Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 563 Savage Europe and Rome! A priceless collectible!
Amidst the clinking of wine glasses between Zhu Di and Governor Michele, the marriage between Zhu Gaochi and Daisy was thus finalized.

According to European custom, the two parties will then need to sign a formal marriage contract.

As a nation renowned for its etiquette, the Ming Dynasty's marriage procedures revolved around the "Six Rites," namely, betrothal, name inquiry, auspicious date selection, gift presentation, wedding date setting, and the wedding ceremony itself.

Only after completing a full set of procedures can they officially become husband and wife.

However, the marriage customs of European nobles were completely different.

Their marriage agreement was formally signed by both sets of elders in the presence of a notary.

The contract details the amount of dowry the woman should provide, the amount of betrothal gifts the man should pay, the inheritance rights of the man and woman in their respective families, and even the order of inheritance for their children born after marriage.

Compared to the Ming Dynasty's emphasis on etiquette, the marriage contracts of European nobles were simpler, more direct, and straightforward.

It clearly stipulates the rights and responsibilities of both parties in black and white, leaving no room for ambiguity.

Zhu Di and his wife were not familiar with this, and Governor Michele knew that the customs of the Ming Dynasty were bound to be very different from those of Europe.

Therefore, after Zhu Di proposed marriage and received his consent, Michele began to explain in detail the marriage customs of Europe.

This was not because Michele respected tradition, but because in his view, since the marriage was a political union, all rights and obligations had to be clearly agreed upon in writing beforehand.

Venice is a purely commercial city, and they place more faith in treaties signed in black and white.

Other terms may be negotiable, but there is at least one thing Michele is determined to get.

After one's daughter marries into a powerful family, any children she has in the future must be eligible to inherit the throne.

He insisted on explicitly including this clause in the marriage contract.

Because, in the eyes of the nobles of Europe, this was the core of all their interests.

Only when they have a child with both parents' bloodlines can they be truly bound together.

Of course, whether the other party agrees or not is another matter.

So, we need to have a serious talk.

After listening to Michele's lengthy explanation, Zhu Di and his wife gradually came to understand these unique European customs.

Both of them couldn't help but think to themselves, "These Europeans are really shameless!"
Are children's marriages so blatantly treated as transactions, and even written into a marriage contract, without any need for any concealment?
This contrasted sharply with the reserved and modest marriage customs of the Ming Dynasty, leaving Zhu Di and his wife utterly shocked.

Although China also has a long tradition of intermarriage, everyone places great importance on etiquette and decorum.

Even if they all know in their hearts that it is a political marriage and an exchange of interests, they still have to pretend that it is not, that it is a beautiful marriage ordained by God, the result of the matchmaker, a destiny cultivated over a thousand years, and that it is by no means a simple exchange of interests.

In the eyes of Zhu Di and his wife, Europa's practice of directly negotiating the various conditions of marriage and then writing them down in black and white in the contract was like taking off one's clothes to conduct a transaction, which was a bit too shameless!
"They really are uneducated barbarians!" This thought flashed through the minds of Zhu Di and Xu Miaoyun at the same time.

However, they readily agreed to Governor Michele's request.

After all, given their current situation of being "demoted and exiled," signing such a written marriage contract is actually the most advantageous guarantee.

Even if Governor Michele wanted to back out in the future, it would be too late.

Of course, it's probably unlikely that Deisa's son will become the heir to the throne.

Ultimately, the other side is still an outsider.

The throne of the Ming Dynasty would most likely not be passed on to someone with foreign blood.

Even if Zhu Di and his wife could agree, it would be very difficult for Emperor Zhu Yunwen of the Ming Dynasty to agree.

But she won't be treated too badly.

We will try our best to provide the compensation that is due.

However, there's no need to bring these things up with Michele right now. We can discuss the marriage first, and talk about the rest later.

"Governor Michael, as you know, we have brought three giant treasure ships this time, their cabins filled with a dazzling array of treasures." Zhu Di said, feigning generosity. "Originally, the treasures on these three ships were to be used to trade with European merchants, in exchange for the three ships' worth of treasures to return to the Ming Dynasty. This was a task personally assigned by His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

He paused, then said solemnly, "I can decide to use all the treasures on one of the ships as a dowry for my son's marriage to your daughter. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Michele was taken aback at first, then burst into hearty laughter.

How enormous were the treasure ships of the Ming Dynasty, filled to the brim with treasures? Just how many treasures were there?
As the saying goes, "rarity makes things valuable," the treasures transported from the distant Ming Dynasty were naturally all rare and precious items never seen before in Europe.

Moreover, since it was specially transported from the Ming Dynasty, it must have been a rare and precious item that had been carefully selected.

Without a doubt, any one of these items could fetch an astronomical price in Europe.

A whole ship full of treasures as betrothal gifts—this is undoubtedly a display of utmost sincerity!

"As expected of a prince of the Ming Dynasty, he is so generous!" Michele exclaimed sincerely, his eyes gleaming with greed and joy: "I have received your hospitality."

“Diisa is my most beloved daughter, the most dazzling jewel in all of Venice. My dowry for her will fill an entire ship to match your generous gift!”

Michele quickly calculated in her mind that this deal would definitely be profitable.

After all, in Michele's view, what Zhu Di and his men brought were undoubtedly rare treasures, the value of which was immeasurable.

But what one gives back to Zhu Di is a completely different story.

Furthermore, even though they are both "treasures," their value in Europe is completely different from their value in the Ming Dynasty.

It is only natural that goods from the Ming Dynasty would increase in value tenfold if transported to Europe; conversely, goods from Europe could only fetch exorbitant prices if transported to the Ming Dynasty.

This is precisely the core value of commerce and trade.

Merchants profit from the price difference between buying and selling.

As the governor of the commercial city, Michele knew the secrets better than anyone else.

The most difficult aspect of trade between the Ming Dynasty and Europe was not the goods themselves, but transportation. It was inevitable that Ming goods would multiply in value when transported to Europe; conversely, the same was theoretically true for European goods transported to the Ming Dynasty.

But the biggest difference is that this transaction took place in Venice.

What appears to be the same "shipload of dowry" actually conceals the fact that the enormous transportation costs would be borne entirely by Zhu Di and his entourage.

For Michele, this was undoubtedly a very profitable deal.

He could use the boatload of betrothal gifts that Zhu Di gave to his daughter to exchange for ten or even more boatloads of treasures, while he only needed to pay the cost of "one boatload of dowry".

"You are truly a loving father to your daughter." Zhu Di was fully aware of Michele's scheming, yet he still lavished praise upon her.

"I have a small request," Zhu Di said with a smile. "As you know, I am here in Europe on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor, as an envoy of the Ming Dynasty. I will be staying here for a long time."

Michele nodded without hesitation and said, "That's for sure. It's not easy for you to come all the way from the distant Ming Dynasty to Europe, so it's impossible for you to go back so soon."

He patted his chest and promised, "Rest assured, we are about to enter into a marriage contract and become in-laws. I will definitely provide you with the best accommodations and introduce you to various city-states and countries in Europe so that you can carry out diplomatic affairs smoothly."

"Thank you for your concern!" Zhu Di immediately expressed his gratitude, then declined, saying, "These are not the most important matters."

"Now, many nobles in Europe have heard news of our arrival from the Ming Dynasty, and I believe they will not refuse to establish good relations with the Ming Dynasty."

Michele's smile remained unchanged.

In reality, his claim of "introducing Zhu Di to various city-states and countries in Europe" was merely an attempt to use this opportunity to promote his special relationship with the Ming Dynasty, thereby highlighting Venice's outstanding achievements in trade and diplomacy and gaining more benefits for himself.

However, he deliberately pretended to be helping Zhu Di.

Of course, as a nobleman, he was naturally very thick-skinned. Even though Zhu Di saw through his intentions, Michele did not show the slightest embarrassment.

Zhu Di naturally wouldn't dwell on this matter any longer. He quickly changed the subject, saying, "What I really want to ask for your help with is not this matter."

“I know that Venice is a renowned commercial capital of Europe, and you have your own currency, the famous Ducat gold coin.”

"These gold coins circulated not only in Venice but were also widely used in many city-states and countries in Europe, which reflects Venice's status as a commercial center in Europe."

"However, our Great Ming is not a city-state or country of Europe. Our Great Ming also has its own currency, namely the Great Ming Treasure Note."

The Ducat is a gold coin that Venice began minting over a hundred years ago. It is renowned for its stable value and extremely high purity, and today it has become the common currency for international settlements and trade among city-states and countries throughout Europe.

Although European countries were racing to issue their own currencies during this period, many of these countries had chaotic monetary systems.

For example, many countries, due to insufficient gold reserves and a desire to issue more currency to meet national fiscal needs, have continuously reduced the gold content of their own gold coins.

Starting from an initial 90%, it declined all the way down to 50%, 40%, and even lower, leading to a continuous devaluation of the currency.

With the government manipulating currency in this way, businesspeople and the public are naturally not going to be fooled.

This short-sighted and dishonest approach has led to a sharp decline in the credibility of currencies in many European countries.

While it might be able to be used under the strong impetus of the regime within its own country, once placed on the stage of international trade settlement, it is almost ignored and cannot serve as an effective medium of exchange.

In contrast, the Ducat gold coins issued by Venice are different.

First, the purity of its gold has remained extremely high and stable, never changing, thus earning it a very high reputation throughout Europe.

In addition, Venice itself is a veritable trading city, possessing an extraordinary trading status and commercial influence.

With its credibility fully guaranteed, its currency quickly gained widespread recognition from merchants around the world, becoming the undisputed "international settlement currency" and "hegemonic currency" of Europe.

By firmly controlling the right to mint coins, Venice earned enormous profits and accumulated endless wealth.

In addition to the gold ducat, Venice also issued the silver grosso and the bronze picri.

The bronze picourt was mainly used in the daily lives of ordinary citizens in Venice, while the silver grosso, like the gold ducat, was widely recognized and used throughout Europe.

"Is this what you mean?" Zhu Di had barely finished speaking when Governor Michele gestured to his attendants to bring over an exquisitely crafted briefcase.

He skillfully opened the box with the key, and what came into Zhu Di's view was a complete set of Ming Dynasty banknotes.

One hundred cash, fifty cash, twenty cash, ten cash, five cash, and one cash—six different denominations of banknotes are neatly arranged among them, like precious works of art.

Zhu Di was stunned. He never expected to see such a complete set of Ming Dynasty banknotes here.

“These are the Ming Dynasty banknotes from my collection,” Michael said with a smile, his tone tinged with pride and boasting. “Last time, when your Ming Dynasty envoy Zheng He visited Europe, he presented Ming Dynasty banknotes as gifts to many European nobles.”

"Although Zheng He's fleet did not reach Venice directly, he still sent me a set of Ming Dynasty banknotes through someone."

"He is such a generous and remarkable diplomat, so courteous! I love this gift!"

Michele carefully stroked the banknotes inside the box, her eyes filled with admiration: "I specially made a briefcase for this, carefully stored it, and displayed it here."

"I've heard that these precious notes are quite valuable even in the Ming Dynasty, and even more so in Europe. I've never seen them before."

"I wonder how many nobles and wealthy merchants have offered huge sums of money to buy this set of Ming Dynasty banknotes in my possession!"

His eyes were fixed on the banknotes, a look of delighted rapture on his face. He laughed and said, "But how could I possibly sell them?"

"Look at the pattern, the texture, this is truly a masterpiece of art!"

"Even the best painters in Europe could hardly compare with the lifelike paintings on the Ming Dynasty banknotes."

Michele's admiration was palpable: "And the paper used to print the banknotes, and the ink used for them, are all wondrous things that Europe does not possess."

"It's no exaggeration to say that every single one of them is priceless!"

……

(End of this chapter)