"There is a legend in our east. In the distant past, diseases and wild beasts were raging on the earth, but human beings were unable to fight against these two terrible things due to their weak bodies and could only let them bully them. Human beings at that time , the general lifespan is only twenty or thirty years old.”
"Fortunately, after those long years, a saint was born. We call him Shennong. Shennong tasted all kinds of herbs and finally discovered a magical plant. Drinking the drink made from this plant can extend your life. , strengthen the body, and even invigorate the spirit.”
"People's physical conditions have been greatly improved, their life span has continued to increase until a hundred years, and they have the ability to fight against wild beasts and diseases. This plant has also been passed down from ancient times as a tradition."
"We call this plant 'tea'."
"And this tea is divided into three grades: upper, middle and lower. The lower grade cleans the intestines and stomach, and the middle grade nourishes the body. Only the best tea can prolong life and have the best effect of invigorating the spirit."
"These high-quality tea leaves are also called 'gold of the land' by us. They are so precious that they cannot be purchased even if you only have money. Even the emperor of the Ming Empire cherished them extremely."
"Dear Her Majesty the Queen, please allow me to present you with a treasure from the East - black tea produced in Qimen of the Ming Empire. It is exactly a kind of 'land gold'."
Yan Zichong held a small jar made of ceramics, painted with various colors and patterns, and luxuriously decorated in his hand. He stood in front of the Queen of England and talked in fluent English. At this time, his identity was the Luzon Governor's Palace. An envoy to England.
As a diplomatic envoy, he could not live without gifts, so Yan Zichong presented a treasure that had been prepared - tea.
Considering that the British might prefer black tea, after careful selection, Yan Shiyi asked Yan Zichong to bring the treasure of black tea - Keemun black tea.
I did not deceive the Queen of England. This black tea is indeed precious. Even in the Ming Dynasty, it was not available to ordinary people.
However, the value is still exaggerated...otherwise, how can it be sold at a high price in the future?
But obviously, Elizabeth I didn't care about this. Although there was no John Hawkins to show him the value of the trade, she quickly discovered and participated in it. Now the queen is not short of money.
She cared about something else.
"Can it really increase your lifespan?"
Queen Elizabeth I asked, keenly grasping the point.
She is already very old. If nothing else, the queen passed away in the past few years. Of course, she would be very eager to live for a while longer.
"We have an immortal named 'Zhang Slutty' over there, but he lived for more than two hundred years..." Yan Zichong said with a smile.
More than two hundred years old... After hearing this, Elizabeth I's eyes became brighter, and she felt even more precious when looking at the small jar of tea in front of her.
Yan Zichong did not hesitate. He turned around and took out a set of extremely exquisite tea sets from the servant and started brewing.
He also added many extra steps, such as burning incense, which made the British nobles around him look stunned.
Although they couldn't understand it, his complicated and cherished appearance gave them a mysterious and precious feeling.
This made them look forward to it even more.
Yan Zichong felt that this was the most difficult tea he had ever had. He even felt like he was performing on the street, adding a lot of flashy so-called "etiquette" that they didn't have when drinking tea.
Then cups of tea were handed to the hands of the Queen and the nobles.
Elizabeth I took a gentle sip.
There is a slight bitterness in the mouth, but it is just right. After swallowing it, I only feel a fresh fragrance that I have never smelled before, rushing straight to my forehead and echoing between my lips and teeth.
The queen's eyes lit up, and some of the surrounding nobles also had expressions of surprise on their faces.
Apparently they all thought the tea tasted good, and the elegant feeling was in line with their aristocratic "elegant" temperament.
This is the drink that nobles should drink!
Yan Zichong observed them calmly, and when he saw the expressions in the nobles' eyes, a smile appeared on his lips.
Plan passes.
"It is indeed a treasure. Mr. Governor and Mr. Ambassador are interested in it." Elizabeth I smiled slightly. There was no doubt that the gift from the Luzon Governor's Mansion was very much to his liking. It made him feel much better about the natural senses of the Luzon Governor's Mansion. She already plans to drink it for a long time in the future.
Then, she proposed to form an alliance with the Governor-General of Luzon to jointly fight against the Iberian Alliance and let their navy launch attacks on the Spanish colonies in South America. However, as expected, this proposal was rejected by Yan Zichong.
Just kidding, although the Governor-General of Luzon also dislikes the Iberian Alliance and even defeated the Spanish fleet sailing from the Americas, it is not willing to get involved in this muddy water.
Elizabeth I was a little disappointed, but this was reasonable. Although the Luzon Governor's Palace also had land ambitions, it was not as directly facing the threat of the Iberian Union as they were, and there was no need for them to get involved.
However, when she tentatively proposed that she would purchase a large amount of porcelain, silk and tea from the East and asked the Luzon Governor's Office for preferential treatment, Yan Zichong generously agreed.
He gave good purchase prices for several items, which made the British ministers overjoyed!
He also said impassionedly:
"Your Majesty, in fact, we also hate the Iberian Union. After all, the world is so big, but it is occupied by the Iberian Union, leaving all countries with almost no foothold. This is extremely unfair. We Support your country in getting your share.”
"The British Empire is powerful enough and deserves a piece of land under the sun! We are happy to make a small reduction in the price of goods to support your country!"
After a few words, the Queen and the ministers were all excited, and this was exactly what they were thinking.
Their Great Britain is already powerful enough, why can't they colonize the whole world like the Iberian League? The territory of those guys is even larger than the entire Europe!
However, everyone here is also a politician. They are not fools. Of course they will not believe Yan Zichong's nonsense about helping Britain. They know very well that the other party is actually trying to make them fight with the Iberian Union. stand up.
But the problem is that it is almost certain that they will face the Iberian Union. As long as Britain needs a wider colony, war will be inevitable.
And the other party's condition is already very sincere.
(End of chapter)
