Chapter 202: The Ming-Appointed Governor of Macau

Walking into St. Paul's College, the first thing Wang Cheng'en saw was foreigners with yellow hair and blue eyes everywhere. Most of them were speaking foreign tongues, though he could also hear Chinese—something unheard of elsewhere in the leased territory.

Strange to say, it wasn't just Portuguese to be found here. Missionaries from other nations—Dutchmen, Englishmen, and the like—were also present. It seemed that coming here for advanced study before going out to preach had become an unwritten rule among these Westerners who came to China.

After passing through the gate, a bronze statue of unknown purpose met his eyes.

Wang Cheng'en had little interest in the statue. On the wall behind it hung landscape paintings and calligraphy by various renowned masters, all mounted in exquisite frames. At first glance, they looked quite authentic.

But when Wang Cheng'en stepped closer for a look, he couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter.

Though Wang Cheng'en knew only a little about painting and calligraphy, a few glances were enough to tell him that ten of these wall hangings in eight or nine cases out of ten were forgeries and copies. Genuine originals were few and far between. Judging by the copying style, though, they seemed to be the work of foreigners—and to have reached this level, they had clearly put in considerable effort.

"So Mr. Wang has arrived—please, come in." Wang Cheng'en had been observing the surrounding layout with great interest, paying no mind to the astonished stares of the foreigners passing by, until he heard the summons from within the building. Only then did he stroll inside with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Mr. Wang, please have a seat." The foreigner before him was perhaps in his mid-forties, yet his face was so covered in yellow hair that he looked more like a man of seventy or eighty. Wang Cheng'en's status was far nobler than the other's, so without any hesitation he sat down nearby and said with a smile:

"How many years has Mr. Gadelau been in Macau? Your Mandarin is truly impressive."

Gadelau set down his quill, closed the small notebook on his desk, and said expressionlessly: "A man of Mr. Wang's exalted status has condescended to visit my St. Paul's College—there must be some important matter at hand?"

"We have none of your Ming Dynasty formalities here. If there's something to discuss, speak plainly."

Wang Cheng'en had been about to speak but hesitated. He had originally intended to win the man over, yet hearing the other party throw the phrase "speak plainly" back at him, he lost that inclination at once. He merely smiled faintly and said calmly:

"This old man has come this time bearing the sacred will of our Great Ming Emperor—a personage of equal standing to your own king. Speaking in such a manner, is Mr. Gadelau refusing to hold our Great Ming Emperor in any regard?"

At this, Gadelau laughed once and said: "Of course I don't hold your emperor in my eyes—even our own king I don't hold in my eyes. Those are for holding in one's heart, with respect. If Mr. Wang has something to say, say it directly."

"Since Mr. Gadelau shows such disregard for courtesy, then this old man will speak plainly." The smile on Wang Cheng'en's face froze, and he gave a few cold laughs before rising to his feet: "The Zheng family's recent handiwork—Mr. Gadelau, being here in Macau, must have experienced it firsthand. Surely you wouldn't want the same thing to happen again here at this college?"

"What does Mr. Wang mean by this?" Gadelau's expression shifted, his earlier composure gone.

He naturally knew of the disturbance the Zheng family had stirred up in the leased territory not long ago—it had been the most terrifying incident in all these years. But for all the condemnation, Zheng Zhilong had acted with a certain restraint: any guard carrying a weapon was either killed on the spot or detained and expelled from the leased territory. No matter how great the commotion outside, the Zheng family's men had never set foot in civilian homes or neutral grounds like St. Paul's College.

Gadelau had assumed that sparing the common folk was the Great Ming Emperor's directive, but judging by this man sent from the palace, it seemed the Great Ming Emperor had changed his mind. Though he understood what the other was getting at, he still asked several more questions, unwilling to give up.

Seeing that Gadelau no longer feigned composure, Wang Cheng'en felt relieved at heart.

"Let me put it this way—our Great Ming Emperor intends to support Mr. Gadelau into the seat of Governor of Macau. If you refuse, then the moment this old man steps out of here, soldiers may well come through that door and replay what happened recently all over again."

Gadelau did not refuse outright. He naturally knew that Wang Cheng'en had him pegged—that he could not leave St. Paul's College. He sat there in thought for a moment before saying: "Is there truly no other candidate?"

"There are candidates, to be sure, but none that can be guaranteed to obey. With such a grand college sitting right here, Mr. Gadelau—well, as they say, the monk may run away, but the temple stays put." Wang Cheng'en chuckled, rose, and walked over to stand before Gadelau, continuing:

"Our Great Ming Emperor cares not a whit for the lives of any foreigner here. If Mr. Gadelau refuses to comply, then whether it's shutting down St. Paul's College or rounding up every foreigner here and hauling them off to the mountains to dig mines—either way, however we choose to deal with you, your home country is far away, with mountains high and the emperor distant. They couldn't reach you even if they wanted to, could they?"

"After all, you're right on our Great Ming's doorstep. Even if your homeland demanded you back, we simply wouldn't hand you over—could they cross the Zheng family and fight their way to Macau? How you're dealt with is for our Emperor to decide. That's a principle Mr. Gadelau must understand, no?"

The Zheng family's navy was second to none in the world today. They had defeated the Dutch, the sea-going coachmen, and smashed Spain's Invincible Armada. The only challenge left was to trade blows with the English Royal Navy. Crossing the Zheng family to attack Macau—that was no easy feat.

In truth, St. Paul's College was not accepted in the West. Many nations' kings, including their own King of Portugal, had called for St. Paul's College to be shut down, but for various reasons it had never been carried out.

If becoming Governor of Macau could secure the Great Ming's protection for St. Paul's College, allowing Eastern and Western cultures to blend together more fully and spreading the Christian faith—would that not be a venture with immense profit and minimal cost for himself?

With this in mind, Gadelau laid out his conditions one by one.

After hearing them all, Wang Cheng'en breathed a sigh of relief. What Gadelau asked for was nothing more than protection and the freedom to preach. If he could truly be of use to the Emperor, then this bargain was already one from which the Great Ming stood to profit without any risk of loss.

Astonished and delighted within, Wang Cheng'en nonetheless kept his expression unchanged, and said flatly:

"This matter, this old man can agree to on the Emperor's behalf. But Mr. Gadelau must understand that upon becoming Governor of Macau, the first order of business is to acknowledge that you are leasing land within the Great Ming's territory. Moreover, the current rent is far too little—it will need to be raised.

"Beyond that, all Portuguese in Macau, as well as the shops, the harbor, and whatever cannon and firearm factories are here, must all submit to the jurisdiction of the Guangzhou Prefecture and the Xiangshan yamen.

"From this day forward, no armed guard forces are permitted in the leased territory, and no foreigner may build any fortresses within it. Everything, absolutely everything, must follow our Great Ming's rules. Do you understand?"

Gadelau drew a deep breath and nodded heavily: "I understand all of this."

At last, a somewhat genuine smile appeared on Wang Cheng'en's face. He rose and looked around before saying: "Very well, Governor Gadelau. This old man gives you three days to collect and turn over all the firearms and weapons of the foreigners here yourself, so as to avoid any further trouble in the future."

Once outside the gates of St. Paul's College, Wang Cheng'en's expression darkened, and he said: "Colonel Qi, have your men surround this leased territory on all sides. If the foreigners inside stir up any trouble, treat them as bandits and wipe them out."

The colonel surnamed Qi nodded hastily, ordered a Company Commander to guard Wang Cheng'en closely, then turned and trotted off to make the arrangements.