Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 173

Became the Sultan of Osman – Episode 173 (173/213)

Planned Matters (1)

The journey from Osman’s Constantinople [modern-day Istanbul] to Paris was arduous, even for a strong man.

It was no surprise that Hasna, a woman traveling such a long distance for the first time, fell ill.

Having come all the way to Paris, she couldn’t attend the coronation held at Reims Cathedral, 120km [approximately 75 miles] away. Only the Ottoman ambassador, who would remain in Paris, represented the Ottoman delegation.

After the coronation, Hasna didn’t make public appearances at the parties among the Parisian nobles, but instead met with noblewomen in her private room.

“It’s fascinating. A coronation where a religious figure bestows the crown. Your culture is indeed different from our empire.”

“How is it done in Osman?”

At the Countess’s question, Hasna lifted a coffee cup, its aroma subtle and inviting.

Even the simple act of extending a flawless white hand to take a sip of coffee was full of grace, and the noblewomen were captivated by the sight of her holding the cup.

It was a novel experience to feel more inclined to engage in conversation with someone of such beauty and high status, rather than feeling envious.

“In our empire, the Padishah [Ottoman Sultan] himself declares his ascension to the throne. There’s no need to invoke divine authority.”

At the mention of Yusuf, the noblewomen’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“Now that we’re on the topic of the Padishah, is everything in the book true?”

Hasna, receiving a well-worn book that looked as if it had been read many times, gave a wry smile.

“Since it’s not an officially authorized book, I can’t guarantee the accuracy of the translation. I’ll gift you a book translated into Latin that I brought from the empire this time.”

“Thank you.”

The noble lady, feeling slightly ashamed for offering an illegally copied book, smiled brightly at Hasna’s next words.

“I’ve heard that everything written in the book is true. It’s the same story I grew up hearing from my mother since I was young.”

“Aisha Hatun!”

The woman, who had raised her voice for a moment, lowered her head, her face reddening as attention focused on her.

Aisha Hatun was a popular figure in Yusuf’s biography, and the women’s eyes twinkled at the story of Aisha, who seemed like a character from a fairy tale.

“Is Aisha Hatun as beautiful as Princess Hasna?”

“I might be a bit lacking. My mother is still beautiful.”

“How can one become as beautiful as the princess?”

Beauty was an important asset for women in that era.

Just like the French nobles who had only heard rumors of Hasna’s appearance and spent their days talking about her.

Hasna smiled softly at the question, asked with a hint of desperation.

“The most important thing is cleanliness. In Osman, women’s gatherings mainly take place in bathhouses, and women in the harem always keep their bodies clean for beauty.”

The noblewomen’s faces showed a subtle reaction at the word ‘bath’.

During the Crusades, Christians absorbed the developed culture and science of Islam, and the bathing culture was also transmitted in this process.

The bathing culture spread rapidly, especially among the upper class, but the Black Death [bubonic plague] spread the misconception that bathing transmitted infectious diseases, and now even nobles rarely bathed.

As the noblewomen hesitated at the word ‘bath’, Hasna smiled gently.

“I’m well aware of the misunderstandings that Western countries have. However, according to the Padishah’s orders, the cleaner we keep our bodies, the fewer people get sick.”

“But…”

“What man can lovingly look at a woman whose breath smells and whose hair is full of lice? It’s the same for women, isn’t it?”

They avoided washing because of the belief that washing would kill them, but there was no reason to dislike a clean body.

However, it was not easy to break the false belief that had been growing for hundreds of years.

“Couldn’t bad things enter through the water?”

“And there’s also the saying that you can get pregnant if you enter water that a man has been in.”

“Stagnant water may be dirty, but if you use steam like in our empire, you don’t have to worry about that. If you visit the empire later, I’ll personally show you how it’s done.”

The decision to visit distant Osman was not an easy one, and while the noblewomen’s faces were conflicted by the thought of bathing, Kasim, who had quietly entered and listened to the conversation, spoke.

“I’m sorry, but could you please excuse us? My sister’s health is still fragile, and she hasn’t been out of bed for long.”

Realizing that the conversation had gone on longer than expected, the women excused themselves with polite greetings, and Kasim, left alone in the room with Hasna, sighed.

“How long are you going to pretend to be sick?”

“Feigning illness is also a strategy.”

It was a coronation in name, but it was essentially a major Christian religious event, and it wasn’t a welcome occasion for Osman, where the influence of Islam was still strong.

Hasna, who had feigned illness as an excuse to avoid attending without offending France, strolled over and stroked the lion’s neck.

“Wouldn’t it be a hassle if I gave people reason to think I might convert if I attended the coronation?”

“I also refuse to attend because I’m already having trouble with men asking about you when I go to parties.”

“Why, is it hard to seduce women?”

Kasim made a sulky face at Hasna’s teasing.

“No, thank you. I refuse to be with a smelly woman who doesn’t wash well. I was completely deceived by Father. I should have known from the moment he didn’t tell me not to cause trouble.”

He wasn’t so desperate that he would spend a night with a woman who smelled and was infested with lice and fleas.

Hasna covered her mouth and laughed at Kasim’s grumbling.

“Isn’t that why you emphasized cleanliness, because you also hate the smell?”

“That’s also true, but it’s one of the things Father instructed me to do.”

If it was just to form an alliance, there was no need to come on such a large scale, including the Janissary [elite Ottoman soldiers] military band.

They were instructed to promote various aspects of Ottoman culture, including music, books, food including coffee, and bathing.

“So, you should prepare to open not only a coffee shop but also a bathhouse in Paris.”

Kasim, who suddenly received additional work, groaned.

Ottoman culture quickly permeated the French upper class through the delegation.

***

Yusuf frowned as he listened to the report.

“So, what is the final death toll?”

“It is estimated that about six hundred people have died from the epidemic in Cairo.”

“Tell your son that he has worked hard.”

As Shemsi became Grand Vizier [chief minister], Ilhan, who had been struggling under him, received the position of Beylerbey [governor-general] of Egypt.

The number of victims was not small, but thanks to identifying and isolating the epidemic as quickly as possible, the damage was limited to this extent.

“An epidemic, a troublesome problem.”

In an era without proper cures, it would be fortunate if it ended with the annihilation of one or two villages.

Paying attention to cleanliness could reduce the frequency, but most of the subjects considered bathing a luxury, so there was no clear solution.

The more frequently people and goods travel, like in Cairo, the greater the possibility of an epidemic spreading, so we have no choice but to pay as much attention as possible.

“Overcoming an epidemic is something that cannot be done by human power alone. Don’t worry too much about it.”

“I know.”

He cared for his subjects, but if he worried about such things, there would be no end to it.

The empire was vast, and the reports of damage caused by epidemics, disasters, and Arab nomad invasions were endless.

“News has been received that formal logistics have been established with Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom].”

“I’ve heard the story. I heard the porcelain is quite good.”

Osman also made porcelain quite well, but it must have been a pretty good trading item since it was before the potters went over to Wa [ancient name for Japan] due to the Imjin War [Japanese invasions of Korea, 1592-1598].

The prestige of porcelain brought from that distant foreign country was enough to increase its value.

“It’s a pity that we haven’t been able to formally trade with the Ming Dynasty [China], but it’s time to call them back.”

It wasn’t because of the power vacuum that had been created for a long time after the fleet had left.

Working in that distant land to the extent that it could be described as an extreme job was no ordinary task.

‘Exposed to contaminated water and all kinds of endemic diseases, and living in a foreign land where you can’t even communicate.’

No matter how strong their patriotism for Osman was and how appropriate the compensation was, there was a limit to what they could endure.

It was necessary to bring them back for the sake of the sailors, and he was thinking of filling the void with the Eastern Trade Company that Mustafa was preparing.

Of course, they couldn’t be called back all at once, so it was necessary to make replacements.

Shemsi nodded as if agreeing with this idea.

“I was worried because there were many pirates, including Barbarossa [famous Ottoman admiral], among the people who went this time, but fortunately, it’s a relief that they didn’t cause any major problems. Do as the Padishah wishes.”

“With Suleiman there, how much trouble could they cause?”

***

“So, this person is a Ming Dynasty envoy?”

Suleiman looked at the opponent sprawled on the floor with a sullen face.

The weather on Taiwan Island was so harsh that even skilled sailors shook their heads, and it goes without saying that it would be even worse if they were trapped in a barrel in weather where sweat was constantly flowing even if they were still.

The person who couldn’t even go to the bathroom and was covered in his own excrement and sweat in the barrel was hard to see as an envoy no matter how you looked at it.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but there is an imperial letter from the Emperor.”

It was a letter discovered after returning to the port and checking the goods.

As Suleiman examined the letter, the envoy, who was drinking water and wriggling, shouted in a hoarse voice.

“How dare you look at the Son of Heaven’s [Chinese Emperor’s] letter so carelessly! Can’t you show some respect?!”

Ignoring the envoy who shouted majestically, Suleiman handed the letter to the interpreter.

Suleiman spoke coldly to the interpreter, who knelt down, received the letter with trembling hands, and stiffened.

“Tell me what it says.”

“H, how can I.”

“Speak.”

The interpreter, a Ming Dynasty citizen, swallowed hard and stammered as he read the contents of the letter.

The content was nothing special. It stated that if they helped to suppress pirates like in Joseon, they would formally grant trade permission and invite an envoy.

“It seems that the pirate situation in the Ming Dynasty is serious.”

Joseon was not the only one shocked by the annihilation of nearly a hundred Waegu [Japanese pirates] at the hands of Osman.

Rather, the Waegu, who directly experienced the damage, were much more shocked, and the Ottoman fleet was nowhere to be seen in Joseon.

The Waegu eventually joined hands with the Chinese pirates, Hwagu, and were wreaking havoc on the Chinese coast.

So much so that the Ming Emperor sent an envoy directly to Osman.

“It’s good news, but how did the envoy get caught by pirates?”

“Didn’t we have a terrible storm a while ago?”

“We did.”

The most difficult thing when settling here was the huge storm that often came every summer.

Fortunately, there was no major damage yet, but the damage to the ships that were docked was not insignificant.

“It seems that the envoy’s fleet that was coming here encountered that storm. The fleet was scattered, and the lone ship was attacked by pirates.”

“We met those pirates, and that envoy was unlucky enough to meet a former pirate.”

Urji slightly avoided Suleiman’s cold gaze.

He knew how big of an accident he had caused.

The envoy, who saw Urji’s face, glared and shouted.

“Immediately kill all those involved with that bastard and beg for forgiveness! Then I will forgive you!”

“What should we do?”

Suleiman stroked his beard.

It was hard to blame Urji. He was wearing precious clothes, but who would have thought he was an envoy from the Ming Dynasty?

Considering the pirates’ habit of making them rowers first if they were captured as slaves, being stuck in a barrel might have been considered tame.

After a moment of thought, Suleiman spoke coldly.

“Kill him.”

“Huh?!”

As the order was given, Urji swung his sword without even having a chance to resist.

Urji’s sword was stuck in the heart of the envoy, who was wriggling while spraying blood on his neck, and Suleiman gestured to the guard.

“Why, why…?”

The interpreter struggled with the sword coming out of his chest before collapsing to the floor.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t trust someone who was loyal to the Ming Emperor.”

If he hadn’t knelt down and received the letter, he wouldn’t have killed him.

As even the interpreter breathed his last, Suleiman opened his mouth.

“We accidentally rescued the letter from the hands of pirates. Do you understand?”

“I understand.”

Suleiman, who cleanly took their lives rather than leaving behind a source of trouble by keeping them alive, gave an order.

“Inform the entire fleet. We are heading to Guangzhou [major port city in China].”

The Ottoman fleet headed to Guangzhou, which had previously refused them entry.

***

Francois II, who became the King of France, was 12 years old, and even his mother, Queen Claude, had been dead for 6 years.

Hasna, who was with Francois II for the first time, smiled.

“The French royals move around the palace frequently.”

“That’s right.”

He tried to look dignified, but to Hasna, who had spent her childhood with princes who were beyond ordinary, he was just cute.

“Is it to avoid epidemics?”

“Well, wouldn’t it be?”

The story of the French royal family living in various palaces in France for reasons such as politics, military affairs, diplomacy, hunting, seasons, and epidemics was quite interesting to Hasna.

Hasna, who was talking to Francois as if he were her younger brother, glanced at the setting sun and said.

“It’s getting late, so I should go back now.”

Francois, who was pouting in disappointment, nodded, and it was when he stood up with Hasna.

The wind blew, and Hasna’s veil, which covered her face, fluttered slightly.

An adult wouldn’t have been able to see Hasna’s face, but Francois, who was only chest-high, could see Hasna’s face, and his face turned red in an instant.

Hasna, who hurriedly lowered her veil with her hand, bowed her head to Francois and said softly.

“It’s a secret that you saw my face. If my father finds out, he might try to castrate you.”

Francois nodded as if hypnotized.