But no matter what, the Emperor of China already knew the news. He already knew!
Knowing that the Genoese were willing to raise the price, then the price of the things that they had discussed previously.
There was no doubt that the Emperor of China would not admit it.
Stupid Genoese, very stupid, very stupid!
He could only wait. He could only continue to wait until Ricci arrived.
"The Genoese envoys submitted a letter of credence to His Majesty the Great Emperor. They are willing to buy China's porcelain, silk, tea, and iron pots at a price that exceeds the State of France by five percent. His Majesty the Great Emperor seems to want to do business with the Genoese."
Ricci conveyed what he saw truthfully.
The French envoys were terrified.
"I want to see His Majesty the Great Emperor immediately. Please see him for me."
Ricci shook his head.
"His Majesty the Great Emperor still has a lot of state affairs to deal with. He has already begun to meet with his subjects to deal with the state affairs, so please go back and wait."
The French envoys froze and then fell into deep anxiety.
One day, two days, three days, four days.
He could not wait any longer.
Because this time it was the Genoese envoys who mocked him.
After careful consideration, he once again found Matteo Ricci, who was an official in the palace, and directly stuffed some money into his hands.
"Please see His Majesty the Great Emperor for me. I really want to see His Majesty the Great Emperor, really!"
Ricci looked around and directly returned the money to him.
"It's not that I don't want to, but His Majesty the Great Emperor is very busy and does not have time all the time. China is carrying out national construction and needs a lot of energy. His Majesty the Great Emperor has great power and responsibilities. He often works until late at night before resting. He really does not have time."
The French envoys was stunned, then took out some money and gave it to Ricci.
"I really need to see His Majesty the Great Emperor, I sincerely beg you!"
Ricci sighed.
"Take the money back. The money that His Majesty the Great Emperor gave me is enough for me to live a decent life in China. His Majesty the Great Emperor hates corruption and bribery. If His Majesty the Great Emperor finds out that you gave me money, I won't be able to continue serving His Majesty the Great Emperor."
The French envoy looked at Ricci pitifully.
"Sigh! I understand. I'll try, but I can't guarantee that I'll succeed. "
Ricci could only say that.
The French envoy was overjoyed.
"Please tell His Majesty that I'm willing to pay a higher price than the Genoese to purchase His Majesty's goods. Please don't trust the Genoese's business ethics too much. They are a bunch of scoundrels, scoundrels who will do anything for money!"
Ricci nodded to show that he understood.
Then, Ricci came to Xiao Ruxun's study.
Xiao Ruxun was writing furiously.
"Your Majesty, I've stopped the envoy of the State of France for four days as you requested. He finally said that he was willing to raise the price. He also said that the Genoese's business ethics cannot be trusted. They are a bunch of scoundrels who will do anything for money."
Xiao Ruxun raised his head and looked at Ricci. He sneered and lowered his head again.
"Talking about business ethics with a businessman? Our ancestors said a long time ago that businessmen value profit more than anything else. Since ancient times, Huaxia has valued agriculture and restrained business so that businessmen don't spoil the culture. Unfortunately, we can control the businessmen, but we can't control the officials. In the end, it's the officials who do business. Officials and businessmen are worse than pigs and dogs! "
As he spoke, Xiao Ruxun continued writing furiously. After a while, he stopped.
"The French envoy said that he was willing to raise the price?"
"Yes, that's what he said."
"Go and talk to him first. Tell him that even though I'm quite displeased with the Genoese people's behavior, their prices are quite high. If Great Qin wants to develop, it needs money. As such, even though I'm quite unwilling, I'll only talk to those who offer a higher price. I'll sell my most precious porcelain and silk to whoever offers a higher price, and the one who offers a lower price will have to suffer a bit and ask for other goods!"
Ricci indicated that he understood.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I'll do it right away."
Ricci bowed and left.
After he left, a man in black appeared behind Xiao Ruxun.
"Your Majesty, I've found out that the French envoy gave Ricci money. Ricci declined and didn't accept it."
Xiao Ruxun nodded.
"Continue to monitor him and prevent him from coming into contact with any unrelated people in the palace. Once he starts talking about those weird things, think of a way to stop him. In short, I won't allow any dirty things from Europe to spread in Daqin!"
"Yes!"
The man in black immediately disappeared behind Xiao Ruxun.
Ricci returned to the French envoy's residence and conveyed Xiao Ruxun's words to him.
"His Majesty the Great Emperor said that China needs to develop and needs a lot of money. So although he doesn't like the Genoese, if their price is higher, the Great Emperor can only sell the best silk and porcelain to them, and you can only get the second-rate goods."
The French envoy was very anxious.
"Please see His Majesty the Great Emperor for me. I'm willing to pay a higher price to buy the best goods in China. His Majesty the Great Emperor, please don't be fooled by the Genoese. They're a bunch of liars!"
Just like that, Ricci became the mouthpiece between the French envoy and Xiao Ruxun. He worked on Pinyin and acted as a mouthpiece. His life was very fulfilling.
During this period, the Genoese emissary also realized this, so he looked for Matteo Ricci and began to compete with the French.
In the end, the price reached 120% of the original price.
After the Genoese envoy made such a promise, the French envoy didn't dare to say anything more.
They really couldn't afford it.
Although France was much larger than Genoa and had a much larger population, they really didn't have as much money. Genoa had a large group of bankers who held a lot of money and didn't lack money at all. On the other hand, France was always at war, unstable, and on the verge of financial collapse. They really couldn't compete.
So the supply of fine porcelain and silk fell into the hands of the Genoese.
The Genoese were extremely excited, while the French envoy was quite disappointed.
However, after that, Xiao Ruxun summoned the French envoy alone and comforted the French who lost the high-quality goods because of the failed bidding war. He expressed his intention to establish a good relationship with the State of France and was willing to send envoys to the State of France to establish real diplomatic relations with the State of France.
He wouldn't send envoys to the State of Genoa, but he was willing to send a group of Chinese businessmen to do business in the State of France and open restaurants and shops in China. Together, the two countries would establish a long-term cooperative relationship.
This was a pleasant surprise.
The French envoy didn't expect to achieve such results and agreed excitedly.
The establishment of a long-term diplomatic relationship would make the State of France the first country in Europe to establish a real relationship with China. This was something that even the Vatican couldn't do. This would definitely shock the whole of Europe and greatly increase France's status and reputation in Europe.
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