Chapter 161: The Great Bluffer

On the first day of the new year, the Emperor was to receive the congratulations of the hundred officials in Huangji Hall, while the Empress was to hold a ceremony for the assembled ministers in Kunning Palace, where all the harem consorts and the wives of important ministers were required to come and pay their respects.

The proceedings were in no way lighter than those of the men in Huangji Hall — there was still music to be played, bows to be made, self-introductions, and congratulatory speeches to be delivered.

In Huangji Hall, the ceremony was still underway. It could be said that the ceremonies of the first day of the first month were an arduous task for both the imperial family and the ministers, a severe test of the participants' mental and physical endurance.

Having endured another hour or more of a series of tedious rituals, Chongzhen sat upright upon the imperial throne, his backside nearly worn flat. He deeply understood that celebrating the new year was neither relaxing nor pleasant, but he could only grit his teeth and carry on — such was the pageantry required of an emperor.

Zhu Cilang felt the same way. The endless formalities had made his waist ache from standing, and the weight of the ceremonial crown pressed down so heavily that he could no longer feel his neck.

Just as the ceremony was reaching its final stage, the bright sky suddenly darkened. The sun was gradually devoured, forming a great black disc, and then the entire sky grew dim.

"A total solar eclipse!" Zhu Cilang murmured, somewhat astonished.

For a moment, everyone in the Forbidden City was thrown into panic, and the remaining ceremonies were halted. Only the few who knew of or had seen solar eclipses before remained relatively calm.

A solar eclipse — called ri shi in ancient China — was recorded in the *Dayi Kaiyuan Zhanjing* of the Tang dynasty, which preserved the assertion of the Western Han astronomer Liu Xiang: "When the sun is eclipsed, the moon comes to obscure it." This was the first time in the history of Chinese astronomy that the cause of solar eclipses had been scientifically explained.

But this was an obscure piece of knowledge. In ancient times, when the illiteracy rate was extremely high, very few people knew of it. Many found solar eclipses terrifying. In mythology there was the tale of the heavenly dog devouring the sun, while in the West it was said that a dragon swallowed the sun — either way, it was an ill omen.

In response to such situations, there were also many "solutions": beating drums, shooting arrows into the sky, offering objects or even human sacrifices — all to drive away the heavenly dog and the evil dragon.

For such an inauspicious omen to appear on the first day of the new year, during the New Year's Day court audience — what did it mean?

Chongzhen's expression was grim. As the Emperor, he proclaimed himself the Son of Heaven and placed great importance on celestial phenomena, believing that a solar eclipse was a warning from heaven above.

Zhu Cilang called out in a loud voice: "Everyone, do not panic! This is a solar eclipse — a perfectly normal phenomenon. They follow a pattern!"

Seeing that the crowd did not understand, or did not believe him, Zhu Cilang immediately summoned Adam Schall, the Director of the Directorate of Astronomy, to the palace.

Adam Schall had long been waiting outside the Meridian Gate, clutching the *Chongzhen Calendar*. He had already calculated the date of the solar eclipse using the new calendar, and knew that when the time came, the Emperor would surely summon him.

After entering the palace, Adam Schall explained in detail, before the assembled crowd, the principle of the solar eclipse. He told them that when the moon moves to a position between the sun and the earth, and the three bodies happen to lie in a straight line, the moon blocks the sunlight from reaching the earth, and the moon's shadow falls upon the earth — at that moment, a solar eclipse occurs.

To make it easier for everyone to understand, Zhu Cilang found a eunuch and a palace maid. The eunuch slowly walked in a circle around himself as the center, while the palace maid slowly circled around the eunuch.

When the three of them formed a straight line, Zhu Cilang immediately called for a halt, then explained: "Suppose I am the sun, he is the earth, and she is the moon. At this moment, she blocks his view, so he cannot see me. That is the principle of a solar eclipse!"

Zhu Cilang also declared that solar eclipses all followed regular patterns, and that the old calendar was no longer accurate. He proposed revising the calendar and adopting the new one.

The so-called new calendar here was the Yellow Calendar, the lunar calendar, used in later ages — not the Western Gregorian calendar based on the anno Domini system.

Some conservative ministers said: "That *Chongzhen Calendar* claims the earth is round, that there are fixed stars in the sky, and something about the moon — utter nonsense! We know that the Son of Heaven is mandated by heaven. This book contradicts the doctrine of the Son of Heaven and shakes the very foundation of the state!"

Chongzhen had considered this as well. The new calendar was all well and good, but the ideas propagated in that book could very well undermine the authority of imperial rule.

Zhu Cilang, however, said: "Heaven is so vast that no man can fully fathom it. The boundless universe, with its starry seas as vast as the ocean — how does that conflict with the Son of Heaven being mandated by heaven? The land we live on is but a single corner of heaven and earth."

Zhu Cilang continued: "After every emperor of past dynasties ascends to heaven upon the dragon's passing, he arrives at another realm, ruling over all things — only thus can one achieve true immortality!"

When it came to feudal superstition, who couldn't play that game? If you still don't believe me, I don't mind explaining the world structures from the fantasy and cultivation novels I read in my later life.

And would you believe it — many of these ministers truly did not believe him. Given this situation, Zhu Cilang felt it was quite necessary to educate them on some fantasy knowledge.

Zhu Cilang said seriously: "When I was poisoned, my spirit wandered through the void, and I dreamed of a bizarre and dazzling scene. Those scenes played out before me like light and shadow — and I saw the Founding Emperor!"

"What? The Founding Emperor?" The assembled ministers cried out in shock, looking at one another, all believing the Crown Prince was talking nonsense. Even Chongzhen's expression turned sour.

Zhu Cilang paid no attention to their expressions and continued: "After the Founding Emperor ascended to heaven upon the dragon's passing, he rode nine dragons from the summit of Mount Tai, entered the Northern Dipper Star Domain, and transformed into an obscure youth..."

Zhu Cilang vividly narrated how the Founding Emperor hacked his way through thorns in that new realm, braved forbidden lands, and with an ordinary mortal body attained the Dao and became an emperor, living out ten thousand years.

At first, everyone thought the Crown Prince was spouting nonsense, but the more they listened, the more it resonated. They all knew that when an emperor died, it was called ascending to heaven upon the dragon's passing, and that the body was laid in the coffin in the shape of the Big Dipper's seven stars, symbolizing a return to the imperial star of the Northern Dipper.

What the Crown Prince said — riding nine dragons from the summit of Mount Tai, entering the Northern Dipper Star Domain, and transforming into an obscure youth — all matched the Founding Emperor's characteristics. Zhu Yuanzhang had indeed been born a poor commoner, so becoming an obscure youth was perfectly reasonable.

This realistic opening immediately captured the interest of many ministers, giving them the desire to hear more — especially the strange world of the Northern Dipper Star Domain, with its many cultivators, which was truly awe-inspiring.

By now the ceremony had essentially concluded, and since it was New Year's Day itself, the Chongzhen Emperor did not dampen everyone's spirits. His previously tense body gradually relaxed, and he sat silently upon the imperial throne, as if he too were listening.

"The Founding Emperor, under the alias Zhu Fan, went alone into the Ji clan to battle the Northern Emperor Wang Teng. The Founding Emperor led iron cavalry into the Northern Plains and trampled the ancient desolate clans..."

Gradually, Zhu Cilang grew tired from speaking and plopped himself down on the imperial steps, continuing to tell the story of the Founding Emperor's rise in the Northern Dipper Star Domain. The ministers, thoroughly absorbed, also sat down on the floor. At this moment, the Great Ming had no factional strife, no civil-military conflict — all were listening with great relish to the Crown Prince telling his story.

After a long while, Zhu Cilang finally concluded: "The Founding Emperor battled the holy lands and ancient clans, fought primordial creatures, braved the ancient star road, halted the darkness turmoil, and rebuilt the heavenly court. In the end, he attained the Dao through sheer force, won the recognition of all races, and finally achieved the fruit of the Heavenly Emperor — living over ten thousand years!"

"The Founding Emperor's will was unshakable — far beyond what ordinary men could reach!"

"Indeed! The Founding Emperor fought mighty foes with all his might, unmatched in the world — how exhilarating!"

Some young ministers could not help but slap the table in admiration.

Chongzhen was also captivated. Though the Founding Emperor had taken the alias Zhu Fan, he was anything but ordinary — relying on his own strength alone to halt the darkness turmoil in the Northern Dipper Star Domain and attain the Dao as an emperor! Such magnificent boldness — no wonder he had established the glorious foundation of the great Ming. It was truly inspiring!

"I wonder which previous emperor the Wushi Emperor is the incarnation of?"

"I think it must be the Chengzu Emperor!"

"No, the Wushi Emperor came before the Founding Emperor's Zhetian Emperor, so he should be an emperor of a previous dynasty. My guess is that he's the incarnation of Emperor Wu of Han."

"Then Hua Yunfei must certainly be the incarnation of Chen Youliang. And that darkness turmoil — that must have been the work of those Tartars of the Mongol Yuan. Who would have thought that in a foreign realm, though the Founding Emperor was at a disadvantage, he still showed not the slightest fear, and attained the Dao to become an emperor!"

""

The ministers chatted among themselves, like a book club discussion. Of course, there were still many clever people among them. Though they knew the Crown Prince was spinning a yarn, they did not argue with him. The story was indeed well told — far more entertaining than the *Investiture of the Gods*.

Zhu Cilang was quite satisfied with the response on site. At the very least, no one had stepped forward to call him out. What surprised him was that a Junior Compiler from the Hanlin Academy actually came up to ask him what happened next in the story.

After all that spinning of tales, in the end Chongzhen accepted the new calendar, and the ministers reluctantly accepted it as well, advancing the promulgation of the new calendar by seven years.

Adam Schall was also rewarded. Seeking legal status for Catholicism in the provinces, this foreigner pulled a clever trick — he petitioned the Chongzhen Emperor to bestow a calligraphic inscription. Chongzhen casually wrote the four characters "Qin Bao Tian Xue" (Imperially Praised Heavenly Learning) and granted them to him.

Adam Schall was exceedingly excited, mentally calculating how to have these four imperial characters made into plaques to be distributed to Catholic churches across the provinces, in order to attract believers and raise his own standing within the church.

Afterwards, an official gathered with friends at a small banquet. In his cups, he furiously denounced the Crown Prince for spreading heresy on the new year. When Zhu Cilang learned of this, he paid it no mind — he merely smiled.

That very night, the official died suddenly at his home.

Rumors circulated in the streets that the official had offended the Zhetian Emperor, who had slain him with a single finger strike across the river of time.

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This chapter was just me having fun — please go easy on the criticism. However, a solar eclipse did indeed occur on the first day of the first month of the tenth year of Chongzhen.