At the same time that Zhu Cihong summoned Tang Ruowang, Ji Kun and Li Shaoyou were sitting on two chairs beside the Fengtianmen gate tower, waiting to be summoned.

Both of them are very happy!

Ji Kun can finally stop being a cruel official. He always thought that he was very talented. If he wanted to be an official, he would definitely become a famous minister who will go down in history. But now he is a cruel official, and his reputation is terrible. How can he be willing to accept it? This time is good.

Emperor Zhu personally agreed to let him leave the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and would also give him a chance to go down in history. Zhu Cixiang was famous for saying what he said he must! Since he had promised Ji Kun, he would not default on his debt.

Ji Kun was so beautiful in his heart! He didn’t know where he wanted to be an official. If his name would go down in history, being a prefect might not be enough! Should he be a governor? If he were to become a governor, he would either go to Shaanxi or Henan.

But Li Shaoyou didn't care about reputation, he just wanted to make more money, so he wanted to be an official in Yushitai or Military Station. However, his uncle Li Ruolian was an unreasonable idiot and refused to open the back door for his nephew. So he was fooling around.

He became a teacher at Jingxuetang. Jingxuetang was a Qingshui yamen, and his salary was quite high, but it was still a dead salary! He joined the "overcoming difficulties" relatively late. He joined the group only after Zhu Cihong established Nanjing, so he didn't make any money.

He received a great reward, but he did not make any meritorious service after joining the Jinyi Guards. Before he was transferred to the teacher, he only held the official position of the general banner, earning 15 taels of silver a month, and did not receive a land. He only received a mansion and lot in Dongcheng District outside Nanjing.

It was not good either, so he never built a house. He still lives in an official residence (dormitory).

After he was transferred to the Jing Xuetang teacher, his income doubled, reaching 30 taels per month, and he received 13 salary a year, which is 390 taels. In today's Nanjing workplace, an annual income of 390 taels is definitely considered a high salary. But Li Shaoyou

I spend a lot of money, I especially like to visit the Qinhuai River, and I also like antique calligraphy and painting, both of which cost money! So the eldest brother is so old that he doesn’t even have a wife.

Of course, he is not an ordinary person, he is the nephew of Li Ruolian, the military officer of the Generalissimo's Office!

If he really wants a wife, isn't it easy? Li Ruolian will pay for him as a bride price. If he finds a rich girl with a dowry, he can live happily on his own.

But he still has requirements for his wife, who must be beautiful and well-educated, which is difficult!

Just when Li Shaoyou was about to give up and marry a well-matched fat woman (she was the daughter of Yangzhou Yanzong's family, with a dowry of 300,000 taels), his chance to rise to the top finally came!

The Emperor of Heaven personally gave him a chance to forge the "Holy Relic"! And he did a good job, so he should be rewarded heavily.

He has already thought about it. If the emperor asks him what he wants later, he will ask to go to Songjiang to be a supervisory censor. He heard that Duke Luo, the prefect of Songjiang, is a corrupt official! As long as he is caught, everything will be available to him!

"Xuan Jikun, Li Shaoyou has an audience!"

The two of them didn't wait long before guards took them to Fengtian Palace to see Emperor Zhu.

The place to meet the emperor was in the Dongnuan Pavilion of the Fengtian Palace. Accompanying Emperor Zhu to summon the two of them were Qian Qianyi, the Minister of Rites, and Tang Ruowang, the deputy secretary of the Imperial Academy.

The two of them made a great ceremony, and Emperor Zhu immediately gave them a seat.

"Ji Qing, Li Shaoyou," Zhu Cixiang said with a smile when he saw the two of them sitting down, "Today you are announced to be in the palace. I have a mission that I want to entrust to you that will go down in history."

Ji Kun sounded a little strange. How could a mission that would go down in history be given to two people?

But Li Shaoyou was a little disappointed. He didn't want to be famous in history, he just wanted to make a fortune and marry a beautiful wife.

Looking at the expectant expressions of the two people, Emperor Zhu then pointed at Tang Ruowang: "Deputy Tang Ruowang just told me that the Spanish Governor of the Philippines may have taken it upon himself to cause trouble for our Ming Dynasty. I am of a peaceful nature and will not

He was willing to fight with others, so he wanted to send a mission to Europe to meet with the King of Spain, the King of Portugal, the Lord Protector of England, the Consul of the Netherlands, the King of France, and the Patriarch of Rome, and sign trade and missionary treaties to delineate spheres of influence.

.”

Of course Emperor Zhu was not willing to go to war if the goal could be achieved by peaceful means. War would cost lives and cost a lot of money.

Even if a war is to begin, Spain must be isolated through diplomatic means, but one country cannot fight several or even a dozen countries. Even if it can win, Ming Dynasty will still have to break its muscles and bones!

So Emperor Zhu decided to send a mission to Europe. The first thing he wanted was to set up embassies and establish diplomatic relations; the second thing was to divide the sphere of influence. The Ming Dynasty's current requirements were not high, that is, the East Asian continent, the Korean Peninsula, and the Indochina Peninsula. We will talk about the rest later; the third thing was to protect religious rights.

The transfer was from Portugal to Ming Dynasty!

Emperor Zhu finished talking about the mission of visiting Europe, and then said: "Qing Ji, I plan to let you be the ambassador of the mission to Europe. After visiting the European countries, he will open the Ming Dynasty Embassy in Europe in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and serve as the permanent imperial envoy to Europe.

ambassador!"

Ji Kun was dumbfounded. Permanent ambassador to Europe? Doesn't that mean he is sent to a barbaric land and never comes back? This is no different from murdering people and silencing them, right?

Was the co-author the emperor afraid that others would know that he forged the Holy Relics, so he sent him away?

Zhu Cixiang smiled: "Ji Qing, this is a mission that will go down in history! Do it well, and when you return to the court after success, I will make you a baron."

The Ming Dynasty now has seven levels of titles, including duke, marquis, uncle, son, and male, plus princes and princes. Among them, princes and princes have not been given foreign surnames (not counting the kings of vassal states), and the titles given to ministers with foreign surnames are

There are five levels of titles: Duke, Marquis, Uncle, Son, and Male. Each of them is divided into two levels: overcoming difficulties and non-overcoming difficulties. There are five levels and ten levels of titles in total.

The title does not provide a salary, but it will grant land and a residence. The maximum land grant is 4,000 acres. Counting down from the Duke, 400 acres will be reduced for the first level. The youngest baron will be given 400 acres of land.

A minister with a foreign surname can hold no more than 4,000 acres of land in total. Starting from the year of Hongxing, the land must be taxed like ordinary private land. However, as long as the first-generation landowner is still alive, the land can be transferred to the owner.

The court's "reward" for the tax paid is also a tax refund!

Paying first and then withdrawing may seem unnecessary, but in fact it is of great significance. This eliminates the possibility of expanding the tax-free power of Hountian. All privately held land must pay taxes! To refund after paying is to speak to the court.

Well, the local officials dare not ask how many fields your noble family has. If the Ming Dynasty court has accounts, they will know after checking.

In addition, for the land in Huangzhuang held by the emperor himself, Zhu Cixi also paid tax first and then taxed it back! Therefore, the Ministry of Household Affairs of the Ming Dynasty now knows exactly how much land there is in Huangzhuang.

The real estate held by the Royal Chamber of Commerce is not considered imperial land, but private real estate, which is no different from ordinary private real estate. The emperor's private investment and royal industry are not the same thing!

By the way, this very strict land tax system for the powerful was proposed by Qian Qianyi and Zheng Zhilong, the leaders of the Central and South Korean People’s Party!

"I thank you Lord for your kindness!"

Of course Ji Kun doesn't want to go abroad, but he also knows that there is such a thing as murder and silence!

"Li Shaoyou," Zhu Cixiang said to Li Shaoyou again, "you should also go to Europe as an envoy, become a military attache of the mission, be in charge of military exchanges, and be promoted to a thousand households."

Thousand households have a monthly salary of 60 taels, which is 13 taels a year, which is 780 taels of silver. It is a very good and high salary!

Li Shaoyou didn't realize how long he would have to stay in Europe, so he kowtowed with a smile and thanked him.

Zhu Cixiang smiled and said: "You go back and make preparations. Let's set off this month! I have asked the Dongning Army to prepare ships and attaches. You can also bring some people with you. Just draw up a list and submit it to the Trade and Diplomacy Department of the Ministry of Revenue.

Already."

This visit is quite grand. The number of members of the mission will not be less than 300 (excluding sailors), and there will be at least 6 large-scale ships escorting them to Europe. They will also be brought with them as gifts to European monarchs.

The gifts from the Pope and the Pope, as well as a lot of porcelain and silk prepared to be sold in Europe to pay for the mission’s expenses in various European countries, are all good things for “royal use”!
Chapter completed!