Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 569 Applause of Victory! The Plan to Control Europe!

An uproar erupted in the banquet hall.

After the gunshot rang out, all the European nobles present were stunned.

The exquisite musket in Zhu Gaochi's hand was truly unexpected.

After the Mongol cavalry's westward expedition, gunpowder and firearms were introduced to Europe.

Overall, apart from a few cannons with very outdated technology, firearms in Europe at this time were limited to simple handheld muskets.

This type of firearm is usually a metal tube attached to a wooden or metal handle, and it needs to be fired by manually igniting the gunpowder.

Because of its bulkiness, long loading time, poor reliability, and the fact that its gunpowder was susceptible to moisture or explosion, it was only used sporadically in the military, and almost no one in the aristocratic class carried it.

They were not unfamiliar with the firearms of the Ming Dynasty.

When Zhu Di led his soldiers ashore, those soldiers were carrying sophisticated firearms.

Although the nobles of Venice saw it, they did not understand its true power.

Zheng He's fleet reached Europe and demonstrated the power of cannons and firearms, but it did not visit Venice. Therefore, the locals had only heard the legend of the Ming army's "strong ships and powerful cannons, advanced firearms" but had never witnessed it with their own eyes.

At this moment, Zhu Gaochi's shot not only killed Federico, but also completely stunned all the nobles present.

They considered themselves knowledgeable and cultured people, not ignorant country bumpkins, but before Zhu Gaochi fired the shot and Federico fell to the ground, they had no idea that the seemingly complicated and exquisite object in Zhu Gaochi's hand was actually a musket.

It's too short, and too delicate.

It was completely different from the muskets they had imagined.

"Whoosh!" Zhu Gaochi calmly blew on the smoldering muzzle of the musket and put it back in his pocket.

He walked to Federico's body, looked down at the man lying motionless on the ground, and said calmly, "In the presence of all the nobles of Venice, Heaven has given you a just judgment. This is the end you deserve."

There was silence in the field.

"Clap clap clap!"

Governor Michele was the first to applaud.

Immediately afterwards, the nobles present followed suit, and another round of thunderous applause rang out in the banquet hall.

This was followed by enthusiastic calls for action.

The servants quickly carried away Federico's body, and no one felt grief or anger.

Even though he was a member of the illustrious Medici family, his death in a duel he initiated and witnessed by numerous nobles was entirely his own fault.

Even the Medici family would never dare to openly seek revenge.

Doing so would violate chivalry and would be despised by all nobles.

Of course, whether there is hatred in private, or even secret sabotage and revenge, is another matter entirely.

But in any case, Federico was already dead, dead in the "glorious duel".

At this moment, Zhu Gaochi, the Ming prince who won the "fair and just" duel, is the embodiment of courage and the representative of honor.

The applause rightfully belongs to him!

Meanwhile, amidst thunderous applause, the nobles in the banquet hall began whispering amongst themselves, excitedly discussing everything that had just happened.

"As expected of a prince of the Ming Dynasty, his actions were swift and decisive, killing Federico in one fell swoop!"

"Is that a musket from the Ming Dynasty? My God, its power is terrifying! That shield can't block it at all!"

"Isn't it a bit unfair that he used such a terrifying weapon instead of a sword and shield?"

"What nonsense are you talking about! Before the duel, they agreed that any weapon could be used. Firearms are the weapons used by the Ming people. Look at those Ming soldiers, none of them are carrying swords or shields. This shows that the Ming Dynasty has already abandoned outdated weapons and possesses advanced weaponry!"

"It was Federico who initiated the duel, and both sides agreed on the rules according to European custom. His Highness the Prince of Ming Dynasty abided by the rules and fought fairly and squarely. Is there anything wrong with that? This precisely demonstrates his integrity and courage!"

"Federico's actions have been punished by heaven! This is a truly fair and just duel!"

"That musket is amazing! The Ming Dynasty was able to create such a marvelous weapon. It truly is a great nation that our Europeans can hardly match!"

"Look at His Highness the Prince of Da Ming's actions and expressions, this is true chivalry! My God, I'm already hopelessly in love with him, even if he marries Daisy, I'd still be willing to be his mistress!"

……

Daisy's gaze toward Zhu Gaochi was filled with adoration and infatuation.

She had been trying to persuade Zhu Gaochi not to accept the duel invitation, but that was only out of concern for his safety.

Now, Zhu Gaochi not only bravely accepted the challenge, but also won in a decisive, efficient, and unscathed manner, which instantly elevated Daisy's love for him to an even higher level.

Women are naturally drawn to strength.

The reason why European women were attracted to Ming Dynasty men was because they believed that the Ming Dynasty was a civilized, prosperous, and far superior country to Europe.

Therefore, the men of the Ming Dynasty were naturally more outstanding and attractive than the men of Europe.

Zhu Gaochi won the duel in such a unique and awe-inspiring way, which proved this point with irrefutable facts.

In Daisy's eyes, her fiancé was the embodiment of courage, wisdom, honor, and ability, just like the most valiant warrior in ancient Greek mythology.

"He is my dream lover!"

Unable to contain her overwhelming emotions any longer, Daisy rushed forward, wrapped her arms around Zhu Gaochi's neck, and gave him a passionate and tender kiss.

"Clap clap clap!"

Another round of thunderous applause erupted in the banquet hall.

Michele raised his glass high and shouted passionately, "Let us toast together to the marriage of my daughter Daisy and His Highness the Prince of Ming!"

……

The banquet lasted until late at night before finally coming to an end.

Zhu Gaochi returned with his parents Zhu Di and Xu Miaoyun to the residence that Mikaela had arranged for them.

This is a magnificent detached mansion, built with extraordinary grandeur and decorated with opulent interior.

The mansion is surrounded by water on all sides, with excellent scenery, and looks like a palace floating on the water.

After all the guards were replaced by soldiers from the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Gaochi followed his parents into the spacious living room.

"These Europeans really know how to enjoy life!" Zhu Di looked around at the decorations, his tone complicated. "If this were the Ming Dynasty of the past, many of these items would be forbidden and could not be used by anyone but the royal family."

"Even among the royal family, there are restrictions based on status; some things can be used, while others are probably only for His Majesty the Emperor." "But here, they arrange things so arbitrarily."

Zhu Gaochi looked around and smiled, "The Ming Dynasty is a land of etiquette, with a strict hierarchical order that no one dares to easily transgress."

"But Venice is a commercial city-state. Here, as long as you have enough wealth, you can buy everything you need. There is no such thing as 'prohibited'."

"People here take pride in vying to outdo each other in wealth."

"They built magnificent mansions and used luxurious decorations to flaunt their wealth, all to show the world how rich they were."

He changed the subject, his tone wistful: "However, many of the rules of the Ming Dynasty have changed now."

“Items that were previously forbidden for ordinary people to use, and silks and satins that were forbidden to wear, have now been allowed to be used.”

Zhu Gaochi's words revealed a hint of regret.

In order to stimulate the economic development of the Ming Dynasty and encourage more people to participate in the Industrial Revolution and commercial activities, Zhu Yunwen abolished a large number of old prohibitions.

Merchants were allowed to build luxurious mansions, use all kinds of furniture that were originally forbidden, wear silk and satin, and wear gold and silver ornaments.

Because, in order to develop the economy, the first thing to do is to stimulate people's desire to make money.

If this is not allowed and that is not allowed, then what's the point of making money?

When people are hungry, they may work hard to make ends meet.

But once people are well-fed, if they have nowhere to spend the money they earn and can't enjoy a better life, then who would be willing to continue to work hard?
Zhu Yunwen abolished these old rules precisely so that more people could cherish the "Great Ming Dream" of making money and getting rich through hard work!
However, this series of reforms undoubtedly caused a huge ideological impact on the existing feudal aristocracy and conservative class of the Ming Dynasty.

Most of them had mixed feelings about this.

No one dislikes the feeling of being superior.

Seeing that the merchants he once looked down on could now live in the same houses as him, use the same things as him, and wear the same clothes as him, the once high and mighty noble class couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.

Even though Zhu Gaochi was far away overseas, he was still influenced by this ideology.

He had grown up in the Ming Dynasty, and those deeply ingrained ideas were already ingrained in his blood.

"Although the decoration of this mansion looks magnificent and extremely luxurious, it always feels like it lacks some cultural depth."

Xu Miaoyun's gaze fell on a painting depicting figures on the wall, her eyebrows furrowing slightly: "The figures in this painting are indeed lifelike, but their clothing is rather too revealing."

"Using such paintings to decorate the living room is truly shameless and lacks basic manners."

Zhu Di laughed heartily: "A barbarian land, this is quite normal."

“Even among us Han Chinese, there used to be a saying: ‘Dirty Tang, Stinky Han.’”

"It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, women's clothing was very bold and open, but it gradually returned to being more reserved later."

"I don't think there's anything wrong with this, there's no need to make a fuss about it."

"Let's not discuss these things for now." Zhu Di's smile faded, and his tone became serious. "At today's banquet, we not only finalized Chi'er's marriage, but more importantly, we also reached an agreement on the crucial currency swap. It was a very fruitful day."

"Next, we need to discuss how to plan our next steps."

Xu Miaoyun nodded, turned her gaze to Zhu Gaochi, and asked softly, "Chi'er, do you have any reservations about this marriage? Can you accept it?"

When the marriage was announced, Xu Miaoyun secretly observed Zhu Gaochi's expression and noticed that his face looked a little strange.

It wasn't a surprise, it was more like a shock.

Although Zhu Gaochi did not explicitly object later, as a mother, she inevitably felt somewhat uneasy.

"Mother, you're overthinking it."

"I'm fine, it was just too unexpected," Zhu Gaochi explained with a smile. "I never expected that the woman I casually hugged would be the daughter of the Doge of Venice."

"However, since we are new here, being able to use this marriage to quickly establish ourselves is definitely a good deal."

Those dramatic love stories of refusing to marry someone you don't like, even running away from the wedding or threatening to die, are destined not to happen to Zhu Gaochi.

Even if his parents arranged for him to marry a woman he had never met, he could accept it calmly.

This is the view of marriage held by most people in this era.

The so-called "arranged marriage by parents and matchmaker".

Zhu Gaochi would never have threatened suicide or resisted to the death in pursuit of a vague and illusory "love".

Moreover, he had already met Daisy, who was beautiful and charming, so he naturally had no reason to disagree.

Even so, Zhu Gaochi had no time to indulge in romantic love.

They traveled across the ocean to Europe to realize their ambitions and create a great career.

Women are merely embellishments to a man's career and a pastime in his leisure time.

How can one devote all their attention to romantic relationships?
After finishing discussing the marriage, Zhu Gaochi steered the conversation back on track, asking, "Father, you just said that a currency swap agreement has been reached with Governor Michael?"

The currency swap was a proposal put forward by Zhu Gaochi during his previous discussions with Zhu Di.

Zhu Yunwen implemented sweeping reforms in the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Gaochi was involved in the entire process, learning from his experiences.

In addition, he was quick-witted and loved to study, and over time, Zhu Gaochi also learned a lot of economic principles, which is why he was able to come up with the idea of ​​currency swaps.

Zhu Di smiled and nodded, then recounted in detail the preliminary agreement he had reached with Michele.

"Ten copper coins for one Ducat gold coin? That's a total of ten million coins?" Zhu Gaochi's eyes lit up instantly. He rubbed his hands together excitedly, barely able to contain his excitement: "Then we've really struck it rich this time!"

Seeing his excitement, Zhu Di smiled and reminded him, "This is only a preliminary agreement. Venice is different from the Ming Dynasty."

"Although the Doge of Venice wields the most power, he is not as absolute as the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

"This matter still needs the approval of the Venice Council and the signing of a formal agreement before it can be considered settled."

Zhu Gaochi smiled confidently and said, "That may be true, but the Michele family itself has a great deal of influence in the council."

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to become governor."

"Since Michele has agreed, the matter is very likely to be successful."

"Why should Father worry so much?"

"With this huge sum of money, I have a plan in mind to control all of Europe!"

……

(End of this chapter)