Returning to the Dongsi Pailou Siheyuan, Zhang Yuan wrote a memorial in defense of Western learning overnight. Xu Guangqi's self-defense started from the perspective of personal beliefs, recounted the journey of Thai and Western missionaries in the Ming Dynasty, and compared Catholicism with Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.
, dispelling various rumors, and quoting Li Si's "Book of Remonstrance and Expulsion", believing that foreigners can definitely serve the Ming Dynasty, and that Catholic doctrine can benefit the king, influence Confucianism, and save Buddhism——
Zhang Yuan's defense is purely an academic debate, from Aristotle and Plato to Lao Zhuang, Confucius and Mencius; from "Yu Gong", "Shan Hai Jing", "Shui Jing Zhu" to "Geographical Guide" and the Map of All Nations
; From "Zhou Bi Suan Jing", "Measurement of Circles" to "Elements of Geometry", "Measurement of Circles", from weapons and bows to Western firearms...it enumerates the aspects of the Western world that are worth learning from the Ming Dynasty. It is eloquent and has more than 6,000 words.
At the end of the memorial, Zhang Yuan proposed to select five officials from those who opposed Catholicism and Western learning to have a public debate with him and Xu Guangqi and others on the theory of heaven loving others in everything, the theory of studying things and the principles of governing the country, and the theory of governing the world.
The art of public debate is decided by the Confucian ministers. If his side of the debate fails, the Jesuits can immediately expel him, and he, Zhang Yuan, is willing to accept the crime of promoting heresy and deceiving the emperor——
Zhang Yuan's memorial cited classics and classics, and it was written in a hearty and passionate way. He was well aware of the power of conservative forces among the gentry in the late Ming Dynasty. The Nanjing Mission Case incident seemed to be against the Jesuits' missionary work in the Ming Dynasty. The underlying reasons were
It is the conflict between Eastern and Western civilizations, and it is the conservative forces led by Shen Que who reject foreign cultures. It is now the forty-fourth year of Wanli. Columbus has been dead for more than a hundred years, and the Western Age of Discovery has begun. The Ming Dynasty is still clinging to its own arrogance and arrogance.
, If you don’t know how to use doctrine, you will eventually fall behind and be beaten. Therefore, he will take advantage of the waves caused by the Nanjing Mission Case to resolutely fight back against Shen Que and others, so that the Ming gentry can have a better understanding of Western learning, so that their horizons can be broadened. Don’t
We always keep an eye on the clique disputes. If we can channel the clique disputes into academic debates, wouldn’t that be a great good?
The more Zhang Yuan thought about it, the more excited he became. He was not afraid of debating with others. What he needed was this stage for debate. He wanted to stir up a pool of stagnant water. He could not let those stupid gentry enjoy the tranquility before the empire's fall. He should be at the forefront of the trend.
At the forefront. Natural disasters occur frequently, and drums have started in Liaoning. Who can bear to drink tea and read the newspaper all day long?
Zhang Yuan's heart was up and down. He got up and paced around the room. Only then did he see Mu Zhenzhen sitting on the side of the bed, dozing off with his arm resting on his forehead. A book of "Historical Records" was placed in front of him, with the pages of "Biographies of Joseon" open.
On that page, Mu Zhenzhen used to stay with him until early in the morning without getting tired. But now that she is pregnant, it is completely different. A woman as upright, diligent, and energetic as Zhenzhen is also a little lazy——
Zhang Yuan approached and gently scratched the tip of Mu Zhenzhen's nose with his hand. Mu Zhenzhen immediately opened his blue eyes and softly said "ah". He stood up and said, "Master, have you finished writing? I'll go, maid."
Bring water for the young master to wash up."
Zhang Yuan said: "I really want to go to bed first. I'll go to the well in the backyard to get water to wash my face."
Mu Zhenzhen refused, and packed up his pen and inkstone to accompany Zhang Yuan. The two of them followed each other to the backyard. The moonlight was everywhere, clear and bright. It was already past the third watch, and the full moon had already turned to the west. Zhang Yuan
Bring a bucket of water up from the well, the moonlight is dancing in the water, put your hand into the water, it is cold, and wash your face with a handful of moonlight, it seems to wash away the dregs in the soul——
"It's already Zishi, and now it can be regarded as the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th." Zhang Yuan squatted by the well and brushed his teeth with a bamboo slipper while talking vaguely.
Mu Zhenzhen had already brushed her teeth before, and now she rinsed her mouth with water and said, "Young lady, they are going to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival on a boat this year. I wonder where they are now. Have they arrived in Nanjing?"
Zhang Yuandao: "They set off in early August. Where can they get to Nanjing now? They may not go to Nanjing. They should cross the river directly from Zhenjiang via the canal. According to my estimation, they will probably reach Jiaxing or Suzhou by now."
Mu Zhenzhen said: "What about Weigu, won't she come?"
Zhang Yuandao: "It's hard to say. I wonder if Li Kou'er's affairs are going well?"
Mu Zhenzhen thought of those Westerners with red hair and green eyes that she had seen in the Catholic Church before. They looked strange. Her eyes were just a little blue and her hair was a little yellow. It was not like those Western priests, who looked like they were dyed. , asked: "Does the young master also want to worship Jesus God like Mr. Xu?"
Zhang Yuandao: "I don't worship, but if others want to worship, I don't object. Nanjing Shilang Shen is a Buddhist, and his teacher is the monk Lianchi of Qiyun Temple in Hangzhou. Shilang Shen doesn't believe in God, so he has to force others not to believe. It is very tyrannical to drive all these Westerners back to China. These Westerners did not just preach in the Ming Dynasty, they brought a lot of useful knowledge. I want to help these Westerners, and helping them is also helping ourselves."
Mu Zhenzhen didn't quite understand what Zhang Yuan meant. Anyway, she was foolish and loyal, and the young master was always right.
…
On August 15, Zhang Yuan still got up at noon, washed up, and after dinner took his brother-in-law Shang Zhouzuo's carriage to the Hanlin Academy. Shang Zhouzuo knew that Zhang Yuan had something to say to him, because Zhang Yuan usually liked to walk. , Following Zhang Yuan's instructions, Mu Zhenzhen did not follow today, only Wang Dachui and Wu Ling followed.
The carriage was driving, and Shang Zhouzuo was reading the memorial written by Zhang Yuan in the car. It was more than 6,000 words. He didn't finish it until he reached East Chang'an Street. Shang Zhouzuo said: "Meson, why do you have to risk your future with those Thai and Westerners?" It is not appropriate to be tied together and suffer the sin of preaching heresy and deceiving the emperor."
Zhang Yuandao: "Last time Liu Tingyuan and Zhao Xingbang impeached me, Tingce Binghe said, but the case was left unchecked because of the siege case. But this time Shen Que and others want to expel the missionaries from the West. Once they succeed, the next step will definitely be to liquidate me." Binghe said, I can't just wait for them to attack. The confession I am talking about is a confession after failing to argue, and I firmly believe that I will not fail to argue."
Shang Zhouzuo nodded. He had no doubts about his brother-in-law Zhang Yuan's talent and eloquence, but said: "This requires Mr. Fang Ge and others to allow the debate. If not, there is nothing you can do."
Zhang Yuandao: "I will find a way to promote this debate. Brother, you must support me." Zhou Zuo of Shang Dynasty was the censor of Zuo Qiandu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. There are many officials in the Duochuan Yuan now, and the censor of Zuo Qiandu has jurisdiction. Very big.
Shang Zhouzuo pondered for a moment and said: "I will fight for a fair debate opportunity for you. I can't help you with anything else." Shang Zhouzuo has always been known for his uprightness and his lack of personal favoritism.
Zhang Yuandao: "I just want to be treated fairly, because Mr. Fang Ge has some opinions on me."
When they arrived in front of the Hanlin Academy, Zhang Yuan got off the car. Shang Zhouzuo went to the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Wang Dachui and Wu Ling went to Lige Old Hutong to find Laifu. Laifu was supervising the craftsmen renovating the courtyard there. Shang Danran was coming to Beijing next month. .
It was only after Zhang Yuan entered the Hanlin Academy that he remembered that the sages had a day off today. The official leave system of the Ming Dynasty stipulated that only New Year's Day, Lantern Festival, and Winter Solstice had holidays. Normally, they had one day off every ten days, but the shujis had one day off every five days, and their treatment was better than that of other Beijing officials. Fortunately, Zhang Yuan carefully read the memorials of Shen Que and others in yesterday's newspaper, and then went to see the scholar Guo Wei. He presented his memorial to Guo Wei for reading and asked for Guo Wei's support.
After reading the memorial, Guo Qi advised: "Zhang Xiuzhuan. The emperor's grandson praised you for your good lectures. You should concentrate on being a daily lecturer, teach the emperor's grandson with all your heart, and don't get involved too much in various debates."
Zhang Yuandao: "Xiaoguan, Guo Xiaoshi, you can't argue with me. The glacier theory proposed by Xiaguan benefited from the research results of Western scholars and expelled the Western missionaries. The next step is to deal with Xiaguan. Guo Xiaoshi presides over the Hanlin Academy. Should It’s better to bring justice to the lower officials.”
Guo Hui said: "That's all, I won't advise you anymore. If the cabinet and the Ministry of Rites allow you to debate with others, I won't object."
This is Guo Hui's virtue. He does not express his position and does nothing, which is similar to the way Emperor Wanli treats government affairs. In fact, it is a sign of incompetence. Zhang Yuan did not expect Guo Xueshi to fully support him. He just informed him. After all, Guo Hui He is the official of the Hanlin Academy, which is the respect he deserves.
While having lunch at the Hanlin Academy, Han Benyong, the eunuch of the East Palace, brought several chamberlains to give gifts to Guo Hui and Zhang Yuan, the two East Palace eunuchs, including silver coins, pens and ink, palace cakes, fruits, etc. Guo Hui was the emperor When the prince is an official, the etiquette is more generous than that of Zhang Yuan.
Zhou Yanru had "recovered" from his illness the day before and returned to the Hanlin Academy to sit in the hall. At this time, when he saw the East Palace giving Zhang Yuan a gift, you can imagine the shame and anger in his heart. Although he resigned from the East Palace lecturer on the pretext of illness and wanted to save face, he returned to the Hanlin Academy After the hospital, he felt that his colleagues looked at him differently, and some of them spoke with sarcasm and sarcasm. Of course Zhou Yanru thought that Zhang Yuan had told all the things that had caused him great loss of face, and he hated Zhang Yuan to the core——
In fact, Zhang Yuan didn't say anything. It was Zhou Yanru who was suspicious. However, Zhang Yuan no longer cares about Zhou Yanru's attitude towards him. Zhou Yanru is no longer his competitor. In the foreseeable future, Zhou Yanru will take over the Hanlin Academy. Bench to sit through.
After lunch, Guo Hui announced that he would dismiss the office early today. This was the custom in previous years. On festivals without holidays, the officials would stay in the office for half a day and be free to move around. This was still very humane.
Zhang Yuan invited Wen Zhenmeng and Qian Shisheng to meet Zhang Dai, Qi Biaojia and others at the Huitong Hall first. He hired a carriage to take the gifts from the East Palace to Lige Old Alley, and then asked Laifu to ride The car brought the festival gifts back to the Dongsi Archway. He was not going back to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival today. He had made an appointment the day before yesterday to gather with friends from the Han Society in Beijing to enjoy the moon.
After locking the door of the courtyard, Zhang Yuan took Wu Ling and Wang Dachui to the Huitong Hall and saw Wen Zhenmeng, Qian Shisheng, Zhang Dai, Qi Biaojia, Ni Yuanlu, Ruan Dacheng, and Hong Chengchou were already here. Qian Shisheng was not Han at all. Although he was a member of the Hanlin Society, he had been in contact with Zhang Yuan, Wen Zhen and Meng Tong for a long time in the Hanlin Academy. He admired the intellectual character of Zhang and Wen and asked to join the Hanlin Society. In this way, all three people in the first class of Bingchenke He is a member of the Han Society.
Zhang Dai said: "Jiezi, let's drink and enjoy the moon by the paozi tonight, and sing happily. I'm also relaxed there."
Zhang Yuandao: "Zhong Benhua, the former weaving eunuch of Hangzhou, invited us to go to Shichahai to enjoy the moon. Eunuch Zhong is now serving the emperor's grandson in the East Palace. Last time Zhang Cha broke into the palace, it was Eunuch Zhong who rescued the emperor's grandson from Zhang Cha's stick. Eunuch Zhong himself My arm was broken and it took me several months to recover."
Wen Zhenmeng had always despised eunuchs, and was quite unhappy when he heard Zhang Yuan say that he was going to have an appointment with a eunuch. After hearing what Zhang Yuan said next, he praised: "There are also loyal and righteous eunuchs among eunuchs, which is rare."
Zhang Dai said: "This Eunuch Zhong has done many good deeds in Hangzhou. Taishi Jiao once wrote an inscription for the Zhong Family Nursing Home in Baoshishan."
So, Hanshe's group, together with their entourage and more than 20 family members, headed for Shichahai along the Imperial City. When they arrived at Eunuch Zhong's outer house, it was already early afternoon. Eunuch Zhong's godson got up and hid to greet him. Zhang Yuandao: "Mr. Zhang, my godfather is not here because something happened to the guest last night."
Zhang Yuan was shocked. Something happened to Ke Yinyue. What happened?
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My back hurts. I haven’t coded a big chapter. I need to rest early. I’m sorry, Xiaodao has overcome the plot dilemma, and the rest will be exciting. (To be continued)
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