Except for the war, Florence has never been so lively, and nobles who want to buy luxury goods are coming from all directions.
North, suburbs.
A knight's retinue ran back quickly and said to the noble knight: "Sir, I've made it clear that you can reach Florence in half a day's walk."
"Very good, let's eat something first." The noble knight said happily.
This nobleman's name is Nicolas de Sales, a baron from Auvergne, France. The entire Auvergne region is very closed, with a harsh climate and crisscrossed hills. It is still collecting land rent in kind, but there is a
There are more than a thousand feudal aristocratic families, most of which are middle- and lower-class nobles such as barons and knights.
Nicholas took over the territory more than 20 years ago and found that the taxation was in chaos. The family tax book was actually produced more than a hundred years ago. After experiencing the horrific Black Death, land rents were collected randomly in the territory, and most of the taxes were collected.
Embezzled by subordinates.
Therefore, Baron Nicholas worked hard to reorganize the tenant farmers' account books, and the land rental income in the territory was directly doubled.
Today, Nicholas actually controls 28 villages and owns 167 households of tenant farmers, with an annual income of more than 1,300 liters of wheat and more than 10,000 liters of buckwheat. In addition, he can collect 200 livres (about 67 kilograms of silver), becoming the entire Auvergne region.
The richest baron!
(These data come from literature and are 100% authentic, including this baron. It can be speculated how miserable the farmers in central France were at that time. On average, each household had to turn in 8 liters of wheat, 60 liters of buckwheat, and 0.4 kilograms per year.
Silver, the tax is so high that it can barely survive starvation.)
After more than twenty years of hard work, Baron Nicholas has saved several thousand kilograms of grain and more than one hundred kilograms of silver. This time he plans to go to Florence to buy a silk dress.
Regardless of whether they were Venetian merchants or Portuguese merchants, these second-rate dealers all sold the goods too expensively. Hearing that the Chinese fleet had arrived in Europe, Baron Nicholas felt that an opportunity had come. It should be much cheaper without middlemen making the difference.
Hurrying slowly, Nicholas finally rode into the city of Florence before dark.
The next day, after inquiring about where the Chinese lived, Nicola carried a bag of silver and wanted to buy something. As a result, he was told that he needed to register at the Medici family's shop and pay 100 gold coins to obtain an auction seat, and
Only gold ducats or florins are accepted (for these two gold coins, one hundred gold coins equals 350 grams of gold).
"If you don't buy anything, will these one hundred gold coins be refunded?" Nicholas asked.
The staff said: "Only 98 gold coins can be refunded, and the remaining 2 gold coins will be deducted as handling fees. If you want to sit in a VIP seat, you can pay four levels of 1,000 gold coins, 800 gold coins, 500 gold coins, and 300 gold coins. The higher the deposit, the better the seat."
The higher the order, the handling fee is 2%. In addition, if you successfully buy Chinese luxury goods, you will also be charged a transaction fee of 1% of the transaction amount."
The Medici family are really vampires!
Nicholas cursed secretly, but gritted his teeth and exchanged 100 gold coins. Even if he didn't buy anything in the end, he could go back and brag about it.
"Sorry, Mr. Baron, you don't have enough silver coins to exchange." The staff said with a smile.
Nicholas wondered: "There are so many."
The staff explained: "If you exchange French silver coins for Dukara or Florentine gold coins, we will also charge a 1% handling fee."
Nicholas finally lost his aristocratic demeanor, and after paying out the extra handling fee, he raised his middle finger fiercely and cursed: "You will go to hell!"
The staff member smiled and said: "I buy indulgences every year. I will definitely go to heaven after I die."
Naturally, it was impossible for Ning Botao to run an auction on his own, so it was a good choice to cooperate with the Medici family. This family is rich in popes and French queens. It is the largest financial backer of the European Renaissance and the founder of the modern banking system.
A few days later, the Chinese auction officially opened, and the auction location was the National Assembly Hall.
Thirty years ago, the Medici family was expelled into exile and the Republic of Florence was established. The only legacy left was this Congress Hall. Now, the Medici family has made a comeback, and the republic has become a principality, and even a higher level, it has become a Medici
Grand Duke!
Nikolai's auction seat was very far back. He paid 100 gold coins to enter and got a corner seat.
He asked around, and soon felt ashamed. There was at least a count next to him, not even a viscount. He was a baron that was simply impossible to look at. Of course, there were also damn Venetian merchants. These guys were always trying to find ways to make money.
No one needs to teach the auction, it has been around since ancient Rome, but the master of ceremonies still announced the process.
The first lot was taken out, and the host said: "This is a work of art, created by the great Chinese court painter Tang Yin. It uses a unique oriental wonderful painting method to reproduce the hunting scene of the philosopher Mr. Wang Zhu Houzhao. It originally belonged to
The collection of the Chinese royal family, we are lucky enough to see its true appearance today... The starting price is 10 gold coins, and each increase in price must not be less than 1 gold coin."
Tang Bohu did paint "Zhengde Hunting Picture", but it is absolutely impossible to be this one. The first auction item today is a fake copy.
Of course, even if it is an imitation, it is also an imitation of the top painters of the Ming Dynasty.
"Ten gold coins!"
"I'll give you eleven gold coins!"
"Twelve gold coins!"
"..."
Suddenly, the Farnese family raised a sign: "Thirty gold coins!"
Baron Nicholas was startled, and at the same time he felt very excited. Even if he didn’t buy anything today, he would still be considered a nobleman from the countryside. The big nobles in the city were so coquettish!
"Fifty gold coins!"
Everyone hurriedly looked for the voice, but it turned out to be a representative of the Valois family.
Good guy, this painting is just to warm up the scene. The contemporary Pope family and the French royal family have begun to fight.
The two sides fought for it, bidding all the way to 480 gold coins, or 1,680 grams of gold. In the end, the Pope's family was richer.
If Tang Bohu were still alive, he would definitely look up to the sky and sigh. A pair of his fakes could actually be sold for more than 30 taels of gold (one tael in the Ming Dynasty was about 48.98 grams, very close to the modern one tael).
Of course, it also takes Zhu Houzhao's part, as this is a hunting painting by the Ming Dynasty Philosopher King!
Amidst warm applause, the first auction ended, and the host quickly introduced the second lot: "This is a Chinese hair accessory, the full name is 'Crystal Medicine Jade Jinbu Yao', which was once the jewelry of a Chinese queen.
…”
Halfway through the introduction, a lady suddenly walked onto the stage, wearing a somewhat deformed Chinese bun. The host inserted the golden step into the lady's bun.
"Oh, God!"
The ladies in the audience exclaimed again and again, looking at the piece of jewelry with feverish eyes, sharpening their knives in preparation for the next frantic robbery.
The host did not lie. This golden step was indeed worn by the Empress of the Ming Dynasty. To be more precise, it was worn by the Empress of the Xuanzong Dynasty. However, medicinal jade (stained glass) at that time was very precious, and the best medicinal jade could be found.
Don't ask for it. With the continuous development of stained glass technology, Zhu Houzhao's grandfather's generation is no longer valuable, and noble ladies have long dismissed medicinal jade.
This golden ball had been lying in the palace treasury gathering dust. It was dug out before the envoys left the capital, and the craftsmen polished it carefully to at least make the colored glass beads look round and smooth.
Many of today's auction items were unearthed from the palace's treasury, and would be considered waste for auction in Europe.
"Fifty gold coins (starting price)!"
"Sixty gold coins!"
"eighty!"
"ninety!"
"..."
No matter in ancient or modern times, women have always been so crazy. All the noble ladies in the audience were rushing to grab it. The bidding rose all the way to 600 gold coins. The bidding momentum slowed down slightly. Finally, the transaction was completed at a super high price of 1,250 gold coins, and was won by the wife of a Venetian businessman.
.
A colored glass gold walking stick, even if its craftsmanship was extraordinary, would not have been sold for the high price of 90 taels of gold in the Ming Dynasty. That thing could be worth at most 20 taels... of silver.
Baron Nicolas touched his money bag. He was also a wealthy man in rural France, but now he suddenly became a poor man in the city.
What the heck are you buying?
The third lot made Baron Nicholas excited. It was a light silk garment made of Lake silk and made by the official weaving bureau. The auctioneer also weighed it on the spot using a scale - there was no way to place a weight.
The person took off the ring and threw it on the scale tray, and the end of the silk dress immediately turned up.
This time, both men and women began to rush to buy, and the transaction price was as high as 3,410 gold coins, which is more than 240 taels of gold.
It’s very outrageous. This piece of clothing was a very expensive luxury item in the Ming Dynasty. It’s normal to sell it for thirty times more in Europe.
"300 gold coins!"
"500 gold coins!"
Baron Nicolas also followed the bidding, knowing that he could not afford it. But now that he was here and met his favorite lot, it was natural to raise the price. When he returned to the French countryside, he could brag about it for a lifetime: "Grandson, I remember back then, your grandfather
I have also been rich. I also went to Florence to participate in the Chinese auction. That auction was not simple. I was the only baron in the audience. The others were at least earls. There was a silk dress that was lighter than a ring. I shouted
The price was paid more than ten times, but unfortunately it was bought by a grand duke. If I had persisted at that time, that dress would have become an heirloom of our family..."
Ning Botao was sitting in the background, watching all this with cold eyes. He was calm at first, but gradually became agitated: "Do these barbarians from Europe and the West have so much gold? A silk dress almost sold for a hundred taels of gold. If I had known it earlier,
I’ll bring a whole boat over!”
Not to mention whether it would be possible to find a whole boatload of clothes of such quality. Even if we could find them all, it would never be possible to sell them at such a high price. After all, things are rare and expensive.
As for the European nobles, except for a few, they are all very poor. In order to buy luxury goods, they may secretly seek loans from merchants, and then slowly repay them with territorial taxes.
On the twelfth lot, bidding reached a peak.
A Ru kiln azure vase was considered top-grade even in the Ming Dynasty. It captures the essence of "the sky is clear and the clouds are shining after the rain", and it drove all the European aristocrats and merchants in the audience crazy.
When the bidding reached 8,000 gold coins, there were still three nobles trying to grab it. The host had to interrupt: "Dear guests, I must remind you. If someone takes a photo of this piece of porcelain but cannot get enough gold coins,
Then all his admission deposit will be forfeited!"
An archduke said: "Can the castle and territory be mortgaged?"
The host replied: "Yes, but the value of the castle and territory will be estimated by the Medici family."
Backstage at the auction, Ning Botao looked at the translator stupidly: "What did he say? He wants to mortgage the city and land?"
The translator nodded and said, "Yes, the governor heard it right."
Ning Botao was speechless for a moment, and it took him a long time to say: "Idiot!"
The representative sent by the Spanish royal family raised his hand and said with a smile: "For 10,000 gold coins, we don't need to pledge anything, and we can deliver the gold within two months."
Ten thousand gold florins are less than six hundred taels of gold. The Spanish royal family can afford this amount!
Charles II, Grand Duke of Orleans, son of the King of France, raised his hand and said: "Twelve thousand gold coins, I will use the castle as a mortgage and use taxes to repay it in installments and pay interest. Is that okay?"
"Of course." The host smiled. The Medici family has made a lot of money here and can expand its loan business in many places.
By this time, there were only two competitors left, the Spanish royal family versus the Archduke of Orleans.
Although Baron Nicholas was not involved, he felt his heart beat faster just by watching. The two wealthy people did not stop bidding for more than 20,000 gold coins, climbing all the way to 30,000 gold coins, and then quickly exceeded 40,000 gold coins. The noble lady at the scene
Some people have screamed and fainted.
"Fifty thousand, fifty thousand gold coins!"
The members of the Spanish royal family smiled and faced Charles II: "Your Excellency, Duke, do you still want to grab 50,000 gold coins? I am afraid that Orleans' taxes will not be able to collect 50,000 gold coins and installment interest until your death. Do you plan to go into business for the rest of your life?"
"
"Hahahaha!" The whole audience roared with laughter.
Charles II became angry, cursed and said: "Orléans is very rich, I can afford even one hundred thousand gold coins! I bid fifty-one thousand!"
A member of the Spanish royal family said: "Sixty thousand!"
Charles II was immediately discouraged, clenched his fists and said: "This piece of porcelain will be given to Spain, and the next one will definitely be mine!"
Ning Botao was stunned. A Ru kiln porcelain vase was sold for a high price of more than 3,000 taels of gold!
This is really no exaggeration. Europe during the Industrial Revolution was even more terrifying. It would take more than 100,000 gold coins to buy a piece of porcelain.
Europe, people are stupid and have a lot of money, come quickly!