Chapter 1642, the liberation of thought and personality
In a private room on the top floor of Songhu Restaurant.
Wen Zhengming, Cai Yu, Tang Zhen, Chen Chun, Zhu Yunming and more than a dozen scholars gathered together to entertain Leonardo da Vinci from Europe.
Although Leonardo da Vinci was a European, the Ming Dynasty people always looked down on Europeans and called Europeans European barbarians. However, Da Vinci quickly gained the recognition of these Ming Dynasty people in front of him with his talents in painting, literature, philosophy, etc.
After a conversation, they were very happy, and even Wen Wenqi and Da Vinci had a feeling of sympathy. Both of them were good at painting. When they talked about the art of Eastern and Western painting, they became red-faced.
On the other hand, they ask each other for advice on painting techniques, key points, etc.
“Your Ming Dynasty’s delicacies are indeed well-deserved!”
Da Vinci touched his round belly. Even though he was older, he always ate less, but this time he was really full.
This Songhu Restaurant is the most famous restaurant in Songhu, and it goes without saying that the food is excellent.
"Sir, what's the food situation like in Europe?"
Cai Yu looked at Da Vinci, smiled and asked.
They are actually quite curious about the situation in Europe. Although newspapers have reported a lot of relevant information, it is not as interesting as the Europeans themselves.
"We in Europe are far inferior to you in the Ming Dynasty in terms of food. You Ming people have a variety of cooking methods and a wide variety of ingredients."
"But here in Europe, our cooking methods are relatively simple, mainly boiling, frying, roasting, and stir-frying. In addition, in terms of food types, here in Europe we mainly focus on bread, vegetables, fruits, etc.
Not as good as Ming Dynasty."
Da Vinci thought for a while and said.
The wealth of the Ming Dynasty people can be seen just from their diet.
The large table of dishes in front of them was full of color, flavor and ingredients, and the ingredients came from all over the world. Even considering that they were from Europe, they even had some dishes from the Mediterranean.
The wines on Table Mountain are also diverse. There are not only wines produced in Daming, but also red wines from France and Italy in Europe, which gave Leonardo da Vinci a taste of his hometown.
Such a table of dishes is enough to show the wealth of the Ming Dynasty. Although this meal is obviously not cheap, the nobles and royal families in Europe may not be able to consume these things even if they are rich.
Without extremely convenient commerce and rapid circulation of goods, there are some things that even if you have money you can't eat them.
The fruits on the table include apples and cherries from the Western Regions, oranges from Jiangnan, watermelons from Ryukyu, and tropical fruits from Southeast Asia. They are all fresh, which shows how convenient road transportation was in the Ming Dynasty.
The benefits of overhauling railways and highways, and developing ocean transportation and trade are reflected. Commodities and goods from all over the world can circulate freely.
"bread?"
"We have so many types of pasta here in Daming. There are so many types of noodles alone. In addition, there are also steamed buns, steamed buns, dumplings and other pasta."
When Tang Zhen heard this, she smiled and said.
"Yes, Daming's food is the best in the world. I had heard about it when I was in Italy. It was only after I came to Daming that I finally understood."
Da Vinci nodded solemnly, there was obviously no need for debate on this point.
“Do you have any famous food in Italy?”
Chen Chun thought for a while and asked.
"As for gourmet food, our Italian cheese and red wine are very famous throughout Europe."
Da Vinci thought for a while and said.
"I have tasted European cheese, and it tastes really good. It is very useful for children to eat."
Wen Zhengming also said quickly when he heard this.
The trade between the East and the West is becoming more and more frequent, and a large amount of European goods are not only flowing to the Ming Dynasty, but also cheese from Italy, red wine from France, ham from Spain, etc.
For Ming Dynasty scholars such as Wen Zhengming, Cai Yu, and Tang Zhen, their families were well off and they had no worries about food and clothing. Naturally, they were the first ones to taste delicious food and wine from all over the world.
"Now in Nanyun Province, Hazhong, Xiyu and other places, there are also some manors making this cheese, and the taste is also very good."
Zhu Yunming also added.
“Cheese is the most authentic and best cheese in Italy!”
Speaking of cheese, Leonardo da Vinci started talking non-stop about the history, varieties, manufacturing methods, etc. of Italian cheese. He couldn't wait for the opportunity to show off Italy's specialties in front of these Ming people.
He is very knowledgeable, and he once studied cheese as a delicacy for a short time, so he can speak clearly and logically.
"You must try our Italian cheese if you have the chance. The taste is as intoxicating as a girl's."
"Mr. Leonardo da Vinci, do people in Europe pay less attention to matters between men and women?"
Hearing the old man Da Vinci talk about girls, Wen Zhengming thought about it and asked.
"This may start from our European history~"
"It's different from your Ming Dynasty. Although we in Europe have many countries and have their own languages, writings, etc., we all believe in God."
"In the past, the church had very huge influence and power, and the coronation of kings in various countries also required the consent of the church."
"In order to consolidate its rule, the church constantly strengthens the control of religious ideas, promotes divinity and abandons human nature, and requires everyone to endure the difficulties in this life and gain the qualifications to enter heaven after death."
"At that time, people in various European countries had to hand over one-tenth of their income to the church every year. In addition, they also needed to purchase a large number of so-called indulgences to atone for their sins and purify themselves."
"Under such a dark rule, Europe went through a long dark period in the Middle Ages."
When talking about this matter, Leonardo da Vinci's face turned red and his heart stopped beating, and he began to talk about the history of Europe and the church in detail.
"Isn't this ridiculous?"
When Tang Zhen heard this, she couldn't help but shook her head.
"Give one-tenth to those monks and buy indulgences?"
Zhu Yunming, Chen Chun, Wen Zhengming and others were also dumbfounded. What kind of operation is this? Compared with European churches, the monks of the Ming Dynasty seemed to be really Buddhist. The money for sesame oil and so on was voluntary. As for the Taoist priests
, they are even more like hermits and masters, who do not want to live in the world.
"Yeah, it's very ridiculous and unbelievable."
"You Ming people value the people over the king, man is the winner over nature, value the value of man, and put people first. This is such a commendable spirit."
"In order to oppose the dark rule of the church and break their ideological control and restraint, our knowledgeable people in Europe have constantly advocated humanistic ideas that oppose divinity and have a taste of humanity."
"In terms of matters between men and women, you Ming people have said it very well. Food, sex, appetite, desire, and the sex of men and women are all human nature, and there is nothing to be ashamed of.
"
"As the saying goes, human relations and the way of heaven, reproduction, inheritance of blood and incense, all of these are innate and natural."
"But it's different in Europe. The church classifies all of this as a shameful thing and requires everyone to restrain their nature, endure suffering in silence, and endure the oppression of the church."
"But those people in the church are secretly male thieves and female prostitutes. They are extravagant and extravagant. This has also made European scholars and knowledgeable people extremely dissatisfied and gradually started to reflect."
"That's why it is proposed to emancipate the mind and personality, advocate human nature, and have a humanistic spirit!"
Leonardo da Vinci described the situation in Europe in detail and talked about the origin of the humanistic spirit in Italy.
"I see!"
"On this point, our Ming Dynasty is different. Since ancient times, we have emphasized that man can conquer nature. All dynasties have encouraged childbirth. Even after experiencing wars, some dynasties will allocate widows to unmarried men."
"In addition, we also attach great importance to the inheritance of blood and incense. As the saying goes that there are three unfilial piety and not having descendants is the most serious, this is what I am talking about."
When Wen Zhengming heard this, he immediately understood.
This Leonardo da Vinci was so knowledgeable that he could even quote the content from "Mencius", which shows that he was seriously studying the classics of the Ming Dynasty.
"You Ming people have many ideas that are worth learning."
"This time, I am also preparing to study hard. Later, I will also prepare to translate some of your Ming Dynasty's classic works and spread them to Europe, so that more people can learn from your Ming Dynasty's wisdom."
Da Vinci nodded after hearing this, and then expressed some of his thoughts.
"As the saying goes, the sea is open to all rivers, and tolerance is great. Sir, you can actually translate some European classics. We also want to learn and take a look."
"Yes, yes~"
"As the saying goes, when three people are walking together, there must be one who can learn from me. The cultural ideas here in Europe must also have their own advantages. You might as well translate more of them."
"It's a pity that I don't know Latin, otherwise I could have learned it."
"Brother Zhu, how about we go to Europe and travel together?"
"Forget it, forget it, Europe is too far away, thousands of miles away~"
"Mr. Leonardo da Vinci is already over sixty years old. At this age, he still comes to our country to study in the Ming Dynasty. We are in our prime, so what are we afraid of when we go to Europe to study?"