Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 149: Stabilizing the Diehards and Winning Over the Reformists

After Luo Sigong and Wang Chengen were summoned to leave, Zhu Changluo discussed the matter with Xu Guangqi again. By the time they finished and reached an agreement, the snow had stopped.

The bell signaling the end of court rang out slowly, knocking down a few clumps of snow clinging to the edges of the glazed tiles. The snow, still unfrozen, released a few icy flowers as it drifted and disintegrated. These flowers, catching the afterglow of the late, clear sunset after the snow, danced the final, gentle dance of the entire blizzard in the air.

"Your Majesty, are you still seeing those foreigners in the side hall?" Wang An asked with concern, seeing the obvious fatigue on the emperor's face.

"Come on, now that we're here," Zhu Changluo nodded towards Xu Guangqi, who had already been given a seat, and said, "Call Long Huamin first."

"I obey your order." Xu Guangqi bowed and left.

"Wang An, go get the memorandum regarding the foreigners." Zhu Changluo had already formulated a plan to deal with the Jesuit missionaries: stabilize the diehards, win over the reformists, and support the younger generation.

"Yes." Wang An walked to the shelf where the documents were piled up, and without much effort he found what the emperor wanted in the most convenient location.

By the time Xu Guangqi arrived at the side hall, the three Jesuits had already drunk several cups of tea and even had their heating charcoal replaced. Fortunately, there were plenty of snacks, so the three of them didn't go hungry.

"Xu Butang, you are finally here." Long Huamin stood up and greeted him happily.

"Something urgent happened." Xu Guangqi bowed apologetically and said, "Sorry for the long wait, everyone."

"What's the urgent matter?" Long Huamin suddenly remembered Cao Huachun's rebuke as he asked, and quickly added, "If it's inconvenient for us to know, then forget it."

"Even if I don't tell you, you'll know it sooner or later." Xu Guangqi shook his head and smiled bitterly, "This isn't the time for idle chat. The Emperor is still waiting."

"Okay, let's go." Long Huamin waved to the other two missionaries.

"No. You come alone, the others will have to wait." Xu Guangqi stopped the two people who were about to get up.

"Why?" Long Huamin was puzzled.

"This private audience with the Emperor is a favor, or perhaps compensation, from the Emperor," Xu Guangqi lied. He had long suspected the Emperor wanted to divide these people; after all, he was the one who secretly provided the intelligence.

"So that's how it is." Long Huamin had no doubts and followed Xu Guangqi out of the side hall.

"Your Highness Xu Guangqi pays homage to the Emperor, Long Live His Majesty."

"Foreign minister Long Huamin pays respects to His Majesty the Great Ming Emperor." Long Huamin was reluctant to kneel, believing it was reserved for blessing or confessing before images of Christ or relics in church. However, to spread the gospel of the Holy Church, he could only suppress the guilt welling up in his heart and, reluctantly, imitated Xu Guangqi and kowtowed before the emperor.

Long Huamin comforted himself: I say one thing and do another. It’s not the first time I’ve done it. God will forgive me.

"Are you the successor of Matteo Ricci and the current president of the Society of Jesus in Macau?" Zhu Changluo did not intend to let Long Huamin stand up, so he had to let Xu Guangqi next to him kneel with him.

"In reply to Your Majesty, the foreign minister is indeed the current president of the Society of Jesus." Long Huamin did not mention Matteo Ricci.

Matteo Ricci's influence was so great that everyone had to add "Matteo Ricci's successor" when referring to Long Huamin. This was exactly what Long Huamin wanted to get rid of.

"Very good." Zhu Changluo didn't notice Long Huamin's thoughts and continued, "I like the tribute you sent me very much." This was a complete lie. Although the tribute ship had entered Beijing, he had only looked at the gift list and hadn't had time to see what was in it.

"I am just a country bumpkin, not worth mentioning. I am deeply grateful for the Emperor's kindness." Long Huamin had already memorized these official phrases by heart.

"There's a reward for every tribute." Zhu Changluo looked down at the memo and asked, "Tell me, what do you want?"

"Foreign ministers are insignificant people from faraway oceans. It is a blessing for them to see the face of His Majesty. They dare not have any unrealistic ambitions." The first reward should be declined, the second reward should be accepted. This was what Xu Guangqi taught.

"Mr. Xu." Zhu Changluo looked at Xu Guangqi.

"I'm here." Xu Guangqi bowed slightly.

"What did you say they wanted to do?" Zhu Changluo asked knowingly.

"In reply to the emperor's words, the Jesuits would like to obtain the emperor's permission to build a church and preach in the Ming Dynasty." Xu Guangqi kowtowed.

"Build a church to preach? Haha." Zhu Changluo chuckled and said jokingly, "I remember that during the reign of the previous emperor, Lord Shen Shen submitted three memorials to him, claiming that the Jesuits were secretly studying the calendar, forming a close alliance with the White Lotus, and even harboring espionage intentions."

"In reply to Your Majesty, this is absolutely not the case!" Long Huamin kowtowed and denied it quickly, saying, "The White Lotus Cult often pretends to be Buddhist, but our Holy Religion advocates Confucianism of Confucius. We only want to persuade the people to be benevolent and have never had the intention to create chaos." This was also what Xu Guangqi taught him.

Xu Guangqi added, "Jesuits are all dedicated to self-cultivation in order to serve Heaven. They have heard that the teachings of Chinese sages also emphasize self-cultivation and serving Heaven. This aligns with the principles, and so they endure hardships and dangers to verify this. They want everyone to be good, in order to fulfill Heaven's love for humanity."

Although Long Huamin did not agree to equate the God in the Bible with the Lord of Heaven in Chinese classics, for the sake of the development of the holy religion, he could only endure the discomfort and kneel aside to listen silently to Xu Guangqi's defense.

After explaining the reasons for the Jesuit missionary work in China and the dangers it faced, Xu Guangqi began to briefly outline the Jesuit doctrine: "The Jesuit doctrine is based on revealing God as its fundamental principle, protecting and saving lives as its primary concern, cultivating loyalty, filial piety, and love as its practice, improving oneself and correcting one's mistakes as the starting point, and repenting and cleansing oneself as further study."

"The learning of heaven passed down by foreign ministers can supplement the king's rule, influence Confucianism, and correct Buddhism." "Supplementing the king's rule, replacing Buddhism and supplementing Confucianism" is the fundamental reason why Xu Guangqi accepted and even promoted Western learning.

"Hmm," Zhu Changluo nodded. "Go down and write a memorial and let the cabinet review it. Kneel down and pay your respects."

"I thank the emperor for his grace." Xu Guangqi touched Long Huamin and motioned him to follow him.

"Your Majesty, I, a foreign minister, thank you." Long Huamin didn't understand what it meant, but he still tried to do it.

As soon as he left the palace, Long Huamin couldn't wait to ask Xu Guangqi, "What is the emperor's attitude? Why did he leave?"

"Submitting a memorial, drafting a document, and getting approval. This is the standard procedure for meetings. After the Nanjing Incident, the affairs of the Holy Religion could no longer be brought to the public. We should be thankful that we are not being used as targets. Now the emperor wants us to submit a memorial for the cabinet to consider, which at least means that the Holy Religion is no longer considered a cult." Xu Guangqi took Long Huamin and took two more steps before answering.

"I see." Long Huamin nodded. Xu Guangqi, however, struggled to smile. "You heard it in the palace just now. Shen, the Nanjing Minister of Rites who initiated the religious incident, is now in the cabinet. He harbors great hostility toward the Holy Church, and even toward me. If the petition to build a church and spread the religion is sent to the cabinet, he will definitely oppose it. This is very difficult to deal with, especially now."

"Aren't there six people in the cabinet?" Long Huamin asked.

"You've gotten quite a bit of information." Xu Guangqi shook his head helplessly and said, "But the cabinet doesn't work that way. The Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, and the cabinet members are all prime ministers, but their say carries different weight. The Prime Minister has the most weight, but under the current system, he can't have the final say. And that's a good thing."

"why?"

"Because Prime Minister Fang and Shen belong to the same faction. If Prime Minister Fang's word is final, then the construction of the church and the missionary work won't pass the cabinet, and we'll have to risk asking for imperial decree," Xu Guangqi explained. "As far as the Holy Religion is concerned, the six people in the cabinet are roughly divided into three factions. The opposition is Prime Minister Fang and Shen, as I just mentioned. The supporters are Liu Yirong and Han Yu, who are also members of the Donglin Party."

"Didn't Ye Cifu also support us?" Long Huamin said, "I remember that when Matteo Ricci passed away, it was Ye Cifu who stepped forward to secure Tenggong Fence for us to be buried there."

"Times are different now," the two men said, returning to the side hall entrance. "Back then, Lord Ye was the sole prime minister, running a one-man cabinet, and he was unreserved in his words and actions. Now, there are six people in the cabinet, and Lord Ye and the Prime Minister are close friends. If the Prime Minister strongly objects, Lord Ye will certainly not disrupt the cabinet's harmony over something as trivial as the Holy Teaching. Especially not now."

"Butang Xu, what's going on now? You've said this twice." Long Huamin pushed open the door of the side hall and walked in first.

"You live in Beijing, so you must have heard about the Jinyiwei arresting people, right?" Xu Guangqi did not enter the side hall.

"heard about it."

"That's it." Xu Guangqi didn't explain any more, saying, "You can figure out the rest on your own. I've explained it clearly."

"Guo Yangfeng, come on." Xu Guangqi waved to Guo Jujing who was looking over here. "It's your turn."

Returning to the Southern Study, Xu Guangqi found the emperor stretching.

"Your Highness Xu Guangqi pays homage to the Emperor, Long Live His Majesty."

"Your servant Guo Jujing pays homage to the emperor, may his Majesty live forever." Guo Jujing completed the ceremony of five bows and three kowtows without hesitation.

"Get up." Zhu Changluo nodded.

"Long live thanks."

"Have you been waiting for a long time?" Zhu Changluo walked up to Guo Jujing and asked very friendly.

Guo Jujing didn't know why the emperor was so enthusiastic, but after a moment's reflection, he understood. The emperor's gesture was what the classics call "courtesy." Unaware of presumption, he quickly replied, "To behold the face of Your Majesty is truly a blessing earned through countless generations. However long it takes, I am willing to wait."

"Guo Jujing is indeed as the rumors say, with a long and beautiful beard and a sturdy figure." Zhu Changluo smiled and said, "I still remember an interesting anecdote. It seems to have happened in the 34th year of the Wanli reign."

In the 34th year of the Wanli reign, the Dutch, jealous of the Portuguese's successful expedition to India and the rich rewards they had obtained, colluded with various pirates to harass and plunder Portuguese ships, and even attempted to attack Macau.

In response to the crisis, the Portuguese in Macau urgently set up defenses. Unexpectedly, this move aroused the suspicion of the Ming authorities, who believed that the Portuguese were plotting against China. They built several forts and mobilized troops from all over the country to prepare for the attack.

Since the Jesuits in Macau were the most powerful, and Kuo Jujing was the most respected Jesuit in Macau at that time, rumors spread that the Jesuits were colluding with the Portuguese, Dutch and Japanese to kill all the Chinese in Macau, and then conquer the Ming Dynasty by force and support Kuo Jujing as emperor.

At this time, someone circulated a malicious and libellous novel, falsely claiming that Guo Jujing harbored ulterior motives and plotted to usurp the throne. He had agreed to unite with the Japanese and the South China Sea islanders to launch a major uprising. He even claimed that Guo had numerous allies in mainland China, ready to rise up as soon as the warships arrived. Naturally, these rumors instilled panic among the Chinese in Australia, who fled to the mainland. In the important city of Guangzhou, officers and soldiers began preparing for battle, heightening their vigilance and even building ships in preparation for war.

Dai Yao, then Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, mobilized the army while simultaneously cutting off trade with the Portuguese in Macau. Macau was overpopulated and had little food, and with both land and sea routes blocked, a severe famine soon emerged.

To calm the situation, the Portuguese Macau authorities hastily dispatched a "most humble" delegation to assure Dai Yao that there was no invasion. The delegation's mediation and sincerity gave Dai Yao hope for a peaceful resolution, and he subsequently dispatched an investigation team to Macau.

After visiting churches, hotels, hospitals and other places throughout Macau and summoning Guo Jujing himself to explain the situation, the investigation team confirmed that there were no signs of preparation for rebellion, and only then did Sino-Portuguese trade return to normal.

Because war hadn't yet begun, Dai Yao also deliberately kept things quiet, not wanting the capital to think he was panicking or making a fuss. So, in the end, the incident didn't cause much of a stir in Beijing. If one were to search through the archives, perhaps only the Ministry of War retained some vague records.

But this was not a pleasant experience for Guo Jujing, who was deeply involved in the incident. The investigation team from Guangzhou said they were summoning him for questioning, but in reality, after confirming that there were no troops gathered in Macau, they immediately arrested Guo Jujing and even violently raided his office and accommodation.

So when Guo Jujing heard the first half of the emperor praising him for his "long and beautiful beard and sturdy figure", he first stroked his long and white beard quite complacently, but when he heard the second half of the sentence mentioning "the 34th year of Wanli", his face suddenly changed, and even the hand that was stroking his beard stopped in mid-air.

Seeing Guo Jujing's panic, Zhu Changluo smiled again and said, "It's just some insignificant fun stuff. If you don't want to hear it, Mr. Guo, I won't say it. Let it go."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Guo Jujing breathed a sigh of relief. The Emperor's words were golden; once he said it was over, it was over.

"What is Mr. Guo's position in the Jesuit Society and what is he in charge of?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"In reply to your Majesty, the Society of Jesus' headquarters is in Rome. The Society of Jesus in Macau is merely a branch of the headquarters. A branch has only a president; no one else holds a position appointed by the Pope." Guo Jujing replied, "I had originally planned to visit friends in Hangzhou, Jiading, and other places this year, but fortunately, I have been summoned by Your Majesty to come to Beijing to pay homage. I dare not delay."

Guo Jujing's trip to Hangzhou and Jiading wasn't simply to visit friends; it was to secretly establish a church there. On a more modest level, this involved seeking the approval of local gentry, building a church, and spreading the gospel. As long as no one reported this to the court, the emperor might never have known about such a small matter. On a more serious level, however, this constituted a violation of prohibitions and disobedience to the imperial edict. After all, the Nanjing Incident had not yet been removed.

"Visiting a friend? This doesn't prevent you from doing your job." Although there was no relevant memorial, Zhu Changluo still knew what Guo Jujing was going to do in Hangzhou, Jiading and other places.

After a moment's thought, Zhu Changluo decided not to expose the truth, but instead asked, "Does the Macau Jesuit Society have any rules for 'resigning members'?"

Guo Jujing thought for a moment and replied half-truthfully, "Your Majesty, it is because I have no official duties that I have the time to visit my old friend."

"Mr. Guo is highly respected and knowledgeable. How could he be left idle?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"I and the Guild Master have some disagreements."

"Differences. But I don't like differences. Can you solve it?" Zhu Changluo's tone suddenly became heavier.

(End of this chapter)