Chapter 1138: The Heavenly Principle and the Tianfang Faith Are One Family!

An Zizhen was now in his forties, a native of Dezhou in Jinan Prefecture, Shandong Province. In his youth his family had been well-off, and he had studied the classics and practiced composition, hoping that one day he might use his eight-legged essays to make his name known to the Son of Heaven. But he had never imagined that he would pass only the xiucai examination before the whole realm fell into chaos. He could no longer continue his studies, and he could not even remain in his hometown, so with tears in his eyes he bade farewell to the ancestral graves north of Dezhou city and took his parents to Dengzhou to seek temporary refuge.

After arriving in Dengzhou, he was recommended by several xiucai from his native Dezhou and joined Zuo Maodi's Zuo Family Army. At first he served as a clerk, and later he went down to the Dezhou battalion to lead troops. After more than ten years of campaigning, he finally retired from the ranks with the rank of Centurion and returned to his old home in Dezhou. Using his savings from years of military service plus the land warrant he received upon discharge, he bought two thousand mu of land north of Dezhou city, where he ran a farm while keeping watch over his ancestors' graves — a truly filial son and worthy descendant!

The grave he kept watch over was, of course, one with a history. Buried there was Paduka Pahala, the Eastern King of the Sulu Sultanate, who had died of illness while paying tribute to China during the Yongle reign.

And this An Zizhen was a descendant of Andulu, the third son of the Sulu Eastern King Paduka Pahala. At that time, the Sulu Eastern King had come to China with his three sons to pay homage to the Yongle Emperor, Zhu Di. After the king died of illness, his eldest son returned home to take the throne, leaving behind the second son, Wenhala, and the third son, Andulu, to guard the tomb. Later, the Yongle Emperor moved several households of Tianfang believers from elsewhere to keep them company, and together they guarded the tomb of the Sulu Eastern King Paduka Pahala. Gradually a village formed north of Dezhou city, called Beiying Village.

Both Wenhala and Andulu left descendants. Wenhala's descendants took Wen as their surname, while Andulu's descendants took An as theirs.

An Zizhen's surname was An, so of course he was a descendant of Andulu.

After more than two hundred years of propagation, the Wen and An families had grown into two great clans. Unfortunately, in the recent years of chaos more than half had scattered, and of those able to reassemble at Beiying in Dezhou, it could be said that not one in ten remained. An Zizhen, who held the rank of Centurion, was among the most outstanding of them, and so he was chosen as clan head by the An-surnamed descendants of the Sulu king who had returned to Beiying.

The clan heads of the Wen and An families, by custom, also served as the presiding cleric of the imperially founded Tianfang Temple beside the Sulu king's tomb. Thus An Zizhen was not only clan head but also the presiding cleric of the Tianfang Temple, and at the same time the leader of the Tianfang faithful of Jinan Prefecture.

Since he had become clan head and presiding cleric, he had to do something for his clansmen and fellow believers. So An Zizhen, in the name of the descendants of the Sulu king, submitted a petition to the Shandong provincial government, requesting funds to repair the Sulu king's tomb and the Tianfang Temple beside it.

All he wanted was a few hundred taels, or at most a thousand. But he never imagined that not long after the petition was submitted, before any silver arrived, an imperial edict summoning him to Nanjing for an audience arrived instead — delivered all the way to Dezhou by the Prefect of Jinan and an official of the Left Office of Transmission.

This was truly extraordinary! Even the Emperor himself had been stirred.

By now he had already reached the Old Mountain Palace, walking along the magnificent imperial avenue beside a broad-shouldered, bear-backed Duke Yansheng. As he walked, An Zizhen looked around in every direction. The imperial grandeur and scenes of wealth here truly opened his eyes.

The present Son of Heaven of the Great Ming truly lived up to being "the richest." One look at the Old Mountain Palace here told him that. It seemed this trip would let him return fully laden!

After walking for a while, the Duke Yansheng, Kong Yinzheng, suddenly stopped in front of him. An Zizhen nearly lost his footing and almost collided with Kong Yinzheng.

He looked up and realized they had already arrived outside a great hall resplendent in gold and jade.

Was this the Emperor's golden throne hall? An Zizhen was just wondering when the Duke Yansheng turned and glared at him, then whispered an instruction: "His Majesty will soon ask about the Heavenly Principle and the True Lord. Do you know what to say?"

What? An Zizhen was stunned. He was about to ask further, but the Duke Yansheng had already stepped into the great hall. An Zizhen tried to follow, but was stopped by the guards at the entrance: "Wait here!"

Then wait he would! An Zizhen thought to himself — as long as the Emperor was willing to give silver, he could wait as long as it took!

Just as he was thinking this, he heard Kong Yinzheng's voice from inside the hall: "Your subject Kong Yinzheng, bringing the presiding cleric of the Tianfang faith of Dezhou, Jinan Prefecture, Shandong, requests an audience, and reverently awaits His Majesty's heavenly inquiry."

Then he saw a eunuch holding a horsetail whisk walk briskly out. "Who is An Zizhen?"

"This humble official — this humble official is An Zizhen." An Zizhen hastily answered.

"Follow me," the eunuch said, then turned and walked into the great hall.

An Zizhen hurried after him and stepped into the "golden throne hall." Once inside, he discovered that the hall was empty and deserted, with hardly anyone there — even the imperial throne was vacant.

He was just about to ask where the Emperor was when the eunuch leading the way turned a corner. Perhaps afraid that An Zizhen would get lost, the eunuch turned back and urged: "Keep up!"

An Zizhen acknowledged and followed the eunuch around the corner. Only after turning did he realize that there were other rooms beside the golden throne hall. The doors of the rooms stood open, with eunuchs and guards on watch. The Duke Yansheng, Kong Yinzheng, was also standing at the doorway, and when he saw An Zizhen he beckoned to him.

An Zizhen hurried into the room and found it to be a very spacious study. Behind a desk sat a tall, powerfully built man in a dragon robe, with a long beard and a dignified countenance. Though a smile hung at the corners of his mouth, it still gave one a sense of fear and trepidation.

There was no need to say it — this must be the Son of Heaven of the Great Ming!

Without waiting for Kong Yinzheng to prompt him, An Zizhen knelt and kowtowed. "Your subject, Centurion An Zizhen, reverently inquires after His Imperial Majesty's sacred well-being."

"Rise. Grant him a seat."

Zhu Cilang waved a hand and had a seat brought for the visitor. Then, smiling, he pointed to one of the two men seated to the side and said: "An Zizhen, this is a relative of yours — Prince Ali of the Sulu Sultanate."

A relative from the Sulu Sultanate?

An Zizhen turned his head and saw a middle-aged man with dark skin and a foreign face, dressed in Ming official robes, sitting there.

"Greetings, Prince." An Zizhen clasped his fists.

Prince Ali could speak Chinese, and he returned the fist-clasp salute with a smile: "A pleasure, a pleasure."

Zhu Cilang spoke again: "An Zizhen, I have heard that you are the presiding cleric of the Tianfang faith of Dezhou?"

An Zizhen replied: "Your Majesty, this subject was mistakenly favored by the An and Wen clans of Dezhou and chosen as presiding cleric. But the Tianfang Temple at Beiying in Dezhou has been ruined by years of war and is now dilapidated beyond repair, and we lack the means to restore it. I am deeply ashamed."

Emperor Zhu nodded and smiled: "No matter, no matter. We intend to assign you an excellent post. If you accept, you will have to resign as presiding cleric and need no longer trouble yourself with the religious affairs of Dezhou."

An Zizhen was taken aback. Did the Emperor mean he would not pay to repair the Beiying Tianfang Temple? The Beiying Tianfang Temple had been built by imperial decree.

Seeing that he did not speak, Zhu Cilang continued: "An Zizhen, the post We intend to give you is to go to the Sulu Sultanate and take charge of the Tianfang faith there!"

What? Go abroad to serve as presiding cleric? An Zizhen was startled and quickly looked at Ali, who responded with an ingratiating smile.

Zhu Cilang asked again: "An Zizhen, are you a Confucian scholar?"

"Yes, this subject passed the xiucai examination."

Zhu Cilang nodded: "Then you should know that the Heavenly Principle and the Tianfang faith are of one family, should you not?"

Do I know that? An Zizhen was stunned again and again. What did he know! His xiucai degree was all about writing eight-legged essays; he had no real study of the Heavenly Principle of the Neo-Confucian school. His knowledge of the Tianfang faith was equally limited — he could recite scriptures, and only in the Chinese version at that. He had never studied Tianfang philosophy such as "all things have a source."

Zhu Cilang knew he did not understand, so he cast a meaningful glance at the Duke Yansheng.

The Duke Yansheng said: "The Heavenly Principle, the Lord of Heaven, and the True Lord are in fact all the same — all are the beginning of creation and the source of all things."

Is that so? An Zizhen thought to himself: I truly did not know. It seems I must read more books when I return.

Kong Yinzheng continued: "The Catholic faith of the West and the Tianfang faith both derive from divine revelation — truth was transmitted by angels and prophets. Our Confucian learning, by contrast, was attained when the ancient sages and worthies discerned the Heavenly Principle and glimpsed the Way of Heaven. Because the ancient sages and worthies glimpsed the Way of Heaven far earlier than the years of Jesus the Holy and Muhammad the Holy, there was no need for divine revelation."

An Zizhen nodded: The sages were truly remarkable!

Zhu Cilang smiled: "Since all are of one family, then from now on the presiding cleric of the Sulu Sultanate shall be held by the descendants the Sulu king left in China!"

(End of Chapter)