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

Chapter 970: Dispatching an Envoy
Wang Fuzhi was soon brought from the Hanlin Academy into the palace. When he arrived at the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Zhu Shenzhu and Minister of Rites Qian Qianyi were already waiting for him.

This was the first time that Wang Fuzhi met the emperor alone. He had met the emperor before, but that was during the palace examination with other Jinshi. This was the first time for an occasion like today.

The young Wang Fuzhi was of medium build, with a thin face, bright eyes and a chivalrous look. He walked into the side hall, and when he saw the emperor and Qian Qianyi, he stepped forward to pay his respects and said, "Wang Fuzhi, editor of the Hanlin Academy, greets Your Majesty."

"Are you Wang Fuzhi?"

"Your Majesty, I am Wang Fuzhi." Wang Fuzhi replied neither arrogantly nor humbly.

Looking at this man, Zhu Shenzui quickly connected his impression of a student taking the imperial examination with the young official in front of him, nodded with a smile, and then asked him to stand up and take a seat so that he could talk.

After thanking the emperor, Wang Fuzhi sat down with confidence. His behavior was well-behaved, and he did not show the fear and trepidation that ordinary low-level officials would show when meeting the emperor. This made Zhu Shenzui very satisfied with Wang Fuzhi. At least in terms of his demeanor, he was qualified to be the chief envoy.

Diplomatic envoys represent the dignity and face of the Ming Dynasty, especially the chief envoys. If a cowardly, cunning, or even timid official takes on this position, then going to Europe will be a loss of face for the Ming Dynasty and for Zhu Shenzhui.

Let’s not talk about other things for now, just Wang Fuzhi’s attitude is qualified.

"Mr. Qian came to see me today and talked about the Ming Dynasty's diplomatic mission to Europe. From what Mr. Qian said, you volunteered to serve as the chief envoy, right?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, that's right. I learned that our Ming Dynasty was going to send an envoy to Europe, and the Ministry of Rites was selecting envoys, but for various reasons it has not been able to choose suitable people. When I heard about this, I felt that I might be able to do the job, so I recommended myself to Lord Qian. Lord Qian met with me, discussed with me, and confirmed that I was willing to go to Europe as an envoy, so he wrote my name on the list." Wang Fuzhi answered frankly, explaining the whole story in just a few words.

Qian Qianyi stood aside with a smile on his face. He was very satisfied with Wang Fuzhi as a candidate, and he had interviewed Wang Fuzhi before. This young man was well-educated and not a bookworm. In addition, he was both civil and military, and acted with reason and logic. He was a very qualified candidate.

Zhu Shenzhui was quite satisfied with Wang Fuzhi's answer, but since it was an interview, he had to ask him carefully. Zhu Shenzhui immediately asked Wang Fuzhi why he wanted to be an envoy, and to a place as far away as Europe? As an editor of the Hanlin Academy, he could have avoided this matter. As long as he stayed in the Hanlin Academy, it would be easy to get promoted in the future. Why take such a risk?
After Zhu Shenzhui raised this question, Wang Fuzhi said otherwise. He told Zhu Shenzhui that scholars should take the world as their responsibility, not just themselves. At the moment, the country needs someone to stand up. How can scholars or even officials of the Ming Dynasty stand aside? Wang Fuzhi may not be able to join the army and go to the battlefield, but he has no problem being an envoy. Moreover, as an official, if he can't even serve as an envoy to other countries, then once there is a major change in the country, how can he defend the country?

The so-called world now is very different from what it was before. The meaning of the world in ancient times is fundamentally different from that of the world today. The world today is not just the Ming Dynasty, nor does it only include Liaodong, Mongolia, Tibet and several southern countries around the Ming Dynasty. With the changes in the world, this world has long been different from before.

"The changes in the world are like the flow of a river, which never stops and never stagnates, and its end is unpredictable. Therefore, a gentleman should adapt to the times and make decisions according to circumstances. This is the ultimate wisdom and a good strategy for dealing with the world. Although I am in the Hanlin Academy, I also pay close attention to state affairs. Although I did not personally experience the visit of European envoys not long ago, I also learned about it afterwards."

"I think that things in the world are not static. Whether it is scholars or the court, their vision should not be limited to one place. We should adapt to changes and actively seek changes. Since Europe can send envoys to our Ming Dynasty, why can't our Ming Dynasty send envoys to Europe? Even if it is the land of the Western Barbarians, the stones of its mountains can be used to polish jade, and the Western Barbarians also have things that we cannot wait for. It is not right to be blinded by a single leaf and fail to see the mountain. Our Ming Dynasty is the Celestial Empire, so we should have the mind of a superior country, embrace everything to seek change, and use the advantages of foreign countries for our own benefit. This is the true right way for a country..."

"How dare you! How can a mere Hanlin editor like you discuss state affairs? When the emperor asks you what to do, you just answer it. Why are you talking nonsense?" Before Wang Fuzhi could finish his words, Qian Qianyi could not help but interrupt him, glaring and scolding him.

"Mr. Qian, don't be angry. This is not the court. I called him here just to have a casual chat. Besides, there are only three of us here. It is normal for young people to have some thoughts in their minds. Who hasn't been young once? What do you think?" Zhu Shenzhui said with a smile.

Qian Qianyi said sternly: "Your Majesty is lenient to me, which is my fortune, but as an official, I should be careful in what I say and do. Especially Wang Fuzhi, once he is sent to Europe as an envoy, he will represent the Ming Dynasty, so he should be more careful in what he says."

"Hahaha, you are right. I have wronged you." Zhu Shenzhui laughed and nodded, then reminded Wang Fuzhi: "Did you understand what Mr. Qian said? It is not a bad thing for young people to be passionate and want to do things for the country, but they still have to remember to be cautious in their words and deeds. Only in this way can they go further and more steadily. Why don't you thank Mr. Qian for his teachings?"

Wang Fuzhi quickly stood up, bowed deeply to Qian Qianyi, and said he would learn from him. Qian Qianyi nodded slightly, stroked his beard and smiled. He stopped Wang Fuzhi not because he was dissatisfied with this young official, but deliberately did it because he was afraid that Wang Fuzhi was too young to speak without thinking and said something wrong in front of the emperor. Although Qian Qianyi had some weaknesses in his character, as a great scholar, he was very supportive of the younger generation, and Qian Qianyi admired young people like Wang Fuzhi very much, or saw advantages in Wang Fuzhi that he did not have.

It was for this reason that Qian Qianyi did not want Wang Fuzhi to leave a bad impression in front of the emperor because of his gaffe, so he interrupted. Zhu Shenzhu's reaction also made Qian Qianyi feel relieved. It seemed that the emperor was not dissatisfied with Wang Fuzhi's remarks, but rather appreciated them, which made him feel relieved.

As for Wang Fuzhi, he certainly understood this, so when Zhu Shenzui asked Wang Fuzhi to thank Qian Qianyi, Wang Fuzhi willingly stood up and saluted this old senior.

After Wang Fuzhi finished his ceremony and sat back, Zhu Shenzui asked him a few more questions, including what he should do if he were the chief envoy to Europe, how to maintain the majestic status of the Ming Dynasty, and how to gain benefits for the Ming Dynasty.

Wang Fuzhi, who had already considered this, expressed his thoughts. Zhu Shencui listened carefully to his answers and became more and more satisfied with Wang Fuzhi. Although the answers Wang Fuzhi considered had shortcomings and his thinking direction was weak, this was not due to Wang Fuzhi's own ability, because he did not know much about the real purpose of the mission to Europe. He only inferred it from the news circulating outside. Without fully understanding Zhu Shencui's purpose, it was not easy to think of these things by speculation alone.

From any perspective, Wang Fuzhi was a suitable candidate for the chief envoy. After observing Wang Fuzhi, Zhu Shenzui decided to choose him as the chief envoy of the delegation.

The next day, Wang Fuzhi was officially appointed as the chief envoy to Europe. Not only did Wang Fuzhi serve as the chief envoy of the delegation, but Zhu Shenzui also promoted him considering his official position, from the seventh-rank editor of the Hanlin Academy to the sixth-rank reader of the Hanlin Academy, and then let Wang Fuzhi enter the Zhanshi Mansion to serve as the left scholar.

In addition, Wang Fuzhi was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Rites and the Grand Councilor.

In just one day, Wang Fuzhi became a mid-level official in the court, and the positions he held were not ordinary. The Deputy Director of the Ministry of Rites was fine, but the positions of Attending Reader of the Hanlin Academy and Zuo Shuzi of the Zhanshi Mansion were not ordinary. Generally speaking, holding these positions meant officially entering the cabinet as a reserve.

But there were not many people who were truly jealous of Wang Fuzhi. On the contrary, many people in the court privately mocked this young man for being crazy about getting promoted.

In the eyes of most people, Wang Fuzhi's promotion in this way was meaningless, because he would then be sent to Europe as the chief envoy of a diplomatic mission, and this trip would take at least two or three years. If things went wrong, the long journey would be full of risks, and it was possible that Wang Fuzhi would die on the way.

If he died like this, what would be the use of these official positions? Not to mention the fifth or sixth rank, even if he was given a higher rank, it would be useless. In addition, after leaving the Ming Dynasty, these official positions would be equivalent to decoration. Only a fool like Wang Fuzhi would do such a thing.

Wang Fuzhi turned a deaf ear to these taunts. After receiving the imperial edict, he was ordered to assist the Ministry of Rites in setting up the mission. He usually ran around the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple, and often went to the Guest House to see Adolf and consult him on many matters concerning Europe.

In addition, Wang Fuzhi also entered the palace several times, and of course he entered the palace because of the emperor's summons. As the departure of the delegation got closer, Wang Fuzhi entered the palace more frequently. As for what the emperor told him in the side hall, no one knew.

Half a month later, the Ming Dynasty's diplomatic mission to Europe was formally formed, with Wang Fuzhi as the chief envoy and Zheng Hongkui as the deputy envoy. The other entourage were transferred from various departments. Among them were many low-level officials, as well as the Jinyiwei and Zheng Hongkui's elite naval subordinates transferred from the Shandong Navy and a team of new troops.

In addition to these, the Ministry of Internal Affairs also sent people to participate in the mission and go to Europe as members of the mission. The entire mission has 356 people, which is really a large scale. With the current capabilities of the Ming Dynasty, it is impossible to send this mission to Europe, so it can only ask the Portuguese for help. The Portuguese are very concerned about this. Because of the previous defeat in Malacca, Portugal's power in the Far East is constantly weakening, and it can only barely keep the routes to Macau and Nagasaki.

In order to rely on the Ming Dynasty as their backer, the Portuguese were eager to help. Moreover, the first stop of this Ming Dynasty diplomatic mission when arriving in Europe would definitely be Lisbon. The Portuguese also had their own plans in private. They hoped that when the Ming Dynasty delegation arrived in Portugal, the Portuguese royal family could take this opportunity to conduct normal diplomacy with the Ming Dynasty. If they could reach a cooperation and have the support of the Ming Dynasty, then Portugal's basic base in the Far East would be stabilized, and they would no longer have to worry about the Netherlands continuing to be aggressive and suppressing themselves.

Moreover, the delegation included not only the Ming envoys, but also Viscount Adolf representing Sweden and Poland. Given this, the Portuguese would not refuse. For this reason, the Portuguese prepared seven galleons to undertake the mission to Europe. Wang Fuzhi's delegation would go south via the canal, and follow the same route as Adolf when he entered Beijing, first to Guangzhou in the south, then to Macau, and then take the Portuguese ship to Europe in Macau.

(End of this chapter)