In the thirty-seventh year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty, AD 1772, on the fourth day of March, the Forbidden City was in the capital. On this day, the wind was calm and the sun was beautiful.
In the morning, the French Jesuit missionary Chiang Youren, who served as a walking official in the Qing Palace Building Office, walked in the Forbidden City with a hurried missionary who looked similar to him and a large group of palace eunuchs carrying large and small boxes. .
Although they were not technically subjects of the Qing Empire, these three missionaries were dressed in the uniforms of Qing Empire officials. Like the accompanying eunuchs, they lowered their heads, moved forward, and walked quickly in small steps.
The destination of their trip was the imperial garden of the palace. According to the eunuch who came to guide them, at this moment, Emperor Qianlong Hongli, the supreme ruler of the Qing Empire, was already in the imperial garden with his concubines and close princes and ministers. We have been "waiting for a long time".
A group of people were walking, and Jiang Youren, who had served Hongli in the imperial court for twenty-five years, was slightly in a daze.
As he approached the Imperial Garden, he remembered the question asked to him by his Jesuit colleague Li Junxian who had just arrived in the Qing Empire from France last night.
At that time, Li Junxian was tinkering with the air pump that he had just become familiar with, and asked Jiang Youren questions.
"Michelle, will there really be many Qing nobles and high-ranking officials coming to the Imperial Garden tomorrow? Will the emperor really be there? I have never seen the emperor since I came to the Qing Dynasty. Will the emperor really like what we bring? ?"
Jiang Youren was observing the starry sky with the latest telescope brought by Li Junxian. When he heard Li Junxian's question, he nodded,
"Yes, don't worry. The emperor likes the new things we bring very much. As long as they are not available in the Qing Dynasty, the emperor is full of curiosity and is willing to observe and learn. It has never changed for decades."
"In this case, will the emperor allow us to relax restrictions on preaching?"
When Li Junxian heard this, he became a little excited and whispered: "These are the latest scientific products. The Paris church spent a lot of effort to get them, especially this telescope, which was the latest product made last year. Before we set off, the bishop of Paris had great expectations for our trip.”
Jiang Youren said nothing, but looked a little lonely.
Li Junxian didn't see the loneliness on Jiang Youren's face, and said to himself: "You also know that many royal families in Europe are dissatisfied with us. It's not just a matter of a day or two. The Pope just took office not long ago, and his position is unstable. Spain and Portugal The church put a lot of pressure on him. Although he wanted to keep us, he lacked time and opportunity.
This time we are here to make an effort to get the Qing Emperor to allow us to preach. In this way, the news will be spread back, and our Jesuits will achieve a mission that no one has been able to achieve for hundreds of years, and those monarchs who oppose us will not be able to achieve it. Dare you think anything about us? After all, they don't dare to offend the Qing Emperor. "
Jiang Youren sighed slightly when he heard this.
How could he not know the embarrassing situation the Jesuits were currently in in Europe?
Of course, he also wanted to do some work for the survival of the Jesuits. He knew that the European countries were afraid and fearful of the Qing Empire, which had completely destroyed the Dzunggar Khanate that dominated Central Asia, so he did his best for the supreme ruler. He served for twenty-five years and lobbied with all his strength for twenty-five years.
But the emperor's attitude remained unchanged and never wavered.
After twenty-five years, Jiang Youren gradually understood why he could still stay with the emperor.
Nothing more than mastering the knowledge of painting, mechanics, mathematics, and astronomy that the emperor needed, which could provide the emperor with sufficient convenience and pleasure in daily life and personal enjoyment.
For example, it took him ten years to complete the Great Water Method in the Old Summer Palace, which was full of French court style, and was deeply loved by the emperor.
He knew that the emperor's attitude towards him and his fellow missionaries was essentially the attitude towards a craftsman.
No matter how sophisticated and capable he is as a "craftsman", and how much knowledge he possesses that the craftsmen and astronomers of the Qing Empire failed to master, the status of craftsmen in the Qing Empire has always been low, and even the best astronomers have not yet mastered it. We can only stop at "Qintian Prison".
Jiang Youren knew very well that in the palace hierarchy of the Qing Empire, Qintianjian officials had a very low status and had little power.
Again, the Qing Empire had its own rules of the game and its own social hierarchy, which was completely different from Europe.
Once upon a time, a famous predecessor once warned them, the successive European missionaries who wanted to develop missionary careers in the Qing Empire, that they should avoid being thought of as two different people in the Qing Empire.
One is a monk.
The other type is the craftsman.
Once they are considered craftsmen and have related stereotypes, their missionary career will be really bad, so Jiang Youren has been trying hard to avoid this situation, but he found embarrassingly that the harder he worked, the worse he became. Like a true craftsman.
The emperor seemed to only care about his rich knowledge of natural science, and let him play a role in this aspect, making him a stable palace official and giving him a very good living treatment.
But Jiang Youren was never able to realize his true ideal. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he was the "great craftsman" in the eyes of the emperor.
He worked hard again and again, failed again and again, was disappointed again and again, and restored his confidence again and again, supporting his progress with the firm will of a devout believer...
But now, twenty-five years later, he has almost given up on his missionary career.
As a result, the huge difficulties faced by the Jesuits in Europe forced this fifty-seven-year-old missionary to regroup no matter what, and launch perhaps the last charge towards his crumbling ideals - even if his actions were like Don Quixote Virtue is ridiculous, and he has to give it one last try.
Looking at his colleagues who had just come to the Qing Empire and didn't know much about this big empire, Jiang Youren wanted to say something, but in the end he couldn't.
The wordless night passed, and the group of them had arrived at the entrance of the Royal Garden.
In a daze, Jiang Youren seemed to see the funny-dressed "knight" Don Quixote right in front of him, with an absurd and uninhibited smile on his face as he crookedly charged towards the windmill.
At this moment, he might be Don Quixote.
With such even some tragic thoughts, Jiang Youren straightened his back at the entrance of the imperial garden. Under the guidance of the eunuchs, he entered the royal garden of the Qing Empire - the one who had supreme power and far surpassed any other emperor. The personal paradise of the Qing emperor, a powerful European monarch.
At this time, it was the beginning of spring in the thirty-seventh year of Qianlong's reign. All the flowers in the imperial garden were in full bloom, and it was a colorful scene.
After Hongli, who was troubled by the Jinchuan war and the Yunnan corruption case, had been exhausted throughout last year and the beginning of this year, he felt that he should seize the time to rest in case something bad happened in the future. Put your heart into it.
He is sixty-one years old this year and is no longer a young monarch. In the thirty-seven years since he ruled the world, he considered himself diligent in government affairs, worked hard and worked hard at night, and tried his best to push the Qing Empire to the peak of prosperity. , dedicated all his youth and blood to this end.
Therefore, he was quite proud of his achievements in governing the world.
But for some reason, whenever he wanted to stop and appreciate the extremely prosperous and submissive country he governed, some young people would always start a rebellion in a remote place and discredit the achievements of his rule, which made him quite worried. To be angry.
Fortunately, he has a group of loyal ministers who are good at conquering and fighting, such as Agui, Fukangan, Fu Heng, and Hailancha. These brave generals are galloping across the empire's territory, bringing down rebellions one after another. The thief cut off his head and tried his best to maintain his rule.
The middle and early Qianlong dynasties were indeed troubled times for the Qing Empire, but it was also an era when the Qing Empire gathered stars and reached its peak in military strength.
During this period, the Qing Empire fought against all the invincible opponents in the surrounding areas. Whenever there was a war, the final outcome was basically victory. Hongli's pursuit of civil and martial arts, which was the best in previous dynasties, was far beyond that of a group of people who could conquer With the efforts of brave generals who are good at fighting, it gradually becomes a reality.
Under the governance of Hongli, the Qing Empire had reached its peak.
Every time he thought about this, the sixty-one-year-old Hongli felt that he was qualified to enjoy this world of flowers and all the beauty in the world. Even if all the young people had evil intentions, in the end they were just doing it for his empire. Contributing to great causes.
So on this spring day, after being busy with agricultural-related sacrifices and political performances, Hongli gathered the princes, nobles, and concubines in the Imperial Garden, where they watched famous flowers and plants from all over the world, and enjoyed Tributes gathered from all over the world shared the prosperous age of Qianlong.
No matter the princes, nobles, or concubines in the harem, facing Hongli, who has been in charge of the world for thirty-seven years, they are nothing but obedient.
They smiled brightly, uttered congratulations, knelt in front of Hongli, paid homage to him, offered him the best wine, and used all the congratulations they could think of on Hongli. .
All of them knew that Hongli not only held the power of their life and death, but also held the switch of their glory and wealth.
As long as he has a little thought, once he opens it, the chickens and dogs will ascend to the sky, and once he closes it, all disasters will be unstoppable.
For a better tomorrow, they are willing to give up all human dignity and try their best to please the supreme ruler of the empire as "slaves" in order to squeeze a little bit of power from his fingers. This will be enough for them. The whole family was enjoying themselves in luxury.
Hongli felt the congratulations from the princes, nobles, and concubines in the harem, and he was extremely happy at this moment with a rosy complexion.
Although he knew very well why these people were so respectful, this did not prevent him from indulging in this kind of submission, because he was very confident, and deep down in his heart, he was always awake and vigilant.
Since the thirteenth year of Qianlong's reign, this vigilance has never disappeared.
He could enjoy the submissiveness of these people, not just for their subservience. He could loosen his fists slightly and deliberately reveal a little bit of power to them from the gaps between his fingers.
However, as long as these people use these powers to do something that has an adverse impact on his rule, then he can easily take back these powers and put these people to death.
Thirteen years after Qianlong, Hongli, who once fantasized about becoming a saintly king among Confucian scholars, died. Now sitting on his throne and enjoying supreme power, Hongli was a cold-blooded, ruthless and persevering man. The most intelligent dictatorial ruler.
When it comes to imperial power and personal abilities, there are very few who can compare with him throughout the ages.
Therefore, what was hidden behind his gentle smile was a face splattered with blood, and the blood on this face was the foundation for him to create his own prosperous age.
After a few glasses of wine, Hongli was in a better mood, and at this moment, Niu Hulu and Shen, the guards at Sticky Stick who he had liked recently, trotted all the way to him.
"Your Majesty, Jiang Youren has arrived."
Hongli looked at the talented young man in front of him and nodded.
"Let them in."
"嗻."
He Shen accepted the promise and turned to leave.
As a small footnote to this great and prosperous era, the European missionaries who came all the way from the Western lands were also a special sight in the Qing Empire's court.
From the Kangxi Dynasty, to the Yongzheng Dynasty, and then to Hongli's own reign, these missionaries always existed in the court, one after another, and they came one after another. Even after the former died, there were still more coming, and they were the three generations of Hongli's ancestors and grandsons. Received a very good service.
Among these missionaries, there were indeed some who were deeply loved by their grandparents and grandchildren. For example, Jiang Youren was greatly admired by Hongli.
Unlike some previous parallel import missionaries, Hongli could clearly realize that Jiang Youren had a very rich knowledge system and ability to do things, and was well-informed. For some knowledge that he could not understand, Jiang Youren's existence could provide him with Great addition.
For example, the Russian Empire was the Qing Empire’s largest northern frontier.
Although there is no war happening now, Hongli has always been wary of the Russian Empire. He has also thought about completely solving the Russian problem. However, he is worried that Russia is located in the far north and is very cold. If he goes on an expedition with many troops, he has no chance of winning.
After Jiang Youren came into his sight, he asked Jiang Youren a lot about Europe.
When talking about European countries, he also specifically asked which European countries were at odds with Russia. Apparently, he wanted to engage in diplomatic activities and win over these countries to help him share the pressure on Russia.
After Jiang Youren introduced France, his home country, Hongli even thought about whether to ally with France to deal with Russia, and contain Russia in the east and west, so as to save them from messing around in the northeast and northwest every day.
Unfortunately, due to transportation geography and political factors, some ideas can only remain ideas.
However, through Jiang Youren, Hongli did have a certain understanding of Europe. He also had some understanding of many European countries, their royal families, and even some special political systems, such as the republican system of the Netherlands.
Even though he doesn't like this kind of thing.
Compared to the complicated and intricate politics and diplomacy, Hongli obviously preferred his own luxury and enjoyment. For him, the greatest use of missionaries did not and could not lie in politics and diplomacy, but in sophisticated mechanical technology. and astronomical knowledge.
These knowledge systems were not developed in the Qing Empire, and the arrival of missionaries made up for some of these deficiencies.
Of course, Hongli also knew the purpose of the missionaries who traveled thousands of miles to come to the Qing Empire and their own little thoughts. Of course, he could not allow these missionaries to preach everywhere. After learning the lessons from the Kangxi and Yongzheng periods, Hongli Their operating methods are a set of three scumbags - no initiative, no refusal, and no responsibility.
Come, of course you can, I don’t refuse you explicitly, I can even accept you to come to me and serve me, bathe in my great glory up close, feel the prosperity of the heavenly kingdom, and let you country bumpkins see the world. .
However, I can’t possibly let you preach as you wish, don’t even think about it.
Although these guys look weird and smell bad, they have indeed made great achievements in mechanics, astronomy, and mathematics. Keep them in the palace and let them provide you with the latest novelty gadgets all the time. , is a little hobby of the curious Hongli.
In order to keep these people, Hongli certainly couldn't let them down completely, so he took out the means of flying kites and dealing with the concubines in the harem, constantly giving them some small hopes, and giving them a little sweetness every now and then. While beating a stick, don't forget to give them some sweet dates.
Want to preach?
beg me.
In this way, Hongli continued to attract outstanding talents from the church to come to him with a wealth of excellent and latest knowledge, so that his curiosity was constantly satisfied, and he even enjoyed the privileges of the French court thousands of miles away. The latest architectural art, watching the same fountain as Louis XV and XVI, sharing the bliss of the world.
If the communication methods of that era were more developed, maybe Hongli could really become good pen pals with Louis XV and XVI.
But at this moment, the greatest help these outstanding talents from Europe can provide Hongli is to bring the latest scientific and technological products from Europe to him and let him know what they are called, what they are used for, and how to use them. operate, then——
Be his toy.
Before that, Jiang Youren introduced many of Europe's latest technological products to Hongli. Hongli was also very interested in these things and was willing to get started with them.
However, when Jiang Youren tried to teach him the heliocentric theory, Kepler's law, sunspots, solar rotation and a series of latest discoveries in the European scientific community, Hongli only scratched the surface and did not go into depth.
In this regard, Hongli was different from his grandfather Xuan Ye, who was very fond of mathematics.
Xuanye also has plenty of energy. While running the country, he is also very interested in some things from Europe. Not only that, he has also studied in depth, especially mathematics. Xuanye has experienced systematic research and has good attainments. .
However, it is a pity that although Hongli was deeply loved by Xuan Ye and became one of the reasons why Yinzhen could ascend the throne, the grandfather and grandson only really got along for half a year.
Xuan Ye was gone before he could impart his preferences to Hongli, so in the end, Hongli learned the most profoundly in humanities, not natural subjects.
Hongli likes new things, but "doesn't ask for a deep understanding." He just plays with the finished products and enjoys the convenience and excitement brought by them. However, he doesn't care about the underlying logic and composition principles of all these new things.
He is confident and intoxicated with his art of domination, and everything else is "small lane".
Therefore, regarding everything that Jiang Youren brought as tribute, such as the air pump and telescope brought by Jiang Youren this time, he also had the idea of children getting novel toys and showed full curiosity.
"Is this the so-called... air extractor?"
Hongli put his hands behind his back and walked around the air extractor that Jiang Youren and Li Junxian had debugged together several times, and then touched this machine that he had never seen before.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Jiang Youren said respectfully: "Using this machine, you can extract all the gas that accidentally enters some containers that need to be sealed, so that the inside of the container remains gas-free. It is very beneficial for the storage of some items, including France. Many continental European countries use such machines."
"Not angry?"
Hongli thought about some of the popular science knowledge Jiang Youren had given him before and said with a smile: "You said before that the inventor used this machine to do experiments. After pumping out the air, it can extinguish the flame and suffocate the bird to death. Among them, fish will also die, and even if you put a grape in it, it will not rot for six months. Is it really that magical?"
Seeing the smile on Hong Li's face, Jiang Youren said respectfully: "Yes, Your Majesty, this is the wonder of the air pump."
"I heard that you prepared many experiments for me to see?"
"Yes, there are a total of twenty-one experiments. I will demonstrate them with Li Junxian to the emperor and everyone."
"Okay, then let me take a good look at how you operate."
Hongli glanced at Li Junxian, who was standing aside as uneasy as a quail, smiled softly, turned around and walked back to his throne. Shi Shiran sat down and signaled to Jiang Youren that he could start.
Jiang Youren pushed Li Junxian to get him to come to his senses and operate the air pump with him.
At the same moment, the young stick guard He Shen approached Hongli from the side and front with vigilance, and used his body to slightly block the space between Qianlong and the air pump, so as not to distract Hongli from his sight. Being blocked, he can also ensure that if anything happens, he can protect Hongli with his own body as soon as possible.
Hongli noticed He Shen's little movements, smiled slightly, and had no reaction.
The princes, nobles and concubines in the harem are naturally curious. Even if they are not, they still adhere to the so-called law of "what is good for others". As long as the emperor likes it, it must be what they are after. From ancient times to the present, no matter Such is the case outside.
Regardless of whether they were really curious or not, one or two people stretched their necks to watch Jiang Youren's operation.
Jiang Youren and Li Junxian carefully and skillfully operated the air extractor. While conducting experiments, they explained the working principle of the air extractor to Hongli.
Although he had understood it before, when Hongli saw the flame extinguished in the vacuum environment with his own eyes and saw a bird being suffocated to death in the vacuum environment, he still couldn't help but let out a sound of admiration.
This was not over yet. He was even more surprised when he saw a pig's bladder full of gas rupturing in the bell jar of the air pump, and when he saw the sound of a mechanical clock that was making sounds gradually disappearing.
All these "magical" sights made him very interested in the air extractor, and he couldn't help but stand up and step forward to operate it.
When the emperor wanted to step forward, no one dared to stop him, but unlike the nervous guards, the young He Shen had already followed Hongli's actions, keeping a subtle distance and staring at Jiang closely. Youren and Li Junxian seemed to be preventing them from doing something bad.
Jiang Youren was already used to this, but Li Junxian felt very uncomfortable. He felt as if he was being stared at by a falcon. He couldn't help but glance at He Shen, and then quickly looked away.
It's so sharp, that look is so sharp.
He even suspected that if he made even the slightest uncomfortable movement, the unarmed young man would instantly rush up to him, press him to the ground, and break his neck.
Hongli didn't care about this.
He stepped forward and asked Jiang Youren how to operate this machine. He was very interested in how the air can cause the mercury column in the barometer to rise, and the reasons for the change in air force reflected by the change in the position of the mercury column. Discussions also involve a lot of things like air pressure.
It has to be said that although Hongli had never received a systematic scientific education, he was very smart. He quickly mastered the method of operating the air pump, so he was no longer satisfied with watching Jiang Youren operate it, but wanted to operate it himself. Demonstrate the pressure, elasticity, compression, expansion and other characteristics of air to the courtiers and concubines.
Once the experiment was successful, what awaited him was the sound of admiration from the audience. Hongli enjoyed the sound of admiration with a red face and felt extremely refreshed.
He has enjoyed this feeling of always being greeted with admiration no matter what he does for many years, but he never gets tired of it. The more he enjoys it, the more he cares about it. He is even a little addicted to it, to the point where he can't stop.
He even believed that no matter what he did, all the praise in the world should belong to him and not to others.
The twenty-one experiments on the air extractor ended quickly. Hongli, who was proficient in operating the air extractor, accepted the air extractor and then looked at the second machine - the latest reflective type. telescope.
In order to distinguish it from the traditional Newtonian telescope, this latest telescope made last year is called a reflecting telescope. After some operations under the guidance of Jiang Youren, Hongli quickly understood how to use this telescope. , looked left and right, and came up with some ideas of my own.
He felt that the holes in the bottom of the mirror would reduce reflected light, so he asked Jiang Youren if he could eliminate this disadvantage by adjusting the position of another mirror.
Jiang Youren explained to him that the method of adjusting the position of another mirror is the same as the method of adding a reflector in a Newtonian telescope. However, the Newtonian telescope is inconvenient to move and difficult to align with the object to be observed, so it was replaced by the bottom mirror. Replaced by a perforated reflecting telescope.
Hongli nodded without further discussion.
He is the emperor, and the things worthy of his brain and energy to discuss are always state affairs, not trivial matters such as changing instruments. If he wants to get all of this, he only needs to move his mouth, and the missionaries in the palace will know it. Done for him.
Everything that should be appreciated has been appreciated, and everything that should be used has been used. Hongli felt that today's meeting in the Royal Garden was very successful, and he was very happy, so he rewarded Jiang Youren and Li Junxian with some silver coins.
By the way, I also rewarded young Heshen with some silver coins.
"It's almost time for today. I'm a little tired, so I won't wait for you to have a meal. Please kneel down and pay your respects."
Hongli yawned, waved his hands, and left the imperial garden with great satisfaction, being served by the eunuchs and guards.
The air extractor and the reflecting telescope became Hongli's collections and toys. They were packed away by the eunuchs and disappeared into the imperial garden with Hongli.
After Hongli left, the princes, nobles and harem concubines who were kneeling on the ground got up, chattering and discussing the new things they saw today, and scattered with laughter.
When Jiang Youren, Li Junxian and others, who were kneeling on the ground to see off Hongli, finally raised their heads and straightened up, the bustling Imperial Garden had returned to its original cold appearance.
Li Junxian was a little confused about this and asked Jiang Youren in a low voice.
"Mr. Michel, is this the end?"
Jiang Youren looked deeply at the direction Hongli left, and then looked down at the silver rewards in front of him.
"Yeah, it's over."
"Is there no follow-up?"
"Don't you still have this money?"
Jiang Youren looked at Li Junxian and smiled bitterly: "With these rewards, it means that His Majesty the Emperor is very happy and appreciates you and me. He will also summon you and me in the future."
"As for the missionary matter...don't you go and talk to His Majesty the Emperor?"
"When the emperor wants to talk, he will naturally talk to you. When he doesn't want to talk, no one can shake his will."
Jiang Youren took a breath, got up with some difficulty with Li Junxian's help, dusted himself off, turned around and left the Royal Garden.
After spending twenty-five years together, Jiang Youren became very familiar with the supreme ruler of the Qing Empire.
No one can change his decision.
Including the old mother that the supreme ruler cares about most, the kind old queen mother.
He was always too concerned about the power in his hands and could not tolerate anyone's interference with this power, so that he had repeatedly initiated political actions that were meaningless in Jiang Youren's view, causing some destructive effects. the result of.
Although he didn't say anything to death, Jiang Youren already had some bad premonitions.
This time, they should be powerless to deal with the Jesuits' predicament. Wanting to turn the Qing Empire into the Jesuits' sphere of influence and allowing them to bask in the divine light of God is ultimately just a distant dream.
Sure enough, am I the protagonist of that ridiculous and absurd story?
After leaving the gate of the Royal Garden, a cold wind from early spring blew violently towards Jiang Youren, making him shiver and couldn't help but shiver.
Jiang Youren was disappointed that his mission could not be achieved after all.
Hongli was content with the prosperous Qianlong era he had created with his own hands.
And the two people with such completely different moods did not know that on this sunny day, in the distant waters of the East Indies, a Chinese seaman of the Dutch East India Company was involved in a dispute with the British East Indies. Due to his contribution in the encounter with the company's armed fleet, he was unusually appointed as the acting captain of an armed merchant ship.
