Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Melisandre carefully picked up the glass mirror; its size and clarity were far inferior to the one presented to the Seljuk Sultan.

But it was enough to drive Melissant crazy.

This Queen of Jerusalem, the future Queen of Jerusalem, looked at her beautiful face in the mirror and couldn't help but want to cover her face and cry.

Fulke asked, "How much is this shipment?"

Qian Mian half-truthfully lied, saying, "It is very difficult to make and is worth five thousand taels of silver."

“Look at its frame, the gold wire embedded in it weighs two ounces.”

"Not only is the inlay craftsmanship top-notch, but the large pearl on top is also of excellent quality."

"The mirror is polished with the finest natural crystal, and only the imperial craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty can make it."

"As for the paint on the back, that's a secret and cannot be disclosed."

"We traveled tens of thousands of miles with only three mirrors."

Of course, it wasn't just three glass mirrors, but a full thirty, and they were being sold along the way.

A country only sells one kind of product; scarcity drives up the price!

As Qian Mian explained, Melissand finally noticed the pearl: "This is a pearl?"

Chapter 3645 Natural Pearls

"What else did you think it was?" Qian Mian said. "This pearl is very mystical; it naturally grows into a flower pattern, and it's a flower that radiates sunlight."

Cultured pearls!

This technology existed as early as the Northern Song Dynasty, and Buddha pearls appeared in the Southern Song Dynasty.

It involved carving a Buddha image from a certain material, then stuffing it into a pearl oyster and raising it for several years. This method was still able to fool European nobles until the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Melissant examined the pearl closely and became increasingly convinced that it was real.

The price is five thousand taels of silver, which is equivalent to 13333 silver coins.

It's expensive, but also cheap.

This is a glass mirror that you can't find in the West, and it's even inlaid with natural flower-shaped pearls!

Melissant held the glass mirror in her arms and said to her husband, "Buy it, and I will reconcile with you, acknowledge you as my husband, and acknowledge you as my king."

“Okay,” Fulke agreed immediately.

Neither of them were fools; they had been fighting openly and secretly for years, and unless one of them suddenly died, neither of them could possibly win.

There are many treasures from the Ming Dynasty now. They could work together and make a fortune by reselling these goods.

Melissand held the mirror and whispered, "This thing is priceless; those Republic merchants will go crazy for it."

"Only display it as a sample, don't sell it to them, and don't say that the mirror only has one side."

"They will surely return to their respective republics, bringing back countless amounts of gold and silver by ship, and request that we take them along to trade."

Fulke said, "We can't let the merchants come here."

Melissant said, "Of course not, this port belongs to us."

“But we don’t have enough money, so we can borrow from them.”

"The more money someone borrows, the more goods they are allocated!"

The couple who were fighting like dogs before are now discussing how to make money together, and they're even planning to pull off a scheme to get something for nothing.

Fulke laughed and said, "Let's go take a look at the other treasures."

Mirrors are scarce here, so they can be exploited to the fullest extent of the law.

However, silk and porcelain have market prices, and although they are extremely expensive, people cannot be treated like fools.

"Silk, how beautiful and smooth the silk is!"

"I praise porcelain. I eat with it every day!"

Melissant put the mirror back and continued examining the merchandise samples. Suddenly, she touched the velvet and said, "What is this?"

Qian Mian smiled and said, "Velvet."

Melissant suddenly blurted out, "You're from the Ming Dynasty in Seris, aren't you?"

Qian Mian nodded: "Yes."

"Do people there all wear silk?" Melissand asked.

“Many commoners can afford it,” Qian Mian said ambiguously. “We have all kinds of fabrics for everyone to choose from.”

Melissant turned to her husband and said, “I remember now, a Roman scholar visited Jerusalem ten years ago.”

“He told me many stories from ancient texts, including those about Seris.”

He said that the true title of the king of Seris is King of Kings, not the son of some sky god!

Fulke muttered to himself, "The King of Kings? No wonder such a precious treasure could be brought out for trade."

.....

Italy's four major maritime republics, ranked by their national strength, are: Pisa, Amalfi, Genoa, and Venice.

When the Ming fleet arrived at the Red Sea, the eldest and second eldest were engaged in battle.

Both sides deployed hundreds of ships each, and fought intermittently for two or three months in various parts of the Mediterranean.

Ultimately, the Amalfi Republic was defeated.

The Republic of Pisa won a resounding victory, further consolidating its dominance in the Mediterranean.

The Republic of Pisa is incredibly powerful now, possessing not only its own territory but also Sicily, Corsica, Tunisia, and Carthage.

They actively participated in the Crusades, helping the Crusaders transport logistics, troops, and people, and gaining control of some cities in the Crusader states.

The territory under the actual control of the Republic of Pisa now spans three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa!

Fulke returned to Jerusalem with mirrors, silk, and porcelain, and immediately summoned merchants from the four major republics.

"This is a sacred mirror!"

Fulke held up the glass mirror and said, "The King of Kings of Seres in the East, knowing that I rule Jerusalem, specially gifted me this sacred mirror."

“Look at the top of the frame, there is a natural sun-shaped flower pearl.”

It is God's masterpiece, a condensation of God's glory on earth.

This mirror is so clear and bright; it reflects all the evil in the world.

"I name it the Sun Mirror. I, Fulke, King of Jerusalem, shall henceforth be known as the Sun King!"

The merchants slowly approached, carefully examining the pearl, and then went to observe the mirror.

It was indeed as clear as lake water, so clear that it could even reflect every pore on everyone's face.

"Your Majesty the Sun King, may the Lord bless you."

The merchants began to flatter him.

Chapter 3646 Priceless Treasure

A merchant from the Republic of Pisa asked, "How many gold coins would it cost to buy this sun mirror?"

Fulke said, "It is a gift from God, it is priceless. It is not for sale!"

Merchants from the four countries were extremely envious; if Fulke was willing to make a price, they would sell everything they owned to buy it.

If sold in Europe, the price would certainly be equivalent to many castles, as well as the land and people surrounding them.

Fulke then took out silk, porcelain, lacquerware, candles... all samples. Fulke didn't have much money with him, so he could only buy a little of each item.

“Look at this silk. It is not only more exquisite than the silk of the Egyptians, Persians, and Arabs, but it is also cheaper than theirs.”

Because the silk of those pagans was also transported from Seres.

"Look at this porcelain again. Have you ever seen such a huge and perfectly crafted piece of porcelain?"

"This lacquerware is many times more valuable than any lacquerware available in the Mediterranean. It was the royal item of the King of Seres."

"Even the candles are far superior to those from the Mediterranean."

"These candles produce very little smoke when they burn and have a pleasant fragrance, unlike Mediterranean candles which have a pungent smell."

"At banquets of nobles from various countries, these candles would be the center of attention..."

"And tea. Do you know what tea is?"

"It is a creation of the King of Seresvan, made from leaves picked from the sacred tree and dried."

"The Seres say that tea can be brewed with boiling water, or sugar and milk can be added after brewing."

"The King of Kings of Seris drinks tea every day to slow down aging!"

"This is paper from Seris, so white and flawless, it can remain unyellowing for hundreds of years..."

Merchants from the four countries already knew that a Chinese fleet had arrived, because the Egyptians were also reselling these goods, they had only announced the news but had not yet officially started selling them!

The merchants carefully examined all the goods, looking at them again and again, touching them repeatedly.

Finally, someone asked, "They also want to ship goods from Egypt and have invited us to come over in the fall."

Fulke said, "You'll always get your goods from me for 10% less than the Egyptians!"

"However, you need to lend me money to purchase goods."

"Whoever borrows the most money and pays the lowest interest rate will get the largest share of goods."

"And the money I borrowed can be used to offset the payment for goods."

"When can we receive the goods?" the merchants asked.

Fulke said, "Once you lend me the money, you'll see the goods in twenty days."

"If all goes well, the goods can be delivered in fifteen days."

The merchants then asked, "How many oriental goods are there in the port of Hailim?"

“Five large ships, all filled with cargo,” Fulke laughed. “Those are truly large ships, bigger than all your merchant ships.”

The merchants asked, "Can we trade directly at the port of Hailim?"

"As long as the transaction is successful, taxes will be paid to His Majesty."

Fulke shook his head: "No."

The merchants dispersed, and some had already returned home to inform the dukes and counts of the republic to organize more merchants and gold and silver to come and buy up the goods.

They alone cannot finish it all!

They also need to agree on a unified price when shipping from Europe and agree on the monthly shipment volume.

With so many luxury goods, they could stockpile them and sell them for years!

Some people even went to Egypt to inquire about the prices and quantities of goods there.

They soon learned that Egypt was buying even more Chinese goods, and that nobles and wealthy people in Cairo were already snapping them up.

As for Fulke, he was summoning the nobles of the country.

He promised to give each noble a share and sell it at a lower price, so that all nobles could make a profit.

The prerequisite is that the nobles must lend him money to purchase goods.

For a time, Jerusalem became incredibly harmonious, and no one dared to demand the overthrow of the king's rule anymore.

Some nobles, along with their wealth and armies, secretly crossed the desert to trade with Chinese fleets.

As a result, Fulke's army remained stationed at the oasis closest to the port, preventing anyone from proceeding to the port of Hailim.

This displeased the nobles who wanted to conduct private transactions, but they dared not raise an army to cause trouble.

Because their behavior would only attract more resentment and jealousy from the nobles.

……

Cairo.