Planned Events (2)

While Hasna and Kasim stayed in France, the alliance procedures between the two countries progressed rapidly.

The Habsburgs were forcing a treaty that required them to abandon not just the war-torn Milan but also Flanders and Burgundy, and this pressure was mounting day by day.

For France, shedding this pressure required the help of the Ottoman Empire, and the Ottomans needed to check the expansion of the Habsburgs, so their goals were aligned.

One day, suddenly, François II began actively pushing for an alliance, and with Kasim, a decision-maker from the Ottomans, present, it would be odd for the alliance process to lag behind.

In the midst of quick negotiations, there were several meetings between François II and Hasna.

“Do you drink this? You might want to add some sugar.”

“How could I? It smells good.”

François tried to drink the coffee nonchalantly, while Hasna added sugar to her cup.

Feeling a subtle sense of betrayal from his gaze, Hasna smiled.

“I prefer to add some. Would you like some?”

“…Please.”

François stared longingly at the spoon swirling smoothly in his cup, and when Hasna withdrew her hand, he looked disappointed.

Unlike the bitter coffee he had earlier, this one with a hint of sweetness made him fondly stroke his cup.

“It’s good. It’s hard to enjoy it sweetened. My father doesn’t particularly like it.”

“Why is that?”

“He’s not a fan of needless luxuries. Isn’t sugar expensive?”

At Hasna’s words, François looked as if he couldn’t comprehend.

Sugar was more expensive than the same weight in gold, and 1.5 kg of sugar could buy a calf.

Beyond being just a spice, sugar was considered a panacea, reserved for kings and nobles, yet the rising Ottoman royalty shouldn’t have to preserve it as if it were a treasure.

“With just one spoonful of sugar added, another subject who might starve today could be saved. In the end, it’s the subjects at the bottom who suffer because of the king’s indulgences. Isn’t that something you wouldn’t want?”

“I think so too.”

He agreed out of youthful impulsiveness, but it was difficult for François, raised to believe that commoners should naturally sacrifice for the nobility, to understand.

“You’re wise; one day you’ll come to understand. Looks like it’s about time.”

Stealing a glance at the waiting Kasim behind him, François asked in a defeated tone.

“Can’t we stay a bit longer?”

“I’m sorry. We’ve already spent quite a bit of time here. We need to move before the season makes it hard to leave.”

“When will we meet again?”

In response to his eager gaze, Hasna made a gesture of courtesy.

“If you lead France well as a good king, won’t there be a day we meet again? Until next time.”

Unable to stop her, François accompanied Hasna to where the Ottoman delegation, already ready to depart, was.

Only a few thousand, including the ambassador and escort, remained, and the procession ready to leave was met by the nobles who had made friendly ties.

Exchanging light greetings, Kasim sighed as he sat in the carriage, facing the ample behind of his seat.

“How much have you eaten like a pig here?”

-Cough!

The well-fed lion wagged its tail, bumping against Kasim.

As the carriage set off, Kasim playfully said to Hasna, who was comfortably leaning against the lion.

“I heard you telling a fun story earlier? Didn’t your father say he dislikes putting sugar because it ruins the taste of the coffee?”

“Oh my, really? I didn’t know that.”

Of course, she knew. No one had more interest in Yusuf’s affairs than Hasna.

Laughing playfully, Hasna removed her frustrating veil and revealed the face that had captivated François at once.

“It was a little white lie made in the spirit of wishing you’d be a good king. Surely, Allah would forgive such a small thing.”

“Well, let’s settle for that. So, did you achieve your goals?”

“We created many memories together.”

Listening to the Ottoman military band’s music with the nobles, gifting a book capturing the life of her father, Yusuf, and enjoying coffee together.

It was closer to promoting Ottoman culture than making memories.

“It seemed like you were after charming the king, as if you were trying to marry him.”

“Marriage? You know that doesn’t make sense. I don’t desire it either.”

Crossing the religious divide wouldn’t be easy.

Even a cardinal intervened in the governance on behalf of the still immature François II, so the arrival of a pagan queen could shake the country.

Of course, it might be possible if she converted, but for the Ottomans, there was no reason to convert and marry off a princess.

Hasna gently stroked the lion’s forehead, which was rubbing against her.

“Just leaving memories of a first love is enough. Wouldn’t you develop fondness for the culture of the empire I belong to?”

“The culture favored by the king may become popular, but I pity the French king.”

How did he ever encounter a woman who knew how to make the most of her strengths?

It was hard not to feel pity for the boy yearning for an unachievable love, Kasim said.

“You should’ve stayed a little longer. Wouldn’t the results have been good?”

Trends were starting to sprout around the Parisian nobility, and if they stayed a few more months, it would have taken a more solid hold.

But Hasna insisted on leaving within the scheduled time, and when asked about it, she spoke up.

“It was my father’s command. New chaos could arise, so he told me not to exceed the scheduled time.”

Kasim looked puzzled at this statement.

The chaos in the West was due to the war between France and the Habsburgs, and it was only a matter of time before the two made a treaty.

Many expected peace would come soon, but if it weren’t for Yusuf, that comment would’ve been ignored.

“You’ve come all the way to France with difficulty, yet you still don’t understand. What does your father see in the world?”

Hasna stroked the lion’s neck, smiling brightly.

*

Yusuf stroked his beard as he looked at the collected taxes.

After the Mamluk campaigns, tax revenue that had been stagnant surged with the opening of the canal, meaning more people were profiting from Eastern trade.

‘The trade situations in historical Europe and the Ottoman Empire are no different.’

The ultimate consumer destination for Eastern trade goods, including spices, was Europe.

It would be fine if there were goods to sell, but if a trade imbalance occurred like during the Opium Wars, one side would suffer massive losses.

However, the Ottomans operated as intermediaries connecting Europe and Eastern countries, allowing some freedom from damage caused by imbalances.

Regardless, wealth would continue to accumulate, and how to utilize it was key.

“In the end, it’s a matter of luxury.”

It was not trivial, as one of the reasons for the Ottoman decline in history was the culture of excess.

The Ottomans loved the tulip, which bowed its head when flowers bloomed, seeing it as a symbol of humility, and written in Arabic, its letters closely resembled the word for ‘god’ — thus called the flower of the divine.

The problem was they imported luxury goods like tulips, leading to massive waste, and this era was dubbed the Tulip Era.

If proper preparations weren’t made, this culture of excess could resurface over time.

“Shamsi, do you think you can buy honor with money?”

“I believe so. Can’t one elevate their honor by giving? Or, they could flaunt themselves with luxury.”

“Many choose the latter more than the former.”

Appropriate luxury is indeed needed, but it is true that for a state, the former is more desirable.

“I’ll trade honor to lead the subjects down the right path.”

“What do you intend to do?”

Yusuf took out a wooden token from his pocket.

This was a kind of identification he had issued while bestowing surnames upon the subjects.

“How about marking those who perform charity on this identification? From providing food to the poor to supporting talented children, it will be publicly recorded.”

“A new task, huh?”

Someone would need to evaluate and supervise this too, so new manpower would be used.

Still, in the long run, it was a good制度. There were sponsorship programs, so those with talent but no opportunity to study could seize a chance.

“I plan to invite those who have proven their honor every five years to meet me directly at the palace.”

Thinking about how great an honor it would be to meet the Padishah himself would provide strong motivation.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely desirable to buy honor with money. Many wouldn’t give out of pure intentions.

‘But even those with mixed motives to give are better than those who wouldn’t donate a penny out of pure intentions.’

Shamsi agreed with this sentiment.

“In order not to drop off the list every five years, they won’t be able to stop supporting.”

“That’s right. It’s good for me too, as it provides an opportunity to hear from those across the empire.”

Although he obtained extensive information about the empire through the intelligence agency run by Hasan, having more channels to communicate with people of different classes was better.

Only then could the country be led more balanced.

‘I’m sure those who succeed me will need it even more than I will.’

The princes, as talented as they were, had their flaws.

“I share my thoughts. Refine this policy once.”

“…I thought you had prepared this to some extent since you brought it up.”

“With talents like you around, why should I worry any more than this? I expect good results.”

At Yusuf’s shameless remark, Shamsi inwardly held back a sigh.

Given the topic that came up, it was no surprise at all.

Taking a sip of coffee, Yusuf asked Shamsi.

“The Habsburgs must have become aware of our alliance with France by now.”

“They likely have.”

For Charles V, it must have been a sudden situation.

With the war dragging on, they couldn’t even adequately compensate the mercenaries they hired, and now they found themselves in a situation where they couldn’t extract large reparations from the defeated France.

“They say a rebellion against the Duke of Milan has occurred in Milan, and Venice is devastated by the ongoing war.”

That meant all the countries were battered by the continued conflict.

Given that the Habsburgs couldn’t even pay the mercenaries properly, their situation might actually be the best.

After all, the army wasn’t being disbanded and remained intact.

“For the Habsburgs, they would have to either absorb the damage and disband the army or go berserk after finding a new objective.”

“They’ll surely act if a suitable justification arises.”

Even if Yusuf’s intervention had turned many aspects of history on its head, there hadn’t been enough time to significantly affect the aristocracy and royals leading the war.

Like Ruyos II following the course of history, the desires and actions were likely to follow the original history.

As Shamsi and Yusuf were engaging in light conversation, a voice announcing a new guest came through.

-Your Highness, Pasha Hasan Shaytan Pal has arrived.

“Let him in.”

With Yusuf’s permission, Hasan entered and offered his respects.

The unexpected visit without prior notice indicated that something significant had occurred, and this guess was indeed correct.

“Pope Hadrian VI has died, Your Highness.”

At the news of the death of Hadrian, who had directly supported the Reformation, Yusuf smiled broadly.

“Did the cardinals move after all?”

“Yes, they did.”

The tension between the Italian cardinals, eager not to lose their interests, had escalated, leading to the pope’s assassination once the war was wrapping up.

Of course, in the stronger Papal States, the pope’s death would be officially announced as a natural passing.

“It wouldn’t do to let the noble soul who died doing good deeds slip away this easily. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Indeed, we’re already taking action.”

*

Upon hearing the news of the pope’s death, the citizens of Rome rejoiced, calling the deceased a barbaric pope.

Having been the pope for longer than expected, bringing discomfort to the people of Rome, there were even those throwing parties.

As the atmosphere turned festive over one man’s death, a rumor swiftly spread throughout Italy.

-The pope was assassinated by the cardinals.

Since the emotions between the two were a well-known fact, this news spread even faster and reached the ears of the Habsburg troops, who were now aimless.

With the pope’s passing, who had also been Charles V’s tutor, the Habsburg army made their proclamation regarding the Papal States.

-We will ascertain the cause of the pope’s passing.

The seeds of a new war had begun to sprout.