu Jingyuan's expression stiffened again, he smiled and then went to say hello to the others.
Mainly his direct subordinates, Chu Yuqiang, the shopkeeper of Dashi Clothing Company, and several senior business executives around him.
"I have worked hard for you in the past three years. Come to Xintianfu this time and relax.
"Everyone has been tired all the way. Let's go and rest first. Let's talk slowly later."
Chu Yuqiang bowed and agreed, leading his men and following the reception staff to leave first.
Then came the foreign ministers of France and Britain. Lin Zexu and Niu Jian were responsible for their reception.
But now that Zhu Jingyuan is here, he always wants to say hello, so he also said welcome.
Finally, there is a group of architectural designers and senior craftsmen from France.
Zhu Jingyuan wants to build an "overseas garden" in his own garden.
It is expected that there will be four main divisions: Tianzhu, Dashi, Taixi and Yinzhou. Taixi is also a relatively important part.
France is the current cultural center of Thailand and Spain, and the French Crown Prince is also his close friend.
It is only natural to mention it when communicating with him daily and ask him for help in hiring designers and craftsmen.
Zhu Jingyuan was quite polite to these craftsmen, and said with a smile:
"You guys have worked so hard coming all the way. Let's go to the Imperial Mansion with the waiters to rest for a few days.
"In a few days, I will personally take you all to the predetermined location to investigate."
The status of designers and craftsmen in Thailand and the West is relatively high, but no matter how high it is, it cannot be higher than that of a Ming prince like Zhu Jingyuan.
Moreover, as a designer and craftsman from Taixi, it is definitely an honor to be able to design and build a palace for Prince Daming.
A group of craftsmen were very nervous and quickly returned the gift very respectfully:
"It is our honor to serve His Highness..."
Zhu Jingyuan handed the craftsmen to the reception staff of the Ministry of Works and went back to deal with his close friend Prince Charles.
Zhu Jingyuan sent Charles to the garden opposite the amusement park where Frederick and other male guests lived.
When they arrived at the small courtyard reserved for Charles, the two of them sat down in the main hall to chat as soon as they entered.
Zhu Jingyuan took a bottle of men's antiperspirant from the attendant and threw it to Charles beside him very casually:
"My new invention, a little gift..."
Ciel quickly caught it:
"Thank you...what is this...antiperspirant?"
When Charles saw the label on the bottle, his expression suddenly became a little ugly:
"You... you dislike me..."
Zhu Jingyuan was immediately speechless:
"What do you mean I dislike you? I'm just showing you my new invention.
"I want you to give it a try and analyze whether there is a market in the Thai and Western aristocratic circles.
“If you weren’t my friend, I wouldn’t just throw things to you without any worries.
“I will definitely find a way to cover it up, and I will definitely try to be as tactful as possible.
“But we are friends, and when friends are together, we don’t need to worry about cumbersome aristocratic etiquette and vanity.
“Are you trying to tell me that you Thais don’t sweat?
"Aren't you lying to my friend?
“A true best friend should be able to point out each other’s problems in private and enthusiastically help each other solve them.
“Instead of taking into account the other person’s face and avoiding talking about it when you discover that the other person has a problem.
“That would actually make the other party lose face in front of outsiders.
“It’s nothing to be rude in front of friends, but it’s embarrassing to be rude in front of outsiders.
“A person who cannot point out a friend’s problems is not a true friend.”
Prince Charles' expression quickly recovered, and even turned directly to the other extreme. He was very happy and even a little excited and said:
"Yes, my dear friend, you are absolutely right. A true friend should talk about everything and don't need to worry about image or etiquette.
"I'm going to go to the bathroom and take a shower right now, and try applying it on the smelly parts of my body."
Zhu Jingyuan was a little surprised now:
"You don't have to be so anxious..."
Charles said immediately:
"I want to see the effect as soon as possible.
“I have tried antiperspirants before, but they were not effective and were very uncomfortable.
"My best friend's invention should be very effective.
"But in order to be as accurate as possible, my best friend, you should go to the bathroom with me and teach me how to use it, right?"
When Zhu Jingyuan heard the last invitation, he thanked him directly and shook his head and said:
"If you were a princess, I would guide you enthusiastically.
"It's a pity that you are not, I am not interested in men's bodies.
“As you said yourself, just apply it to areas with strong smell.
"There's nothing a man needs special guidance for."
Charles couldn't hold himself any longer:
"Haha... Then I'll go..."
Charles directed the ship to dock today, so he took a shower on the ship today.
Now it's just a matter of rinsing again, and soon I'm done, drying myself and applying antiperspirant.
After Charles got dressed and came out, he ran up to Zhu Jingyuan and said:
"My dear friend, come and smell it..."
Zhu Jingyuan pushed him away helplessly:
"How could you smell something just after washing? Let's wait until you have been active for a long time."
Charlotte reacted immediately:
"That's right, let's just drink and talk tonight and then sleep together..."
Zhu Jingyuan said casually:
"It's okay to have a drink and talk, that's what I mean, there will be a simple dinner tonight.
"But forget it if we sleep together, it will bring bad reputation to both of us, and it is no longer popular in Ming Dynasty.
"Besides, I will only feel comfortable sleeping with my little wife when I go back. What fun is there with a stinky man like you?"
Charlton immediately shrank his head back and said in a deliberately exaggerated way:
"I understand, this is about valuing sex over friends. I came all the way from Europa to see you, but you don't even want to sleep together."
Zhu Jingyuan ignored his rude remarks:
"I'm going back first. You should have a good rest. I'll have someone come over to invite you to a banquet tonight."
That night, Zhu Jingyuan arranged a banquet in the garden where Charles, Frederick and other men lived.
Charlotte, Frederick, Monroe and others who participated last time received invitations again.
Prince Charles, who arrived today, and diplomats from Britain and France also attended.
There are also Chu Yuqiang and the core staff of Dashi Clothing Company, as well as architectural designers and craftsmen from France.
The scale of the banquet was several times larger than the previous few days, and the key was that the ingredients were also very complex.
There are royal families, nobles, officials, staff, businessmen, artists, and skilled craftsmen.
There are also Ming people, French people, British people, and New World people.
Gathering these people together to hold a banquet was something that had never happened in Ming Dynasty or Taixi.
Because different people’s dining habits, dining customs within the circle, and personal taste styles are all very different.
So Zhu Jingyuan tried a buffet, which was the most convenient way to handle a large number of diners of different statuses.
Prepare various flavors of food and place them on tables on both sides of the venue. Prepare cups and tableware for guests to help themselves.
There is no longer one table per person, but four to six seats around a table, allowing guests to choose their own seats.
Of course, this is not a modern society, and the several royal members present still have a special status.
Zhu Jingyuan still has the largest table and the most comfortable and spacious large sofa.
Zhu Jingyuan did not let Irene follow him anymore, but arranged Charles by his side.
The three members of the British royal family were also assigned a large table alone.
Everyone else was free to group together and sit wherever they wanted.
Invitations were prepared for this banquet. The invitations explained how to eat, and the servants explained them again when entering.
As the guest whose status is second only to Zhu Jingyuan, and also the host and guest today, Charles should have arrived later.
As a result, he rushed over early and was led alone by a servant to find Zhu Jingyuan resting in the back hall:
"Not seeing each other for half a day is like three autumns. I couldn't bear the time before the banquet, so I decided to come and chat with my best friend..."
Zhu Jingyuan was dressed in loose Prince's casual clothes and was leaning on a spacious soft couch, listening to music and turning over his storybook.
Now that there are no mobile phones, the only way to pass the time alone is to read.
Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty's business developed very well, and the life in the market was far richer than that of the Qing Dynasty at the same time.
Therefore, there are countless various traditions. Although they are similar to the Internet of later generations, most of them are not interesting.
But after all, the threshold for writing and publishing is much higher than on the Internet, and the proportion of high-quality products is also higher than on the Internet.
Zhu Jingyuan was not used to this kind of writing style at first, but he gradually got used to it after reading it more.
After getting used to it, I felt that these traditions, especially the martial arts in them, were quite interesting.
Zhu Jingyuan put down the book and looked up at Charles in front of him, and found that his clothes had changed back to the popular Thai and Western style.
At the same time, he didn't show off at all, and he took off his shoes on the spot without any courtesy, and climbed directly onto Zhu Jingyuan's bed:
"My dear friend, what are you reading?"
Zhu Jingyuan threw the martial arts in his hand to him:
"Why did you put your clothes back on again?"
Charles asked naturally:
"Won't you change back too?"
One sentence was enough to kill the conversation, leaving Zhu Jingyuan speechless.
Charles is also a little interested in Ming Dynasty's martial arts, but he is not here now. He is here to chat with Zhu Jingyuan.
So Charles glanced at the title of the book, wrote it down, and prepared to go back and buy a copy, then he put the book aside:
“The summer in Xintianfu seems to be obviously hotter than in Paris, so I changed into a pair of thinner pantyhose.
"Now lie there and try to see if you can see the hair on my legs from this distance?"
When Zhu Jingyuan heard this question, he almost lost his temper.
Zhu Jingyuan finally realized what it was like to have a friend dressed as a boat girl next to him.
He also suddenly realized that the conversations he had with Ciel in the morning might have broken the remaining barrier between the two.
If there are any problems, you should first ask your "close friends" to help you to avoid embarrassing things in front of outsiders.
He asked directly such deceptive questions as whether he could see the hair on his legs under the stockings.
Zhu Jingyuan tried his best to calm down and said as calmly as possible:
"I...can't see it here...Are your legs very hairy?"
Charles seemed relieved and sat cross-legged opposite Zhu Jingyuan:
"It's okay if you can't see it. I don't have much hair on my legs. I should say it's less hairy than the average European man.
"By the way, my dear friend, the new antiperspirant you invented is very effective. The key is that it doesn't make people feel uncomfortable at all.
“I have been using it for most of the day, and there is basically no smell on my body and my clothes are not stained.
"When I return to Paris, I will bring this product to other nobles, and it will definitely become popular quickly.
"My dear friend, you have solved a problem that has troubled Europeans for thousands of years. I am really impressed by you."
Zhu Jingyuan listened to Charles's words and looked at his movements, vaguely aware of a problem.
Although in his own opinion, Charles wore women's clothing from later generations, he was completely different from men who wore women's clothing from later generations.
Men in later generations who wear women's clothing know that they are wearing women's clothing, and their actions and language will instinctively tend to be feminine.
It should be said that most of those men have a feminine tendency, so they take the initiative to wear women's clothing.
But men like Charles, ordinary Thai and Western men in this world, don't have that kind of understanding at all.
They took it for granted that the clothes they wore were the most orthodox aristocratic men's clothing.
They think their overall image now is that of real men.
They will not imitate women's movements and language styles at all, and will even instinctively make differences.
Will deliberately show the masculine, majestic and cheerful side.
After Zhu Jingyuan figured this out, he felt significantly more relaxed.
Because the person next to me is not the kind of feminine man who might be interested in men.
After his mentality changed, Zhu Jingyuan realized another problem.
Charles, the French crown prince, might really be his friend.
With his current status, there are really too few people who can be his friends.
Even his brothers are in a competitive relationship with himself. The key is that his status is too special.
It is impossible for them to become so mature with themselves that they can talk about anything.
Apart from his own brothers, not to mention everyone else, they are all subordinates or potential subordinates.
Even if you act amiable, they will not really relax like ordinary friends when they are in front of you.
When he was eating, he offered them wine, and they were all in a state of fear.
It was probably because of Ciel's status, the heir to the throne of another country, that he had the opportunity to form a friendship with him.
Of course, his identity is different from his own, but it is not directly competitive, nor does it form a direct superior-subordinate relationship.
Just like a child from a particularly wealthy family, and a child from a relatively wealthy family, the status of the two is not far apart.
Especially since he came with the intention of being friends with me from the beginning.
In the past three years, the two parties have written letters to each other, often sent each other telegrams, and given gifts every now and then. Now they have developed a natural friendship mentality.
When Zhu Jingyuan thought of this, he sat up from Ge You's paralyzed state and put his arms around Charles' shoulders:
"Thank you, my best friend Charles. You have been my spokesperson in France and even Europe, and you have made great efforts for the development and promotion of Dashi Clothing Company. If you need my help in your future life, just ask me. …”
Charles was obviously stunned when Zhu Jingyuan hugged his shoulders.
Except for being hugged like this by my parents when I was very young, when I grew up, I never had it again.
Charles's lack of friends was much more profound than Zhu Jingyuan's.
Zhu Jingyuan still has the life experience of his previous life, but Charles only has the life of a prince in this life.
That's why Charles subconsciously wanted to make friends with Zhu Jingyuan.
Now that he was holding hands like an ordinary person, Ciel felt at ease and extremely excited.
Almost completely opposite emotions appeared at the same time.
Charles smiled very happily and waved his hands and said:
“Don’t take it to heart, those things are just a piece of cake.
“Besides, my expenses have plummeted since the Grand Food Company came to Paris.
"My clothes are made for free by the company all year round, and the car I get when I travel is also given by you.
"Moreover, my father now wears clothes from the merchant house, which saves a lot on clothing than before.
"Because the living expenses of our father and son have been reduced, the expenses of the French royal family have also dropped a lot."
Zhu Jingyuan was stunned for a moment when he heard this.
Then I realized that this was indeed the case.
The three core people of the French royal family, Louis XVI and his wife, and Charles.
Among the three of them, Prince Charles' clothing and travel tools were contracted by Zhu Jingyuan.
Prince Charles no longer needs to make clothes, and he no longer needs to raise horses, carriages, and grooms. This is a huge expense.
Louis XVI also wore clothes from Dashi Clothing Company. Although his clothes had to be purchased, they were worth two thousand silver coins a set.
The purchasing power of two thousand silver notes is equivalent to 200,000 yuan in modern times, but this is nothing to the head of a large country in Europe and America.
This dress is both formal and casual, can be worn at any time, will not go out of style, and is a great value for money for them.
The most important thing is that luxury clothes like Dashi Clothing Store are expensive, but the prices are clearly marked and are the same for everyone.
For kings like Louis XVI, the prices of clothes and accessories used to be completely unfixed.
Wearing clothes from Dashi Clothing Store is equivalent to capping the cost of clothing for top nobles like them.
This choice fits perfectly with the lifestyle of the new generation of bourgeoisie.
Zhu Jingyuan unknowingly helped the French royal family save money.
However, in Zhu Jingyuan's impression, the French royal family's expenses should mainly fall on Queen Mary, right?
Therefore, Zhu Jingyuan asked in a confirming manner:
"Can the expenses of your father and son compare to that of your mother?"
Zhu Jingyuan thought that this issue did not need to be considered.
Charles's mother, Louis XVI's queen, Marie Antoinette, was a disaster in history.
The Americans made a movie "Marie Marie" with her mother as the protagonist.
As a result, Charles now thought about it quite seriously:
“It’s not as good as my mother, but it’s not far behind.
"I know that many people have heard of my mother's luxurious legend.
“But that must have happened a long time ago, and I have only heard the legend.
"In fact, as far back as I can remember, I have never found her to be more luxurious than ordinary French aristocratic ladies..."
Zhu Jingyuan fell into deep thought after hearing these words.
After all, the French nobility, including Queen Mary, are very luxurious, so Charles does not think his mother is "particularly" luxurious.
Or did she change as she grew up in the Shire?
At the time Charles was writing, the French Revolution in history had already begun.
There is no French Revolution in this world, but Charles's brother and sister also died in the past two years.
Could it be that the child's death affected her?
Or is she just like those beauties in Chinese history, a beautiful woman who was pushed out to take the blame for the incompetent monarchs and officials when the country was in a state of corruption?
But whether she is as extravagant as other French nobles, or is not so extravagant due to other reasons, or is just an unlucky woman who takes the blame, has little to do with Zhu Jingyuan.
What Zhu Jingyuan cares about is that the queen will not single-handedly bring down the French finances because of her extravagance.
Without the influence of factors that are difficult to effectively control, France's finances would be relatively controllable.
Only then is it worth your while to help Louis XVI and his son stabilize the situation.
Otherwise, if he gave the loan to the French and asked Queen Mary to use it to repair the garden, it would be better to wait until the couple is gone and go directly to help Charles.
