Chapter 6

Twenty-four years ago in the summer, Tang Ruowang first set foot on the territory of the Great Ming Empire—Macau.

At that time, he had just completed a voyage lasting over a year. As soon as he disembarked, he took off his monk's robe, moved into a Chinese-style house, and began studying Eastern philosophy and Confucian classics.

At that time, Matteo Ricci had already passed away and was buried in China.

Ricci's successors and a group of zealous Catholics believed that Ricci's "harmonization with Confucianism" strategy was a betrayal of Catholicism. They strictly prohibited the veneration of ancestors and Confucius, which led to the famous Nanjing Persecution, causing Catholicism to lose its foothold in mainland China and damaging the goodwill and friendship of the Ming scholars towards Ricci.

It was under these circumstances that Tang Ruowang entered the Great Ming. He gained the trust of the court and the people through Western science and technology. With the help of Xu Guangqi, he entered the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. In the ninth year of Chongzhen, Tang Ruowang was ordered to cast cannons. Within two years, he cast twenty cannons and translated a large number of Western practical technologies.

Due to Tang Ruowang's contributions, in the eleventh year of Chongzhen, the emperor bestowed the four characters "Imperial Praise of Heavenly Learning" and had plaques made to be hung in various Catholic churches.

Now, the calendar he was involved in compiling, the "Chongzhen Calendar," was nearing completion. The new calendar adopted a synthesis of Eastern and Western methods, far surpassing the traditional calendars.

At this critical juncture, Tang Ruowang was not surprised to be summoned by the emperor. However, he could not understand why the eunuch announcing the imperial edict used the phrase "By the order of the Crown Prince." He very much wanted to meet the Crown Prince, known as a prodigy and with a keen interest in science, but his position as an official of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau prevented him from doing so.

The Crown Prince of the Great Ming theoretically had the authority to summon all officials and issue his own "edicts." However, due to the unique nature of imperial power and respect for the emperor, Crown Princes rarely exercised this right after the mid-Ming period. Of course, this was also related to the unfortunate experiences of the Crown Princes during the Jiajing and Wanli reigns.

"Summon, Tang Ruowang of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, to pay respects!" The eunuch's high-pitched voice announced the official summons.

Tang Ruowang tidied his appearance one last time, mimicking the steps of the Confucian officials, and cautiously and humbly entered the Qianqing Gate.

This gate marked the boundary between the inner and outer courts. Tang Ruowang had never heard of any outer court official entering this gate. It seemed that in the past, due to issues of imperial power, a group of ministers had rushed in and driven away a powerful concubine, leading to the unresolved "Palace Transfer Case."

Trembling, Tang Ruowang prostrated himself on the ground. When ordered to raise his head, he finally saw the rarely seen emperor and his family.

The most exalted family of the Great Ming Empire.

His mind went completely blank.

"Tang Ruowang," Chongzhen had the eunuch hand the foreign monk the section on the Black Death, "Is there any exaggeration in this text?"

Tang Ruowang's hands trembled as he took the newly printed book, quickly scanning it and feeling a shock. He found it hard to imagine that many people did not even know how many countries were in Europe, yet someone could explain the origin of the Black Death so thoroughly!

Was this information from the Church? Why had he never seen it? Tang Ruowang was doubtful and read it again from the beginning. He soon noticed a problem. The place names and country names listed were not the standard translations used by the Church, nor were they familiar to the Ming scholars. This nearly phonetic translation, upon closer inspection, did not seem to be Latin but rather resembled the island accent of the English.

"Your Majesty," Tang Ruowang put down the book, "The records here are not exaggerated; if anything, they are too conservative."

"Conservative?!" Chongzhen was quite shocked.

"When the Black Death spread, people died in every household. In houses where people died, a 'P' was painted on the outer wall with black paint." Tang Ruowang drew the letter P in the air and continued, "According to our historical records, entire villages and towns were wiped out. Great Florence—mentioned in this book as Florence—almost became a ghost town."

The emperor and empress were both deeply troubled. "Isn't this a national disaster!"

"Indeed," Tang Ruowang lowered his head.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince must not leave the palace to inspect the troops!" Empress Zhou trembled, looking at Chongzhen.

Chongzhen was also shaken. Although he was stubborn, he was not inflexible.

Especially on issues concerning the state.

—This seems to have gone too far.

Zhu Chilang had intended to have Tang Ruowang confirm the severity of the plague in the capital, but he did not expect to frighten the emperor and empress so much. This was inevitable, as historians of later generations only estimated the average mortality rate, while the terrifying memories of the heavily affected areas were certainly exaggerated.

Although Tang Ruowang was from Cologne, Germany, he had studied at a seminary in Rome, where he likely inherited those terrifying memories.

"Father," Zhu Chilang stood up, "The plague did indeed have a significant impact on Europe, but it may not be as deadly in the capital."

"Nonsense!" Empress Zhou angrily rebuked, "The same disease can kill Europeans but not the people of the Great Ming? As long as I am your mother, you will not leave the palace!"

"Mother, please calm down." Zhu Chilang stepped forward and shook his head at Tang Ruowang, "Mr. Tang only knows one side of the story. The Black Death was indeed severe in Europe, but not in the Great Ming. First, the plague originated in Central Asia. When the Mongols invaded the West, they used catapults to throw infected human and rat corpses into cities, often wiping out entire populations. However, the Mongols themselves did not contract the plague, and there is no record of their entire army being wiped out."

Chongzhen, impressed by his son's well-reasoned argument, nodded slightly and said to the empress, "It seems the plague does indeed vary by region. Let's hear what the Crown Prince has to say."

Zhu Chilang finally breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "Second, Europe was under the extreme rule of the Catholic Church at the time, and they were burning witches."

"Your Highness!" Tang Ruowang, fearing the mention of the Catholic Church, quickly interjected, "Our Church now knows that the plague has nothing to do with witches." He did not want the Ming emperor to think the West was barbaric. In fact, the Ming scholars already had such prejudices, and Ricci had spent his entire life gaining the recognition of those proud scholars.

Zhu Chilang glared at him and continued, "Witches had a habit of keeping cats. Europeans saw cats as the servants of witches and the messengers of the devil, believing the plague was brought by cats. As a result, they killed all the cats in the cities, leading to an increase in the rat population."

Chongzhen nodded, "In that case, let the cat house send some cats to each palace to catch rats."

"Third," Zhu Chilang continued, "the current plague spreads through the skin, blood, and respiratory system. As long as one avoids being bitten by plague-infected fleas, washes hands and bathes frequently, even if one comes into contact with the plague bacteria, they may not be infected. In contrast, Europeans traditionally did not bathe."

"Not bathe?" Empress Zhou's attention was diverted.

"At the time, our doctors believed that people would get sick from bathing," Tang Ruowang felt his face flush with embarrassment.

"Even now, Europeans still believe this," Zhu Chilang maliciously pointed out.

Tang Ruowang could not deny it; he only developed the habit of washing his hair and bathing after coming to the Ming.

"With these three points, I believe the plague can be contained even if it spreads in the capital," Zhu Chilang stepped forward, "Many ignorant people believe this is the work of evil spirits, causing panic. I believe the root cause must be addressed, and providing medicine is just a secondary measure. Therefore, I request that Father appoint me to lead the disaster relief and epidemic prevention efforts."

The hall fell silent.

After a long pause, Chongzhen looked at Empress Zhou, whose eyes were red, and said solemnly, "Do you have the confidence that you will not contract the plague?"

"I have outlined the measures in my 'Treatise on Epidemic Prevention,'" Zhu Chilang replied, "With leather gloves, cotton masks containing carbon, protective gowns, more cats, and frequent washing, I will not contract the plague."

—If I am to die, I would rather die from the plague... It's better than being captured and dying without a clear cause.

Zhu Chilang thought to himself.

"Your Majesty," Empress Zhou said, "Since the Crown Prince has outlined the measures, why not let the eunuchs handle it? Is the Great Ming so short of manpower that a fifteen-year-old Crown Prince must do it himself!"

—It seems this really scared Mother.

Zhu Chilang, feeling helpless, rolled his eyes and said, "Mother, this is something only I can do."

"Arrogant!" Empress Zhou rebuked.

"Mother, the plague can mutate, and only I know the intricacies," Zhu Chilang knew there were different types of plague, and the current one was the more manageable bubonic plague, with a small amount of pneumonic plague. If the pneumonic plague spread widely later, it would be much harder to control.

"How do you know? What books have you read? Let the imperial physicians read them!" Empress Zhou raised her eyebrows, not backing down.

"The books do not mention this," Zhu Chilang smiled, "I learned this by observing the plague bacteria. If the imperial physicians were to see them again, they might not survive."

The usually gentle and dignified Empress Zhou felt a burning sensation in her teeth and hands, unable to speak.

"Father, Mother," Zhu Chilang said, "If you allow me to allocate manpower, resources, and funds, the plague can be contained. Otherwise, if we wait a few more months, I cannot guarantee anything."

In a few months, the weather would turn cold, and the plague would enter a low period, making it unnecessary for the Crown Prince to inspect the troops.

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