Before Li Xin set off, Vézé personally suggested that Li Xin visit the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel if he had the chance. Since the commander-in-chief had made this suggestion, Li Xin certainly had to try his best. The Vatican still gave face to the request of the Chinese foreign minister. The Sistine Chapel was the private church of the Pope, so the decision could be made by the Pope alone.
Looking at Michelangelo's exceptional masterpiece, "Founding Era," Li Xin was shaken. The Sistine Chapel was responsible for a lot of important work. For example, the selection of a new pope was held here every time. The smoke from hundreds of years of incense burning had covered the frescoes with an indescribable layer of dust, but this layer of dust gave the zenith paintings a solemn sense of history.
It was also the first time that the accompanying China ambassador to Italy had seen the zenith paintings. Compared to appreciating the artwork, the ambassador was more impressed by his superior's intelligence work. There was no lack of Renaissance art in Italy, and there were also many classics. Compared to those classics, the paintings in the Sistine Chapel were undoubtedly the classics of the classics. How did Foreign Minister Li Xin know about this art-filled chapel? The ambassador had to think about this question.
After visiting "Founding Era," and "The Last Judgment," Li Xin ended this art tour with satisfaction. The accompanying bishop invited Li Xin to the reception room in the Vatican, where a cardinal received the foreign minister of China.
The Vatican, of course, hoped to expand its influence as much as possible. In recent years, many missionaries had achieved great success in Korea and Japan, and the distant eastern countries had adopted strong measures to defend themselves against the Vatican. The cardinals of the Vatican each had their own duties, and the one who received Li Xin was in charge of diplomatic affairs.
"Why does your country never allow us to preach in your country?" the cardinal asked bluntly.
"According to the laws of our country, no one is allowed to threaten others," Li Xin replied.
The cardinal didn't understand what Li Xin was saying. He frowned slightly, indicating that he didn't understand what Li Xin meant.
Li Xin explained, "Born guilty, this is a threat. In our country, this would lead to a lawsuit. The reason why we rejected the members of the Vatican is because we are protecting the Vatican. Otherwise, as soon as your people start to preach, our judicial organization will arrest and try them according to our country's laws, and then put the people of the Vatican in prison. Don't you think it's meaningless? "
The Cardinal was also a man who had seen the world. After hearing Li Xin's words, the Cardinal was temporarily stunned. After a while, he said in a calm tone, "I heard from Your Excellency Foreign Minister that you also read the Bible?"
"I have read both the Old and New Testaments, and according to the scriptures, those who work on the Sabbath are to be beaten to death. I'm very busy with work. It's normal for me to work for ten days to half a month. According to the scripture, how many times do I have to be beaten to death? "Li Xin replied with a smile.
That was the Old Testament, not the New Testament! The Cardinal cursed in his heart, but he did not say it out loud. As someone like Li Xin who had read both the Old and New Testaments, it was impossible for him not to know the difference. The reason why he said this was a small trap set by Li Xin.
"Is Your Excellency an atheist?" The Cardinal went straight to the heart of the problem.
"No, I'm not an atheist," Li Xin replied. Before the Cardinal could ask Li Xin about his faith, Li Xin continued, "I'm a materialist."
The cardinal was a little interested. "Can you tell me more about it?"
Li Xin explained, "If Jehovah or Jesus, one or both of them appear in front of me and display the ability to move mountains and drain seas, I will immediately believe that they really exist and be willing to listen to what they have to say. If they don't appear at all, how can I believe that they exist? "
After hearing this arrogant words, the Cardinal only wanted to curse Li Xin and send him to hell, but he held back. Li Xin had already said that threatening others was illegal in China. The Cardinal would not be fooled by Li Xin's little trap. The Cardinal said seriously, "The Vatican exists."
The Cardinal's attitude was serious, and Li Xin also replied seriously, "Of course I admit that the Vatican exists. I also know that the Vatican banned 'The Motion of the Celestial Bodies' and burned Bruno to death. In other words, the Vatican serves the interests of the Vatican. I'm not biased against this, and I think this is understandable from the Vatican's point of view. But for China, what we need is to develop production, promote science, and promote truth. The Vatican is of no help in these aspects, and can only play a negative role. For the sake of our country and people, we cannot allow the Vatican's forces to enter China. I hope the Vatican can understand our position on this point. "
After hearing such a clear answer, the Cardinal completely understood the position of China that Li Xin had explained. The Cardinal did not feel offended. For someone as experienced as him, evaluating actions based on interests was the easiest way to be understood and accepted. What determined the world was power. The Vatican had no power in China, no large number of believers, and no reliable internal spokesperson. The Vatican had no basis to negotiate with China at all.
The two sides chatted for a while, and the Cardinal politely sent Li Xin out.
Li Xin also appreciated the Cardinal's diplomatic skills. These religious people were really patient, and they would not put themselves in a disadvantageous position. Even if they were provoked, they could calmly deal with it. Li Xin felt that he needed to seriously learn in this area and improve his diplomatic skills.
After contacting the Vatican, Li Xin contacted the Italian government. After all, it was a European country, and the Italian court was a little better than the Osman Empire. It was only a little better.
Li Xin met a lot of people, and most of them contacted the foreign minister of China only for the purpose of going to China to find gold. The big deal between China and Russia shook the whole of Europe, and it also rekindled Europe's vision of China's wealth.
"Sir, is China really full of gold mines?" a beautiful minister and countess asked Li Xin seriously at the reception. Next to her was a group of high-ranking officials' wives and daughters of similar status.
Li Xin held a glass of wine and said to the countess seriously, "Madam, I'm the foreign minister, and I'm not responsible for domestic mine exploration. Although gold exploration is not my professional work, according to my understanding, I really hope that the China full of gold mines you imagined is our reality. In fact, it's not so. China has always been short of gold and silver mines. For nearly three thousand years, the main currency of China has been copper coins issued by the state. Not gold or silver coins. Silver coins have begun to circulate in large quantities in China, and this is also the result of a large number of Mexican Eagles entering China in the last one or two hundred years. "
These words shattered the noble women's dream of finding gold. The minister's wife looked at Li Xin with a puzzled look. She asked, "Minister, is the recently mentioned golden ship also fake?"
Li Xin smiled and said, "The agreement with Russia is real. We did pay 100 tons of gold to Russia for the land."
This topic aroused the interest of the women again. Immediately, a young princess asked, "What is the golden ship like? Is it escorted by a Chinese warship? "
There were also some women who were not particularly interested in gold. Their question was, "Minister, is the saying that there is a lot of silk in China also fake?"
Li Xin did not want to answer the question about the golden ship, so he took over the topic of China's silk. "Please believe me, there is a lot of silk in China, more than you can imagine."
"Why do you see more British and French silk in the market?" The women were interested in Li Xin's topic.
Li Xin smiled and said, "You have to ask the Italian minister in charge of import and export. If you ladies see him, please help me lobby him not to charge such high taxes on China products. "
It was not easy to get rid of the Italian upper-class women. Li Xin wearily sat back in the seat where the China people gathered. The secretary looked at Li Xin enviously. He said, "Minister Li, the French have given a response. They agreed to let us visit Paris. "
"Oh." Li Xin responded.
The secretary continued to report the situation. "But the French said that it was not the French Foreign Minister who received us, but the Council of Foreign Affairs. There are a lot of people in the Council of Foreign Affairs. I think they want to make things difficult for us. "
Li Xin was not surprised. There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "They both lost their colonies, but the Russians got gold, and the French got nothing. If they don't make things difficult for us, I'm afraid the French won't be able to vent their anger. "
"So Minister Li means that the French will hold a Hongmen Banquet?" The secretary couldn't help but make a joke.
"It's not a Hongmen Banquet, but I think the French probably want to get some gold. Hehe. "Li Xin sneered.
"Do we have to give money to the French?" The secretary didn't laugh. He asked seriously.
Li Xin looked at the secretary's nervous expression. He knew how much pressure the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was under in this big deal. Li Xin immediately explained to the secretary, "The French think too much. Russia and we are close neighbors. Whether they like Russia or not is one thing, but there is no need to fight to the death at this stage. What threat can the French pose to us? Will they send ships to our China? If the French really do this, I think Germany and Britain will be happy. "
When the secretary heard that Li Xin didn't suggest giving money to the French, he was greatly relieved. "So are we going or not? If we go, the French won't be polite to us. "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
