Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 540 Tea Party (Part 1)

The palace gates slowly opened, and Murad walked in.

Murad was astonished by the grandeur of the Abbasid Palace, as it was his first time seeing a Baghdad palace. The interior, unlike the Qulestan Palace, still captivated him. The marble columns in the gardens were topped with carvings of great figures from Iranian history, their heroic deeds depicted below. Cyrus and Darius, emperors of the Achaemenid dynasty, were particularly prominent, their depictions showing the conquest of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and Darius's coronation, respectively.

"Who is this?" Murad asked, pointing to another pillar.

"This is General Surena of Parthia, who once stopped the Roman invasion; this painting depicts his deeds." (Crassus, one of the First Triumvirate, was killed at the Battle of Carrhae.)
In addition, there were Ardashir I, the founder of the Sasanian dynasty; Shapur I, who once captured a Roman emperor; and Khosrow II, who expanded the territory to its greatest extent and once attacked Constantinople. Then there were outstanding rulers from various dynasties, and even Timur.

Besides monarchs, there are also famous figures from various periods of Iranian history. There are poets, doctors, scholars, and even Scheherazade, a character from One Thousand and One Nights who symbolizes wisdom.

"Your Highness, do not keep the Shah waiting too long."

Abdullah added a timely comment, and Murad strode towards his father's room. It was a room that combined Austrian and Iranian styles; perhaps this incompleteness was a sign of their growing civilization.

Naser al-Din had been waiting for a long time. When Murad saw his father whom he hadn't seen for a long time, he quickly went up and hugged him.

"Murad is back. How was it? What did he see in the East?"

“A very good father, I have a lot to say.”

"Oh, then sit down and let's talk. Uncle, come too."

The waiter brought tea and snacks; it had been a long time since he had tasted anything from home. Murad drank the tea and chatted with his father.

"Did you make any new discoveries on this trip to the East?" Naser al-Din asked.

"Yes, I went to Beijing and Shanghai, as well as Edo and Osaka. The scenery in these places is different from Tehran, and their hairstyles are also very strange. Some have braids, while others don't have the middle part."

Murad gestured with his hands as he spoke, making Nasser al-Din laugh out loud.

"This might just be a local custom, but in Iran, this hairstyle is forbidden. It's considered morally corrupt."

"Yes"

Abdullah began his report on the trip. "Shah, the delegation visited 11 cities and secured deals worth 3000 million riyals."

"Ah, your telegram couldn't be clearer. Ten million for the Far East, Japan is providing a loan, are you sure there's no problem?"

Knowing that the Shah would say this, Abdullah blurted out what he had in mind.

"No problem. Japan is now effectively divided into two factions. The Edo side's default on loans has angered our merchants. That's why they support the Kyoto side and have sent representatives to sign the agreement."

A document was presented, "This is the agreement, please review it, Shah."

Naser al-Din took it. This kind of document is made in quadruplicate, written twice in Persian and twice in Japanese, and it only becomes effective after both parties sign it.

"Yes, not only do they need loans, but they also need to visit our country in the future."

Seeing the signatures below: Ito Shunsuke, Inoue Kaoru, Kuroda Kiyotaka—these are all famous figures. And the kanji are beautifully written. "Yes, Shah, according to my observation, war will break out in Japan within a year. And Kyoto will certainly be victorious."

Nasser al-Din asked Abdullah, "Are you that confident?"

"Yes"

Naserdin glanced at his uncle and asked Murad, who was eating, "Murad, do you also think Kyoto will win?"

Murad swallowed the pastry in his mouth and immediately replied, "Father, I also think Kyoto will win."

"Tell me your thoughts!"

"At present, although Edo has begun to change, the anger of the people can no longer be suppressed. The southwestern region, which has the strongest economy, has begun to unite, and no one is willing to relinquish power. This is the root of the problem. As long as this cannot be resolved, war will inevitably break out."

Naserdin was satisfied with this statement, but he went on to add something.

“Not only that,” he continued, looking at Abdullah, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but those Japanese samurai…”

Abdullah replied, “You mean those who carry knives on the streets? They are very disciplined. Every day, all I hear is how to save this country. Especially in Osaka, that kind of talk is constant.”

"That's right, it's them. These people are no ordinary men either. Like European knights, they are loyal to their superiors, yet they worry about the future of their country. It is said that there are two million knights in total."

"Two million?" Murad exclaimed.

"That's right, 200 million! But this is just an estimate; the actual number is still unknown. Right now, the only hope is that we can recover the loans in Japan and stop investing in them."

Naserdin's biggest concern is money; nobody's money grows on trees. He should be more cautious about investing in the Far East in the future.

Naserdin then began to discuss another matter, "How is the health of the King of Ryukyu?"

"He is in excellent health and has brought five children of Ryukyu nobles with him, requesting that Shah allow them to study."

Ryukyu is living a very comfortable life. Its fiscal revenue has skyrocketed, and its military expenditure only needs to cover half the cost of Iranian troops stationed there. Furthermore, it has retained most of its power. It couldn't be more comfortable than this.

"Ah, let them study at Abbas University then. Uncle, please keep an eye on them."

Founded in 1865, Abbas University is a prestigious institution. Its students are mostly Iranian or foreign nobles, or wealthy merchants. It boasts the best faculty and the most severe punishments; discrimination and fighting are strictly prohibited—rules set by the Shah for the university.

"Yes, and the King of Ryukyu also presented a gift."

The gifts the Ryukyu king gave to Naserdin were prepared exactly as they had for the tribute mission to Beijing, including horses, knives, gold and silver wine jugs, gold and silver powder boxes, agate, ivory, conch shells, seaweed, oar fans, gold-painted fans, raw red copper, tin, raw and tanned summer cloth, cowhide, sandalwood, quick-pressing incense, sandalwood, costus root, yellow incense, sappanwood, ebony, pepper, sulfur, and whetstones. There was also a memorial from the Ryukyu king to the Shah.

"Then accept them all; it's his way of showing his appreciation."

"Not only Ryukyu, but the King of Cambodia also sent gifts. He said it was to thank our country for rescuing them from Siam. In addition, the monarchs of Luang Prabang and Vientiane also sent gifts to congratulate Shah on the relocation of the capital."

(End of this chapter)