On the sixth day of winter in the tenth year of Wanli, the sky in the capital was clear and clear.
Fan Li'an, Luo Mingjian and other Roman envoys all put on neatly pressed clothes and arrived in front of Xuanwu Gate early in the morning to attend the inauguration ceremony of the first church in the Ming Dynasty.
Perhaps due to strange inertia, this first church in China is located in the original place in history - a cleared open space next to Xuanwumen.
The Catholic Church has three entrances to the courtyard. The main entrance is a Chinese-style building occupying the first entrance of the church. The following east-span courtyard is the main building of the church, and the west-span courtyard is the living room.
The main building of the church is a brick structure, facing the south. The front facade is in a typical Baroque style. Three magnificent brick-carved arches are juxtaposed, making the entire facade luxurious and solemn. The entire building is polished with bricks and exquisite seams. Brick carvings can be seen everywhere. The interior space of the church building uses a dome design, with colorful rose windows on both sides, and the overall atmosphere is solemn and solemn.
Fan Li'an and others looked at the beautiful new building, and their eyes were red with excitement. Luo Mingjian raised his hands and said to Shen Shixing, who attended the ceremony: "The servants of God are extremely grateful to His Majesty the Emperor for his kindness and love. The completion of this Catholic Church will definitely bring God's favor to this great country."
The Prince Consort Xu Guangqi, who was standing aside, laughed when he heard this and said, "Father Luo, you should also thank Her Majesty the Queen Mother Rensheng. If she didn't provide money to reward the craftsmen, you would never be able to build this church within half a year."
Luo Mingjian made a cross on his chest and said: "Of course, of course. Her Majesty the Queen Mother's generosity and kindness are as great as the Virgin Mary. She likes the teachings of God very much. I think she is already a Christian."
Xu Guangqi nodded and said with a narrow smile: "Father Luo, do you want to know Queen Mother Rensheng's evaluation of Christianity?" Luo Mingjian said: "Of course, it's my honor."
Xu Guangqi cupped his hands to the north and said: "The Queen Mother Rensheng said, 'This Christian scripture has few words, is easy to understand, has interesting stories, and is not troublesome to worship.'" Luo Mingjian was stunned when he heard this.
Xu Guangqi added: "The Queen Mother also said, 'It's great to believe in this leader because you don't have much homework to do and don't delay playing mahjong! I'll just believe him!'" Luo Mingjian laughed bitterly when he heard this. flushed.
Matteo Ricci interjected from the side: "Your Excellency, you can often see Her Majesty the Queen Mother Rensheng, and you can often talk to her about the principles and principles of our Christianity."
Xu Guangqi smiled and patted Matteo Ricci on the shoulder, and said happily: "Okay! Father Li can speak idioms, and his words are small and mean, haha!"
Fan Li'an saw Xu Guangqi making fun of Luo Mingjian and Matteo Ricci, and interjected: "Luo Mingjian, Matteo Ricci, I have communicated with many nobles these days. Now the Chinese people believe in everything - God, Buddha, and the God of Wealth all have to give The Chinese solve problems, otherwise they will easily change their beliefs. Of course, there are also those who believe deeply, which requires us to explain our teachings patiently and carefully."
...
While they were chatting, the auspicious time calculated by the Yin and Yang Division of Qin Tian Jian had arrived. Shen Shixing, the Minister of Rites, waved his hand and together with Fan Li'an unveiled the plaque on the door of the Catholic Church amidst the sound of firecrackers.
The nobles and celebrities who were watching applauded, and the citizens of the capital who were watching the excitement in front of Xuanwu Gate also cast curious glances at the newly completed Catholic Church. Matteo Ricci said in his heart: "My God, this ceremony is exactly the same as when Chinese people open a restaurant."
Luo Mingjian also exhaled a long breath and said: "I heard that this time is calculated by the yin and yang of Qin Tianjian." After saying this, the two looked at each other and smiled helplessly.
After the festive red silk was peeled off, an ebony plaque on the Chinese-style door was revealed, with the six words "Xuanwumen Catholic Church" - Yubi. Perhaps because he disliked the rustic name, the emperor also gave a plaque reading "Tongwei Jiajing" above the main building, the cathedral.
The missionaries struggled for some days for the second plaque given by the emperor. Granting a plaque by the emperor is of course a supreme honor, and it also highlights the lofty status of the Xuanwumen Catholic Church. However, adding a square Chinese-style plaque to the Baroque-style stone arch made the missionaries feel awkward.
Of course, they didn't have the guts to change the plaque given by the emperor. At that time, they had no choice but to hold their noses and recognize it. But then Shuntian Prefecture informed them that a lightning rod must be installed on the top of the church - this administrative order definitely broke through the bottom line of missionaries.
That place is reserved for the cross! Matteo Ricci argued with Xu Guangqi over this issue. Xu Guangqi laughed after hearing this and said: "That's just right. Just make the cross an iron one - it's just that the top is a bit sharp, but you can't tell it without looking carefully."
Matteo Ricci was so angry that his face turned red. Xu Guangqi said solemnly: "Lightning rods were installed on all the palaces last year - after ten years of Wanli, all houses over three feet tall will be installed on them. You have also seen the lightning rods on the palace. They are all made of copper. , this alone uses more than one hundred and two thousand kilograms of copper."
Xu Guangqi didn't care whether the lightning rod on the palace was copper or iron. He shouted: "But there is a sharp point on it -"
No matter how much he protested, the lightning rod had to be installed. Therefore, the long copper pole behind the cross on the Xuanwumen Catholic Church is higher than the cross, and the missionaries can only accept that the cross is not at the highest position of the Catholic Church. Rather than changing the upper part of the cross into a needle-point shape, Fan Li'an would rather leave the lightning rod alone - Xu Guangqi's idea was completely bad.
Because Queen Mother Rensheng gave generous support in the construction of the church, Luo Mingjian and others thought that it would take more than three years to complete the church, which was completed in half a year. During this period, the tools and materials used by Chinese craftsmen dazzled everyone in the delegation. Although the iron-wood scaffolding and various unheard-of construction tools were very strange, they were still within the scope of everyone's understanding. And the use of concrete almost made the missionaries' jaws drop.
...
The rituals are the same all over the world, whether it is opening a restaurant or a church. Matteo Ricci saw Shen Shixing standing there giving a speech, which seemed to be endless. Xu Guangqi was asked in a low voice whether the emperor would agree to give the concrete formula and technology to the Holy See.
Xu Guangqi shook his head after hearing this and whispered: "That's impossible! Your mission must never take out Chinese porcelain, silk, cement and other smelting materials and information. No matter who it is, it will be beheading. sin!"
Seeing that Matteo Ricci was a little downcast, Xu Guangqi comforted him and said: "Your Majesty has prepared a gift for the Pope - don't worry, this gift will allow you to easily defeat the Protestants."
Matteo Ricci's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he pestered Xu Guangqi to reveal some inside information. Xu Guangqi had nothing to hide from him, so he smiled and said: "It's a way to prevent and cure smallpox. Academician Li Shizhen invented the safe vaccination technique in the seventh year of Wanli. Now the whole world has begun to vaccinate, and very few children have died from it. There may not be one in a person.”
After hearing this, Matteo Ricci said with tears in his eyes: "My God, this is an act of mercy that truly benefits God's people. When I left Naples, people used Arab doctors to vaccinate against smallpox - "This is a complete gamble, because one or two children out of every twenty will die."
"If Your Majesty is willing to give this method away, countless lives will be saved. Almighty Lord, our ability to come to Seris and meet His merciful Emperor is entirely due to the guidance of the Lord. I praise you..."
Watching him keep crossing himself and thanking God devoutly. Xu Guangqi smiled and asked in a low voice: "Matteo Ricci, here's the question. If the Pope in Rome gets this technology, but doesn't inoculate it to Protestant countries and believers - you know this is very possible. Matteo Ricci, what will you do? What choice?"
Xu Guangqi originally thought that Matteo Ricci would be stumped by this heart-wrenching question. Unexpectedly, Matteo Ricci immediately answered him: "His Majesty the Pope will not make such a choice. If he really does, I will protect my safety." Vaccination was taught to the Protestants himself—in the name of God.”
Xu Guangqi saw that there was no sign of any violation on his face, and he felt ashamed in his heart. He felt that he had become a little distracted after becoming an earl, and had neglected his moral cultivation. He patted Ricci on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs up.
Seeing this, Matteo Ricci was about to speak when he suddenly heard the sound of high-fives. He quickly looked solemn and clapped along with everyone else. Xu Guangqi clapped his hands and said, "This is a very good way of clapping. It's more gentle than calling someone good!"
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