After a monastery outside the city, Zhu Wenkui and others held a ceremony and left sacrifices in front of a new grave here.

A priest with them explained the rituals to a group of newly arrived retainers of the Wu Palace.

"Our tradition here is that when a good person dies, he will be taken to heaven by an angel under St. Peter, where he will go through various formalities and register all kinds of deeds in his life, so as to get a corresponding place in heaven. This process is detailed, because no one can hide it from the Heavenly Father and the heavenly officials who are in His duty at His command. But because of this, it takes a while for the angels to sort through the many documents. The priest said.

Moreover, seven days is a Sabbath. The spirits of the angels and the deceased will be on this day off and move freely. So, on this day, the soul of the deceased returns to earth. Relatives and friends who are still alive will hold sacrifices on this day to entertain and comfort him. At the end of the day, the soul will return to heaven and come back again on the next Sabbath. ”

"After seven Sabbaths, the angels in heaven have enough time to get all their affairs done. The deceased good will also be formally placed to bask in the radiance of the Father forever and live happily in heaven. If you don't have any special tasks, you won't come to the mortal world again. So, after seven Sabbaths, our memorial service is over. ”

"That's what I said." The new retainers showed expressions one after another: "As worthy of being a Roman, etiquette is thoughtful." ”

While speaking, everyone followed Zhu Wenkui to the last tomb, placed the offerings, ceremoniously cleaned the cross in front of the tomb, and then greeted the tomb according to the etiquette. On the cross, it is engraved with "The tomb of Du Gong, the avant-garde commander of the late Wu Domain".

"Let's take a look here, too. Is this pinyin written correctly? After the brief ceremony, Zhu Wenkui beckoned the two monks at the end of the line to come over.

On the back of the cross, in Latin letters, is written the pronunciation of the full name of "Karl Duvalc", the approximate year of birth, and the time of death. The monks checked and told him that there was no problem.

Tuhuan and Guo Kang were also in the team, following Zhu Wenkui. Seeing that they went to check the text, Tuhuan also followed, you looked at the line of words, and asked, "This pinyin seems to be different from ours." ”

"Yes. There are so many dialects in this part of Europe. Everyone has different sounds, and it is very rare to express the pronunciation. Zhu Wenkui said: "The pronunciation of Bohemia has not had a corresponding phonetic symbol for a long time, and it can only be rigidly set with the Latin alphabet, so there have always been many mismatches." ”

"Moreover, after all, they have no text, only this pinyin. If you make a mistake, you are likely to make a mistake and make it difficult to understand. Some phonetic methods are simply inaccurate, and in this way, they may even become completely different things after a few villages. ”

"So, on the one hand, we need to standardize everyone's pronunciation, and on the other hand, we must also find a more accurate way to record. Now not only on our side, but also many scholars in Bohemia are also studying this. The set of pinyin they are using now is the result of the 'Hussite orthography', which is the latest and most accurate set at present. ”

"Oh, they also made it up with Father Hu." Tuohuan nodded: "Then he must have done a lot of solid work." No wonder it's so prestigious. ”

"Yes, Father Hu came from a poor background, but he was very studious since he was a child. Relying on diligent study and hard study, he has achieved today's achievements, and he can be regarded as a typical scholar. Such a person is respected by everyone everywhere. Zhu Wenkui said unexpectedly: "It is also a good thing to be able to do a good job in the phonetic work." In this way, our future work will be much easier. ”

"If he likes, he can invite him to Dadu as a guest." Tuhuan said to the two monks: "Our pinyin sorting work needs such experienced talents to support us. When the time comes, just let him go directly to Guo Kang Anda. ”

"It's true that we didn't have our own writing before, but you do, and even we have a lot of people who respect your writing." One monk wondered, "Why study phonetic symbols when there is a more perfect script?" ”

"Oh, this one is different." The monastery priest next to him told him: "You have just arrived, and you probably don't know these theories yet. At present, we have done a more in-depth study of the study of language and writing. I'll give you a rough overview of these concepts, and you'll get to know it. ”

"First of all, it's not the characters that are written down that are called 'words'. It is said that before the Tower of Babel, there was only one language. After that, although the language is separated, Heavenly Father will always leave people with hope and opportunity for correction. This opportunity is words. ”

"By studying doctrines and historical texts, we can be sure that in the earliest days of mankind, there was also only one written language. And, unlike language, this primitive script has not been eliminated, but has been continuously improved. In the earliest times, the text may have survived in more than one place. If the Central Plains is too far away, if you go to Egypt a little closer, you can still see this kind of ancient writing on the stone walls and steles of the ancient era. ”

Later, the original texts that remained in other places gradually disappeared for various reasons. But Chinese characters have been handed down and are still in use today. At present, this is the only one, which is considered a 'text'. ”

"The other record symbols we use are all pinyin characters. Including the Greek alphabet and the Latin alphabet, these are only tools for recording pronunciation, not words in the real sense. ”

"That's the ...... concept," the two monks looked like they were eye-opening: "No wonder everyone says that the East is the place favored by the Heavenly Father, and the objects that flow out there are all treasures here." At that time, when King Wu recruited us, he said a little, and it was already very fascinating. It seems that we still need to learn from others. ”

"Ah, it's not so exaggerated...... it may be that Daddy is too outrageous, Zhu Wenkui is a little embarrassed: "You don't have to be too entangled, these are very simple knowledge, sometimes you don't need to be taught, you can experience it if you see a lot." When there is a need, it is easy for a learned person to find out by himself. Look, didn't Father Hu just notice this problem without a teacher and start studying Zhuyin? ”

"The Church in Rome does not support our research." The monk who asked the question told him: "They think that Latin is sacred and that we cannot use our own script...... Oh no, letters, to make a record. ”

"Ignore him." Tuhuan disagreed: "Even non-clergy like me know that the current Latin scriptures are not given by God, but translated by Jerome, the great scripture master of the year. He relied on the original, also in Greek and Hebrew—isn't this just a bunch of phonetic symbols flipping around? What is sacred and not sacred. ”

"I thought this was common sense, but I didn't expect them to really fool people with this." He shook his head: "The only word, which is also a sacred word, is only Chinese characters. The other phonetic symbols, strictly speaking, are just tools for marking pronunciation. Some may be more comprehensive, mature and easy to use, but theologically speaking, there is no distinction between high and low. You can use it with confidence. ”

"So, what kind of work is Mr. Guo engaged in?" The monk asked, "Perhaps we could really send a letter to Father Huss to ask about it." ”

"I'm also organizing people to study pinyin." Guo Kang said: "As you know just now, Chinese characters are a script, and they are not the same thing as phonetic symbols at all, nor do they contradict them - so not only do we not oppose it, but we actually support your research." But on the other hand, it is not very convenient for Chinese characters to be used for phonetics. So far, whether it is in Han China or Rome, it is very troublesome to promote the common official dialect Yayin. Therefore, I hope that I can also design a set of appropriate phonetic rules for it. ”

"And, in a religious sense, we in the universal Church should also have a set of universal pronunciation rules." He went on to explain: "We are not going to seek to unify all languages, this goal is too ambitious, and it is too unrealistic to think about it now. But at the very least, we should study a set of standardized phonetic methods that can be widely used. ”

"It's just as ambitious." The monk said truthfully: "I don't know if it's feasible. ”

"Theoretically, there must be." Guo Kang nodded: "The phonetic symbol itself is meaningless, just a marker. Just like the Latin alphabet can be changed, it can also be marked with the Bohemian language; The Greek alphabet can be changed to mark the Slavic language, and this system itself can be artificially designed. ”

"Now that we have a universal belief and a universal language, then a set of universal phonetic methods should also be feasible. Based on the solid Chinese characters and this universal and rigorous phonetic method, there is no need to worry about problems in the transmission process of the classics. With the combination of the two, accurate and concise documents can be used for easy preservation; Our clergy can also be trained according to the needs of the local faithful to facilitate the spread of the gospel. This method of killing two birds with one stone is certainly much more clever than the current situation. ”

"That's what I mean." The monk understood.

"Of course, what I'm saying is good, and the actual work will definitely be more troublesome." Guo Kang added: "If you want to do a good job of Zhuyin, it is definitely impossible to do it behind closed doors. The Cyrillic alphabet, as I have just mentioned, was developed by the brothers St. Cyril and St. Methotius, who spent a great deal of effort in the Moravian region where they preached, and who studied and studied in depth and borrowed from a variety of existing alphabets. ”

"Moravia is right next door to you, and you should know that. Fr. Hus's study of the Bohemian alphabet probably has something to do with his years of grassroots experience. People who squat in the cathedral every day can't do these things. Therefore, it will be a long-term job, and it will require scholars with a lot of experience and the ability to act. Experts like him, we definitely welcome. ”

The monk who asked the question thanked him again, but the other monk hesitated.

"We can help with the letter, but I doubt Father Huss will come." He hesitated for a moment, but still said directly: "He is paying attention to the ecumenical council scheduled for next year. For him, this meeting is important and requires a lot of preparation, so there may not be time in the near future. ”

"Why are you having another meeting?" Tuohuan asked.

"Your Highness may not know that Sigismund has always been reluctant to accept the failure of the last assembly. This meeting, which he also convened, still wanted to solve the problem of church division. The monk replied.

"Does he have the ability to do this...... Tuhuan complained: "Last time, he had to hold a meeting, and the two opposing Bishops of Rome were divided into three; If you open it again this time, are you going to open four? ”

"I don't think these people can do it." He shook his head again and again: "They can't even do the position of bishop of Rome now. Although they have always been hostile to each other, to be honest, I feel that they have disgraced us to worship God. Since everyone worships one God, for the sake of the Father's face, how much more can we fight? This is known, even we have to be laughed at together......"

"It's normal if it doesn't work. The Church of Rome has been in the midst of barbarism for so many years. Even if there is the legacy of St. Peter, and there are great scripture masters who are trying to save it, the process of Huhua is inevitable. Zhu Wenkui also sighed: "Today's plan, it is estimated that we have to take action." ”

"Sooner or later, we'll have to intervene in this kind of thing." Guo Kang said: "They have sacrificed so many people for us, we can't ignore it." And, for the Father's sake, we should indeed give the parishioners a hand. ”

"Yes, we have limited strength now, otherwise, we would have fought back to Rome a long time ago." Tuhuan also said: "Guo Kanganda and I want to invite Father Hu to come, but we also see that there is more and more chaos over there, he is on the cusp, I am afraid that it will be unsafe." On our side, at least no one dares to do anything crooked. ”

"Really? Thank you, everyone! ”

Other bohemians also came over to greet them and thank them. Others directly began to urge the two monks to hurry up and send the letter.

"I'll give him more details." The two monks looked at each other and replied, "But...... To be honest, we still don't think he's coming. ”

"Huh? Why? ”

"You guys write it first, and then you ......"

The crowd began to gossip.

"Okay, okay, don't worry." Captain Jeska hurriedly stopped them: "Listen to these two brothers first!" ”

"We're from Prague, and of course we know what's going on there." One of the monks said, "But Father Hus really wanted to go, and everyone couldn't persuade him." When someone went to say it, he comforted them, saying that Sigismund had promised him that he would keep him safe, and that he would explain his views and debate them in front of all the religious circles of Europe. ”

"I have heard that when Father Hu was young, he was a well-informed and well-known scholar. At the age of 30 he became dean, and two years later he became rector of the University of Prague. Not only did he often walk around the people, but he also had many contacts with the court and the church. Zhu Wenkui asked: "He won't believe this promise, right?" ”

"Yes, it is better to believe in Sigismund's mouth than to believe that I am a heavenly brother." Tuohuan pouted: "Why is he confused at a critical time?" ”

"It's not that he's confused, he does know very well the history of these people. Moreover, there are many people who dissuade him. The monk replied, "It's not that we haven't read and are so foolish." The mainstream opinion of everyone has always been not to go. But ......"

He sighed and said, "Father Huss has taken his ideas too seriously. I suspect he went with the intention of martyrdom. ”

The crowd was silent for a moment.

"What's the picture......" Tuhuan muttered.

"On behalf of us wanderers, I would like to thank a few of you for your concern." In the end, it was Captain Jaska who came out and said, "Leave the rest to me." ”

Seeing him say this, everyone said no more, and under the guidance of the priest, they left the cemetery.

(End of chapter)

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