The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

It has always been a regret in Min Xi's heart that he was unable to visit the New World during his trip to Southeast Asia. He always wanted to go to the New World again and bring back rubber seedlings.

However, he had just returned to the capital when Zhang Juzheng passed away and the political situation was in turmoil. After the situation had finally stabilized a little, a severe drought hit the capital. He and Yun Ji were so busy that it took two years for the drought to end.

Yun Ji and he were promoted for their contributions in drought relief. Not only did their official duties become increasingly busy, but Emperor Wanli also summoned them to the palace every now and then, either to ask about state affairs or to chat with him to relieve his boredom.

Min Xi also gradually realized that the higher the official positions he and Yun Ji held, the heavier the burden on their shoulders would be. It would be difficult to just quit and leave like before. The possibility of going to sea in person became slim. If they wanted to bring back the rubber seedlings, they could only think of another way and let others do it.

Fortunately, since the discovery of the Nanyang gold mine, more and more Ming merchant ships have taken the initiative to go to the Nanyang to pan for gold. A big reward will always attract brave men, and Min Xi thought that a bounty order could be issued to encourage Ming merchants to explore the New World and find rubber trees.

In the past two years, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of War have been busy. Some of the mechanical drawings designed by Min Xi have been produced. Although they are purely handmade and the efficiency is low, they have finally made a prototype. In the future, they can gradually improve the production methods and conditions to improve production efficiency.

The Ministry of War was also not idle. In recent years, shipyards across the country have built more than a dozen new battleships for the navy. Each navy has been allocated new battleships, and the escort fleet going to Southeast Asia has become stronger.

The muskets and cannons improved by Zhao Shizhen had a longer range and higher accuracy than those in Europe.

More importantly, Ming merchants have already established a firm foothold in Southeast Asia. In recent years, a large number of merchant ships have gone to the Southeast Asian continent. While they are digging for gold there, they have also achieved self-sufficiency in food. If they go to the New World, they can get supplies in Australia.

Yun Ji came back from the government office, handed the whip and reins to the doorman, and asked casually, "Is the Second Master back?"

The doorman answered as he took the call, "Second Master came back this afternoon. Mr. Fei and Diego are here too. Second Master and Third Master are entertaining them." The Mr. Fei the doorman was referring to was Fernando. He adapted to local customs and, in accordance with Ming customs, took the first syllable of the name as his surname. Everyone called him Mr. Fei.

Yun Ji heard this and walked in. Today was Yun Lin's sixteenth birthday, and his family didn't invite any guests. They just invited a few familiar friends to have a meal at home according to his own request.

There was no one in the front hall, so Yun Ji continued walking inside and heard the clear laughter of a little girl coming from the backyard. It sounded like the voices of Bella and Funiu.

Yun Ji stepped into the backyard and followed the sound. He saw a figure in the back garden. There was a little girl sitting on the swing under the persimmon tree in the yard. A slender brown-haired girl was pushing a mixed-race girl on the swing. Her laughter was as clear as a silver bell. It was Fu Niu from Bella and Diego's family.

Yun Ji glanced around again and saw Min Xi and Fernando playing chess on the stone table under the pomegranate tree. It was the turn of spring and summer, and the pomegranate flowers were more beautiful than fire. The fiery red pomegranate flowers dotted among the green leaves, and the bright sunshine adorned the flowers and leaves. The colors were so bright that they seemed to flow out, making it hard not to be happy.

Yun Ji walked towards Min Xi. Min Xi, who was facing the courtyard gate, noticed a floating figure. He raised his head and smiled brightly: "Seventh brother, you're back!" His eyes were curved with a smile, and Yun Ji had never gotten tired of seeing him for more than ten years.

Upon hearing this, Fernando looked back and raised his arm to greet: "Come on, I've been waiting for you for a long time." He has been in Daming for four or five years. Although his accent is still unfamiliar, he has no problem communicating.

Yun Ji strode forward and sat down at the stone table. "When did Pedro arrive? Why didn't I see Alice and Diego? Yun Lin didn't see anyone either."

Min Xi replied: "Alice and Diego's wife are drinking tea in the pavilion. Diego went to the kitchen to make a birthday cake for Yunlin, and Yunlin is helping him."

Fernando looked at Yunji: "We were just talking about you."

"What did you say about me?" Yun Ji asked curiously.

Min Xi explained: "We are talking about going to the New World. You are in an important position now, so it is impossible for you to go to sea with us."

"You still want to go out to sea?" Yun Ji's voice rose unconsciously. In fact, they had discussed this matter more than once, and it was not feasible.

"Yes. Pedro wants to go too." Min Xi said and looked at Fernando.

Yun Ji showed a surprised look: "You are going too?"

Fernando shrugged: "Yes, I'm really bored and want to have some fun."

He was a wealthy man with everything he needed, but now he was in a foreign country, unlike in Lisbon where he had endless parties to attend. Although he had made many friends through the introduction of Min Xi and Yun Ji, it was difficult for him to completely integrate into the lives of the locals due to the influence of the local cultural background. After a long time, he inevitably felt lonely and bored, and wanted to find some excitement to fill the emptiness in his heart.

Yun Ji looked at Min Xi and said sullenly, "Ninth brother, can you leave now?"

Min Xi sighed: "Difficult!"

"Even if you can go, I won't let you go. So you'd better give up." Yun Ji would never let him go to the sea alone. Even if Fernando went with him, he would not agree.

Fernando picked up a chess piece and placed it on top of another chess piece, making a crisp sound. "I knew I couldn't go! It's so boring. I want to go somewhere else."

Yun Ji suggested: "You can go to Quanzhou or Macau. There are many people from your hometown there. The distance is not too long and it is also safe."

Fernando pinched his chin and said, "What you said makes some sense. I can think about it."

"You're going out by yourself, leaving Alice and Bella behind?" Min Xi glanced at him.

Fernando thought of his wife and daughter: "It's not a big problem, I'll be back in a month or two. Besides, you guys are still here to take care of me, and Yunlin often visits Bella."

Min Xi was moved when he heard this, and nudged Yun Ji with his knee: "Bella is thirteen this year, right?"

Fernando: "Yes, she is already thirteen this year. When can the marriage between our two families be settled?"

Min Xi looked at Yun Ji and said, "I'll ask Yun Lin what he thinks later. If there's no problem, can the two families settle the marriage as soon as possible?"

Yunlin and Bella have very similar personalities and play together whenever they have the chance. They can be considered childhood sweethearts. Fernando and his wife had long chosen Yunlin as their son-in-law. They settled in a foreign country and naturally wanted to find the most reliable home for their daughter. The people they trusted the most were Min Xi and Yun Ji. Yunlin and Bella also got along well, and Bella liked Yunlin very much. She had mentioned this to Yun Ji and Min Xi a long time ago.

Bella is their only daughter, and all their wealth will be inherited by her in the future. The only requirement is that she must follow the marriage system of their country: the son-in-law cannot take concubines.

Yun Ji nodded: "Okay. I'll ask him later."

At this time, Diego and Yunlin came over with food boxes. Before they arrived, the aroma of cakes came. When Funiu saw it, she got down from the swing and said, "Daddy's cake is baked!"

When Bella saw Yunlin, her originally rosy face turned even redder. She was not like the girls in the boudoir of the Ming Dynasty who never went out of the house, but she was a girl in love after all, and her little thoughts could not be hidden no matter how hard she tried.

The sixteen-year-old Yunlin is now a tall and handsome young man, looking somewhat similar to Yunji, but a little thinner.

Yunlin is a gentleman who is gentle and modest. He has outstanding appearance and temperament. He also has a huge fortune, no parents-in-law to serve, and no elder sister-in-law to restrict. He is the best candidate for the noble ladies in Beijing to choose a son-in-law. Since he was thirteen years old, many powerful people have wanted to marry him. There are already several who have asked Yunji.

As the elder brother, Yun Ji has the right to decide his younger brother's marriage, but he should mainly respect Yun Lin's own opinion.

So when Yun Ji and Min Xi asked about his marriage, Yun Lin was a little embarrassed: "Brother, I am still young, I want to wait until after the autumn examination to discuss marriage."

"It's okay to discuss it after the autumn examination. We want to ask you about your feelings towards Bella. Are you willing or not? Please give me a definite answer so that I can go and give the baron a reply." Yun Ji said.

Min Xi added: "We know the Baron's family inside out. There is one thing you have to understand. If you decide to marry Bella, you must be prepared not to take a concubine. This is in accordance with their monogamous marriage system."

Yun Lin's ears turned red: "Bella is still young, are you talking about marriage already?"

"It's a marriage proposal, not a marriage. Let's arrange the marriage first and then get married in a few years. What do you think?" Yun Ji asked.

Yunlin nodded shyly: "I do."

"Very good. I will give the Baron a reply and I will issue the offer letter after the autumn examination."

Yunlin's marriage was settled in this way.

As for the trip to the New World that Min Xi and the Baron had always dreamed of, it never happened. In the end, the Yunxiang issued a bounty order, offering 50,000 taels of silver to anyone who could bring back rubber seedlings from the New World.

After the bounty was issued, it took two full years before a fleet finally picked up the reward.

Min Xi did not only provide the bounty, he also provided the route map to the New World, the climate and ocean current characteristics, the communication methods with the indigenous people, the supply precautions, etc. Of course, the characteristics of the rubber tree were also described very clearly.

The rubber trees were brought back to Ming Dynasty seven years after the bounty was issued.

During this period, several fleets ventured eastward to sea. Some reached the New World, some returned without reaching the New World, some never returned, and some even reached North America.

The fleet that brought back the rubber saplings was very ordinary, it was a most common Fujian ship. The boss set out from Quanzhou with eleven crew members. It took three and a half years to finally bring back the rubber saplings, a total of seven seedlings and some seeds.

The ship was extremely lucky, as many people went and returned, and although the twelve people were too thin to be human, no one was left behind. Min Xi kept his promise and gave them a reward of 50,000 taels of silver.

The seven rubber seedlings were planted in Fujian and Guangdong respectively, and the seeds were sent to Qiongzhou Island for cultivation and planting.

It was another seven years before Min Xi saw the first batch of rubber, which he harvested in the south. With rubber, he laid a solid foundation for his journey to become a technological power.

Yun Ji finally breathed a sigh of relief. He no longer had to worry about Min Xi suddenly wanting to go out to sea himself.