Although the two Portuguese were already well-informed, given that most of the journalism in Europe was taking place in Protestant countries at this time, Catholic countries such as Portugal, far from the center of Europe, were still relying on the gossip between taverns and dock crews to convey news from all over the world. Hence Provins. What Joseph was able to hear was some of the general news of the war and the details of the Kingdom of Portugal's uprising for independence.

But such news for Provins. Enough for Joseph, since the Cardinal was still in control of France, and France still had a dominant position in this war, then what was there to worry about for him. In return, Provins. Joseph also told some strange things about the East, and estimated the time to end the exchange.

For those two Portuguese drinkers, Provins. Joseph's behavior was obviously quite normal, and wasn't it just for the purpose of exchanging and inquiring about news in such a tavern. In Provins. After Joseph left the table, the two began to return to their original conversation.

“… I decided that when spring had passed here, if His Majesty could not control the situation and recover the colonies on the west coast of Africa, I would try my luck in the colonies of Asia. ”

"You're not drunk, are you, are you going to be loyal to that lady? How can you risk your life and family honor for a few gossip from a Frenchman because of a few gossip from a Frenchman. ”

"I don't think he's lying, if the Dutch still controlled the spice islands, the price of spices in Europe wouldn't have been falling for the past two years. And don't you realize that the appearance of Chinese ships in Europe is nothing new now, and if it were not for the Dutch being subdued by the Chinese, their ships would not have appeared in Europe at all, and even established such a colony here.

I'm tired of living under the threat of force from the Dutch, and I don't want a new king to empty my wallet, so I'm going to Asia and find a sunny place to live, preferably with a climate similar to Madeira..."

The older Portuguese was silent for a long time, and after taking a big sip of wine, he said: "Actually, Jinghai City is also good, these Chinese are quite loose in the management of the colony, there is no special discrimination against religion, the tax is reasonable, and it is not far from the country." If they can stand up to the Dutch, I'm going to buy a piece of land here and settle down first..."

For the slight change in the thinking of these two Portuguese, Provins. Joseph couldn't hear it, and after getting the news he wanted, he checked out and left the bar. After replenishing the city of Silent Sea with fresh food and fresh water, the Glass sailed out of the bay in the drizzle on the third day, and continued on its way north to its hometown.

Although in Provins. It seemed to Joseph that a bypass of the Cape of Good Hope would be considered home, but in fact it took three months and 10 days for the Glass to reach the port of Nantes. This is still the speed achieved in extremely smooth sailing conditions, Provin. When Joseph saw the familiar city of Nantes, he felt that he should really be grateful to the Dutch, if it were not for their attack on the Portuguese colonies on the African coast and the expulsion of pirates on this route, the Glass would not have left Africa so quickly.

More than 9 months of sea voyages made Provins. When Joseph stepped onto land, he found himself unaccustomed to standing on solid ground.

"It's much colder here than Jinghai City, and it's a really tiresome winter." Provins standing on the pier wearing a Chinese-made rubber raincoat. Joseph complained, and followed the dock officer to the side of the office, envied by the others. Although Europeans discovered rubber earlier, they did not have the technology to process rubber, and could only use raw rubber to apply to the surface of the cloth for waterproofing, and this so-called raincoat is very easy to age and crack, and the rubber raincoat made by the Chinese is not comparable at all.

It's just that the planting of rubber in Southeast Asia has just begun, and the use of rubber is extremely extensive, for a large country like China, which has a large local area and a large population, the annual rubber products are not enough to digest themselves, so even if there is a small supply in Europe, it has become an extremely expensive luxury. Just Provins. Joseph's well-cut and easy-to-move raincoat is at least equivalent to more than half a year's salary for ordinary dock clerks in France, and it will naturally be envied by these clerks.

Provins. After entering the office of the dock officer, Joseph showed him the cardinal's autographed edict, and then raised his head and said: "The contents of the ship are all important items needed by the Richelieu Throne, and I ask that you send reliable men as soon as possible to unload them safely, and then help me hire a reliable transport wagon, and I will send them to Paris as soon as possible..."

Originally wanted to get from Provins. Joseph, who had received a little filial piety here, saw that the other party had taken out a handwritten encyclical signed by Richelieu, and a lot of sweat suddenly broke out on his round face, and he wiped the sweat on his face and neck with a handkerchief, and examined the monogram on the warrant.

After confirming the authenticity of the flower on the warrant, the official immediately and respectfully returned the warrant to Provin. Joseph bent down and said with a sneer: "Your Excellency, you might as well sit here for a while, and I will immediately go and order them to unload your goods safely from the ship as soon as possible." Don't you know if you have a place to rest in Nantes? If not, it is better to let the lower officials book a comfortable hotel for the adults by the way..."

Looking at the other party's condescending appearance, Provin. Joseph's heart was very satisfied, and it seemed that the power of the Lord Richelieu had not weakened in the slightest, and he looked forward more and more to the reward of his mission.

Although the Nantes terminal is also one of the better harbor terminals in France, it is not the same as the Provins. The efficient work of loading and unloading ships at the Tianjin and Shanghai docks that Joseph has seen is still incomparable. Provins. Joseph waited for five days, and the ship was less than half unloaded.

Seeing that what was left of the ship was nothing more than his own private goods, Provin. Joseph was reluctant to wait any longer, after all, he had already written a letter to the Bishop's men, and he did not want to let the Bishop wait too long in Paris. So after entrusting the goods to an old servant beside him, Provin. Joseph went on his way with five huge suitcases.

The information he had gathered about the Orient occupied only one chest, and the other four were filled with the fine artifacts he had brought back from the Orient, which he had intended to be presented to the dignitaries of Paris.

But when Provins. Joseph arrived at the small town of Palaiso, less than 30 miles from Paris, when his convoy was stopped by two knights in black cloaks. Provins stepping out of the carriage. Joseph recognized at a glance that the garment underneath the black cloak was the uniform of the Cardinal Guard.

He didn't dare to take off his hat and salute the two of them: "Good day, two gentlemen, I don't know why you stopped my carriage?" ”

One of the knights replied angrily, "You are Provin. Joseph? There's an adult in the carriage over there who wants to talk to you, and if you don't want to lose time, you'd better hurry over. ”

Provins. Joseph glanced at the carriage parked at the edge of the woods in the distance, then at the town behind him, where only the outline remained, and quickly made up his mind. He gave a few orders to his retinue behind him, and then followed the two knights down the fork in the road to the black carriage parked at the edge of the woods.

Carefully dodge the small puddle in the middle of the road filled with rainwater, Provin. It took about a minute and a half for Joseph to get to the black carriage, while the knight with him stopped at a distance of ten paces from the carriage.

Guessing in his heart who came in the carriage, Provin. Joseph respectfully saluted the carriage and said, "Good day, sir." I'm the Provins you're looking for. Joseph, may I get in the car and talk to you? ”

The side door of the carriage opened, and a voice with a foreign accent came from the carriage: "Come up." ”

When Provins. After Joseph boarded the carriage, he found that there was actually a short Chinese sitting in the carriage. This made him ask in some surprise, "Are you?" ”

The Chinese sitting there took out a piece of paper and handed it to him, then looked at him meaningfully and said, "I am the person you wrote to tell me, the staff member in charge of some trivial matters around the red-clothed Dharma Seat."

What exactly did Lord Dharma send you to China to investigate? What did you look into and come back? Can you tell me a little bit first? His Excellency has been in poor health, and I don't want you to bother him with trivial things. ”

For what is happening in front of him, Provin. Joseph was a little overwhelmed, but he quickly recovered and cautiously asked the other party, "Who are you?" How do I know, can you speak to me on behalf of His Holiness on these issues? ”

The Chinese sitting opposite him were not annoyed, but looked at him quietly for a while before he said calmly: "My name is Song Xiance, China's deputy envoy to Europe, and I was hired as a teacher of Oriental languages and history to His Majesty the King 10 months ago. As for my main job, I manage the day-to-day correspondence for His Holiness, summarize useful letters for His Holiness, or reply to letters for His Holiness.

I have always managed letters from all over Europe, and this is the first time I have seen such a mission to the East, so it is difficult for me to judge whether the content of your letter should be handed over to His Holiness for instructions. So I came out to see you myself, to get to a conclusion..."

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