Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 401 God’s Will
"He submitted two memorials, one requesting resignation and the other a petition. Let me talk about the resignation first." Yuan Keli actually spoke to himself in such a place where people were constantly walking around:

"On the day the imperial examination ended, he clamored to see you at the entrance to the Imperial Examination Hall. The next day, unsurprisingly, he was impeached, and on the third day he submitted this memorial. It's beautifully written. If he wrote it himself, he's truly a genius at being an official, steady and understanding of the times. The draft is also very interesting. I don't know which cabinet minister wrote it, but it's clearly a format of first criticizing and then praising. It was written specifically to target the guarantor. The resignation and the draft guarantee echo each other, a retreat to advance."

After that, Yuan Keli handed the first memorial to Xu Guangqi. "Do you want to see it?"

Xu Guangqi was slightly startled, but didn't even reach out to take it. "What about the second memorial?"

"The second one is even more interesting." Yuan Keli immediately shifted his hand, placing the second memorial first. "He wrote in this memorial describing the rebellious statements and illegal acts he 'discovered' while translating for the Censorate." Yuan Keli emphasized the word "discovered."

"Ah?!" Xu Guangqi widened his eyes, frowned, and his facial muscles twitched constantly, making his whole face look a little distorted.

Xu Guangqi did indeed see a mention of Johann Adam Schall von Bell in the Censorate's investigative report. However, this information was minimal, limited to a brief mention at the beginning and a paragraph in the middle. Compared to the various definitions, compilations of supporting evidence, and proposed verdicts, the record about Schall von Bell is a drop in the bucket.

While that single passage treats Johann Adam Schall von Bell as a suspect, it doesn't offer a negative assessment of him, and the language used is remarkably restrained. It simply states that in his voyage diary, Schall von Bell repeatedly expressed his yearning for the Celestial Empire, describing the emperor as a "true Son of Heaven" who "commands the four corners, and is worshipped by all the people." The account of Schall von Bell's disturbance at the Imperial Examination Hall is abbreviated, using the traditional Spring and Autumn style, to the phrase "unintelligible to the laws of the land," followed by the sentence, "However, after being punished, he was able to learn the laws and regulations and to enforce them."

This description led Xu Guangqi to not take Johann Adam Schall von Bell seriously when he read the book. In his mind, Schall von Bell, like other Westerners in Beijing, was imprisoned in the Jesuit compound in Zhengxifang by the Imperial Guards.

"When was he released?" Xu Guangqi asked.

Yuan Keli replied, "It was the morning after the incident. After all, he was a sitting official. Even if he had gone to the Imperial Examination Hall to cause trouble, the Pacification Office shouldn't have arrested him without a letter."

Xu Guangqi nodded, his expression softening slightly. But then Yuan Keli added something that sent a chill down Xu Guangqi's spine: "I heard it was Chief Wei who released them personally."

"Wei Chao, the Minister of Ceremonies?" In a panic, Xu Guangqi actually called him by his name.

"It's him." Yuan Keli said.

"Then when was this memorial submitted?" Xu Guangqi pointed at the memorial in Yuan Keli's hand.

"Just the day before yesterday," Yuan Keli paused, then amended his tone, "or rather, the day before the Censorate produced its investigative report. Furthermore, this matter has spread throughout the capital. Anyone who inquires about it will know about it; even the peddlers and hawkers on the street know about it. Normal news doesn't travel this quickly. Clearly, someone is deliberately spreading this story to create public opinion."

"Someone," Xu Guangqi said, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. "They are deliberately spreading it."

"Yes!" Unlike Xu Guangqi, Yuan Keli was thinking of a cabinet minister who was in sync with Johann Adam Schall von Bell, such as Liu Yirong, Han Yu, and Ye Xianggao. These cabinet ministers were all good friends with Xu Guangqi.

Yuan Keli was particularly concerned about Ye Xianggao. Without the approval of the Prime Minister, Fang Congzhe, the first memorial, which initially praised but then criticized him, would never have been posted. And in the current cabinet, no one had more influence over the Prime Minister than him.

"Tsk!" Yuan Keli exclaimed, "What a brilliant move! I haven't even read the report from the Censorate yet. If the content wasn't so intense, then Tang Guanzheng would probably have kept his official hat."

"Hasn't the Ministry of Internal Affairs received the investigative report yet?" Beads of sweat began to form on Xu Guangqi's forehead. He concentrated all his energy, trying to piece this information together, his brain straining to its limits.

"No," Yuan Keli explained. "The Censorate did send someone to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to present the investigation report and the collected evidence. They arrived early this morning. However, as soon as the Censorate's personnel arrived at our office, the report and evidence were intercepted by people sent from the palace. However, I don't think the Censorate's communication would be too harsh, because Tang Guanzheng participated in almost the entire investigation. The Censorate posted a notice recruiting translators, and he went the next morning. He didn't return to the Imperial Observatory to resume his duties until the Translation Bureau was disbanded."

"Advance by retreating, participate in the investigation, take the initiative to submit a report, leak the news, and guide public opinion. Counter each move with a countermeasure! It's so beautiful, so beautiful! Once the investigation report is sent to the cabinet, and that elder makes another recommendation and passes the emperor's test, Tang Guanzheng will be out of trouble, and you can also use this to defend yourself." Yuan Keli was still immersed in the imagination of the master's guidance, but unexpectedly Xu Guangqi's face became more and more ugly.

No! This wasn't a case of responding to each move with a countermove. A single, larger hand had been firmly on top of this whole thing from the beginning to the end. Everyone was operating within the confines of this hand.

Hunger, fatigue, fear, panic, and a sense of daze all intertwined, causing Xu Guangqi, who had been overworking his brain, to suddenly see dark. In the pitch-black vision, a face suddenly emerged in Xu Guangqi's mind. It was Wang An's face, elegant yet with a hint of cruelty. In this fleeting image, Wang An was holding a memorial, standing in front of Xu Guangqi with a smile, saying, "Minister Xu, please be careful. It would be bad if you behave in front of the emperor."

Xu Guangqi stepped back, his body went limp, and he collapsed. Fortunately, Yuan Keli rushed forward and hugged Xu Guangqi, preventing him from falling.

"Zixian," Yuan Keli looked at Xu Guangqi's pale face and asked with concern, "What's wrong with you?"

"It's okay," Xu Guangqi said, his vision returning to normal. He first saw the dazzling midday sun, then saw Yuan Keli's face. "I'm fine. Just a little hungry."

Yuan Keli felt that this was not the case, but he did not pursue it further. "Can you still stand up?"

"Yes, thank you very much." Xu Guangqi shook his head, stood up straight and thanked Yuan Keli.

"Would you like to read these two memorials?" Yuan Keli said, "They are the originals kept in the archives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I can't let you take them back and study them slowly. If you want to read them, read them here. They are all good news."

Xu Guangqi didn't want to read it anymore; he had almost figured out the whole story. However, Yuan Keli had come all the way to him with the memorial, and if he didn't read it, it would seem ungrateful. So Xu Guangqi nodded, took it, and flipped through it.

The contents of the memorial were nearly identical to Yuan Keli's oral account, but Xu Guangqi keenly noticed something new: the writing style and handwriting. This was clearly the work of a "Chinese" Seljuq official. Even Johann Adam Schall von Bell, with his exceptional talent and quick learning ability, could not have produced such a work. The second part, in particular, contained a series of allusions far beyond the capacity of his limited reading. He must have employed a ghostwriter. And in the handwriting, Xu Guangqi saw a reflection of himself.

Xu Guangqi finished reading it quickly. He collected his thoughts and handed the memorial back to Yuan Keli. "Mr. Li, thank you for sharing this information. It's very useful. I'll come and thank you again when I have some free time."

Yuan Keli put away the memorial and said happily, "We have been friends for more than 20 years. Let's not be so distant."

Yuan Keli and Xu Guangqi met through Jiao Hong's introduction.

Jiao Hong was the top scorer in the Jichou year of the Wanli reign, alongside Yuan Keli. In the 25th year of the Wanli reign, Jiao Hong, despite the inevitable controversy, resolutely moved Xu Guangqi's failed paper to the top, forcing him to be the top scorer in the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination.

After the provincial examination, Xu Guangqi formally became Jiao Hong's disciple. Jiao Hong also introduced Yuan Keli, who was already famous at the time but was demoted to a commoner by the emperor, to Xu Guangqi. This was how the two met.

Yuan Keli and Xu Guangqi were of the same age, but according to etiquette, since Yuan Keli was the same age as Jiao Hong, who was 22 years his senior, and they were close friends regardless of age, Yuan Keli was considered Xu Guangqi's teacher. However, Yuan Keli did not care about this and only considered Xu Guangqi his close friend, never accepting his high praise.

Unfortunately, these two close friends rarely met, relying mostly on correspondence. After all, Yuan Keli had been unemployed since the 24th year of the Wanli reign, and aside from occasional trips to visit friends, he had mostly remained in his hometown of Suizhou, Henan. It wasn't until last year that the Ministry of Personnel submitted a memorial requesting a large number of new positions be filled.

At the time, the Ministry of Personnel's request was shelved, or rather, rejected by the emperor. However, some time later, the emperor reinstated several individuals from the same list. On the Ministry of Personnel's list, Yuan Keli was a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Imperial Treasures, but in the emperor's decree to the Ministry of Personnel, Yuan Keli was directly promoted to the fourth-rank official in the Ministry of Public Security's Left Minister.

This was more than just a reinstatement. Before being stripped of his official rank by Emperor Wanli, Yuan Keli was only a seventh-rank Shanxi Provincial Supervisory Censor. Even if he were to be promoted, according to official practice, he would have been reinstated to a lower position first, then gradually promoted step by step. However, the emperor completely disregarded official practice and directly gave Yuan Keli a fourth-rank official position, clearly intending to use him for a higher position.

However, compared to Xu Guangqi, the emperor's regard for Yuan Keli was nothing. After his dismissal, Yuan Keli rarely entered the palace, rarely cared about official affairs, and didn't even read the official bulletins. Before coming to Beijing, he had assumed that Xu Guangqi was still the fourth-rank Junior Secretary of the Imperial Household Department, but had been given the title of Censor of the Censorate because of the Liao incident and was serving as a training official, supervising the training of the new army in Tongzhou.

But halfway through the journey, Yuan Keli heard that this junior of the same age had gone straight to the capital to become the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan, ranking among the Nine Ministers. This was undoubtedly a very special favoritism, and one that Yuan Keli found difficult to understand.

In Yuan Keli's view, Xu Guangqi's only distinguishing feature at the time was his active involvement in military affairs. In other respects, Xu Guangqi stood out from the crowd. Even if he had jumped for a promotion, he would have been promoted to the Ministry of War, or sent directly to Liaodong or Korea to lead troops. At the very least, he would have been assigned to the Ministry of Revenue to oversee military supplies, or to the Ministry of Works to manufacture weapons and repair fortifications. Being promoted to the Ministry of Rites as the Minister of State was truly bizarre.

After arriving in Beijing, Yuan Keli's original doubts were resolved, but deeper doubts and even worries arose in his heart.

The emperor's appointment of Xu Guangqi to the Ministry of Rites appears to have been motivated by his friendship with Westerners and his admiration for Western learning. This was indeed a unique characteristic of Xu Guangqi, and it also explains his promotion.

But Yuan Keli didn't understand.

Although Yuan Keli admitted that Western learning had its unique and practical aspects, it was ultimately just a technique and no more innovative than Confucianism in terms of fundamental principles. Yuan Keli had no interest in Christian doctrines.

He really didn't understand why the emperor attached so much importance to these people. Combined with the fact that Zhang Tianshi was summoned, Yuan Keli even had the wild idea that the emperor might have paid special attention to them because he heard from someone that Westerners had some unique methods of cultivating immortals.

Concerned about this speculation, he also specifically warned Xu Guangqi to be on guard against Westerners trying to deceive the emperor by using immortality cultivation methods or unorthodox academic theories. This left Xu Guangqi completely confused.

After the results were announced, Yuan Keli left the examination hall and returned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He learned of the Shenyang Incident and the emperor's wrath, and he was secretly delighted. The emperor's refusal to be deceived by overseas witchcraft was undoubtedly a beneficial thing for the country.

But while secretly delighted, Yuan Keli was also concerned that Xu Guangqi would be implicated in this matter. On such a matter of right and wrong, it wasn't surprising that he could fall from grace to despair in a single day. Failure to become Minister of Rites was a minor matter, but if Xu Guangqi were to be given the tone of "leading the barbarians into China," and was subsequently imprisoned and severely punished, and ultimately charged with treason, that would be truly disastrous.

Therefore, Yuan Keli immediately inquired about all the recent religious incidents, and then brought two memorials and the news that there was a senior figure in the cabinet to inform Xu Guangqi, so that he could be prepared.

"Li Qing, I have to go back to the ministry to do some work. Before that, I would like to ask you for one more favor." Xu Guangqi took a deep breath.

"That's what you said. I will definitely help you if I can." Yuan Keli nodded immediately.

Xu Guangqi reached into his bosom and slowly pulled out the memorial. "Please take this to the Tongzhengshisi for me."

"Is this a memorial?" This time it was Yuan Keli's turn to ask.

"Yes." Xu Guangqi nodded and said, "It is a memorial. It is my memorial. I want to submit a memorial to the emperor regarding the Shenyang religious incident."

"Didn't you just come out of the palace?" Yuan Keli was puzzled, his eyes widening. "When did you write it?!"

"Don't ask about this. I wrote it anyway!" Xu Guangqi half-forced the memorial into Yuan Keli's hands, then bowed and turned to leave.

Yuan Keli stood there in a daze, slowly spread out the memorial, and after taking a quick look, cold sweat immediately broke out on his back.

(End of this chapter)