Chapter 55

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"Have you read the letter?" Zhu Jishi asked Bai Siwen, who had just entered the study, in a low voice. Before going to work at the Vincent Street factory today, he had asked Mrs. Dulan to give Bai Siwen the letter he had written to Emperor Daoguang, asking him to help make some minor revisions, essentially to check for any incorrectly written traditional characters.

"Your Excellency, I have read it," Bai Siwen replied respectfully. However, he felt somewhat disdainful inside. Zhu Jishi's article was written in plain language, with many characters missing strokes, and the literary quality was even inferior to his own, who couldn't even pass the examination for a scholar. Well, you are a great scholar of Western learning and a member of the academies of two Western countries, so it's understandable that you don't understand Chinese literature. But the tone in the letter is far too disrespectful, not treating His Majesty as the emperor at all! At the end, he even signed himself as a "remnant of the Ming," almost openly calling for the restoration of the Ming dynasty.

"Can Emperor Daoguang see this letter?" Zhu Jishi asked while looking down at the documents. When he finished work today, Frank Hahn excitedly ran over to report that cocaine had been successfully extracted. This document detailed the process of extracting cocaine and the results of animal experiments.

Hearing Zhu Jishi's question, Bai Siwen paused for a moment, then nodded heavily, "Most likely, he will see it!"

However, he didn't say the rest: the letter would most likely be presented to the Qing Emperor as evidence of rebellion. But if the letter had been written respectfully, it would have been seen at most by the Viceroy of Guangdong and Guangxi or some imperial envoy, and would never have reached Emperor Daoguang. However, since Zhu Jishi called himself a "remnant of the Ming" and addressed Emperor Daoguang by his name, the nature of the letter was completely different, so Emperor Daoguang would definitely see it.

But this is a case of rebellion! If it were during the reigns of Emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng, or Qianlong... well, there would be no way to send troops thousands of miles to attack England. But it's not entirely hopeless; if Zhu Jishi could be lured into the interior, he could be captured and punished according to the law. Just for this letter, a death sentence would be a lenient punishment from His Majesty!

"Your Excellency, the Sino-British war was such a disaster. The Emperor must be dreaming of avenging the humiliation. Your powerful article, once it reaches the Emperor, will surely be of great use," Bai Siwen said with a smile, secretly observing Zhu Jishi.

"Siwen, do you really think so?" Zhu Jishi put down the document and frowned at Bai Siwen.

Bai Siwen thought he was in trouble, his plans had been seen through. In a hurry, his words became stammered, "Your Excellency, I... I..."

"Siwen," Zhu Jishi interrupted him, "Daoguang will not seek revenge. He will only regret starting the war with Britain. I do not want to be of great use to him. I am a remnant of the Ming and will never set foot on Qing soil!"

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency..." Bai Siwen became anxious, quickly putting on a smile, "Why do you do this to yourself? The Qing have been in power for nearly 200 years, and the Ming have long been forgotten by the people..." He felt this was inappropriate but didn't dare say anything treasonous to please Zhu Jishi, just chuckling foolishly and handing over the letter with the corrected "wrong characters."

Zhu Jishi took the letter, glanced at it, and smiled, "Siwen, you are a Manchu, a master of the Qing. In this unprecedented era of change, don't you want to do something for the country?"

"I, well, what can I do?" Bai Siwen sighed, waving his hands, thinking, "Who doesn't want to be an official? But government positions are not like cabbages, so easy to get. I am a criminal, being able to live as a commoner without punishment is already good. Want to be an official? Unless I report you, a rebel against the Ming, for a reward, but you will never set foot on Qing soil. How can I do that? I can't arrest you in England, and here, you are a scholar and a noble, even the great Jardine can't do anything to you..."

"How long have you been in Britain?" Zhu Jishi asked, thinking, "How much do you know about European affairs?"

"Your Excellency, I came to Britain with Mr. Jardine, leaving Guangdong in the 19th year of Daoguang and arriving in Britain in the 20th year. It has been more than three years now," Bai Siwen sighed, a bitter smile on his face, "But I am not very smart. In Britain, I was just a servant to Mr. Jardine, not very familiar with the outside world. I don't even know how many people or counties there are in Britain, let alone the military and political affairs of the West."

Zhu Jishi nodded. Historically, there doesn't seem to be a person named Bai Siwen. He is probably just a minor character in Britain, and now following him is his good fortune. He might as well help him, hoping he can do something for the country and the nation in the future.

"Your English is quite good, can you read it?"

"I can understand a bit," Bai Siwen said honestly, "I can speak and read everyday English, but I can't handle very complex articles."

In Guangzhou, he had learned some English at a school run by the Thirteen Factories. His ability to speak some English helped him get a job as a leader in the Guangzhou naval camp, assisting his superiors in contacting British merchants smuggling opium. When Lin Zexu arrived, the "flies" among the Guangzhou Eight Banners, such as generals, commanders, and colonels, who had profited from the opium trade, were not caught, but a few leaders like Bai Siwen were used as scapegoats. Bai Siwen, being more cunning, fled to Britain when he saw the situation turning against him.

Zhu Jishi took out several thick notebooks and handed them to Bai Siwen, "Siwen, this is an English-Chinese dictionary I compiled, and a book on English grammar. Take them and read them. In a few days, Mr. Engels will bring me a book he wrote about the politics and military of Western countries. Read it first. Later, books by Mr. Heming, Mr. Jones, and Mr. Schmidt will also be sent to you. Read them all. By the way, I will be going to France next month to meet the French Foreign Minister and possibly the French King. You can come with me."

"Meet the French Foreign Minister? And the... King of France?" Bai Siwen took a deep breath. Zhu Jishi is really not an ordinary person! The kings and ministers of England and France can be met casually, and they might even treat him as a distinguished guest. Who knows if England and France will support him in rebelling against the Qing! If that happens, the country will be in chaos!

Zhu Jishi paused and then said, "Siwen, have you done something wrong in the Qing?"

Bai Siwen sighed and nodded, "It's a capital offense..."

Zhu Jishi smiled, "There's a chance to help you clear your name. You might even get a high position in the Qing. Are you interested?"

Is there such a chance? Bai Siwen nodded doubtfully. Zhu Jishi said, "Before the end of this year, the French will send a large diplomatic delegation to the Qing. I can recommend you to join the French delegation. Before that, I will translate several books on Western military, science, history, and geography, which you can take and present to the Qing court. I believe you will have a great opportunity."

Bai Siwen was stunned, his mind racing. This is indeed a chance to advance! Although the court may not implement Western-style reforms, they will certainly want to know more about the Western powers. Moreover, he could report on Zhu Jishi's activities to the court, which would likely secure him a position as a Dao official.

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