"Then there is a problem here." Jeanne pointed out: "You also said that this was just the situation at that time. Now, the Greeks should be used to all this and adapt to the rule of the Khan."
"I heard that most of it was as desolate as a village at that time. Look, isn't it really prosperous now? Rome is also a big country now. It's not like it was beaten and robbed every day. With these achievements, you still have What are you afraid of the Greeks?”
"The reason for the compromise with the Greeks was that we had just arrived at that time, and we needed to rely on the power of traditional habits to make them accept it." Jeanne pointed out: "Now we have done a good job, everyone is very satisfied, and we should not continue to belittle ourselves."
"I think they are still making trouble all day long." Guo Kang said.
"That's the daily routine of citizens, don't take it seriously." Jeanne disagreed.
"Moreover, they can even tolerate your weird religious beliefs, so why not? I don't think these ordinary citizens really hate you." She judged: "Greek citizens used to be more tolerant than ours. Damn it, the current performance has already explained a lot of problems."
"Is this okay?" Guo Kang felt that her standards were a bit too low.
"If you have been to Paris, you will know that the government in the capital is already very popular." Jeanne told him firmly.
Guo Kang was quite confused about this and decided to discuss it with others later.
Jeanne was not too surprised by his reaction.
"You still don't understand." She continued to express her doubts: "You also said that you are Romans, so why do you have to disguise yourself to get close to those troublesome Greek women, so that Romans can wear Greek skins? To cover yourself?"
"There is something wrong with your statement." Zhu Wenkui did not agree with his sister's idea: "Greek culture still has a great influence here. It is not as simple as wearing a skin."
"You have also met those people in their Khan's court. In terms of their understanding and mastery of Greek culture, not only the Easterners, but also the Bulgarians and Slavs are actually very... uh, relatively simple."
"Can they survive without the help of these Greeks? And if they directly decide to abandon these parts of Greek culture, will it be the same as HRE? Will this be considered as forgetting one's ancestors and burning bridges?" he asked. a series of questions.
"Isn't it just Greek culture now? It's not that you want to give up, but that you simply can't keep it." Jeanne pointed out: "Have you not noticed their sweaty hats?"
"You mean that cymbal crown with fake braids?" Zhu Wenkui gestured on his head: "What happened to that thing?"
"Do you know why they don't use Greek crowns?" Jeanne asked.
"Is it to show tradition and to show that we are different from the Greeks?" Zhu Wenkui thought for a moment and asked.
"It's because there is no crown at all." Guo Kang explained with a wry smile.
"At that time, John V's army was at a disadvantage in the civil war. In order to attract more mercenaries, his mother Queen Mother Anna sold the ancestral crown to the Venetians. Therefore, there was no official crown after that."
"Well……"
"Old John the Great Khan - the first Khan John VII, really wanted to hold a coronation ceremony and wear the Eastern Roman crown. For this reason, he also found a Venetian and wanted to spend money to redeem it." Guo Kang continued: "But the Venetians also claimed to be the heirs of Rome. They wanted to show off the crown everywhere and were unwilling to sell it."
"They are our important allies, and they didn't steal or rob them this time, so we couldn't say anything, so we gave up."
"What happened next?" Zhu Wenkui asked.
"Later, when Basil III intervened in the Dalmatian War and helped the Venetians against Hungary, the Venetian Parliament proposed that the crown be returned to offset part of the military expenses."
"But at this time, decades had passed since the establishment of the account, and everyone no longer cared about this thing. At that time, the Khan's court was at war on all sides, and it would be better to just ask for money if it wanted it, so it didn't agree."
"When Old John the Great Khan entered the city, he brought this kind of cymbal hat that imitated the Yuan Dynasty. Over time, it has become a habit in itself, and it has been used by later generations. That braid..." Guo Kang also He gestured: "It was true in the beginning, it was a hairstyle of the prairie nobles. But it was too troublesome to comb. Later, everyone had a simple and convenient Roman hairstyle, so they changed it into a hanging ornament."
"There is such a thing." Zhu Wenkui was a little surprised: "Mr. Greece didn't tell me in detail. He probably thought that officials were too embarrassed and kept it a secret for the venerable people."
"What the hell is an official?" Jeanna laughed when she heard what he said: "Is this the translation you came up with?"
"You said this. I simply think this translation is easier to remember." Zhu Wenkui explained: "And you see, although the Ming Dynasty's official diplomacy did not take the initiative to mention this, everyone understands that this free translation of Basileus Come here, you should call me the emperor."
"After I came here, I studied this specifically. In the Greeks' own understanding, only the King of Kings of Persia and the King of Kings of Ethiopia enjoy the same level as Basileus of Rome. Other self-proclaimed They don't recognize Caesar and the like. If we compare it to this, these Basileus and the King of Kings are all equal to the emperor."
"But looking at the recent 'emperors' of the Greeks, I feel that they are really not worthy. Whether it is national strength or ability, they are too far behind. Maybe there is only one title left." He scratched his head. Said: "After much thought, it is better to translate this honorific title into 'official', which not only retains the original level, but also shows the distinction. It should be okay, right?"
"I think it's very good." Guo Kang decisively praised: "At that time, a great Confucian said that when it comes to translation, there are three standards to pursue. The first is to be loyal to the original meaning, which is called 'faithfulness'; the second is to be smooth and easy to understand, which is called 'expressiveness' '; The third is to get its charm, which is called 'elegant'. I think this 'official' translation takes into account both honesty, elegance and elegance, which is much better than pure transliteration."
"Didn't you just say that the cultural level here is not good? I obviously think this is very good. How did you meet so many learned scholars?" Jeanne asked curiously: "If you have such a background, what's more? It’s time to worry about the issue of Greek women.”
"Great Confucian scholars, like Confucius, like to travel around the world, but they usually don't stay for a short time, so they often leave after saying a few words." Guo Kang began to make nonsense: "What we lack is mainly the kind who can stay permanently."
"Okay..." Jeanne had no choice but to stop asking.
"However, there are indeed people who have similar ideas to you." Guo Kang thought for a moment and told her: "Before, Shi Ke told me that his brother Shi Dan was going on a mission this time and was going to find some learned scholars to come back. "
"They probably think the same way - well, in the final analysis, it is still a matter of culture and education." He smiled helplessly and said to Zhu Wenkui: "If you and your son can manage to get Ming Dynasty to send a thousand teachers , if we stay here permanently, we no longer have to worry about so many things.”
"We can really give it a try." Jeanne didn't know why, but she suddenly became motivated: "What I doubt now is whether these current measures to 'maintain legality' such as intermarriage with Greek women are necessary. "
"We should help them get rid of the decadent Greek culture. This is our mission to Roman civilization." She said, and then asked Zhu Wenkui: "Brother, are you right?"
"What does this have to do with us..." Zhu Wenkui couldn't react.
"The continuation of rise and fall is a common pursuit of orthodox Chinese dynasties." Jeanne actually knows this too: "What we do is beneficial to both civilizations."
"But they didn't die?" Zhu Wenkui pointed out: "You just said that Rome is rising and developing very well, and it is different from before."
"But if you continue like this, you will definitely be tricked to death by Greek women." Jeanna said, turning to Guo Kang: "Brother Kang, you don't want a Jananfeng to come to Rome and a rebellion of eight kings."
"Then what do you think we should do?" Guo Kang asked.
"The further away you are from Greek women, the better!" Jeanne said without thinking.
(End of chapter)
