You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Jiang Qingyun:
"Second, no matter where you are, you must always remember your Han identity and do your best to spread the ideas of the sages—benevolence, righteousness, and moderation."

"Yes, I am afraid that I am not knowledgeable enough and will not be able to make a breakthrough in my lifetime."

Zhu Youlang was gloomy and heartbroken.

Jiang Qingyun laughed, "It is precisely because you are so inexperienced that I dare to send you to Rome. If you were Zhu Yuanzhang or Zhu Di, I would have sent you to heaven long ago."

"Brother Zhu, as the saying goes, 'One trick is all you need.' I'll teach you a trick now, and once you learn it, you can wade across the European continent. Do you believe me?"

"I believe it, of course I believe it."

"Good~"

Jiang Qingyun whispered something to Zhu Youlang, who was greatly shocked.

"Really?"

"It's true."

"Row."

"Brother Zhu, there is a top-secret matter that I can now tell you."

"what?"

"Six months ago, five cardinals came to the Vatican to discuss the imperial tea export monopoly, with the profits to be split 50/50. I agreed to their terms, and I even used a huge golden key to open the hearts of these five men."

"Chief assistant?"

"I want to tell you that a powerful empire stands behind you, and the terrace of St. Peter's Basilica is rightfully yours."

……

"The Grand Secretary~"

"Brother Zhu~"

Overwhelmed with emotion, the two were moved to tears and shook hands tightly.

The highest level of transactions is mutual benefit; cooperation leads to a win-win situation, while separation leads to a lose-lose situation.

Zhu Youlang needs Jiang Qingyun (backstage support), and Jiang Qingyun also needs Zhu Youlang (front-line output). The Papacy needs the United Empire (money), and the United Empire also needs the Papacy (influence).

This will be an unbreakable, century-old business!

Under the famous crooked-necked tree, Zhu Youlang kowtowed three times to the tree trunk in a devout manner.

"Your Majesty, I will raise the banner of the Great Ming in distant Rome. The Great Ming will truly live on as long as the sun and moon. I hope you will bless me with a safe journey."

……

"Grand Secretary, what are your plans for settling Fulin?"

"When the time is right, I will arrange for him to go to India."

"same as me?"

"Correct."

Jiang Qingyun smiled.

In the future, at a suitable time, I will send troops to escort the monk Xingchi across those high mountains and steep ridges to the warm and humid plains of India, where he will build the most magnificent temple and spread the "most authentic Buddhist teachings".

No one understands conquest better than oneself!
Conquest requires force, but it cannot rely solely on force.

Jiang Qingyun was convinced that the cooperation between the United Empire and the Papacy would be one of the most significant historical events in the world over the next 2000 years.

A hundred years later~
He will be a god in the eyes of one half of humanity, and a demon in the eyes of the other half.

My name will occupy a quarter of the pages of world history!

……

Fall 1677.

Zhu Youlang and five bishops set off from Guangzhou on their journey to the Holy Land of Rome.

On the way~
Zhu Youlang had a very pleasant conversation with the five cardinals.

On the way~
The sixth cardinal, Ferdinand Verbiest, has disappeared, suspected to have fallen into the sea by accident, a tragic end.

……

1678 spring.

A preparatory private school in the suburbs of Paris.

Soldiers attempting to force their way in and Parisian citizens who rushed to the scene faced a tense standoff.

"The King has decreed that the preparatory course be closed."

The Parisians blocking the entrance remained silent but did not back down.

suddenly~
A young shoemaker in shorts stepped out of the crowd and shouted, "The preparatory course is everyone's hope. We will never agree to the king's plan to close it!"

"No way!!"

The shouts of the crowd were like waves.

The old captain leading the team felt a jolt in his heart. He recalled the uprising decades ago, when angry stones rained down, the prime minister was exiled, and Louis XIV fled Paris in panic.

"Captain?"

"Do not fire. We must ask His Majesty for permission."

Soon~
The order from Louis XIV, the Sun King, came, a simple two-word command—fire.

The captain drew his sword, which trembled as he pointed it forward.

"shot!"

The gunshots shocked all of Paris.

On that day, hundreds of thousands of Parisians were enraged and resorted to their ancestral craft—rebellion!

Barricades
Guns~
Flame~
Flag~
God knows what Paris's ancestors went through; it was as if overnight, all sorts of weapons emerged from the ground, and all sorts of barricades grew out of the ground.

Peddlers, shopkeepers, shoemakers, blacksmiths, weavers, coachmen, missionaries, even lesbians...

Countless poorly dressed Parisians, armed with makeshift weapons, hid behind barricades and windows, firing fiercely at Louis XIV's army.

Praise to Paris.

Praise the heroes.

Vive la Paris !!!!
……

Urban warfare is a nightmare for the military.

The intricate network of streets and houses could effectively neutralize the fighting power of a 17th-century elite army, dragging them into a low-level war, where they would be engaged in close-quarters combat with civilians armed with makeshift weapons.

Gunfire continued day and night.

Both sides suffered heavy casualties.

Enraged soldiers dragged cannons into the city, bombarding the makeshift barricades with shells or setting fire to streets they couldn't breach.

Parisian citizens cleared firebreaks while simultaneously launching attacks behind enemy lines.

River Seine.

On a crumbling wall, someone had scrawled a line of words on it with a lump of coal: "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?"

The artillery officer disgustedly scraped away the writing with his bayonet before starting to calculate the artillery parameters.

They fired artillery across the river, from a superior vantage point.

The shells riddled a block with holes.

Late at night~
Several soaking wet young people swam out from behind the ruins.

The sentry was slashed down.
The pile of gunpowder barrels was ignited, exploding into a spectacular burst of flames.

Of the four young people, two died, one was injured, and one escaped.

Under the firelight.

Facing the soldiers' dark gun barrels, the wounded and captured young man looked on with disdain.

"Do you have any last words?"

“You ignorant provincials.”

……

The gunfire in Paris alarmed the whole of Europe.

The Dutch and Iberian armies, his mortal enemies, launched attacks from the north and south respectively, striking while the iron was hot and delivering a brutal blow to Louis XIV.

Palace of Versailles.

The nobles remained on the sidelines.

A provincial marquis, stripped of his military power by Louis XIV, forced to move his entire family to Versailles, and now spending his days indulging in parties and balls, yawned.

"Your Majesty, please rescind the order."

Louis XIV angrily smashed his beloved bone china teacup.

"No, I will never bow down to those Parisian scoundrels, never! I will send in more troops, and I will hang them one by one!"

The Marquis looked at him as if he were a fool.

“Your Majesty, this time is different from the past. This time, it’s not just the sans-culottes who oppose you; the bourgeoisie and landowners are also openly opposing your closure of the preparatory courses, and even some nobles and knights are on their side.”

"Don't they know that preparatory courses are the root of national disaster?"

"Your Majesty, because their families and descendants also have to participate in the imperial examinations."

Louis XIV was heartbroken.

"I simply don't understand, what is so alluring about the imperial examinations? Do they really think they can pass and become officials?" The Marquis couldn't help but sneer.
What if I actually win?
How the hell do you know if you don't try?
Damn, reading doesn't cost much money, does it?

Is serving as an official for foreigners not considered being an official?

……

Louis XIV was no mediocre ruler after all; he suddenly calmed down.

"I would like to know, if one passes the imperial examination, is it really possible to become an official?"

"can!"

"How come they have so many official vacancies?"

"Yes, the territory of the United Empire is larger than all of Europe combined. They also have many vassal states. They lost most of their knightly class in the war with the Tatars, and now they are eager to find talented people."

The Marquis spoke with great enthusiasm.

Although it was just hearsay, it sounded quite reasonable.

Louis XIV understood instantly: the trend was unstoppable, and those who stood in the way of the imperial examinations would die.

He took a deep breath.

"I hereby proclaim to all the people of the nation that I hereby rescind the royal decree abolishing the preparatory courses. I have come to a realization that the imperial examinations are an inherent human right, and I will not obstruct them; participants are free to participate or leave as they see fit."

……

The dance that day.

A group of nobles chattered amongst themselves.

They believed that the imperial examination was indeed very attractive, not only to commoners but also to the children of nobles.

Everyone has a bunch of sons, but only one son can inherit their title. What happens to the other sons?
The nobles of Versailles were sending their brightest youngest sons to take the imperial examinations. It wouldn't cost much, and what if they passed?
Nobles do not have a motherland.

Nobility belongs to the world.

……

This is true for the nobility, and even more so for the urban middle class.

It is an undeniable fact that the middle class is the most supportive of the imperial examination system! Because their greatest advantage lies in examinations, they like order and clear rules of the game.

Education should be provided to all without discrimination.

Princes, generals and prime ministers would rather have their own kind.

Everything is of inferior quality, but reading is of high quality.

The book has its own house of gold, and the book has its own Yan Ruyu.

The teachings of these Western sages moved the European middle class to tears, who considered them kindred spirits. Doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, and other professions spared no effort in praising the imperial examination system.

They knew very well that the imperial examination system was the most suitable option for the middle class.

The children of the middle class, thanks to the good cultural influence of their families, were already able to recite the Three Character Classic fluently while the shoemaker's son was still clumsily learning Chinese characters.

Be one step ahead, and you'll be ahead for life.

The imperial examination system was great; you had to take it.

The United Empire was the light of civilization and the spiritual homeland of all the middle class in Europe.

……

The gunfire in Paris has finally subsided.

After Louis XIV's army withdrew, armed citizens, led by a shoemaker, marched through the still-smoke-filled streets, beside the bodies of their fallen comrades.
Recite in unison.

Confucius said: "The people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important."

Everyone had tears in their eyes.

Even more surprisingly, the Vatican also stepped forward, declaring that the imperial examination system was a natural human right and that Christians could also participate in it.

In a short time, progress was evident.

Impression score increased significantly.

The Vatican did this with a purpose: to reduce the pressure on the Vatican by sending intelligent people who could write to the Eastern civil service examinations to become officials.

The Middle Ages are vividly remembered.

These scholars are so annoying!
……

Amidst the fervent atmosphere of the nationwide civil service examinations in Europe, Zhu Youlang finally arrived in Europe, the land he had always been loyal to!

Port of Naples

A huge ship slowly approached the shore.

When Zhu Youlang, whose face was pale and nauseous from seasickness, staggered out of the cabin, he was instantly stunned by what he saw.

The area outside was packed with people.

Countless banners fluttered in the wind, each bearing various Chinese characters.

suddenly~
Someone unfurled a banner—"Bonjour, Father Zhu!"

Instantly, cheers erupted in the port.

Zhu Youlang was moved to tears by the sincere atmosphere. He stood on the ship's railing and waved to the crowd repeatedly. At this moment, he truly realized that what the Grand Secretary had said was not a lie.

There is a loyal minister overseas.

Foreigners overseas all yearn for our Great Ming Dynasty.

……

The day.

Despite his exhaustion, he visited more than 50 poor families in the area. Although he couldn't communicate with them in the same language, he had a special skill—a skill taught by the prime minister.

One of the accompanying reporters reported the following:
Bishop Judy, dressed in a brand-new red robe, entered the home of a believer near the port of Naples. Seeing that the family was destitute, sick, and poor, he shed tears.

He held the believer's withered hand tightly, unwilling to let go for a long time.

Before leaving~
He left behind a message and a few silver coins.

Later, that sentence was recited by countless people.

"I am guilty~"

……

Zhu Youlang had probably become enlightened. From the day he set foot in the port of Naples, his personal reputation was like the treasury of the Papacy, constantly expanding.

Several years later~
The newspaper described him as follows:
A true descendant of royalty, possessing noble blood, melancholic eyes, and a compassionate heart.

Judy did only one thing in her life—visit the poor in various countries.

Judy doesn't understand English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, or Russian.

Judy only speaks Chinese.

Judy's communication with her followers consisted of only three steps: shaking hands, shedding tears, and admitting her guilt.
Judy doesn't like gold.

Judy's room had no lock.

Judy's prestige was at its zenith.

All the cardinals praised him as a true leader.

……

1680.
Guangzhou, the City of Hope.

Guangzhou became incredibly bloated, with at least 10 new houses built around the city to accommodate test takers from all over the world.

Excluding ambitious individuals, illiterate people, pirates, prisoners, and speculators, at least half of the test takers are from middle-class families.

In addition, there were many noble children.

Among them were noble sons who possessed personal recommendation letters from Bishop Zhu Youlang and required special care from the imperial court.

The imperial examination system was fair!

But there is no absolute fairness; money and family background are always advantages.

The sons of nobles were granted official positions through hereditary privilege.

Middle-class elites must take an entrance exam.

Even so, all the foreign candidates still sincerely praised the United Empire as the light of civilization and the imperial examination as an eternal sacred teaching.

A global imperial examination system, drawing talent from all over the world.

Candidates enter, talented individuals stay, and mediocre individuals leave.

As the number of candidates increased dramatically, the difficulty of passing the imperial examination became increasingly greater.

Thanks to the increasingly high rents and prices in the area, those foreign mediocre talents who have repeatedly failed and are now penniless can only leave in disappointment.

Many people couldn't bear the blow of failing the exam and jumped into the river.

In 1681 alone, more than 200 foreigners who had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations ended their lives in despair.

……

In this situation, the United Empire promulgated the "Foreign Failed Students Care Law", which stipulates that candidates who fail the exam for five consecutive years can have the following three options.

First, join the official ocean-going fleet; you can earn one point for every 10,000 nautical miles traveled.

Theoretically speaking, if a foreign student who failed the imperial examination could survive a 10-year voyage at sea, he would have a very, very high probability of passing the examination upon his return.

Take the exam by chance.

That's very fair. (End of Chapter)