The Ming Dynasty’s Prodigal Son - Chapter 1799

[1799. Chapter 1711 Two Dragons Playing with Pearls]

Fang Jifan had always known Zhu Houzhao’s temper and comforted him, and then Zhu Houzhao’s anger subsided.

At this time, Liu Jin came in a hurry and said: “Your Majesty, the Ottoman envoy Abrahim, whose Chinese name is Zhao Sande, has come to see you.”

Zhu Houzhao glanced at Fang Jifan, and at the same time pulled up his face: “Call in.”

After a while, that Zhao Sande came.

Zhao Sande is a Serbian. He entered the Ottoman court at a young age and has always been Suleiman’s bodyguard. When Suleiman ascended the throne, he promoted Sinology. Zhao Sande was a treasure for Confucianism. His attainments in Sinology were extremely profound. Naturally, he was deeply trusted by Suleiman. This time he was sent as an envoy not only to make good friends with the Ming Dynasty, but also to inquire about the Ming Dynasty.

There are many people like Zhao Sande in Ottoman.

Their common characteristic is that most of them belong to Serbia, Algeria, Greece, and Bulgaria. Their original religion was suppressed by the Ottomans, but at the same time, because of the Ottoman balance of power, they often had the opportunity to enter the Ottoman court. , gain trust.

Such a group of people are in a subordinate position to the conquered in terms of culture and religion. They are often painful and anxious. The emergence of Confucianism has made these conquered people realize that Confucianism has an embarrassing impact on their origins. , has great benefits. The idea of great unification dilutes their identity as a foreign race, and the study of benevolence allows them to master Confucianism, thereby creating a sense of superiority over the past conquerors in the name of official orthodoxy, and establishing a The orthodox bureaucracy selects officials through imperial examinations, which allows them to receive fair treatment.

Coupled with the strong support of Emperor Suleiman and the fact that Confucianism has a set of concepts that are acceptable to people after being tempered for thousands of times, it is natural that people like Zhao Sande can be said to be a treasure. They are obsessed with Confucianism and talk to Confucian scholars every day. We talked about the past and the present, learned Chinese characters, and practiced calligraphy.

The reason why people are different is to distinguish themselves from others.

In the past, Zhao Sande was the one who was distinguished, because… he himself was the conquered. The conquerors brought their native religion and civilization with them, and despised and insulted them.

But now… after learning Chinese characters and reading the Four Books and Five Classics, people like Zhao Sande have become spiritually superior, and they have begun to despise those who do not know how to educate.

Zhao Sande came to the capital of the Ming Dynasty and was amazed by the civilization here. He met more great Confucianists, visited everywhere for advice, and at the same time visited ancient Confucian books and ordered people to bring them back to the Ottomans.

He even reported to Suleiman, believing that the name Osman was not enough to show that Osman admired Confucianism. In the Central Plains, the Confucian scholars here respected the Song Dynasty the most. Osman should continue the legal system of the Song Dynasty and take the name of the country as Song. Only in this way can we compete with the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, this memorial… was obviously too radical, and then… disappeared into the sea.

However, Zhao Sande was not discouraged. He also searched for the laws and regulations of all dynasties in the Central Plains and reported them to Suleiman, believing that Confucian etiquette should be fully imitated.

Suleiman seemed to be interested. This ambitious monarch also seemed to be interested in the cabinet system and finally responded.

Zhao Sande was greatly encouraged, and he became more active in studying Sinology.

When he entered the Fengtian Hall, he was wearing a Confucian robe. Although his hair was curly, he still combed his curly hair. After combing his golden hair, he pulled it into a bun and wore a square scarf on it.

When he saw Zhu Houzhao, he bowed down and said, “Your Majesty, Zhao Sande, has met the Ming Emperor. Long live my emperor.”

Zhu Houzhao looked at him with a sullen face and said calmly: “How long has it been since you came to the capital?”

“It’s been three times a year. “

“

Zhu Houzhao said again: “What do the Qing family think of my Ming Dynasty?”

“The country of etiquette is amazing!” Zhao Sande’s Chinese has a Shandong flavor, and he doesn’t know who he learned it from. Fang Jifan listened to this accent, I wish I could straighten out his tongue.

Zhu Houzhao’s expression finally became much gentler.

But then I heard Zhao Sande say: “The new emperor has ascended the throne. As a foreign minister, we should celebrate. I, Osman, have good relations with the Ming Dynasty and are brothers. When my emperor heard that your majesty succeeded to the throne, he was also overjoyed and sent a congratulatory letter.” .”

Zhu Houzhao raised his eyebrows when he heard about the kingdom of brothers.

But…he did let Osman take advantage once!

Suleiman and Zhu Houzhao were called brothers before. At that time, everyone was still a prince, and now they are emperors. Suleiman has always been called a brother, but…this Ottoman occupies the west of the Western Region, covering an area of thousands of miles. , occupying the west, are powerful, with millions of people in armor, the Ming Dynasty can’t help them, and the needs of the silk trade can’t change their faces for a while, Zhu Houzhao simply pinches his nose and admits it.

“Is he okay?”

“My emperor has been good at riding and shooting since he was a child. He has learned how to strengthen his body. He also pays attention to the art of maintaining his health. He is naturally in good health.”

Zhu Houzhao said: “You have been in Daming for more than a year. What do you think of me, Daming?”

“Everything is fine, the only flaw is…” Zhao Sande stopped here.

Zhu Houzhao knew that he had something to say, so he asked: “What’s the fly in the ointment?”

“When I came here, I found more and more that the Ming Dynasty had begun to lose its own traditions. People no longer valued etiquette very much. Your Majesty ascended the throne and had great ambitions, but The state affairs carried out are either training troops or building railways, but there is not a word about etiquette and education. Although the minister is a foreign envoy, it is true that His Majesty has the intention to rule the world, but he is also worried about it. Perhaps His Majesty’s move, It’s not a blessing to the country.”

Zhu Houzhao was a little annoyed when he heard this: “Why, isn’t it good to train soldiers?”

Zhao Sande, however, replied with dignity and plausibility: “I have some experience in observing history, and the way to build a country has always been great. Respect etiquette and righteousness rather than power and strategy; the fundamental purpose is not in skills but in people’s hearts. I also heard that a great country should use etiquette and righteousness as its oar, loyalty and trust as its armor, filial piety as its foundation, and its virtues that spread far and wide throughout the world. , the four sides will serve as guests, and the world will return to its heart. I have never heard that by training soldiers and skills, you can build a foundation for eternity. Even if you are strong for a while, you will never be able to defend it. This is some humble opinion of your Majesty. Please check it out. Of!”

Zhu Houzhao: “…”

Fang Jifan stood aside and was also shocked.

He looked at the blond Serbian, and when he said these words in a tone familiar to Fang Jifan, his jaw almost dropped.

Zhu Houzhao said angrily: “This is my country’s affairs, and no foreign ministers can speak nonsense.”

Zhao Sande seemed to feel that he had gone too far, and hurriedly said: “I will die.”

Zhu Houzhao waved his sleeves: “Okay, I have finished today. After receiving Osman’s congratulations, you retired. “

Zhao Sande solemnly bowed and kowtowed three times before leaving.

Zhu Houzhao paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, an angry look on his face, and finally couldn’t help but said angrily: “An Ottoman dares to make such nonsense. He is simply audacious. So Suleiman, are you looking down on me?”

Zhu Houzhao didn’t get a response for a long time, so he quickly raised his head and looked at Fang Jifan, who saw Fang Jifan frowning slightly, thoughtfully.

“Old Fang, Old Fang… you are talking, why don’t you say a word?”

Fang Jifan finally came back to his senses and said: “Your Majesty, I am shocked.”

Zhu Houzhao: “…”

Fang Jifan looked at Zhu Houzhao and was very angry. With

a look of anger, he said: “Your Majesty, we are doing our own thing, why should we listen to what others say.”

Zhu Houzhao was so angry that he finally felt that there was no point in being so angry, so he turned around and said: “The railway has not started yet, haven’t you been there all the time?” “Looking at it?”

“Construction is about to start. There are a lot of difficulties, but fortunately Chang Wei and his people have solved many problems…”

Fang Jifan was halfway talking, but Zhu Houzhao sighed: “The cost is so huge, I The only thing I’m worried about… is that there’s something wrong with the railway. The envoys from the capital have to keep a close eye on the railway…”

“Your Majesty… No need.” Fang Jifan smiled bitterly.

Zhu Houzhao looked at Fang Jifan strangely: “Why is this?”

Shouning Hou and Jianchang Bo were particularly concerned about the construction of the railway. They had compared the project costs several times these days and found many problems. , and… two purchases in collusion with the workshop were also found… The railway is about to start construction, and the most difficult part of the construction is the section outside the pass. I heard… Shouning Hou and Jianchang Bo have packed their bags and are preparing to leave the capital. Go outside the pass…”

“What are they going to do outside the pass?” Zhu Houzhao looked surprised.

“Supervisor!”

Zhu Houzhao: “…”

Fang Jifan said: “This is what I was originally worried about. After all, the Beijing inspector knows nothing about railways. If I ask them to inspect the construction of railways, I am afraid that this layman will point too much. , affecting the construction, but the two uncles are different. I was worried that they would look for trouble, but it turned out that they knew everything. Even… they could tell the ugly Yin Mao in front of the design drawings, which I never expected. I admire them for having such talent!”

“Really?” Zhu Houzhao looked suspicious and didn’t believe it.

………

Zhao Sande left the Daming Palace.

As usual, he returned to the Ottoman embassy.

In the past, all the envoys were at Honglu Temple.

However, as more and more envoys from various countries were sent to Beijing, and envoys began to stay permanently, the imperial court issued an order to order each country to purchase land and build diplomatic missions.

This Ottoman embassy is the largest in scale. After all, Ottoman is a big country.

When Zhao Sande arrived at his residence, he immediately closed the doors and windows and began to repair books.

As an envoy, in addition to making good friends, he also has the task of spying.

He took up his pen and compiled a memorial for Suleiman.

This memorial is mostly based on his interview with the Ming Emperor. In the end, he put forward his own suggestions: I think the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty is fond of great achievements, arrogant and unreasonable, and lacks etiquette…far inferior to Emperor Hongzhi and His Majesty…Guo Zuo of the Ming Dynasty, The danger is so high that your Majesty should make preparations early and wait for changes…

(End of this chapter)