Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore was built in 1296. More than a century later, the main structure of the building has been completed. The church held a consecration ceremony for the church, marking its normal use.
On the day of the ceremony, Phil came to the church in advance and chatted and socialized with many guests.
Cosimo·Medici walked over from the crowd in the corner, "Phil, I haven't seen you for a long time, and finally I see you again."
Today, Cosimo is in his sixties and still full of energy. As always, he wears a red velvet robe and a red soft hat. The most eye-catching thing is the family's iconic hooked nose.
The sunlight penetrated the stained glass window high up and cast colored beams of light behind him, giving people an extremely awkward feeling.
After the death of Giulio, Medici is the main competitor of Di Maggio. Once Pauli dies, he will be the biggest beneficiary.
However, Phil's subconscious told him that Cosimo did not plan this incident.
"It's really strange. Why do I have such thoughts?"
Phil was stunned for a moment, and continued to chat with Cosimo. The topic ranged from the situation in the city to the Eastern Roman Empire's Trade bill, and then to the newspaper's "conquer North Africa" initiative.
At nine o'clock in the morning, the ceremony was about to begin. Phil came to the seat where his brother had been. The choir began to sing hymns, candles and incense were lit on the altar, and clergy in gorgeous vestments performed all aspects of the mass in sequence.
The ceremony ended an hour later, and Phil continued to chat with relevant people, including the leaders of large families such as Albizzi and Auditore, as well as important guild members.
As the conversation continued, he had more and more doubts in his heart. He felt that everyone was suspicious, but he did not dare to make hasty conclusions.
"Who is the murderer? How did Pauli guess it? What is his follow-up plan? From his tone, it sounds like he is planning something big."
Near noon, Phil collected enough information and then came to the Silk Guild to handle the matter.
Silk Guild is one of the seven major guilds, Phil has held key positions for a long time, and Di Maggio basically controls this organization.
Pauli holds the position of the Bankers' Guild, and Di Maggio and Medici have been competing for control of the guild for a long time. With the assassination of Pauli, the balance of power of the Bankers' Guild gradually shifted to Medici's side.
At the same time, the Di Maggio family has a certain influence on the Wool Guild, Guild of Doctors and Apothecaries, and the blacksmiths and Linen Guild below.
Since Pauli was huddled in the bedroom and saw no outsiders, the eldest nephew Martin·Di Maggio had little experience, so most of the affairs fell on Phil.
The current situation is sensitive, Phil feels that work is more tiring than usual, and he needs to win over more people and get information from them.
However, the information provided by the outside world is not necessarily accurate and must be carefully screened to prevent it from being used by some people.
Sometimes, Phil doubts whether Pauli's plan can succeed.
People's hearts are too complicated, and some allies may seem to be close friends, but the next day they may turn against each other and stand in the hostile camp.
Even if Pauli's plan succeeds, can we defeat the murderer and suppress the remaining competitors at the same time, so that we can return to the previous situation?
In the past, Florence relied on the Eastern Roman Empire's vast market and made money in most industries, so his father could control the political situation without causing public resentment.
Now that Eastern Roman Empire's local industry and commerce are developing, Florence's industry is being squeezed. It is no longer easy to make money as before, and Pauli's governance has become more difficult.
"My brother wants to regain power, but also wants to avoid war. After seizing power, he still has to find ways to maintain power. It's like a juggler performing a high-altitude rope walk. The risk is too high."
In mid-September, Blachernae Palace.
Vitus received the message from Florence and sighed to the crown prince:
"Your uncle's personality is the same as my grandfather's. He is good at doing business and observing people's emotions, but he lacks decision-making and is undecided about certain things. Oh, if it were me..."
Romanus: "My uncle feels that if Rome sends troops, Di Maggio family will become a vassal after the war. If they solve the problem independently, they can maintain their autonomy and continue to be our allies.
Over the years, after France took over Genoa, it collected taxes twice a year, as if treating the city like a sheep and shearing its sheep regularly. Florence was worried about falling into the same situation and becoming Eastern Roman Empire's sheep."
Regarding Di Maggio's decision, Vitus can only let nature take its course and hope that the other party will resolve the internal conflict as soon as possible.
It was the harvest season, Vitus left official duties to the crown prince and Cabinet, and went out of the city to observe the farming in the suburbs in person.
After the Thrace war, Constantinople experienced twenty years of peace, the population grew, and houses in the suburbs gradually became denser. Central Administration strictly ordered people not to build houses near the city wall, so they built houses and factories outside the boundaries to avoid the high land prices in the city.
Vitus The group of people rode west along the main road and rode for a long time. The view on both sides of the road became wider, but it was not the endless golden wheat fields.
Farmers in the suburbs have switched to planting cash crops, and the land has been divided into many gardens. The most common one is Vineyard, with low grapevines climbing on the wooden frame, the leaves have faded from their dark green, and strings of dark purple fruits are hanging heavily.
Vitus sighed, "Grapes, figs, cabbage, leeks, garlic, onions, peas... don't you have a large wheat field?"
Constantinople, Adrian, Bursa These cities are prosperous in business and have cultivated a huge citizen class.
The higher consumption level of citizens has prompted farmers in the suburbs to switch to cash crops. The results are:
Thrace, Bithynia and Agricultural Tax increased, but the increased share came from cash crops. The output of cereals remained stable, and even declined slightly in some years.
At ten o'clock in the morning, Vitus reined in the reins and dismounted to observe Barley on the side of the road. Normal ears of wheat should be plump and heavy, uniformly golden in color, but the current wheat ears always feel insufficient in weight when held in the palm of the hand.
"Last year drought reduced production, and this year it's like this again. It's really a headache."
Vitus looked at the farmers harvesting wheat and vaguely heard some complaints and curses.
At this moment, he was thankful that Di Maggio family did not start a war. If Italian Wars were detonated, the local food reserves would be limited and he could only adjust food from Egypt.
The supply of military rations for 100,000 soldiers is not a small amount. Egypt's inventory is limited. If so much food is temporarily collected from the private sector, the local situation, which was finally stable, will be unstable.
Two hours later, Vitus returned to the palace for dinner. When he was about to take a nap, he asked Pelato:
"What else is important today?"
"Governor Tucha of Epirus has returned to Constantinople and is reporting on his work at the Administrative Department. You said you would summon him in person."
Vitus was lying on the armchair behind the desk, yawning and said, "Let him come over to see me in the afternoon."
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Tucha came to Garden of the Blachernae Palace.
I remember that he had been here many years ago, but he didn't expect that the layout of Garden was the same as before, except that some flower types were changed.
"When passing by Macedonia, I visited the country mansion left behind by Demetrius. The Garden there was much more beautiful than the Garden in the palace."
Soon, Tucha saw the emperor in a pavilion.
The other party was leaning back in the chair with his eyes closed and concentrating. His temples were slightly white. He was not wearing purple clothes or extra accessories. He was only wearing a simple light gray robe. This appearance and temperament reminded Tucha of a hermit in the countryside or a Steppe shaman.
The next moment, the emperor opened his eyes, and the casual aura dissipated, and he instantly transformed from "hermit monk" back to "Imperator". Tucha quickly lowered his head, remembering the fear and embarrassment when they first met more than twenty years ago.
In comparison, Vitus did not have so many inner activities. He calmly stared at this place Governor, and quickly recalled the other party's recent performance in his mind.
Tucha is in his forties this year and is in his prime. Among the many Tatars leaders, this man's talents are the most outstanding. This time he was called over, and Vitus planned to let him join Central Administration to serve.
"What do you think of the Agricultural Department?"
Tucha lowered his head and thought secretly.
Isn't this Ilya's department? Do you want me to be Ilya's deputy, or do you want me to take this guy's place?
He hesitated and replied, "Thank you for your trust, but I don't understand the operation of the Central Administration department. I'm worried..."
Vitus interrupted Tucha's refusal, "Don't take yourself too lightly. Ilya has excellent abilities. Under his supervision, Agricultural Department's work is on the right track. After you take over, you will handle it step by step and there will be no problems."
When Tucha heard that he would be Agricultural Minister, he couldn't help but feel mixed emotions.
He was promoted from local Governor to Central Administration, which is undoubtedly good news.
However, Governor is the top person in charge of the place and has fewer restrictions. After entering Central Administration, he needs to face the emperor, Chancellor, Grand Auditor and other ministers, and there is no room for slacking off.
Tucha sighed inwardly and followed etiquette to thank the emperor for his promotion and trust.
After leaving the palace, Tucha stood blankly in the middle of the main road, watching the figures of civil servants walking back and forth.
No matter whether they are wearing gray robes, black robes or red robes, they all walk in a hurry and have serious faces. From now on, I am one of them.
"Four years ago, I got rid of this bad place Galatia and transferred to Epirus where I lived a leisurely life for a few years. I really didn't expect that this period of time ended suddenly. I feel that the work in the Central Administration department is no easier than that at Galatia."
Tucha walked south along the main road, first passing through the Administrative Department gate and the courtyard of the Finance Department. They have the most authority, so one on the left and one on the right are close to the palace.
The farther the office is from the palace, the further down the order of department ministers are. Tucha passed through the other courtyards in sequence, and finally stopped in front of the Agricultural Department.
"I wonder what Ilya's reaction is?"
Tucha came to the other party's office and saw several boxes on the ground. Ilya was instructing the staff to pack personal belongings. It seemed that he had known that he was going to be transferred.
"Tucha?" Ilya exclaimed, then laughed loudly:
"I have been guessing these days as to who is going to take over this chore, but I didn't expect it to be you."
Tucha was confused. "Where are you going to be transferred to? The emperor just praised you, shouldn't he transfer you to Administrative Minister?"
Ilya's smile froze, he waved away the two staff members in the room, then closed the door himself and told the other party in a very low voice:
"You just passed by the office area and you should have noticed that the atmosphere in the entire Central Administration is a little abnormal. It's not just me who is about to be transferred, the entire Central Administration is about to undergo a large-scale adjustment.
Four years ago (1449) Chrysaphi resigned from Prime Minister. At that time, the adjustment was not so large.
When you mentioned Administrative Department, do you think this department has great power and is the best position under Chancellor? Things are not that simple. It is even said that many recent disputes come from the conflicts between Cabinet and Administrative Department..."
According to the previous division of functions, the Cabinets and Chancellors assisted the emperor in handling memorials, and the ministers below were responsible for their respective affairs. However, in actual operation, things were not as simple as imagined.
Ilya quickly summarized the situation in the past two months, picked up the coffee cup and blew the hot air from it, looking relaxed.
In his opinion, the position of Administrative Minister is a hot piece of meat. He was transferred to Admiralty. Although the power is not as good as Administrative Minister and Finance Minister, it can save a lot of trouble. The probability of entering Cabinet is actually greater in the future.
"Oh, let's not talk about this anymore. Hurry up and hand over. Agricultural Department is ranked last, but he has a lot of things to be responsible for."
Agricultural Department's affairs are complex and need to take care of fisheries, animal husbandry, forests, and weather stations in important cities.
Ilya Let's start with the fishery that has the least trouble.
Ilya took out a list of the Fisheries Guild from each region, and the guild members were mainly Fisheries Companies.
The production efficiency of ordinary fishermen is not as good as that of corporate operations. They follow the traditional way of life. One family operates a small and medium-sized fishing boat. Three generations of grandparents go to sea to work on the boat, and sometimes they call their nephews.
The current situation is that ordinary fishermen meet the needs of villages and small towns. The share of aquatic products in cities is occupied by numerous Fisheries Companies. Companies gather together, and guilds naturally arise.
"At work, we need to deal with the demands of the guilds or coordinate their conflicts. Most of the things can be left to the following, but you can't completely ignore them, and you have to pay attention occasionally."
Ilya drank the remaining half cup of coffee and handed over another document. "The second task is to prevent destructive fishing. Steppe's cattle and sheep have breeding periods, as do fish in the sea.
Therefore, the emperor promulgated detailed laws stipulating that certain fish species cannot be caught at specific times of the year. Also, the mesh of fishing nets cannot be too dense to avoid catching young fish. Our department has arranged personnel in major ports to specifically supervise such behavior."
Tucha has worked at Epirus for three and a half years. He has been exposed to the fishery and has some preliminary understanding.
He nodded slightly and signaled Ilya to continue.
Ilya: "Going forward, there are all kinds of new technologies. You can seek assistance from companies and universities for this kind of work. We are currently busy with shellfish farming and improving fishing gear. Let the people below take charge of these projects. No one knows when they will be successful."
When Ilya finished introducing fishery-related matters, a long bell suddenly rang outside. Unknowingly, the setting sun had already poured into the room, illuminating the spacious office.
"I'm off work, let's talk tomorrow." Ilya stretched,
"There is still a lot of work ahead. I estimate that I won't be able to finish it all day tomorrow and it will have to be postponed until the day after tomorrow."