Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 408 Zheng Burke and Duan Yuyan
Jin Nige shouted at Guo Jujing without restraint. At first, he tried to control his voice, but he grew increasingly agitated and soon lost control of himself. "I've never understood. When we were selecting the interpreter for aiding Liaodong, why did you, who were so opposed to radical missionary work, remain silent? Just when I was about to raise my objections, you even grabbed me and shook your head at me! I thought you had changed your ways and were ready to take the path of gentle persuasion. Now I understand. You just wanted him to go to Liaodong, to get into trouble there, so that this big case could be triggered."

"And you!" Ginnigo turned and pointed directly at Wang Fengsu without any courtesy. "You didn't come earlier or later, but you arrived in Beijing shortly after Mendoza went north. It was you two who secretly planned this coup!"

Wang Fengsu turned around and prepared to reply, but Guo Jujing's voice preceded him. From beneath the crucifix, it reached Ginnige's ears: "Last year, I told you I wanted to overthrow Chairman Long Huamin. Didn't you agree then?"

"You're not overthrowing, you're murdering!" Ginnigo's emotions completely lost control. "Don't tell me you don't know what 'Dharma' means!"

"Keep your voice down. Don't yell." Guo Jujing's voice remained calm. "Even though they've all gone back to their rooms to clean up, young people have better ears than you and me. They might have heard it."

"You!" Jin Ni Ge felt a sudden surge of blood rushing to the top of his head, making his eyes go black.

"Have you read the Spring and Autumn Annals?" Guo Jujing asked.

"What nonsense!" Ginniger slumped back to his seat. "Don't you know what I've been up to lately?" After returning to China, Ginniger devoted most of his energy to the great undertaking of translating the Five Classics into Latin. He truly admired these ancient Chinese sages and hoped that one day someone would bring his translated Chinese classics back to Europe.

"Then you should know the story of 'Duke Zheng defeats Duke Duan in Yan'," said Guo Jujing.

Jin Nige was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Hehe, hahaha! Do you think you are Duke Zhuang?"

"Yes." Guo Jujing nodded and said, "I follow the style of Duke Zheng."

"Then do you know? The phrase 'Duke Zheng defeated Duan in Yan' itself has a derogatory meaning! It tells a story about a king who is not a king, a minister who is not a minister, a brother who is not an brother, and a younger brother who is not an younger brother!" Ginnigo already had a certain understanding of the "Spring and Autumn Annals" and the "Spring and Autumn style of writing". The problem that bothered him now was how to use Latin to express the deep meaning hidden beneath the surface text that needed to be deeply thought about and explored.

Guo Jujing's frankness shocked Ginnige. "I know. Everyone in this story is guilty. Duke Zheng is guilty, I am guilty, and Shuduan is even more guilty. 'Duke Zheng defeats Duan' because Shuduan had ulterior motives. If Shuduan hadn't had ulterior motives and had stayed true to his duty from the beginning, this tragedy wouldn't have happened."

"Are you trying to say that Chairman Long Huamin brought this upon himself?" Ginni asked, gritting his teeth.

"Isn't it?" Guo Jujing looked up at Jesus's bowed head, as if sobbing, perhaps even confessing. "It was he who undermined the missionary principles of President Matteo Ricci, who caused a split within the Jesuit Order, and who sparked the Nanjing Incident, destroying decades of Christian accumulation! Churches in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Nanjing burned to ashes overnight, and our work in Beijing was interrupted. For four years, we've been forced to scurry around in the gutters like rats, fearing discovery. If it weren't for the divine guidance of the current emperor, who granted amnesty, you and I would still be living in the homes of the gentry in Nanjing and Hangzhou, seeking refuge."

"But there's no need to resort to such drastic measures." Ginni finally heard the emotion in Guo Jujing's tone. It was a sadness tinged with anger. "Is the communication not good?"

"If communication were useful, it would have happened long ago. Before the Nanjing Incident, I communicated with him, but he refused to listen and told me, 'There's no longer any danger of being expelled from China.' He even had the wild idea of ​​submitting a petition to the late emperor requesting an imperial edict granting the church complete religious freedom. Fortunately, we couldn't submit the petition directly to the emperor, and officials friendly to the church were unwilling to submit it on his behalf, otherwise he would have done just that."

"After the Nanjing tragedy, I also communicated with him, but he still refused to listen and remained stubborn, insisting on following his own missionary route. I communicated with him for the last time on the way to Beijing last year, but didn't he still strongly recommend Mendoza at the election meeting? Even if you and I had joined forces to prevent the appointment, what would have happened? It would have only further widened the division within the Jesuit Order. I remember you also tried to persuade Mendoza afterwards, but did it work? If it had, he wouldn't have died. It was President Long Huamin and the people he elected who touched the dragon's reverse scale and brought about their own death."

"You still want to say 'It's not me, it's the soldiers'?"

"No, no, no. Using the emperor's anger as a weapon to kill? I'm not that arrogant, let alone that ability. The knife is right there. I can't move it, but it won't move easily either. It was Chairman Long Huamin who couldn't see the situation clearly and had to rush into it. It's like when the Jinyiwei drew their swords, no one rushed forward to threaten the eunuch Xuanyu and no one would be chopped off. But if you rushed over, the Jinyiwei beside him could raise their hands and chop off your head. If you think about it carefully, you'll know that all I did was let it go and watch all this happen. And Tai Wen..." Guo Jujing paused and sighed softly.

"You shouldn't blame him. He didn't conspire with me. He was just invited here to protect you and me."

Jin Ni Ge slowly turned his head to look at Wang Fengsu, and Wang Fengsu also looked back at him.

"The consequences of the Nanjing Incident were very serious, but in the end no one was executed. Do you know why?" Guo Jujing continued.

"Isn't it because friendly religious officials petitioned for help?" Ginni shook his head. During the most serious period in the 44th year of Wanli, he was still traveling around Europe to collect books and recruit young missionaries who yearned for China.

Wang Fengsu took over the conversation: "Of course there was a reason for this. They bought me time. I was able to burn those deadly things before the imperial censor led his troops to arrest people. Otherwise, I would have died by then."

"How could it be?" Ginni murmured.

"It's not just me. In the 44th year of the Wanli reign, Lord Shen accused us of being heretical and disrupting justice. This is a serious crime punishable by hanging for the principal offender and caning and exile for the accomplices. At the time, Xie Wulu was ill, and a beating would have surely killed him." Wang Fengsu sighed bitterly:
"Even at that time, the evidence was incomplete, yet they were still repatriated. What do you think the current emperor would feel if he saw a title like 'A History of the Christian Expedition to China'? Do you believe that if His Majesty saw this title, he would have President Matteo Ricci's grave dug up? I've also looked over your manuscripts and letters. I've revised everything I could, and I'll burn the rest I can't."

"No wonder you've been so reluctant to return it to me. You even said I wrote it well." Ginni laughed bitterly. "Then why don't you help President Long Huamin revise it as well?"

Wang Fengsu subconsciously glanced at Guo Jujing. At that moment, Guo Jujing chimed in, "Fourth cousin, I'm surprised you'd ask such a question. This is a coup. If we help Chairman Long Huamin escape, wouldn't Mendoza's death have been in vain? Such a radical going to the Liaodong front, where the fighting is fiercest, will sooner or later be killed as a spy."

"What about the other eight people? You can always save them."

"If we can't save him, let's just consider it a necessary sacrifice."

"You!" Ginni asked weakly, "You act and think like this, aren't you afraid of going to hell?" "As the saying goes, 'If I don't go to hell, who will?' For the church to gain a foothold in China, for the cause of spreading the gospel and saving the world. I am ready to fall into hell. Heaven, you go up." Guo Jujing said calmly.

"Then why are you praying hypocritically?" Ginni looked at the suffering Jesus with his head bowed and felt confused for the first time.

Guo Jujing bowed and said, "Whether God forgives me or not, Christians should sincerely confess their sins and pray for forgiveness."

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jingle!

As he entered, Dinesh Joao clapped the bell hanging at the door.

The dozing waiter heard the bell and immediately raised his eyelids and walked over quickly to greet: "What business do you two need?"

"Are you in the dental business?" Dinesh Joao asked stutteringly.

The waiter shook his head, throwing away the weariness that was swirling in his mind. He took a closer look and found that the visitor was actually a "foreigner." "Where are you two gentlemen from?"

Dinesh Joao replied, "My ancestral home is Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal, Spanish Empire, Europe. I currently live in Xiangshan'ao. We are from the same hometown."

Forty years earlier, in 1580 AD, or the eighth year of the Wanli reign, King Philip II of Spain invaded Portugal, launching the War of the Portuguese Succession. The following year, the Portuguese Parliament convened in Tomar, where the princes and ministers swore an oath of support for Philip II as King of Portugal. Three months later, Philip II arrived in Lisbon and officially assumed the title of King of Portugal. From then on, Spain and Portugal were united, and mainland Portugal became part of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty.

Over the next two years, Philip II gradually dispatched troops to take over all of Portugal's overseas colonies. Macau's situation was somewhat unusual; to this day, the Macau Council continues to fly the Portuguese flag, rather than the Spanish one. The Spanish king's reason for turning a blind eye was simple: he couldn't send troops to conquer this tiny "colony," essentially a leased territory. While Macau was weak, Xiangshan County backed the entire Ming Dynasty. It was clearly uneconomical to anger a vast empire thousands of miles away and, consequently, affect trade over such a minor issue.

For merchants like Dinesh João, as long as Spanish rule did not affect their trade activities and harm their interests, they were happy to put the powerful Spanish Empire before the Kingdom of Portugal. At least it sounded impressive.

However, in the eyes of the bank clerk, Spain and Portugal were no different from Luzon and Siam; they were all small, foreign nations overseas. Dinesh João spoke at length, and the clerk only understood the last word. "So, the Nanyang merchants?"

"That's right." Dinesh Joao nodded and asked nervously, "Doing our business?"

He and Ryan Hobbs had come in with the attitude of a last-ditch effort. Early in the morning, they went out to look for a rental property. They first went to the same rental property that had previously rented their property, but not only did they refuse to accept new business, they even hinted at wanting to buy the property back. They then went to several more rental properties, but still no one dared to do business with them.

Just as the two were about to go back and discuss the matter in disappointment, Dinesh Joao saw the bank sign.

"Yes, there's business, why not?" The clerk thought the Seljuq man's accent was hilarious, like a bird chirping. "It's a pawnshop business, and that's also within our scope of business."

"Great!" Dinesh Joao turned to look at Ryan Hobbs and gave him a smug smile.

"Please come this way." The waiter led the two men to the counter and put a high stool under their buttocks.

The shopkeeper behind the counter was Yu Tinghua, a scholar who had never passed the imperial examination. Before the bell rang, he had already cast his gaze on the two Seljuq guests and heard the conversation between them and the waiter.

As soon as the two sat down, Yu Tinghua pushed a booklet containing property information in front of Dinesh Joao. "This is the registered property. The location, size, rent, and selling price—all these basic information are all in it. Take a look at it yourself."

The booklets contained mostly assets seized during several raids. There were four such books, one for each of the four major branches, and the contents were identical. At the end of each month, the Beijing branch would update the books based on the daily records submitted by the branches.

Previously, confiscated assets were directly liquidated by the internal transport warehouse. After the Sun Moon Bank was established, the bank took over the disposal of confiscated assets. According to regulations, branches were solely responsible for liaising with clients to liquidate assets. Pricing authority rested with the branch, and approval of pricing rested with the head office. The West Factory retained oversight of the entire transaction process.

"Uh," Dinesh Joao took the booklet, opened it, and was immediately puzzled. "I don't know much about Chinese characters. Could you please recommend something?"

"Hmm, I recommend it." Yu Tinghua thought for a moment and asked, "What are your needs? What's your budget?"

"Could you please speak more simply? Speak more slowly and directly, preferably." Dinesh Joao said with an awkward smile. He only understood a few words of Yu Tinghua's long speech.

Yu Tinghua sighed and pretended to weigh the money. "Money, how much money do you have?"

"Money is not a problem." Dinesh Joao smiled again, but this time, his back was straight, without any previous embarrassment.

(End of this chapter)