Holbach and Diderot, esteemed scholars, had initially believed that the Shandong Customs, seen as a national showcase, would be laden with the finest goods, making it an exceptional case even if more advanced than Europe's.
However, as they approached Jinan, Holbach and Diderot grew increasingly astonished.
From Jiaozhou to Gaomi, and then from Gaomi to Weixian, Holbach, Diderot, and their party finally formed a general impression of the Great Ming.
Every county town boasted several schools and a "large library," a sight rarely encountered in France or all of Europe.
Pierre explained that the Ming Emperor was dedicated to promoting education, hence every county town had multiple community schools where the children of all Ming commoners could receive schooling. Including the community schools shared by several villages, the number of Ming community schools was undoubtedly the highest in the world.
Above the community schools were county schools, and above county schools were prefectural schools, leading up to universities.
The Great Ming currently had two universities, Jinan University and Luoyang University, and it was rumored that new universities were continuously being constructed in other regions under Ming rule.
What they had previously seen as "large libraries" were merely small libraries in county towns, with "not many books, certainly not comparable to prefectural libraries." Any one of those prefectural libraries could rival France's largest library.
Pierre's explanation for this was that the Ming Emperor's collected taxes were not used for personal indulgence but were consistently channeled into improving education and the lives of commoners. In this regard, not only the King of France, but monarchs across Europe and even the world should learn from the Emperor of the Great Ming.
"You must understand, whether in France or all of Europe, being a soldier is not a glorious occupation, and commoners fear the military."
"However, in the Great Ming, becoming a soldier is an enviable affair. Their commoners always educate their children thus: if you encounter danger, seek out soldiers in uniform or the Jingyiwei (Imperial Guard)."
"Their commoners place great trust in the government, something rarely seen throughout Europe or the former Tatar Qing."
"When we first arrived in the Great Ming, that damned rose beef claimed that the faces and bodies of Ming commoners lacked the beer bellies and ruddy complexions of English farmers. But we all know that the ruddy complexions of English farmers are due to the sun's exposure."
After a moment's thought, Pierre continued, "When this country was ruled by the Tatars, the common people lived a very difficult life. Our leftover food was considered a delicacy to them, and they would even fight over our leftover tea leaves to re-brew and drink." (This is not fictional, but from the diary of Lord Macartney)
"However, since the Ming Emperor began ruling this country, such things have ceased to be seen."
"They have a complete system to ensure the lives of their commoners—as far as I know, any city or several villages in the Great Ming will have a warehouse filled with grain. Once disaster strikes, they distribute the grain to the affected commoners."
"Even those commoners who work in factories are protected. For instance, through guilds or the government, they have strictly stipulated daily working hours based on the intensity of factory labor. Factory owners dare not arbitrarily bully their workers as French factory owners do."
"If Ming commoners are dissatisfied with local officials or factory owners, they have many channels for complaint. Then, higher-ranking officials will happily step forward to uphold justice on their behalf."
"And the officials of this country are also quite interesting."
"The officials of this country emphasize that they should not make decisions for the commoners; it's better to go home and become a small stall vendor. In fact, many officials in the Great Ming are remnants from the previous Tatar rule, but their performance as officials in the Great Ming is completely different from their performance under the Tatar rule."
"For instance, Mr. Zeng is a very learned man, but can you imagine that he was formerly a Tatar official and is now the Prime Minister of the Great Ming. Of course, he is full of goodwill towards our France, which is a good thing."
Holbach and Diderot could find no fault with Pierre's statements.
Diderot could not help but sigh, saying, "This country is undergoing a great revival."
Holbach, however, shook his head. "Revival? What we see as a great revival might just be a matter of course for these Ming people."
"If you had read the contents recorded on sheepskin scrolls in French libraries, you would know how prosperous this country was in the past—the Scourge of God who ravaged all of Europe was merely a defeated foe of the Ming people's ancestors, driven to Europe by their ancestors."
"This is the foundation of a nation. Thousands of years of continuous civilization have endowed them with a deeper foundation and confidence than any other country in the world."
However, compared to the profoundly solemn moods of Holbach and Diderot, Pierre appeared quite relaxed. "The strength of the Great Ming is not a bad thing for our France, as France is an ally of the Great Ming in Europe."
"Furthermore, France's two hundred students will soon be entering Ming schools to study. As long as these young men study diligently, France will eventually become increasingly prosperous."
Holbach and Diderot nodded and exchanged glances. They secretly resolved to sternly admonish the young men chosen as students, ensuring they would be soundly caned if they did not study well.
After two days of travel with heavy hearts, Holbach, Diderot, and their party finally arrived at a large city. Just as the French nobles assumed they had reached the capital of the Great Ming, Pierre dejectedly declared, "My apologies, I miscalculated the time."
"If it were just me alone, I would have reached the capital of the Great Ming by now. However, we are too many people, and our travel speed has been greatly slowed. Therefore, the city that appears before you is not the capital of the Great Ming."
The French nobles were utterly bewildered.
Even with all the flattering words like grand, mighty, and sturdy, they could not fully describe the city, yet it was not the capital of the Great Ming, but merely an ordinary city.
"There are hundreds, even thousands, of cities like this in the Great Ming."
After settling down at the Yidu post station, Pierre once again reminded the French nobles, "Listen, gentlemen, you may now take interpreters and move about freely."
"However, please remember my advice: do not casually embrace Ming women, and do not appear overly surprised by everything you see. This will make you seem like bumpkins and bring shame to our France."
"And to the ladies and young ladies, please restrain your enthusiasm and do not casually embrace Ming men, as this is a very impolite behavior in the Great Ming."
The French nobles felt that Pierre was intentionally trying to show off his familiarity with the Great Ming.
Yet, these French nobles were also envious of Pierre's knowledge of the Great Ming.
They wished they were like him...
However, compared to the French gentlemen, the ladies and young ladies were far more excited.
Studying Ming scholarship and researching Ming systems were matters for men. For women, the only thing to do was shopping.
Silk, clothing, shoes, sachets, jewelry, porcelain...
God be my witness, nothing is happier than shopping. If there is, it is shopping without restraint.
For instance, an garment made of silk would be prohibitively expensive in Europe, so much so that even these French nobles were reluctant to buy it freely. But upon arriving in the Great Ming, the homeland of silk, they had to indulge their shopping urges!
Besides shopping, they also wanted to sightsee. What was Louis XIV's "King of China" ball compared to this? They could witness what a real Chinese ball looked like!
Then, Pierre could only watch helplessly as a group of French noblewomen, dragging several interpreters, rushed out of the post station.
Holbach and Diderot had no interest in shopping or sightseeing. After exchanging glances, they looked at Pierre and asked, "May we visit the library of the Ming people?"
However, Pierre looked at Holbach and Diderot as if they were fools. "Gentlemen, it is nearly evening, and the Ming people's libraries will certainly be closed. However, if you merely wish to read, I can help you borrow two books."
Holbach was taken aback and asked, "You can borrow Ming books?"
Pierre shrugged and said, "To be precise, you can too. There are some books and newspapers in the post station, which can be borrowed for free."
Holbach and Diderot were even more shocked.
Just how wealthy were the Ming people? They could even borrow books from the post station?
God be my witness, such precious things as books should be kept in libraries or in bedrooms, shouldn't they?
...
Luha Antoinette (fictional) was similar to her sister, greatly enjoying balls, fashion, entertainment, dressing up, feasts, and garden adornment. Although Luha Antoinette did not have a king for a husband like her sister, as a Grand Duchess of Austria born into nobility, Luha Antoinette was undoubtedly a person of considerable means.
How to prove that Luha Antoinette was not short of money?
It was simple. Walking the streets of Yidu, Luha Antoinette never cared about prices. Whatever caught her eye, she would directly instruct the interpreter to buy it for her.
Not only shopping, but Luha Antoinette also ate her way through the city.
Yidu peaches? Eaten.
Yidu melons? Eaten.
Yidu hawthorns? Eaten.
Yidu dried persimmons? Eaten.
No matter how much she ate, she didn't gain weight.
The other French noblewomen were much the same as Luha Antoinette. After all, they were all of noble birth, and their husbands were also nobles. No one among them lacked money. In Europe, only nobles could marry nobles; even Cinderella's father had a title.
As a result, the merchants of Yidu quickly learned that there was a group of women from Europe who were not short of money.
However, after a spree of sightseeing, shopping, and eating, Luha Antoinette suddenly felt a hint of dissatisfaction, and a very bold idea entered her mind.
Then, Luha Antoinette hurried back to the post station and found Pierre. "Pierre, I have a very bold idea and hope you can help me."