Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The movements among the nobles were naturally discovered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Zhu Youjian was delighted upon receiving the report:
He wasn't afraid of the nobles having ambitions; he was afraid they wouldn't want to act.

If these nobles still refuse to move despite his policies, then he will have to consider extreme measures.

Fortunately, the newly appointed nobles were still energetic and willing to go overseas to establish vassal states.

Although some of the old nobles were reluctant to move, they accepted the situation after Zhu Youjian allowed them to choose fiefdoms in the Arctic and that he himself would not have to take up a fiefdom.

The enfeoffment of princes and the establishment of fiefdoms was an inevitable trend and a common aspiration of the Ming dynasty nobility.

"We should treat the opening of the vassal states as a pressure relief valve, and move more internal conflicts outward."

"Not only should nobles and meritorious officials be mobilized, but civil and military officials, scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants should also be mobilized."

“We should identify exemplary individuals from all walks of life and bestow titles upon them.”

This was inspired by the "auspicious omens" presented by Zhu Youjian from various places.

While Li Sanshui, Xu Litie, and others may have lacked significant merit, their hereditary titles helped to ease social tensions.

People like them, seeing that they have been granted titles, will have hope in their hearts and will not easily rebel.

All Zhu Youjian needed to give up was a few knights of the Fangshili region.

Zhu Youjian, who was very generous in this regard, ordered all departments to find typical examples:
Anyone who is close to being granted a title can be granted a hereditary title during this birthday celebration.

As a result, the various departments of the imperial court became busy again.

The Ministry of Revenue sought out exemplary taxpayers, the Ministry of Works sought out artisans who had made significant contributions, and the Ministry of Agriculture sought out farmers skilled in farming...

They all displayed their unique abilities.

Chen Zhenlong, Chen Yi, and Lin Huailan, as the introducers of sweet potatoes, were all reported.

In recent years, the scale of sweet potato cultivation has been growing larger and larger, and it has become an indispensable product.

The introduction of sweet potatoes was naturally a great achievement. In addition to the promotion by the Ministry of Agriculture, it was also necessary to find out who the original introducers were.

Ultimately, because Chen Zhenlong, Chen Yi, and Lin Huailan all had records of introducing the species and were unrelated to each other, they were all reported together by the Ministry of Agriculture.

After careful consideration, Zhu Youjian posthumously conferred knighthood upon all three men and invited their descendants to the capital to inherit their titles and establish their own fiefdoms.

He addressed his ministers:

"Introducing high-yield crops and promoting increased grain production is a great achievement of Wan Jiasheng."

"Chen Zhenlong, Chen Yi, and Lin Huailan should not only be granted titles, but also be granted divine positions and have temples built for their worship."

"I hope that the people of the Ming Dynasty will be bold in looking outward and bring back excellent products from overseas."

He ordered the Hanlin Academy to write an article praising and encouraging this behavior.

At the same time, considering the possibility of invasive species in later generations, he also ordered the Ministry of Agriculture and the Customs to establish an agency specifically responsible for the management of species entry and exit.

Only those things that are determined to be beneficial to agricultural production can be introduced.

The species from the Ming Dynasty also need to be tested before they can be sent out.

Seeds from the Ming Dynasty's advantageous industries, such as tea seeds and silkworm seeds, are prohibited from leaving the country.

Zhu Youjian did not want them to be stolen by foreigners, which would bring competitors to the related industries of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, he requested that the Ministry of Agriculture and the Bureau of Secrecy cooperate to strengthen the secrecy regarding species that require strict confidentiality.

Furthermore, more restrictions were placed on foreigners entering and leaving the Ming Dynasty's interior. Except for cities with foreign trade zones, foreigners without Ming citizenship were not welcome in other places.

This regulation, made for the purpose of maintaining secrecy, has once again affected the Jingjiao Church.

After the court assembly, Xu Guangqi addressed the Nestorian Church leaders, including Johann Adam Schall von Bell:
"With this restriction, it will be even more difficult to spread the word in the future."

"Missionaries without Ming citizenship can only preach in the foreign trade park."

This is yet another heavy blow to the Nestorian Church.

Previously, due to debates on original sin and concubinage, many Chinese believers had left the church.

After Sun Yuanhua returned from his mission with bad news and led the retreat of Christians, the number of Chinese missionaries and believers in the Nestorian Church dwindled even further.

This religion, which once had nearly 10,000 members, now has fewer than 3,000 believers and priests combined.

Once the emperor's restrictions are implemented, the Nestorian Church, unable to freely preach in various places, will see a further decline in the number of believers.

Johann Adam Schall von Bell said with deep concern:

"This can't go on any longer!"

We must come up with a solution.

Long Huamin said helplessly:
"What can be done?" "The Vatican will not allow Nestorian Christianity to become independent."

"The emperor of the Ming Dynasty would not allow Nestorianism to be controlled by the Papacy."

What can we do when we're stuck in the middle?

Giulio Aleni stood up and said:
"We can't hesitate any longer!"

“Our Nestorianism has existed since ancient times and has always been an independent religion.”

"The relationship with Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy is simply that they worship the same deity."

"Christians in the Eastern world should all belong to the Jing Church."

They strongly demanded that the Nestorian Church become independent from the Vatican and become a denomination like the Eastern Orthodox Church.

He believed that with the support of the Ming Dynasty, Christians in the Eastern world would all belong to the Jing Church.

As the "Confucius from the West," Giulio Aleni, one of the three leaders of the Nestorian Church, had an extraordinary influence on the papacy.

In particular, one-third of the remaining believers were recruited by him.

Soon after he spoke out, missionaries echoed his sentiments. Chinese missionaries and believers, in particular, collectively supported Giulio Aleni.

Under constant pressure from the imperial court, they knew that only in this way could the Jingxie Church continue to survive.

Seeing this situation, Long Huamin knew that the side supporting the Vatican had lost all momentum, but he still insisted:

"The Emperor did not ask us to sever ties with the Papacy, and even hoped that the Jesuits would provide talent."

“I believe that the Jesuits should be allowed to exist in the East and to support the Pope in the name of the Jesuits by sending missions to the Vatican.”

"As long as no one speaks out, the Vatican, which is currently at war with the Protestants, will not attack the Jingxie Church."

This was the conclusion he reached after returning from his mission to Rome.

After truly recognizing the greed of the Vatican's upper echelons, Long Huamin's illusions about them were dispelled.

He decided to follow the strategy of the Ming emperor, disobeying the papacy while establishing a special relationship with the pope through the Jesuits, who were loyal to the pope.

Even if the Jesuits, who had the power to allocate trade quotas to the Ming Dynasty, knew that the Jingxie Church was independent, they would suppress the news.

Pope, considering his own interests, may also turn a blind eye to the idea of ​​the Nestorian Church becoming independent.

Once the Jing Church has grown stronger in the future, we will further consider our relationship with the Vatican.

The proposal was unanimously agreed upon by the missionaries.

They remain in the Ming Dynasty, all wanting to spread their faith there. Faced with the crisis of extinction if they do not integrate into the Ming Dynasty, they have no choice but to support the Nestorian Church's proposal for independence, as put forward by Giulio Aleni.

However, many people have doubts about the falling out with the Vatican.

Their relatives and friends are all in the West, and they might have to go back there in the future.

To ensure their future, they cannot be completely hostile to the Roman Catholic Church.

Long Huamin's idea of ​​belonging to the Jingjiao Church in the East and the Jesuits in the West resonated deeply with their mindset.

With the support of these people, the issue of the Nestorian Church's independence, after years of debate, finally reached a conclusion.

From now on, the Nestorian Church will be completely independent from the Vatican, but will still use the name of the Jesuit Mission in China when communicating with the Vatican.

No matter how many years this method can be used, it must be kept secret for now.

Although Xu Guangqi felt that this was not a good thing, he still breathed a sigh of relief.

He was in poor health and always hoped to resolve the problems of the Nestorian Church before he passed away.

Now that the Jingxie Church has made its decision, it is believed that the Emperor will allow them to continue to exist.

However, if we want to develop, we still need to become a righteous sect, Xu Guangqi said:
"Once we become independent, we should join the orthodox religion and have the opportunity to preach in the Ming Dynasty."

"We must revise our doctrines as soon as possible to meet the requirements of the Orthodox Christian Alliance."

Johann Adam Schall von Bell and others nodded in agreement with his proposal.

The Nestorian Church became independent to facilitate missionary work, and now that the Ming Dynasty requires that only orthodox religions be widely spread, they naturally want to join.

As for the requirements for joining the Orthodox Alliance, they had already studied them. The biggest problem was getting the Celestial Venerable Dousi to integrate into the orthodox divine system and accept investiture from the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty.

They were already mentally prepared for this when they decided to give in.

Thus, on the eve of the Emperor's birthday in the fifth year of the Chongzhen reign, Zhu Youjian received an unexpected joy:
After years of back-and-forth, the Jingjiao Church finally chose to become completely independent under his pressure.

The Celestial Venerable Dousi will accept his investiture and become one of the many righteous gods in the pantheon of gods. (End of Chapter)