Great Ming Dynasty Wen Chao Gong

Chapter 74 The issue of succession to the throne
  "Your Majesty, it's like this. Queen Elizabeth has no heirs, so we have to look for them from the descendants of her brothers and sisters. However, Elizabeth's brother King Edward and sister Queen Mary have no descendants. Then we can only trace it back, that is, from the descendants of her brothers and sisters. She found it among the descendants of her father Henry VIII's brothers and sisters. Henry VIII's brother died young and had no descendants, so he found it among the descendants of Henry VIII's two sisters," Zhang Xiao said. I used to watch some ancient British historical dramas out of boredom, so I still remember the names of these people.

"Then the relationship is too far. The surnames of the aunt's descendants are all different. How can such a royal family be so different? The dynasty has changed." The emperor was a little surprised.

"This is how it is done in many countries in Europe. For example, the king of the Franconian country gave birth to a princess but had no son. The princess married a prince from a foreign Habsburg family. Now the king of the Franconian country becomes Habsburg. The Busburg family has come to rule. The Habsburg family has the crown of the Holy Roman Empire, so now the Habsburg family rules a large area. The Holy Roman Empire is probably in this place." Zhang Xiao said while turning the god The general territory of Luo was sketched. The various inheritances among European royal families are really too complicated, and Zhang Xiao can only talk about them in a general way.

"Hasn't the Habsburg family taken over half of Europe? There are so many territories outside, so doesn't it mean that they have no rivals in Europe?" the emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, the Habsburg family has become the king of many countries, but the power of European kings is not so great. The nobles of these countries only recognize that the Habsburg family can be the king of this country, but these countries still Independent of each other. Especially in the Holy Roman Empire, their monarchs are now elected by several princes. The princes in it are all obeying the instructions but not the declaration. Some princes even do not listen to the instructions at all, and the tax revenue is very low. It was difficult to control them, and the princes ignored them when they called for troops. Therefore, ruling so many countries and lands seemed beautiful, but in fact it was very difficult to manage them. Therefore, decades ago, the Habsburgs The monarch initiated the separation of the family, splitting off Franji and the throne of the Holy Roman Empire." Zhang Xiao explained.

"If the name is not correct, then the words are not correct. Since the Habsburg family has become the monarch of the Holy Roman Empire, and the king of the Franco Kingdom is the same clan, there is not only gold and silver, but also gold and silver. We should deal with these disobedient princes. It’s not difficult,” the emperor said.

"This is not necessarily true. After all, Europe is currently in conflict, and other countries should not want the Habsburg family to successfully centralize power in the Holy Roman Empire. France, in particular, will definitely try every means to weaken the power of the Habsburg family. "Zhang Xiao said. After all, the Thirty Years' War behind the original time and space was, on the surface, a conflict between the Protestants and the Old Churches. However, later on, as the man behind the scenes, France, the number one filial son of the Catholic Church, ended up directly going to war with the Habsburg family. The nature of this war for hegemony was exposed. Nothing left.

"France is in this position, isn't it? On the left is the Franchise Kingdom, and on the right is the Holy Roman Empire. This France is really having trouble sleeping and eating. The Habsburg family has been eating away at such a huge place. ? That is to say, in Xiyi, if the king and his wife cannot give birth to a son, or even a daughter, or the daughter does not recruit a wife, the incense will be cut off? The country will be gone? The family will be devoured. The family is extinct? The king married a wife who has nothing to earn from and does not want to have a harem, so why can't he divorce her?" asked the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the Western countries believe in Christianity, and their popes generally do not approve the king's divorce. Therefore, Henry VIII, the father of Queen Elizabeth of England, fell out with the pope after the divorce failed in order to marry a new wife and give birth to a son. Well, I established my own state religion." Zhang Xiao said. After all, the rules are just like this. In the original time and space, the Habsburg family in Spain later became extinct, and a Spanish throne succession war was fought because of this. The Habsburg family almost lost their throne where they started. Although King Charles VI of Austria issued a "National Edict" designating his daughter Theresa as queen, the Prussians still launched a war of succession over the issue of inheritance. , the queen almost lost her position as the King of Austria. In the last hard battle, she lost Silesia very cowardly.

"Then being the king of the Western Yi is quite frustrating. By the way, this Matteo Ricci is a foreign monk sent by some country. Looking at the map on him, I must have been sent by the king of some country. Right?" the emperor asked.

"Matthew Ricci is a member of the so-called Jesuits. This is a Christian organization that serves the Holy Cross. The Pope has a relatively large fiefdom in Italy, in the area of ​​Rome. So Matteo Ricci came to I, the Ming Dynasty, still want to spread his cross religion. However, Matteo Ricci still has a lot of talents. If he comes to the capital, I am afraid not many scholars or even officials will follow him to learn." Zhang Xiao said.

"This foreign monk actually has such ability. It seems Zhang Xiao, you also know something about this foreign monk?" the emperor asked in surprise.

"I have indeed heard that this foreign monk knows a lot about astronomy, geography and mathematics. Moreover, he also knows how to deal with officials and scholars of our dynasty. He will not be arrogant, but use his knowledge to attract people. "Zhang Xiao said. "Seeing that you praise a foreign monk so well, do you want me to summon him?" the emperor asked.

"I don't dare, but if your Majesty wants to know the current situation of Xiyi, there must be someone who can ask. Matteo Ricci is a person from Xiyi, has solid knowledge, and has traveled to various places, so he is a good candidate. "Zhang Xiao said.

"I will consider it. It seems that this foreign monk also knows how to pay tribute. There is no imperial edict and he does not wander around. He is quite aware of etiquette." The emperor said.

After the exchange between the king and his ministers, Zhang Xiao returned home and called Lu Zhang.

"I selected a few greeting cards a few days ago, and Shi Dong will read them later. These days, I have either been busy with classes or preparing lessons. Now that I have some free time, let this gentleman come to visit." Zhang Xiao said while As he said that, he took out Li Zhizao's greeting card.

"Master, can the student ask a question?" Lu Zhang asked.

"If you have any questions, just ask them. You won't have to think too much." Zhang Xiao replied.

"Why does the master want to meet such a scholar? The student thinks that he is young and has just failed the examination in the capital and rural areas. I have not heard that this scholar has any literary name." Lu Zhang said.

"It's nothing. I just chose this scholar because he had a good name and nice handwriting." Zhang Xiao responded casually. You can't say that you are exactly like a certain historical celebrity because of this name. If he were a historical figure, he would be a great talent.

"The students are talking too much. Let's get it done now," Lu Zhang said.

(End of this chapter)