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The drizzle had been going on for a week, and the sky was still terribly overcast. On the muddy docks, the rain stirs up the mud, excrement and garbage on the banks of the Thames, and is being kicked out by horse-drawn carts or porters in pitch-black puddles. Helmet-and-spear English guards silently walked through the narrow stone passages of the docks, constantly driving away the wandering vagrants to avoid the possibility of the handy carriages of the beautiful old men being touched by these dirty hands.

Damp, muddy and fishy filled the streets of London, and in the damp corners, unkempt beggars huddled by stone walls, limply munching on half of a rotten apple that had been turned out of nowhere, oblivious to a rat daring at their feet.

A staggering figure was slowly walking out of an alley, judging by the hair that wore and exposed the cloak, it should be a middle-aged man. The man leaned against the wall, moving slowly, breathing heavily and heavily, his face covered with rain and dirt sticky with his hair, making it impossible to see the exact face.

The man finally walked out of the alley, and a carriage sped past him, splattering a large cloud of sewage that covered the man almost from head to toe.

Stretching out his hand, as if trying to grasp the carriage in the distance, the bare arm that burrowed out of his clothes was covered with a pitch-black scab, and the blisters and ulcers like scalds could be faintly seen all around, and a slight fishy smell emanated from the man's body.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! ”

A well-dressed young man dressed as a messenger rode from afar, waving his whip and shouting at the people near the bridge.

The people dodged, and the messenger rode past the man in the middle of the road, once again covering him with a cloud of sewage sludge. The man didn't scold, just trembled in place, as if he had fallen into some kind of demon.

"Oh? Is it Pete? I haven't seen you in a week! ”

A passing porter finally saw the man's dress, which seemed to be an old acquaintance. The porter wiped the rain from his face as he put his coat over his head and walked behind the man.

"Pete. You don't seem to feel well? Are you okay? The porter noticed that something was wrong with his former friend, so he gently patted him on the back.

The porter was answered by a cough and a hoarse wheezing sound, and the man slowly turned around, but before he could fully turn around, he fell limply to the side. The porter hurriedly helped him up. One hand directly wiped the other person's hair.

Broken blisters are mixed with large charred sores or macules. The neck was completely disproportionately swollen, and the corners of the mouth were still covered with erosive granulations. A horrible face appeared in front of the porter, and a few seconds later, the porter let out a scream like a pig. Almost pushed the other person away.

The man fell to the ground and stretched out his hand to his former neighbor, and the hoarse voice in his throat was like a beast, making people feel numb all over his body. More and more onlookers came, but they were all careful to stay a few meters away.

"Oh God. It's the plague! ”

I don't know who roared, and suddenly the whole dock exploded, and countless people threw away their work, scattered to the west, and ran desperately in the drizzle. The whole city of London seemed to be hit by an invisible boulder, spreading out a gloomy circle of fluctuations.

In May 1625, the anthrax, which historically led to the death of more than 20% of the population of the city of London, England, broke out on time.

……

……

Friday, May 3, 1625.

The grand ball was held in the Tower of London. A number of gorgeous women dressed in luxurious Han palace dresses were surrounded by a crowd of English aristocratic men, and the sound of high and low chatter and laughter was frequently heard.

In less than a month, the function of the Sino-American business delegation changed from business talks to ceremonial exchanges. Similar to Spain, the old aristocrats of status in the city of London naturally maintained a cautious and old-fashioned attitude, but slightly younger. It is very novel to the many ways of communication and entertainment of the "Eastern Imperial Civilization" on the other side of the Atlantic, and is willing to approach imitation.

Within a month, the Tower of London, at least as a place for the Chinese business delegation, will stay. Hundreds of maids and servants who were used to entertain the visiting group became cleaners, and strict regulations were imposed that "no one should defecate in the open". Hygiene standards are strictly defined in almost every corner. Loads of silver coins were scattered, and flowers and new cloth decorations suddenly made a corner of the Tower of London incompatible with the rest of the palace.

The women's costumes of the Oriental court, which had been introduced from Spain a few years earlier, had also caused some waves among the elite women of England, but this "cumbersome and extravagant" skirt looked so elegant and elegant, but there were also many things that could not be understood or accepted by their 17th-century travel habits.

Now, the people of this oriental country are in the royal palace of the city of London, and the elegant and relaxed style of communication, and the habits of life that are almost "clean", suddenly let the English noblewomen who tried on the Oriental palace skirt like Dong Shi feel the doorway - at least this kind of skirt is not used to facilitate women to defecate in the Tower of London.

A band from China and the United States was playing leisurely dance music, and in the center of the dance floor, several English aristocratic ladies were dancing with red ears and red ears. An aristocratic English girl who knows nothing about ballroom dancing in the 21st century can only be embarrassed to constantly cooperate with each other by stepping on her foot or stepping on a wrong step.

The older or more reserved English ladies sat on the sofas on the periphery, curious and embarrassed to watch the novel and elegant pas de deux on the field.

In a corner of the ballroom, Su Zining was chatting with a middle-aged English aristocratic man with a beautiful short beard. In front of Su Zining's eyes, the historical Duke of Buckingham, Villiers, is not as "delicate" as the history books boast, but it is true that he looks handsome. Speaking of which, the current Villiers is only three years older than Su Zining, but he is a big man in power in England in this era.

Thinking of the history of that bad old man-like James I who doted on the handsome English guy in front of him, Su Zining felt goosebumps that couldn't be erased, but being able to chat with such a historical "sentimental" character is not a weird sense of achievement?

“…… I had enough confidence in the Earl of Mansfield's attack in Bohemia. This will be a glorious battle to eradicate the cancer of Europe! Restoring the honor and rights of Duke Frederick is the greatest justice we seek! Villiers smiled gracefully, touching his pretty little beard, little finger cocking involuntarily, "I welcome friends from North America, if you choose to join the Kingdom of England, you will be able to reap the rewards of this struggle." ”

"Huh. My Government would like to see a Europe restored to prosperity and order, and it maintains its admiration for the efforts of the Kingdom of England. However, the adoption of a neutral position on European affairs is an unshakable and friendly attitude of my Government to respect the people of the European continent. "Faced with the Duke of Buckingham's obvious attitude, Su Zining decisively avoided it." But. This does not prevent the two countries from setting an example for the entire EU-US relationship in Atlantic trade. ”

Looking at the oriental youth in front of him, the Duke of Buckingham was slightly disappointed. In his understanding, these Orientals suddenly occupied the east coast of North America and showed ambitions for the North American colonies of the Kingdom of England. Obviously, he is still angry about the "American-British-French Azores Peace Treaty" that was intervened by the French last year.

However, this is not a good time for a showdown, since the Kingdom of England has openly joined the anti-Habsburg coalition, the first qiē in North America has been a secondary issue. In order to justify his decision, it was necessary to make every effort to ensure that the war in Europe was going in favor of the Kingdom of England. Especially now, after the arrival of that Palatinate Frederick V in England. Legalized the will of the Kingdom of England to divide the German cake.

In order to obtain a batch of American-style arms that were resold from the Portuguese, the Duke of Buckingham wasted a lot of effort, but compared with the Kingdom of Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Netherlands, the equipment of the English mercenaries was obviously too far behind.

"Now, we invite Miss Jenny from the American Republic of China to sing a new song for everyone!"

Just as the conversation fell silent, a radio band's entry track came from a corner of the dance floor, in English. Sparse applause erupted, and a soothing guitar intro began. Seconds later, the rhythmic percussion of the drum kit and tambourine followed, followed by the high-pitched sound of the trombone cornet.

The familiar melody was in my ears, and I looked at Cheng Daxiong with a smug face beside him. Ren Changle almost spit out the wine in his mouth. Jenny's music style is getting wider and wider, and what she is currently singing is "Like Fog, Like Rain and Like Wind", which was popular at the end of the 20th century.

The smooth and cheerful accompaniment melody, which was completely different from the aesthetic style of this era, made the English ladies who were watching around straighten their ears. Eyes also converged on the European woman in a white Chinese-style palace dress in front of the band.

"You will never know my heart for you, but the love I give you is always tormenting. I searched helplessly in the lonely night. Looking for a constant ......"

“…… You are like fog and rain and wind to me, coming and going and leaving only an empty space. Thou hast been like mist and rain and like wind to me, and let my heart stir with thee......"

In the ups and downs of the melody several times, Jenny's singing style has changed a lot this time, and the sweetness is mixed with more heavy sadness, which makes people sound more touching.

Even though none of the English people present could understand the lyrics, the English lyrics that were distributed in advance were understandable to most people. In this era, the erosive life of the European aristocracy was prevalent, the indulgence of men had reached the point of being uncontrollable, mistresses and illegitimate children were part of the sense of achievement, and venereal diseases had become a sign of personal identity, making some of the wives of English ladies who had long been old and decrepit emaciated. Now such a song worthy of being a "classic resentful woman" naturally resonated with them, and they all pinched gorgeous handkerchiefs and secretly wiped the corners of their eyes.

The song gradually dissipated, and suddenly there was a warm applause around the dance floor, and many English ladies stood up, and even the traversers who were tired of hearing the song couldn't help but express their admiration for the level of Jenny's singing.

"This is not a song that should be sung here, Minister Su, it's too sad, don't you think?"

While the Duke of Buckingham was still reminiscing, suddenly a young girl in a beautiful Victorian dress came up with a tall and gorgeous naval officer, still speaking fluent English.

Not to mention the gorgeous official with a unique oriental handsome temperament, the girl who came to the corner, whether it was size or figure, obviously suppressed almost all the English women present, and the girl also had a beautiful face with a little European elements.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce it. This is Captain Zhou, first mate of the light cruiser USS Republic; This is Ms. Dai Qingqing, the chairman of Banco Nacional Ultramarino. This is her first time in Europe. Su Zining quickly stood up and introduced his companion to the Duke of Buckingham.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Duke...... It's boring here. Mr. Minister Su. Dai Qingqing frowned a little displeased, but still saluted the Duke of Buckingham with a minimum of politeness, and then stared at Su Zining, "You seem to have forgotten your original promise, when will you let me go to the Netherlands?" Don't sue me, it's just your lie. ”

"Holland?" The Duke of Buckingham was a little incomprehensible to the conversation between these Orientals. But at this time. The Netherlands is clearly another topic that has to be cared about.

"Uh...... I'm sorry, Lord Duke. Miss Dai Qingqing's ancestors were Bavarian nobles, and her maternal grandmother was English...... Ms. Dai Qingqing's Banco Nacional Ultramarino provided business support for this business visit, but for now. Such small-scale transactions do not require her involvement. Su Zining shrugged awkwardly and smiled helplessly at the Duke of Buckingham, "She has always hoped to have the opportunity to go back to Germany to see." I also find it rude to talk about such a chaotic topic in front of you. ”

"This is my grandmother's hometown, please call me Dai Lin." Dai Qingqing muttered unhappily. Then he dragged his "boyfriend" and left.

"It's amazing, I can feel that she has a heart-warming nobility!" Duke Buckingham couldn't help but nod slightly, his expression even more curious, "What did you just say?" She's a German Bavarian ......"

"I'll make it easier for us to change the topic to a more interesting one! Your Excellency the Duke. Su Zining showed a hint of panic and quickly lowered his voice, "I can't stop a banker's free business behavior, but I must be responsible for my government, and I must be responsible for the troubles that Miss Dai Lin has caused to His Excellency the Duke." Again, I apologize, but she shouldn't have been here. ”

"Well, understood, then, did you agree to be in this business visit. Considering adding direct arms sales? When Duke Buckingham saw Su Zining's unnatural expression, he immediately became puzzled.

"Uh...... I have to be consistent with my government on European affairs, and I may disappoint you. But before Congress directly counts your country in the arms embargo. I have no objection to the Kingdom of England passing through neutral European countries to buy our quality goods. Su Zining spread his hands apologetically, saying that there was really nothing he could do.

Again those damned Portuguese and Dutch. They were about to drain the treasury of the entire kingdom of England...... The Duke of Buckingham itched at the thought of the position of the "neutral" Portuguese and Dutch merchants between the arms trade between the United States and Britain. But these cunning American diplomats or businessmen always like to choose to play a trick in front of them and behind the scenes, even though this trick is used all over Europe.

There seemed to be an unpleasant exchange, and both men seemed to be in high spirits.

Suddenly, the door to the dance floor hall was pushed open, and a small English nobleman walked into the ballroom with a frightened expression.

"God, terrible news! Plague, plague in the city of London! ”

The bad news brought by the little nobles immediately caused a panic on the dance floor, and the English ladies all covered their mouths tightly and shrank into the corners, their whole bodies trembling. And the Chinese and American travelers also looked at the English people who came in to report the news in surprise, and several English ladies were so frightened that they were about to cry.

Annoyed by this inopportune interruption by his colleagues, the Duke of Buckingham eventually came forward, repeatedly stating that the Tower of London would not be threatened by any plague, and claiming that it was premature to say that there was a plague in London.

A dance came to an abrupt end, and people exited the hall. The rest, including the Duke of Buckingham, were plunged into a terrible silence on both sides. Especially Ren Changle, he looked at Su Zining intently, his brows furrowed.

It's late at night, and like the whole frightened city of London, the gloomy and cold atmosphere of the Tower of London's history blends with a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere. The sparse candlelight shone through the heavy castle window, faint and lifeless, and at least a hundred heavily armed English guards waited carefully inside and outside it.

In one room, Jenny was slowly packing her belongings, and when the last piece of clothing was packed into the box, Jenny sighed softly.

Her husband, Cheng Daxiong, was discussing things with others in the next room, presumably about the plague in London. For Jenny, who grew up in the English countryside, it seemed that demons like the plague never faded from memory. The first thing that comes to the mind of almost anyone who hears this word is to flee, perhaps the husband and they are already planning to leave England.

As if remembering something again, Jenny quickly opened another suitcase quietly and fumbled a few times. A small black cowhide pouch was found from a deeply hidden compartment, and a black pill was poured out of the middle.

The pill smelled fishy, and Jenny almost vomited, but she held back and carefully took a glass of water. Shove the pill into your mouth. One side also closed his eyes.

"Jenny, are you done packing up? Everyone has discussed, tomorrow we will return home early with the fleet! Just then, the door opened. Cheng Daxiong walked in with an anxious expression.

"Ahh Jenny was so frightened by this that when her eyes opened, her hand shook, and the pill fell to the ground.

"What is this?" Cheng Daxiong walked up to Jenny with doubts, leaned down and picked up the pill. As soon as he reached his nose, his stomach was turned over by a foul smell, "You want to eat this?" What happened to you?! ”

"I'm ......" Jenny took a few steps back, hung her head, and a line of tears silently dripped to the ground.

"Sue me for what is this?!" Cheng Daxiong knew that his wife was very timid, and she dared to eat such a fishy pill, which was definitely not an ordinary thing.

"It's a secret recipe introduced by Mrs. Shiram, and I heard that amber powder mixed with burnt cow dung can carry a child......" Jenny hung her head. The voice was so small that she couldn't even hear herself.

It's been a year since they got married, and until now, Jenny hasn't shown any signs of pregnancy. Suspicion is inevitable, even Cheng Daxiong has a disapproving attitude on the surface, but Jenny has fallen into a deep panic. This kind of thing was for a woman in the 17th century. It's almost a catastrophe second only to the end of the world.

"The babysitter at home? Mrs. Shiram? Cheng Daxiong immediately understood the whole thing, and his expression was extremely unnatural. After being cold for about a minute, he slowly walked up to his wife, took the water cup in the other party's hand and put it aside. Gently hugged the other party's shoulder, "Stupid." Can you take this ridiculous prescription of the Ignorant Middle Ages? ”

The two were speechless, and Cheng Daxiong just quietly hugged Jenny's shoulders, feeling very uncomfortable.

……

In another luxurious bedroom, Ren Changle was walking around the room in a hurry, and he was rarely angry at Su Zining, who was standing next to the bed with a guilty face.

"Damn, Su Zining, I have a hunch that it's you again! You are so unkind, since you knew that such an anthrax would occur in the city of London in history, you should have postponed this business trip! At least let everyone know! You're playing with your buddies' lives, and you have to have a limit to your guts! ”

Ren Changle, who has a very strong personal relationship with Su Zining, finally expressed an intolerable attitude towards Su Zining's habitual "stubbornness": "No wonder you and the Department of Homeland Security asked Lao Zhao to bring out a medical team to accompany you this time, and you have made preparations in private, but it doesn't mean that everyone can agree with you and Liu Yun's approach." This is the anthrax that killed tens of thousands of people in the city of London, not a little flu or intestinal dysentery. Alas...... With you, how do I feel more and more dangerous! ”

"Ren Changle, we really need the best opportunity to maximize the benefits of this trip to England. Not to tell everyone, but also to create a more realistic reaction of other people. According to the arrangement, tomorrow, except for the medical team, me and the people of the Intelligence Department, you will leave London immediately. Su Zi quietly looked at Ren Changle, who was angry with him for the first time, and took a deep breath, "I know that I hid it from everyone again this time, but I also considered the risk, I believe that Brother Zhao and the medicine he carried this time can ensure our safety." ”

"Alas...... Forget it, you can get it however you want. I'll do my best to cooperate with you, and this time I'll just assume that I don't know anything...... Su Zining, I know you are bold and dare to do this. Running around all day long is for the future of this collective, but you must pay attention to proportion, not for yourself, you should also think about Yuan Xinyi, and there are two children. ”

Ren Changle left, and Su Zining silently returned to the bed and sat down, with a wry smile on his face.