Chapter 575 Return to Constantinople
A ship slowly sailed into the Golden Horn Bay. The golden elk emblem on a blue background let everyone know that this was the ship of the Mason family.
As a well-known rich man in the Roman Empire, the Mason family had great influence in the business and political circles. Their practices in the colonies have also become a benchmark for businessmen's investment. Whatever they invest in will cause a large amount of money to pour into the industry and cause fierce competition in the market, but Mason can always make money without much loss. This made everyone feel strange.
"Dad, is this Constantinople?"
His daughter Louise was lying on the bow of the ship looking at the city in front of her. Mason walked to her side and picked her up and said, "Yes, this is the Constantinople that Dad often told you. This is Dad's favorite. place."
The scenery of Constantinople is still so beautiful that the world will be fascinated by it. Mason looked at the busy dock and lamented that the place had changed so fast. It was still depressed when he came here, but now it has become active again.
"What are you talking about?"
His wife Antonia came to them with her nursing son in her arms. As the daughter of a director of the East India Company, Mason gained the support of his father-in-law to establish a foothold in India and expand, and his father-in-law also used his fame to improve his career. own position in the business world, which is good for everyone
"It's nothing, it's just that Louise was very curious when she came to Constantinople for the first time."
"That's true. After all, she is staying in Dalmatia. The scenery here is much better than there."
The ship docked, and the Mason family waiting on the dock hurried forward to greet them. Preas began to direct them to carry the luggage.
"Sir, are you going to the palace now?" Preas asked.
"Get ready now. If it's too late, you'll have to do it tomorrow."
After receiving the order, Mason carried the luggage he had brought from Dalmatia one by one. Today he will take his family to Hagia Sophia to ask for God's blessing.
Mason felt that Constantinople had returned to the prosperity of the Justinian period, and its population and commerce had increased much more than before.
"Dad, I want it"
Louise pointed to a shop and said, Mason saw that it turned out to be a shop selling flowers. Planting flowers has become a habit for every household in Constantinople. Some people even live in very small houses, but they will plant flowers and plants in Put it in a special earthen jar on the balcony or indoors to please yourself and others. Later, many people were too busy to go to the wild to collect flowers and plants, so flower shops came into being.
"Okay, daddy will buy you whatever you want. Go pick it up."
Louise pointed to a lot of flowers and said she wanted them, and Mason bought them all. When the boss saw that he was a big customer, he quickly greeted them with a smile and tried his best to sell products to them.
Not only flower shops, but also shops selling jewelry and cosmetics bought things for my wife. Such a large sum of money comes from a strong family background, otherwise no ordinary person would dare to spend such a large sum of money.
Although Antonia and Louise lived in Venice for several years and visited Trieste and other cities, the magnificence of Constantinople could not be compared to them. They were delighted just by the avenue leading to the city under their feet. It was flat and wide. There were deep drainage ditches on both sides of the road and neatly arranged street trees farther away from the drainage ditch. There were also trees under the street trees. Row of white stone monuments.
After entering the inner city, Antonia's first feeling was that she could walk more freely. Pedestrians could walk on the main road in the middle. As long as they did not deliberately block traffic, the patrol team would not cause trouble for them.
There are many shops on both sides of the road: furniture stores, iron shops, cloth shops, pottery shops, cooking utensils shops, pharmacies, butchers, fruit stalls, vegetable stalls, bakeries... There are also some shops that are not found in other cities.
There were so many shops that their eyes were dazzled. But Mason still knows very well that these places are not his goal these days. He will take his family to visit after he finishes work.
Mason came to Hagia Sophia, which is a landmark building in Constantinople. Anyone who comes here must see this cathedral. More and more people are coming here for pilgrimage, and they all want to get God's blessing here.
"God, may you bless the family..."
It is said that the higher a person's status, the more religious he will be. In fact, it is true. Even the emperor prayed in front of the icon every day. Mason respectfully prayed to God to protect his family. From ancient times to the present, many families have disappeared due to cruel struggles. Being able to keep the family going for a long time is already a blessing.
Mason prayed patiently, and his figure was recognized by others. Among them were Prime Minister Listerine and First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Baptiste who came to pray together.
"Sir, why did Mason come to Constantinople? Is His Majesty going to give him a new position?"
Baptiste was a little unclear about the situation. According to regulations, senior officials could not come directly to the capital unless summoned by His Majesty. And Mason's appearance here means that the emperor has summoned him.
"Sometimes I really envy him. He took the risk and went to sea once, but in exchange for the wealth of the entire family."
Listerine was a little sour, but he still admired Mason's courage. It is difficult to find such courage in the world to ride the wind and waves, sail on the sea, break through the fog and find the East, and bring them many benefits.
"Prime Minister, your contribution in handling state affairs is no less than his. In the past few years, you have spent a lot of energy on running the empire, and your contribution is not small."
Baptiste spoke well of Listerin, not only because of his admiration for him, but also because of his desire for the position of prime minister. Listerin has been in poor health recently, and with the recent changes in the international situation, there has been news within the government that the prime minister will resign and go north as a senior official of the Kiev Province. As the first deputy prime minister, Baptiste is very likely to become the next prime minister.
"Don't say that, everyone has advantages, and no one can do everything. Everyone in the world works in a position that suits him, so that order will not be chaotic and the country will be better."
"The prime minister is right."
Mason turned around and saw the two ministers, so he hurried forward to greet them.
"My two lords, what a coincidence, we can meet here. I was supposed to visit the mansion after the emperor summoned me, but I had a lot of things to do at home, so I didn't have time to visit."
Seeing that the other party was respectful, Listerin did not put on airs. "Since it is the emperor's summons, this matter should be given priority. As for the visit, it can be postponed for a few days. It's okay."