Chapter 609: Crawley

Amid the elegant, melodious piano music, Crawley raised his fork and forcefully swallowed a piece of glossy red poultry. "The roast goose is delicious, and the music is wonderful too, Your Excellency. Is this an Eastern harpsichord? What is the piece called?"

"It's an instrument called the piano, and this piece is 'Fur Elise.'"

"Oh, Elise must have been a beautiful girl. It would suit certain operas very well. So, may I obtain a copy of the score? Also, this request might be a bit presumptuous, but I would like to meet the Great Master composer."

Li Hao smiled and shook his head. "The Great Master Beethoven passed away many years ago; you cannot meet him. The score is no problem—I can personally gift you a copy."

"Thank you for your generosity. You know, given my past experiences, collecting musical scores is an occupational hazard."

"Understood." Li Hao nodded. "You are a refined gentleman of the upper class."

Crawley grinned, raising his glass filled with red liquid. "I am so pleased to hear such beautiful music in the East; I feel as if I've returned home. Let us raise a glass to the great Earl and to great music."

The pleasant lunch lasted for a long time. During this period, host and guest conversed, and the atmosphere was excellent. Finally, when they had eaten and drunk their fill, Li Hao called for the meal to be cleared away and had some fruits, tea, and digestives laid out again.

Crawley had prepared himself mentally before coming today, so now he remained perfectly composed, eating when there was food and drinking when there was drink, following the host's rhythm in all things.

Li Hao, for his part, was equally steady as a mountain, continuing to chat with his guest after the meal. After another while, once the effects of the red wine they had drunk earlier subsided, Li Hao clapped his hands. "Allow me to treat you to tea."

Li Hao immediately added, "I know the tastes of Europeans; today I'll treat you to black tea."

As the clap faded, two servants pushed the door open and entered.

These two servants were very special; they not only had Western faces but were also dressed in magnificent court attire.

"Whoa." Crawley let out a low exclamation. He was indeed a bit surprised to see the familiar court maids he knew so well here in the distant East.

Looking more closely, Crawley felt relieved: the two maids clearly had Lusitania Peninsula ancestry. Like his own temporary servants at the Shang Hall, they were probably native-born white Portuguese girls recruited from Macau.

After entering, the girls curtsied slightly in greeting, then sat on low stools before the tea table and began handling the tea set. Only then did Crawley notice the items in their hands.

These were two tea sets of different materials. One was a redwood set with porcelain bowls; the other was a full porcelain set in vivid, magnificent red and gold, tailored to European tastes.

Crawley was no stranger to this. Over the past half-year of "investigation," Crawley had visited the homes of many Ming people. This included not only local officials but also gentry and even commoners.

In these households, Crawley had seen all kinds of traditional Eastern tea sets and tasted various teas.

Yet now, the British man was already beginning to wonder. He did not think his current status warranted such grand treatment from the host, even if he and Li Hao got along very well and could be considered good friends—specially purchasing and training two white girls skilled in tea ceremony just to serve him?

They hadn't drunk much red wine at lunch, so Crawley's intellect was still fully online.

Therefore, if he himself didn't qualify, there must be something behind this hospitality that exceeded normal protocol.

Before Crawley could ponder further, after a series of dazzling, elegant, and rhythmically graceful movements, the two maids brought over the freshly brewed kung fu tea.

"Please." Li Hao gestured.

Crawley hurriedly imitated the host, lifting the teacup with one hand, touching it lightly to his lips, and then drinking it down.

"Please, more tea." After one cup was down, Li Hao soon gestured for a second.

And so it went for three cups, completing the first round of tea serving.

"This tea is Zhengshan tea from Fujian." Setting down his cup, Li Hao said slowly in English, "The tea ceremony performed by these two girls is a modified version based on traditional Chinese tea ceremony."

Crossing his legs and leaning back into the sofa, Li Hao wore a faint smile and said, seemingly casually, "Of course, this will also be the only officially designated standard kung fu tea procedure going forward. Crawley, do you understand what I mean?"

It was simply another manifestation of authority; Crawley, born of the Nobility, understood perfectly. "This can quickly quell disputes and establish authority."

"Another cup, with milk." Li Hao gestured to the maid while pointing at Crawley. "Heh, I knew you'd understand."

Soon, the milk tea was brought before Crawley.

The clear tea tasted in the first round had been served in cups only the size of a walnut, containing very little liquid. This time, picking up the large cup of black tea with milk and sugar, Crawley finished it quickly.

"How does the milk tea taste?"

As far as Crawley's personal feeling went, the black tea with milk and white sugar seemed to suit his palate a bit better. He raised his thumb. "The flavor is excellent! A miraculous beverage, just as wonderful as coffee!"

"Crawley, you've overlooked one of tea's greatest advantages."

Li Hao's expression suddenly turned somewhat serious. "For the European Nobility, whose diet is heavy in meat and who still eat boiled fruit, tea is the finest beverage because it aids in digesting meat. This is something coffee, which only has a stimulating effect, cannot match."

"And this unique function represents boundless wealth!"

Seeing Crawley's expression suddenly freeze, Li Hao knew the crucial moment had arrived. He leaned forward, clasped his hands, and stared intently into Crawley's eyes. "So, my friend, would you be willing to promote this fine Commodity, black tea, across the continent of Europe?"

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In fact, as early as 0 years before the Transmigrator appeared, black tea had already circulated to Europe aboard the merchant ships of the Dutch and the Franciscans.

However, unlike Porcelain, Europeans did not immediately discover the wonders of this plant leaf. Consequently, along with other strange plants collected from around the world, tea ultimately appeared in Dutch pharmacies as a type of medicine.

This situation of slow, spontaneous market promotion continued until several decades later, in the year 166.

At that time, the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza married Charles II of England, and her dowry included one pound of Zhengshan black tea and some exquisite Chinese tea sets.

After this, Catherine frequently held court tea gatherings with noblewomen, and people finally recognized the benefits of this miraculous plant. First, the noble class began to accept tea, then commoners followed suit, and ultimately tea swept across the entire European continent.

This trend endured without fading, even persisting until the Opium War centuries later—tea became a trigger for war. In the 19th century, tea consumption accounted for 5% of British household income, and the Qing dynasty's tea trade with Britain yielded a large annual surplus.

In this plane, however, the Transmigrator naturally would not sit idly by for decades waiting for Princess Catherine to marry. Possessing the rich marketing experience of Later Generations, the Transmigrator had, in fact, long since formulated various plans targeting the tea trade.

The main reason these plans had never been launched was the lack of a reliable distributor.

Until half a year ago, when Li Hao encountered Mr. Robert Crowley in Annam. And so, the plan was slowly set into motion.

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"Ah!" Although he had faintly guessed as much earlier, when Li Hao formally stated it, Crawley was still caught off guard. "Of course not—ah, no, I mean, I am willing to represent any of your Commodities—no, sorry, my dear, forgive me, I'm a bit flustered at the moment. The truth is, my Knowledge of tea as a Commodity is not very deep. Please forgive me, I mean, I may need some time to investigate the market and make some preparations."

Crawley's flustered behavior was perfectly normal in Li Hao's eyes. To this day, no merchant could remain composed in the face of an exclusive agency offered by the Ministry of Commerce, for everyone knew it meant boundless gold coins.

"Okay, okay, I understand how you feel."

Li Hao extended his hand, palm down, and said slowly, "My friend, please stay calm. There's no need to think further right now. You only need to answer me: are you willing to serve as the general agent for Oriental Black Tea in Europe?"

In those few sentences, Crawley had already grasped the situation: the fundamental issue wasn't what the Commodity was. Given his current personal capital, whether Li Hao gave him the agency rights for black tea, for iron nails, or even for a pile of rubbish in the corner, he had absolutely no room to bargain.

Realizing this in an instant, Crawley's face flushed red, and he could no longer hide the excitement in his eyes. Without any hesitation, he said, "My friend, I am more than happy to promote the great Commodity of black tea to Europe."

"Very good."

Li Hao nodded, stood up, and picked up a pre-prepared agent's copper plaque from a nearby desk. He solemnly handed it over. "Mr. Robert Crowley, after a long period of investigation and contact, my colleagues and I have unanimously determined that you are the person we have been looking for. Now, on behalf of the Ministry of Commerce, I formally designate you as the general agent for Chinese-produced black tea in Europe."

The grand and momentous agency ceremony was thus completed in a simple exchange. At this moment, the lucky Mr. Crawley, who had been struck by this windfall, could never have imagined the enormous profits this seemingly unremarkable Commodity would generate in the future, nor the glory it would bring to him personally and to his family.

Of course, a towering building rises from the ground. Mr. Crawley obtaining the black tea agency qualification today was only the First Step. In this transaction, the only thing the Transmigrator valued was Mr. Crawley's noble background and noble refinement—these fundamental Capabilities would help Mr. Crawley swiftly penetrate European high society in his black tea promotion endeavors.

That is to say, Mr. Crawley is not actually a qualified agent right now — at least not in the eyes of a Transmigrator, a qualified agent with Later Generations capabilities: Mr. Crawley lacks capital, lacks marketing experience and ideas, and most importantly, lacks the relevant knowledge.

So the next step, first of all, is the agent training provided by the manufacturer.