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

Chapter 962 Meeting the Saint
Zhu Shenzhui, who was sitting on the throne, watched Adolf enter the Huangji Palace. When he saw what Adolf was wearing, a smile appeared on his face.

Adolf was wearing the court dress that was popular in Europe today. Zhu Shencui had seen this kind of dress in movies in his previous life. It was the kind of complicated and tight dress, with one piece inside and one piece outside. The collar and cuffs had lace, and the trousers were very tight. There were primitive stockings on the calves, plus some fancy medals and family emblems on the chest. If Zhu Shencui had seen it on other occasions, it might have been refreshing. But on an occasion like today, it was a bit funny to see a person dressed like this suddenly appear among the civil and military officials and the solemn Huangji Hall.

"Are you Viscount Adolf Oxenstierna, the envoy of the Kingdom of Sweden and the Kingdom of Poland in Europe?" Zhu Shenzhui asked. Of course Adolf could not understand what he asked. Although Adolf had been learning the language of the Ming Dynasty after arriving in the Ming Dynasty, it was impossible for him to truly learn it in such a short time. Until now, Adolf could only understand some very simple conversations, such as "Hello", "Have you eaten?", "Thank you", etc. As for more complicated conversations, it was still too early to learn them.

However, because of Adolf's audience today, Zhu Shenzui specially asked Johann Adam Schall von Bell to participate in the court meeting as an interpreter. As Zhu Shenzui asked questions, Schall von Bell stepped forward to Adolf in the hall and began to translate the emperor's words.

Hearing the familiar voice, Adolf subconsciously looked to the side, only to find that the person speaking was Johann Adam Schall von Bell. However, today he was different from the previous times they met. He was wearing the official uniform of the Ming Dynasty. Adolf had not noticed him in the crowd just now. Now seeing a familiar person appear next to him, Adolf felt much calmer and felt a little more relaxed.

"Foreign minister Viscount Adolf Oxenstierna, entrusted by Her Majesty Queen Christina of the Kingdom of Sweden and His Majesty Władysław IV of the Kingdom of Poland, has come to the Eastern Ming Empire to pay homage to His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Empire. I wish Your Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Empire that your rule will be like the stars adorning the night sky, shining in all directions. May your empire prosper, your people live and work in peace, and happiness be with you..."

Adolf kept complimenting the emperor without stopping. He stepped forward and kowtowed to the emperor in accordance with the etiquette taught to him by the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple.

Nowadays, there is no saying that Westerners cannot kowtow to the Chinese emperor, and there is no such thing as Western ministers kneeling on one knee instead of both knees when meeting the king. In fact, let alone kneeling on both knees, it is common for European nobles to kneel down and kowtow to the monarch, and some even crawl on the ground like dogs to kiss the soles of the other's boots.

Under this tradition, the Ming Dynasty's kneeling etiquette was nothing at all. Adolf also believed that the Ming Dynasty's kneeling etiquette was not a humiliation to the nobility, but an advanced and more complete etiquette tradition. He even planned to introduce this etiquette back to Europe, hoping that the Swedish royal family would also switch to the Ming Dynasty etiquette. Therefore, he had no psychological pressure at all when kneeling, or he did it willingly.

He saluted respectfully and shouted "Long live the emperor" in awkward Chinese. This gesture made all the civil and military officials in the court laugh. However, they were all people of status, so they couldn't laugh out loud. After all, Adolf was a foreign envoy, and it was said that he was a viscount. Even people from places like Xiyi were not ordinary people. As a minister of the Celestial Empire, he had this quality. It was just that some guys with low sense of laughter seemed to be unable to hold back their laughter, and they tried hard to hold it back, which was uncomfortable to watch.

As Zhu Shenzhui listened to Adolf's flattery and the awkward Chinese words "Long live the emperor!", the smile on his face widened.

After Adolf finished his salute, Zhu Shenzui said, "Stand up." After Adolf stood up, Zhu Shenzui asked where the letter of credence was. With the help of Johann Adam Schall von Bell, Adolf understood the emperor's meaning and quickly took out the letter of credence that had been prepared long ago and presented it to the emperor. In addition, there were some gifts from the royal families of Sweden and Poland that he brought from Europe to the emperor. Although these gifts were considered good in Europe, they were not too exquisite for the Ming Dynasty. However, the exotic style was still quite attractive, especially the European armor and swords, which were considered good collections.

After receiving the letter and gifts, Zhu Shenzui had a pleasant conversation with Adolf, asking him about the situation of the Kingdom of Sweden and the Kingdom of Poland, which he represented. Adolf was well prepared and gave corresponding answers, and also pointed out the two kings' intention to conduct normal diplomacy with the Ming Dynasty and the willingness of both sides to communicate.

Zhu Shenzhu consulted the ministers for their opinions on this matter. The ministers, including the cabinet elders, all said that it was not impossible if it was just normal diplomacy, and that the Kingdom of Sweden and the Kingdom of Poland were Western countries that had officially sent envoys to conduct diplomacy, which was a good thing for the Ming Dynasty.

As the Celestial Empire, the Ming Dynasty has been declining in national strength due to internal and external troubles for decades, even to the point of life and death. If it were not for Zhu Shenzhu's sudden appearance, no one could guarantee what the current situation of the Ming Dynasty would be. Now that the internal troubles of the Ming Dynasty have been eliminated, the Liaodong battlefield has gradually taken control of the initiative. With the death of Huang Taiji, the pseudo-emperor of the Qing Dynasty is now just a baby. It is only a matter of time for the Ming Dynasty to solve the Liaodong problem in the future. Moreover, the natural disaster situation has improved significantly in recent years. In addition, the changes in the internal policies of the Ming Dynasty have made the lives of the people much better. The Ming Dynasty has already shown signs of rejuvenation. Now, Sweden and Poland, two countries thousands of miles away in the west, have sent envoys to the Ming Dynasty. Doesn't this prove that the Ming Dynasty is rising again?

In a prosperous era, the arrival of all nations is a typical example. Adolf's arrival represents this change. Whether it is the cabinet or the court departments, how could the ministers object? Moreover, everyone has discussed this matter privately before, and they all said that the other party's normal diplomacy has no harm to the Ming Dynasty, but has many benefits. Why not?

In this way, all the ministers agreed in public, and no one objected. Zhu Shenzhu immediately struck while the iron was hot and said that he would allow normal diplomacy with the Kingdom of Sweden and Poland. However, how the diplomacy between the two sides would be carried out and how the cooperation would be in the future still needed detailed discussion, but as the emperor, he had already approved of this matter, and officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple would then discuss other details with Adolf.

When Adolf heard that the Ming Emperor agreed to the request of the Kingdom of Sweden and Poland, he was overjoyed and bowed again to express his sincere gratitude to the Ming Emperor for his generosity. Just when Adolf thought that the topic would continue to be discussed, the emperor said that the audience was over and Adolf could leave. Adolf was confused but did not dare to refute. He followed the eunuch who led him into the hall and retreated out of the Huangji Hall. When he was outside the hall, Adolf was about to ask if he could leave, but the eunuch said something to him. Through the translation of the accompanying official of the Honglu Temple, Adolf understood that the other party was indicating that he should follow him.

Afterwards, Adolf followed the eunuch out of the Huangji Hall, and then walked for a while in the palace. He didn't know where he was going. The palace was too big, and he didn't recognize any of the palaces. Finally, the eunuch led him to a small courtyard. The courtyard was empty and there were not many people. After Adolf entered the courtyard, the eunuch took him to a wing room to wait. After serving tea and snacks, he left. Not only did he leave, but even the accompanying officials from the Honglu Temple left. After they all left, Adolf stayed here and didn't know what to do next. But he was not nervous. He met the emperor of the Ming Dynasty today, and the other party's attitude towards him was very kind. Maybe he wanted someone to bring him here to rest now, and then take him out of the palace like when he entered the palace after the court meeting in the Huangji Hall was over?

Anyway, he got up early this morning because he had to meet the emperor. Adolf not only did not sleep well last night, but he also did not have breakfast. After four hours, Adolf was already hungry. Smelling the fragrant tea and looking at the exquisite cakes in front of him, Adolf's stomach couldn't help but growl. He stretched out his hand and picked up a piece of cake and stuffed it into his mouth. After chewing it, his eyes suddenly lit up and he swallowed it down in a few bites. Then he continued to eat other cakes and took a sip of tea to moisten his throat. In a blink of an eye, the two plates of cakes were swept away by Adolf. After eating and drinking, he touched his stomach with satisfaction and continued to wait patiently. He didn't know how long he waited. Just when Adolf was a little drowsy, footsteps came from outside.

Hearing the noise outside, Adolf quickly alerted himself, stood up from his chair, straightened his appearance slightly, and waited for the person who was to take him away to arrive.

Unexpectedly, his door was soon opened from the outside, and a man walked in. When Adolf saw the other person's clothes and appearance, he was shocked and could not believe his eyes. He subconsciously raised his hands to rub his eyes, and stood there with his mouth open, with an incredible expression.

"What? Are you surprised to see me?" When Zhu Shenzhui asked with a smile in fluent French, Adolf was even more stunned. He had never thought that the emperor of the Ming Dynasty could speak French. Although the other party's French pronunciation was a little strange and the words used were slightly different from what he knew, he could hear the meaning clearly. It was undoubtedly French.

“Your Majesty… Your Majesty… I… I…” Adolf was speechless and stammered, not knowing what to say.

Seeing him like this, Zhu Shenzhui laughed and swept his eyes across the table. When he saw the empty cake plates and tea, his smile became even wider. He opened his mouth and gave an order to the outside, and someone came in immediately to take everything away, and then replaced the tea and cakes. After the things were set, Zhu Shenzhui waved his hand to let them leave, and by the way, closed the door, and then invited Adolf to take a seat.

(End of this chapter)