Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1004 Follow
After a short period of thought, Wang Fuzhi finally rejected John IV's kindness and decided to continue his plan by crossing the heart of Europe by land to Poland and Sweden.

Wang Fuzhi thought very clearly that although the war that broke out in European countries had not yet ended, according to the information, the war was not as fierce as it was at the beginning. Moreover, because the war had lasted for more than 20 years, European countries had been exhausted by the war and had no desire to continue.

Moreover, as an envoy of the Ming Dynasty, he represented the majesty of the Ming Dynasty. Since he was on a diplomatic mission to Europe, how could he be afraid of death and compromise for such a reason? If they went directly to Sweden and Poland according to John IV's suggestion, then their mission to Europe, which they had finally come to, would actually be greatly discounted. How would they explain to the Emperor when they returned?

In addition, Wang Fuzhi had made up his mind before he set out, determined to become the Zhang Qian, Ban Chao and Fu Jiezi of the Ming Dynasty. What these predecessors were able to do back then, how could Wang Fuzhi not be able to do it? Moreover, compared with the dangers and complex situations of his predecessors back then, the problems he faced now were much smaller. Could it be that Wang Fuzhi was a coward who was greedy for life and afraid of death? Since he had shouldered this mission, he had to do it.

Besides, Wang Fuzhi was not a reckless man. As the chief envoy of the Ming Dynasty, he and the delegation had extremely special identities. Even if there were dangers in crossing the heart of Europe, such dangers were relatively small. After all, it was impossible for European countries to send troops to directly attack a diplomatic mission like theirs, and it was even more impossible for them to take great risks to offend the distinguished guests from the Ming Dynasty. Once they did so, the consequences would be extremely serious.

As for the ordinary thieves and bandits that might be encountered along the way, Wang Fuzhi did not take them seriously. Don't forget that there are Zheng Hongkui and his men in the delegation. Zheng Hongkui is a battle-hardened general, and the soldiers he brings are all the elite in the army. It may be a bit too much for these people to fight ten with one, but it is no problem to fight two or three with one. What's more, they are carrying sophisticated armor, weapons and even firearms. With these weapons, ordinary small armies can pose no threat at all. Even if there are armies of hundreds or thousands of people, as long as they are prepared in advance and commanded properly, they are no match.

In this war in Europe, neither Catholicism nor Protestantism was a problem for the Ming Dynasty's envoys. First of all, as for Catholicism, don't forget that the Vatican had just sent people to the Ming Dynasty to preach. Now the relationship between the Vatican and the Ming Dynasty is pretty good. When they went on the mission, Wang Fuzhi also brought letters from Johann Adam Schall von Bell and Ferdinand Verbiest to bring to the Vatican. With these letters, Catholic countries would not embarrass them.

As for Protestantism, it goes without saying that the Kingdom of Sweden is a Protestant country and an important member of the Protestant Alliance in this war. Adolf is a nobleman and envoy of the Kingdom of Sweden. In addition, given the special origin of the Ming Dynasty delegation, the Protestant country will not make things difficult for the delegation.

In addition, although France is a Catholic country, it stands on the side of the Protestant group in this war because of national interests. Therefore, France is betting on both sides. Given their style, it is even less likely to attack the delegation. Poland is ostensibly on the Catholic side, but due to the particularity of the Polish political system, the Polish Parliament stands on the Catholic side, but the king stands on the Protestant side because of the Kingdom of Sweden. The two sides have reached a tacit understanding internally. In addition, Poland is also one of the target countries of this mission. Judging from these situations, although this route has some risks, it is actually not as big as imagined. After weighing the pros and cons, Wang Fuzhi still decided to take this route and rejected the goodwill of John IV.

Seeing that Wang Fuzhi had made the decision, although John IV was a little disappointed, he also admired Wang Fuzhi's courage and determination. He took the initiative to propose that he would issue them a pass in his capacity as the King of Portugal, and use this document to facilitate their subsequent journey.

Even though Portugal's current position in Europe is awkward and King John IV has little influence in European countries, Wang Fuzhi has done his best to help him. For this, Wang Fuzhi expressed his sincere gratitude to King John IV and once again promised to visit Lisbon again when he returns.

A few days later, when the delegation was almost ready, Wang Fuzhi and his team were about to leave Lisbon and head to Spain to start their subsequent journey.

The day before they left Lisbon, Charles II found Wang Fuzhi with the pass issued by John IV and handed it to him.

After seeing this document, Wang Fuzhi once again expressed his gratitude to John IV for his promise and asked Charles II to convey his greetings.

Unexpectedly, when Charles II heard what Wang Fuzhi said, he smiled and said that others would bring the thanks and greetings to his father-in-law. As for him, he would stay here today, and when the delegation set off tomorrow, he would follow the delegation to Spain.

"Your Highness, are you kidding?" Wang Fuzhi was stunned and asked subconsciously.

"Of course I'm not joking. Come and see, I'm ready." Charles II said with a smile, pointing towards the door.

When he walked to the door and looked out, he saw two carriages parked outside. One carriage was loaded with luggage, and the other carriage was filled with people. The coachman was standing beside the carriage. The curtain of the carriage was drawn, and it seemed that someone was sitting in the carriage. As Wang Fuzhi looked, the curtain was pulled open from the inside, revealing the face of a beautiful woman. When Wang Fuzhi saw this woman, he was stunned, because this woman was Princess Catalina, the daughter of John IV and the wife of Charles II?
"This...?" Wang Fuzhi didn't know what to say for a moment. Not only was Charles II going to accompany him to Europe, but he was also going to bring his wife along. Was he planning to take this opportunity to have a honeymoon with his wife? A tour of Europe?
"Your Highness, you..." "Just call me Charles, I like this title, I am no longer Your Highness." Charles II... No! Charles corrected with a smile, but his expression was serious.

"Okay, Charles, you and your wife will come with us, does His Majesty know?" Wang Fuzhi asked.

Charles shrugged and said easily, "Of course! Your Majesty certainly knows, and don't forget that I am not Portuguese. Although I married my wife, I am British. I live in Portugal only for some reasons, which does not mean that I will stay here forever. As a free person, I have the right to make my own choice, and my wife also supports me in doing so. Do you think this reason is appropriate?"

This made Wang Fuzhi at a loss for words. He looked at Charles deeply, as if he saw something else behind his cynical smile.

Wang Fuzhi and Charles did not have much contact. The first time they met was when he was invited to a banquet in the kingdom, and it was King John IV who introduced them in public. The second time was when Wang Fuzhi was invited by King John IV to visit the palace again. When he was leaving, he ran into Charles who had just returned from hunting outside, and the two greeted each other politely.

The total time of these two meetings was very short, and even the conversation consisted of only a few words. Wang Fuzhi's impression of Charles was just that he was a nobleman of extraordinary status. He was also cheerful and optimistic. He often smiled before speaking, behaved politely, and was full of the vitality of youth.

But today, Wang Fuzhi saw a different side of this former British crown prince and Scottish king who had lived overseas. Charles did not make this decision on a whim, but after careful consideration. Moreover, his decision was extremely firm and he had many opinions. His will was not influenced by anyone, not even his father-in-law, John IV. For Charles, nothing he wanted to do could be changed by anyone, and he himself was the master of his own destiny.

Wang Fuzhi even felt that if he rejected Charles' request, this guy would not give up his plan and might even follow the delegation himself.

Thinking of Charles' identity and the current situation of his country, Wang Fuzhi vaguely understood why Charles insisted on doing this. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, realizing that he had underestimated Charles before. He had been wearing a mask to hide himself before, but the grandeur he showed today was the real Charles.

"Well, since you insist on going with us, I can agree..." Wang Fuzhi nodded. Just as Charles smiled to express his gratitude, Wang Fuzhi said, "But if you follow my delegation, I have to make three rules with you. If you can agree, I will not refuse your joining. But if you can't agree, then I'm sorry, even if you follow us, I will not regard you as a member of the delegation, and I will not shelter you and your family in case of an accident. You must understand this!"

"Dear sir, I understand your thoughts. Please tell me what I should do." Charles restrained his smile and asked seriously.

Wang Fuzhi immediately made three rules with him. First, he must obey the orders of the mission when entering the mission. All actions must be under the command of him and the deputy envoy Zheng Hongkui, and no action can be taken without authorization. Second, all itineraries in the mission must be based on the mission's plan, including accommodation, food, etc., without exception. As for the third, he and his family are just ordinary people in the mission. When they come into contact with nobles and royal families of various countries along the way, they must obtain his permission in advance, and they cannot make inappropriate promises to anyone under the banner of the mission.

These three points of agreement must be observed. If Charles cannot abide by them, Wang Fuzhi will not allow Charles to join the mission, especially the last point of the three points, which puts Charles in a cage. Wang Fuzhi knows very well that the reason why Charles wants to follow his actions is nothing more than to take this opportunity to establish connections with European countries including the royal families through the Ming Dynasty mission, and to make advance preparations and diplomatic attempts for returning to Britain in the future. After all, his identity is different, and he is not an ordinary aristocrat, so it is reasonable for him to have such ideas, but Wang Fuzhi will never let Charles go for this reason, and will even impose restrictions. The Ming Dynasty mission’s mission to Europe is not to participate in the British throne, nor will it be involved in unnecessary turmoil. There are some things Charles can do, but there are some things he cannot do, especially using the banner of the Ming Dynasty to bully others, it is even more impossible for him to do so.

After hearing this, Charles smiled and agreed without thinking. Seeing that he agreed so readily, Wang Fuzhi was a little confused. But he didn't ask any more questions. After all, with Charles' status, he shouldn't go back on his word. As long as he kept his promise, it wouldn't matter if he had a few more people in the delegation. If he broke his promise, Wang Fuzhi would naturally find a way to deal with him.

(End of this chapter)