novelAbuy Chapter 170 Liu Mu: Fork it out
Chapter 170 Liu Mu: Fork it out
Outside the Chongde Hall, three English envoys gathered together, looking on in astonishment, like country bumpkins visiting the Grand View Garden.
Edward, who was nearly fifty years old and the highest-ranking official in the event, was also a top English nobleman. Looking at the Chongde Hall and its steps, he couldn't help but sigh.
"Have you noticed that everything from the moment we entered Beijing to this palace is symmetrical? Even the tiles on the roof of the main hall are perfectly aligned! This is incredible!"
"And those common people, they can actually afford cotton-padded clothes and use such fine porcelain. There are teahouses everywhere. This is simply the life of the nobility!"
It's no wonder Edward was so shocked. At that time, London had a population of 500,000, but they were all low wooden houses, with excrement everywhere, and there was no planning at all.
Even to make walking easier and avoid getting covered in feces or other filth, nobles needed to wear shoes that were five centimeters high.
As for Edward's lament about the aristocratic life, cotton cloth, porcelain, and tea were only available to nobles in England. Ordinary people wore wool mixed with coarse linen, which was stuffy and not breathable.
Of the three, one had a stern face and was about twenty years old. He looked like a messenger of the military, but he was actually watching the Imperial Guards on duty.
"Look at those guards. They're carrying flintlock muskets, but the barrels are longer than ours, and they also have two flintlock pistols at their waists. Their equipment is just as good as ours!"
"And we've been here for so long, yet they haven't even blinked. And the aura they exude... each of them has killed someone, and not just one or two!"
"If we had soldiers like these, just 20,000 men would be enough to sweep through England!"
Upon hearing this, the other two English envoys looked incredulous. If others had said this, they would have thought it was boasting or even called them crazy.
But the man before them was a seasoned nobleman and general who had participated in three wars between the Dutch and the French; he couldn't possibly be talking nonsense.
Edward couldn't help but pat the list in his hand.
"I think that, faced with a vast empire that controls hundreds of millions of people and a million-strong army, perhaps the gifts His Majesty has prepared are somewhat inadequate!"
Upon hearing this, the other two showed expressions of agreement.
With such a vast fortune, what else in this world would they care about? Perhaps only immortality?
Just then, a loud shout came from the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
"Summon the envoy to an audience!"
The three had already been summoned by the Ministry of Rites, so they immediately straightened their hats and clothes and lined up to walk down the steps on the left to Chongde Hall. Edward, who was at the front, felt his legs go weak.
Before the journey, officials from the Ministry of Rites said that the road in the very center, where the dragon was carved, was only for the emperor to walk on; anyone else who stepped on it would be beheaded!
Once inside the Chongde Hall, Edward could only describe it with one word: grand!
The western pillar made of Phoebe zhennan wood.
The huge plaque was written in large, unfamiliar characters.
A gigantic dragon throne where the figures are barely visible!
However, Edward was, after all, a nobleman. After a moment of shock, he forced himself to return to normal, revealing a gentlemanly smile, for he could not embarrass Great Britain.
So he led the other two people forward and bowed in greeting.
"Edward, the English envoy, greets His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty, wishing you a long and prosperous life!"
Minister of Rites Chen Jingting frowned. Hadn't he been instructed to perform the three kneelings and nine kowtows when meeting the emperor? Had his subordinates failed to teach him?
Chen Jingting quickly glanced at Liu Mu and saw that he remained silent with a calm expression, so he knew that Liu Mu was being asked to perform. He immediately stood up.
She looked at Edward, because he was the only one who spoke Chinese.
"When foreign officials come to pay homage to the Emperor of the Celestial Dynasty, they must perform the grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows, without the slightest disrespect!"
Edward was immediately displeased upon hearing this. They only knelt and kowtowed to God, and when they met the king, they only bowed. They could have just gone through the motions, but he was actually required to kneel and kowtow three times.
So he straightened his back and retorted.
"In England, when subjects come before the King, they only need to kneel on one knee and bow their heads in respect; this is the highest form of respect."
"Moreover, according to our country's etiquette, kneeling and prostrating oneself with one's forehead is only used when worshipping God and ancestors. If we were to perform such a great ceremony on other people, we would all suffer humiliation and would be unable to report back to our country."
Liu Mu, sitting upright on the dragon throne, shook his head upon hearing this. Today, the British were asking the Han for a favor, so they had to bow their heads first and figure out who the elder brother was. So he waved his hand.
"Get him out!"
Liu Mu said this very calmly, without even a hint of anger, as if he were dismissing a beggar.
The British of today are not yet the British Empire on which the sun never sets.
What do they have?
Only the navy is somewhat noteworthy; the rest of the army is a joke, having to grovel even when doing business in India.
The Han Dynasty now has a near-monopoly on trade in spices, silk, porcelain, lacquerware, and other goods. At worst, it can support other countries, such as Portugal.
Moreover, smaller countries are easier to control.
Edward never expected that simply by not kneeling and kowtowing three times, the emperor of the Han Dynasty would want to drive him away.
The deputy standing nearby was already anxious and hurriedly stepped forward.
"His Majesty the King highly values this diplomatic opportunity!"
"If we go back like this, it'll be fine if nothing happens, but if the Han emperor cuts off all our business in the East, the company will face bankruptcy!"
Upon hearing this, Edward felt a terrible headache coming on. He held a large stake in the English East India Company, and if it went bankrupt, his family would also go bankrupt.
Seeing the royal guards in python-patterned uniforms approaching them quickly, Edward immediately raised his hands, knelt down with a thud, and then kowtowed.
"Edward, the English envoy, pays his respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Liu Mu patted the armrest, and Zhao Fengnian immediately understood, taking out Charles II's gift list and reading it aloud.
"The Kingdom of England, having traveled thousands of miles to the distant seas, humbly requests tribute from His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han!"
"A beautiful woman from England!"
"Ten self-propelled flintlock muskets!"
"Three self-propelled short flintlock pistols!"
"One three-pounder cannon!"
Three models of main battleships.
"A set of gilded iron armor!"
"Ten telescopes!"
"Three pocket watches and twenty grandfather clocks!"
"One hundred bottles of wine, three hundred catties of candied fruit!"
……
Garbage, all garbage!
Liu Mu didn't think much of it.
There were plenty of men armed with firearms, some even more sophisticated.
As for warships, both the Fuzhou Shipyard and the newly opened Geoje Island Shipyard are conducting intensive research.
According to the reported information, the new Fujian ships are large enough, and with the unique technology of the Central Plains, they will not be inferior to the three-deck battleships of the West.
Seeing Liu Mu's displeasure, Zhao Fengnian knew that the emperor didn't care for these things, so he looked at Chen Jingting.
It means: First, head to the main body!
The next chapter is even more exciting: Chapter 170 Liu Mu: Get out of here, I look forward to your visit.