Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 799 Interrogation
Ren Guian looked down at him, his brows furrowing slightly: "You say you're a bodyguard from Yuanwei Escort Agency, do you have any proof?"

“Yes,” Jiang Wei answered without hesitation. “When we passed through Baodi County a few days ago, we applied for a travel permit for our escort agency at the county government office, which has the county government’s seal on it.”

Ren Guian beckoned to him: "Let me see it."

"Yes." Jiang Wei reached into his pocket and pulled out a brown kraft paper envelope. The envelope was not sealed, and a pale white corner was faintly visible.

Jiang Wei pinched the corner, carefully pulled out the folded road sign, and presented it with both hands, looking up: "Please take a look, Inspector Ren."

Ren Guian bent down to take the travel permit, and as soon as he unfolded it, he saw the familiar vermilion official seal. Next to the seal was the county magistrate's signature in regular script, "Zhou Shiya".

Zhou Shiya was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the 47th year of the Wanli reign (1618), and had only recently been transferred from Guangping. Ren Gui'an was not very familiar with Zhou Shiya's signature, so he looked at the travel permit two or three times to make sure there were no signs of forgery before handing it back to Jiang Wei: "I heard that the person you are escorting this time is a foreigner?"

"Yes, if you're going back to your post as patrol inspector." Jiang Wei took the travel permit and carefully folded it.

"Where is he?" Ren Guian looked around.

Jiang Wei stepped aside, revealing Luo Yagu, who was also looking in their direction.

"Come here." Ren Gui'an raised his hand and beckoned, "I have something to ask you."

Luo Yagu walked to the front of the horse, bowed slightly, and said, "I am Luo Yagu, paying my respects to Inspector Ren."

Ren Guian's brows furrowed as he scrutinized the foreign face, which was completely different from the northern accent: "Luo Ya Gu? You said your name is?"

“Yes,” Luo Yagu bowed again. “I am Luo Yagu.”

"How is it written?" Ren Guian asked, raising his head.

“If you were to return to your post as Inspector,” Luo Yagu straightened up and looked up at Ren Gui’an, “‘Luo’ is the ‘Luo’ of silk and satin, ‘Ya’ is the ‘Ya’ of the ‘Feng, Ya, Song’ of the Book of Songs, and ‘Gu’ is the ‘Gu’ of valley and rice.”

Ren Guian nodded slightly and asked again, "Then what is your domain name?"

A flicker of disbelief crossed Luo Yagu's eyes. "Giacomo Rho," Luo Yagu said in Italian.

"Jia kou." Ren Gui'an subconsciously repeated it, but this string of difficult syllables with a Lombard accent couldn't be easily imitated. "Never mind," Ren Gui'an frowned and waved his hand, continuing to question, "Where are you originally from?"

“Hometown… Hmm.” Luo Yagu thought for a moment: “Europe, Italy, Milan, the capital of Lombardy.”

Ren Gui'an had absolutely no concept of place names like "Europe, Italy, Asia" or "Lombardy, Milan," nor was he particularly interested in them, assuming they referred to some extremely distant, barbaric land. Therefore, he only vaguely remembered the approximate pronunciation before continuing his questioning: "What year were you born? How old are you this year?"

Luo Yagu pondered for a moment: "I was born in the 21st year of the Wanli reign, and I am 28 years old this year."

When did you arrive in the Ming Dynasty?

"Two years ago, in the 47th year of the Wanli reign."

"Why did you come?" Ren Guian's scrutiny deepened.

"Why did you come?" Luo Yagu pondered for a moment, her thoughts drifting far away. "Well, to be honest, that was more than ten years ago. At that time, I was studying at the Jesuit college in Rome. I read a book called 'Historia del Gran Reino de la China,' or rather, 'History of the Great Chinese Empire.' This book depicted the Ming Dynasty as a single-minded, wealthy, powerful, vast, and peaceful empire, which aroused my longing."

Luo Yagu had one more thing to say: this place, which sounded like a paradise on earth, did not believe in Jesus Christ. This made him very curious and eager to know what the people in this place believed in and why they lived here.

"Hmm." Ren Gui'an nodded, a hint of superiority in his eyes, as if he were a citizen of a superior nation looking down upon barbarians from a lower land. "Do you have anything on you that can prove your identity?"

“Yes. This is the travel permit issued to me by the Ministry of Rites,” Luo Yagu took out the travel permit from his pocket and handed it to Ren Gui’an: “It has the official seal of the court and the signature of Xu Da Zongbo of the Ministry of Rites. Please take a look, Inspector Ren.”

"Yelüsi?" Ren Gui'an bent down, picked up the travel permit, unfolded it, and immediately saw the curly-haired man with a halo above his head and his hands outstretched. "I've been working in Baodi for so many years, how come I've never heard of such an office under the Ministry of Rites?"

"If we're talking about returning to the position of patrol inspector, the Yelu Division is a newly established government office that was only recently set up," Luo Yagu explained. "This travel permit I have is also the first travel permit issued by the Yelu Division."

"Besides this," Ren Gui'an said with some skepticism, handing the travel permit back to him, "do you have any other proof of identity?"

Luo Yagu looked troubled. After thinking for a long time, he took out a ten-tael bank note from his pocket and handed it to Ren Guian: "Inspector Ren, I really have no other proof. I wonder if this bank note will be accepted?"

Ren Guian caught a glimpse of the brand-new banknote, and a greedy glint flashed in his eyes. Although he had never done any business at a bank before, he had heard of this kind of banknote many times.

Ren Gui'an took the silver note, but deliberately frowned and said in a low voice, "Heh. Are you trying to bribe me?"

"I wouldn't dare," Luo Yagu immediately uttered these two very tactful words, but what he said next completely surprised Ren Gui'an: "This silver note was bestowed upon me by the Emperor. In addition to the silver note, the Emperor also bestowed upon me a piece of silk brocade. That piece of silk brocade is in the trunk at the back of the mule cart. If Inspector Ren doesn't believe me, he can open the trunk and check."

"It was a gift from the Emperor!" Ren Gui'an was startled, the greed in his eyes instantly fading considerably. "Why?"

Luo Yagu's face unconsciously revealed a hint of self-satisfaction: "I heard that the eunuch who bestowed the reward said that the Emperor was very satisfied with the audience that day, so he specially bestowed the reward to show his favor."

"An audience? You..." Ren Gui'an was even more shocked, his voice rising slightly. "You've met the Emperor!?"

“That’s right!” Luo Yagu replied decisively, “It’s right there in that magnificent Golden Palace.”

Ren Gui'an handed the silver note back, his previous arrogant attitude gradually disappearing: "Why did the Emperor summon you?"

"I am skilled in arithmetic and astronomy," Luo Yagu said, puffing out his chest and raising his head, his pride practically overflowing. "The Emperor summoned us to test our abilities."

"Your Majesty." Ren Gui'an glanced at his attendants and found them looking at each other in shock. "...Testing you?"

“Yes.” Luo Yagu nodded heavily.

"Then," Ren Gui'an's lips suddenly felt a little dry, "what were the results of the examination?"

"The result..." Luo Yagu originally wanted to say "a reward of twenty taels of silver and a silk lining" was the result, but then she thought there seemed to be a better answer: "The result was that the Yelu Division was established, and the Emperor appointed President Jinnige as the first Left Shepherd of the Yelu Division, and ordered Shepherd Jinnige, together with Deputy Director Tang of the Imperial Observatory, to select talented people from the church who were knowledgeable in astronomy and mathematics to improve the observatory and revise the Great Calendar." "And what about you?" Ren Guian swallowed hard. "Did the Emperor also grant you an official position?"

"I am of limited talent and learning," Luo Yagu shook his head with regret, "I may receive a reward, but I will not be given a title."

Ren Guian breathed a sigh of relief for some reason, and straightened his back a little more: "So what are you going to Beitang for?"

“I’m going to Beitang,” Luo Yagu said, glancing sideways, “mainly to ask the merchants there to take the letters we wrote back to Europe.”

"A letter?" Ren Guian became wary. "What letter?"

“They are just some official and private letters,” Luo Yagu said. “There are quite a few of them, and the content is very varied, so it can’t be explained in just a few words.”

"Where?" Ren Guian looked up at the mule cart.

Luo Yagu pointed to the mule cart: "It's in the box on the cart."

"May I see those letters?" Ren Guian dismounted and spoke to Luo Yagu with the air of an official looking down on a commoner.

“Of course.” Luo Yagu took a half step back and bowed. “It’s just that most of these letters are written in Portuguese, Italian, or Latin, which you probably can’t understand. But you can rest assured that these letters were checked by officials from the Ministry of Rites, the Censorate, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard before they were taken out of the capital, and there is absolutely no prohibited content.”

“Since the Ministry of Rites, the Censorate, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard have all inspected it, then I won’t look again.” Ren Gui’an simply returned the greeting. “I have one last question for you.”

"Inspector Ren, please speak freely." Luo Yagu gestured for him to leave.

"A while ago, several foreigners were killed in the capital," Ren Guian said with a smile, looking Luo Yagu up and down. "I wonder if Mr. Luo knows them?"

Luo Yagu's pupils contracted sharply, and he nodded blankly: "I know him. Of course I know him."

"What is Mr. Luo's relationship with them?" Ren Guian continued.

“They are Jesuits, just like me. However,” Luo Yagu took a deep breath, “they are not with us. They have been bewitched by the devil and have done things they should not have done.”

"What shouldn't you have done?" Ren Guian took a step forward and moved closer.

"They changed their ways, distorted the doctrines, and went against the teachings of the former leader Matteo Ricci. They even spread heretical ideas on the Liaodong front." Luo Yagu's eyes flickered.

“This is a capital offense,” Ren Gui’an stared at him, “why wasn’t it implicated against you?”

“It’s not that we weren’t implicated, but rather that we were implicated before.” Luo Yagu looked back at him. “We were placed under house arrest by the Embroidered Uniform Guard for more than a month, and all our letters and articles were translated and inspected by the Censorate. But we followed the will of Heaven, believed in God, and were loyal to the Emperor. We didn’t utter a single dissenting word, so naturally we were not punished. Moreover, it was only after that that the Emperor summoned us for examination.”

“Alright, I understand your situation.” Ren Guian nodded with a smile. “However, the road you are about to travel has recently been frequented by wolves and tigers. To ensure your safety, I think it is necessary to escort you for a while longer. What do you think, Mr. Luo?”

Luo Yagu knew that Ren Guian was still wary, but he had no reason or right to refuse, so he could only go along with it and say, "Then thank you very much, Inspector Ren! We kept hearing wolves howling along the way, and we were worried about our safety. With you and the two officers escorting us, I feel at ease."

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Luo Yagu wasn't fleeing, so there was no need for him to travel day and night in a hurry. The group traveled along the official road, stopping and starting, and by the time they reached the Beitang area, it was already the afternoon of the next day.

That afternoon, the sky was covered by a thick layer of clouds, and the sun was hidden from view, with only a few rays occasionally peeking through. The wind was sticky, and when it blew on my face, it felt like I was wrapped in a damp cloth with a faint smell of the sea, making it hard to even breathe.

At the end of the official road, a cluster of low houses gradually came into view, with wisps of smoke rising from their rooftops. Near the sea, the outlines of gray-brown forts could be faintly seen. That was the small town near the Shuanglei Fort, where most of the soldiers of the Tianjin Coastal Defense Battalion and their families lived.

Ren Gui'an reined in his horse at the entrance of the town and said to the two officials, "Take Mr. Luo and Master Jiang to an inn to rest and feed the animals. Don't wander off. I'm going to see an acquaintance and ask him something. I'll come back to find you in a bit."

The two officers responded with "Yes," and Jiang Wei and Luo Yagu didn't say much, just nodded, and followed the two officers to the town entrance.

Ren Gui'an did not go straight to the acquaintance he wanted to see. Instead, he first bought some wine and meat at a nearby wine shop and butcher shop before urging his horse to head deeper into the town.

Ren Gui'an turned two alleyways based on his memory and came to a small courtyard with a low wall. The wall was made of yellow mud, and several clumps of foxtail grass grew at its base. Ren Gui'an stood up in his stirrups and glanced into the courtyard.

He soon spotted the familiar apricot tree in the yard, its leaves swaying gently in the wind—this was exactly where he was looking.

Ren Gui'an dismounted and tied the horse to the wooden post at the gate of the courtyard. He carried wine and meat in one hand and grabbed the iron ring on the door with the other, then gently knocked three times.

Hey, hey, hey.

A moment later, a series of light footsteps came from behind the door. Then, a head peeked out from the crack in the door. It was a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old, wearing a gray cloth shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his dark and muscular forearms.

When the boy saw Ren Gui'an, he paused for a moment, his brows furrowing involuntarily as if he were recalling something. A short while later, his eyes lit up, and he flung open the door, exclaiming with delight, "Uncle Ren! What brings you here?"

"You brat, what are you saying?" Ren Gui'an raised his free hand and gently patted the boy's head. "What do you mean, 'Why am I here?' Can't I come?"

The boy chuckled sheepishly, "Yes, yes! Please come in, please come in!" He then opened the other door and called out into the courtyard, "Mother! Uncle Ren is here!"

Footsteps soon came from inside the house, and a woman dressed in a blue cloth dress came out. The woman was about thirty years old, with a plain velvet flower pinned to her temple. When she saw Ren Gui'an, she quickly walked a few steps and stopped three steps away from him, curtsying: "Fourth Brother Ren".

"Sister-in-law." Ren Guian stopped and returned the greeting.

"Brother Ren, please come inside and sit down," the woman said, making way for him. "I'll go boil some water and make some tea right away."

"I'll just have a few words with Kong Laojiu and then leave," Ren Gui'an waved his hand and handed the wine and meat to the boy. "I won't come in and sit down."

"Oh dear, what bad timing." The woman said apologetically, "My husband went to the camp for training early this morning and won't be back until dark."

(End of this chapter)