As if by agreement, they fell into a tense silence that was open on one end only; it was up to Tsunenaga to break it. He had to admit to himself that, since he’d departed for Spain seven years before, his life had consisted of a continuous series of reversals and frustrations. He’d failed to negotiate a trade route with Spain, he’d failed to obtain missionaries from the Pope, he’d failed to warn the lord of Sendai, and now he was going to fail to win China for Christ. “What am I doing here?”
“You’re here to provide me with a broader perspective. It isn’t thanks to Chinese rites or Chinese medicine or Chinese wisdom that I’m alive. Last night I ordered old archives to be brought to me. I spent hours reviewing the astronomical charts the Jesuits brought with them. I don’t know what half of it all means, but it does help me realize our situation. We close our ears at our peril. We need to abandon this poisonous idea that other cultures have nothing to teach us.”
Tsunenaga didn’t even think about it. “Is Your Majesty willing to listen to the teachings of the Heavenly Lord?”
“That’s not exactly where I was planning to start, but what have you got?”
He hesitated. He wanted to request a different translator; Spanish and Portuguese didn’t always harmonize with each other. “Excuse me, Your Majesty, but where is Ma Liang?”
“I don’t know. He must be on some other assignment. You’d have to ask the Chief Eunuch.” Seeing that Tsunenaga didn’t reply to that, he pressed on, “What is this doctrine that you’re so eager to tell me about?”
He resisted looking at the translator. His faith was struggling with his fear that the perennial truths he was going to repeat from memory would not be transmitted in full. He started very carefully, and begged God for guidance. “It is a doctrine of love, repentance, and forgiveness. We are all called to love the Heavenly Lord.”
“Who is your Heavenly Lord?”
“The maker of all things.” He hated to use such simplified terms, but he wanted to make sure nothing was distorted. “You— I mean, anyone who wants to become holy has to first repent of their sins and be reconciled to the Son of the Heavenly Lord.”
“You keep adding characters to the story. Now who’s the Son?”
“He is the promised king who will one day judge the world. All are destined to kneel before him.”
The Emperor smiled. “Tell me more.”
And thus did Hasekura Tsunenaga make his third mistake.
Afternoon, October 19 (Gregorian), 1620
Beijing
By order of the Emperor, Hasekura Tsunenaga was moved from the soldier barracks to a proper house in Beijing. Over the intervening weeks, Jesuit preachers were ordered to return from their exile in Macau. Having the opportunity to speak to these missionaries and to take communion again gave Tsunenaga great joy; they likewise let him know they were hopeful for the future of the Church in China as a result of his influence over the Emperor. Almost every day, he’d been summoned to explain the fundaments of the religion to him: the commandments, the sacraments, the kingdom of God, the position of Jesus, and particularly the story of Constantine, the man who had converted a whole empire. So well did these conversations go that Tsunenaga wasn’t entirely surprised when the Ministry of Rites announced that the Emperor was going to make a big public proclamation at the Gate of Heavenly Peace, where the inner city of Beijing connected with the Forbidden City. As the day advanced, word of mouth brought thousands to witness the ceremony, which was being prepared with pompous decorations and music. Tsunenaga hadn’t been personally invited in any official position at the event, but he couldn’t help thinking it must have to do with his efforts. The Jesuits were suspecting as much; they were already thanking God for having given the Church another Constantine.
After an extended absence from her duties, Xiaobo had finished recovering from her drug-induced illness. She never explained to Tsunenaga why she’d vanished for all those days; even when she hadn’t been able to avoid Lady Zheng’s machinations, she would not give her her victory.
She regretted not having been present during Tsunenaga’s private talks with Taichang; who knew what could have been misunderstood in the passage from Spanish to Portuguese to Chinese. Zheng had disrupted the most crucial part of her plan, which had been precisely to seek a chance to introduce her own variations to the message. The last thing Islam needed was to compete with an official religion that wasn’t itself.
She went to the Gate of Heavenly Peace when the square was already filling with all kinds of curious people, and she thought she’d like to have a word with Tsunenaga before it all started, but she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see the Emperor’s sister, Princess Rongchang, dressed in full regalia. The next thing she saw, which threatened to make her insides ill again, was Lady Zheng’s father guarding the princess.
“Good afternoon, Your Highness,” said Xiaobo, attempting to not let her nervousness show in her kowtow.
“I was looking for you, Liang.”
“You were?” She didn’t even know the princess knew she existed.
“I’ve been meaning to thank you personally for the way you saved my brother’s life.”
“It pleases me to serve.” She maintained eye contact to resist the temptation to examine Lady Zheng’s father, whom the princess couldn’t have brought by chance. “Does Your Highness know what the Emperor is going to say today?”
“I’m as clueless as everyone. But, like everyone, I guess it has to do with that Japanese friend of yours.”
“That’s the word around the palace, indeed. But beyond that, I have no idea what’s going on.”
“What exactly has that man been telling my brother?”
“I gather he’s been continuing the work of Jesuits and teaching him his religion.”
The princess frowned. “That’s what I feared. Only days ago, it looked like your friend was going to leave China as soon as he was done with his barbarian magic.”
“Your Highness must have heard that the Emperor himself ordered that he stay in China.”
“Do you think it was a good idea?”
“I wouldn’t presume to judge the Emperor’s decisions.”
Rongchang sighed and adopted a more empathetic tone. “You don’t need to be wary of me. I really need to know what you think.”
Xiaobo looked around meaningfully, and the princess caught her intent. “I suggest we get away from the crowd.”
So the three of them walked toward one side of the square, where they might not hear the announcement as clearly, but they had fewer random ears passing by. It wasn’t enough to make Xiaobo feel any less exposed, so when she spoke, she strived to be careful still. “The Emperor was very impressed with the efficacy of the ambassador’s prayers.”
The princess stopped her, raising a hand. “Now, let’s not fool ourselves. Don’t pretend my brother was saved because your barbarian friend prayed over him. He was saved because you convinced my son to strengthen the vigilance in the palace and keep an eye on the court medic.”
Xiaobo didn’t bother hiding she felt caught off guard. “Does the Emperor see it that way?”
“Who under the heavens has any idea of what my brother thinks? I don’t try to untangle that. It need not be anyone’s concern. What matters is that all threats to my brother have been dealt with.”
The way the princess looked at Xiaobo was clearly meant to convey she knew more than she was saying. “Was there something you wanted to tell me, Your Highness?”
“I know how you saved my brother.” She pointed at her guard and said, “You schemed to have this traitor removed from the palace.” Both he and Xiaobo jumped at those words. The guard looked at the princess, then at Xiaobo, with rising alarm. “It surprised me as much as it did you,” Rongchang continued, now speaking to him, “that you were so suddenly called to serve as my personal bodyguard. The truth is I didn’t ask for you. This eunuch,” she pointed at Xiaobo, “forged my handwriting to have you transferred. That was a clever choice. He had the authority to simply order you to come into my service, but that would have alerted you that the Eastern Bureau was aware of your treachery, as well as your daughter’s.” She waited for him to say anything, but no word came out. She gave an annoyed sigh. “You may leave. I didn’t request your services, and I don’t need them.”