I'm really not doing business

Chapter 981 Never Let a Rat Get on the Table
Upon hearing that an imperial edict had arrived, Gao Qiyu immediately straightened his clothes, stood up hastily, and went out of the room to receive the edict.

There were so many instances of people picking peaches that Gao Qiyu had witnessed it many times in person.

You've worked so hard for so long, overcoming so many difficulties, and when it's time to reap the rewards, suddenly someone with connections jumps out, reaches out, and takes your fruits, and you're expected to be grateful.

Such things happen not only in government offices, but also in neighborhoods and clans; they occur frequently and are not unusual.

The charter of the Pan-Pacific Business Alliance was drafted by Gao Qiyu. He also bore the brunt of the negotiations, arguments, and the infamy of being uncivilized and domineering. But the credit should ultimately go to Shen Shixing.

This is reality, the reality Gao Qiyu can only accept. He can't fight city hall; it's too easy for Zhang Juzheng to make things difficult for Gao Qiyu.

"Your subject receives the decree." Gao Qiyu bowed very respectfully, without even a change in expression.

Xu Jue flicked his whisk, held up a piece of paper, and said, "His Majesty's edict:"

"The position of Grand Academician of the Hanlin Academy has been vacant for a long time. What kind of system is this? After much consideration, I have decided that the Junior Minister of Rites is talented, experienced, insightful and far-sighted. Recently, he has managed the affairs of the education system and the establishment of normal schools in the Dinghai year with skill and diligence in serving the country. Therefore, he shall be appointed to concurrently take charge of the affairs of the Hanlin Academy."

"The Hanlin Academy is riddled with deep-seated problems, and a pervasive culture of empty talk and perfunctory conduct is rampant. It is up to you to rectify this with your resolute and pragmatic approach. Now that you know the root of the problem, you must work hard to eliminate it and guide it back to a useful path. Do not fail my expectations."

"Appreciate this."

Gao Qiyu bowed again and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I will humbly follow Your Majesty's instructions and take charge of the Hanlin Academy, and I will not fail Your Majesty's expectations."

It's time to come.

Gao Qiyu had also paid attention to the problems of the Hanlin Academy. After all, it was his way of survival as a minister to be concerned about what the emperor was concerned about. The Hanlin Academy talked about the teaching of characters by oracle bone inscriptions, the decline of mathematics, the harm of the interruption of civilization, and the collapse of China after the Song-Yuan transition. The Yuan dynasty was rampant, the classics were lost, and the ethnic groups were replaced. Layers of chaos caused the exquisite astronomy and calendrical calculations to be almost destroyed.

The damage caused by Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism was far too insignificant compared to the sinking of China.

This memorial can be considered one of the few truly useful memorials submitted by the Hanlin Academy in recent years.

The scholars of the Hanlin Academy were mostly conservative and wasteful of money and resources. Even with the emperor's favor, they could not silence the gossips. They were freeloaders and were always despised.

Solving the problems of the Hanlin Academy is not difficult. To eliminate long-standing abuses, we need to take drastic measures. Gao Qiyu's thoughts on the affairs of the Hanlin Academy can be summarized in the six words His Majesty mentioned when writing the preface to "Turning Over": Only through self-strengthening can there be a new life.

Gao Qiyu had already devised a series of measures to rectify the situation; this new official was about to make a big splash.

The first step is to invite Xu Chengchu from the Anti-Corruption Bureau to carry out anti-corruption rectification of the Hanlin Academy and eliminate the pests in the Hanlin Academy. It is not difficult to achieve this step.

The second measure was to establish a system of performance evaluation to break with old rules and nepotism, implement the Nine Chapters system, and eliminate those who were merely filling positions without merit. Whenever a cabinet minister, a eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial, or His Majesty stamped a document confirming that a memorial was useless and empty talk, Gao Qiyu would immediately conduct a detailed investigation, which was essentially putting him in a difficult position.

Scholars have many methods, and they don't necessarily have to resort to the law to drive people away. Gao Qiyu had nine ways to force people to leave without alarming the legal authorities. After all, he was once a highly regarded disciple of Zhang Juzheng.

The Hanlin scholars who wrote well and gained His Majesty's approval were promoted; those who wrote poorly and were labeled as "useless idle talk" were severely punished.

The third measure was to send them to other places. The biggest problem with the Hanlin Academy members was that they were good at empty talk and theoretical discussions. The Hanlin Academy members were sent to Gansu, Suiyuan, Liaodong, Korea and other places to serve as imperial inspectors for five years. They were to accumulate practical experience through hard work and then be transferred to the Six Ministries for further promotion.

After these three initial steps, we can continue to make adjustments gradually.

His Majesty's requirement is to give full play to the role that the Hanlin Academy should play, to cultivate talent and build a legacy. The Hanlin Academy has lost its future, which is the root cause of all its current problems. It is not difficult to create a comprehensive rectification plan centered around the two words "future" and "progress".

However, this job is one that will offend people, and Gao Qiyu is a loyal minister, so he is the perfect candidate for it.

What frustrated Gao Qiyu was that he ultimately failed to gain credit for the "Pacific Rim Trade Alliance Trade Regulations," which all went to Shen Shixing!
It's infuriating!

If it weren't for Mr. Yuanfu's bias, Shen Shixing would definitely not be his match!
Even after serving as governor of Songjiang for several years, a master of compromise still couldn't shake his bad habit of trying to balance everything. He always wanted to compromise and be thorough in everything, but how could he possibly be thorough in everything?

Gao Qiyu was completely different; he never backed down or tried to appease anyone when he did things!

“The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Gao Qiyu, received the imperial edict. His Majesty’s decree was:” Xu Jue flicked his whisk again and took out a second sheet of Goryeo tribute paper. “His Majesty is frugal. Less important imperial edicts are not mounted with brocade, but are only a single sheet of paper.”

Gao Qiyu was taken aback. He paused, about to stand up, and bowed his head again. There were no major events in the court recently, except for the Hanlin Academy and the Huan Tai Merchant Alliance.

Is there anything he hasn't noticed that he needs to do?
"The governors of Mexico, Peru and Chile have arrived in Songjiang and will soon pay homage to Tianjin Prefecture to sign the 'Trade Regulations'. This regulation has taken many years from its initial draft to its near completion, and has been extremely complicated. It was only through the supervision of the Junior Minister that it was finally brought to fruition."

"Gao Shaoqing is impartial and upright, respectful and obedient, and speaks frankly without concealment. Regarding the affairs of the Taishang Alliance, the Junior Minister of the Imperial Clan was ordered to handle them together with the Governor. Today, he is going to Tianjin Prefecture and can act as he sees fit, but the most important thing is to benefit the country, promote trade, and secure the vassal state."

"Appreciate this."

Gao Qiyu was clearly taken aback for a moment, then bowed again and said loudly, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."

He had been resentful for so long, but in the end, His Majesty returned the credit to him, which made Gao Qiyu very ashamed. He even doubted that the Holy Emperor would be fair in rewarding and punishing!
Gao Qiyu wanted to slap himself. The path of a loyal minister was too difficult. Throughout history, no minister who took this path had a good ending. Gao Qiyu made up his mind to take this path back then because His Majesty was wise, which gave him the courage to do so.

As a result, without the Emperor's explicit decree, doubts arose in the Emperor's mind simply because of a remark by Grand Minister Shen Li.

"When things don't concern you, you're clear-headed; when they do, you're confused." This is a saying that Zhang Juzheng told Gao Qiyu when he was discussing officialdom. Once something concerns one's own interests, one will become anxious and hesitant. At such times, the most important thing is to handle things calmly.

But when the moment came and the fruits of his hard work were taken away, Gao Qiyu was still flustered.

"Xu Da Dang, why has this situation changed?" Gao Qiyu stood up, flicked his sleeve, and three silver notes slid out. He handed them over subtly, as if it were a natural process.

It's difficult to get a high-ranking official to speak without spending money.

"This is unacceptable." After handing the two imperial edicts to Gao Qiyu, Xu Jue declined the money, saying that he could accept some of it but not others.

Xu Jue pushed the silver note away before continuing, "Young Master Zong, this matter is simple. His Majesty is very satisfied with what you have done before and will naturally protect you. At present, promotions in the court are based solely on performance evaluations, and you are a rare example of an upright official."

"As for the Grand Secretary, His Majesty will naturally take care of the Junior Minister. The Junior Minister can just focus on his work. Shen Shixing has connections, and the Junior Minister also has a powerful backer. As long as the Junior Minister is diligent in his duties, His Majesty will be his greatest support."

These words were not spoken by Xu Jue himself, but were given by His Majesty before his departure. Shen Shixing's starting point in the 100-step race was indeed 99 steps, but Gao Qiyu had ability and the Emperor's favor, so his starting point was at least from -100 to +50.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness." Gao Qiyu never expected that the emperor would choose to support him in this matter, and Zhang Juzheng's pleas for mercy were in vain.

After announcing the decree, Xu Jue flicked his sleeves, turned and left, saying with a smile, "Young Master Zong, please wait."

"See Xu Da Dang off." Gao Qiyu hurried a few steps to bid farewell to Xu Jue.

Xu Jue walked a long way, then suddenly looked back and saw Gao Qiyu still standing in front of the gate. He smiled and nodded again before turning and leaving the Ministry of Rites.

Xu Jue had a good impression of Gao Qiyu. Gao Qiyu was somewhat like Wang Guoguang, unconventional and cautious, and even in private he insisted on his own manners. However, he was blinded by his own position and did not understand that Zhang Juzheng's targeting was not sincere, but rather a way of making a statement.

Even now, Gao Qiyu still believes that Zhang Juzheng has not forgiven him, but in fact, Zhang Juzheng simply cannot forgive him.

After Xu Jue left, Gao Qiyu held the two imperial edicts, beaming with joy. As for entering the cabinet, he had never thought of it. Being able to surpass Shen Shixing was already something to celebrate.

Zhu Yijun issued an imperial edict, giving the credit that should have belonged to Gao Qiyu to Gao Qiyu. Zhang Juzheng did not go to Tonghe Palace to discuss the matter with the emperor, because he never intended to actually take the credit.

Zhang Juzheng had two purposes: besides making a statement, he wanted to play the villain, fabricate a card out of thin air, and let the emperor use this card to win people's hearts.

The results were excellent, and Gao Qiyu was extremely grateful, so he worked even harder.

Zhu Yijun was Zhang Juzheng's protégé and knew Zhang Juzheng very well, and he guessed Zhang Juzheng's intentions.

In short, Gao Qiyu was tacitly manipulated by the Grand Secretary and the Emperor. However, the fact that the Emperor and the Grand Secretary went to such lengths to win him over was itself a high affirmation of Gao Qiyu's contributions over the years.

While Gao Qiyu was on his way to Tianjin Prefecture to meet with the three governors, Lin Fucheng returned to the capital with the wool caravan that was heading to Beijing. He spent a full year on the grasslands, and under the protection of the imperial guards, he ventured deep into many parts of the grasslands.

What impressed Lin Fucheng the most during this trip to the grasslands was that those damned, filthy, disease-spreading, and despicable dens of iniquity, the Lama temples, have finally disappeared from the grasslands!
The last time Lin Fucheng went to the grasslands, he hated these lama temples that spread plagues the most. Those evil caves on the grasslands were all filled with the blood and tears of the grassland people. But for various reasons, these evil caves stood firm on the grasslands, absorbing the flesh and blood of the grassland people to grow stronger.

Unlike the monks in the heartland who only seek peace of mind and occasionally offer children, the lamas on the grasslands have blood on their hands. The use of human organs to make ritual objects is utterly immoral!

The monks used the pretense of granting children to take advantage of the situation to engage in illicit relationships. In Lin Fucheng's eyes, who had traveled all over the country and even gone to Southeast Asia, this was nothing out of the ordinary. There weren't that many fools in the world; granting children was just an openly understood business.

Often, the husband is aware of the situation; in today's society, not having offspring to carry on the family line is a more serious and fatal problem.

The grassland lama temples were murderous and the source of evil. After a ten-year crackdown, these lama temples finally disappeared without a trace. In their place were portraits of the Holy Emperor. Almost every household had a portrait of the Holy Emperor. The portraits were very exquisite, with clear ink marks, superb engraving techniques, and excellent paper and mounting.

Moreover, these wall hangings are really inexpensive; you can exchange twenty kilograms of wool for one of these wall hangings.

When Lin Fucheng returned to Guihua City, he learned that these hanging portraits were all San Niangzi's business, not the Emperor's portrait tax. In fact, at this price, there was no profit at all. The portraits were specially made to destroy the Lama temple.

The statue of the Holy Emperor in Guihua City is not just a simple statue; these hanging portraits of the Holy Emperor are what followed.

The narrative of gratitude on the grasslands is a hundred years ahead of the narrative of gratitude in the heartland!

In terms of narratives of gratitude, Zhang Juzheng was no match for the Third Lady, mainly because His Majesty did not allow Zhang Juzheng to act freely.

Back in the capital, Lin Fucheng looked at the scroll in his hand. He had also bought a copy of the portrait of the Holy Emperor, intending to hang it in the Xiaoyao Society and burn incense and pray for blessings day and night. It wasn't that Lin Fucheng actually believed in this; he just had a wish.

Lin Fucheng was able to become the Lin Fucheng he is today only because of the Emperor's favor and protection. He returned to the so-called Xiaoyao Society and met Li Zhi, whom he had not seen for a long time. Li Zhi hosted a banquet for Lin Fucheng at Taibai Tower to welcome him and wash away the dust of his journey. After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Lin Fucheng was a little drunk.

"What was Dr. Lin's biggest takeaway from this trip to the grasslands?" Li Zhi asked curiously. Lin Fucheng hadn't written a single newspaper all year; he'd been too busy having fun!

Lin Fucheng thought for a moment and said, "We have gained a lot, but the biggest lesson is that we must never let rats sit on the table or let insects rule."

Lin Fu-cheng is a proponent of limited liberalism. He has been pondering a question all year: the relationship between law, legislation, and freedom, that is, freedom and order.

The laws of the Ming Dynasty were complex and numerous, but they could be summarized in eight words: ancestral laws, reverence for Heaven and ancestral laws. This authority was in the hands of the Hanlin Academy.

The Hanlin Academy controlled the interpretation of history. The Hanlin Academy compiled history, and compiling history was equivalent to controlling the interpretation of the established laws of the ancestors.

This thought process was actually very painful because he was constantly denying himself from the previous day. His observations, experiences, and accumulated knowledge from the past led him to constantly deny himself. After going around in circles for more than a year, he summarized his thoughts into one sentence: We must never let the rats get on the table.

"What does this mean?" Li Zhi asked, greatly surprised.

After careful consideration, Lin Fucheng said, "At the foot of Yinshan Mountain, I saw a remnant of the Yongxiebu tribe. They believe that San Niangzi betrayed Altan Khan and want to assassinate her, break free from the Ming Dynasty's control over Suiyuan, and restore the glory of the Yuan Dynasty. This tribe has a total of 13,000 people."

"But I learned from these tribal refugees that the so-called restoration of the glory of the Great Yuan Dynasty was just a deceptive slogan. These insect-like tribal leaders never assassinated San Niangzi or any Ming Dynasty officials. They just raised a flag to seek personal gain. Their crimes are truly heinous and beyond description."

Lin Fucheng briefly recounted the sins committed by these scoundrels. Under the guise of Lamaism, they amassed wealth at will, and would beat and kill poor laborers who disobeyed them. Their sins were a blatant replica of the Blissful Religion.

"The rat spirit who stole sesame oil from under the Buddha's seat usurped a high position and ultimately led this tribe to a dead end. In the end, they were surrounded by the Suiyuan Guard Army. One commander of ten thousand and four commanders of one thousand were captured and beheaded by the Guard Army. These grassland people were then incorporated into the civilian population."

Lin Fucheng frowned and said, "What I mean is, within any order, rats must never be on the table. As for how to determine whether it is a rat, that's too difficult."

In Lin Fucheng's view, there were two periods in the Ming Dynasty that could be described as "rats eating the table".

First, during the Jianwen era, there were people like Huang Zicheng, Qi Tai, and Fang Xiaoru who advocated for the implementation of the well-field system, a strong desire to revive ancient practices, and the restoration of Zhou rites in official positions and titles.

Secondly, during the Zhengtong era, officials led by Yang Shiqi extensively undermined ancestral laws and regulations, engaging in various practices such as meticulous planning and promoting both civil and military affairs.

In fact, Lin Fucheng pondered for a year and came up with a method to ensure that the person in question was not a rat. If a rat were on the table and could make decisions, then any group would turn into a mess.

Therefore, people who can make decisions must not be rats; they need to possess the following characteristics.

First, there's age. Those over forty-five, those who have established themselves at thirty and are no longer confused at forty, only after experiencing more things and having the ability to judge right and wrong, will not be misled by appearances, will be able to understand the essence and principles of things, and will have their own value judgments, such as beauty and ugliness, good and evil, right and wrong, etc.

Secondly, it is very important to have rich experience in observing and administering politics. Theory is no substitute for practice. Only by accumulating more than 20 years of administrative experience can one be said to have rich experience to deal with various situations.

Third, one must possess a certain level of morality. A nation without any morality will cease to exist. Only those who demonstrate virtue in their daily lives are certainly not rats.

Fourth, one must be upright, unafraid of the powerful and influential, courageous in criticism, unmoved by the interests of all parties, and steadfast in one's principles. Only in this way can one maintain impartiality in determining the formulation of 'laws,' or in interpreting ancestral laws and history. Even if the formulation of laws is somewhat biased, it can be corrected and amended.

Lin Fucheng believed that none of these four points were dispensable. He told Li Zhi about his ideas and asked for Li Zhi's opinion.

"What you're talking about, isn't this just the Hanlin Academy's Hanlin scholars?" Li Zhi frowned. Lin Fucheng had been talking for a long time, and all four of these criteria applied to Hanlin Academy scholars.

These old scholars usually have rich experience in observing politics, and they are upright and noble, unmoved by the interests of all parties. Although they often use classical Chinese phrases, they are indeed among the most morally upright people in officialdom.

History has proven once again that empty talk about morality will only harm the country and its people.

"Sigh." Lin Fucheng was somewhat dejected. In his life, he had traveled all over the country, to the grasslands, to Liaodong, to Southeast Asia, and even served as the second-in-command of pirates. He had learned about everything from primitive religions to feudal states and county-level feudalism. He had even studied the representative system of the Western Netherlands in Luzon.

After observing various political systems, he realized, while contemplating freedom and order, that absolute freedom would only lead to greater disorder. The Eisenbu regime seemed to have been too free, and the current Japan also seemed to have been too free.

Free evolution must be subject to constraints, and these constraints must be imposed by humans.

The Hanlin Academy, with its relatively aristocratic scholars, could effectively curb the evolution of limited freedom into absolute freedom by reviewing government decrees. In fact, these scholars had always done so. The main responsibility of the Hanlin Academy was to compile history, and Shen Li had compiled the "Veritable Records of Emperor Jingzong".

In this era where people emulate Heaven and their ancestors and follow established laws in everything, holding the power to compile history is equivalent to holding the power to define the law.

Lin Fucheng suddenly realized, oh no, he, who advocated freedom, had become a conservative, and that these old scholars in the Hanlin Academy actually had some merit!

Li Zhi quickly noticed a contradiction in what Lin Fucheng said.

That is to maintain the noble and aloof status of the Hanlin scholars. These Hanlin scholars should not be involved in worldly affairs. They can only observe politics, not administer it. Otherwise, administering politics would inevitably involve dealings with the interests of various parties, and they would not be able to maintain their noble and aloof status.

However, without administrative experience, it is easy for those in power to act on their own whims. Their intentions may be good, but once the system is implemented, it becomes unrecognizable, such as the Single Whip Law.

These are all practical results from the Wanli Reforms, and also an intractable problem.

Zhang Juzheng lacked practical experience in local government, which made him hesitant when formulating policies.

“My dear brother, these words are only known to the two of us, so it’s best not to present them to the Emperor,” Li Zhi said hesitantly in a low voice.

Lin Fucheng frowned and asked in confusion, "Brother Li, what makes you say that?"

"Emperor Yingzong and Emperor Xiaozong." Li Zhi carefully considered his words. Sometimes, rats are not necessarily subjects, but some rats will definitely end up on the table. Emperor Yingzong and Emperor Xiaozong were such examples. Lin Fucheng's words were somewhat veiled and suspected of criticizing His Majesty.

Of these four conditions, His Majesty does not meet either the age requirement or the administrative experience requirement; His Majesty has only been observing and administering government for nineteen years.

After thinking it over, Lin Fucheng realized he was incapable of resolving this deadlock, and said with a smile, "Let the officials in the court worry about these matters."

Lin Fucheng wrote down his experiences on the grasslands in a book called "A Sequel to My Travels in Suiyuan," which recorded the various things he had seen over the past year and published them in batches.

After much deliberation, he finally wrote down his thoughts on freedom and order in a memorial to the emperor, including his confusion, and presented it to the emperor.

The contradiction between practice and maintaining a noble and aristocratic lifestyle seems to be an unsolvable deadlock.

"This is indeed a dead end, so the Hanlin Academy should be preserved." Zhu Yijun finally gave his vermilion approval to the memorial. He did not have a clear answer either. Until there was a better solution, maintaining the status quo was also a kind of wisdom.

Zhu Yijun dispatched his capable subordinate Gao Qiyu to reorganize the Hanlin Academy, aiming to make the academy less idle and more concerned with the common people.

As revisers of history books, the Hanlin scholars who held the power to define history should shoulder their due responsibilities, learn from the experiences and lessons of the long river of history, and prevent the Ming Dynasty from falling into the same pit again.

The Hanlin Academy members, the Censors of the Censorate, and the Six Departments of the Six Ministries together constituted the "pure stream," which was responsible for correcting policy errors. This was an inevitable result of the natural evolution of the political system and the existence of a safety net mechanism.

If the error correction mechanism fails, the world will perish.

This system is not unique to the Ming Dynasty. For example, England has a House of Lords, the United States has a Senate, and Spain has a similar Council of State. The existence of these fallback and error-correction mechanisms is to prevent radicals from destroying themselves through continuous extreme reforms.

Zhu Yijun issued a special decree ordering the Ministry of Revenue to pay all outstanding salaries and to have Gao Qiyu rectify the situation, rather than letting the Hanlin Academy fend for itself. This was to maintain the existence of the Hanlin Academy and ensure a balance between conservatism and radicalism.

"Why do I feel that Lin Fucheng is subtly criticizing me?" Zhu Yijun looked at Lin Fucheng's memorial and felt that there were hidden meanings in his words. Every sentence did not mention him as the emperor, but he was too young, inexperienced, and immature to become emperor at the age of ten.

"Lin Fucheng is just making veiled accusations against Your Majesty. Let me take the barbarians and deal with him!" Feng Bao was immediately excited. This Lin Fucheng was eating the Emperor's salary and still dared to shout "Wanli, Wanli, all families are in turmoil!"

Even if it were true that the Wanli Reforms did accumulate a lot of resentment, it was not up to Lin Fucheng to say that!
When it's convenient to speak ill of scholars, Feng Bao never speaks well of them.

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "Alright, if I wanted to kill him, I wouldn't have waited until now. If he can't perform his duties in the Hanlin Academy, I still rely on him to tell the truth. With you shouting for his execution, will he dare to tell the truth in the future?"

Lin Fucheng's identity was very simple: a royal investigative reporter. He went to Baoding, Suiyuan, Liaodong, and Southeast Asia, and successfully completed Zhu Yijun's imperial orders. A good minister is one who can do a good job.

The Hanlin Academy, the Censorate, and the Six Ministries' Supervising Secretaries were gradually distorted during the twenty years of factional strife between the Qingliu and Yan factions, and slowly lost their ability to correct mistakes. In recent years, the Censorate and the Six Ministries' Supervising Secretaries have been gradually corrected, and now it is the Hanlin Academy's turn.

It is easy to govern a strong state, but difficult to govern a weak and chaotic one.

Taking advantage of the current period of national rise and strength, we should do everything that should be done and everything that shouldn't be done.

Lin Fucheng's "Travels in Suiyuan" is very long, so long that it could not be printed in one go. The content of the travelogue is very interesting and greatly enriched Zhu Yijun's knowledge.

In summary, the fundamental reason why Suiyuan has undergone such a great transformation is that the grassland people have finally found their rightful place: shepherds.

Continuing to indulge in the beautiful dream of the past glory of the Yuan Dynasty will only lead to further decline and eventual destruction. The shift from raising horses to raising sheep is a process of accepting reality.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Upon hearing His Majesty's clear instructions, Feng Bao bowed his head and accepted the order.

Gao Qiyu arrived in Tianjin Prefecture by train and went to Tanggu Port to await the arrival of the three governors. He hoped that these three would be sensible and not be ungrateful. The Ming Dynasty had already treated them as human beings and was even willing to negotiate a solution to the dispute. This was already a huge concession from the Celestial Empire.

Although the Holy Emperor always wanted to correct arrogance, it was particularly difficult to do so.

Along with Gao Qiyu, Li Yashi, Galileo, and the mathematician Michael Masterling also came to Tanggu to pick up the person, who was named Kepler.

(End of this chapter)