Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 961 Adolf Enters the Palace for an Audience

Johann Adam Schall von Bell visited Adolf and his entourage on the second day after they checked into the Guest House. He came here to meet these two "fellow countrymen" from Europe, and also to test the other side's background on behalf of the emperor, especially to inquire about Adolf's attitude as an envoy of the two countries.

Although the three of them had different nationalities, Johann Adam Schall von Bell was from Cologne, Germany, Adolf was from Sweden, and Ferdinand was from Belgium, they were all from Europe after all.

Moreover, Adolf was a Swede and belonged to the German nation. In this sense, he and Johann Adam Schall von Bell were true fellow countrymen. Ferdinand and Johann Adam Schall von Bell belonged to the same Roman Catholic Church and were family members. The communication between the three of them was very harmonious and there were no obstacles.

The three of them chatted for half a day and had a very pleasant conversation.

Both Johann Adam Schall von Bell, Adolf and Ferdinand got the results they wanted from their respective attitudes. Especially when Adolf told Johann Adam Schall von Bell frankly that he was commissioned by the Kingdom of Sweden and the Kingdom of Poland to visit the Ming Dynasty, and that the royal families of the two countries were willing to establish diplomatic relations with the powerful Eastern Empire of the Ming Dynasty, and to conduct exchanges and cooperation to fight against the aggressive Tsarist Russia in recent years, Johann Adam Schall von Bell was even happier.

But compared to Adolf, Johann Adam Schall von Bell valued Ferdinand more. You should know that although Johann Adam Schall von Bell held an official position in the Ming Dynasty, he was a missionary sent to the Ming Dynasty by the Roman Catholic Church. As a devout believer, he knew his true responsibilities. The young Ferdinand, also a missionary, made him see that there were people to follow up the missionary work in the Ming Dynasty.

The emperor had previously made a promise to Johann Adam Schall von Bell that as long as he could establish diplomatic relations between the Ming Dynasty and European countries, especially after he achieved normal diplomatic relations and all-round cooperation with European countries, the Ming court would further grant him permission to preach.

This was what Johann Adam Schall von Bell had always dreamed of, but there were not many missionaries in the Ming Dynasty. Apart from Matteo Ricci and Roy Lobel who had died of old age, there were Long Huamin in Shandong and only a few others in the south.

In the capital, Johann Adam Schall von Bell was the only remaining missionary of the Roman Catholic Church and the person in charge of the missionary work in the Ming Dynasty. He had a heavy responsibility. Although he had developed many believers in the Ming Dynasty during his missionary work in the Ming Dynasty, he had lived in the Ming Dynasty for many years and was aware of the situation of the people in the Ming Dynasty. In his opinion, the believers developed in the Ming Dynasty were far less pious and firm in their beliefs than the real believers. Many people could not devote themselves to God. Therefore, compared with these believers, what Johann Adam Schall von Bell needed was a missionary who had the same spirit of contribution as himself and dedicated everything to God. Ferdinand was just such a person. After a short period of contact, Johann Adam Schall von Bell was determined to train Ferdinand as his successor.

After the conversation, Johann Adam Schall told Adolf that it would take time and arrangements to get an audience with the emperor, and asked him to wait patiently in the guesthouse. When leaving the guesthouse, Schall secretly said something to Ferdinand. The next day, Schall sent someone to the guesthouse to pick up Ferdinand, and brought an official document allowing Ferdinand to move out of the guesthouse and live in the Beijing church as a missionary.

After receiving the official document, the officials of the Honglu Temple naturally cooperated very well. Ferdinand said goodbye to Adolf, moved out of the guesthouse, and went to the church in the carriage sent by Johann Adam Schall von Bell. After arriving at the church, Johann Adam Schall personally took Ferdinand to visit the church, and then led him to pray formally in front of the holy image in the church. From then on, Ferdinand became the only two Roman Catholic priests in the capital church as a missionary, assisting Johann Adam Schall von Bell in managing the church.

Tang Ruowang had high hopes for Ferdinand. He not only told him a lot about how to live in the Ming Dynasty, but also shared many of his missionary experiences. In addition, Tang Ruowang personally gave Ferdinand a Chinese name, Nan Huairen, and regarded him as a disciple. Nan Huairen was also grateful for Tang Ruowang's care and teaching, and called him a teacher.

Not only that, in order to better carry out missionary work, Johann Adam Schall von Bell also used his connections to help Nan Huairen get a job in the Imperial Observatory. Of course, this was with Zhu Shenzhui's permission. After all, an official position in the Imperial Observatory was also an official position. Although it was a technical official, there were also ranks. It would have been impossible for Johann Adam Schall von Bell to do this alone. Zhu Shenzhui gave him a favor because he saw that Johann Adam Schall had made efforts in this matter. In addition, he kept his promise and slightly relaxed the restrictions on their missionary work in the Ming Dynasty.

Compared with Nan Huairen, Adolf stayed in the Guest House for half a month. You should know that his identity was different from Nan Huairen. He was an envoy representing the two kingdoms of Sweden and Poland.

When foreign envoys come to the Ming Dynasty, there is a whole set of etiquette and procedures for an audience with the emperor. Moreover, Adolf is a European, not an envoy of a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, before meeting the emperor, he must undergo complex training and explanations, such as the application of all etiquette, what to pay attention to when meeting the emperor, what to say and what not to say, etc. Officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple will come to teach these. Only after they are sure that there are no problems can they arrange an audience with the emperor.

The many etiquettes of the Ming Dynasty were very complicated. Not to mention Adolf, a foreigner, even ordinary Ming people found it extremely difficult to learn. But in the process of learning, Adolf was not dissatisfied at all. Instead, he was very enthusiastic and devoted. In his eyes, these complicated etiquettes were a symbol of nobility. As a member of the nobility, Adolf was not an ignorant commoner. You must know that there are similar etiquettes in the royal courts of Europe, and many court etiquettes are different. As a viscount and a member of an aristocratic family that has continued for hundreds of years, Adolf believed that the more complicated the etiquette, the more it can represent majesty and solemnity. In his opinion, the etiquette of the Ming Dynasty was much more advanced than that of the European courts. Many details were not available in European courts, such as the amplitude of the steps, the standing posture, and various ways of saluting, etc. These were far beyond the complexity of the etiquette of the Swedish and Polish royal courts. Even the French court might not be able to compare with them. If he could learn these etiquette thoroughly and bring them back to Europe, then he, Adolf, would be famous among the nobility. I am afraid that by then all European royal families would invite Adolf to teach the court etiquette from the Eastern royal family, and he would become a hot figure in various countries.

In this way, with Adolf's enthusiasm, the etiquette teaching went very smoothly. Half a month later, with the joint approval of the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple, they felt that Adolf was able to meet all the conditions for an audience with the emperor.

After the reports from the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple were submitted, Zhu Shenzhui chose a day of a grand court meeting to meet Adolf, and had someone inform and arrange the time in advance.

When that day came, Adolf, who had hardly slept the whole night due to his excitement, bathed and changed his clothes before dawn. He put on the gorgeous clothes he brought from Europe. After being neatly dressed, he left the guesthouse and followed the officials of the Honglu Temple to the palace.

When he arrived at the palace, it was still dark, but officials were waiting in front of the palace gate. The officials of the Honglu Temple led Adolf to wait aside, and while he was waiting, many officials waiting to enter the palace also noticed him, especially because Adolf's clothes were completely different from those of the Ming people, and because of his appearance, some officials whispered and pointed at him, as if they were talking about something. Adolf didn't know what they were talking about, but he understood that these officials were probably discussing him. In order to show his reserve as a noble, Adolf smiled kindly at these officials, and when those officials saw Adolf's gesture, they also smiled and nodded slightly to Adolf.

The sky gradually brightened, and when the sun rose from the eastern horizon, the heavy palace gate finally opened.

The officials entered the palace one after another according to their ranks. Adolf was still waiting on the side because he had to wait until all the officials had left before he could be led into the palace. This wait took nearly half an hour. After all the officials entered the palace, an official from the Honglu Temple and a eunuch brought Adolf into the palace.

As he stepped into the palace gate, Adolf's body was shaking with excitement. Although his mind told him to maintain an aristocratic demeanor, as the first European noble envoy to enter the imperial palace of the Eastern Ming Empire, he knew that he had created history. Perhaps just for this reason, his name will be remembered by all future generations, just like Marco Polo back then, and will be praised by everyone.

After walking through the palace gate, we officially entered the imperial palace.

Looking at the majestic and solemn palace in front of him, Adolf was shocked again. It was still dark when he came, but now it was bright. The morning light was like gold, shining into the palace, illuminating the whole palace with a golden color. In addition, the grand and countless palaces, one layer after another, made Adolf dazzled and his breathing became rapid.

Following the officials and eunuchs, we crossed the broad square, walked over the Jinshui Bridge, and finally arrived at the Huangji Hall where the morning court was held.

Huangji Hall is also called Taihe Hall. This name was changed by Emperor Jiajing in the past and has been used till now. When they arrived outside the hall, the officials and eunuchs who led the way asked Adolf to wait here first and enter the hall only after being summoned. At this time, Adolf was already overwhelmed by the style and majesty of the royal family of the Ming Dynasty and dared not go out. He stood trembling in the waiting position, not daring to look around. He could only feel his heart pounding and his forehead was sweating slightly even in the not-so-hot weather.

I don't know how long I waited, but as a eunuch dressed in high-ranking clothes walked out of the Huangji Hall, he saw Adolf, who was dressed differently and looked different, and waved to him with a smile. After being reminded by someone nearby, Adolf, who was daydreaming, came to his senses and realized that he could finally enter the hall.

At this time, voices were heard in the hall. Adolf could not understand what was being said. It was actually an imperial decree to formally summon him to the hall. Adolf was like a puppet at this time. He followed the eunuch into the Huangji Hall with a slightly stiff step. When he entered the hall, he saw a platform on the far end of the steps in the middle. On the platform was a throne. A middle-aged man in gorgeous clothes and a Yishan crown was sitting there. Because he was far away, Adolf could not see the other person's face, but he could feel the majesty and pressure coming at him. On both sides were civil and military officials of all levels, more than a hundred people. These officials stood in order according to their ranks and positions. Everyone's eyes were looking at Adolf who had just entered the hall, making Adolf feel great pressure again.

(End of this chapter)