Chapter 75

New book, seeking recommendations, seeking collections.

In a low voice, a cardinal in red spoke to Zhu Jishi in German, "Sir Zhu, please follow me." Then he turned and slowly walked into the gate.

Zhu Jishi hurriedly followed the cardinal with Maria Clementina. A magnificent palace soon appeared before Zhu Jishi's eyes. This was the Vatican Palace, the residence of the Roman Pope. Zhu Jishi glanced at the palace, which had once been the center of the Christian world, and his brows furrowed tightly.

What was that old money-grubber of a pope up to, trying to pin the identity of a Ming dynasty royal descendant on him? Although the pope's words might only be believed in Europe, it was only a matter of time before the news reached Asia. What would the Qing court think? Would they send troops to Hong Kong to capture this Ming descendant? Would he become the spark for the Second Opium War?

The "Sir Zhu incident" sounded like a real thing!

In a daze, he even failed to notice Maria Clementina's gentle reminder. "Jason, in formal occasions, it is customary to perform the kiss of the foot when meeting the pope..."

When Zhu Jishi entered the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Palace, he looked up to see an old man in a white robe and a tall hat sitting on a throne, surrounded by a group of cardinals, smiling at him.

This was the Roman Pope? What kind of ceremony was it? The kiss of the foot? Right, has this old man washed his feet? Does he have athlete's foot?

Fortunately, when Zhu Jishi knelt before the Roman Pope, the old man extended his gloved right hand.

"Jason, kiss the pope's hand, perform the kiss of the hand," Maria Clementina whispered urgently.

Kissing the pope's hand was once a great honor in the Christian world, but now that the pope wasn't so valuable, the kiss of the hand wasn't either. Zhu Jishi felt a great relief; kissing a hand was better than kissing a hoof, right?

"Rise, my child," the old pope said in a very solemn and sacred tone. "Maria, you may rise as well."

This was a formal occasion, so there were no seats for Zhu Jishi and Maria Clementina in front of the pope. They could only stand respectfully and respond.

The pope glanced at Zhu Jishi and spoke in fluent German, "Hmm, Sir Zhu is still young, but your contributions to medical progress surpass those of all medical scholars in history. Thank God for granting you wisdom beyond the ordinary. I believe your ancestors in heaven would be very pleased with your achievements."

Zhu Jishi only bowed his head and listened respectfully to the pope's words. His ancestors... he had never asked his father or grandfather, but they were probably not from a prominent family. Although he shared the surname Zhu, he was likely not related to the Ming dynasty.

The pope seemed to have a good rapport with Zhu Jishi and spoke more than usual (actually, it was the cocaine wine affecting him). After a pause, he continued, "Sir Zhu, I hear you have a white stone passed down from your ancestors, with carvings that match the patterns on a document in the Vatican archives that proves the identity of a Ming descendant?"

Zhu Jishi took out the jade pendant that had brought him endless trouble and respectfully handed it to the pope with both hands.

"Oh, what a beautiful stone, with a very special feel, like... like glass. Is this natural? Where does it come from?"

"I don't know. This... was passed down to me by my father, the late Saint Gong," Zhu Jishi lied to the pope. Well, he couldn't tell the truth; he really didn't know if the stone was natural. In the future, Hetian jade was worth a fortune. If the piece Ye Yiren gave him was genuine, it would be worth at least a few hundred thousand! That girl wasn't generous enough to give her boyfriend a gift worth that much.

(Little Miss Ye gritted her teeth and said, "I just wanted to show it to you, and you took it and ran! You even went through time and didn't take me with you. You're so heartless!")

The pope smiled, and a cardinal handed him a yellowed piece of paper. The pope compared the jade pendant with the pattern on the paper, nodded, and returned the pendant to Zhu Jishi, saying, "Yes, it's an exact match. Sir Zhu, it seems you are the descendant of Peter Zhu, a descendant of the Ming dynasty in China."

So that settled it? Zhu Jishi took the pendant with both hands, feeling a mix of amusement and frustration. What was this old, confused pope up to? Had he drunk too much cocaine wine and lost his mind?

"Sir Zhu, you are not yet a child of the Lord, are you?" the old pope asked with a smile.

"Not yet," Zhu Jishi answered honestly.

"When do you plan to embrace the Lord?"

"Well..." Zhu Jishi hesitated, trying to think of an excuse to refuse the pope. Then he heard the pope say, "I have discussed the possibility of supporting the Jishi University and Jishi Academy in Hong Kong with the Minister of Education and Cardinal Ferretti. Cardinal Ferretti believes that we can send Jesuit missionaries to serve as teachers at Jishi University and Jishi Academy, but a Jesuit theological college must be established at Jishi University. The college's funding will be raised by the Jesuits, and Jishi University and Jishi Academy will not need to pay salaries to the Jesuit missionaries, but must provide them with free room and board."

"Your Holiness, on behalf of Jishi University and Jishi Academy, I thank you for your assistance," Zhu Jishi said with a slight relief, smiling at the pope.

"Brother Trigo, please step forward," the pope gestured, and a tall, thin, serious-looking black-robed monk stepped forward and bowed to the pope. The pope pointed to him and said to Zhu Jishi, "This is Brother Louis Trigo of the Jesuits. He has served as the principal of a church school in Manila. I want him to assist you in running the school."

Zhu Jishi turned to Brother Trigo and smiled, "I am very honored to have your help, Brother."

"I feel the same," Trigo replied in fluent Chinese, a slightly arrogant smile on his lips. "In Manila, I have many Chinese students, some of whom have excellent academic performance. They could easily enter universities in Europe. I believe they can be the first batch of students at Jishi University."

"Excellent, thank you for your help," Zhu Jishi smiled and shook hands with him. At this point, the pope made a gesture, and Maria Clementina pulled Zhu Jishi, and the two bid farewell to the pope and left the palace.

"Brother Trigo, why are we helping this wandering Chinese prince?" the pope asked the black-robed monk as he watched them leave.

Brother Trigo replied, "Your Holiness, we are not helping this Chinese prince, but spreading the gospel of the Lord."

"Oh? Why is that?" the pope asked, puzzled. "He was unwilling to convert to Catholicism just now." He chuckled bitterly, as if mocking himself, "Even if he were to believe in God, he would believe in the Anglican Church, not the Roman Catholic Church, right?"

Brother Trigo smiled, "Precisely because of that, we should announce to the world that Zhu Jishi is a descendant of the Ming royal family."

"Why?"

Brother Trigo explained, "Your Holiness, although the Ming dynasty has been gone for 200 years, the Tartar dynasty that rules China has never considered itself a Chinese dynasty. Therefore, the Chinese have never forgotten the Ming... The anti-Qing and pro-Ming forces still exist in southern China. The Qing dynasty is very wary of any Ming descendants. If they learn that the British and Protestants are supporting Zhu Jishi, a Ming descendant, they will certainly try to win over France and the Roman Catholic Church."