I

The port of Lisbon is very lively, densely packed with merchant ships.

Although the Netherlands is in the Indian region, it has resumed war with Portugal. But in the port of Lisbon, the Dutch merchant ships have the largest number-wars are wars, business is business, and life is still going on.

In Portugal, the largest industry is the sea salt industry.

Every season, 80,000 tons of sea salt are shipped from Portugal to European countries. Portugal's merchant ships are not enough, so they can only rely on the Netherlands for sales, and watch the Netherlands as a second-hand dealer, earning most of the profits of the sea salt industry.

Portugal's second largest industry is fishing.

However, the overseas colonial movement caused a sharp decrease in fishermen and fishing boats. A large number of fishermen and fishing boats were conscripted to serve overseas routes. The country that led the development of large fishing grounds in Labrador and Newfoundland is now unable to achieve self-sufficiency in cod, and has to buy cod that the Netherlands has replenished from the North Atlantic.

As the domestic economy slumps, the loss of local population is becoming more and more serious.

Not only did fishermen flee to the colonies, but inland farmers and workers also fled. Therefore, the timber for Portugal's shipbuilding can only be imported from Brazil and Sweden, not from the forests of its own country.

There is also food, wheat is obviously produced locally, but the cost of river transportation is much higher than ocean transportation. As a result, Lisbon's grain continued to reduce its local supply and instead imported from the coast of Spain.

This led to the decline of Portuguese agriculture, and later even developed to purchase grain from Britain's North American colonies.

This country is doomed and has no future at all!

Industry withered, agriculture shrank, population plummeted, and commerce was controlled by the Netherlands.

As for the huge profits of the overseas colonies, they have completely gone into the pockets of the nobles, and have nothing to do with the bourgeoisie or the common people. The common people who can't survive can only go to the colonies to make a living, which leads to a decrease in the population. In the end, the royal family can only prohibit the people from going to sea.

A colonial country prohibits native people from going to colonies...

At this very moment, countless foreign merchant ships and foreign businessmen scrambled to watch the landing of the Chinese mission.

The first to land were hundreds of imperial guards in plate armor.

Under the sunlight, the shining plate armor blinded the eyes of countless Europeans.

Joao IV muttered to himself: "Did China send hundreds of noble knights?"

Full-body plate armor is also non-mainstream in Europe. Only nobles or ancestors who have been rich can afford to wear this thing to fight. The mainstream armor in Europe is similar to that in China, mainly chain armor and cloth armor.

Due to the rise of muskets, full-body plate armor gradually withdrew from the battlefield and became a symbol of aristocratic status. The plate armor is getting thinner and more fancy, and it has become a work of art, often worn by nobles for pretense.

Plate armor is also different from plate armor.

There is a 1 mm thick plate armor with a thin layer of patches. Ordinary nobles wear 2 mm thick plate armor to death.

As for the 4 mm thick plate armor, it is not only a matter of financial resources, but also a very serious physical problem. If it wasn't for its extremely strong physique, who could stand it? With such a heavy armor, it is tiring to walk a few steps after wearing it.

Zhao Han's plate armor guards were selected from more than 200,000 soldiers, and all of them only had 3mm plate armor. This kind of plate armor can withstand the shooting of ordinary muskets at medium and long distances, but it cannot resist heavy matchlock guns, nor can it resist ordinary matchlock guns fired at close range.

Followed by spear guards and musket guards.

The armor is also distinctive, the spear guards wear composite armor, and the musket guards wear exquisite leather armor (with iron pieces embedded in key parts).

The navy did not disembark, and the guards lined up in two rows. Lu Tianxiang, Zhang Ruifeng, and Fan Chao led the civil and military officials to disembark.

Lu Tianxiang and Fan Chao were both in armor, and Zhang Ruifeng was wearing a special silk official uniform.

"Distinguished Chinese envoy, welcome to Lisbon." King Joao IV walked forward to salute gracefully with the queen and his children.

Lu Tianxiang took two steps forward, her armor cracked, and said with a smile, "Hello, Your Excellency the King."

Joao IV had already known the situation in advance and was not surprised by this. There are queens here in Europe, not to mention women as diplomatic envoys. He introduced his queen and invited the Chinese envoys to take a carriage.

The rise and fall of Portugal can be seen from the decoration of the carriage.

Before the great voyage, the Portuguese royal family was very poor, and the decoration of the carriage was very simple, and they only carved some Gothic gadgets.

Nowadays, Gothic style has become Baroque style, the carvings of the carriage are extremely intricate and exquisite, and the whole vehicle is wrapped in gold, and there are also gems and ivory for partial decoration. This thing is very large in size, and it looks like an extended version of the original car as a whole.

In other words, the shape of the earliest car was imitating the royal carriage.

Lu Tianxiang took the same car with Queen Luisa, King Joao IV took the same car with Zhang Ruifeng, and Fan Chao took the same car with the Portuguese Minister of State.

Luisa is in her forties this year and has already given birth to four sons and three daughters. Her father is a Spanish Duke.

In order to welcome the Chinese envoy, Luisa specially changed into silk clothes, and it was an imitation of Ming Dynasty women's clothes. Although it was a bit nondescript, the hem of the jacket and skirt was propped up with whale bones, but this kind of skirt combined Chinese and Western could be regarded as having a special flavor.

She intended to compete in fashion with the Chinese imperial concubine, but she didn't realize that the Chinese imperial concubine was wearing a suit of armor.

Looking carefully and secretly, Luisa felt that women wearing armor were very heroic. She suddenly had an idea in her mind that when the Chinese mission left, she would also get a set of armor to wear, and she must send someone to Italy to order it.

Italy's top armor master, has a dedicated noble business.

Use leather or cloth as the main crafting material for armor. The outer armor piece can be pasted with paper or thin copper sheet, and then plated with a layer of gold and silver, inlaid and carved with partial decorations, and a suit of noble armor that can brighten a dog's eyes is released.

The cost is extremely expensive, but the queen doesn't care, the Portuguese royal family is still very rich.

"Hello, can you understand Spanish?" Luisa asked.

Lu Tianxiang understood a few words, and said, "On the way... I learned... a little Latin."

The two began to communicate, but it seemed a bit difficult, and an interpreter was still needed.

Cai Yuncheng was sitting in an ordinary carriage, and he observed the interface all the way. I found that there are very few beggars in Lisbon, and the spirit of the common people is not bad, so I subconsciously feel that the lives of the citizens here are good.

In fact, there are very few beggars or vagabonds because they can go out to sea.

Every six months, there are ships recruiting sailors, or recruiting colonial employees. As long as there is no shortage of hands and feet, any individual can sign up. At worst, he can go to Brazil or Africa and work for the plantation owners there.

Or just be a pirate!

This is how the native population of Portugal is being lost year by year.

That night, although the dinner was sumptuous, it was still understandable. A few days later, a large banquet was held in the palace, and the Chinese envoys couldn't help but marvel at the extravagance of the European royal family.

Nobles from all over the country, as well as prominent scholars and businessmen, heard the news and wanted to meet the Chinese.

With hundreds of people gathered in the hall, the food seemed crude and extravagant. Roughness is a way to describe dishes, and luxury is a way to describe dishes. The wine was brought in barrel by barrel, and the guests ate, drank and had fun, all served by European "theaters" throughout the process.

King Joao IV was also a composer and music theorist. He tried every means to obtain music works published throughout Europe, and even used diplomats to do this kind of thing.

Portugal's music collection is definitely the largest in the world.

King Joao IV was drunk, and suddenly stood up and said: "In order to express my welcome to the Chinese envoy, I will personally conduct and play a piece!"

"Long live the king!"

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Joao IV walked over to the band.

Lorenzo Rebeiro, who is drinking, is Portugal's most famous musician. Since the king personally conducts, he will play himself, and other musicians will accompany him.

At this time, the symphony has not yet formed, but the polyphonic music is about to develop to the second peak. Joao IV was a staunch supporter of polyphonic music, so he wrote a dissertation to argue with others, pointing out that polyphonic music is the future direction of development.

Zhang Ruifeng sneered, and said in a low voice in Chinese: "It's so absurd for a ruler not to be a ruler, and a minister not to be a minister. The king of a country, on this occasion, would actually play with actors."

Cai Yuncheng said: "It's nothing, Tang Taizong Li Shimin, didn't he also dance in person? It's just that the nobles in this country are too extravagant, and I'm afraid the people's life will be difficult. Looking at the decoration of its carriage, one knows that it must be an upstart. Just like the royal family. All the way, it’s just the Persian royal family, with a little more refined taste.”

The word nouveau riche existed in the Ming Dynasty.

Cai Yuncheng didn't know that this kind of nouveau riche style was not only shared by Portugal and the Mughals, but also by the entire European royal family. Those who can be decorated with gold must not use silver!

What is popular at the moment is called "Baroque" style, which applies to architecture, painting, and music.

The literal meaning of Baroque is: strange, eccentric, deformed, gaudy, messy.

The Renaissance brought innovation and change, and the great voyage brought wealth and enjoyment. When the two were combined, the Baroque style was born.

Local nobles, merchants and scholars are not qualified to sit at the long table. Together with their wives, they were sitting on a pony in the corner, but this was already a supreme honor, and they were enjoying the music with intoxicated expressions.

Gradually, the tune changed, and people got up and danced in twos and threes.

The Chinese envoys were all speechless, and the men and women hugged each other openly. Moreover, you are holding my wife and I am holding your daughter, that scene is simply unwatchable.

"Extremely rude, extremely shameless!"

The civil servants shook their heads again and again, but there were always a few who couldn't help looking into the dance floor.

Lu Tianxiang had already changed into a Chinese court costume, and a young man came over to invite her to dance: "Your Royal Highness, may I have the honor to dance with you?"

Lu Tianxiang said with an ugly face, "I can't!"

"Boom!"

Pan Wei jumped up against the case, pointed at the young man's nose and cursed: "You are so rude, how dare you disrespect the imperial concubine, do you really think our country is at a disadvantage?"

The young people were dumbfounded, and they didn't know why the Chinese envoy got angry.

This young man is the eldest son of Joao IV, Duke of Braganza, and Prince Theodosio of Brazil.

The rest of the Chinese envoys heard the movement and hurriedly inquired about the situation, and they also stood up one after another.

The ball was interrupted as expected, and King Joao IV came to apologize in person.

In fact, even without Lu Tianxiang, this kind of thing would probably happen. It is inevitable that some noble lady will come to invite Chinese officials to dance, but Chinese officials dare not openly put their arms around foreign women.

Everyone left in a huff, and the Portuguese nobles looked at each other in blank dismay.

Although I feel very inexplicable, my admiration for China has deepened. In front of the Chinese envoys, they are inevitably a little ashamed.

It is said that at the beginning of the banquet, the Chinese envoys did not use knives and forks, but brought out their own tableware. A beautiful lacquer box that opens very elegantly to reveal a pair of chopsticks.

For food such as roast suckling pig, when a knife must be used, it is also accompanied by the female officer of the regiment.

The female officials cut the meat with knives and placed it neatly in front of the Chinese envoy. The messengers talked and laughed freely, picked up the chopsticks gracefully, and put the cut meat into their mouths. Their movements and temperament were indescribably noble.

After the banquet was over, Queen Louisa called her maid: "I asked, Chinese people use chopsticks to eat. You ask people to use ivory or silver to make dozens of pairs of chopsticks. All members of the court must learn to use chopsticks. Also, when eating in the future, arrange more maids to cut the meat. A real nobleman will not cut the meat himself. This kind of dining etiquette comes from the far east, and will become the court etiquette of Portugal in the future."

All court etiquette in Portugal is learning from the French royal family.

Now that she finally has the opportunity to learn from China, Queen Louisa has a sincere sense of superiority. She was finally in some respects more fashionable than the Queen Mother of France.

However, not only Luisa thought so, the nobles who participated in the banquet that day also tried to use chopsticks.

Nobles spend an hour every day learning how to use chopsticks. After learning it, everyone was very happy, so the silversmiths had a new business, and making silver chopsticks became very popular.

The maids also have new jobs. From now on, the nobles will have to stand by and wait for them to eat. Cut the whole piece of food into small pieces and put them neatly on the plate for the nobles to eat.

The nobles began to compare the maids, which maid can cut the meat fast, thin and beautiful, that is definitely a proud thing.

On the day of Lu Tianxiang's banquet, the Chinese court costumes she wore were also imitated by the noble ladies. Because it was an oral report, the tailor was not sure about the style, and the clothes he made were varied.

The lady of the local lord's family is even more funny.

Wearing a "Chinese court style", he just strolls in a carriage when he has nothing to do. After walking in the city, I went for a walk in the country again, and everyone said that it was Chinese imperial palace clothing. Among the countless envious eyes, the noble ladies held their noble heads high.

The fashion atmosphere of the whole Portugal changed dramatically because of a banquet.

Dutch businessmen responded the fastest, and the Chinese mission has not left Portugal. They have already heard the news and asked tailors to make a large number of Chinese-style clothing and sell them in big cities in the Netherlands and Germany.