Chapter 1261 A True Knight Never Uses a Fork

"God bless you! Steward Isaac, I haven't seen you for many years. You have indeed become much richer! You actually have such a warehouse yard and a two-story building by the sea in the Lisbon commercial port where the land is expensive..."

"Aha! Respected Knight Lorenzo... The Grand Steward of the Guild, these are all the city-state republic (La Serenissima) has an outstanding reputation, and the guild merchants are honestly operating, blessed by the Virgin Mary! As a member of the city-state commercial guild, I was able to gain a foothold in Lisbon with the help of the guild's reputation, and make a small contribution to the Lord and the Republic..."

"Haha! Isaac, humility is a virtue taught by the Lord, but excessive humility is pride! Before I came here this time, I also met with the bishop of the city-state... The bishop was very satisfied with the spices sent by the guild, and he also praised your extra contribution!"

"Ah... the bishop's contribution? I, uh... oh, right! I also have a gift from the southern continent, dedicated to the patrons of the guild, the respected councilors... Yes! It was prepared a long time ago, prepared! ..."

The waves of the North Atlantic Ocean, along the rugged Portuguese coast to the south, slowed down suddenly until they passed a bend. The open bay twists and turns inward, and the natural deep-water harbor can withstand wind and waves. The long Tagus River also flows into the ocean here, not only bringing rich riverside fields along the way, but also impacting a relatively flat estuary plain. These excellent geographical advantages come together to form the largest port city on the west side of the Iberian Peninsula, Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.

At this moment, in the corner of the outer port of Lisbon, several nobles dressed as wealthy businessmen, escorted by more than a dozen followers, walked quickly into a two-story building in the seaside warehouse area. The Jewish merchant Eleazar in front was smiling and leading the way. The two people behind, one old and one young, both carefully wore the merchant's wide hat and walked into the courtyard where the small building was located in a low-key manner. It was not until the gate of the courtyard was closed that the "old wealthy businessman" took off his hat, revealing a weathered Italian face, and it was the old knight Lorenzo.

"May God bless you! Knight Lorenzo, although this small building is a little off the beaten track, it is an excellent viewing platform! I often stay here, watching the merchant ships coming and going, estimating the types and quantities of goods coming and going..."

"Haha! Isaac, you are really a natural businessman, as shrewd as a gold coin with eyes..."

"Aha! All of them serve the city-state and the guild..."

Everyone climbed up the small building with a smile, and their tone was much more relaxed. Looking out from this small building by the sea, the prosperous scene of the port is in full view. Hundreds of black-skinned slaves are busy loading and unloading at the port, sweating profusely. Merchant ships of all sizes from various countries and states, all flying different kingdoms and city-state flags, gathered in the Lisbon Outer Port in Tagus Bay. The Portuguese royal fleet that had just returned from the southern continent, and the coveted southern continent goods brought back by the fleet with ten times the profit, are undoubtedly the most fundamental source of attraction for this commercial prosperity.

"Lord! This is really a prosperous port, and it is almost the same as the Venetian commercial port... The Portuguese made a lot of money from the southern continent trade, which made the city-state councilors envious!..."

"Lorenzo, the proverb of the city-state says, 'The road of glory is not paved with flowers', 'Only smart people can make a fortune'... The Portuguese can have such prosperity because of their wisdom in shipbuilding and navigation, and their courage and fearlessness in exploring the sea! In my opinion, the adventurous and exploratory spirit of the Portuguese nobles is much better than those noble councilors in the city-state who sit in the manor, enjoy the garden and beauties, and those fat guys who are addicted to wine, sex, money and goods!..."

"Uh..."

Hearing this sharp comment, the old knight Lorenzo paused slightly, and looked at the young man wearing a hat and holding his chest behind him helplessly. The Jewish merchant Eleazar who led the way was obviously surprised. He asked with a smile while carefully observing the clues.

"Lorenzo, knight, who is this young, brave and wise nobleman?"

"Ah! Isaac, let me introduce you... This is the eldest son of Senator Sylvester Tran, the knight Giovanni Tran!..."

"Ah! He is the eldest son of Senator Tran, the great-grandson of Governor Moro?! No wonder he is so handsome and noble, like a flying lion in mythology..."

The Jewish merchant Eleazar smiled and tried to please him for a long time. The young Giovanni took off his hat, raised his head modestly, glanced at the Jewish merchant with a smile, and obviously looked down on him. Eleazar smiled along, turned his head and called to the honest and sturdy Slav servant.

"Ivan! Go and get my best barrel of Douro wine! I want to entertain the distinguished guests!..."

"Uh... Master, you mean, the best?..."

Hearing this, Ivan's honest and dull face was rarely surprised. The master had repeatedly told him that when guests came to the house, if he said "good wine", it was mixed with 70% to 80% water. If he said "the best wine", it was half wine and half water. Only when he said "the best wine", the original wine was served without any water. But he had been with the master for several years, and this was the first time he heard him say, "Bring up the best wine"...

"Yes! The best Douro wine, produced in the Douro Valley in Porto in the north, the barrel from ten years ago!... These two are the most distinguished guests!..."

Eleazar waved his hand and drove out the dumb Slav servant. Facing the two visitors from the Republic of Venice, he always had a smile on his face, which was completely different from the time he faced Columbus, who ran away from his debts and was said to have gone to sea to die.

After all, as a Jewish merchant who lent money, he had no king to rely on, no nobles to be loyal to, and was like a duckweed in the world of God. Although he seemed to be rich and leisurely, he was actually rootless and even treading on thin ice.

In front of the knights and nobles who would kill their creditors to pay off their debts, the only things he could use to protect himself were the tiger skin of the church and the identity of the general manager of the Venice City-State Chamber of Commerce. Of the two, the church was more powerful, but it only regarded him as a white glove that could be discarded at any time. It was completely unreliable at critical moments, and would eat him to the bone. Only the Republic of Venice, which values ​​commerce and has complete laws, knows the value of using merchants and is less discriminatory against his origin. It is the only one who can save his life at a critical moment...

"Master, this is the best barrel! There is no water added!"

After a while, Ivan carried the whole barrel of wine up and muttered a few words in difficult Slavic. Several Slav servants were busy. First, they set up a U-shaped wooden table. At the suggestion of the Jewish merchant, they raised the side where the two Venetian guests sat to show respect for their higher status. Then, a layer of linen white cloth was laid on the table, which hung down to the guests' knees. At this time, there was no habit of using napkins. The hanging part of the tablecloth was used to wipe hands and mouths.

Then, Ivan brought a locked golden goblet and placed it in the middle of the table. The Jewish merchant personally took out an exquisite key, opened the goblet, and showed the two the clean and empty bottom of the cup. This is one of the traditions of medieval noble gatherings. First, prove that there is no poison in the cup, and then everyone takes turns drinking from the same cup... Well, if we have to die, we will die together.

"God is my witness! This is really good wine... Come! I will drink a sip first, and bless the city-state to be prosperous and rich, and the gold and silver of the Chamber of Commerce to flow!..."

The Jewish merchant Eleazar poured a full cup of red wine and drank it twice as a sign of respect and sincerity. Then, he passed the wine glass to the old knight Lorenzo. The old knight took a shallow sip, smiled and blessed, and passed it to the young knight Giovanni. Giovanni raised his head and drank it all in one gulp, letting the wine flow down his neck like blood.

"Ha! Good wine, really a knight's good wine!"

Seeing the overflowing wine, Eleazar shuddered with heartache. But he still smiled, and ordered the servants to bring the "treasure ship" filled with salt, spices, knives and spoons. This is a ship-shaped container engraved with a cross, and it is also locked for food safety. Then, a larger open "treasure ship" was brought up, with three silver plates inside, each containing sliced ​​white bread, bacon and dry cheese.

"This is white bread from Lisbon, ham from Serrano, and cheese from the Burgundy monastery... It's not lunch yet, so let's eat some simple food first..."

Eleazar introduced with a smile, and also took two bites of each to show safety. The old knight Lorenzo tasted it a few times, and his old face showed satisfaction.

"Oh! Portuguese white wheat bread, Castilian black pig ham, Burgundian goat cheese... Not bad, really good!..."

The young knight Giovanni was stunned, and also rolled ham and cheese, and ate some bread with his hands. These exquisite meals are probably not even affordable for ordinary barons and viscounts, and are even better than what he ate when he followed the Dutch Regent Maximian as a knight squire.

"Hmm? This Jewish merchant who betrayed Jesus... is so rich? It's not simple..."

At this time, the servant Ivan brought a few forks and handed one to the Jewish merchant first, and then to the old knight. The old knight raised his eyebrows, thought for a while, and waved his hand again. Then, Ivan hesitated and looked at the young knight Giovanni.

"Uh... fork? Or?..."

"Hmm? Asking me if I want a fork?..."

Seeing the fork handed over, the young knight Giovanni was stunned, his face changed, and he scolded.

"Damn it! Am I like a cowardly woman, or an old man who can't hold food?... This kind of corrupt and decadent Byzantine stuff, how can it be a tableware for a strong and brave knight?! A real knight should eat with the hand holding the sword! Get out!..."

"Uh... yes!"

Hearing the young knight's scolding, the servant Ivan was a little confused, but still lowered his head and retreated carefully. The Jewish merchant looked at the fork in his hand, embarrassed, and didn't know what to say. As a moneylender, he really didn't know much about the rules of the knights.

As a tableware that first became popular in the Byzantine Empire, the fork was labeled as corrupt and extravagant by the Roman Church as soon as it appeared. Later, this kind of tableware that was too "sissy" was also disliked by the martial knights, who regarded it as weak and powerless. In their view, a real knight should use a knife to cut meat and grab food with his hands. A spoon can only drink soup, and a fork is a sissy! …

Although at this time in the Italian city-states, with the prosperity of business and the emergence of various foods, convenient forks have entered the daily lives of the nobles. But this kind of tableware is still not suitable for formal aristocratic gatherings. Not to mention France, the Holy Roman Empire and Spain, which are still shrouded in the spirit of chivalry. And Giovanni's boyhood happened to be spent next to the "knight model" of the Holy Roman Empire...

"Ahem! Isaac, God is my witness! I came here for two things..."

The old knight Lorenzo coughed lightly, easing the embarrassment of the crowd and talking about the real purpose of this trip.

"The first thing is the supply of spices. With the end of the Peninsular Holy War, the Republic has benefited a lot, and the demand for spices has also increased greatly. However, the spices supplied by the Ottomans are limited and the price is surprisingly high... The parliament sent me here to find a way to get more spices from the southern continent from the Portuguese..."

"The second thing is more important, and it is related to the new route of the Portuguese... The Cruzado 'Crusader' gold coins minted by King Joao are flowing into the market continuously. Although the number of such gold coins is not large at present, the growth momentum is very strong... The members of the parliament are very worried, and they specially appointed me as a representative to investigate this matter..."

"I need clear information! About the gold mine output of the Portuguese in the southern continent, about the number of gold coins they can mint... If it can be arranged, I need to meet with the 'supplier' you know, the Portuguese naval officer who runs to the southern continent, in private!..."