Chapter 335 Expanded Wealth

"Your Highness"

"You are here, butler.

Fernando, the butler of the royal treasury, came to Peter. This shrewd Bohemian was appointed as the butler of the treasury for less than a year, but he managed the royal industry in an orderly manner and was able to take out a part for investment or sponsorship while maintaining the royal expenses.

The private treasury is divided into two managements: physical objects and currency. Physical objects include grain, wine, silk, cotton cloth, and luxury goods, which are produced by manors, mines, and handicraft workshops controlled by the royal family, while currency is obvious, which is the direct income of gold and silver coins.

The exquisite goods produced by the handicraft workshops controlled by the royal family are in great demand in European countries, earning a lot of money every year, and the gold coins obtained from the spice trade in the East are used to maintain the daily expenses of the royal family.

Peter asked him to come this time to get the latest situation of the royal finances. After all, these industries only pay a symbolic tax, and there is nothing wrong with allocating a part of the occupied land to serve as royal property. If all the land output in the world is allocated to the royal family, then the treasury will have no money.

"I want to know about the private treasury, tell me. ”

“Yes, sir.”

Fernando reported the royal family’s wealth truthfully: 6 million silver lei, 200,000 gold lei, countless silk, cotton cloth, coffee and other materials, 400 large and small manors, 40 handicraft workshops, 6,000 workers, and 140,000 serfs.

The situation of serfs is the most difficult to identify during the census. Sometimes they are tenant farmers, sometimes they are serfs. In addition, the manor owners will give some gifts to the staff, so a considerable number of serfs are not included in the national population. Therefore, if the census is carried out forcefully, the population should increase.

And these people are called serfs, but they should actually be called royal peasants. Their treatment is better than that of ordinary people. The serfs of the manor are good. As long as they save enough money, they can redeem their freedom. They can continue to rent land and farm here, but they also have to pay taxes to the country.

The royal handicraft industry represents the highest level of national craftsmanship. Most of them are craftsmen captured or hired from other places to produce glass, jewelry, silk, etc. for the royal family.

Peter plans to build a palace on the outskirts of Constantinople to entertain parties. This building must be gorgeous and have all the decorative things attached. This requires long-term investment, which is one of the reasons why Fernando was called here today.

"I plan to build a palace on the outskirts of Constantinople, and you will be responsible for it.

Hearing this request, Fernando almost fainted. "Your Highness, please forgive me for not being able to obey. We can include this place in the plan, but it is really not possible to start construction now."

"I know, I just came to talk to you today."

Peter didn't want to start construction now. It's not enough to build a palace with only royal finances, and the treasury must be used.

To build a large palace, at least 2 million lei is needed. Coincidentally, the wealth obtained from Venice is more than enough, and we just need to wait for the emperor to come back and approve it.

Of course, the royal finances do not represent Peter's own treasury. Even Sophia does not know how much private money her husband has. I am afraid only Peter himself knows.

————Dividing line————

After stabilizing the situation in Temasek, Mason began to look for the basic situation of the Eastern countries. Among them, there is a policy called the Sea Ban, which puzzled him very much. Why do they prohibit people from going to sea?

"Your Excellency does not know that since the establishment of the new dynasty, Emperor Hongwu has stipulated that no piece of board can enter the sea, and no one can go overseas to trade. Otherwise, it is a secret communication with pirates. Not only will they be beheaded and displayed to the public, but the whole family will also be sent to the border guards."

Mason listened to the story of the Seris people who ventured to the South Seas a few years ago, and became more curious about the country called Daming in their mouths. He knew that the country could not issue a sea ban for no reason. Since it was said to be a pirate, he would take the people he captured to Daming to collect the bounty.

The Seres and Romanians get along well with each other. After all, the empire has wiped out the pirates and maintained the local living environment. Mason also said that those who are loyal to the empire can go to Ceylon, India and Aden for trade, which is also to increase local control.

In this way, Mason took the goods produced by the Roman Empire and local spices and decided to go north to the Ming Dynasty to collect the bounty, and by the way, see if the emperor can open the port to trade with the empire.

There are only more than 3,500 Romanians who have gone to the East so far. Among them, Androniko Port accounts for one-third, and the rest are distributed in Aden, India, Ceylon and other places. They have become an important class for the company to rule the local area, followed by the tribes and local governments that have converted to the company. After all, they are for monopoly interests, not direct rule of this place.

Mason's ethnic foreign policy in Southeast Asia is good. Hearing that the governor is going to the East, many envoys intend to go together. Parameswara of Malacca also sent envoys to go. He intends to get rid of Siam's vassal status and gain independence.

Some ships carrying goods have begun to return to Aden for sale, and they also bring letters and news from the governor, so that he doesn't have to go to court.

In Temasek, a fortress has been planned and built. Some people want to live a better life and directly convert to Orthodox Christianity, and also imitate the living habits and culture of the Romanians. Except for their appearance and skin color, they are no different from Romanians.

The Romanian colony at the top of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait now has a different look. The shipyards and artillery factories in Aden are running at full capacity, and the natural saltpeter that can be purchased from India directly saves them from the trouble of insufficient gunpowder raw materials. Arabs who have converted to Orthodox Christianity enter the factory to work. Even if their salary is one-third less than that of Romanians, it is enough to live.

Colonial officials don't understand why Caesar repeatedly ordered not to over-exploit the local people. Obviously, this is the fastest way to get money and raw materials.

The immigration department of the East India Company began to look for people in the slums in the city, telling them that there is a chance to get rich overnight in the East, which makes the poor feel that good luck has come.

They were loaded onto ships and went all the way to Egypt. They had to walk dozens of kilometers to transfer to the next ship to the East. Some people came with their families. It should be said that the current immigration is still humane. There is a pharmacist on the ship, otherwise the mortality rate would be high.

When they first immigrated to Andronikos, many people died due to acclimatization. Now they have finally recovered and are expanding. The surrounding "unowned land" is a gift from God. They must protect it well, otherwise they will be sorry to God.