Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 150: The Obituary Announced, the Capital Was in Uproar
Guo Jujing had already made up his mind and didn't hesitate at all. "Your Majesty, I can handle it."

"Very good." Zhu Changluo nodded. "Wang An."

"The servant is here."

"Reward Mr. Guo with one hundred taels of silver." Zhu Changluo decided to give him another push.

"According to the order."

"I thank you for your majesty's holy grace."

"Kneel down and pay your respects." Zhu Changluo looked at Xu Guangqi and said, "Call over the young man named Tang Ruowang. He's the last one left."

"Yes." Xu Guangqi bowed and accepted the order.

As soon as they left the house, Guo Jujing took Xu Guangqi to an empty corner and asked in a low voice in Italian, "Does the emperor know anything?"

"Know what?" Xu Guangqi looked puzzled and began to speak Italian.

"The Emperor summoned us separately and said that he didn't like differences. He also asked me if I could resolve the differences. This clearly means that the Emperor has long known about the conflict between President Niccolò Longobardi and me!" Guo Jujing made it clear and cast a questioning look at Xu Guangqi.

"The Ming Dynasty has the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the East Factory and the West Factory. It's not surprising that they know these things." While Xu Guangqi was indirectly confirming this matter, he also took the opportunity to clear himself out.

"What is the emperor's attitude? As a close minister to the emperor, you should know." Guo Jujing was eager to know the Ming Dynasty's attitude towards this matter.

"I am not a close minister to the emperor. The one who received the order to give you money is me." Xu Guangqi used the opponent's force to dissipate the opponent's force and cleverly deflected Guo Jujing's question.

"Then what do you mean?" Guo Jujing didn't understand.

"I presided over Matteo Ricci's funeral." Xu Guangqi turned his back.

The fundamental disagreement between Guo Jujing and Long Huamin stems from their views on the missionary policies of the previous president, Matteo Ricci, in China, and on the relationship between Ming Dynasty culture and biblical teachings. Long Huamin, the president and recognized successor of Ricci, was also known as a "self-annotator of the Six Classics," someone who used Ricci's name but did not truly espouse Ricci's policies. Meanwhile, Guo Jujing, currently without a title and nearly stripped of his position within the Society, was the most steadfast supporter of Ricci's policies, a "self-annotator of the Six Classics" in contrast to Long Huamin.

So if you understand Xu Guangqi's words correctly, it means he supports Long Huamin, but if you understand them incorrectly, it means he supports Guo Jujing.

Guo Jujing, having traveled thousands of miles across the ocean and experienced many hardships, immediately sensed the ambiguity in Xu Guangqi's words. Dissatisfied, he pressed the issue, "Paul, I'm going to weed the fences at Tenggong. Would you like to come with me?"

"When?" Xu Guangqi turned around and asked in a deep voice.

"The court will do it whenever it thinks it should be." Guo Jujing replied.

"Okay. After the snow stops, let's go to sweep the grave of Lord Li together." Xu Guangqi was very satisfied and took Guo Jujing to the side hall again.

As soon as Xu Guangqi pushed open the door, Johann Adam Schall von Bell immediately gave him an expectant look.

"Young friend Tang, come here. The emperor has called your name."

"Yes!" Johann Adam Schall von Bell almost jumped up from his chair.

There was a time gap between the two exchanges that was long enough to be noticed, but neither the emperor nor the two eunuchs who were accompanying him raised any questions.

"Your Majesty, Johann Adam Schall von Bell, kowtows to our Emperor: Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor, long, long live the Emperor!" Schall von Bell did not even wait for Xu Guangqi to demonstrate, and he could not wait to perform the extremely standard salute.

"Your servant Xu Guangqi pays homage to the emperor, Long Live the Emperor." Xu Guangqi tilted his head and looked at Johann Adam Schall von Bell in surprise.

"Please take a seat." Following Zhu Changluo's order, Wang An and Wei Chao brought wooden stools with charcoal fire to the two people kneeling on the ground.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Tang Ruowang stood up and thanked Wei Chao, who came over with the stool. "Thank you, eunuch too."

Wei Chao didn't say anything, but politely returned Tang Ruowang's smile.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Xu Guangqi was very surprised. When reporting to the emperor, kneeling was the norm, standing was a favor, and having a seat was a special honor.

"What's your name?" Zhu Changluo asked kindly.

"My name is Johann Adam Schall von Bell. My courtesy name is Daowei." Schall von Bell was very nervous, but his pronunciation was still clear.

"The Dao is not in Mencius?" Zhu Changluo pondered. "King Wen saw the people as if they were hurt, and he longed for the Dao but could not see it?"

Tang Ruowang was amazed that the emperor had remembered the origin of his courtesy name in just a moment, and he sincerely praised him, "Your Majesty is as clear-sighted as a mirror!"

"Haha." Zhu Changluo chuckled and nodded, then continued, "I know you. I'm asking about your original name."

"My former name is Johann Adam Schall von Bell. I am a native of Cologne, Holy Roman Empire."

"Johann Adam Schall von Bell?" Zhu Changluo imitated the words and then asked, "Are you a noble?"

"My ancestors were. But now, I am just a commoner of the Ming Dynasty and a Jesuit monk." Johann Adam Schall von Bell turned his head to look at Xu Guangqi, but Xu Guangqi didn't know where the emperor got this information.

"I heard that you have made great achievements in mathematics, astronomy and other fields." Zhu Changluo also looked at Xu Guangqi.

"I only know a little bit, and I can't say I have any accomplishments." Tang Ruowang bowed and declined modestly.

"Humility is a good thing, but excessive modesty is arrogance." Zhu Changluo asked, "Among the gifts presented to the imperial palace, there's an item called a 'Sky Mirror.' Was that your offering?"

The reason why Zhu Changluo asked this question was because he remembered that in the second year of Chongzhen, Johann Adam Schall von Bell wrote a book in Chinese called "Telescope Theory" introducing the telescope.

"In reply to the emperor, this item was presented by my fellow church member Deng Yuhan," replied Johann Adam Schall von Bell.

"Oh? Deng Yuhan?" Zhu Changluo thought about it and felt that he was somewhat familiar, but for a moment he could not recall any related deeds. "Is he also in Beijing?"

"In reply to the emperor, Deng Yuhan was ordered to stay in Nanjing, so he did not go north with the delegation. However, Deng Yuhan was grateful for the emperor's special summons, so he entrusted the delegation to present this item together." Tang Ruowang replied.

"Where does this thing come from? Can it really be used to observe the sky from afar?" Zhu Changluo continued to ask.

"This device was invented by a priest named Galileo Galilei from Pisa, in the Duchy of Florence, in the Holy Roman Empire. Galileo was a good friend of Deng Yuhan. When Deng Yuhan came to China, Galileo gave him a 'Sky Telescope' he had made himself as a souvenir. Now, Deng Yuhan is offering this device to His Majesty. As for whether it can be used to observe the sky, Your Majesty will know once he tries it. How dare we, your servants, deceive you?"

"Galileo Galileo!" "Your Majesty knows him!?" Johann Adam Schall von Bell was suddenly shocked, because the emperor's expression perfectly interpreted the idiom "suddenly realize".

"I don't know. I just think this translation would be better." Zhu Changluo casually took out a piece of white paper and wrote three beautiful regular script characters on the paper, then asked Wei Chao, who was standing beside him, to hand the paper to Johann Adam Schall von Bell.

"Your Majesty's translation is wonderful!" Tang Ruowang held the paper in his palm and begged, "I dare you to give me this handwritten letter."

"Just three words." Zhu Changluo chuckled, then said, "You, Deng Yuhan, and Galileo are all from the Holy Roman Empire. Why didn't he come to the Ming Dynasty?"

"Although Galileo was a Christian, he did not join the Jesuit Order. Furthermore, he was more of a radical prophet than a Christian. When we were planning to come to the Ming Dynasty, Galileo was on his way to Rome." To prevent the emperor from being misled, Johann Adam Schall von Bell explained, "Rome does not belong to the Holy Roman Empire. It is located in Italy, or the Apennine Peninsula, south of the empire."

"Oh." The emperor obviously did not have much interest in the relationship between the Holy Roman Empire and the city of Rome.

Zhu Changluo was more curious about why Galileo went to Rome than the dispute between the Holy Roman Empire and Rome: "What was he doing in Rome?"

"I don't know exactly what Galileo wanted to do. It was probably for Copernicus's theory. I remember that in 1616, at the end of the th year of the Wanli reign, the school of thought that opposed Copernicus's heliocentrism dominated the mainstream of public opinion in the Roman Catholic Church, and there seemed to be calls to ban Copernicus. Galileo was Copernicus's most loyal supporter." Johann Adam Schall von Bell didn't know why the emperor asked this question, but he still honestly told him everything he knew.

Among the three missionaries who entered the palace, he was the only one who implemented Xu Guangqi's instructions.

"I see." Zhu Changluo smiled dumbly and nodded repeatedly. "You satisfy me very much. I will give you an official position."

Tang Ruowang was startled at first, then stunned. When he finally reacted, he was immediately overwhelmed by ecstasy. He stood up, took two steps to the imperial desk, and kowtowed, saying, "I am willing to die for your majesty!"

"I won't let you go to the frontier to fight." Tang Ruowang's attitude made Zhu Changluo realize that his judgment of Tang Ruowang was correct. This young man, who had been promoted to the first rank in the Qing Dynasty and had benefited from the influence of three generations of his family, was not only passionate about teaching but also aspired to become an official.

"Since you are quite accomplished in mathematics and astronomy, why not go to the Imperial Astronomical Observatory and become an official in charge of calendar calculation?" Zhu Changluo said, "Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty during the Hongwu reign, there has always been no shortage of foreigners in high positions in government."

"I bow to thank the Emperor for His Majesty's grace!" Johann Adam Schall von Bell kowtowed again. The Ming dynasty had a tradition of bringing glory to the ancestors, and so did Europe.

"The celestial signs are high in the sky, but when they are turned into a calendar, they become the farming seasons that guide agriculture. The farming seasons are related to the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people in the Ming Dynasty, so you must deduce them carefully," said Zhu Changluo.

"I will follow the emperor's instructions!" Tang Ruowang replied.

"By the way, since the 'Sky Mirror' was presented by Deng Yuhan, does he also understand mathematics and physics?" Zhu Changluo asked.

Tang Ruowang frankly said: "Deng Yuhan was more than a decade older than me, and his talent was a hundred times greater than mine."

"Talents should be used, Mr. Xu." Zhu Changluo looked at Xu Guangqi.

"I'm here." Xu Guangqi stood up and bowed.

"Send a letter to Nanjing in the name of the Ministry of Rites, asking the officials to send Deng Yuhan to Beijing." What Zhu Changluo didn't know was that his unintentional act happened to coincide with the original history.

In the third year of Chongzhen, Deng Yuhan died of illness in Beijing. Xu Guangqi, the then Minister of Rites who was in charge of the calendar revision, was in urgent need of talents proficient in mathematics, physics and astronomy, so he wrote a memorial to Emperor Chongzhen to strongly recommend Johann Adam Schall von Bell to come to Beijing to serve.

"The minister obeys the order."

"Kneel down and pay your respects." Zhu Changluo waved his hand.

"I'm waiting to retire."

By the time I left the South Study, the last rays of sunset had faded. Aside from the main hall, which had been ordered cleared, lanterns were lit under the eaves of every other building. Along the way, shadows of people dotted the landscape, and everywhere was a riot of red.

Tang Ruowang had nothing to hide, so he had nothing to ask. He just said to Xu Guangqi, "Mr. Xu, thank you very much."

"Rewards, punishments, promotions and demotions all come from the top. Why are you thanking me, young friend Tang?" Xu Guangqi refused.

"If it weren't for Minister Xu's recommendation, how could the emperor meet a nobody like me and give me an official position?" Tang Ruowang said sincerely.

Xu Guangqi gave a bitter smile and said: When did I ever recommend you to the Emperor?
------

Although the cabinet received news of Zou Yuanbiao's death shortly after Wang Chengen and Luo Sigong left the study, Ye Xianggao, who was responsible for drafting the obituary, cunningly produced the draft for cabinet members' review only at the last moment before the meeting ended. By the time the clerk hurried to the Ministry of Internal Affairs with the obituary, the bell for the end of the meeting had already rung.

Therefore, the obituary was not made public until after the morning court session the next day.

Fucaifang, Censorate.

"Colleagues!" Censor Yuan Huazhong, standing in the middle of the crowd, shouted passionately, "Lord Nan Gao. A clean official, a dignified third-rank official! Less than twenty-four hours after his arrest, he was tortured to death by the cruel officials of the Pacification Office! Is this justice?"

"The cabinet's obituary said it was suicide, right?" someone asked.

"This is obviously a whitewash!" Before Yuan Huazhong could speak, another censor beside him spoke first: "Of course the Jinyiwei have to speak well of themselves."

"Didn't the obituary mention the Western Factory?" the man asked again.

"The factory guards are a family, so isn't it strange that they're protecting each other?" The person opposite him jumped out and cursed. "Whose side are you on?"

"What the Western Factory says is not credible!" More and more voices echoed this.

"Yes! They say they are going to control the Jinyiwei, but who knows how these worthless people will control them. The servants in the inner court protect each other, aren't there too many such things?" An old censor with gray beard was deeply touched by this.

"You can't say that. The West Factory's opening was handled quite well." A relatively neutral voice emerged from the crowd.

"You mean the Dongchang case? Ha! What's so good about it? Isn't Cui Wensheng, that beast who embezzled millions of silver as soon as he took office, still in office?" A conspiracy theorist also emerged. "I think Wei Zhongxian and Cui Wensheng are in cahoots."

"The words of the Imperial Household Department cannot be trusted. The Three Judicial Departments should send more personnel to investigate the cause of Nan Gao's death and give him justice!" Yuan Huazhong made his way through the crowd and walked alone into the main hall in full view of everyone. He said to the Left Censor-in-Chief Zhang Wenda, "Master Zhang, the Censorate cannot remain silent at this time."

"Everyone, please be patient. I'll go to the cabinet and ask for details first, okay?" Zhang Wenda knew that if these hundred or so people were allowed to storm the Forbidden City, it would definitely cause a bigger incident. If they angered the emperor and caused a beating in court, who knows how many people would die.

"Master Zhang!" Yuan Huazhong was furious. "That's pretty much what you meant when the Imperial Guards stormed into our court and took Zuo Guangdou away! But so far, among the six ministries and eight officials, only Xu Butang has gone to the cabinet, right?!"

Zhang Wenda couldn't sit still any longer after hearing this. If he didn't speak up, this group of people would definitely turn around and impeach him. "Oh! I'll go now!"

"Let's go together!"

(End of this chapter)