Chapter 176: The Light of the Great Ming

The next day, Chen Xin entrusted the injured Nie Hong to Zuo Changhao. Before leaving, he told Nie Hong to rest and recover, then set off with the rest of the group. Accompanying them was an experienced money-shop hand arranged by Zuo Changhao.

They took a detour out of the city through the Jubao Gate, first visiting the Bao'en Temple to satisfy Liu Minyou's wish to see the sights. This attraction was also highly recommended by Zuo Changhao, who considered it a must-see destination in Nanjing.

After exiting Jubao Gate, the towering glazed pagoda stood out like a landmark. The guards from the north pointed at it and chattered among themselves. Once they entered Bao'en Temple, they hurried through the other areas. After passing through several courtyard gates, the view suddenly opened up into a broad plaza, surrounded by a ring of yellow cloisters. The breathtakingly beautiful glazed pagoda sat at the center of the plaza, surrounded by crowds of people who had come to visit and pay homage.

Liu Minyou tilted his head back to gaze at the magnificent pagoda shining under the sun. It rested on a broad base and stood as tall as a building of over twenty stories. Above the base, it had nine stories, each with eight sides. Every side was covered in white porcelain, and the pagoda was inlaid with countless five-colored glazed bricks depicting Buddhist motifs — lions, white elephants, flying sheep — all exquisitely crafted. The spire was entirely assembled from glazed tiles, further adorned with jewelry, gold, and silver, glittering with dazzling brilliance in the sunlight. Strings of wind chimes hung beneath the corner beams of each story, producing waves of melodious ringing in the gentle breeze.

Although they had already seen the glazed pagoda's nightscape from a distance, when the two of them actually stood beneath it, they were still awestruck. This pagoda stood seventy-eight meters tall, with a base circumference of one hundred meters. Its construction took nineteen years and cost over two million taels of silver. It enshrined the Buddha's relics. It was acclaimed as the greatest pagoda under heaven. Many people from overseas, upon arriving here, would invariably come to pay devout homage.

With the publication of *Johan Nieuhof's Travels* in Europe, the Glazed Pagoda of the Great Bao'en Temple became a sensation across the continent. Until the nineteenth century, it remained the symbol of Chinese culture in the European imagination, often praised in literary works depicting the East. In 1841, the British warship HMS *Nemesis* arrived at Nanjing to sign the Treaty of Nanjing with the Qing court. The very first thing the British sailors did when they disembarked was to visit the Great Bao'en Temple. By then, the glazed pagoda was already dilapidated, but it still left these "foreign lords" marveling in astonishment.

Chen Xin and Liu Minyou, having seen modern tall buildings after all, were not overwhelmed too intensely. But the retinue behind them all stood dumbfounded before this pagoda, ranked among the seven wonders of the medieval world. This was a marvel of human artistry and engineering in this era, and the impact it delivered to them surpassed even that of the Forbidden City they had once visited.

Two devout Buddhist followers among the retinue dropped to their knees with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly toward the pagoda.

Zuo Changhao said to Chen Xin, "My lord, ever since its completion during the Yongle reign, the one hundred and forty ever-burning lamps on this pagoda have never been extinguished. That is why at night the lights are so brilliantly resplendent."

Chen Xin exclaimed in admiration, "I never imagined there could be such a magnificent structure. It can truly be called the light of our China."

Liu Minyou also murmured, "Unbelievable."

The group continued forward, preparing to enter the pagoda for a tour. Chen Xin spotted a person ahead wearing a blue scholar's robe, but with red hair. The man was looking down, earnestly doing something. Curious, Chen Xin glanced over from the side — in the man's hands was a sketch of the glazed pagoda. Chen Xin could not help but praise, "Well drawn."

The red-haired foreigner turned his head and smiled. When he spoke, it was actually in Chinese. "Thank you for your compliment, sir. But I believe no matter how wonderful the paintbrush, it can never depict its magic."

Song Wenxian also stopped and said with a smile, "You can even speak our Chinese tongue. Have you been in the Great Ming for some time?"

The red-haired foreigner gave a slight bow and said, "My name is Silva, from the Franks. I have lived in Macau and Fujian for ten years. Before returning to my motherland, I intend to travel all the way to the Jingshi of China, recording the China I see. I may never come to China again, but I can tell my children about this beautiful country."

Liu Minyou thought of the capital region ravaged by the Jianzhou bandits and wanted to advise this Silva not to go to Jingshi, but the words stopped at his lips. The north had its own beauty too, and he felt he should not obstruct this man who so admired China.

During the Ming dynasty, many Europeans came to China to preach and do business. They traveled extensively, and many recorded what they saw and heard — both brilliant civilizations and brutal massacres. Their notes played a significant role in helping Europeans know and understand China. This Silva was an obscure figure. The journey from the Great Ming back to Europe spanned thousands of miles, fraught with danger. Perhaps he met with misfortune.

Hearing that Silva had lived in Fujian, Zuo Changhao felt a sense of affinity and went over to chat for a few words. Silva spoke with propriety, and Chen Xin also took a liking to him. Chen Xin asked Silva, "Then, Mr. Silva, how will you tell your children about this country?"

Silva's eyes shone with admiration as he said, "It is a beautiful land. There is territory comparable to the whole of Europe. There are great cities of a million people, the likes of which have never existed in Europe. There are clean streets, artistic writing, countless classical texts, beautiful clothes and porcelain at unimaginably low prices, extraordinary music and musical instruments, and many friendly people — courteous, well-bred, humble, and generous with praise. And finally, there is this beautiful porcelain pagoda, a miracle dropped to earth by God. If I have children, I will encourage them to come to China."

Chen Xin nodded with a smile. This fan of China was slightly exaggerating, or perhaps it was because he had always stayed in prosperous regions and had not seen the impoverished areas of the Great Ming. Europe in this era was already at the end of the Renaissance. Enlightened by this intellectual movement, Europe had made great strides in philosophy, literature, science, and military affairs, slowly overtaking the once-brilliant Chinese civilization. But the gap was not yet obvious. The Great Ming was likewise continuously learning from Europe, not limited to military fields like red-barbarian cannons and Frankish cannons. A large number of officials like Xu Guangqi and Sun Yuanhua all believed in Catholicism. The open-minded social atmosphere also made many people willing to accept Western technology and ideas, not viewing them as frivolous tricks or monstrous scourges.

These open-minded officials and scholars, in their contact with the West, keenly sensed their rising power. Xu Guangqi had once spoken of the Western threat: "If there are true tigers and leopards, they are the present-day maritime raiders from Fujian." Yet in the dark age of the Manchu Qing, it was not until the mid-nineteenth century that Wei Yuan proposed "learning the barbarians' superior skills to control the barbarians," and was even hailed as the first person to open his eyes and see the world. This could not help but make Chen Xin, standing in this moment, feel a deep sorrow.

Liu Minyou said to Silva, "Mr. Silva, if you wish to go north, you could travel with us. We are returning north today."

Silva was first delighted, then shook his head and said, "Not today. I want to tour all forty scenic views of Jinling, and that will take many more days. I have only this one chance to travel, so I must see every place I wish to visit. So..."

Chen Xin cupped his hands toward Silva and said, "In that case, I wish you smooth sailing and a safe return to your motherland. Perhaps one day you may come to China again, who knows."

Silva also smiled and cupped his hands. "Perhaps. Who knows."

Song Wenxian and the others all cupped their hands in farewell. Silly Monk shouted from behind, "Even the red barbarian has learned our etiquette."

Chen Tingdong clapped his hands and laughed. "When barbarians enter China, they become Chinese."

Silva politely said to Chen Tingdong, "Please do not call me a barbarian. I know that is a term for savages. Your sage also said, 'If propriety is lost once, one becomes a barbarian; if lost again, one becomes a beast.' Clearly, barbarians are distinguished by propriety, not by my hair."

Chen Tingdong stared fixedly at this red-haired foreigner, then suddenly burst into loud laughter. "Well said. If the surrounding barbarians admire the benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and trustworthiness of China, though their bodies come from foreign lands, if their hearts can race toward China, I do not call them barbarians. If the people of China forget benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and trustworthiness, though their bodies come from China, I do not call them Chinese. I never imagined that a barbarian... a man from the Franks, would also know the words of the sages. It is I who was petty. Receive my courtesy."

Having said this, Chen Tingdong respectfully bowed deeply to Silva. Silva also respectfully returned the bow.

Chen Xin and the others then bid farewell to this Silva. They toured the Buddhist statues inside the glazed pagoda. This exquisite hall of art made the two of them want to take out a camera and capture the moment countless times, only to remember upon reaching for it that they were in the Ming dynasty. Liu Minyou said to Chen Xin, "When did this pagoda get destroyed?"

Historically, this glazed pagoda was destroyed in 1856 during the internal strife of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Wei Changhui, fearing that Shi Dakai could observe the situation inside the city from the pagoda, had it blown up. Truly despicable. In 2008, a gilded Ashoka Pagoda was discovered at the site, enshrining the Buddha's relics — a major archaeological discovery of that year.

Chen Xin rolled his eyes. "I'm not an archaeologist, how would I know? By our time, plenty of good things had been destroyed."

Liu Minyou sighed. "It's a pity about this artifact. If it could have survived to the modern era, how many tickets could it have sold each year."

Chen Xin did not know whether to laugh or cry. "The pagoda is a pity, but what's there to pity about the tickets? It's no benefit to us. Haven't you paid enough when you go traveling?"

Liu Minyou thought about it and cursed, "Exactly. I mean, it's not like they built it, so why do they charge so much?"

Fortunately, none of these scenic spots in the Ming dynasty charged admission. After touring inside, their group hurried off to Xiaxinhe. Hai Gouzi and the others discussed the pagoda fervently the whole way. When they reached the port of Xiaxinhe, Zuo Changhao, being a local power, found someone from the police inspector's office to help. That man quickly located a dual-purpose passenger and cargo boat and had the boat owner load less cargo, freeing up cabins for Chen Xin and the others. The room for Chen Xin and Liu Minyou was a single-occupancy cabin with a window — quite good conditions.

The boat owner, having received the silver, loaded no more cargo and set off from the shore. Everyone on deck bid farewell to Zuo Changhao on the bank. Chen Xin had a very good impression of Zuo Changhao — a man who could navigate the underworld, do business, and was also a decent person.

The boat had traveled far, yet Zuo Changhao still stood on the dock. Song Wenxian said to Chen Xin, "This Brother Zuo is worth befriending."

The passenger boat sailed downstream and was about to enter the Yangtze River. The boat owner led a group of boatmen to set up a table at the bow, laid out meat and fruit, and reverently kowtowed.

The man Zuo Changhao had sent to handle the money shop was named Xu Daofan, also from Fujian. He said to Chen Xin and the others, "Every time they enter the Yangtze, they must offer sacrifices to the River God, praying for his protection to cross the river safely."

Chen Xin and the others suddenly understood. Watching them, they seemed quite devout. Once the ritual was finished, the boatmen swarmed forward, snatching all the sacrificial food and eating it heartily. Liu Minyou found it somewhat amusing. "Are they sincere or not? Isn't this food offered to the River God?"

The boat owner came over to greet Chen Xin and the others. Since his boat had been arranged by someone from the police inspector's office, he probed with a few questions, trying to learn Chen Xin's background. Chen Xin laughed and talked nonsense, giving the boat owner the overall impression that they were from the office of the Provincial Governor of Fengyang, who also concurrently served as the Viceroy of Grain Transport. After reaching this conclusion, the boat owner became even more respectful, because for someone like him who worked the Grand Canal, the people from that office were absolutely not to be offended.

They sailed downstream at great speed and reached Longtan before dark that day. Across from it were Guabu and Yizhen, both entry points where the Grand Canal met the Yangtze. The boat owner told them that the Yangzhou section had three entry points: Guazhou, Yizhen, and Baitahekou. Since his boat was from Huguang, he could only use the Yizhen entry point. Night travel was inconvenient, so they stopped for the night at Longtan. The next day after dawn, they crossed the Yangtze, entered the Yizhen entry point, and followed the Lihe River toward Yangzhou.

"Not far ahead is the Yangzhou customs house. The boat owner will go pay the customs tax himself. Tonight we'll go ashore and stay. I've given the boat owner extra silver and chartered this boat all the way to Linqing. Stopping in Yangzhou for two or three days should be enough for Zhou Laifu and the others to find a shop." Chen Xin came to Liu Minyou's room, beaming. He plopped down onto the bed. After sitting for a moment, feeling uncomfortable, he kicked off his shoes with both feet and simply lay down, his legs propped up high.

"Look how happy you are. Planning to buy a few Yangzhou slim horses to take back?" What Liu Minyou had heard most about Yangzhou was the slim horses.

"The twenty-four bridges are boundless in romance, and it's not just slim horses. I was thwarted on the Qinhuai River; I don't believe I'll be that unlucky here in Yangzhou." Chen Xin shook his head, then sat up with a jolt and lowered his voice to Liu Minyou. "Right there by the customs house, there are nine alleys. The boat owner says there are hundreds and thousands of girls. Want to go broaden your horizons? I'll cover the expenses."

Before transmigrating, Chen Xin had worked as an office director, handling receptions and send-offs — these things were nothing new to him. After transmigrating, as his status rose, he had ironically never managed to go even once. Liu Minyou, the bookworm, had never gone at all. Before transmigrating, he lacked the nerve. This time on the Qinhuai River, he had at least seen a bit of it and was somewhat curious, especially since after killing someone, he had been feeling a kind of dazed confusion, as if anything could be done. Over the past few days, he had also listened to Song Wenxian and the others joking about it. Prompted by Chen Xin, a small yearning stirred in Liu Minyou's heart.

"Cover the expenses? What kind of receipt would you even get? You have the nerve to go? Isn't a wife and a concubine enough for you? Besides, they're all women of bitter fate. Don't go tormenting them." Liu Minyou was still clinging to that last shred of moral standard.

Chen Xin, utterly shameless, said, "Here you are gravely mistaken. If everyone were like you, the madam would have no income, and these women would suffer today. How would they ever have money to buy their freedom later? So you should view this kind of behavior as a charitable act of helping fallen women."

Liu Minyou did not know whether to laugh or cry. As usual, he still could not out-argue Chen Xin. "What about the guards? We can't bring them along. Otherwise, our image would be ruined."

"Of course they won't come along. I'll arrange for them to go into the city first and stay there tonight. I'll only bring Hai Gouzi. The boat owner says it's still half a shichen before we arrive. Think it over first whether you're going or not. I'm going back to my cabin to change." Chen Xin said as he stood up and walked toward the door.

Liu Minyou thought about it but still could not decide. He called loudly toward the cabin door, "Since we're disembarking anyway, I'll follow you and look around on the shore first. I'll just bring Silly Monk. Also, how much money should I bring?"

"Bring a hundred thousand strings of cash, and ride a crane down to Yangzhou!" Chen Xin's teasing laughter echoed back from the corridor.