Rome, a city that fills us with immense pride in Western history.
Its status in the hearts of Westerners is comparable to that of Luoyang and Chang'an during the Han Dynasty.
At this time, Rome had a population of nearly 300,000, and was filled with enormous buildings: the Colosseum, temples, reliefs...
It must be said that the Romans did have their merits in architecture.
As the sun slowly rose in the east, the grand convoy prepared by Commodus and others for the Han Dynasty delegation slowly entered the city of Rome.
The roadsides were packed with Roman citizens who came to welcome them, though their main purpose was, of course, to watch the spectacle.
The visitors from the mysterious Eastern empire held immense appeal for the citizens of Rome.
Chu Qian, walking at the front of the group, greeted the Roman citizens on both sides of the road with a smile.
According to his observations, although the living standards of Roman citizens were not as high as those of the people of Luoyang, compared to other countries he had passed through, the clothing and complexion of Roman citizens were much better.
It was still the capital of the Roman Empire during its prosperous period. Although the lives of the lower-class citizens were hard, they were not so hard that they were on the verge of starvation.
As the procession entered the city center square, the number of people around them increased, and judging from their clothing and demeanor, they were much better off; these were clearly people of a certain status.
Marcus Aurelius stood on a high platform, watching the Han envoys enter the square with a smile on his face and his eyes full of anticipation.
He chose to meet the Han delegation in this square so that people would remember this great moment and also so that people could accept the culture of the Han Dynasty.
Although Marcus Aurelius was known as the philosopher-emperor, he was also considered the wisest man in Rome.
However, in his view, his so-called knowledge and wisdom were of little use to his position as emperor.
He knew that if he wanted to become a ruler like the Emperor of Han, the first thing he had to do was to abandon his past knowledge and start promoting the Confucian ideology of respecting the king.
It must be said that the reason why Confucianism has been able to stand firm for thousands of years is because its ideas perfectly meet the needs of rulers throughout history.
By using Confucian doctrines to change people's thoughts and perceptions, they could legitimize their ruling position.
This was also the main reason why Marcus Aurelius allowed Confucianism to enter Rome.
After all, Roman culture was not a direct inheritance from the Han Dynasty; it was mostly inherited from Greece and the conquered regions.
The most typical example is the Roman temples, which not only enshrined Greek gods, but also the gods of the conquered regions.
It can be said that Rome was a place with a very high degree of inclusiveness but a very low degree of assimilation. They could accept all kinds of things and doctrines, but they were unable to make them their own.
This is why Roman civilization, after being destroyed by barbarians, could never be reunited.
Just as Marcus Aurelius was distracted, a huge cheer suddenly erupted in the square.
Seeing Chu Qian walking slowly towards him, Marcus Aurelius smiled warmly and then called out loudly, "Welcome to Rome!!"
"I am Chu Qian, and I have been ordered by the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty to pay my respects to His Majesty the Emperor of Rome and to extend my greetings. I wish that your country and my Great Han Dynasty may exchange goods and maintain friendly relations for generations to come!"
Chu Qian also bowed respectfully to Marcus Aurelius in accordance with the etiquette of the Han Dynasty.
"Thank you for your greetings, Your Majesty the Emperor of the Han Dynasty. He is a great and visionary monarch. Please allow me, on behalf of all the subjects of Rome, to extend my greetings to Your Majesty the Emperor of the Han Dynasty!"
Upon hearing his subordinates translate Chu Qian's greetings, Marcus Aurelius also sincerely greeted the Emperor of Han.
Despite his poor health, Marcus Aurelius had a ruddy complexion and a strong voice, which resonated throughout the square.
The crowd fell silent, preparing to witness the momentous occasion of the first exchange between the two great empires of East and West.
Although many nobles in Rome were dissatisfied with Marcus Aurelius's rule, they had to admit the correctness of the Roman emperor's contact with the Han Dynasty.
Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, Chu Qian took out a bright yellow imperial edict and held it high in his hands.
"By order of the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty, we now present a letter of state to your esteemed nation!"
Under the watchful eyes of the Romans, Marcus Aurelius solemnly extended his hands and accepted the letter from the Han Dynasty.
Aside from some mutual flattery, the letter contained the contents of a series of treaties that Liu Hong had signed with the Roman envoy.
In addition to the mutual dispatch of officials, merchants, and missionaries, these treaties also included a proposal by Liu Hong for the two sides to form a joint naval fleet to safeguard the safety and smooth flow of maritime routes between the two countries and to promote deeper and closer exchanges.
Marcus Aurelius also sensed the sincerity of the Han emperor between the lines.
Marcus Aurelius then read the contents of the letter of credence aloud to all the people present.
Upon learning that His Majesty the Emperor of the Han Dynasty had invited them to visit the Han Dynasty, the crowd cheered once again.
Especially those adventurous young people and a group of merchants, they couldn't wait to set off for that mysterious Eastern empire.
Subsequently, at the invitation of Marcus Aurelius, Chu Qian, Jian Shuo, Zhang Bao, and military officers such as Huang Gai and Cheng Pu went to the Roman palace to further discuss cooperation between the two countries.
Kang Maode, on the other hand, led a group of young people to several Confucian scholars.
“Respected sirs, these people, like me, greatly admire the culture and etiquette of the Han Dynasty and the knowledge of you gentlemen. They wish to follow and learn from you. We hope that you will not despise them and will accept them!”
Commodus bowed respectfully to the Confucian scholars and explained the demands of the young nobles.
The elderly Confucian scholar at the head of the group chuckled and stroked his white beard: "As the sage said, 'In education, there should be no discrimination.' Since you are willing to learn, we will naturally not hold back!"
"Thank you, sir! We are always willing to listen to your teachings!"
Upon hearing this, Kang Maode's face lit up with joy. He bowed in thanks and quickly gestured to the people behind him.
"Thank you, sir!!"
The group of young nobles who had come with Commodus also followed his example and bowed.
Li Boming said with a smile, "Don't be in such a hurry to thank me. According to the interests of the Han Dynasty, you still need to do some preparations before you can become disciples..."
Subsequently, Li Boming explained in detail to Kang Maode and the others the various rituals and procedures for accepting apprentices and the gifts that needed to be given.
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