Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 382 Brother Royal Brother?

His ancestors had come to the capital with Tang Yin and must have gazed at the Forbidden City from afar, hoping to step into it one day and leave with pride after passing the imperial examination.

In the end, it was the beginning of the decline of the Jiangyin Xu family.

Now Xu Hongzu was standing here, and the imperial decree was directly announced, specially summoning him to see the emperor.

The location is in Huangji Palace.

Liu Ruoyu looked at the young man curiously.

He was in charge of the inner study and all memorials were sorted out by him. Liu Ruoyu certainly knew why Xu Hongzu was able to come here.

Xie Tingzan, the provincial governor of Shandong, recommended this man as the geomancer that the emperor had been looking for, but he was injured in the leg by Kong...

Did Your Majesty summon him because of Kong, or did you want to see if he has the ability to serve as a geomancer?

Logically speaking, for the former, there is no need to meet at all. Does the emperor really need so much evidence?

Because if it is the latter, it should at least be examined by the dean of the Institute of Research.

Xu Hongzu felt a little nervous when he saw his curious look.

The integrated Fengtian Huangji Hall has a long corridor. Since he entered the Forbidden City from Donghua Gate, he saw that the whole journey was quite busy.

At this moment, when we arrived at the Fengtian Huangji Palace, the southern end was filled with court officials.

An old minister in a red robe saw him and looked a little surprised. He then stared at him for a while but did not speak.

Some officials wearing blue or even green robes also saw him, but most of them just glanced at him and then buried their heads in their official duties.

Xu Hongzu did not expect that the Fengtian Hall, which was only used to hold solemn ceremonies in historical records, has become like this. On weekdays, there are so many court officials handling official business here?
After all, this is a symbol of imperial power...

The long corridor is like a bond. Now it is open, connecting the emperor in the Huangji Hall with the important officials in the Fengtian Hall. However, there is a narrow and long space in between, which seems surmountable, but also like a natural moat.

At least as Xu Hongzu walked through this long corridor, he couldn't help but feel more and more solemn and nervous.

Although his legs had recovered well, they still felt a little weak at the moment.

When they arrived at the Fengtian Hall, there was no sign of the emperor.

"Come with me."

Liu Ruoyu led the way and reached the stairs and stretched out his hand: "I heard that Xu Maocai had a leg injury. I will help Xu Maocai..."

"I dare not, I dare not..." Xu Hongzu hurriedly shook his head, "I have never passed the imperial examination, so I am not worthy of the title of a great talent from you, my father-in-law. My leg injury has healed, and I dare not trouble you..."

Seeing how calm he was in the Fengtian Palace, Xu Hongzu knew that he was no ordinary eunuch. His attire and manners all revealed that he was an inner court official and a close attendant of the emperor.

In any case, Liu Ruoyu's action made Xu Hongzu feel a lot more at ease.

It's good intentions after all.

Liu Ruoyu did not force him, but just reminded him: "Then Xu Maocai, go slower and be careful with your steps."

He still called Xu Hongzu "Maocai". The original name of "Maocai" was "xiucai". Although Xu Hongzu did not have the title of "xiucai", in this palace that attaches great importance to rules, he could not be called "shengyuan", a formal title for scholars. Liu Ruoyu called him that.

Xu Hongzu followed him and slowly climbed up the stairs and arrived at the attic of the Huangji Palace.

"Your Majesty? Xu Hongzu from Jiangyin has been brought here."

I just heard Eunuch Liu shout after he went up, and his tone sounded like he was looking for something.

Xu Hongzu climbed up the two steps before he saw the appearance of the attic of the Huangji Palace.

Books! The shelves are full of books!
Xu Hongzu naturally loves books. What is the size of the Huangji Hall? The area of ​​this attic is really not small.

Now he looked over with his mouth slightly open, trying to guess how many books there were here...

Then a voice came from outside: "Your Majesty is in Zhongji Pavilion..."

"This way..." Liu Ruoyu continued to lead the way.

For Xu Hongzu, this was a rare travel experience - he traveled to the Forbidden City and to the second floor of the Fengtian Huangji Hall, which ordinary people could never see.

Between the two halls, there is actually a small garden in the open air on the second floor.

Looking from afar at this moment, Xu Hongzu naturally saw the emperor wearing ordinary dragon robe and reading a book in the pavilion in the middle.

It was already the 18th day of the twelfth lunar month, and the roofs of the surrounding palaces were covered with snow. However, there were many small evergreen trees planted in pots, and a few plum trees were about to bloom.

It was such a cold day and the emperor was actually staying outdoors.

Although there must be a charcoal brazier in the pavilion, it is still not a good choice.

Xu Hongzu didn't know whether this was the emperor's hobby or he had other intentions.

Now he became even more nervous. After he went over, he first heard Liu Ruoyu say, "Your Majesty, Xu Hongzu of Jiangyin has been ordered to see the emperor."

Xu Hongzu quickly bowed first: "Student Xu Hongzu pays respect to Your Majesty. Long live the emperor!"

"Get up and come in."

Zhu Changluo looked at him, then waved, his eyes falling on the reserved man.

"The student dare not... the student replied outside the pavilion..."

The pavilion was not very big and was too close to the emperor.

Xu Hongzu felt that this was the treatment only given to important officials.

"It's so cold outside the pavilion, and your legs are newly injured. Come in." Zhu Changluo said to Liu Ruoyu, "Put down the curtain, and you stay to make tea."

"Yes……"

Xu Hongzu was finally called in by him.

Then I saw that the emperor was staying here in winter, so he naturally had some measures to keep warm. The curtains between the pillars around the pavilion were lowered to block the wind.

But Xu Hongzu's attention was attracted by the pattern painted on the curtain on the inside.

Zhu Changluo smiled and watched his reaction.

"What do you think of these different world maps from different countries?"

Xu Hongzu was startled, and quickly retracted his gaze and bowed: "I am sorry for being rude, Your Majesty, please forgive me..."

"Don't be so nervous." Zhu Changluo pointed to the soft stool opposite, "Sit down. If I didn't want to see you, why would I come here in this freezing cold weather?"

"... Thank you, Your Majesty, for the seat. I, your student..."

"Sit down and take a closer look." Zhu Changluo pointed to the table in the middle of the pavilion. "I have brought many geographical books, both from the Ming Dynasty and from the West. The first volume was drawn by a Westerner named Mercator more than 30 years ago in the West. The Western scholars in the Institute of Research found it. The second volume is a map book published in the West. I heard from Matteo Ricci that the author has been dead for more than ten years."

He pointed at them one by one and said, "This is my 'Map of the Unified Ming Dynasty', and this is 'Map of Yu's Traces'..." Xu Hongzu no longer cared about being reserved and looked at these albums as if they had found treasures.

In terms of resources, there is naturally no place in Ming Dynasty that can compare to here.

Some of the information that Zhu Changluo was able to obtain was not even available outside.

Moreover, since Matteo Ricci came here first, and people like Galileo and Kepler came later, with Zhu Changluo's deliberate collection, the foreign information he has now is the most complete.

Although from Zhu Changluo's point of view, today's maps still have many problems. But I heard that the Mercator world map, which existed thirty or forty years ago, has already introduced things such as magnetic poles and meridians, as well as many key points of navigation - it is said that this map was mainly drawn to facilitate navigation for sailors.

Zhu Changluo watched him flipping through the pages and suddenly spoke again: "Your name is Zhensheng? Do you have a self-name?"

Xu Hongzu, who was absorbed in himself, quickly stopped and answered with his hands down and head lowered: "Your Majesty, I am young and have achieved nothing, so I have never called myself a person."

"Have you ever thought about that?"

Xu Hongzu was somewhat puzzled as to why the emperor asked this question. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "My late father once said that there was a hazy air between my eyebrows. I have thought of calling myself Xiake..."

"Xiake is pretty good!" Zhu Changluo knew what was going on. "Very good!"

Xu Hongzu was startled and stood up and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I thank you for the title..."

"How can I give you a title? If you want to call yourself a title, call yourself one!" Zhu Changluo asked him to stand up and sit down again. "Xie Tingzan recommended you, saying that you have a strong will and are quite talented, but you are not interested in fame. I summoned you to see me, do you know why?"

"...I heard from Xie Nietai that His Majesty has been looking for a geography expert. I am ashamed to say that I just like to travel far away..."

"I want you to travel far and wide!" Zhu Changluo shook his head. "Look at the maps drawn by various countries. First of all, there is still room for improvement. Secondly, the method of drawing maps in the Ming Dynasty still has no precise standards. Are you willing to learn these methods?"

"…Students are stupid and careless, and I am afraid they will not be able to learn…"

Zhu Changluo looked at him and paused for a while, and Liu Ruoyu suddenly felt that this boy was a little ungrateful.

But Xu Xiake was indeed dazzled by so many maps and felt they were very profound.

Zhu Changluo then continued: "You have the ambition to travel far and wide, but now it is probably just a scholar who loves mountains and rivers and wants to see them with his own eyes. It is more of a pure interest than a career ambition. But it will not delay you, and I will not give you a heavy burden. As long as you know the method, you can always bring some accompanying craftsmen to do this. Recorded in text and supplemented with scrolls, it will be a treasure in the future."

"…Your Majesty is admonishing me that I am just worried that I cannot handle the heavy responsibility, not that I am unwilling…"

"Since you are here, why don't you stay in the capital and study for a while?" Zhu Changluo said, "I heard that you like to collect books. Where can you find more books than here? Prepare well first. As for your family, I can also arrange for you to live in the capital. From now on, Beijing will be your starting point. Every time you go out, you will have your own guards. I will arrange all the necessary funds for you. You can decide where to explore and the route."

"...What qualifications do I, a student, have to..." Xu Xiake was indeed a little panicked now. Did he really think he was suitable?

Zhu Changluo was prepared to give too much so that he would feel at ease to help him do this.

So he smiled and said, "This is a tough job, but as long as you are willing to do it, it's good. Besides, with your interest, you will enjoy it. During the Tang Dynasty, Xuanzang's journey to the West was also extremely difficult. The story also says that Emperor Taizong of Tang made him his younger brother. As the Son of Heaven, I cannot travel around in this life. If you are willing to do this for me, how about I recognize you as my younger brother?"

"Student..." Xu Xiake stood up again to express his gratitude, saying that he dared not.

Liu Ruoyu also looked at the emperor in shock.

Is this matter that important?

This matter is naturally important to Zhu Changluo.

The new learning and new ideas he needs to guide are to understand the world more objectively and pay more attention to the material basis of this world.

Over the past thousands of years, all the existing books were written by literati, and under the past academic system, literati tended to record in a subjective and abstract style.

The more attention he paid to the work that Xu Xiake was about to undertake and the higher the standards he set, the more naturally he was able to guide others to face things with a more pragmatic mindset.

Another reason is simply his unique interest - in the end, Xu Xiake became much more famous than Zhu Changluo.

Zhu Changluo believed that with his attention, Xu Xiake would have been able to travel to more places and achieve more results in his life. And with his curiosity, he would definitely be able to travel to the ocean on a ship in the future.

The Ming Dynasty needs a group of people with expertise in geography.

Xu Xiake was the first of them.

It’s not that his current level is the highest and Zhu Changluo has no other choice, but it’s due to a combination of reasons.

Youth represents plasticity.

As for not being interested in fame and fortune, it is nothing more than that our ancestors were too miserable, and the descendants learned from them. It is certainly not easy to get into the officialdom, but academic officials, especially those in the natural sciences, are always much cleaner.

Zhu Changluo had bestowed upon him so much "divine grace" that even Xu Xiake's simple idea of ​​"favors should be repaid" was filled with inexplicable gratitude.

The emperor was a different kind of emperor. Zhu Changluo was easy-going and knowledgeable.

To Xu Xiake, he was like the warm sunshine, full of expectations and care.

Although the Forbidden City is the center of power and intrigue, in the Zhongji Hall above the Fengtian Huangji Hall, there are only two young people who are passionate about the world chatting.

Zhu Changluo listened to the places he had traveled to and listened to him talk about his experiences.

Zhu Changluo also told him about Chengde Prefecture, Liaodong, and the grassland.

Finally, he invited him to have dinner in the Yangxin Palace and summoned the Crown Prince and Erzhuzi to listen to his experiences during the journey.

When Xu Xiake left the Forbidden City, it was as if he had a dream.

Liu Ruoyu's attitude towards him was even more unusual now. He said in a somewhat strange tone: "Golden Words, Brother Xu, I have to call myself a slave in front of you."

"...Father, please don't do this. How can I bear this?"

"Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, everything you do has a profound meaning, and you have never failed to judge people. Brother Xu's fortune is not commonplace. Although he has not been appointed with a grand ceremony, if he has made achievements in his studies, this title should be confirmed in the future." Liu Ruoyu bowed to him, "Tomorrow I will arrange for the residence and send people to Jiangyin. Your mother and your wife, please prepare the letter tonight and give it to the eunuchs to take to Jiangyin tomorrow."

"…Thank you for your help, Eunuch Liu."

After the mourning period ended last year, Xu Xiake married the niece of his good friend. He was just "praised" by the emperor for putting aside his newlywed wife for the sake of his interests.

In this regard, Xu Xiake really has nothing to say.

Now that he has a new opportunity, the emperor plans to let him stay in the capital first to supplement his knowledge of geography, geology, drawing, mathematics, etc. to lay a solid foundation, and then he will have a period of stable time.

It is hard to say what changes will happen to the Jiangyin Xu family because of this, and outsiders do not know that the emperor is actually planning to recognize him as his "imperial younger brother."

But what kind of place is the Forbidden City?

The emperor summoned a scholar from Jiangyin. This scholar had no official title at all, but he met the emperor alone in the palace and was even allowed to stay and have meals with the emperor.

After a little further inquiry, it turned out that it was the Shandong Provincial Surveillance Commissioner who arranged to send him to the capital.

At this time when many officials in the court were attacking the Kong family, a lot of information had already been exchanged. The news that the prefect of Yanzhou had rescued a Jiangnan scholar from the Kong family was not a secret.

So what is this signal?
Xu Xiake did not have to personally get involved in the "dirty" court struggles, as there were people who would interpret the emperor's every move.

The cold wind continued to blow from the south.

Kong Shangxian almost wanted to die.

(End of this chapter)