I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 880: What's wrong with saying you are dark?
As soon as Zhao Shizhen stood up, Bruno in the crowd stared at him.

This Ming man was wearing a silk sky-blue robe and a hat on his head. The hat was jet black and seemed to be made of gauze, but it had a fixed shape and was a bit strange in style.

It is said that this is their traditional dress.

I heard that they also have new clothes, including tops and trousers, which are very neat.

But they seem to respect tradition and wear new clothes in their daily life.

For formal occasions, such as today, wear traditional clothing.

Although it feels a bit weird, you can see a sense of calm and solemnity.

But what shocked Bruno was Zhao Shizhen's youth.

He looks to be in his twenties (twenty-four), and his face is a little dark, but his youthful energy is as eye-catching as the sunshine.

The Ming people actually sent such a young person to argue with our highly respected and knowledgeable European astronomers. How arrogant they were.

Professor Simplicio, Bruno knows.

I once argued with him. Although he was stubborn, he was really knowledgeable. He had a high level of mathematical attainment and had studied astronomy for many years, so he had a lot of experience.

In particular, the theories of epicycles and deferents were the focus of his research. He once predicted two lunar eclipses and one solar eclipse, which made him famous and became the leader among European astronomers.

Pope Gregory XIII wanted to compile a new celestial calendar, and Simplicio was the chief astronomer of the new calendar compilation committee established by the Holy See.

How could the Ming people, who were so young, debate with an authority like Simplicio, an astronomer?

Bruno was a little anxious, and whispered to his companions: "Don't the Ming people know the importance of this debate?

Scholars from all over Europe are paying attention to this debate. If Simplicio wins, the reputation of the Vatican will be greatly enhanced. Heliocentrism and the development of real science will suffer a severe blow. "

Bruno's companion was Hermann Kermann, the son of a minor noble family in the Duchy of Bavaria, Germany, and a graduate of the University of Tübingen.

This university can be said to be the stronghold of Protestantism. Hermann was a staunch anti-Catholic and also a supporter of heliocentrism, sharing the same ideals as Bruno.

Hermann said softly, "This debate is of no importance to the Ming people. The Vatican's reputation has been greatly enhanced, what does it have to do with them? And I think the Vatican is very cunning."

"Hermann, why do you say that?"

“The Holy See has been planning this debate for a long time, but as for the Ming country, I heard that they didn’t know the content of the debate from the beginning. The Holy See didn’t tell them at all.

Besides, even if Ming knew about it, who among their entourage was proficient in astronomy? They couldn't send someone back to their country to invite you two, could they?
It takes one or two years to go back and forth.”

Bruno and his companions nodded in agreement, "Yes, the Vatican is indeed cunning. Even if the Ming people knew the content of the debate, they would have no way to prepare.

Damn it, I didn’t expect the Vatican to succeed this time.”

"Shh! The Ming representative is speaking. Keep quiet. We are too far away to hear clearly."

Zhao Shizhen stood there and talked freely.

"There is an old saying in my Ming Dynasty, 'There must be one person who can be my teacher when three people walk together!' There is also a saying in my hometown, 'You can always pick out half a good fruit from a basket of rotten fruits.'

Just now, I listened to the introduction of Professor Simplicio Simplicio of Astronomy, which gave me a new understanding. I never thought that in the far western continent, in the long dark ages imprisoned by religion, the light of human civilization could still burst out. "

After hearing what Ming Guotong said, there was an uproar all around.

The long dark age of religious confinement
What do you mean by saying such things in front of the Pope and six cardinals? Is this a slap in the face, or is it a slap in the face?

Bruno and Hermann looked at each other and saw each other's extreme excitement.

No one in Europe is so bold!

I never thought that the Ming people would dare to speak out so openly what was hidden in their hearts, and in front of the Pope and the cardinals.

"The Ming people are so brave!" Bruno exclaimed.

Hermann thought thoughtfully, "They have a powerful fleet behind them, so even if they spit at the Pope and the cardinals, they have to endure it."

Simplicio's face flushed red. He stood up and pointed at Zhao Shizhen and angrily said, "Nonsense, slander, how come we are imprisoned by religion? How come we are in darkness?
We are bathed in the glory of the Lord, enjoying the supreme honor, our future is bright, and our life is happy. You don't understand our situation at all, and you just open your mouth and talk nonsense here!"

Zhao Shizhen smiled happily, "Look at you, why are you still anxious?

Since you are holding such a debate, you should allow all parties to speak freely.

You think you are bathed in the glory of the Lord, and you think we are ignorant. We think we are striving for progress, and you think we are pedantic and dark.

It's normal for both sides to dislike each other, which is why there are debates like this."

After hearing the translation by the interpreter, a buzz sounded around.

Many scholars and students, as well as small and medium-sized nobles, were whispering and discussing.

"What the Ming people said is right. This is how debate should be. Debate is necessary because there is a dispute. A dispute must be caused by different opinions on both sides."

"Yes, it's OK for Simplicio to laugh at the ignorance of the Ming people, but it's not OK for the Ming people to ridicule the darkness and corruption of the Church. This is a debate, not a trial!"

Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, Vitali quickly looked up at the first position in the middle.

Pope Gregory XIII sat there with a gloomy face and turbulent feelings in his heart.

He knew that there were many people who cursed the Church and him, and the Protestants cursed even more fiercely. What was wrong with being cursed a few times? Don't let the Ming people lead you by the nose and distract your attention. Get back to the point.

Gregory XIII said: "The more we debate, the clearer the results will be. Let's not get bogged down in details and get straight to the point."

When Vitali and other smart people heard this, they had an epiphany.

Yes, isn’t this the Ming people deliberately trying to stir up trouble and change the subject?
If this is the case, it just shows that they are guilty and dare not debate astronomical issues with us directly.

The more this happens, the more we must strike at their weaknesses, expose their true ignorance in front of everyone, and then step on their faces to further enhance the reputation of the Holy See.

Vitali, who had figured it out, said, "Professor Simplicio, His Holiness the Pope has spoken. We should not get bogged down in details but be more open-minded and let the Ming people explain their astronomical knowledge." Simplicio was still filled with indignation. He had not thought of that level, but since the Pope had spoken and the cardinal had spoken, he did not dare to disobey.

Moreover, his goal has been achieved. His utter loyalty to the Holy See and the Pope has been publicly demonstrated.

So he sat down angrily.

Vitali turned to look at Zhao Shizhen, "Mr. Zhao from the Ming Dynasty, please continue to explain your country's research in astronomy."

Zhao Shizhen laughed, "Okay. Astronomy is a profound subject. We have a special observatory in the Imperial Astronomical Observatory that specializes in research in this area.

Zhao is not talented and has not done much research in this area. I am a layman. I will just parrot what I heard in the university classroom and briefly talk about the public course knowledge. "

Bruno and Hermann looked at each other. Ming Country also has a university, and there are public courses!

Astronomical knowledge is actually part of the content of public courses.

These few words aroused great interest among Bruno, Hermann and other scholars and students around them. They couldn't wait to know what Zhao Shizhen would say next.

"In my China, 1,700 years ago during the Han Dynasty, a scholar named Luoxiahong proposed the theory of the spherical sky.

The whole sky is like an egg, the celestial body is round like an egg, and the earth is like the yolk of a chicken. The sky is full of water, the sky is supported by air, and the earth floats on the water.

Floating on the water!

Gregory XIII and the cardinals exchanged excited glances. Here they come, they began to expose the flaws of their ignorance.

But knowledgeable astronomers such as Simplicio were shocked.

One thousand six hundred years ago, the people of the Ming Dynasty proposed the celestial theory, believing that the universe was a sphere?

This is somewhat incredible.

Simplicio knew that the geocentric theory he was studying was summarized and compiled by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy 1,400 years ago based on the theories of some previous ancient Greek philosophers.

The Vatican struggled with it for thousands of years, first refuting it as heresy, and then, as astronomers and geographers provided more and more evidence, the Vatican concealedly acknowledged it and asked its scholars to integrate Christian theology with it.

Finally, after Magellan's circumnavigation of the world, with irrefutable evidence, it was officially recognized and announced that the geocentric theory just proved that the universe and the earth were carefully created by God.
Although Simplicio was loyal to the Vatican, his vast knowledge and years of research made him very clear that the geocentric theory was a theory from more than a thousand years ago. The Vatican and academia had been patching it up over the years, but it was actually full of holes and very fragile.

The people of the Ming Dynasty proposed the celestial body theory 1,600 years ago. After so much time has passed, no one knows how their theory will evolve.

Zhao Shizhen continued: "Two hundred years later, Zhang Heng of the Han Dynasty perfected it, 'The two poles are more than 182 degrees apart. The sky rotates like the movement of a wheel, circling around without end, and its shape is muddy, so it is called the Hun Tian.'

He also created the armillary sphere, which was divided into the armillary sphere and the armillary sphere.

The structure of the armillary sphere is a large sphere inlaid with stars, the equator, the ecliptic, the permanent hidden circle, the permanent visible circle, etc., and then the land and oceans are drawn. To put it simply, it is a globe.

The armillary sphere is an observation instrument with a peep tube inside, also called a telescope, which is used to determine the equatorial coordinates of the stars at dusk, dawn and midnight and celestial bodies. It can also determine the ecliptic longitude and horizontal coordinates of celestial bodies.

From the early Tang Dynasty to the early Song Dynasty, for more than a thousand years, Chinese astronomers added the ecliptic ring, horizon ring, meridian ring, sextile, ecliptic ring, inner equatorial ring, right ascension ring, etc. to the armillary sphere, making it more and more perfect.

At present, there are four armillary spheres in China: one is in the Imperial Observatory at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, one is in Wanli University, one is in the Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanjing, and one is in Nanjing University.

Simplicio couldn't wait to ask, "Are you still using this armillary sphere to observe the universe?"

As an experienced astronomer, he immediately recognized the brilliance of the armillary sphere.

Zhao Shizhen looked at him and shook his head. "These four armillary spheres have become a base for popularizing scientific knowledge and are specially used for primary and secondary school students to visit and learn."

"Elementary and middle school students?"

"It is for students aged seven to sixteen. The armillary sphere is used for them to learn scientific knowledge, so that they can understand the history of astronomy in the Ming Dynasty and gain a preliminary understanding of the universe."

School children aged seven to sixteen!
Simplicio almost vomited blood.

After listening to the introduction of the armillary sphere, you will know that it is a very sophisticated astronomical observation instrument. Even if it was brought from Europe, it would be a high-end product. How could it be given to schoolchildren for the purpose of popularizing scientific knowledge?

In Simplicio's understanding, it means giving children something to play with.

So frustrating!

Who is imprisoned, who is trapped in the darkness of decay?

Simplicio felt a rare sense of sadness in his heart, a sadness of disappointment about the future of science and human civilization.

The West is imprisoned by religion, and I never thought that the East is the same!
Science is so difficult!
Bruno and Hermann looked at each other, and the thoughts that came to their minds were similar to those of Simplicio.

But they are not that pessimistic. They just think that the Ming people may still have some big tricks up their sleeves.

In terms of their stance, they naturally leaned towards the Ming Dynasty and hoped that Zhao Shizhen could slap Simplicio and the Holy See he represented in the face.

They both felt it was a pity to hear that such an advanced astronomical instrument as the armillary sphere was actually used as a "plaything" by schoolchildren.

However, they are more inclined to believe that the Ming people did not squander natural resources, but that the armillary sphere was outdated. The Ming people now had more advanced astronomical instruments, so the armillary sphere was eliminated and recycled.

If this is true, then the next speech of the Ming people may be earth-shattering, shocking everyone, and in turn shake the foundation of the geocentric theory that the Holy See insists on.

Can it really turn out as you expected?

Bruno and Hermann looked at Zhao Shizhen nervously, waiting for his speech.

As a result, the guy turned around, asked his companion for a water bottle, raised his neck and drank a few sips of water.

What water should I drink at this time?
I'm really anxious!

Zhao Shizhen finally put down the kettle, turned back to his original position, and spoke loudly again.

"My Ming Dynasty"

(End of this chapter)