Daming 1805

Chapter 170 The Ottoman Sultan's Gift
Zhu Jingyuan couldn't help but secretly frowned when he heard the Ottoman Grand Vizier Zayedin's request.

How could it be possible to exchange so many things for a land property right in Crete?

This old man may be testing himself to see if he will sell Daming's national interests for his own personal benefit.

I personally obtained the land ownership granted by other countries, and asked Daming to make concessions on land and population issues.

This routine is no different from rebates on corporate procurement.

But obviously, in his own capacity, as long as it is something from Daming, he can basically get it, and there is no need to do this kind of exchange.

At the same time, only the things that belong to Da Ming can be truly obtained by him, and he can possess them with complete peace of mind.

How can I feel at ease with things that are placed on the land of other countries and guarded by troops from other countries?
But considering the Grand Vizier's ability, he should not be simply probing, but also asking for a lot of money from himself.

So, Zhu Jingyuan responded quite seriously:
"Suggestions for the development of the Ottoman navy and guidance for the construction of ports may be offered to the Ottomans as a token of friendship between our two parties.

"However, all other conditions proposed by the Grand Vizier are impossible.

"Unless the Ottomans directly cede Crete to Daming, they can get the population of Tripoli, Tunisia, Algeria and other places.

"As for the land in these areas, if Osman wants to intervene again after giving up on the trial, it will be competing with Ming again.

"This kind of behavior that violates the content of the peace treaty just signed will definitely affect the friendship we have just established..."

Zhu Jingyuan's meaning is very clear. Friendship can only be exchanged for friendship, and interests can be exchanged for interests.

Ottoman's promises in the peace treaty, as well as the fact that he gave up those lands in the northern part of Mozhou, are now considered forbidden by Ming Dynasty.

If Osman now reneges on his promise and wants to send troops to occupy these areas by force again, then there will be no friendship between the two sides.

That last sentence is a blunt warning.

Zayedin was silent for a few seconds, and still said unwillingly:
"Your Highness, is there really no room for negotiation on the population and land in those areas? Those lands have not been captured by Ming now.

"Our true thoughts are not hidden from His Highness, we want to use these populations to develop the Mexican colony.

"We are clear about the abilities of the Mo people, and they won't use them unless necessary."

Zhu Jingyuan thought about it for a while, and said more openly:
"This king can personally give Grand Vizier and Osman a suggestion, you should focus on the development of Mozhou.

"This king believes that if Da Ming does not intervene at all, the current Ottoman may not be able to conquer the Barbary pirates alone.

"If Da Ming alone conquered the land of the Barbary pirates, it would be impossible to cede it to another country. There is no need to discuss this matter.

"The population can be discussed, if Ottoman wants to get the population conquered by Ming, he will cede Crete to Ming.

"Osman can also take away all the people on Crete, and Da Ming can completely eliminate those people.

"Otherwise, don't think too much, just trade your personal land ownership for technical support."

Zayedin hesitated for a few seconds, but in the end he was unable to make a direct decision on the spot:

"Thank you for your sincerity, but I'm sorry, we need some time to think about it, and we need to ask His Majesty the Sultan for instructions.

"However, Crete and Tripoli, Tunisia, Algeria, how the local population and land issues are finally decided should not affect our friendship.

"So whether it is His Highness Irene, the land ownership of Rhodes Island, or His Majesty the Sultan's other wishes, I hope that His Highness Prince Dashi can accept it directly."

Saying that, Zayadin took out a Ming-style gift list, asked the guards on the scene to inspect it, and handed it over to Zhu Jingyuan above.

Zhu Jingyuan directly opened the gift list to check on the spot, which stated what the Ottoman Sultan gave him.

The first is the Rhodes Island title deed, which both parties know is the most important gift.

Then there is Princess Irene of the Ottoman Sultan.

It states her date of birth, and she just turned 13 at the end of this year.

Her mother was not the wives of the Ottoman Sultan, but an ordinary slave girl who came from the Ermao ethnic group in Lucia.

However, his mother was not imported in original packaging, but the second generation of slaves born in Ottoman territory.

The reason why the Ottoman Sultan chose Irene as a gift to Zhu Jingyuan was not because Zayadin said she was the most beautiful princess.

It's because her ears are dry, so there is a high probability that she will not have body odor when she grows up.

Influenced by the Ming Dynasty, in today's Europe, America and other countries in the world, lack of taste is a feature that overrides beauty.

This has made the right to choose a spouse of a small number of men and women who do not know each other soar, and it is a matter of course that they have become the first choice for the nobles and elites of various ethnic groups to marry.

This will obviously gradually expand the number of groups that do not have body odor.

Children who have no body odor are also more likely to be screened out and focus on developing their abilities.

This Princess Irene is one of them. Now she can use Daming Yayan relatively fluently, and she can also write simple articles in Chinese characters.

Perhaps after several generations of continuous selection, the upper class of the various ethnic groups in Thailand and the West will gradually lose their body odor.

This result may well be a sign of what they consider to be true civilization.

Looking at the relatively detailed introduction on the gift list, Zhu Jingyuan felt that there was a high probability that this Irene was a real princess, and she didn't just find a female slave to pretend to be.

But she was written on the gift list as a princess and presented to Zhu Jingyuan directly as a gift.

It's just that there is no slave contract, and theoretically they are still free people.

Followed by them are sixteen female slaves from various ethnic groups in Taixi, all of which have their names, ages, ethnic groups, origins, and characteristics clearly stated.

The oldest is no more than 16 years old, and the youngest has just turned ten.

These girls all came with slave indentures and are now clear slaves.

They also share traits, both have dry ears like Erin and are expected to have no body odor as adults.

Finally, there is a collection of jewelry and antiques, as well as several calligraphy and paintings from the East.

No gold, silver or any money was given directly.

This shows that Osman is specialized in homework and knows what Ming people like most.

These gifts are definitely a big gift for ordinary people, even for ordinary nobles.

But to Zhu Jingyuan, the prince of food, it seemed nothing.

With Zhu Jingyuan's appetite and status, there is probably no one in this world who can afford a real gift.

Considering Zhu Jingyuan's support for Ottoman at the League of Nations meeting, the Ottoman Sultan gave Zhu Jingyuan these gifts absolutely willingly.

It can really be regarded as a pure thank you gift, Zhu Jingyuan can accept it without any psychological pressure, without thinking about any feedback.

Zhu Jingyuan closed the gift list and looked up at the dozen or so girls not far away.

The first priority for them to be selected is tasteless, and their appearance is theoretically not the top priority.

But now it seems that Irene, who is the leader, can be regarded as very good in appearance and posture.

After all, the fact that her mother was selected by the Sudan showed that her mother's physical foundation was good enough, and she had inherited her mother's characteristics.

Although the other dozen or so girls are slightly worse, they are at least at the top level.

And because of their different ethnic groups, their looks and temperaments also have their own characteristics, and they can be regarded as beauties among the people.

If it is really not good, it is impossible for the Ottoman Sultan to bring it to Zhu Jingyuan as a gift.

For the Ottoman Sultan, these sixteen female slaves who have no taste and are attractive at the same time should be the real hemorrhage.

Now they are all wearing Ming-style girls' costumes, standing aside very obediently and honestly, waiting for Zhu Jingyuan's sentencing.

From Ottoman slaves to Daming's handmaids, this change of status can be regarded as liberation for them to a certain extent.

But not everyone is qualified to be Zhu Jingyuan's maid.

Even if these ordinary female slaves stayed, most of them could only be ordinary female servants doing chores.

Only Irene, the daughter of the Ottoman Sultan, has the opportunity to be brought up by Zhu Jingyuan like sisters An Xiaona and Luo Feiya.

Zhu Jingyuan was actually worried that if he took up too much and couldn't use it up in the end, it would be a waste of resources.

Tasteless Thai girls cherish resources in the Taixi continent, and it is impossible to resell them after they are accepted.

But after thinking about it again, this kind of Taixi maidservant sent by Ottoman took up the resources of various Taixi clans, not the resources of Daming's own clan.

Can contribute to the population control of various ethnic groups in Taixi.

why not?

Zhu Jingyuan evaluated in his heart for a while, and finally nodded slightly:
"Since that's the case, let's all stay here. The Grand Vizier will go to rest first, and we will talk another day..."

Including Zayedin, including that Princess Irene, and a dozen girls around, all heaved a sigh of relief when they heard this sentence.

"It's their blessing to stay and serve His Highness..."

Zayadin bowed his hands to Zhu Jingyuan with a smile, and then left under the guidance of the guards.

Although Zayading said instinctively polite words, to Zhu Jingyuan it was all the truth.

Zhu Jingyuan, who has the memory and mentality of later generations, at least cannot do anything to abuse these girls.

Their future work will basically be the work of housemaids, and their personal safety can be guaranteed.

After Zhu Jingyuan thought about it for a while, he had someone call the housekeeper and nanny of the palace, as well as the head of the Xichang stall who was in charge of Dashiguo.

The identities of Irene and Luo Feiya are all directly on the surface, and it is very easy to confirm in the other country.

But this confirmation process still cannot be omitted, and Luo Feiya was also confirmed by the West Factory investigation.

Since the other sixteen ordinary maidservants had slave contracts, they had to check the other party's transaction and registration records based on the contract information.

Trace them back to their original source as much as possible.

Whether it can be traced to the original source, the subsequent treatment and status are completely different.

Those who can be confirmed will have the opportunity to be a personal servant in the room, otherwise they can only be ordinary servants in the outer courtyard.

If there is a problem with the source, it needs to be dealt with specially.

However, these tasks are all related to the branch of the National West Factory.

The task of the staff of the West Factory in the Great Food Kingdom is to confirm whether there is any problem with Irene and the maidservants themselves.

Determine whether they have received professional spy training.

First, one-to-one direct testing, followed by daily continuous observation, and regular random review.

This is actually part of the Ming Dynasty's review of foreign naturalization.

There is a special group of people in the West Factory who do this job.

As long as the Ottoman Sultan and Zayedin are not stupid, it is impossible to tamper with this kind of thing, and they will definitely choose as clear as possible.

But the necessary steps are still indispensable.

(End of this chapter)