Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

After discussing religious matters for a while, both of them were very pessimistic about the future.

They are highly valued by the current emperor because of the knowledge they learned from missionaries.

The reason they are now disliked by the emperor is because of their faith in the sect brought by missionaries.

If this sect were recognized by the emperor, that would be fine. The key issue is that the current Nestorian Church is unwilling to have its deities officially recognized by the current emperor, thus preventing it from becoming a legitimate religious sect.

The emperor, however, believed that the followers of Nestorian Christianity were not loyal enough because they believed in gods first.

People like them, who are not loyal enough, are naturally unlikely to become the emperor's trusted ministers.

Xu Guangqi's upward trajectory was thus interrupted. Not only was he not promoted to the position of Second Grand Secretary, but his actual power was also reduced.

After learning about these things, Sun Yuanhua asked:

"Sir, do you think I am capable of becoming a high-ranking official?"

Is there a chance for me to become one of the Nine Ministers in the future?

Xu Guangqi pondered for a moment and said:

"You have no chance as a Grand Secretary, after all, you are not a Hanlin scholar."

"Even your chances of becoming a high-ranking official are slim, since you're only a graduate of the provincial examination."

"Although the Emperor has specially bestowed upon you the title of Yuanshi, it will be difficult for you to be recommended by ministers who have passed the imperial examination during the court recommendation process."

This is Sun Yuanhua's current predicament. He was originally a military commander, just one step away from becoming a military governor.

If he hadn't left the New Army to go on a diplomatic mission to the West, given his position as a military commander in the New Army, he would most likely have been promoted to military commissioner and earned a noble title through meritorious service in Liaodong.

Of course, things aren't bad now either. The emperor recognizes his merits from his mission to the West and intends to grant him the title of earl. With his achievements, he is qualified to serve as a governor-general or a high-ranking official in the court.

However, the ministers in the court rarely elected him, even if he temporarily refused the title.

Because his merits were praised too much by the emperor, and he was not even a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

Such outliers in officialdom are rarely recommended. They might become court officials, but it's very difficult for them to obtain core positions like the Nine Ministers.

After hearing his teacher's explanation, Sun Yuanhua gained a better understanding of the current situation at court. He also made up his mind and said to his teacher:
“In that case, I will accept the investiture and take the title bestowed upon me by the Emperor.”

Xu Guangqi nodded in agreement:
"It's not bad that you became an earl; at least it won't prevent you from serving as a minister in the court."

"The Emperor recently appointed Earl Zheng as Chief of Naval Staff, which seems to indicate that he intends to appoint nobles to certain positions."

"The ministers of the Privy Council are appointed entirely by the Emperor, and only require the ministers to recommend them."

"The memorial recommending you is well-written, so there's no need to look for anyone else. However, you are now a Nestorian Christian, and according to the regulations that soldiers cannot form factions or participate in social organizations, you cannot serve in the Privy Council."

"Otherwise, with your experience at sea, you could compete for the position of Minister of the Navy."

Secretary of the Navy?

Sun Yuanhua's eyes lit up; he felt it was a good position.

After four years of sailing, he has gained considerable knowledge about things at sea.

Furthermore, I have visited the navies of countries such as Portugal and Spain.

He believed he was capable of serving as Secretary of the Navy.

Regarding matters of faith, Sun Yuanhua paused for a moment, then said to his teacher:
"The students saw many things in the West and discovered that they were very different from those in the Ming Dynasty."

“The Western countries are civilizations completely different from the Ming Dynasty. Missionaries are their pioneers, and Your Majesty’s vigilance is justified.”

"The students plan to withdraw from the Jingjiao Church!"

This decision left Xu Guangqi speechless. He never expected his disciple to think this way after returning from the Holy See.

However, after Sun Yuanhua told him about what he had seen and heard at the Vatican, he understood: It turned out that this sect, whose doctrines were so attractive, also had corrupt and depraved people, just like the imperial court.

Even the Jesuits are unconditionally loyal to the Pope within the Vatican, equivalent to the emperor's inner court officials.

This religion also has an inquisition, which has a notorious reputation in the West.

This greatly impacted his faith, and it took him a long time before he spoke to Sun Yuanhua:
"Fine, I'll quit then!"

"This will be better for your future."

He also discussed some matters concerning the Navy Ministry with Sun Yuanhua, mentioning the fact that Navy Minister Yu Anxing had feigned illness, and said to him:
"Yu Anxing was conservative and his shipbuilding plan was rejected."

"Moreover, his attempt to suppress the navy in order to save money has aroused dissatisfaction among the entire Navy Department."

"He has now effectively lost power; he hasn't stepped down because of the change of emperors and other officials."

"However, he will definitely not be the next Secretary of the Navy."

"You'll be competing with others for the position of Secretary of the Navy."

As for who he was competing with, Xu Guangqi couldn't say.

The current emperor's use of people is somewhat unpredictable; he doesn't fully understand him yet.

But one thing is certain: the new Minister of the Navy will be someone who obeys the Emperor's orders and is willing to do his job.

The emperor, weary of arguing with his ministers, ordered the chief and deputy chief ministers to take bamboo poles and poke the officials into action.

That poem, "Ode to Minghu Lake," was remembered by all the ministers. They knew that the Planning and Implementation Committee and the Supervisory Committee established by the emperor in the cabinet were forcing them to take action.

Listening to these interesting anecdotes, Sun Yuanhua gained a better understanding of the current emperor.

He is willing to do things; after all, he rose to his current position from the rank of Juren by doing practical work.

If there were no other interference, he believed the emperor would definitely use him.

The thought of commanding the Ming Dynasty's navy and roaming freely across the seas filled Sun Yuanhua with excitement:

"With a navy, the Ming Dynasty can also compete for overseas interests."

"Portugal and Spain both rose to prominence because of their navies."

"There's even a tiny country called the Netherlands, which was originally a Spanish territory. It prospered through maritime trade and has since become independent."

"As long as our navy is as big as the Netherlands', we can compete with these countries for maritime interests."

Xu Guangqi didn't know much about this, but after Sun Yuanhua explained how these countries rose to prominence through overseas expansion and maritime trade, he suddenly understood the significance of "The Influence of Sea Power on the Sea":

"So, it seems that maritime trade can lead to prosperity. No wonder the Emperor values ​​maritime power so much."

"You chose to accept the title in order to establish your own fiefdom, didn't you?"

Sun Yuanhua chuckled and said:

"That's the idea."

"Portugal and the Netherlands are both small countries, yet they have become powerful through maritime trade."

“The vassal states established by the students will surely be just like them.”

He expressed his thoughts, believing that finding a good fiefdom and developing it was more important than the slim chances of becoming a high-ranking official.

He explained to his teacher in detail the rise of Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, and England, believing that overseas expansion and maritime trade could make small countries strong.

If he emulates these countries in developing his maritime power, he can become the founding monarch of a powerful nation in the future.

Compared to this future, what is a high-ranking official?
He decided to accept the title and vie for the position of Minister of the Navy, hoping to contribute to the establishment and development of his domain. (End of Chapter)