When Chongzhen left the room, Sarmento had not yet understood what the young Chinese emperor meant by letting him personally make the right choice.

Although he personally had a very good opinion of the Ming Emperor, if Chongzhen was a Portuguese prince or if he was a Chinese, he was more than willing to swear allegiance to His Majesty.

But as a Portuguese merchant, he was unable to make any promises to Chongzhen. After all, to pledge allegiance to a foreign monarch would bring him to the ground and deprive him of everything he now has.

What's more, although China is a powerful country, it is thousands of miles away from Europe, and it cannot shelter his family at home. Yes, he didn't think he would have any choice at all.

However, he soon realized that he was wrong, and the day after his meeting with the emperor, he received an invitation from Petro, a member of the Macau City Council, with the simple words that it was a gathering of Portuguese people from abroad.

The rally will take place three days later, on August 1. The meeting place is a newly built Catholic church in Wangfujing, which is a church donated by Catholics in Macao, and it is also the place where Macao businessmen will temporarily live and meet after entering Beijing.

Sammento brought several Goan businessmen who had come to the capital with him, hoping to take the opportunity to exchange with Portuguese businessmen in Macau to see if they could restore the trust of the Chinese in them.

Although the new church retains the European pointed roof, the podium adopts a Chinese-style enclosure, and a small square is built in front of the church.

The plaza is ground with dismantled bricks, and protruding flower beds are erected around it to prevent vehicles from entering. There are also several benches on the side of the flower beds for resting, and against the backdrop of greenery and flowers, the church is not majestic, but it is extremely quiet.

After getting out of the carriage, Samento fell in love with the church at first sight, and he said to Sabrosa, a Goan merchant next to him, "This church is so beautiful." I felt that I should build such a church in Goa as well as a personal church for our family. Such an elegant building is sure to excite the priests of Goa. ”

Sabrosa glanced at the exterior wall made entirely of red bricks and the green glazed roof, and subconsciously shook his head and said, "Only you can build such a church." The Archbishop of Goa will definitely nominate you as the next Goan Councillor because of your generosity. ”

Shaking his hand rather reservedly, Samento said: "It is entirely out of my devotion to God, and I did not expect anything in return. ”

Several Goan businessmen who followed him immediately praised Sarmento's modesty and piety. While they were talking eagerly, Pietro, a member of the Macau Council, had already received the news and came out of the main entrance of the church to greet the Sammento.

From the square to the interior of the church, there are three long steps, and it is the presence of these three steps that makes the church the most striking center of the square.

Sarmento, who was walking side by side with Petro, briefly exchanged a few words with the Macao congressman, and then casually asked about the content of today's rally.

Pietro, who was walking on the steps, quickly glanced at the Samento beside him, then kept a smile and said, "Mr. Samento, what is the content of today's meeting?" As soon as you walk through the door of the church, you will understand, so I will not talk much. Allow me to maintain a little mystery for the time being. ”

Sadto was confused by Petro's claims. But the door of the church was in front of him, and he didn't bother to ask any further.

When Sarmento walked through the doors of the church, he realized that compared to the exterior of the church, it was still very spacious inside. When he entered the door, he saw that this church, which was large enough to accommodate hundreds of people, had only gathered nearly a hundred people today.

The church faces north and south, with two rows of plastered columns in the middle, dividing the space into three parts. Between the pillars are aisles, and on either side of the pillars are seats. At the very front is a high pulpit, and behind the pulpit is a cross erected.

Today, however, the seats and other facilities in front of the podium were removed, and a pair of cushions made of brocade were placed in front of the podium, and the people who had arrived stood on the east and west sides, but instead of talking loudly, they kept looking at the small door in front of them, as if waiting for someone.

When Samento was about to say something, Pietro, who was standing beside him, suddenly said to him: "It's almost time, please come with me to the table." ”

After Pietro finished speaking, he strode towards the middle aisle, and Sarmento and several others subconsciously followed. They had just found a place at the front of the crowd on the east side when they heard a melodious bell. When the bell stopped, the small east door opened.

An extremely young woman, dressed in a rich silk robe, stepped out under the escort of four Portuguese men in ceremonial robes and four Portuguese officers.

Sarmento looked at the four Portuguese men in front of him, and quickly recognized the Governor of Macau, Antonio, the Speaker of the Parliament of Macau, and the two prestigious members of Macau, and he couldn't help but look at Petro beside him in a daze and asked, "Bishop Antonio, what are they doing here?" Who is the woman among them? ”

Samento, in shock, did not lower his voice, and when the woman walked out, the people standing in the church began to applaud enthusiastically, so that his questioning did not go far.

After Petro applauded the woman, he took advantage of the pause in the applause and whispered to the people of Sarmento: "That is the daughter of Crown Prince Antonio, Princess Isabella." Today is the day of Princess Isabella's accession to the throne and the restoration of the Kingdom of Portugal.

From this day onwards, the Portuguese of Macau will show their allegiance to Queen Isabella and re-establish the great and glorious Avish dynasty under her leadership. ”

Samento looked at Pietro, who was quite emotional next to him, in surprise, and he couldn't help but lower his voice and said, "You must not be serious, right?" With the strength of the Portuguese in Macau, you can't even occupy the city of Malacca.

This must have been a conspiracy by His Majesty the Emperor, who put a woman of unknown origin on the throne of Portugal, and must have wanted to annex the Kingdom of Portugal.

Do you want a pagan emperor to rule Portugal? You are betraying the people of Portugal, and I advise you to stop at the precipice now and not to become traitors who are spurned by the Kingdom. ”

In response to Sarmento's fierce accusations, Pietro calmly replied: "No, this is not a betrayal. This is the great salvation and the people will thank us for saving them from the cruelty of the Spaniards.

Princess Isabella has a very innocent origin, and she has the ring of Crown Prince Antonio as a token. It was we who found Her Royal Highness, not the Emperor who found her.

His Majesty the Emperor will be engaged to Her Majesty the Queen in three days, and they will be married in a year's time. The city of Malacca and Chittagong will become the queen's dowry, while the Kingdom of Portugal will keep the other overseas colonies.

His Majesty the Emperor has promised not to annex the Kingdom of Portugal, and the throne of Portugal will be inherited by the Queen and His Majesty's heirs. The distance between Europe and China will be sufficient to ensure that His Majesty's commitment will not change. The noblest blood of the East will be infused into the Aveish dynasty, and the Kingdom of Portugal will win its glorious independence. ”

Sarmento stared into Pietro's eyes and sighed, "You are simply crazy, do you think that the Spaniards will watch you raise the banner of restoration in the East and do nothing?" It's only a week's flight from Manila to Macau. ”

A somewhat mocking smile appeared on Pietro's face, "Spaniards? They can't even cope with the Dutch and the British, do they dare to provoke a war far away in Asia?

The Chinese have not forgotten the massacre of the Chinese in Manila decades ago. If they provoke this war, they will surely lose their foothold in Asia.

Think about it, Mr. Sarmento. The Spaniards scavenged so much wealth from the Portuguese, but when did they protect the interests of the Portuguese.

Where were the Spaniards when the Dutch wantonly intercepted our merchant ships in Southeast Asia, and the British attacked our merchant ships in the Indian Ocean?

Since the annexation of the kingdom by the Spaniards, Portugal's power abroad has been weakened, and if we do not fight hard, I am afraid that it will be difficult to see Portuguese ships on this sea. ”

Pietro's words made it difficult for Sarmento to refute for a moment, and Sabrosa, a Goan merchant beside him, could not help but say in a loud voice: "Monsieur Pietro, we hate the high taxes imposed by the Spaniards as much as you do.

But have you ever considered that once the flag of restoration is raised, the ports of the overseas colonies that are subject to the King of Spain will be closed to you?

Without trade, how can you raise the funds for the restoration of the country? Is His Majesty the Emperor willing to support this restoration movement at his own expense? As far as we know, His Majesty the Emperor is not in a very good situation right now. ”

Petro glanced at Sabrosa before he smiled and said, "Mr. Sabrosa, you seem to have mistaken one thing, it is now the European countries that need goods produced in China, not the other way around.

If the Spaniards cut off trade with Macao, they would have to get Chinese goods from middlemen at higher prices. Do you think that the Spanish merchants of Manila would be so patriotic? ”

With Sabrosa's interruption, Samento finally came to his senses, and he calmly asked Pietro, "If we don't pledge allegiance to Princess Isabella today and join you, then you will be in the future... No, it should be how His Majesty the Emperor will treat us? ”

Pietro thought for a moment before saying, "Since Macao has become the base for the restoration of the Kingdom of Portugal, we will not recognize all the orders of the King of Spain to the Kingdom of Portugal.

For example, the King of Spain sold monopoly power over various trade routes, especially those related to Macao. When the queen ascends the throne, she will form a royal government, abolish the monopoly power of all trade routes, and establish a standard tax rate for all goods..."