Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 207 The Emperor's Ambition

Zhu Changluo stroked his beard and pondered for a while, then said, "Compared to the Confucian school, it may be more appropriate to say that the Jesuits are a Taoist school, but it is not completely appropriate. Otherwise, the Holy See would be equivalent to the Ministry of Rites, and Xu Guangqi would become the Pope. Moreover, the Jesuits in Europe will also have some of the meaning of the Holy See's guards." Zhu Changluo tried his best to find suitable words to make a comparison.

"The Holy See?" Zhu Youxiao fiddled with the pocket watch in his hand, and soon he figured out how to use it.

"It's the court of the Christian Church." Zhu Changluo took a step, and the entire team followed suit. "The headquarters of the Holy See is in a place called Rome, and you can think of Rome as Luoyang or Luoyi."

"Luoyi? Was it the capital of the Zhou emperor after King Ping moved east?" Zhu Youxiao followed his father closely.

"That's exactly what I mean. The supreme leader of the Vatican is called the Pope. Although the title contains the word 'emperor', the Pope's power is far less than that of the Emperor. He is more like the Zhou Emperor after King Ping. He guards the royal capital but issues no orders beyond the capital. If he wants to get anything done, he has to rely on the favor of the princes below." Zhu Changluo nodded and continued, "Around the end of the Zhengde period, in the German region, about the same area as Johann Adam Schall von Bell's hometown, a guy named Martin Luther brought together a large group of people to launch a reform against the Vatican."

"The Holy See is the court of the church. Opposing the court is not rebellion?" Zhu Youxiao said.

"It's similar to a rebellion, but more complex than a simple rebellion." Zhu Changluo thought for a moment and elaborated. "At first, this group simply published pamphlets criticizing the corruption of the church. It's like scholars gathering together to criticize current social ills. It's just a few complaints, nothing wrong with that. Before this, many people within the church had already launched similar movements, and Martin Luther's ideas were nothing new. But he was lucky, and the trend of the times blew him to the sky."

"The wind?" Zhu Youxiao was puzzled.

Zhu Changluo thought for a moment and explained, "Li Bai wrote in a poem, 'When the great roc soars with the wind, it soars straight up to ninety thousand miles.' Translated to a popular saying, 'Standing on the wind's cusp, even a stray dog ​​can fly.' The wind that Martin Luther caught was movable type printing."

Zhu Youxiao's curiosity was immediately piqued. He asked, "Do Westerners also use movable type printing? What does it have to do with our printing technology?"

"The movable type printing technology we use now was invented by Bi Sheng in the Song Dynasty. The movable type printing technology used by Westerners was invented by a German named Johann Gutenberg during the Zhengtong period. There is a difference of 400 years. I will not comment on whether there is a connection or not. Anyway, Western missionaries themselves wrote in their books that Gutenberg was influenced by Chinese printing technology." Zhu Changluo tightened his robe, and then said to Wang An, "Let's have dinner in the Donghua Gate Tower." After that, Zhu Changluo took Zhu Youxiao and Han Benyong into the Donghua Gate Tower.

"Yes, I'll go down and serve the meal right away." Wang An did not follow, but trotted out of the gatehouse.

The widespread use of movable type printing in Germany laid the foundation for the widespread dissemination of Martin Luther's teachings. As his influence grew, Martin Luther was excommunicated, but he did not remain silent. Instead, he established his own independent church, no longer recognizing the Vatican. Many people dissatisfied with the Vatican followed him and founded their own sects, collectively known as 'Protestantism.' In contrast, the Roman Catholic Church was known as 'Catholicism.'

After going around in circles, the topic finally got back on track:

"Let's not talk about the religious wars that followed, but it was during this time that the Society of Jesus was established. It was probably during the Jiajing period that Ignatius de Loyola, Francis Xavier, Peter Faber, and others founded the Society of Jesus in Paris. Its purpose was diametrically opposed to Martin Luther's. They opposed the Reformation, emphasized theological education, advocated loyalty to the Church, and promoted widespread missionary work. They also demanded absolute obedience from their members to the Order and the Pope. It was precisely because of this "principle of loyalty" that the Society of Jesus received official recognition from Pope Paul in 1540, the th year of the Jiajing period, becoming one of the major male religious orders in the Catholic Church."

"The Jesuits are loyal ministers!" Han Benyong couldn't help but praise.

"So I..." Zhu Changluo said excitedly, and for a moment he forgot his current identity. But when he subconsciously touched the bridge of his nose, he immediately reacted. He quickly changed his words and said, "That's why I said that they had some of the intentions of the factory guards."

Zhu Changluo further explained, "The Jesuits were a highly militant order, born amidst the religious fervor of the Zhengde and Jiajing reigns. In the face of the Reformation, European Jesuits believed that the so-called 'Kingdom of Jesus' must be contained within the Roman Catholic Church, represented by the Pope. Anything else was heresy. Consequently, they maintained a deep hostility towards Protestant denominations such as Martin Luther and Calvin."

"They even believed that as long as the goal was to maintain the rituals of the Holy See, any means were justified. After the establishment of the Roman Inquisition in the 21st year of the Jiajing reign, many members of the Society of Jesus directly served as judges of the Inquisition. The activities of the Society of Jesus advanced rapidly in Italy, Spain, Portugal and other places. By the middle of the Wanli reign, they had become the main sect opposing the Reformation."

"Will they be loyal to my father and the court?" Zhu Youxiao didn't even think about where his father got this information from thousands of miles away. He felt that it was natural for his father to know these things.

"President Long Huamin certainly wouldn't. Shen was able to stir up the Nanjing Incident because of this guy's mischief. He changed the policies of his teacher, Matteo Ricci, and I certainly can't tolerate his reckless behavior." Zhu Changluo judged, "But others in the Jesuit Order can be won over. From Francis Xavier to Varian, to Ruggieri, and finally to Matteo Ricci, who died of illness in Beijing in the 38th year of the Wanli reign, generations of missionaries who came to China spared no effort to assimilate into the Chinese belief system, striving to prove that Chinese and Western classics are highly compatible and have similar purposes."

"This is a very good sign. If they can passively accept it, the imperial court can actively reform. As long as they believe that the Ming Emperor, who is appointed by the Lord of Heaven, better represents the will of the One God than the Pope, then the Ming Emperor can become their new spiritual leader."

"Loyalty stems not only from conviction, but also from honor and income. This is why the state, while educating the people with the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, must also provide salaries to officials and bestow titles upon those who have made contributions. I've said before that the Church is the Zhou royal family, and the Pope is the Zhou emperor. As long as this spiritual unity is shaken, the allegiance of the Chinese branch of the Society of Jesus, and even the European headquarters, to the Church can be altered." Zhu Changluo's eyes flickered with the flames of ambition. "Salaries, honors—what the Church cannot offer, the imperial court can. Those willing to accept can remain as subjects of the Ming Dynasty. Those unwilling can either leave or die."

After saying this, Zhu Changluo subdued his aura. "One must eat one bite at a time, and walk one step at a time. Europe is far from our reach right now. I will not, and cannot, allow the Jesuits to oppose the Vatican, and the court lacks the funds to influence European politics. The Jesuits' latest drama is the struggle between Guo Jujing and Long Huamin. The court won't intervene for now, but within the borders of the Ming Dynasty, whoever I choose to win will not lose."

Zhu Youxiao was bewildered. He had only casually asked about the Jesuits, but he hadn't expected his father to delve into such detail. Furthermore, much of what he was saying simply didn't make sense to him. What exactly did Western religions believe in? Were they similar to Taoism or Buddhism? Why did the Jesuits ultimately choose Confucianism over Taoism or Buddhism to "reconcile" their canons? Without a grasp of Western religions, even with the example of the Zhou emperor, it was difficult for him, the emperor's eldest son, to truly grasp the significance of the separation of church and state.

Just as Zhu Youxiao was lost in thought, Zhu Changluo suddenly asked, "Did Johann Adam Schall von Bell buy your wood carving?"

Zhu Changluo had originally expected that Zhu Youxiao would sit outside all day without selling a single wood carving. But since Tang Ruowang recognized Zhu Youxiao, he shouldn't be unable to open his shop.

"I bought it." Zhu Youxiao came back to his senses, sighed, and then made a "six" gesture and said, "Six Westerners, each took one, and in the end gave me a hundred taels of silver."

"You don't seem happy?" Zhu Changluo asked again.

"I know in my heart that they don't pay for my work because it is good." Zhu Youjiao said self-deprecatingly, "The wood carving is not worth the price, even if it is made of good materials. They are willing to pay this money, and don't ask for change. It's just because they know that what they are holding in their hands was made by the eldest prince. I think, let alone a wood carving, even if it is just a piece of rotten wood, they will be willing to pay for it." "You can actually realize this! I really admire you." A smile of relief and encouragement hung on Zhu Changluo's face.

He originally just wanted to let Zhu Youxiao have a taste of the worldly life, so that he would not be deceived and make a joke like Emperor Daoguang's "five taels of silver for mending clothes and ten taels of silver for buying eggs".

Zhu Youxiao scratched the back of his head sheepishly and said, "Your Majesty, your father has good intentions. Let's cut down on the expenses of Ciqing Palace from now on. Eating up an ordinary family's annual income in two days is truly too extravagant."

"No. This cannot be cut. Just know that in your heart." Zhu Changluo denied it. "If you want to cut, start with the Qianqing Palace, not the Ciqing Palace. If you cut the expenses of the Ciqing Palace for no reason, people will think you have fallen out of favor. I don't want to listen to those old men's sermons. After cutting the redundant items in the palace, the extra money will be saved. Your few hundred taels are not a big deal. Spend it with peace of mind."

At this time, Wang An brought a group of eunuchs and palace maids into the Donghua Gate Tower. Some of them served meals, some provided heating, and soon the cold gate tower was transformed into a temporary warm dining room.

Zhu Changluo looked at Wang An, who was directing the eunuchs to move tables and arrange chairs, and asked, "Wang An, has Cui Wensheng returned to work?"

"Cui Wensheng is very proactive and returned to work yesterday. He himself said that he prefers cracking watermelon seeds in prison rather than drinking at home." Wang An was a cultured man who came from a family of imperial tutors. He did not have Cui Wensheng's strange habits.

"Then reward him with a bag of watermelon seeds and let him eat as many as he wants." Zhu Changluo admired Cui Wensheng's work attitude.

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After the dishes were served, the gatehouse fell into silence. The only sounds in the hall were the clinking of bowls and chopsticks and the sound of chewing. The dishes were eaten quickly, and soon Zhu Youxiao asked Wang An for another bowl for himself.

While waiting, Zhu Youxiao said to his father, "Father, I have something to ask you."

"You say." Zhu Changluo scooped the last of the rice into his mouth and put the bowl and chopsticks aside. "Give me another bowl too." When Wang An's bowl was not empty, he waved to Han Ben.

"Okay." Han Ben took one step to the emperor and took away the dishes and chopsticks.

Zhu Youxiao placed his arms flat on the table, his fingers crossed, his tone a little nervous: "Father, how does your Majesty intend to deal with the Zhang family?"

"Which Zhang family?" There were too many nobles or important officials with the surname Zhang in Beijing. But then again, if Zhu Youxiao had asked this question a little later, Zhu Changluo would not have asked this question in return.

"Tianshi Zhang Xianyong." Zhu Youxiao loosened his fingers, took the bowl, and smiled and nodded at Wang An.

"Why did you suddenly think of his family?" Han Benyong also brought the rice over, but Zhu Changluo did not turn back. He just stretched out his right index finger and tapped on the table.

"I sold eight wood carvings today, two of which were bought by Sister Ding and Sister Zhang." Zhu Youxiao recounted the entire conversation as thoroughly as possible, including the failure to report the petition and Zhang Shirui's collapse. He knew that these things could not be concealed; even if he didn't say anything, his father would definitely know.

Zhu Changluo did not interrupt Zhu Youxiao during his speech. Only after Zhu Youxiao finished speaking did Zhu Changluo ask, "Do you sympathize with Zhang Shirui?"

"Yes." Zhu Youxiao nodded frankly.

"Why?" Zhu Changluo asked again.

"I don't think she is a bad person. She deserves sympathy." Zhu Youxiao had no other feelings for Zhang Shirui. His own experience made him subconsciously feel that his father seemed to want to use cold treatment to force this poor woman who had done nothing wrong to death.

"In the letter of apology she submitted to the palace, she said that she hoped to take the blame for her father and die to fulfill her filial duty." As soon as Zhu Changluo finished speaking, Zhu Youxiao immediately wanted to interrupt. "Father."

Zhu Changluo waved his hand to stop Zhu Youxiao, and then continued: "This matter has nothing to do with her. I know better than you. She is just a poor person sent to Beijing by that old bastard Zhang Xianyong to deal with me."

Zhu Youxiao tried to read some additional information from his father's face, but his father's face never showed any special emotion. So he could only ask directly: "Father, are you willing to let her go?"

"Do you want me to let her go?" Zhu Changluo raised his eyebrows and asked.

"Yes." Zhu Youxiao nodded solemnly and said, "She is innocent."

(End of this chapter)