After leaving the imperial study, Philip returned to his room. He suddenly felt a sense of emptiness.
Because he is deeply favored by his father, he is also helping him handle some government affairs, and has a comprehensive understanding of the situation inside and outside the empire. The actual situation is shocking.
But the ministers still maintain an imperceptible distance from themselves. Even the most slippery Prime Minister once said on one occasion that the empire needs a strong successor.
There is no need to say who that person is.
Of course the Prime Minister himself denies that he ever said such a thing.
As the second prince who was deeply favored by the emperor, Philip was only the second heir. His appearance and character came more from his mother. His mother, who loved luxury, did not get much support from ministers, especially those in the military.
The marshals still miss the former queen.
But his brother is too tough. Philip has to admire this. Maybe only such a tough person can rule the country well, right?
But his brother opposed the 1/20 tax, which made him confused. He simply believed that the rich should bear more responsibilities, and the royal family also had to take the lead in paying the 1/20 tax.
Is it just to oppose his father? Philip couldn't help but feel funny at his own random thoughts.
Unable to figure this out, Philip decided to relieve himself. He changed into civilian clothes and left the palace with his guards.
The Holy City is still prosperous. Walking in front of the exquisite display windows on the streets, you can hardly imagine that the empire's finances are unsustainable.
People in the upper class are still keen on dancing and opera, and there are even very few beggars here.
When passing by the Holy City University, Philip saw a crowded bookstore, with young college students lining up to buy books.
I saw a big poster posted on the shop window:
The popular new novel "La Traviata" is available. If you want to buy it, hurry up.
Philip walked into the bookstore curiously and saw two versions of the novel on sale inside. Most of the college students in line were buying a regular version, which cost 5 silver coins, which is definitely expensive, and the other hardcover version.
Edition, which sells for 7 silver coins because of its elegant cover and exquisite illustrations.
There were obviously far fewer people buying the hardcover version. Philip waited for half an hour and successfully bought a copy.
Walking out of the bookstore with the guards, I saw a newsboy handing out flyers along the street:
"Good news, good news, the Grand Theater of the Holy City has decided to continue to perform the sensational latest opera "La Traviata" from today to this Saturday. The opera company from Poitou will perform the national tour, by the original author of the novel,
Viscount Connery, known as Shaun the Wizard, has personally arranged it, which will definitely give you a feast for your ears. You can get a 10% discount when purchasing tickets with this flyer!"
“Quantity is limited, no waiting after expiry date!”
Philip took the crudely printed flyer, took a look at it and put it in his pocket, wondering what the lucky guy was doing?
Walking to the next street, this street is famous for selling all kinds of luxury goods. A group of well-dressed men and women gathered in a small garden on the street, while two patrolmen were smoking and chatting. There was nothing unusual about it.
Good sign.
The group of people were all sitting upright, with their own small tables and cups in front of them. The sun was coming out at this time, giving the spring some warmth, which made them look like they were on an outing.
A beautiful young woman was serving her own cup in front of this group of people. Next to her was a small coal stove, with a kettle on it already steaming white.
The woman's posture was very elegant. She used special silver tweezers to pick up a handful of leaf-like things and put them into a large glass pot, and then brewed them with boiling water, taking her time.
The leaves quickly expanded in the kettle and turned into real green leaves, which were very beautiful.
The woman stood up and gave the soup to each guest. The guests had a sacred expression and blew the hot air gently.
There is a faint fragrance floating in the air.
The woman explained with a distinct southern accent that it was the smell of nature.
"This is God's gift to us humans, but it's a pity that it has never been discovered. Today, the gospel from Poitou in the south has finally arrived in the Holy City, and it has infinite benefits for our bodies."
"First of all, it is good for digestion and relief, especially for gentlemen who like meat; second, it has the effect of refreshing and relieving fatigue, and those who are busy with their careers need it; third, for the elderly, they
There is more or less the risk of stroke, and long-term drinking of tea can soften blood vessels, reduce blood lipids and accelerate blood circulation;
For us women, this is also a good weight loss effect. Don’t drink those sugar-added drinks. In addition, long-term drinking of it can also make our women’s skin smoother and have the effect of slowing down aging and beautifying.
.”
The guests present all exclaimed, especially the women, whose eyes shone. Of course, there were still people who didn't believe it:
"What's your proof? It tastes pretty good though."
"Have you heard of Professor Victor Bernal from the University of the Holy City? He discovered that humans have four basic blood types, and..."
Someone rushed to answer: "I know, he discovered that humans can transfuse blood with each other. This is an amazing discovery!"
"You are right, he is a loyal fan of tea like mine. I dare not say that he made important discoveries because of drinking this tea drink, but this tea made him think more quickly and clearly.
If you don’t believe it, you can look at the January issue of the Journal of Holy City University, which contains an article by Professor Bernal, who gave a detailed academic explanation of the effects of this drink!”
The woman's explanation was perfect. Just listen to the woman continue:
"Although this is a precious drink, it also has grades. The best ones are given priority to members of the royal family, such as His Royal Highness Philip.
The tea leaves in your Highness’s hands are the earliest buds to bloom in spring. They must be picked one by one by our beautiful tea-picking girls on a misty morning, before the sun comes out, while taking advantage of the fog and dew.
The tea is picked from the branches and must not be processed for more than an hour to ensure nutrients. This top-quality product is worth 1,000 gold coins per kilogram, and it has a price but no market because the output is really limited."
Philip suddenly thought that he actually had a jar of leaves like this.
Tea leaves?La Traviata?
Sean Connery!
"Of course, this is not for sale to the common people. You can't buy it even if you pay ten times the price. For the tea that can be sold to the public, we divide it into five grades according to the grade of tea, from the first grade of 100 gold louis per kilogram to
The fifth grade ranges from 10 gold louis per kilogram.”
"When you taste this year's new tea, enjoy the opera "La Traviata", or read popular novels like "La Traviata" and enjoy the influence of art, this is the most popular lifestyle in today's upper class."
“Healthy and artistic!”
This kind of publicity was very successful and the form was very innovative.
With the popularity of the novel and opera "La Traviata", tea, a new type of beverage, has been sought after by more and more people. While they are dedicating their tears to La Traviata, they are also contributing money to Sean's tea garden.
The woman was surrounded by guests, who all wanted to buy tea. But she pointed to a new store behind her. There were already waitresses in uniforms waiting at the entrance of the store.
Guests poured into the tea shop and asked the clerk about the prices of different grades of tea. Philip was curious among them and did a rough calculation. This wave of guests alone took out 500 gold coins. Of course, most of them only bought fifth-grade tea.
.
This is their first time to buy and try it out. Even though it is advertised as high-end, they don’t dare to go straight to the first-class one for their first purchase.
This is truly a luxury.
Obviously if a tea drinking trend can really form, there will be endless money in it.
His Excellency, His Royal Highness Philip, immediately returned to the palace and came to his room.
The tea leaves given to him by Sean were still quietly gathering dust in the corner. It seemed to have been there for a week, right? Fortunately, they were not thrown away by the servant, otherwise he would have lost 1,000 gold coins, but is it really worth so much?
Philip didn't believe it, so he wiped the surface of the porcelain jar clean with his own hands with a piece of silk cloth.
On the exquisite porcelain jar, which is as crystal clear as mutton fat, the word "tea" written in Europa letters is printed. There is also a large letter written in similar to Xia characters, and the origin of the word is explained on the side.
It turned out to be quite extraordinary.
Philip didn't know if Sean was deliberately stretching the point. As the honorary president of the Royal Society of Science, he had actually seen the president of the Holy City University write a paper specifically about this word.
It’s scary to think about it.
Following the attached drinking instructions, Phillip personally brewed a cup of tea. Smelling the elegant fragrance, Phillip thought carefully about what he saw as Sean's sales tactics.
It’s really a chain of events, and even His Majesty himself has become Sean’s promoter without knowing it.
But is the price of 1,000 gold Louis tea too cheap? As for the taste, to be fair, it's not bad.
After thinking about it, Philip ordered his servants to fetch several exquisite small porcelain jars and put them into several bottles. One of them was given to the emperor by the guards, and he took one jar and sent it to his mother himself.
Queen Lois Sauron was born into the prominent Hermann family in 1791. She was the youngest daughter of Archduke Hermann, but she was 1 year younger than Crown Prince Jean Sauron.
Out of etiquette, the crown prince returned to the White House and was meeting with the queen. However, the rumors that he had caused the emperor's anger spread to every corner of the White House before him.
Regardless of the angle, the queen and the crown prince avoided meeting each other to avoid embarrassment.
When Philip arrived, both of them seemed to be relieved, and the Crown Prince took the opportunity to resign.
The queen, who is 40 years old this year, still maintains her beauty. She was famous for her beauty when she was young.
Her preferences, her clothing, and even the small accessories on her body will be imitated by the ladies of the upper class outside the palace.
The so-called palace style refers to the style used by the queen. Inevitably, there are unscrupulous businessmen who go to other provinces and bring crudely made jewelry to defraud people from other provinces.
Of course, her behavior of taking a bath with milk is not something that ordinary people can imitate.
After being married to the emperor for more than 20 years, she has been living in the palace, rarely going out, and is highly respected by the emperor. Of course, the family behind her is also a big help to her.
The queen used a small sandalwood fan and fanned it exaggeratedly:
"I can't even breathe!"
She was complaining about the state of affairs when she met the Crown Prince. No one would like the Crown Prince's cold expression.
"Mother, I bring you a small gift today." Philip was very well-behaved.
No matter what, the Queen loves her biological son in her heart.
"Let me see, what's new? I was letting someone read a novel just now, and just when I heard that I was getting excited, your brother came." The queen waved her hands happily, not forgetting to complain.
"What novel? "La Traviata"?" Philip thought of this naturally.
"That's right! This is a truly excellent novel. Compared with it, what the literati in the Holy City wrote was just sour romance and fell into clichés."
The Queen's praise reminded Philip of the success of Sean's tea promotion plan.