readx; The Portuguese princess Anna claimed to stay in Daming and wanted to persuade Zhu Youzhen to convert to Catholicism. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Joao was a little overwhelmed, and he didn't see that Han Yi and other ministers were not good-looking, and smiled at Zhu Youzhen: "Your Majesty the Emperor, since the two countries are friendly, they should naturally set up envoys to each other. Now that I have just started an army against the Spaniards, whether it is Portugal or overseas territories, it is at any time affected by the flames of war, and I do not want Anna to be harmed by this. It just so happens that she is also willing to come to China, so I will let her be the first Portuguese ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Ming Dynasty, His Majesty the Emperor will not object, right? ”

Zhu Youzhen had already seen the reaction of everyone at the table, and hurriedly signaled to Qiu Lina with his eyes, don't translate loudly. Qiu Lina understood, and only whispered Joao's meaning to Zhu Youzhen. Zhu Youzhen was vague and perfunctory, and the banquet ended happily that night, and the Portuguese mission, under the arrangement of the Ministry of Rites, stayed in several post houses in the imperial city.

Regarding the reaction of the ministers, Zhu Youzhen had already been mentally prepared. For the Ming Dynasty, which has always prided itself on being the "Celestial Empire," it is difficult to accept the establishment of equal diplomatic relations with foreign countries. In particular, the exchange of envoys is an international practice in modern times, but the ancients could not accept it, believing that the capital where the Son of Heaven lived could never allow foreigners to live for a long time, otherwise it would damage the dignity of the country. These ministers don't even want to believe in the world map, and it is really not easy to turn this corner in their minds.

Sure enough, before dawn the next day, the cabinet handed over more than a dozen pieces of music, and the content was basically the same, all of them thought that the emperor was too courteous to Fanbang, and strongly demanded that the king of Portugal must perform the courtesy of a monarch and a minister in the official audience, otherwise he should be resolutely expelled.

Zhu Youzhen saw that one of the recitals was still from Sun Chengzong, so he had to smile bitterly. Thinking that even Sun Chengzong, who had always been more supportive of his policies, thought so, and it seemed that the conclusion of a treaty with Portugal and the further development of relations this time would not be an easy task, and the views of the official group had to be taken into account. The reason is also very simple, in the future, when cooperating with foreign countries, the emperor will not be able to do everything himself, and the specific matters will have to be handled by the officials. If they have a grudge against foreigners, things will definitely have to be dealt with.

Therefore, Zhu Youzhen originally wanted to invite the Portuguese delegation to the Forbidden City to negotiate immediately, but now he had to change the schedule slightly. On this day, he invited Joao and Anna and others to visit Xiangshan, and let Concubine Zhu Cunqi accompany him, while the cabinet worked normally, and finally got rid of the constraints of these people.

Xiangshan is only fifty miles away from Beijing, and Zhu Youzhen does not take Luan, but instead rides his own mount, Zaohongma, in addition to Qiu Linna, he also asked Concubine Zhu Cunqi to accompany him on the trip. João and Anna each rode a purebred Andalusian horse brought from Goa, which was taller than the Mongolian horse.

Since entering the palace and receiving the seal, Zhu Cunqi has accompanied Zhu Youzhen to attend a formal occasion for the first time. During this period of time, Queen Rui'er has been in charge of the seven major and minor affairs in the palace, Concubine Bao Yulian has been working hard for the affairs of the Tai Hospital all day long, and Concubine Qi Meifeng is pregnant with Liujia, only Zhu Cunqi is more idle, and Zhu Youzhen is also particularly kind to her.

Zhu Cunqi did not have his own mount, and rode the jujube red horse with Zhu Youzhen. At this time, in front of so many people, especially foreign missions, being hugged tightly by the emperor on the horse, although Zhu Cunqi felt extremely happy, he was also so ashamed that his face was flushed, and he whispered in Zhu Youzhen's ear: "Long live, don't stick too close, be careful to be laughed at by the Portuguese!" ”

Zhu Youzhen laughed and said: "What's this, you are my beloved concubine, isn't it just like this between husband and wife?" ”

Of course, this scene is not unusual for the unrestrained and emotional southern Europeans, and many Portuguese, including Joao, are looking at Zhu Youzhen and his wife with friendly and envious eyes. Only Anna tied up her long chestnut hair and smiled a little provocatively at Zhu Youzhen: "Your Majesty the Emperor, I don't know how your riding skills are?" ”

Although they got along very well for a day, Zhu Youzhen did not forget that this is a foreign mission after all, and friendship is naturally to be friendly, and where it is related to the dignity of the country, there must be no concessions, which makes the Portuguese have contempt for the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, knowing that Anna was half-joking, Zhu Youzhen still raised his face and said: "Don't look at me, this horse is shorter than yours, but it has been born and died with me." Without it, I would have died in the Mongolian steppes. Although this horse may not be as good as the princess's horse in the short sprint, it has excellent endurance over long distances. If you don't believe it, you can try it, please! ”

"Great, I'm just going to have a match with His Majesty the Emperor!" Anna screamed and slammed the mount's stomach with the spurs in her boot. The snow-white steed was in pain, and spread its hooves and galloped forward, like an arrow from a string.

Zhu Youzhen smiled at Zhu Cunqi and said, "Sit tight, hold on to the saddle!" At the same time, the two legs clamped the horse's belly, and the jujube red horse understood and galloped forward. Joao, Qiu Lina, Yan Ling and others also rode their horses and galloped behind, and hundreds of horses went straight to Xiangshan, raising dust on the official road.

However, after all, the jujube red horse is a Mongolian horse, and it is slightly inferior to the Andalusian horse in terms of breed, and it is difficult to catch up with Anna's mount for a while with two people on its back. Fortunately, Anna did not intend to humiliate Zhu Youzhen, and after leading for a few miles, she slowed down her speed and kept pace with Zhu Youzhen.

Since returning to Beijing from Shanhaiguan, Zhu Youzhen has not ridden a horse for a long time. At this time, he was galloping on the field, and he also felt extremely comfortable, and couldn't help but sing loudly: "The white clouds are floating in the blue sky, and the horses are running under the white clouds; Whip the whip rings in all directions, and a hundred birds fly together..."

Although the singing is not very beautiful, it is full of energy and pride. Anna smiled and tilted her head to listen, although she couldn't understand it at all, she seemed to be able to feel Zhu Youzhen's passion in the music that crossed borders and languages, and suddenly she also started singing. The singing voice is sometimes tactful and sometimes agitated, and when it is high, it can go straight to the sky; Anna's full head of hair also fluttered in the wind with the gallop of the horse, and she looked particularly sassy.

At this time, Qiulina also caught up and introduced Zhu Youzhen: "Princess Anna is singing the epic poem "Song of the Portuguese" by Camões, the greatest poet of Portugal, about the navigator Da? Gamma sails on the seas that no one has ever sailed before, and the evil gods set up a storm in an attempt to destroy the fleet. The Portuguese fought valiantly in the stormy seas, and finally defeated the evil god under the protection of Venus, the goddess of love, and arrived in a new world of beautiful scenery and abundant products. ”

Anna was also full of pride at this time, and shouted to Zhu Youzhen: "Although our Portugal is a small country, it is precisely by the Portuguese that the great geographical discoveries can be connected. Your Majesty the Emperor, I am along the Da? Gamma has opened up a route halfway around the world to meet you here. In that sense, I'm much luckier than you! ”

Zhu Youzhen felt a little unhappy in his heart, secretly thinking that this Anna is really a wild and untamable horse, it seems that if she doesn't give her some color, she really doesn't know how thick the sky is. So he said mockingly: "Da? Gamma is certainly a great navigator, but in our Ming Dynasty, a greater navigator than him has long appeared! ”