Vol 4 Chapter 90: That city

In the hot afternoon, there were waves of knowing tweets one after another, and the earth looked like it was sultry and dazzling as if it was shrouded under a huge cover.
Everywhere is white and bright, obviously good weather, but because of the too bright and dazzling sunlight above the head, even in the shade of the tree, you still have to narrow your eyes slightly to feel comfortable.
Several businessmen-like men gather to sit in the shade of a tree. The thick and thick canopy blocks the scorching sun, and there is a loud noise in the woods. The leaves are blown, and then there is a whole body Comfortable coolness hit the whole body.
A few people sat on the ground feeling the rare refreshment, and then they walked forward to a large area of ​​bare hills, and then passed through a very long and dry river channel, where there was no shade to rest.
A businessman with a thick beard on his face looked back at the donkeys that were in the shade and could not see far away. There was a satisfied smile on his face. There was a heavy bag on the ground next to each donkey. Full of various goods.
From bulk food to sharp weapons, from expensive jewellery to all kinds of cheap supplies that ordinary households may use, people sell everything they can sell in order to obtain wealth, while moving from one place to another.
These people are just a few of those who are pursuing wealth, but they are not big merchants, and their goods are only low-priced goods that are not valuable, but even so, as long as they can be stable Selling these goods is enough to make your life better.
It is the city called Florence that can guarantee them huge profits.
As one of the most prosperous cities in central Italy, Florence is not only proud of its prosperous culture, but also famous throughout the peninsula for its wealth of boasting.
The Medici family, which is good at operating, has almost sat down to the extreme of the already prosperous wool industry. Many Florentine merchant families have made a lot of profits because of this industry, and more ordinary citizens have become a huge Medici wool industry. Workers.
The Medici family has enriched the lives of the Florentines, and the demand for various commodities brought about by the affluent life is gradually increasing. People have not only satisfied to add some necessities to their families, but are beginning to hope for More stuff.
For example, a tapestry that I had never thought about buying before or a good tableware for entertaining important guests, or a piece of fur clothes that wo n’t make others feel shabby. If you can put more on the outside of the skirt The last round of precious silk lace, or a small animal skin coat that looks good and warm on the winter coat, is something that makes others envious of the whole season.
Most of these things can be bought from shops on the street. If they are not available, people will go to Florence ’s largest market to take their luck, because many foreign merchants are reluctant to buy their goods in order to make more money. Sell ​​to the shop, but rather pay an additional assessment in addition to the city gate tax, and then find a buyer on the market yourself.
Few people lose money in this type of business. Florence is so big, and its population is so large, so in the eyes of many businessmen, that city is simply a paradise for people like them.
And when the Medici family still ruled Florence, some businessmen were even lucky to be attracted by the Medici family and became the lucky ones who could do business with their families.
It's just that the people of the Medici family don't know where they were rushed, and Florence is not like a dazzling and prosperous world like before, but even so, the city still has a huge attraction that makes business people crazy.
Because they are now, with the decline of the wool industry in Florence after the fall of the Medici family, although the Florentines are not as rich as before, some commodities originally produced by themselves also disappeared in the Florence market.
For example, the disappearance of the wool dyeing industry, which was not very good for foreign businessmen, has made the locals produce fewer and fewer kinds of wool fabrics. This gives foreign businessmen an excellent opportunity to start a large number of He transported all kinds of beautifully crafted and cheap wool fabrics to Florence, and then brought out enough gold coins from the city to make them smile and bloom on their faces.
In short, in addition to the natives of Florence, the city feeds too many people. As for the young man who followed this caravan to study art in Florence, the businessman looked at him and shook his head.
"What are you going to study in Florence?" The businessman touched the tip of his beard and asked casually while sipping his cider in the horseskin pouch.
"I want to learn his paintings from Master Botticelli," the young man still had a hint of childishness on his face, referring to the name of the adoring master, and a small cluster of fluff just under his lips shivered slightly. "I'm here I saved two years of money at home. I used to work as a student in a workshop, and now I can finally go to Florence. "
Looking at the young man's excitement, the businessman narrowed his eyes and looked at him carefully until his face turned red.
"Don't lie to me," the businessman snorted suddenly. "You believe you like painting. I believe it. You say you adore the master. I believe it too. But I just believe it." The businessman said forward. After all, it was full of teasing eyes and looked at the young people up and down. "Tell me, you want to study painting in Florence so hard, shouldn't it just for this. Say, which girl is it?"
The young man blushed even more. He opened his mouth and wanted to distinguish, but in the end he just asked inconceivably: "How do you know, how do you see it?"
"What's the matter, everything is written on your face, don't touch it, you can see it when you reach my age." The businessman said and passed the horseskin sac, looking at the young man hesitantly. Drinking in a sip, the businessman shook his head in disgust. "I think you are wrong to go out this time. You must know that when you really learn the master's skill, maybe the girl at home will not only marry, but the children are not too small. , You should always stay beside her, not to mention Botticelli ... "
"Impossible!" The young man interrupted the businessman. He threw the wine bag back to the businessman and shook his head. "She won't marry. I will study hard to become a real master, and then I can go back and propose to her." , I just hope to impress her. "
"Wait," the businessman asked, a little surprised. "You mean that girl doesn't like you at all until now, do you want to learn painting just to impress her?"
"Yes, I hope I can impress her. I have to know that I fell in love with her since I met her. I learned painting for this." The young man's eyes showed inexpressible enthusiasm. It seemed that as soon as he mentioned the girl There are endless words, "You know, she is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, and I can give everything for her!"
"Oh, oh!"
The businessman nodded unceasingly, and then leaned against the trunk next to him as the young man continued to talk.
"You just want to spend almost all your savings to go to Florence to learn painting just because you like people, but I remember you didn't even have the money to travel by car, so you had to follow us." The businessman couldn't help shaking Shaking his head, "Young people now, I think I was wrong. The girl should not wait for you to get married a few years later, but instead of waiting for you to go to Florence, they are already married."
The words of the businessman caused a few laughs from the next businessman, but the young man flushed with rage and did not know what to say.
He stood up trying to argue, but he was startled by the businessman who suddenly stood up before he even spoke.
The businessman waved his hands to the people next to him, and then turned his head slightly to listen. Then he immediately lay on the ground and pressed his ears to the ground. When he saw him like this, people immediately became nervous.
"Someone has come, and there are quite a few." The businessman raised his head and said sternly. "Hide all the goods in the woods. Don't forget to stay outside. So many people don't bring anything and no one believes. Be quick! "
People immediately got busy, the young man first picked up his little luggage, then threw it on the ground, and began to help the merchants hide the goods in the woods.
"The guy is nice," the businessman said while carrying the bag forward. "If we hide this time and come to me, I will stay in Florence for a while, and don't go to the Botticelli, He ca n’t teach you anything now. "
"What did you say?" The young man was taken aback, he asked anxiously, and even wanted to grab the businessman who was running forward. "Why do you say Master Botticelli won't teach me?"
"Let go, idiot, do you want us all to suffer," the businessman scolded and continued to run forward "don't mention those now, hide everything first, and if we don't have these goods, we will all be miserable."
A group of people lived in a hurry, some people fell to the ground because of tension, and the contents of the bags fell out. People had to throw the scattered goods into the grass again.
The businessman looked at the distance from time to time. When he saw a smoke rising from the distant slope, he immediately stopped his work and loudly reminded his companions: "Enough is enough, how much is left, everyone hurry Sit down! "
The businessmen sat down on the ground in panic. When the businessmen leaned under the tree and tried to pretend to sleep, they saw the young man pulling a drawing board from the luggage on the ground, and then holding a carbon pen in his hand to prepare to pretend to paint. However, the sweat and the trembling hands on his head obviously betrayed him.
"Lie down, don't do anything that attracts attention at this time." The businessman kicked the young man. At this time he had heard the sound of horseshoes coming from behind. "My name is James, Jay. James Columbus, if you have heard of this surname, you must know that I have a brother who is famous ... "
"Ron Zuo," the young man obediently threw away the drawing board and lay across from the merchant, and whispered, "My name is Ron Zuo Sabatini, from Bologna."
James nodded, but he was afraid to say anything at this time, because he had heard the sound of a heavy horseshoe hitting the ground, and a team of cavalry rushed into the woods.
James knew he couldn't pretend to sleep anymore. He sat up in a panic and turned to look at the edge of the woods.
A small group of well-dressed cavalry had already broken into the woods at this time. They had apparently already seen these merchants resting at the edge of the woods, so their team had dispersed, and only two soldiers who looked like they were urging the horses Before them.
"Are you ... do you have anything to do?" James looked at these strangers blankly.
From the clothes of these people, it is impossible to see where they belong to the army, or to which robbers they belong.
Some of them wore light woolen coats, some were worn with half-body armor, and one of them also wore two thick shoulder pads that were typical of the typical northern Germans.
"Who are you?" One of the cavalrymen touched James' thigh with a scabbard hanging around his waist. When he saw a small package he was lying on, he stabbed with the scabbard.
"We are businessmen, go to Florence." James replied cautiously.
When he knew that he did n’t say, "Do you know who my brother is?" Do n’t say that his brother is only doing well in the distant Castile, even if he is a pope in the Vatican, in this wilderness and wilderness. No one can guarantee that these people will be annoyed and they will be killed on the spot.
"Go to Florence," Wei's soldier shook his head and poked the package with the scabbard. "Open and let me see what's inside."
James wanted to express his objection, but he finally listened to the order honestly. When he tore a tightly sealed seam to reveal a bunch of colorful things inside, he heard a blow from the mouth of that man Whistling.
"You are actually going to take these things to Florence, do you know that it is impossible to enter the city at all?"
Hearing this man's words, James was a little nervous and relaxed a little. Seeing that these people didn't seem to be robbers, it made him look at these people with a little curiosity.
"Qing forgive me may have misunderstood you before, so what can I do for you?"
"You're right," James's attitude seemed to satisfy the man. He sat down and picked up the hip flask that James placed on the ground, then shook his head and took a sip. "If you want to be in Florence In doing business, you should inquire more. "
"Of course, we are in business," James said tentatively and asked, "So can I ask who you are?"
"Look at this," Wei's soldiers threw a crumpled paper roll tied with a rope to James. "Are you literate? If you don't know, I can read it to you."
"I can read." James whispered and opened the paper carefully.
He noticed that this piece of paper seemed to have worn out because of the frequent opening, and then he looked carefully at the content.
It was a letter of appointment. Under the seal of the Florence emblem, there was an order to appoint this person as the captain of the Florentine mercenary team. Under the letter of appointment, in addition to a very striking signature, there was a sentence just like In the eyes.
"May God's majesty and grace endure forever the most pure city in the world, Florence, Girolamo Savonarola."
James looked up at the man in a daze, and returned the appointment letter to him.
"Seeing that we are not robbers," the man looked at James and his partners with a slightly ironic look. "I know you have hidden the goods, and this guy,"
As he said, he raised his scabbard and patted the thigh of the young man named Ronzo Sabatini.
"You really should change guys. He was so nervous that he kept looking around in the woods since we came," the mercenary captain said with an ironic lip. "Okay, now we can talk about business."
James was completely relieved at this time. He seemed to know what the mercenaries were going to tell him. After sitting down, he looked at the captain opposite.
"I know that Florence is very strict now, so I want to know what can you do for me?"
"2o Florin helped you into the city," the mercenary gestured with two fingers. "You should know that the things you bring are in violation of the anti-luxury laws. If they are found, they will be confiscated and even stolen. Fined. "
James frowned. He knew that the mercenary was right. Today, Florence prohibits all luxury goods, all entertainment that will lead to depravity, and even prohibits people from enjoying a delicious meal because of the desire to eat. People will eventually go to hell.
It is a city that has been surrounded by the majesty of religion. Everything in the world is being replaced by sacred religious ceremonies. In the eyes of outsiders, the man named Savonarola is making every effort to build a human kingdom!
But because of this, the really smart people see opportunities from it.
For example, James, at least he knows that on the black market in Florence today, even the most common lace lace can be sold for several times the price.
This is because, according to the Anti-Luxury Act, items deemed useless and only causing the people to fall into depraved enjoyment have been collected and destroyed in accordance with the order of the consul.
Because it is rare, it is precious!
"There are too many 2 Florin. I can only give you 15," James shook his head. "You know, I am a small businessman, and I have no money left."
"There are no consultations for 2o," the mercenary said dissatisfiedly. "We all know how much you can earn, but you have to be in the advanced city, and you wouldn't think that only you want to do this kind of business."
James frowned, and he could tell that the mercenary was telling the truth, and there were still many people like him or more savvy.
"Okay 2o Florin, but I can only give you 1o first, and I will give you another 1o when I leave," James looked at the companion next to him. "We have a lot of people here, and we have to spend money . "
The mercenary seemed a little hesitant, but finally nodded and agreed. He was not worried that James would regret it. After all, as he said, there are many people who want to do this kind of business. If James wants to continue in the future In Florence, you have to keep your promises.
Watching 1o Florin put in someone's pocket, James sighed with pain, but after looking at a customs clearance document in his hand, he immediately laughed again.
"You are rich," the mercenary waved towards the back while waving out of the woods. "But you must be careful. Florence is a strange place now."
Watching the mercenaries who had rolled up a cloud of smoke quickly disappearing into the distance, James carefully collected the paperwork.
Then he looked back at the young man with an unknown face beside him. UU read www.uukanshu.com and shook his head helplessly.
"You still have to be careful, young man, as he said to the man, now Florence is a very strange place."
The young man named Ronzo Sabbatini nodded somewhat, but then shook his head blankly.
Climbing up to the hill that was originally thought to never go, the shadow of a city in the river valley farther behind the hill was already faintly visible.
There is Florence.
There is a cradle of great change! ...

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