Chapter 720: Shunzhi Does Not Cry

While Zhu Cilang was receiving Johann Adam Schall von Bell, Ji Kun and Li Shaoyou were sitting on two folding chairs beside the gate tower of the Fengtian Gate, waiting to be summoned.

Both of them were in high spirits!

Ji Kun could finally stop being a cruel official. He had always believed himself a man of extraordinary talent, and that if he became an official he would absolutely become a renowned minister remembered through the ages. Yet now he was a cruel official, his reputation so foul it stank unbearably — how could he be content with that? This time it was all settled: the Zhu Emperor had personally promised to let him leave the Censorate and would give him a chance to be remembered through the ages — and Zhu Cilang was famously a man of his word! Since he had promised Ji Kun, he would not go back on it.

Ji Kun was secretly delighted! But he wondered where he would be sent to serve as an official? If he was to be remembered through the ages, being a Prefect probably wouldn't be enough! Could it be that he would become a Governor? If he became a Governor, it would be either Shaanxi or Henan.

Li Shaoyou, however, cared nothing for reputation — he just wanted to line his pockets a bit more, so he had set his heart on serving in the Censorate or the Military Colony Office. But his uncle Li Ruolian was an inflexible blockhead who refused to open the back door for his nephew. So after drifting along, he had ended up as a teacher at the Capital Academy — and the Capital Academy was a poor, thankless office. The salary was not small, but it was still a fixed wage! He had joined the "Overcoming Hardship" faction rather late, only after Zhu Cilang had established his capital at Nanjing, so he had not received any great rewards. And after joining the Embroidered Uniform Guard he had won no particular merit, so before transferring to teaching he had only held the rank of Platoon Leader, with a monthly income of 15 taels of silver, no merit fields, and only a plot of land for a residence in the eastern district outside the outer wall of Nanjing — and in a poor location at that, so he had never built a house. He was still living in official quarters.

After transferring to teach at the Capital Academy, his income doubled, reaching 30 taels a month, with 13 months' pay a year — that was 390 taels. In today's Nanjing job market, an annual income of 390 taels of silver absolutely counted as a high salary. But Li Shaoyou spent money recklessly; he especially loved visiting the Qinhuai River, and he was also fond of antiques, calligraphy, and paintings — both of which burned money! So although he was no longer young, he had not even managed to take a wife.

Of course, he was no ordinary man — he was the nephew of Li Ruolian, Director of the Military Studies Office of the Grand Marshal's Office!

If he truly wanted a wife, would it be difficult? Li Ruolian would naturally pay the betrothal gifts for him, and then he could find a rich girl with a dowry and happily live off his wife.

But he also had requirements for a wife: she had to be beautiful, and she also had to be cultured and refined — and that was the hard part!

Just as Li Shaoyou was preparing to give up and marry a fat woman of matching social standing, his chance to rise meteorically finally arrived!

The Son of Heaven of the Great Ming had personally given him the opportunity to forge the "Sage's Posthumous Writings"! And he had done a fine job of it, so he should be richly rewarded.

He had already made up his mind: if His Majesty asked him what he wanted, he would ask to be sent to Songjiang as a Supervising Censor. He had heard that the Prefect of Songjiang, Luo Dagong, was a great corrupt official! If he could just arrest him, he would have everything!

"Summon Ji Kun and Li Shaoyou to audience!"

They did not wait long before guards led them to the Fengtian Hall to see the Zhu Emperor.

The audience was held in the East Warm Pavilion of the Fengtian Hall. Present with the Zhu Emperor to receive the two of them were Qian Qianyi, Minister of Rites, and Johann Adam Schall von Bell, Vice Director of the Imperial Academy.

The two men performed the grand ceremony, and the Zhu Emperor immediately granted them seats.

"Minister Ji, Li Shaoyou," Zhu Cilang said with a smile once he saw the two seated, "We have summoned you both into the palace today because there is a mission that can make your names remembered through the ages, which We wish to entrust to you two."

Ji Kun found this a little strange — a mission that would make one's name remembered through the ages, how could it be given to two people?

Li Shaoyou, for his part, was somewhat disappointed — he did not want to be remembered through the ages; he just wanted to make a fortune and marry a beautiful wife.

Seeing the expectant expressions on their faces, the Zhu Emperor pointed at Johann Adam Schall von Bell and continued: "Vice Director Schall just told Us that the Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines most likely acted on his own initiative in making trouble for our Great Ming. We are by nature peaceable and unwilling to contend with others, so We wish to dispatch a mission to Europe to meet with the King of Spain, the King of Portugal, the Lord Protector of England, the Stadtholder of the Netherlands, the King of France, and the Pope of Rome, and to sign treaties of commerce and missionary activity, and to delineate spheres of influence."

If a goal could be achieved by peaceful means, the Zhu Emperor naturally had no wish to go to war. War cost lives, and it also burned a great deal of money.

Even if war had to be fought, Spain had to be isolated by diplomatic means first — the Great Ming could not fight several countries, or even a dozen countries, at once. Even if it could win, the Great Ming would suffer serious damage!

So the Zhu Emperor had decided to send a mission to Europe. His aims were threefold: first, to establish embassies and diplomatic relations; second, to delineate spheres of influence — the Great Ming's demands were modest for now: the East Asian continent, the Korean Peninsula, and the Indochinese Peninsula, with everything else to be discussed later; third, the transfer of the right of patronage — from Portugal to the Great Ming!

After finishing his explanation of the mission to Europe, the Zhu Emperor continued: "Minister Ji, We intend to make you the ambassador of the mission to Europe. After visiting the various countries of Europe, you will open the Great Ming's embassy in Europe in Amsterdam, in Holland, and serve as the permanent Imperial Envoy to Europe!"

Ji Kun was dumbfounded. Permanent Imperial Envoy to Europe? Wasn't that just being banished to some barbarous wilderness, never to return? How was that any different from silencing him by killing him?

So the Emperor was afraid that others would learn of his forging of the Sage's Posthumous Writings, and was therefore sending him far away?

Zhu Cilang smiled: "Minister Ji, this is a mission that can make your name remembered through the ages! Do your work well, and when you return to court after accomplishing your task, We shall ennoble you as a Baron."

The Great Ming now had seven ranks of nobility: Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, and Baron, plus Prince and Commandery Prince. Of these, Prince and Commandery Prince had not yet been granted to anyone outside the imperial surname. The noble ranks granted to non-imperial subjects were the five ranks of Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, and Baron, and each rank was further divided into two grades: Overcoming Hardship and non-Overcoming Hardship. In all, there were five ranks and ten grades of nobility.

Noble titles carried no salary, but they came with grants of merit fields and a residence. Merit fields were granted up to a maximum of 4,000 mu. Counting down from Duke, each grade reduced the grant by 400 mu, so the lowest rank, Baron, received 400 mu of merit fields.

The combined merit fields from a non-imperial subject's noble title and his merit rewards could not exceed 4,000 mu. Beginning in the first year of Hongxing, merit fields had to pay taxes just like ordinary private land. However, as long as the original holder of the land was still alive, the court would "return as a reward" the taxes paid — in other words, a tax refund!

Pay first, refund later — it seemed like an unnecessary complication, but in fact it was of great significance, because it eliminated the possibility of the tax-exempt privileges of merit fields expanding. All privately held land had to pay taxes! And the pay-then-refund system meant dealing with the court: how much land a noble held, local officials dared not ask, but the Great Ming court had the accounts, and one check would reveal it all.

Moreover, the land of the imperial estates personally held by Zhu Cilang as Emperor was likewise taxed first and refunded later! So how much imperial estate land there was, the Great Ming's Ministry of Revenue now knew with complete clarity.

And real estate held by the Royal Commercial Guild was not counted as imperial estate land, but as private property, no different from ordinary private property. The Emperor's private investments and the imperial household's industries were not the same thing!

Incidentally, this land tax system, extremely strict toward the powerful and privileged, had been proposed by Qian Qianyi, leader of the Southern Party at court, and Zheng Zhilong!

"This subject thanks His Majesty for his boundless grace!"

Ji Kun naturally did not want to go abroad, but he also knew all about silencing people by killing them!

"Li Shaoyou," Zhu Cilang then said to Li Shaoyou, "you will also go to Europe on the mission, as a military attaché, in charge of military exchanges, promoted to Chiliarch."

A Chiliarch received a monthly salary of 60 taels, also with 13 months' pay a year — that was 780 taels of silver, a very fine high salary!

Li Shaoyou had not realized how long he would have to stay in Europe, so he too kowtowed and gave thanks with a grin.

Zhu Cilang smiled and added: "Go back and prepare. You will set out this month! We have already ordered the Dongning Army to prepare ships and staff. You may also bring some people with you — draw up a list and submit it to the Commerce and Diplomacy Office of the Ministry of Revenue."

This diplomatic mission was to be a grand affair. The mission would number no fewer than 300 people, and at least six great 10,000-dan seagoing ships would escort them to Europe. The ships would also carry gifts for the monarchs of the various European countries and the Pope, as well as a good quantity of porcelain and silk to be sold in Europe to cover the mission's expenses in the various countries — all of it fine "imperial household" goods!

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