Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

It should be said that Qu Shisi was a person more suited to officialdom than Qian Qianyi.

Moreover, he had a keen eye, recognizing that the clash between different schools of thought would become the main source of future political struggles in the imperial court.

With other relationships restricted, only the unrestricted realm of academic thought allows officials to find common ground.

Then, based on this common ground, find like-minded people and elect them during the court election.

The traditional schools of Neo-Confucianism and the School of Mind are rather scattered, and this understanding is not yet widely recognized.

However, the Donglin Party's transformation into the Donglin School greatly inspired Qu Shisi.

After splitting into several schools, the cohesion of the Donglin Party declined. However, the overall influence of the school increased significantly.

In particular, the existence of Donglin Academy ensured that the Donglin School had a continuous stream of successors.

Qu Shisi believed that if the Practical School wanted to develop, it had to emulate the Donglin School.

He said to Qian Qianyi:

"The most popular school of thought in the court right now is the Donglin School."

"Although Han Kuang, Cheng Jiming, Zheng Sanjun, Li Banghua and others belong to different academies, they even have disputes in the imperial court."

"But they are often in agreement on important matters. They are especially good at coordinating positions and promoting their people when it comes to the election."

"In the future, the factions in the imperial court will definitely be dominated by academic schools."

Qian Qianyi frowned upon hearing this and said:

Will the Emperor accept it?

"He went through a lot of trouble to break up Donglin and divide it into multiple schools."

Qu Shisi said with a smile:

"There's nothing we can do if you don't accept it."

"It's already difficult enough for the Emperor to break up the Donglin Party; how can he possibly prevent the members of the Donglin School from having a unified ideology?"

"Furthermore, compared to the Donglin Party, the Donglin School did not dare to engage in factionalism, lest it be suspected of forming a de facto party."

"What His Majesty intends to do is to support the new school of thought and prevent the Donglin School from becoming the sole representative of the literati."

Qian Qianyi nodded slowly, indicating his approval.

No one knows better than him how the Practical School was established and developed, and what its theoretical sources are.

The emperor supported him with the aim of dismantling the Donglin Party.

Remembering what the emperor had once said, Qian Qianyi said:
His Majesty once lamented: "The officialdom has no factions, only all sorts of strange and eccentric figures."

"It seems that they anticipated these things and were willing to accept the existence of factions, including academic schools of thought, in the court."

"It's just that members of a school of thought must adhere to their academic stance, but they cannot be completely aligned on their political stance."

"Otherwise, they could easily be impeached for forming cliques, engaging in favoritism, or suppressing dissent."

That would be considered forming a faction, which is a very serious crime.

The current emperor detests factional strife that focuses solely on political stances and has always severely punished those who form factions.

Qu Shisi smiled without saying a word, feeling that this was just a last resort.

Can factionalism truly be eradicated? It will only become more complicated.

For example, he suggested to Qian Qianyi:
"Those from the same school of thought are not necessarily in agreement on everything."

"It can even lead to impeachment, criticism of people from the same school of thought, and show people the differences."

"This is what is meant by 'a little scolding can be a lot of help' – standing together in crucial moments is all it takes."

“Some members of the Donglin School have already done this to avoid suspicion of factual bias and factionalism.”

This is a change made by bureaucrats as they adapt to the current emperor's governing style.

These brilliant minds of the Ming Dynasty evolved at an incredibly rapid pace after adapting to the current emperor's way of thinking.

They quickly figured out their tactics, such as criticizing others while offering help in return.

Until a critical moment, you have no idea which faction an official belongs to.

Qu Shisi was able to understand these things because he and Qian Qianyi both came from the Donglin Party.

His suggestion to Qian Qianyi was to emulate the Donglin Party:
"This approach is likely to gain an advantage in important matters such as court elections, and will inevitably be imitated."

"However, mutual impeachment and criticism could also lead to a complete breakdown in relations."

"Therefore, a school of thought needs a core, a person of prestige to unite others."

"The core of our practical school of thought goes without saying; the teacher, as the founder, is naturally the core."

"The problem is that there is no academic society yet, so it is impossible to unite a core group."

"Sir, it is time to establish a school, and even more so to establish academies and colleges."

This proposal greatly appealed to Qian Qianyi.

However, he was worried about the emperor's attitude, and after thinking it over, he said:
"The Practical School is supported by His Majesty. If we act on our own, we may incur His Majesty's displeasure."

"Perhaps I should go and ask His Majesty, and see what he has to say."

Qu Shisi said:

"This matter can be put on hold for a while, and combined with the crackdown on the scientific community."

"If His Majesty realizes that the scientific school is unreliable, he will trust the practical school more."

Qian Qianyi's eyes lit up as he listened to Qu Shisi's idea.

Soon, they started a controversy targeting science.
-
As for Chen Zilong, after writing the beginning of "The Biography of Heroes and Martyrs", he felt a surge of inspiration and continued writing the subsequent chapters.

It wasn't until he was called over by his teacher, Xu Guangqi, that he learned someone had questioned the scientific community in the newspapers.

"Western learning is barbaric learning, and science based on Western learning is also barbaric learning."

"What kind of fallacy is this? Science is clearly the study of imperial examinations and measurement."

"Teacher, don't worry, your disciple will refute them."

Enraged by this, Chen Zilong was furious that someone was attacking the scientific faction.

Before Zhang Pu went south, he entrusted him with the affairs of the Academy of Sciences, which was a sign of his trust in him.

He could not remain indifferent to such an article and immediately stated that he would refute it.

However, Xu Guangqi's face was somewhat ashen. He said to Chen Zilong:

"Teachers have heard this kind of criticism many times and won't take it to heart."

"But this time, the other party has presented concrete evidence, and it is the teachers who have let you down."

Chen Zilong hadn't looked closely before, but after hearing what the teacher said, he realized something was wrong.

Then he saw the attacks on the scientific faction and on the Western Water Method.

They argued that many of the tools in the book were clearly Chinese, yet they were labeled "Western," which they considered as giving Chinese technology to barbarians and an act of forgetting one's roots.

The text contains numerous corrections from craftsmen, explaining which techniques were used during the Ming Dynasty. In particular, materials such as tung oil and bamboo were extremely scarce in the West, making it impossible for them to have discovered so many uses.

Using various examples, the fallacies of the "Western Water Method" are demonstrated.

Chen Zilong looked at the contents of the article and found it difficult to refute it for a moment.

He even felt that the article was correct, and that the teacher was suspected of giving Chinese technology to foreign countries in this regard.

But since the other person was his teacher, he could only offer words of comfort:

"The teacher is writing under someone else's name, just like writing a book under the guise of an ancient one."

"This is to spread useful Western knowledge as quickly as possible, not for personal gain."

"The student council will explain in the newspapers so that the world knows the teacher's true intentions."

"The Ming Dynasty is currently suffering from floods and droughts everywhere, and the Emperor and the people of the world will understand."

Xu Guangqi shook his head upon hearing this and said:

“A mistake is a mistake; this violates the distinction between Chinese and barbarians.”

"His Majesty kept me behind after the court assembly today, specifically instructing me that any technology originating from abroad must be properly attributed." "The Ming Dynasty respects intellectual property rights and will never arbitrarily appropriate foreign technology. In the future, when we sign the International Patent Convention with various countries, we will also pay patent fees to the inventors of foreign technologies."

"But what shouldn't be given will never be given. Such writings under the guise of foreign names will never be allowed again."

Chen Zilong opened his mouth wide, speechless.

Since the emperor has said so, what rebuttal can he possibly offer?
Moreover, this relates to the International Patent Convention, which is part of the international order that the Ming Dynasty is preparing to establish.

As a mere scholar of the Hanlin Academy, his voice carried little weight, and he had no chance of changing this policy.

In particular, deep down he felt that doing so was the right thing to do:
Technology belonging to the Ming Dynasty belongs to the Ming Dynasty; there is no need to delegate it to external publications.

He said:
"This is a legacy of past academic irregularities, and it cannot be blamed on any particular individual."

"Moreover, His Majesty has long said that the distinction between Chinese and barbarians is not about blindly xenophobic."

“Barbarians also have advanced technology; we should learn from their superior skills to control them.”

"If King Wuling of Zhao adopted the Hu-style clothing and mounted archery, could he be considered a barbarian?"

Even clothing, a core element of etiquette, is subject to change; Chinese civilization is not that sensitive to such changes.

The difference lies in whether change is sought proactively or passively; we cannot regard the prison uniforms imposed by barbarians as Chinese clothing.

Chen Zilong planned to use historical examples such as adopting nomadic dress and riding horses to illustrate the necessity of learning from barbarians.

We must acknowledge the advantages that barbarians had, but the Chinese were not superior to them in every aspect.

Otherwise, we wouldn't have fought with barbarians for thousands of years, and even once lost the world.

We must learn from the strengths of the barbarians in order to subdue them.

Using this opportunity, he engaged in heated debates with writers from the pragmatic school of thought, commissioned by Qian Qianyi and Qu Shisi, in newspapers.

They even invited him to the Golden Terrace to hold a debate on whether or not to learn the skills of the barbarians.

Science and practical learning have become very popular in the capital, making more people aware of these two new fields of knowledge.

Qian Qianyi and Qu Shisi, who dared not personally participate in the debate, were unable to completely suppress the scientific faction in the debate.

In particular, Chen Zilong creatively proposed a concept, shouting:
"His Majesty once advocated drawing on the wisdom of all schools of thought, and science now takes this as its guiding principle."

“Learning the skills of barbarians means adopting their techniques. We must learn the skills that barbarians excel at, innovate upon them, and assimilate them into the technology of the Ming Dynasty.”

"Once the Ming Dynasty assimilates all the barbarian tribes' skills and uses them for its own purposes, it will surely become the best in the world!"

By combining learning from the strengths of the barbarians with drawing on the wisdom of other schools of thought, and using the emperor's instructions, the correctness of this strategy was demonstrated.

Upon hearing this, Qian Qianyi knew that the scientific faction had won the debate and could not possibly lose.

Because their practical learning also involved drawing from various schools of thought, that article was co-authored by him and the emperor.

This made him marvel at how promising the younger generation was, and that besides Zhang Pu, Chen Zilong was equally capable of carrying the banner of the scientific school.

Chen Jiru, Chen Renxi, and others were also very happy, feeling that they had made the right decision to side with the scientific faction.

However, Xu Guangqi was somewhat disappointed because the importance of Western learning in science had further declined, and it had become just one of the subjects that science had adopted.

In particular, he was criticized for forgetting his ancestors in this incident. This made the criticism he already faced for his religious beliefs even more severe.

He has already been impeached for this matter, and he has submitted his resignation.

Although the emperor tried his best to persuade him to stay, he really couldn't continue.
-
This was also a headache for Zhu Youjian, as he did not want to replace cabinet ministers immediately after the reshuffle.

That would make the court appear unstable, and some officials who were dissatisfied with their current positions would launch attacks against certain ministers.

This was something Zhu Youjian tried his best to avoid, as he did not want people in the court to only focus on official positions.

In particular, Xu Guangqi played a very important role in agriculture and industry, and the imperial court could not do without him.

Therefore, he specifically summoned Xu Guangqi to reassure him:

"No one in the world can do anything without being criticized; those who are blameless and unpraised are mediocre people."

"I know of your achievements; you are a meritorious minister who helped restore the dynasty."

"I am still looking forward to hanging your portrait in the Purple Pavilion. You must not give up now."

"I will arrange for Rembrandt to paint your portrait immediately."

This is extremely high praise, comparing Xu Guangqi to meritorious officials who brought peace to the world.

Xu Guangqi was deeply moved, yet also very uneasy, and said:
"I am already facing a lot of criticism for serving as a Grand Secretary."

"I really don't know what kind of comments I'll receive if I'm listed in the Purple Pavilion in the future."

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

He lowered his head and remained silent, his eyes already filled with tears.

He felt that the emperor had been lenient with him, but he had failed to live up to his expectations.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Youjian personally walked down the steps and handed Xu Guangqi a handkerchief to wipe his tears.

He then stared at Xu Guangqi and said:

"Sir, you underestimate yourself and Western learning."

"Chinese civilization stands proudly above the world. Who else, besides Western civilization, is qualified to pose a challenge?"

"Western civilization is centered on Christianity."

"The criticism you are facing now is a clash between two civilizations."

"If you help Chinese civilization assimilate the strengths of Western civilization, who dares to say that you are not a meritorious person?"

He looked intently at Xu Guangqi, anticipating his answer.

When Xu Guangqi heard the emperor say this, he knew he was facing a choice.

They could either choose Chinese civilization and help the emperor digest and assimilate Western learning.

They either choose the West and become what the newspapers have recently described as barbaric and degenerate.

This is not a problem at all:
His background and family determined that he could practice Nestorian Christianity, but he would not immigrate to the West.

Moreover, his purpose in studying Western learning was to "supplement Confucianism with Western knowledge," not to completely submit to the knowledge of barbarians.

After considering it, he said:
"Your Majesty's meaning is clear to me."

"But I am truly powerless to grant the title to the Celestial Venerable Dousi."

"At most, we can persuade the Nestorian Church to accept the investiture, but we can't interfere with the Roman Catholic Church's side."

Xu Guangqi learned a great deal about the Roman Catholic Church from his disciple Sun Yuanhua.

Under normal circumstances, the Vatican would never allow the Church of Christ to be de facto independent, let alone allow the Lord of Christ to be ordained or allow believers to worship other gods.

They are more wary of heretics than of pagans.

Zhu Youjian was certainly aware of this, but he didn't care and said:

"I'll figure out a way to deal with the Vatican later."

"Now it is time to let the Jingxie Church accept it. I will grant the Jingxie Church the same status as the Zhengshen Church overseas."

“In the future, the Nestorian Church can also spread to India and other places, and see which is more powerful, Buddhism or the other.”

"Let's keep it from the Vatican for now."

They encouraged the Jingjiao Church to become more independent and become an ally of the Ming Orthodox Church Alliance.

Faced with the emperor's earnest gaze, Xu Guangqi could only say that he would try to persuade him, but could not guarantee the outcome.

Zhu Youjian said with a smile:

"I believe that the priests of the Nestorian Church will make the right choice."

"As for your promotion of Western learning, I feel that your writings have had little impact."

"Why not imitate and reproduce those famous Western experiments to attract intelligent people to think about them?"

"Isn't there a rumor that Galileo conducted a freefall experiment at the Leaning Tower of Pisa?"

"I grant you permission to find a place to replicate this experiment."

"Utilize the results of experiments to promote science popularization." (End of Chapter)