Chapter 74

New book, please collect, please recommend.

With a slap, a card with a gold-embossed cross on its face was thrown onto Zhu Jishi's desk. Zhu Jishi looked up and saw that it was Maria Clementina who had entered his room at some point.

"What's wrong, Jason? Why the long face?" The dissolute duchess smiled, "Are you regretting not asking Emperor Louis Bonaparte to be your matchmaker? I have a large fortune to inherit, you know."

Zhu Jishi smiled bitterly and put down the document in his hand. "Maria, you know I'm going to the East in the future." He rubbed his forehead and leaned back in his chair. Maria walked behind Zhu Jishi, extended her delicate hands, and began to massage his shoulders gently.

"If I marry you, will you leave France and go to Hong Kong with me? And when we get there, you'll be a French duchess, while Hong Kong is British territory!"

Maria Clementina hummed. If Zhu Jishi had looked at her face, he would have seen an indescribable look of disappointment.

"Didn't you ask the French government for help? Aren't you worried that the British will withdraw their support?"

She thought for a moment and continued, "And aren't you planning to establish a military department at your university in Hong Kong? I think you should know that the best army officers in the world are French, right? Why don't you ask the Bonaparte family for help? Many Bonapartists were officers under the Emperor."

Zhu Jishi waved his hand. "The military department will still be taught by British officers. The Emperor's officers are all old men now, right? Some of them have been out of the military for over twenty years. Do they still understand the latest army tactics?"

Maria laughed lightly. "Jason, you will need French generals. You don't yet understand the difference between ordinary officers and generals or commanders... The British can help you train company and platoon leaders, but that won't be enough to deal with real enemies. And our Bonapartist generals are not that outdated. In the past twenty years, they have trained a modern army for Pasha of Egypt, Ali, and helped him defeat the Ottoman Sultan! I think you will need such a modern army too."

Zhu Jishi was stunned and turned to look at Maria. "Maria, what do you mean by this?"

Maria Clementina did not answer but frowned and said, "Jason, when I was in Rome, the Pope showed me a document... It might be about your ancestors."

"My ancestors?" Zhu Jishi was taken aback.

"Yes, it's recorded in the archives of the Vatican," Maria Clementina said. "Your ancestor was a man named Zhu Hexing, with the Christian name Peter. According to the Vatican's secret archives, he was brought to Manila by the Jesuit missionary Louis in 1662, when he was just two years old. According to Louis's report, he was the eldest son of the Ming Dynasty's Crown Prince Zhu Chixuan! He also had a white carved stone to prove his identity."

As she spoke, Maria reached out and opened the card on the desk. Inside was a white paper with the front and back patterns of a jade pendant, which was clearly the same one that Ye Yiren had given to Zhu Jishi!

"This... This is impossible!" Zhu Jishi quickly stood up, walked to the coat rack, and took out the mutton-fat jade pendant with the character "Xuan" from the pocket of his suit, comparing it with the pattern on the paper. It was indeed identical!

At this, Maria Clementina's smile became even more radiant. She suddenly kissed Zhu Jishi on the cheek. "Jason, it turns out you are really a descendant of the Ming Dynasty's emperors. This is wonderful! With this identity, you will be highly respected in both Europe and the East. You know, royal blood is still very prestigious in Europe... By the way, the Pope wants to invite you to visit Rome to confirm your identity. I think this jade pendant is enough to prove that you are a descendant of the Ming emperors!"

Hearing Maria Clementina's words, Zhu Jishi could only sigh deeply.

Damn it! What do you want from me? Do you want me to restore the Ming Dynasty? How can a doctor do such a thing? Life is good now, with money, fame, titles, and women. Why start a revolution? And even if I were to restore the Ming Dynasty, I can't do it with just a stone. At least give me an army!

But no matter how much he complained, he still had to meet the Pope in Rome. After all, the old man has some connection with God. In Europe, there are still many people who believe in God, so it's best not to offend the Pope and the Vatican.

Moreover, the Vatican of this era still had secular power, unlike the tiny Vatican City of the future. At present, the central part of the Apennine Peninsula, including the entire city of Rome, was the territory of the Papal States, which was one of the eight states of Italy! For several hundred years, the Pope was once the hope for the unification of Italy.

However, the Vatican was burdened with the unrealistic mission of leading the entire Christian world, so it could not focus all its energy on domestic affairs. By 1843, the Pope was no longer the leader of the Christian world, and the Papal States had become a vassal of the Austrian Empire.

October 11, 1843.

Two lavishly decorated carriages, escorted by a group of Papal States mercenaries, were heading straight for the Vatican Hill in the northwest corner of Rome. Zhu Jishi was sitting in one of the carriages, lifting the curtain to admire the street scenes of Rome.

This was his first time entering Rome. He had not visited the city during his studies in Germany over a hundred years later, so he had no basis for comparison. Compared to the major European cities of the same era, such as London and Paris, Rome appeared much cleaner, tidier, and more spacious. The city had a sewer system, and the streets were free of foul-smelling ditches and excessive garbage and feces. The sky was clear and blue, with no signs of industrial pollution.

There were many magnificent and exquisite buildings in the city. Some looked old and ancient, seemingly relics of ancient Rome. Others were overly ornate, with beautiful sculptures adorning the walls, most of which belonged to the Vatican.

However, the number of pedestrians on the streets of Rome was somewhat sparse, making the city seem rather desolate. Only groups of Austrian soldiers, either on horseback or marching in formation, could be seen moving around, and the air seemed to be filled with the smell of gunpowder.

"Maria, are the Carbonari causing trouble again?" Zhu Jishi asked Maria Clementina, who was sitting beside him, as he lowered the curtain.

"Um, yes," Maria Clementina looked at Zhu Jishi with a strange expression and pouted. "Last week, someone threw a bomb at the Pope's procession! It was the kind of ammonium bomb you invented, and it killed and injured over a dozen people! Jason, your invention really isn't that great..."

Zhu Jishi smiled awkwardly. "Well, it's not that the bomb is bad, but the person who threw it is bad. You can't just throw it around, right?"

He didn't know that after various explosives were invented, they were quickly used by anarchists and socialists in revolutionary actions, killing many important figures. Later, when Sun Yat-sen's Tongmenghui launched the anti-Qing revolution, they also used homemade bombs to attack Qing officials.

Now, the premature appearance of ammonium nitrate bombs had been bought at high prices by Italian Carbonari terrorists and thrown around! In the current Europe, where the working class was suffering, the invention of such a simple and easy-to-make explosive seemed to be not particularly harmonious.

The carriage had been traveling for some time when the horses suddenly whinnied softly, and the carriage came to an abrupt stop.

A Papal States mercenary officer ran up and opened the door. Zhu Jishi was the first to step out of the carriage, then gallantly helped Maria Clementina out. He then looked around and saw a huge gate-like building in front of him, constructed with a multitude of Roman-style columns. At the top were statues of God and angels. At the entrance, dozens of tall and robust Papal Guard soldiers stood in red, yellow, and blue striped uniforms, holding ancient spears and swords. A few elderly men in red robes stood inside the gate, looking at Zhu Jishi and Maria Clementina with solemn and serious expressions.