Zhu Youzhen finally noticed the situation on the opposite side of the sand table, where the Jesuit missionaries were whispering. He said curiously, "Father Kinney Court, what are you studying?" Do you have any new ideas? ”

Jinnige, who was reaching a consensus with his companions, was almost startled by the emperor's shout, but the priest, who had traveled back and forth to Eurasia twice and had seen many turbulent scenes, almost instantly concealed his emotions.

"Ah, Oh, Your Majesty. We are talking about the bibliographic index and some of the European commercial laws that have been selected for translation, and we are about to dedicate them to His Majesty. ”

Zhu Youzhen responded happily: "Yes, that's really good, they are there now?" I want to see it. ”

"It's in the Beijing Library and Tongwen Hall that His Majesty is preparing to set up, that is, in the tin wax alley of the Nanxunfang outside Dong'an Gate." Jinnige said respectfully.

Zhu Youzhen rubbed his overly focused and slightly sour eyes, and then said to the officials beside him: "Then let's go and see now, I can't wait to see what books Father Jinnige has brought." ”

Seeing that the emperor and other officials wanted to leave, Wang Zheng couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "What should be done about the experiment here?" ”

The emperor, who had just turned around, seemed to hear Wang Zheng's words, and he immediately turned around and said, "Make a guardrail around the sand table, and then let the officials in charge of the drum tower send two people to guard this place so that no one can destroy it."

Then a sign was erected outside the drum tower, with the words "Witness the mysterious power that makes the earth turn", and open it to the people to visit.

Those under the age of 16 do not receive money, and those over the age of 16 receive one penny at a time, and the money collected is used as a stipend for those who manage the drum tower, and some is used to repair the building. ”

Xu Guangqi coughed a few times and said, "Your Majesty, you still have to charge money for visiting this experiment, and I'm afraid it will be bad for Your Majesty's reputation if it spreads." What's more, you can't collect much money for a penny, which won't be of much help to these managers. ”

"No, Mr. Xu, the purpose of collecting money is not to receive much money. It's about arousing curiosity, and if it's a completely free tour, most people might be in a no-see mentality.

But after receiving the money, even if it was just a penny, they would at least observe the experiment more closely. Who knows? Maybe someone will tell us in the future why the earth rotates from west to east..."

In the Xiwax Hutong, a three-hall courtyard house covering an area of nearly 5 acres, the last entrance is the Tongwen Hall composed of a part of Jesuit priests and recruited translation students. The two-story building in the middle of the courtyard is the Beijing Library, which is ready to open after the holiday.

After arriving at this house, Zhu Youzhen was not in a hurry to see it, and the bibliographic index and books translated by the Jesuit missionaries went.

Zhu Youzhen walked along the entire mansion with great interest, and then said to the officials in charge of the Tongwen Museum and the library who came out to greet him: "The door of this house to other alleys is open in two more places, and the door will be opened every day in the future, and anyone can come in to read books without obstruction." ”

The little official in charge promised again and again, it was already rare for a level like him to be able to look at the emperor from afar.

But today he was actually summoned by the emperor himself to assign a task, which made him a little excited.

Zhu Youzhen obviously also noticed that the official in front of him was flushed with excitement, and he might not be able to remember what he said, so he praised the official a few words and interrupted the conversation.

The place where the books are translated by the Tongbunkan is three fully opened wings, and the tables are placed next to each other, which looks like an office in later generations.

The only downside was that the pillars in the room blocked the view, and the windows closed to keep out the cold made it darker, and candles had to be lit even during the day.

After Zhu Youzhen looked at the candle lamps on these tables, he said with some surprise: "The glass lampshade has been able to be produced?" ”

Father John Tong stood up from the side and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, after many experiments, we have finally figured out how to make purer glass.

These lampshades were defective products in the test process, and it was a pity to discard them, so at the suggestion of the minister, they were first brought over to the colleagues of the Tongwenkan to use. ”

Zhu Youzhen picked up a lamp and observed it carefully, and said with a smile: "Is it because of the addition of lead powder?" ”

John Tang said seriously: "Although lead powder can reduce bubbles, it can't make the glass pureer. The craftsmen of the glaze factory experimented with various things, and found that adding some arsenic could make the glass purer. ”

"Arsenic? How did you come up with the idea of adding this? Zhu Youzhen was a little curious.

"In fact, no one thought of adding arsenic. It was only when a craftsman added the arsenic of the medicine mouse as borax to the raw material, and after the glass was formed, we found that the effect was clearer than that of the glass in other crucibles, and we discovered this secret. John Tang explained.

"Hehe, that's a bonus. Ordered that the craftsman be rewarded with 50 taels of silver and promoted by one level. Alright, show me your translated bibliographic index. Zhu Youzhen put down the lampstand in his hand and said.

"Yes, Your Majesty." On the other hand, Jin Nige and Deng Yuhan, who had been prepared for a long time, immediately instructed their colleagues, who had long held the bibliographic index, to hand over the bibliographic index and a few thin pamphlets.

Zhu Youzhen quickly flipped through the index of the bibliography by the yellowed candlelight, more than 7,000 books, even if it was a quick glance of ten lines, it took him an hour and a half.

After Zhu Youzhen closed the index, he closed his eyes that were a little sour, and blinked a few times before he felt more comfortable.

He said to Father Kinney Court: "I would like you to give priority to the translation of the works of the following men, all the works of Mr. Aristotle, among which the book "Politics" should be translated first. This is followed by the writings of Democritus and Plato.

This is followed by works on the natural sciences, such as "Geometry Originals", "Arithmetic", "Introduction to Analytical Methods", "On the Identification and Correction of Equations", "The Complete Book of Mining and Metallurgy", etc.

Books on mathematics are the first priority, followed by physics and chemistry, followed by geography, minerals, flora and fauna, and others. ”

Deng Yuhan, Jin Nige, and others were very happy about Chongzhen's request, because the ruler of the East had clearly developed an interest in European culture, and although he did not show interest in theological writings, in the eyes of these missionaries it was already a remarkable breakthrough.

From Fr. Fan Li'an's opening of the Eastern missionary base, to Fr. Matteo Ricci and Luo Mingjian, who found the way to attract the interest of Chinese scholars in Western studies. After more than 100 years, their generation can finally communicate directly with the Chinese emperor.

Kinnige believes that as long as he continues to work hard, then the hope that this vast empire will become the land of the Lord's shepherds is not out of reach.

Long Huamin had not yet calmed down from the shock of witnessing the earth's rotation experiment, and he was a little eager to do something to prove that he still had devotion to the Lord, so he interjected without hesitation: "Your Majesty, maybe you should also have a Bible so that you can listen to the gospel of God." ”

Jinnige suddenly stopped with some trepidation: "Brother Long Huamin, pay attention to your behavior. ”

Zhu Youzhen put down the index and said with a smile: "It's okay, it's okay to let this priest talk about it." I want to see what God's shepherds are writing and thinking, and then decide whether to listen to God's Gospel or not. ”

Seeing that Long Huamin's attitude was not dissatisfied with the emperor, Jinnige breathed a sigh of relief, but after he reacted immediately, he asked with some joy: "Then what does Your Majesty mean, will you listen to the gospel of God at the right time?" ”

Zhu Youzhen smiled and said: "Everyone in Daming has the right to freedom of religious belief, as long as this religion is not for the purpose of inciting the people against the imperial court, or splitting the Ming Dynasty, or provoking hatred between religions. ”

Jin Nige, Deng Yuhan and others immediately replied: "Catholicism will never be such a religion, please rest assured, Your Majesty." ”

"Isn't it strange that your current war in Europe is continuing for the sake of benevolence?" Zhu Youzhen complained in his heart, but he still had a smile on his face.

"If you're telling the truth, then I'll think about it. However, we Chinese have an old saying, listen to their words, watch their deeds. I will be watching your actions carefully. ”

Chongzhen's words made the Jesuit priests feel both uplifted and worried. Although the emperor's words were very beautiful, there was no lack of warning in his words.

Although he believed that the Jesuits who had entered China could maintain good conduct, he was a little worried about the behavior of the colonial priests outside China.

For example, in Manila, not far from China, the Spanish priest treated the natives and the Chinese as not a kind shepherd of God.

In the mood of a Western missionary suffering from gains and losses, Zhu Youzhen had already returned to the palace with a stack of translated manuscripts of European commercial law.

After Zhu Youzhen returned to the upper study, he began to flip through these legal manuscripts. At this time, European law was still not out of the realm of ancient Roman law and Justinian's law.

The situation of feudal lords in various European countries urgently needed a written law that could override the authority of feudal lords everywhere in order to protect the interests of merchants and people in various parts of Europe.

In this context, the Holy See, with its higher status, replaced the king as the law-maker. And from among theologians, there is a beginning to break away from scholars who specialize in law.

By studying the legal texts of Justinian's law and Roman law, combined with local customary law, they advanced the law of the slave era to the feudal era.

At the same time, the experts who studied the law, in the process of constantly studying the legal text, became the main force in the dismantling of theological jurisprudence.

These experts gradually became two factions, one was the exegetical school of law, which devoted itself to the study of Roman law, but regarded Roman law as an immutable holy law.

On the other hand, there is a school of jurisprudence that believes that law should be adapted to the needs of social development, that jurists should be actively involved in the practice of the government and the courts, and that they should strive to make Roman law literature useful for practical life.

After witnessing the rigor of the Great Ming Law, Kinny Pavilion and other priests naturally did not dare to translate the legal provisions of the Inquisition.

In order to make Chongzhen think that the current Europe is a civilization as noble as China, they even took the initiative to remove some backward and ignorant regulations.

There were several law books in front of Chongzhen, one was the local law of Italy, the other was the seven-part code of the Kingdom of Spain, and the thickest one was actually the commercial code from the Netherlands.

In order to gain Chongzhen's favor, the Jesuit missionaries had temporarily forgotten the differences between Protestantism and Catholicism.