The Sun and the Lion

The carriage moved steadily along the street, and through the unobstructed window she saw that both sides of the street were decorated with lights and crowded with people. It was obviously a large-scale celebration.

"Is this?" She didn't know the reason for the celebration. A small country paying tribute to a princess to its suzerain obviously didn't deserve such grand treatment. It was just that this scene and the cities passing along the way showed her the prosperity of Iran. Durkadir was It's hard to hope for it.

This made her couldn't help but imagine the rest of her life in Iran, especially when she heard that the person who wanted to marry her was not the King of Kings of Iran, but his brother, a loyal and heroic clan minister. Regardless, she has accepted her fate as a bargaining chip.

The conversations of the people on the street reached her ears, and the Azerbaijani dialect mixed in them told her the reason for the celebration.

Just a few days before the arrival of the royal messenger from Diyarbakir, Mira gave birth to her and Ibrahim's first son safely. If the child can survive to adulthood safely, the inheritance problem can be solved for the time being. .

Ibrahim was still a little nervous about this. This was actually Shahbanu's third child. The second child was a daughter, and she died before the name was decided. Under current medical conditions, even the royal family, which enjoys the best resources, cannot allow each of their heirs to live to adulthood. Mira prays for this every day, exacerbating the couple's anxiety.

The name of the eldest son was quickly determined, and Ibrahim selected one of the classic works in his collection to name him - Garshasp, the mythical hero who killed monsters and saved the world.

Announcements and celebrations followed, with the capital's crowds celebrating the occasion and the distribution of gifts, an event of unprecedented length, with income from India making previously prohibitive consumption affordable. This made some participants look forward to the prince's circumcision. Is it necessary to do it again when he becomes an adult?

The riders in the front row of the team cleared a path from the crowd, and the carriage drove slowly into the Grand Palace. The official leading the team reported the news of the arrival of the princess of Durkadir to Ibrahim, and the eunuch chief was summoned to give orders. Set up the bride and prepare for the wedding.

"It seems that the celebrations in the capital will continue for another week or two." Ibrahim, who had welcomed many happy events in the middle of summer, was much more generous because of his joy. Whether it was organizing activities or giving out more rewards than before, few.

What goes back comes, first of all, the Venetian ambassador Franco sent a generous gift including mechanical clocks. There were seven clocks in total, some big and some small. Now he holds a pocket watch in his hand, and a smaller pendulum clock in his study. They are also sent to observatories and colleges for use and research by scholars funded by the palace.

Afterwards, he asked the eunuch chief to convey to Franco the Safavid court's interest in this kind of precision machinery, hoping to use the channels of Venice to poach a few highly skilled watchmakers. After all, the European watch manufacturing industry during the Renaissance was one of the most technologically advanced handicraft industries at that time. He thought he could try to raise a group of watchmakers with precision processing capabilities.

Except for precision machinery that can arouse the interest of the King of Kings, the others are all kinds of common property. The bureaucrats and nobles below are very sensible in paying tribute gifts. These donors have been compiled into a list by the eunuch chief, and there are also slow people among them. In the border tribes, some leaders who want to make progress hope to gain the attention of the monarch in this way.

What also pleased the King of Kings was the good news that followed after the birth of his eldest son. The first person to step through the door was the messenger from Diyarbakır, bringing the battle report of Ustaji Khan.

The first time he learned of the incident in Durkadir was from the governor's report explaining the situation at that time. Taking it as a letter asking for help, he believed that the situation was developing badly and that resources from the hinterland needed to be mobilized for reinforcements.

But the victory came so quickly. Ibrahim was originally worried that Ustaji Khan's troops would be driven out of Durqadir because the reinforcements could not catch up, but the good news came unexpectedly.

After reading the battle report, Ibrahim planned to pursue the victory and send an envoy to question Bayezid and win over Kansu Gauri, and then make the next move based on the reactions of Padishah and Malik.

Arriving later was a messenger from Hormuz. The navy under Ahsan continued to squeeze the Portuguese's space for activities after the Battle of Goa. With the contact of Calicut Zamorin, the coalition of Safavid and Indian forces swept away the Portuguese fortresses and trade on the Malabar coast. Stations, naval guns and naval infantry stormed these isolated fortresses, and none of them could escape the fate of being conquered.

The newly appointed Governor of Portuguese India, Albuquerque, knew something was wrong as soon as he saw the defeated fleet returning. After loading all the spices in the warehouse with the deputy king on the returning fleet, he organized an evacuation and transferred all the belongings to Colombo. .

Realizing that he could not withstand the Muslim front, the governor decided to send an envoy to formally sue for peace. Ehsan, who was worried that it was a delaying measure, would not wait until the Maharaja of Cochin surrendered, leaving the last Portuguese territory on the Malabar coast. The Portuguese envoys were received only after all the assets were handed over to the Safavid Navy.

The commander-in-chief did not want to overstep his authority, so he planned to kick the ball to Dewan. Anyway, no one could threaten the normal trade in the Persian Sea now. He just suggested: "Require all Frankish ships to disarm, and only allow merchant ships to operate in designated ports in accordance with your decree." to trade and to make reparations for previously damaged Muslim property.”

The Portuguese envoy and the team escorting the spoils were still on the way, and all they had was time. He had already asked the viziers to discuss this issue and come up with a plan.

Ibrahim released the palm of his left hand and wanted to check the time on his pocket watch. Ismail, who received the notice at this time, rushed to the Grand Palace and asked excitedly and urgently: "My beauty has arrived? I want to see if her beauty is worthy of the rumors."

"Don't be impatient." He handed the portrait sent by the courier along with the good news to Ismail: "After you get married, you have plenty of time to appreciate it. You should first see if the portrait is to your liking." He wanted to continue saying no. If you are satisfied, you cannot return it. After all, she is of noble birth and is not a slave girl who is bought and sold at will. Ismail must understand this truth.

"Tsk, tsk."

I don’t know whether it was due to the superb skills of Durkadir’s court painters or because of his good looks. Satisfied, Mirza asked his attendants to put away the portraits, and then advised him: “I think you should marry more, brother.” , after all, you are the king of kings in all of Iran, why is your harem shabby compared to your subordinates? It is detrimental to your prestige."

"Go, go, there are a lot of female slaves who come as tribute every year, so hurry up and go about your business." Ibrahim turned his head and sent Mirza away without letting him stay any longer.