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

Chapter 1088 The Princess’ Thoughts

The Zongli Yamen, the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple quickly made arrangements and sent officials to Laizhou, Shandong to welcome Charles II and his wife and the Ming Dynasty delegation to Beijing.

For this reason, Wang Fuzhi and others did not go to the capital immediately after landing in Laizhou. Instead, under the arrangement of Li Xin, they rested in Laizhou for a day, and then arrived in the capital Jinan to wait.

After arriving in Jinan, Li Xin settled everyone and waited patiently for the court to send someone. Soon, the court sent a message telling Li Xin the court's arrangements, and Wang Fuzhi and others also understood the importance of this matter, so they naturally cooperated with the court with all their strength.

Charles II was completely unaware of these circumstances. He was still immersed in the excitement of arriving at the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

On the way north, everything he saw and heard shocked him so much. He had never imagined that there was such a vast and prosperous country in the world. The customs and practices of the Ming Dynasty, which were different from those in Europe, gave him a great sense of freshness and fascinated him deeply.

Not only Charles II, but also his wife Princess Catalina was intoxicated by all this. To be honest, the relationship between Charles II and Princess Catalina was not very good. Their marriage was simply a political marriage. The reason why John IV married his beloved Princess Catalina to Charles II and made this decision when Charles II encountered setbacks everywhere was also due to political considerations.

After all, the Kingdom of Portugal had been ruled by Spain for many years and had finally broken away from Spain's control. As the new King of Portugal, John IV was eager to open up the situation in politics and diplomacy. However, due to Portugal's special situation, most European countries did not want to intervene in the conflict between Portugal and Spain, which made Portugal's situation in Europe very embarrassing.

In desperation, John IV had to find other solutions, and marrying his daughter to Charles II was for this purpose.

Although Charles II was only an exiled king, and it was unlikely that he could return to England to truly ascend the throne in this life, in any case, Charles II's identity and status were enough to match Princess Catarina, and John IV thought, what if Charles II could turn things around? If he could return to England and become the real King of England, then Portugal and England would have such a relationship, and all the troubles would be completely solved. Even if it didn't work out in the end, it would not be a loss for Portugal.

Charles II also needed the help of the Kingdom of Portugal at that time. Even though the Kingdom of Portugal had long since fallen, it was a life-saving straw for Charles II. During the years of exile in Europe, Charles II had a hard time. As a king, he didn't even have money to eat, and couldn't even afford to stay in a hotel, so he had to hide in a tree to sleep.

What else could Charles II ask for after falling into such a state of destitution? By marrying Princess Catarina and becoming the son-in-law of the King of Portugal, he at least no longer had to worry about survival. In addition, even if Charles II did not consider himself, he had to consider his mother and younger brothers who were stranded in Europe with him, right? As the eldest son, he had to shoulder this responsibility.

In this way, the two sides hit it off and Charles II married Princess Catalina. But after marriage, Charles II and his wife did not have a good relationship. It was not because of Princess Catalina, but Charles II. Compared with Charles II, who was extroverted and full of enthusiasm for life, Princess Catalina was too traditional. The two had different values.

Moreover, as Britain is a Protestant country, Charles II believed in Protestantism, while Princess Catalina believed in Catholicism. The two had different religious beliefs, which further affected the relationship between the couple.

After the marriage, the short-lived happiness was followed by a dull life. The couple drifted apart. Although they still maintained a husband-and-wife relationship, they were actually no different from strangers. Moreover, they both knew that their union was only due to political factors and had nothing to do with love. Otherwise, when Charles II decided to follow the Ming Dynasty delegation to the Ming Dynasty, he had planned to have someone disguise himself and use his wife Princess Catarina as a cover to send her back to Portugal, leaving alone on the ship.

Due to Wang Fuzhi's insistence, Charles II finally gave up the idea and took Princess Catalina with him on the ship to Ming Dynasty. But during the journey, Charles II did not live with his wife at all, and they were not even on the same ship. Charles II found an excuse and placed Princess Catalina and her servants on another ship on the grounds that the conditions on the ship were limited. He boarded Wang Fuzhi's flagship and served as a sailor, enjoying himself. How could he remember his wife?
Even when he arrived at the Ming Dynasty, Charles II still lived separately from Princess Catalina after returning to his residence, except for taking her with him on the surface. He did not consider his wife's feelings at all. This made Princess Catalina feel exhausted and helpless both physically and mentally, but she was powerless.

Charles II was handsome, of noble birth, and humorous. He was always surrounded by women before marriage, and even after marriage, he often had affairs with other women. Princess Catalina, as his wife, could not control her husband at all. As time went by, Princess Catalina's mentality gradually changed. In addition, she felt lonely all the way to Ming Dynasty. The princess even thought that you play your own games, and I live mine, and no longer had much hope for this marriage.

On the ship, Princess Catarina had to consider her status after all. And no matter whether it was the captain with a slightly higher status or the ordinary sailors, how could these people catch the eye of this princess? After all, she was also a princess of Portugal, a high-ranking noble in Europe. Even if she betrayed her husband, she would not choose these commoners. But it was different when she arrived in Ming Dynasty. Feeling the strength and wealth of Ming Dynasty, as well as the customs and practices different from those of Europe, Princess Catarina, who had been in a bad mood along the way, gradually got better and developed a strong interest in everything in Ming Dynasty.

But unlike her husband, while Princess Catalina was interested in many things about the Ming Dynasty, she was also interested in the men of the Ming Dynasty. Especially after landing in Laizhou, when she met the Beiyang Navy Admiral Li You, she was attracted by the young, tall and heroic general of the Ming Dynasty at first sight.

Compared with Westerners, Orientals have very different appearances, especially their faces are softer rather than deep. In addition, Orientals have black hair and black eyes. These are the differences between the East and the West. However, for Westerners of this era, Orientals' appearance was not despised and ridiculed as it would be two hundred years later. On the contrary, in the eyes of Western nobles, Orientals' appearance was closer to their true aesthetics.

Many people in later generations thought that Westerners looked down on Orientals because Orientals did not look the same as Westerners. But this is not the case. Throughout Western history, black hair and black eyes have always been the true aristocracy.

In the famous Roman Empire, whether it was the consuls, emperors or nobles, they all had black hair and black eyes. On the contrary, those with blond hair, blue eyes or red hair were considered barbaric in the eyes of the Roman nobles. The influence of the Roman Empire on Europe was far-reaching. Even though the Roman Empire has perished, the crown of the Roman Empire is still the highest pursuit of the monarchs of Western countries.

Becoming the heir of the Roman Empire and wearing the crown of the Roman emperor is the lifelong dream of countless kings. It is also for this reason that the black hair and black eyes of Oriental people, similar to those of the Romans, are not a problem in the eyes of Western aristocrats, but rather are the genes of natural aristocrats.

In addition, the Ming Empire was so powerful. Is there any country in the world that can compare with the Ming Empire? The territory of the Ming Empire alone was equivalent to the entire Europe. In addition, the culture, population, wealth, and advanced political system of the Ming Empire made Westerners yearn for and intoxicated. This can be seen from the fact that the Ming Empire's embassy to Europe was sought after and welcomed by the royal families and nobles of the countries it passed through.

Although Li You was born in an ordinary family, he is extraordinary now. He is not only young, but also tall, much taller than ordinary Europeans. Moreover, Li You not only holds the title of the Ming Dynasty, he is also the commander-in-chief of the Beiyang Navy of the Ming Dynasty. According to his current military rank and position, in Europe he is equivalent to a country's admiral, or even the position of commander-in-chief (deputy commander-in-chief) of the navy.

Princess Catarina was immediately attracted to this promising nobleman and senior general. Her heart was burning with desire, hoping to have a wonderful relationship with him. Even if she couldn't marry him, being his lover would be fine. And it would be even better if she could give birth to a child who would become her heir.

Unfortunately, compared with her husband Charles II, Princess Catalina knew nothing about Chinese except the simplest words like "thank you" and "hello". Moreover, she stayed at home on the ship during the journey and never thought about learning Chinese.

At this time, Princess Catalina felt a little regretful. If she had known that she would meet a man like Li You who impressed her, she would have found someone to learn Chinese. But now she could only watch Li You and Charles II and others talking, but she couldn't understand what they were saying at all.

In addition, the customs of the Ming Dynasty are also very different from those in Europe. If it were in Europe, for distinguished guests like this who came from afar, whether they were from the other side's royal family or local nobles, senior officials, etc., they would specially hold a cocktail party or a dance for the guests, using this method to communicate and entertain.

But the Ming Dynasty is not Europe, and there is no such custom in the Ming Dynasty. Even on the first day of landing in Laizhou, when Li Xin hosted a banquet to entertain members of the delegation including Charles II, it was only limited to a few men. Although Princess Catalina was of noble status, she could not attend such a banquet. Li Xin could only arrange for her to be accompanied by several noble ladies to enjoy an unforgettable meal.

When they left Laizhou for Jinan, Princess Catarina found that Li You was not with them. Puzzled, Princess Catarina could not help asking, and then she learned that because of Li You's status, he had to stay in the army, and Li Xin would accompany him on the rest of the journey. When they arrived in Jinan, the special officials sent by the court would arrive, and these tasks would be handed over to the court, and then they would be sent to the capital.

Hearing this reply, Princess Catarina's heart suddenly felt empty. She closed her eyes and could not help but feel Li You's figure and smile appearing in front of her. With a sigh, Princess Catarina was helpless and could only look forward to another chance to meet in the future. At the same time, she also strengthened her determination to learn Chinese and asked someone to convey this idea to Li Xin. Li Xin considered that Charles II and his wife would go to the capital next, and they would definitely come to the palace to meet the emperor after arriving in the capital. It would be inappropriate if they did not know Chinese. So Li Xin entrusted this matter to his wife and asked her to teach Princess Catarina some Chinese temporarily. After the court people came, the Ministry of Rites or the Honglu Temple would arrange for someone to teach her.

(End of this chapter)