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The fructose burst on his tongue like fireworks, and the sweet, smooth taste made him instinctively want more.
Seeing that her lover was almost conquered, Hedy smiled and forked another piece of peach to feed him, saying, "Want to try this?"
Peaches are actually difficult to preserve and transport; whether they are crisp or soft, delicious sweet peaches easily spoil and become infested with insects on the way.
But after being canned, even if opened half a year later, they remain as fresh and juicy as ever, tasting unbelievably good.
Leonardo silently chewed the piece of peach without saying a word, then took a big sip of hot tea to balance out the sweetness.
He remained silent for a while, so much so that Hedy waved her hand in front of his face.
"Darling—" He took a deep breath. "Did you all eat such delicious things in your time?"
"Not only that," Hedy rested her chin on her hand. "After that, canned fruits weren't even that rare—we had even better things and more exquisite wines."
Leonardo covered his face for a moment, his voice tinged with a bit of complaint. "I really want to fly five hundred years ahead... even just for a day."
"This peach is really incredibly sweet," he said, looking at herthrough his fingers, unable to resist urging, "You should try it—it's really, really delicious."
Hedy smiled and kissed him, with sugar juice on the corner of her lips.
It was incredibly sweet.
CHAPTER 30
The prices throughout Florence began to change uncontrollably—much to the surprise of many people.
Some merchants had once exchanged gold and silver for pepper, hoping to sell it all at once when prices peaked. However, with the return of the fleets, over ten tons of pepper began to be supplied regularly, and in a variety of high-quality types.
The wealthy who had once enjoyed fortune found themselves destitute overnight, unable to sell the items stored in their cellars—at such low prices, selling them felt like literally cutting into their own flesh.
Meanwhile, some poor people started to rise up, accumulating more and more wealth.
The rise of tea culture led many nobles to follow the trend. Though most of Florence's nobles had a stable supply, enough to last them for two years, by that time, new shipments from China would likely have arrived.
Those with business acumen in the city began finding ways to buy and resell, purchasing tea at high prices from the black market or from servants of the nobles, then selling it at even more exorbitant prices to wealthy people in distant cities.
It was said that in Genoa alone, at least four noble families requested to exchange gold for tea.
Interestingly, the prices of timber and labor steadily increased, causing many young people to rush to the docks in search of work.
The nobles, having tasted the sweetness of long-distance trade, began to flatter and pledge allegiance to the Queen, expressing their willingness to invest in the establishment of fleets and the operation of commercial ventures.
The Italian Empire had long carried a heavy burden in militaryand maritime trade. If it weren’t for the large sum of money confiscated from the Roman Papacy’s ill-gotten gains, the government might have already faced a financial crisis.
This money was directly used to build the navy, and both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Navy Department began operating in sync, planning to expand trade relations with more countries in the future.
The nobles couldn't find the elusive Queen, but they clearly knew where Prince Da Vinci was—
Mountains of gifts were sent to Da Vinci's former workshop and the Doge’s Palace, with some even trying to force their way through walls and windows.
A sea voyage not only offered exquisite and luxurious silk embroidery but also these uniquely Eastern tea leaves—such a bargain deal!
For this reason, the Ministry of Commerce was officially established, and related decrees were finally issued by the upper house—
The establishment of fleets was completely free, but to have them travel with the official fleet, they had to undergo qualification reviews and ship performance assessments, which were quite stringent.
Even with these increasingly tight regulations, the nobles eagerly pulled out large sums of gold and silver, rushing to acquire licenses and certificates.
