Chapter 744: The Holy Roman Empire

"Brother Ruowang, according to what you say, can we only watch helplessly as the Church's enterprise in the Far East meets with utter catastrophe?"

Innocent X looked very unwilling to accept this.

He was not willing to bear the charge of "losing the Far East" and become a "failed pope."

"Holy Father," Johann Adam Schall von Bell said, "a crisis of faith does not equal utter catastrophe. That is only true for the upper-class believers the Society of Jesus has always worked to develop. For the common people living in despair and helplessness, how can 'Heaven and Earth are not benevolent' compare with the Lord's love for mankind?"

"'Heaven and Earth are not benevolent'? What does that mean?" The Pope was somewhat displeased with Schall, who kept letting slip Chinese phrases from time to time.

"Holy Father, 'Heaven and Earth are not benevolent' means that Heaven's principle does not love mankind. It is a theory that separates Heaven from man. Although it acknowledges the existence of the Lord of Heaven, it holds that the Lord of Heaven does not care for mankind, but merely lets all things between Heaven and Earth develop freely. Whatever they become depends entirely on their own ability!"

What Schall was describing was another "Heavenly principle" line of Confucianism, the thought of Xunzi. It held that Heaven (Heaven's principle, the Lord of Heaven) neither loves nor hates anyone; whatever one becomes is entirely one's own doing.

"Th-this, this is an atheistic view?" The Pope was greatly astonished. "Confucian clerics holding such views would certainly be sent to the stake!"

"Holy Father, in practice they would not," Schall said. "Confucianism is a highly tolerant sect or school of thought, in which all kinds of theories may be discussed. Hostility and persecution between factions certainly exist, but I have never heard of anyone being sent to the stake."

"Then they must also have no religious wars?" Cardinal Chigi was also a rather tolerant man. Hearing Schall speak of Confucianism this way, he even felt a little envious.

"Strictly speaking, Confucianism cannot be considered a religion," Schall said. "Confucianism is a school of thought that has perceived the existence of the Lord of Heaven. There has never been an angel or prophet among them, nor has any Son of God descended among them. They have merely perceived the Lord of Heaven through philosophical reasoning. Therefore, among them, the goodness or evil of the Lord of Heaven can be discussed."

At this point, Schall made the sign of the cross over his chest. Even speaking of discussing the goodness or evil of the Lord of Heaven was so wicked that one ought to beg forgiveness!

The Pope and Cardinal Chigi were both too astonished to speak. This Confucian thought was truly, truly too difficult for God!

After a long while, Cardinal Chigi finally spoke: "Holy Father, perhaps this is the Lord's will."

His reasoning could also be put this way: why did the Lord of Heaven not send a prophet or something to China, but instead let the ancient sages of China perceive His existence?

Was this not the deliberate act of the omnipotent Lord? Was this not another form of the Lord of Heaven's love?

The Pope glared at him fiercely: "Brother Chigi, you should not presume to fathom the Lord, but should always carry out the duties the Lord of Heaven has given you!"

"Holy Father, I was wrong!" Chigi broke out in a cold sweat. His reckless speculation about the Lord's intentions was a grave error, one that would send him to hell! And now that indulgences were no longer sold, what was he to do!

"Brother Ruowang, I know what must be done," the Pope said. "I will strengthen the Church in the Far East and send the most combative clerics to serve as bishops."

"Holy Father, in practice you cannot do that," Schall said. "The Emperor of the Great Ming has laid claim to the right of patronage!"

"What?" The Pope could hardly believe his ears. "Has he been baptized?"

"No, he is not a believer," Schall said. "Although he believes in the Lord of Heaven, he is not a brother of the Church."

Believing in the Lord of Heaven, believing in Heaven's principle, and believing in the Catholic Church were three different things!

"Then he shall never obtain the right of patronage!" the Pope said. "I will never agree to it!"

Schall sighed: "Holy Father, he believes he has already obtained the right of patronage in the Far East from the Kingdom of Portugal."

October 1650, Vienna.

This city, which after the Thirty Years' War seemed to have lost all passion and dreams, and over which even the sky was covered with a layer of shadow, suddenly became excited and radiant as soon as October arrived.

Emperor Ferdinand III, who ruled this city, swept out a few more gold coins from his empty treasury and began using them to adorn the dilapidated, desolate city. The imperial army, which had not held any military parade for a long time, also began drilling in formation, as if it were about to march to the battlefield again and strive with all its might for the glory of God and the Habsburg dynasty.

But everyone knew that the present Empire—no, the whole of Europe—was exhausted by the Thirty Years' War. Perhaps the French, whose losses in the Thirty Years' War had not been too great, still had energy left to stir up trouble—they were stirring up trouble among themselves, having started some Fronde movement in 1648 that had still not settled down. Spain, which believed itself favored by God, also had a bit of spirit left and was still fighting wars it was bound to lose against the French and the Portuguese.

But in Vienna, everyone knew there would be no more war.

The Empire could no longer stir itself, and the Habsburg family likewise needed to recuperate.

So the adorning of the city and the drilling of the army were not for war, but to welcome honored guests from the distant East—the embassy of the Great Ming Empire!

Great Ming was China, that ancient Eastern land abundant in porcelain and silk, which in the eyes of Europeans of this era was a symbol of mystery, wealth, and civilization—perhaps one should also add power and wisdom!

For their Emperor had not only sent a huge embassy to Europe, but had also made friends with the Ottoman Empire.

That they could send an embassy to Europe showed that they had put an end to their "self-isolation" and had begun to become wise and far-sighted.

And becoming friends with the Ottoman Empire, the most powerful state in the world, fully demonstrated the strength of the Great Ming Empire!

That the embassy of such a wealthy, civilized, powerful, and wise ancient empire had made the Holy Roman Empire the first stop of their European tour (in fact the first stop was Istanbul) fully demonstrated that the Holy Roman Empire still had influence.

In the eyes of the distant Great Ming Empire, the Holy Roman Empire was still a state that led the pack.

And in order to let the Chinese embassy fully understand the Empire's strength, Ferdinand III had no choice but to put on a brave face!

Oh, it was not entirely a false front. At least in the eyes of Ji Kun and Li Shaoyou, this empire, which looked quite large on the map but was in fact shattered into three hundred small states and more than fifteen hundred knightly fiefs, was not particularly bad.

The Holy Roman Empire at least still had an Emperor!

Before leaving Nanjing, the Zhu Emperor had instructed Ji Kun to focus on building relations with three countries—Holland, England, and France—and two of those three countries no longer had kings!

King Charles I of England had lost his head early last year—and it had been done by public execution after a trial!

And Holland's Prince of Orange, the Stadtholder, had lost his life early this year! William II, in his twenties, had died of smallpox, and his posthumous son William III had not been able to take the throne, so there was not even a Stadtholder anymore. The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was now managed by a council that could not make much of a decision, and even Van Diemen did not know whom to find to receive the Great Ming embassy.

As for France, the King was still alive for the time being! Only for the time being, because he had already been driven out of Paris and was hiding in the royal fortress of Saint-Germain near Paris, under attack by a faction called the "stone-throwing party," and no one knew when he would be stoned to death.

It was said that this King Louis was only thirteen years old. Alas, who knew how many more years he could live?

So Ji Kun had no choice but to abandon the plan of immediately visiting Paris, France—he too was afraid of being stoned to death by the French!

He also did not plan to go to Holland for the time being; he would wait until Van Diemen returned from Holland, right?

It was said that Holland was a republic of seven provinces, each with its own assembly and army, and perhaps a seven-province struggle for supremacy would break out, so Ji Kun would not go to Holland for now, but would first establish an embassy in the Holy Roman Empire. Once Schall returned from Rome, he would serve as the Great Ming minister to the Holy Roman Empire. Ji Kun and Li Shaoyou would wait for an opportunity, then go to France, Holland, and England to take a look.

(End of Chapter)