The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

While eating, Min Xi said, "I didn't know you were coming today, so I couldn't cook for you in person. I will cook for you tomorrow."

The baron waved his hand nonchalantly, "It's okay. I know that all the chefs in your Ming Dynasty are excellent. I've been eating Chinese food since I came to Macau, and I've never been disappointed."

Min Xi smiled and said, "Then you should like our chef's cooking skills. He learned a lot of dishes from me."

The chef's cooking skills did not disappoint. The Baron praised the food highly, and Alice also praised it. The skinny Bella also had a good appetite and ate a little of everything. When she was in Lisbon, she often went to Chinese restaurants with her parents to eat, and she developed a Chinese stomach early on.

"Uncle, the food in your house is more delicious than the one I had in the Chinese restaurant in Lisbon!" Bella commented.

"Really? Thank you for your evaluation. I will tell the cook. He will be very happy." Min Xi said with a smile, "Does Bella like Daming?"

Bella nodded. "I like it! There are lots of delicious food. The people here look different from us, and the houses here are also very interesting. They are very different from where we are."

"This will be your home from now on. I hope you will like it and feel safe living here." Min Xi said with a smile.

Moving the whole family to a strange country requires courage and determination. Min Xi really admires the baron's courage.

After dinner, Alice took Bella to rest, while Min Xi and Yun Ji talked with the Baron late into the night. They had been separated for a long time, and so many things had happened over the years, and they had so much to say.

We chatted until midnight.

The reason why the barons had to leave Lisbon was that after Philip II took over Portugal, he implemented a high-pressure rule over Portugal. The nobles needed to pay huge taxes and deposits to the King of Spain to keep their original titles, otherwise their titles would be reduced. In addition, Philip II also implemented Spanish taxation in Portugal, which was unbearable for the Portuguese people.

Portuguese merchants engaged in overseas trade will have to pay an additional 10% tax.

The Portuguese people were suffering terribly, and they even organized a resistance force against Spain. The baron secretly provided weapons and financial support, but the civilian resistance organization was brutally and bloodily suppressed.

The Baron knew that he might be exposed and could no longer stay in Portugal. As his ships had all returned, he decided to follow Captain Reis to leave Spain and head for Asia.

In fact, he was not sure about coming to Ming Dynasty. He was thinking of settling down in Malacca or somewhere in Indochina. He brought several ships, which were loaded with the wealth he had accumulated over the years. With his financial and military resources, it was actually easy for him to occupy a small island in Indochina and become the king.

He came to Daming just to visit his old friends Min Xi and Yun Ji, and also to see the true appearance of the mysterious oriental country described in "The Travels of Marco Polo". Unexpectedly, the journey made him determined to settle down in Daming.

Although it is good to occupy an island and be your own king, it takes a lot of manpower, financial resources and material resources to build a habitable environment from scratch. Moreover, it may not be safe, because Indochina is full of Spanish colonies. Now Portugal is occupied by Spain. Portugal's overseas colonies will inevitably be taken over by Spain. Sooner or later, he will be targeted by Spain. He cannot resist a huge Spanish kingdom alone, so it is better for him to rely on Ming Dynasty and be an ordinary rich man.

Min Xi and Yun Ji also agreed that he should come to Ming Dynasty, and they could help them settle down in Ming Dynasty.

Min Xi was in the Honglu Temple, which happened to be responsible for handling foreign affairs. The baron was a foreigner, and as a friendly foreigner, staying in the Ming Dynasty with his huge wealth would only benefit the Ming Dynasty and not harm it. Min Xi could help him obtain legal right of residence from the court.

"Where are your ships now?" Yun Ji asked.

"Macao," said the Baron.

Min Xi said: "We will hurry up and help you deal with the matters here, and then you can sail the ship to Quanzhou. However, as a condition for accepting you, our Ming Dynasty court may also collect certain taxes."

The baron nodded: "Of course I know. Please help me find out how much tax I need to pay. We will do our best to cooperate."

Min Xi asked again: "Pedro, what do you plan to do for a living in the future?"

The baron thought for a moment and said, "I haven't decided yet, but even if I don't do anything to make a living, my property is enough for our family to enjoy for several lifetimes."

Min Xilue pondered for a moment and suggested: "If that's the case, you might as well sell those ships to us. Your ships are fully armed. If you own them privately, it may not work in the Ming Dynasty. Then we will help you buy land and you will become a local landlord in the future. If you want to do business, we will also help you."

When the baron heard that he wanted to buy his own ship, he hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded: "Okay!"

In fact, he also knew that his ships were his greatest assets. However, as a foreigner, owning fully armed galleons was indeed a considerable hidden danger to the Ming Dynasty. If he wanted to stay in the Ming Dynasty, he had no choice but to give them up.

So the matter was settled, and Min Xi decided to handle the baron's affairs the next day. He originally felt that he was of no use in the Honglu Temple, but now he saw that there were many benefits, at least he could handle the baron's affairs himself.

Min Xi wrote a memorial specifically stating the baron's case, saying that a Portuguese merchant wanted to settle in the Ming Dynasty and was willing to sell his four fully armed galleons and pay taxes in full in exchange for the right to reside in the Ming Dynasty.

Min Xi asked the baron to sell these ships to them, but in fact he bought them for the court. After all, they did not need so many ships, and the fully armed galleons happened to be exactly what the Ming navy needed. He believed that the court would also be interested in them.