I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 879: The geocentric theory is our secret!

Bruno and others quickly leaned forward to look, only to find that everyone around them knelt down. It turned out that two cardinals came to the dock to welcome the distinguished guests from the Ming Dynasty.

The cardinal is usually high and mighty, like a god in heaven. Ordinary people don’t even have the chance to see him. Now they have the opportunity to get close to him. They should kneel down quickly and express their gratitude.

Moreover, the port of Civitavecchia is part of the Papal territory, and the people living here are all farmhands and tenants of the Holy See. When they see the master who provides them with food and clothing, how dare they not be respectful?
Bruno stood straight, his eyes fixed on Vitali and Tribuno in the distance.

They were dressed in gorgeous clothes, and all the people around them knelt on the ground. They were like two proud roosters standing among a pile of toads.

The people nearby half-knelt on the ground in fear, and Bruno, who stood upright, stood out particularly.

The half-kneeling companions were frightened out of their wits.

Brother, you are a wanted person by the Vatican. If you are caught by the Vatican Guards, although you will not be qualified to go to the Inquisition, you will inevitably be sentenced to a few years in prison.

Bruno, don't waste time!

His companions pulled at Bruno's collar and gave him looks.

Finally, almost all the civilians nearby half-knelt on the ground. Bruno, who was about to be exposed, half-knelt on the ground, bent down, and blended into the crowd.

The companions breathed a sigh of relief.

However, their actions were seen by Shen Wanxiang, who was standing on the side of the ship and observing the movements at the dock with a telescope.

Leon beside him also saw it.

"It's actually him?"

"Leon, do you know him?"

"Yes, he is a wanted criminal of the Holy See. Before I went to your country for peace talks, I was on duty in Portugal. Once, I was ordered to go on a diplomatic mission to Venice. When I passed through Genoa, a friend asked me to take him out of Italy and send him to Greece."

"A wanted criminal of the Holy See? Interesting, what's his name?"

"Giordano Bruno."

"What did he do to be wanted by the Vatican and set fire to St. Peter's Basilica?"

"Not that serious. Some say he was a supporter of Copernicus' heliocentric theory, while others say he was a critic of Catholicism and Protestantism."

"He criticizes Protestantism as well?"

"Yes, in his privately published pamphlets he denounced the Roman Curia as the source of all evil.

At the same time, he denounced Protestant leaders such as Luther and Calvin as the most stupid people in the world, saying that they were brainless, uninformed, far away from culture and life, and rotting in eternal pedantry.

Their Reformation was merely a way of curing the ulcers of a rotten religion, and patching up the holes in its coat.”

Are Protestants and Catholics cursed together?

Both major factions in the Christian world have been offended!

Shen Wanxiang, who had thoroughly understood the situation in Europe during this period, asked in surprise: "How did he survive until now?"

Leon shrugged, "Hiding from here and there. The Roman Catholic Church has been greedy and corrupt over the years, and many people can't stand it.

And Protestantism has gradually degenerated into a tool for some people to fight for power and profit. So many people are willing to provide some convenience to Bruno. "

"Such as you."

Leon smiled but said nothing.

"Lao Lai, who do you think he is? Haven't you come into contact with him?"

Leon thought for a moment, "Some people say that he is the most staunch supporter of heliocentrism after Copernicus. But after spending time together on the ship, I think he is actually very confused."

"confused?"

"Yes, he insisted on the heliocentric theory because the church insisted on the geocentric theory. From his remarks, you can find that he may be a mystic who believes in Hermes*, or a worshiper of the ancient Egyptian magic religion.

He seemed to want to use mysterious magic to discover the secrets of nature in order to control and utilize nature.

But I think he should be a believer in science. He hated the Church and Protestantism because he felt that religion made people ignorant and hindered the development of science and philosophy. "

Having said that, Leon looked into the distance, as if he saw Bruno hidden among the crowd.

"Mr. Shen, Europe is different from your country. Although we experienced the Renaissance, it was just a wave of turmoil caused by scholars, painters and craftsmen who fled to Italy after Byzantium was occupied by the Ottoman Empire. But it was soon wiped out by the Vatican and Protestantism.

In the darkness, we saw a ray of light, which is our luck and also our misfortune. "

Shen Wanxiang’s face became serious, “Leon, why do you say that?”

“We are lucky to see the light in the darkness. But we are unlucky to have hope shattered so quickly.

Bruno was the one who saw the light and persisted in looking for it.

He didn't know the direction or how to find it, so he was very confused.

In his confusion, he made full use of the knowledge he thought was useful, such as Hermetic mysticism and ancient Egyptian magic religion.

Shen Wanxiang narrowed his eyes and said, "But he has found one thing for sure, that is, the decadent and outdated religion is indeed a great obstacle to the development of science and philosophy."

Leon looked at Shen Wanxiang, feeling vaguely uneasy.

The Yunyang and Koi docked at the pier. Leon led Shen Wanxiang and Zhao Shizhen off the boat and introduced them to Vitali and Tribuno.

Wang Yongji stayed on the Longde in the open sea.

"The Ming Dynasty envoys should have received the invitation letter from our Holy See more than a month ago. They stopped and started along the way and only arrived now, which made us wait for a long time."

Cardinal Tribuno said sarcastically.

Shen Wanxiang laughed, "Our delegation, under the order of His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, is on a mission to two countries in Duzhou. The mission to Portugal is completed, and the next mission is to Ottoman Empire.

We walked and looked around along the way, taking in the local customs and practices. Civitavecchia Port was just one stop on our itinerary, so there was no rush. ”

After hearing what the interpreter said, Tribuno's face turned red.

The Ming Dynasty envoys did not take the invitation from the Holy See seriously at all, and just regarded it as a stop on their itinerary. The itinerary continued according to their plan. The Holy See did not want to wait? Then they parted ways!

How can we break up?
We, the Holy See, are also preparing to show our presence and superiority over you Ming people.

How could you forget it!
Vitali stepped forward with a fake smile and said, "Dear guests, His Holiness the Pope and the cardinals are waiting in the city hall. Please come in!"

Civitavecchia was also filled with the smell of feces and urine, but it was much better than Lisbon because it was a small city with a small population. Shen Wanxiang, Zhao Shizhen and Leon got off the carriage and, led by Vitali and Tribuno, entered the lobby of the City Hall.

As soon as I entered, I saw an old man sitting on the highest seat at the top.

He was wearing a white robe, a red cape with gold edges, and a red hat.

On both sides of him sat four bishops in red robes and red hats, and there were two empty seats.

The surrounding steps and chairs were filled with people, more than a hundred of them, all dressed in gorgeous clothes, looking like aristocrats.

Leon quietly introduced that in addition to the nobles and bishops from Portugal, Spain and France who had arrived early, the rest were nobles and bishops who came from Genoa, Naples, Florence, Venice, Milan, Austria, Marseille, Greece and other places.

Only the prominent nobles and bishops could get a seat.

Juan and Farnese, whom Shen Wanxiang had met before, as well as Duke Toledo of Avar and Marquis of Santa Cruz, were all sitting among them.

The remaining hundreds of nobles stood on the periphery, but they stood in the front. Behind them stood thousands of people who had rushed over after hearing the news, most of whom were scholars, students and priests from various seminaries.

Bruno and his companions blended in with the group, not conspicuous at all.

The stepped seats on the other side were divided into two areas, with more than 20 people sitting on one side, all of them scholars, some of whom even wore glasses.

There is one area left vacant.

Leon led Shen Wanxiang and Zhao Shizhen forward and introduced them to Gregory XIII and the four cardinals.

Shen Wanxiang and Zhao Shizhen bowed and greeted Gregory XIII.

Vitali couldn't wait to lead Shen Wanxiang, Zhao Shizhen and their nearly ten followers to an empty place to sit down, then walked to the open space in the middle and knocked on the table in front of him with a gavel.

There was a thudding sound and the hall gradually became quiet.

Vitali coughed and said, "His Holiness the Pope and the College of Cardinals sent an invitation to the Ming Dynasty envoys because they heard that your understanding of the world and the universe was misguided, so they wanted to give you some pointers."

Shen Wanxiang was stunned. He knew that the Vatican had no good intentions in inviting him this time. He had anticipated more than a dozen situations, but he never thought that the Vatican invited his envoys to come to provide him with scientific education? !
Make fun of me!

Do you know what is the most popular business in our Ming Dynasty right now?

The Industrial Revolution!

Do you know what is one of the most common slogans posted in our Daming Factory and Mine School?

Science and technology are the primary productive forces!

Now you, the most stubborn and conservative guys in Europe, come to me and say, hey, let us give you a science education.

Well, let's wait and see what kind of science you are going to tell us.

Shen Wanxiang first gave Zhao Shizhen a look.

Chang Ji, you are from the Imperial Observatory, so it's up to you next.

The Ming Dynasty must not lose face. It all depends on you!
Zhao Shizhen smiled faintly and said, "Although I am the worst in the Imperial Observatory, I can save face by just sitting here."

I have long been fully aware of the scientific level of these Western barbarians.

Just wait and see.

Receiving Zhao Shizhen's steady look, Shen Wanxiang knew what was going on and said vaguely, "I am a civil servant. I studied literature and law in college. I don't know much about science and technology. I would like to ask the scholars of the Holy See to teach me something."

Vitali was overjoyed, the Ming people had taken the bait!

He suppressed his excitement and said, "Well, let's ask our astronomer to tell you about our latest research on the world and the universe.

Then, please ask the scholars of your country's diplomatic mission to talk about the latest research of the world and the universe in Ming Dynasty. We can exchange and learn from each other. "

Shen Wanxiang nodded: "Okay!"

Vitali quickly said to a scholar sitting in the front row of more than 20 scholars: "Now, please invite Simplicio, a famous mathematician and astronomer from the Florence Seminary, to explain our understanding of the world and the universe to the Ming Dynasty envoys and all of you."

Simplicio was a man in his forties, wearing glasses and a clerical robe and hat.

Nowadays, the so-called universities in Europe are basically theological seminaries, otherwise they would not be recognized by the Vatican.

Of course, there are mathematicians and astronomers in the seminary who are responsible for studying the calendar, because it is the responsibility of the Holy See to issue a universal calendar.

Simplicio stood up, put his hands on the guardrail in front of him, and said politely: "Your Majesty the Supreme Pope, the six honorable cardinals, and all the respected adults..."

He greeted the dignitaries one by one, then turned around and said arrogantly: "I don't know if you can understand me at your level, so I will try to keep it simple.

We believe that the world and the universe were created by God, and our world, that is, the earth, is a sphere, there is no doubt about this.

At the same time, the earth is also the center of the universe. It is stationary. The moon, Mercury, Venus, the sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the stars are all spherical celestial bodies. They are arranged in order from near to far and revolve around the earth.

This is God's truth, the principle of simplicity.

The sun, moon, and stars revolve around the earth in a regular pattern. Their own rotation is called the epicycle. While these celestial bodies are rotating, the orbits they revolve around the earth are called deferents.

The movements of these celestial spheres are a mixture of two or more circular motions. The combination of multiple circular motions can explain the rise and fall of the sun, moon, and stars, as well as astronomical phenomena such as solar and lunar eclipses.

At this point, Simplicio deliberately said, "The theory of epicycles and deferent motion is very complicated. Given the level of knowledge of the distinguished guests, I'm afraid it's difficult to understand, so I'll just briefly explain it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gregory XIII was the first to applaud, and the entire city hall was filled with thunderous applause.

Simplicio bowed and nodded gracefully to the very satisfied Pope and cardinals, to the great nobles with slightly smiling faces and different expressions, and to the small and medium nobles and commoners with flushed faces and great excitement.

After greeting, Simplicio turned to look at Shen Wanxiang and Zhao Shizhen, smiling with sarcasm and arrogance in the corners of his eyes, "Dear guests from the Ming Dynasty, do you understand? Do you have any questions?"

Shen Wanxiang smiled faintly.

I thought it was so complicated!

It turns out that all you need to refute it is high school physics knowledge. I’m so scared.

He casually extended his hand to Zhao Shizhen.

Chang Ji, I'll leave the rest to you.

Zhao Shizhen stood up and said loudly.

(End of this chapter)