Chapter 64 Western priest
The next day, Huang Zongxi came as promised.He also came with Feng Daoji and his cousin Feng Kaizhang.As for Lu Fu, because of this provincial examination, he secretly bribed the examiner's joints, and he really passed the high school exam.In the past few days, it was worship and reunion, and I was very busy, so I didn't come together.
After Fang Yizhi took them into the main room, he didn't go out in a hurry, but told Huang Zongxi what Feng Yuanbiao said yesterday.Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Huang Zongxi had no joy on his face, and only said lightly:
"Old Tao is very kind, and my younger brother is grateful for your understanding. It's just that my younger brother has already decided on his return, so let's forget about the matter of writing a letter."
Fang Yizhi was stunned for a moment, but before he could speak, Feng Daoji, who was sitting next to him, couldn't wait to interject:
"Hey, brother Taichong, what's the point of going back to the south of the Yangtze River? Since my father is willing to say this, I think he must be sure. After finally coming to the capital, you can just stay here and wait three years before taking his name. !"
Feng Kaizhang also said: "That's right, I didn't pass the exam this time, I don't blame heaven or earth, let alone my own writing is not good, I just blame Zhu Ruijin, that old fool who bribed and sold his joints secretly! Now there is a lot of criticism outside. , I heard that someone posted a pair on the gate of the Gongyuan, saying, "Don't use Confucius, don't use Mencius, just take the son; don't use the ancient text, don't use the modern text, just take the real pattern!" Although the words are too much, we Isn’t he considered a son? Didn’t he still fail the exam? However, this old man should scold him to relieve his anger!”
But Huang Zongxi just shook his head resolutely, but remained silent.
"Brother Taichong, could it be that you heard that you are the elder Zhou Ge, so..." Fang Yizhi looked at him and asked.
"Oh, if it's Mr. Zhou Ge, brother Taichong, don't worry!" Feng Daoji interjected again, "It's not bad that Mr. Zhou Ge once made things difficult for me in Donglin. It is different from before, but it is very polite to me in Donglin. I heard from my father that once last month, he gave a lecture in front of the emperor, and the emperor took a memorial and asked: "Who are Zhang Pu and Zhang Cai?" Zhou Ge The old man immediately replied: "A good scholar in reading!" The emperor asked again: "Zhang Pu is dead, and Zhang Cai is a small official. How can the scientific and Taoist officials say good about him?" Zhou Ge said: "He has a lot of knowledge in his chest, and the articles That's right. When the Taoist official was a scholar, he saw his articles, but he didn't use them to the fullest, so it's a pity." The emperor said: "It's too extreme!" Zhou Ge said: "Zhang Pu, Huang Daozhou All of them are a bit biased, but they just know how to read, so everyone cherishes him.'——Look, he is doing his best to protect Fushe!"
Feng Kaizhang also said: "I heard that the reinstatement this time is all due to Zhou Ge's words in front of the emperor!"
It was probably the first time Huang Zongxi knew about these news.He raised his face and listened blankly, his expression became a little softer; but after a while, he returned to indifference and still shook his head.
Fang Yizhi knew Huang Zongxi's stubborn temper very well, knew that he would not change his mind for a while, so he stood up and said, "Let's discuss this matter slowly. It's not early, I'm afraid Tang Ruowang has been waiting for a long time, let's go now."
So, the four of them went out together, got on their horses, walked through Jinjing Hutong, and walked eastward along Shangxie Street.
The Catholic Church is located in a corner under the east wall of Xuanwu Gate. It was built by the Italian Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci under the permission of Emperor Shenzong during the Wanli period.Since then, it has been a place where Western missionaries live and carry out missionary activities.It was a Romanesque building with a semicircular roof, a door with stone steps, many windows on all sides, and many strange patterns around it.Next to the Catholic Church, there is another mansion for priests to live in.When Fang Yizhi and the other four dismounted outside the courtyard gate, Tang Ruowang appeared soon after the announcement.
He was a tall German with a curly beard and a high, protruding nose.Under the protruding brow bone hides a pair of strange, green eyes.However, his blond curly hair was combed straight up according to the Chinese style, and he also wore a square scarf and a white cloth straight skirt like the Chinese Confucian scholars.He once studied in Beijing and lived in China for more than ten years. He also went to Xi'an to preach, and he speaks Chinese very fluently.
As soon as Tang Ruowang saw Fang Yizhi, Tang Ruowang cheered loudly: "Ah, Mr. Fang, it's a pleasure to meet you, I've been waiting for you for a long time!" Then he turned to the other three people: "Don't dare to ask these three gentlemen Gao's name?" After Fang Yizhi's introduction, Tang Ruowang said again and again, "I've seen you for a long time, it's a pleasure to meet you!" Then, he greeted everyone one by one in the Chinese way.
"Brother Dao Mo, this Mr. Huang and the two Mr. Feng are here to visit today because they have admired their dignity for a long time; .
"Ah, I don't dare to do it, I don't dare to do it! But my younger brother desperately hopes that you gentlemen will give you some advice!" Tang Ruowang said modestly, and then asked attentively, "Why don't you go and serve tea first?"
Fang Yizhi looked back and saw that the three friends showed doubts, so he said: "No need, let's pay a visit to the pagoda first!"
"Okay, then, please!"
When everyone moved their feet, Tang Ruowang accompanied them, walked through the yard together, stepped up the steps, and entered the Catholic Church.
During this short half day, Huang Zongxi seldom spoke.Just now, at Fang Yizhi's house, he rejected Feng Yuanbiao's suggestion and everyone's persuasion.This incident still affects his emotions to this day.Yes, at this moment, he doesn't want or need others to pity him, even senior Donglin like Feng Yuanbiao.Although I came to Beijing this time, it can be said that I was disappointed in everything, a complete defeat, I came here in high spirits, and returned disappointed.But the more this happened, the more he felt that accepting any mercy and gift from others, even if the other party was sincere, would be a kind of humiliation to him, and it would be a display of spinelessness. "Hmph, of course I still want to come to Beijing, but I have to wait until I pass the exam and come here with confidence and dignity. Why hang on and make people laugh!" he thought.But it was inconvenient to say this kind of thing immediately at that time, he wanted to explain it to Fang Yizhi slowly after he was on the road.Who knows that Fang Yizhi seems to be deliberately teasing him, but he never mentions this matter again, and just talks and laughs with the Feng brothers along the way, which makes Huang Zongxi even more depressed.
But at this moment, his annoyance was temporarily replaced by his curiosity about the Catholic Church.He found that the hall, designed and built according to the Western style, was narrow and long, with a ceiling on the top, no beams, carved windows on both sides, and a shrine decorated with incense lamps and curtains in the middle. There is an oil painting of Jesus.The Jesus in the painting has a high nose bridge, big ears, fluffy beard and hair, and a delicate appearance, with a round of "holy light" on the top of his head.He holds the map of the sky in his left hand, his right hand eloquently stretches forward, and his mouth is slightly opened, as if he is enthusiastically telling some great insights.
Huang Zongxi saw the portrait of Jesus for the first time.But what surprised him was not the aggressive posture of the savior of the West, but the accuracy and lifelikeness of Western paintings.He was dumbfounded for a while, suspecting that it was not a painting, but a painted sculpture.Then, he couldn't help but approached and looked carefully. "Ah, it turns out that there are such miraculous portrait skills in the world! It turns out that the world is so big that it is really hard to fathom it!" He thought in admiration.
At this moment, Tang Ruowang was already enthusiastically laying the road aside.He started from how Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden, and thus reproduced sinful human beings, and continued to talk about how Jesus was born, preached and saved people, how he was crucified on the cross, and how he was resurrected and ascended to heaven three days after his death. etc.It is vivid and vivid.Fang Yizhi probably heard it a long time ago. Although he didn't interrupt him, there was a disapproving smile on the corner of his mouth.The Feng brothers listened with great interest and asked the other party to explain in more detail from time to time.As for Huang Zongxi, he was a student of Liu Zongzhou, a great Confucian in the dynasty, and he always advocated that "there is nothing outside the air", including heaven, earth, ghosts and gods.Of course he didn't believe Tang Ruowang's statement. "It's just like Buddhism has Sakyamuni, and Taoism has Li Laojun. It may not be without people, but it is said by gods. In fact, the so-called master is purely a mass of emptiness, the glory and withering of vegetation. , the movement of cold and heat, the rigidity and softness of geography, the obedience of images and latitude, and the life and death of characters are all governed by this qi. The theory of ghosts and gods is second only to this!" He thought, following everyone, and walked into a corner on the right. Inside the Church of Our Lady.
The layout of the Notre-Dame Church is similar to that of the main hall, and there is also a portrait inside, which depicts the Virgin Mary-a virgin holding a baby in her arms.It is said that it was the newly born Jesus.Huang Zongxi circled around as usual, thinking: "There is also a saying in China that a virgin can conceive without a husband, but it was King Li of Zhou who mistakenly missed the dragon, and the virgin practiced it and conceived, and finally gave birth to Baosi who died of the country! The rumors at home and abroad are so different, it can be said to be strange. I just don’t know what Mr. Tang thinks when he hears about it?”
After visiting the Catholic Church, Tang Ruowang invited everyone to have tea in the mansion again, and the two Feng brothers were already familiar with the missionary, so they readily agreed.Huang Zongxi hesitated and agreed.So everyone followed Tang Ruowang back.
"Tai Chong, what do you think?" Fang Yizhi suddenly approached and asked in a low voice.
Huang Zongxi glanced at him, and immediately remembered the dumb moment when he was deliberately snubbed by the other party along the way.He wanted to pay back, but he couldn't think of what to say to relieve his anger in a hurry, so he kept his face sullen and said nothing.
Fang Yizhi obviously knew it well, he blinked slyly, and said with a smile: "This - it's really nothing. Later, there will be even more unbelievable things!"
While speaking, he had already entered the gate of the mansion, turned west from the screen wall, entered the second gate through the front yard, passed through the brick-paved backyard, and came to the living room of the main building on the north.
"I'm single and I don't have a family. So whenever there are guests, please come in and sit here." Tang Ruowang explained, and then invited everyone to sit down.A young servant brought tea.Huang Zongxi saw that he was only in his twenties. He was dressed in a green coat and cap, and had delicate features. He was clearly a Chinese, but there was a small cross hanging on his chest, which was exactly the same as that on Tang Ruowang's chest. "It seems that he has already joined the religion. I heard that the late, Li Zhizao and others all joined his religion and celebrated public Mass. I don't know if it is true?" He wanted to ask, but felt abrupt, so he had to hold back.
At this time, the Feng brothers were already attracted by several novel and unique furnishings in the room, which were an organ placed by the wall, a chime clock the size of an incense box on the kang table, a microscope on the square table and a A musket in the corner.The Feng brothers seem to have become children walking into a toy store, constantly rolling their sparkling eyes, with expressions of surprise and ecstasy on their faces.When the host put down the teacup and extended the invitation with a smile, they immediately stood up, one ran to the organ, the other to the musket, and simultaneously asked a series of questions mixed with exclamation, which made Tang Ruowang at a loss as to which one to answer. .Just when we were in full swing, there was a burst of melodious music, the music was a bit like birdsong, but the birdsong was not as pleasant as it was; it was like musical instruments playing in unison, but there was no band around.And the melody is a bit peculiar, not like Chinese music at all.Everyone was wondering, when they saw the young servant slowly coming out from the next door holding a gleaming birdcage in both hands, and carefully hung it on an iron hook beside the door.
Everyone still stood there dumbfounded, apparently not believing that the beautiful music in their ears had anything to do with the little bird in the cage.
"Oh, gentlemen, this is a bird that can sing hymns, please come and enjoy its singing. It is praising the omniscient and omnipotent Heavenly Father and Christ!" Tang Ruowang stretched out a hand, with moving and enthusiastic said the voice.
Everyone gathered around suspiciously, and after a closer look, they found that not only the cage was woven with metal filaments, but even the little bird in the cage was also made of metal.Although it stood there with its mouth open, it didn't move.Everyone was wondering how the fake bird could make a sound, when the music suddenly stopped.The young servant immediately took out a special key from his pocket, inserted it into a small hole in the base of the cage, turned it a few times, and the music sounded again.
"Ah, Mr. Tang, your country's production is so ingenious and refreshing! I just don't know who taught it such a miraculous skill?" Feng Daoji asked in surprise and joy, he was obviously overwhelmed with admiration.
"Mr. Feng is asking, and my younger brother is about to tell you." Tang Ruowang held up a finger and replied solemnly, "The one who enlightens us with infinite wisdom is not an ordinary person of flesh and blood, but a merciful and omnipotent God! It is God who teaches us Everything, but also tells us that we should not keep this wisdom for private use, but pass it on to people living in the world, even in the most distant regions!"
"Then, is Mr. Tang's intention to travel across the ocean and travel thousands of miles to visit China?" Feng Kaizhang asked, looking at his master solemnly.
Tang Ruowang nodded and turned his piercing eyes to him: "Exactly. It is because we are all born sinners, and our souls are full of evil and uncleanness. Only the merciful and omnipotent God can save us!"
While they were answering, Huang Zongxi listened silently from the side.Seeing Tang Ruowang's serious and aggressive look, he thought to himself: "The nature of benevolence and righteousness is innate. The principles of the world are not things outside the mind. To save yourself, you can only turn your back on your heart and try to introspect—" It’s just to the conscience’, so why ask some god for help!” However, even so, Tang Ruowang, as a “Yi Di monk”, in order to spread and practice the “Tao” he believed in, he did not hesitate to leave his hometown, change customs, and come here To be a subject of a foreign country, even today, he still maintains a full and vigorous enthusiasm, which makes Huang Zongxi surprised, but also touched in his heart. "If I were in his position, would I be able to do this?" He asked himself secretly, and then he was taken aback again, "Hey, why do I think so? Why do I think so?" He vaguely felt, I was approaching a terrible, dangerous thought.He didn't dare and didn't want to go any further.
"Hey, Brother Daomo, I'd better save these words for you to say when you are at mass!" Probably seeing that Huang Zongxi's expression was a little off, Fang Yizhi stepped in and said, "This Mr. Huang is an addict. Books are like fate, your Excellency should take out those strange books and cheats, let us see and see!"
Tang Ruowang was talking excitedly when he was suddenly interrupted, which was a bit disappointing.He opened his mouth, as if intending to argue, finally waved his hands in disappointment, and said: "Please wait!" Then he walked into the next room resentfully, and after a while, he and the young servant each came out with a large stack of books in their arms. At the table, say: "Please!"
Huang Zongxi was refreshed when he heard that there were a lot of books.He hurried over and looked through the bibliography first.He found that most of these books were unknown to him, or he had only heard of the names but had no chance to read them.Among them are "The Elements of Geometry" jointly translated by Xu Guangqi and the missionary Matteo Ricci, "Wurong Comparing Meaning" translated by Li Zhizao, and "Measurement Method" by Xu Guangqi—these latter two are books on the practical application of geometric principles. There are "Taixi Water Method" written by Tang Ruowang, which introduces Western optics, and "Taixi Water Method" written by priest Xiong Sanba, which is devoted to hydraulic machinery. It is a book that introduces the principles of center of gravity, specific gravity, levers, pulleys and simple mechanical structures in physics.In addition, there are "Global Maps of All Nations", which introduces the theory of the five continents of the world, "Zhifang Waiji", which introduces knowledge of world geography, and "Hunkai Tongxian Tushuo", which introduces Western astronomy, etc.Huang Zongxi became more and more excited.Although there are many books that he can't understand at all, it is precisely because of this that his desire for knowledge is getting stronger and stronger, and his enthusiasm for reading and understanding them is aroused. "Hey, these are world-class knowledge! What scholars need to know. It's really different from those organ and bird cage music!" He thought excitedly.Immediately, regardless of the presence of other people, he picked out a relatively easy-to-read "Shi Fang Wai Ji", retreated to his chair and began to read it...
On this day, due to Huang Zongxi's insistence, they stayed in Tang Ruowang's mansion until late in the afternoon before leaving.Tang Ruowang stayed with them for lunch, and when they went out, he graciously sent them all the way to the intersection before waving goodbye.
On the way home in the setting sun, Fang Yizhi walked up to Huang Zongxi, who looked tired and excited, and asked quietly:
"Now, you are not in a hurry to leave, right? This old Tang is also proficient in making firearms. The court has recently used him to supervise the manufacture of artillery. I heard that he also has a "Huo Gong Jie Yao", which is a great book today. .Hmph, read it just for the sake of it, you're worth staying too!"
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