The cold wind of January blew through the broken door, making people feel chilly all over. When the surrounding civilians heard the sound, they all extinguished the lights and locked the doors and windows. No one showed his head, and there was no one.
Ask. The lonely starlight shines on the simple houses in the suburbs, as if they are at the end of the world.
"Woo, ow! Damn devil! Help! Sheriff, help!..."
"Columbus, stop yelling. The agreement you signed with your own hand, even if the Sheriff is called, you still have to pay back the money! The merciful Lord will not allow any injustice!"
With a smile on his face, the Jewish businessman Eleazar took out a leather account book from his thick linen robe. Then he opened the account book and flipped forward from the last blank page. Soon, the Jewish businessman opened it
On the latest page of records, when he saw the spices, ivory and gold jewelry in the transaction records, he paused and nodded with satisfaction, not caring about the shouts at his feet.
"Haha, goods from the Southern Continent! At this price, as long as they are transported to Venice and found among the noble councilors of the city-state, it is twice the profit! And if it can be connected with the luxurious Roman bishops, it is three times the profit!
..”
Eleazar thought about it for a moment, his eyes full of smiles. In this transaction, he used the mortgaged manor of a ruined nobleman and made a good deal with the upstart captain who had returned from the voyage, which was equivalent to making two ends. And this kind of business,
As long as sailing continues, there will be more to do in the future!
"Tsk tsk, the Moors of the peninsula are about to die. Their orchards and farms will all fall into the hands of the knights of the Holy War in the south. Haha, knights who don't understand arithmetic are the easiest to do business with! ...But these Castilians
The knights of Leah and Aragon are too fanatical, so they have to find a local businessman to come forward on my behalf and purchase the trophies. The profits here are huge!"
"...By the way! After the Holy War, a large number of Holy War knights will be dismissed and will no longer receive wages from the kingdom. They have no Moors to rob, and many of them owe money to buy weapons, plate armor and horses.
A bunch of debts... At that time, there will be another batch of mortgaged manors and houses. However, it is still a bit troublesome to collect debts from these knights who can kill people. We can only rely on... the priests of the Inquisition! "
After flipping through the account books and taking just a dozen breaths, the Jewish businessman Eleazar had two more good ideas for making money in his mind. For him, making money is an innate instinct, and the best way to make money is
They are the urban civilians at the bottom and the low-level knights in the middle.
In the past few decades, the Holy See has become more and more decadent, and its ties with various Jewish business groups have become much closer. When the bishops of the Holy See were short of money, they would ask for money from the business groups. In return for taking money from various business groups, the real power
Priests at all levels will also provide other conveniences. After all, if there were not a huge church power behind the Jewish business groups that loaned money, they would have been torn to pieces by the nobles everywhere. And these business groups themselves were actually
Acting as a white glove for high-ranking priests and city-state nobles.
The current Pope, Innocent VIII, lives an extremely luxurious life and has more than a dozen illegitimate children to support. He is often short of money and even secretly pawned the Pope's Triple Crown and the Holy See's treasures to the Jewish business group in Rome.
.Of course, this news cannot be leaked, as it will lead to death!
Thinking of this, Eleazar shuddered and wished he didn't know these fatal secrets.
"Compared to us who lend loans and help the common people, the corrupt Holy See is the one who is really going to hell!..."
After a while, Eleazar finally found Columbus's loan record. With a smile on his face, he read it to the captain who was pressed to the ground with his face pressed against the soil.
"Columbus, eleven years ago, you borrowed 20 ducats, deducting 25% of the advance payment, and the annual interest rate was 48%. Five years ago, we calculated the account once, and the interest accumulated into the principal was 210 ducats.
3 grossos of silver coins and 16.5 denarii of copper coins. Then, you were unable to repay the loan, so you signed a new loan agreement, agreeing to a loan amount of 211 ducats, and agreeing to increase the annual interest rate by half after default."
Speaking of this, Eleazar fumbled for a while and took out the loan agreement with complete procedures. He showed a devilish smile, shook the life-threatening paper in his hand, and put it back. Then, cold words came, no
With any emotion.
"Borrowing 211 ducats, the annual interest rate is 60%. The interest accumulated in five years is added to the principal, which is..."
Eleazar reached out, picked up the pen and paper on the table, and calculated on Columbus's letter. Multiplying 211 by 1.6 five times in a row is daunting...
"2212 gold ducats, 9 silver grosses, and 21.8 copper denarii."
Eleazar sneered and pronounced the verdict. He looked at Columbus, who turned pale instantly, as if he were looking at a dead man.
"2000 gold ducats?"
Columbus was lost in his thoughts, muttering this terrible number. At this moment, it was like a heavy mountain was pressing on his back, and it was like a bottomless abyss was opening under his feet.
"...Eleazar, you...you devil!"
Eleazar was indifferent. He looked at the wooden table, glanced at the two ancient books, and then looked at the unfolded map, but didn't pay attention to it. Then, his eyes saw the beer pottery under the table.
bottle, a small basket of bread in the corner, and paper and ink for writing.
"Huh? Columbus, it seems like you got some money?"
The Jewish businessman paused for a moment, then stretched out his hand and took out a piece of exquisite letterhead, which turned out to be made of small parchment paper.
"...The venerable King of the Kingdom of Castile and Leon, the holy, great and generous Queen Isabella, has authorized the Castilian Navigation Commission to issue a reward stipend to Your Excellency...
.Maravedis?(maravedis)..."
After reading this, Eleazar's expression changed.
1 Venetian ducat gold coin is about 400 Castilian Malavidi copper coins, and the Malavidi is 35 ducats. This is roughly equivalent to the annual income of a senior sailor or a business assistant.
.Not a lot, but not a little either, enough to live a subsistence life.
Thinking of this, Eleazar stretched out his hand again and took the letter wet with ink on the table.
"To the sacred, respectful, pious, wise, goddess-like and beautiful...Queen Isabella?..."
Seeing this scene, Columbus on the ground struggled instantly. He exhausted all his strength, like a fish flapping after landing. That was his hard-won hope!
"Ah! Damn it, you maggot crawling out of hell! Don't mess around!..."
"Hit him in the mouth!"
"Pah! Pah! Pah!"
The Slavic attendant stretched out his big hand and slapped Columbus three times in the face, until Columbus was dizzy and dared not say anything anymore.
"What's this?"
Eleazar took the letter and looked at Columbus, who was bruised and bruised.
"Don't lie. You only have one chance."
"...That is a reply to Queen Isabella of Castile. The Castilian Navigation Commission has just sent a sum of money..."
"oh?"
Hearing this, Eleazar's eyes lit up. He smiled and stretched out his hand, motioning to the Slavic followers to help Columbus up from the ground.
"Columbus, now that you have money, we can have a good talk again. Bring it! Although you can't pay the principal, you should have the interest of dozens of gold coins, right?"
"...you!..."
Columbus was trembling all over and looked at Eleazar who was smiling kindly. After a while, he bent down and took out a jingling cloth bag from the linen layer of his leather jacket.
"Um?"
Eleazar took the bag, weighed it, and frowned. He opened it and counted it for a while, then his expression turned cold.
"So few? Only twenty ducats!"
"...The Castilian Navigation Commission sent Malawidi copper coins. I used another part of them, and only this much is left."
As for the copper coins designated by the Queen, why are they only sent? There is no doubt about this. Fire consumption and handling discounts exist in both the East and the West.
"Columbus, this little money is not enough!"
Eleazar shook his head. He said with a smile.
"I heard from other sailors that you boasted that you had an unmarried Castilian girl the year before last and gave birth to a son in Cordoba, Castile...
.There is always a lack of obedient boys in the courts of Eastern sultans..."
"Ah! No, no! Please, Eleazar...for the sake of knowing me for so many years, give me more time!"
When he heard about his newborn son, Columbus suddenly felt weak. The sultans' courts were not short of boys, but eunuchs from the Catholic world. The castration process was against the teachings of the Star and Moon, and was also done by Jews.
Therefore, there is indeed a connection between Jewish merchants and the Sultan's court.
"This, Queen Yinzabella gave me this, it's an annuity! I can receive it every year, and I can pay...the interest of thirty gold coins every year."
"Annuity?"
Hearing this, Eleazar was a little surprised.
"Why? The queen gave you an annuity, but she gave it so little? Wasn't your proposal to sail westward been considered by the Castilian Navigation Commission and not approved?"
"..."
Columbus pursed his lips and was silent for a while. After receiving the Queen's annuity, he was ecstatic for several days and thought about this question. Even though he didn't want to admit it, he was forced to answer.
"The Queen's annuity is due to the success of Portugal's voyage... The year before last, Diogo's fleet brought back a token of John the Elder's kingdom. This news has spread among senior captains and sailors!...The Queen's response to
She also has a great interest in sailing exploration. She generously gave a sponsored annuity to all the captains who had submitted proposals to the Navigation Committee..."
Speaking of this, Columbus paused for a moment, and his expression became fanatical. He shouted excitedly.
"But, only I, only I am right! If you go to the west, you will definitely find India, which is rich in spices, and you will definitely find Seris, which is as rich as heaven! I have compiled books with Marco Polo's travel route and Thomas Polo's travel route.
Lemy’s map of the earth!..."
"Mr. Christopher, I'm not interested in these. I'm only interested in gold coins."
Eleazar smiled faintly, stretched out his hand, and weighed the clattering cloth bag again. Twenty gold ducats, although a bit small, exceeded his expectations when he came. Moreover, it could be collected many times.
"Columbus, this is just interest. I will come back to you when your annuity is paid. You'd better raise more money...otherwise..."
The Jewish businessman shook his head, stretched out his hand, and straightened his black round hat. Then, he turned around and swayed away with his two Slavic entourage.
The cold wind in January blew in the simple hut. The broken wooden door kept creaking and shaking. The winter snow and the icy wind blew into Columbus's arms, making him shiver all over.
Columbus touched his swollen face and sat on the ground, looking at the empty door. His heart was filled with grief and anger. After a while, he gritted his teeth and became furious.
"Damn... I can't stay any longer! There is no hope for the Portuguese court! And the only one who might accept my sailing plan is..."
Thinking of this, the experienced and heroic middle-aged captain suddenly stood up and looked to the east. The royal palace of Madrid in the east is just 1,300 miles away!
This chapter has been completed!