Traitors, Collaborators, and the Plot for Usurping the Country

In a parallel, orthodox timeline of the Ming Dynasty. On the eve of the Tumu Crisis.

In the original historical account, Emperor Yingzong of Ming, Zhu Qizhen, who was about to lead his army on a personal expedition, was currently slumped on his dragon throne. The revelation of the secrets behind the veil shattered his unrealistic fantasies about the civil service and the surrounding foreign tribes like a heavy hammer blow.

"If I were to personally lead the expedition, wouldn't the Ming Dynasty be completely divided up by these scholars and foreigners?" Zhu Qizhen's hands trembled, his flesh spasmed, and a bloodthirsty dark red appeared in his eyes.

He suddenly stood up and kicked over the imperial desk.

"Issue the order! Cancel the personal expedition. Ministers of War and Ministry of Revenue, anyone who urged me to go beyond the Great Wall, imprison them! Detain all the tributary envoys from the West in the capital, torture them severely, and examine the geomantic maps they submitted. Anyone who has privately drawn the Ming Dynasty's defense lines, behead them on the spot!"

A national crisis was aborted because of this warning that spanned hundreds of years.

The camera pans back to the modern live broadcast studio. Zhu Dijun has already discussed the deeper aspects of this cultural infiltration.

He pulled up a diagram of the architecture of Bailudong Academy.

"With the endorsement of Zhang Huang, this true god, Matteo Ricci finally gained a firm foothold in the cultural sphere of the Ming Dynasty. Imagine that scene: a foreigner sitting in the lecture hall of the highest institution of learning in the Ming Dynasty. The students below see that this Mr. Xitai speaks with elegance and quotes from classics, and is even more like a scholar than us. Their wariness instantly disappears."

"Matteo Ricci was extremely cunning. He knew that if he tried to forcefully promote Catholic doctrine at this time, he would only be labeled a heretic and beaten to a pulp. So he changed his approach and talked about astronomy and geography, packaging theology in the sugar coating of popular science."

Zhu Dijun pulled out an ancient book from under the console: "On Friendship".

"In 1596, Matteo Ricci published his first book in China. This book did not discuss the Bible, but quoted extensively from Confucius and Mencius. It included the saying 'All men are brothers within the four seas.' Emperor Zhanghuang was overjoyed when he read it and personally wrote a preface, praising Ricci for 'deeply understanding the sage's teachings.' The irony of history lies in this. A Jesuit intelligence agent, relying on a book of ethical platitudes that perfectly conformed to Confucian values, managed to breach the defenses of the Ming Empire."

He wrote two terms on the whiteboard: "The clash between the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of principle."

"What followed was an extremely dirty political deal. Matteo Ricci met many key figures of the Yangming School of Mind at Zhang Huang's home. On the surface, it was an academic discussion, but behind the scenes it was all business! The School of Mind wanted to use external authority to counterbalance the official orthodox Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, while the missionaries needed the protection of the literati to obtain missionary licenses."

"Matteo Ricci astutely observed that the concept of 'mind is principle' in Wang Yangming's philosophy could be forcibly stitched together with the Catholic concept of 'God endowing man with inner light' with just a slight twist. In his theological works, he misappropriated terms like 'conscience' and 'original mind,' using the cup of Chinese Confucianism to fill with the poisoned wine of Western religion!"

The live stream chat was filled with shock and disbelief.

"This cultural alliance directly dismantled the Ming Dynasty's ideological defenses. The Donglin Party felt they could use Western technology to strengthen their factional power; merchants saw missionaries bringing huge profits from smuggling. From top to bottom, everyone was sacrificing national security for the selfish interests of their own small circles!"

He turned around and moved Xu Guangqi's portrait back to the center of the screen.

"After infiltrating the grassroots, it was time to win over the core decision-making level. In 1603, in Nanjing, Xu Guangqi, one of the most outstanding scholars in the imperial examinations, was formally baptized and joined the Catholic Church! This was a devastating blow! With a high-ranking official leading the way in converting to Christianity, who would dare to question him? Under his influence, Li Zhizao and Yang Tingyun were baptized in succession. These three became the 'three major traitors' in the Ming Dynasty court, fighting for the Jesuits."

The holographic screen then changed, revealing an ancient observatory. The Imperial Observatory.

"With the support of civil officials, Matteo Ricci's ultimate goal became clear. In 1604, Ricci went to Beijing and met with Shen Li, the Minister of Rites and a leading figure in the Donglin Party. Ricci offered an irresistible bait—calendar reform. The Datong Calendar at the time did indeed have errors. Upon hearing this, Shen Li immediately submitted a memorial requesting revision. The Wanli Emperor approved it."

Zhu Dijun walked to the front of the stage, his gaze piercing through the screen.

"Gentlemen, what did the calendar mean in ancient times? It meant legitimacy! It meant the most core secrets of the empire's operation! Missionaries, under the guise of cooperating in translating Euclid's Elements, openly took over the core project of the Ming Dynasty's astronomical calendar. Through this, they legally and legitimately accessed all of the Ming Dynasty's geographical and hydrological data, astronomical archives, and even the parameters of firearms and military industry."

"This isn't some kind of Western learning spreading to the East. It's a dimensional plunder disguised as science!"

Zhu Dijun slammed his hand on the table, the loud thud echoing. "By the time Matteo Ricci died in 1610, Catholicism had grown to more than 2500 believers in China. Not many, right? But the vast majority of them were scholar-officials who controlled the central government of the empire. Matteo Ricci, like a parasite, burrowed into the shell of the Confucian bureaucratic system, using it as a shell to go public, hollowing out this towering tree from within."

He grabbed the pointer and drew a huge blood-red cross on the whiteboard.

"The seeds of collusion between internal and external forces took root and sprouted amidst this so-called friendly cultural exchange. The elite class of the Ming Dynasty personally smashed the Great Wall, the very wall protecting against foreign aggression, handing over the technology and wealth accumulated over millennia by China to those bandits across the sea wielding matchlock guns. The Wanli Emperor's negligence and the Chongzhen Emperor's despair were both paying the price for the sins committed by these compradors. This concludes this live broadcast. See you next time!"

In a parallel timeline of the 45th year of the Jiajing reign in the Ming Dynasty. West Garden Abode.

A strong stench of blood filled the hall. Xu Jie and his cronies had all been eliminated.

Emperor Jiajing leaned back on his dragon throne, his eyes half-closed, and coldly gave the order:

"Issue an imperial decree to strip Qu Jingchun of all honors and posthumous honors. The entire Qu family, regardless of age or gender, shall be executed. Even if they are exiled, these traitors will still defect to the barbarians and become their guides. Killing them is the best way to ensure the future of our Great Ming."

The emperor turned his gaze to Gao Gong, who stood solemnly to the side.

"The Zhu family's rule is rotten to the core; that's our own business. It's none of the business of outsiders to interfere. Since these scholars like to claim foreign ancestors, I'll grant them their wish."

Jiajing's withered fingers tapped against his knees.

"Gao Gong, I hereby appoint you as Grand Secretary. Your first decree is to thoroughly investigate the prefectures of Shuntian and Yingtian. Anyone found to be privately possessing Western scriptures or communicating with missionaries will have their entire family, numbering nine generations, exterminated. As for the foreigners staying at the Four Barbarian Institutes, no need for investigation. Simply dig a pit and bury them!"

Gao Gong felt a chill run down his spine and raised his court tablet high:

"Your humble servant obeys the decree!"

The biting wind, whipping up icy shards, lashed against the red walls. The distorted course of Ming history was forcibly steered back to its tragic trajectory by the swords of the Imperial Guards and border troops. The bells of reckoning had already tolled throughout the land.