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In the first year of Yonghui, spring.

The morning in Luoyang was no different from yesterday.

The Sacrifice Tower still stands majestically, the Luo River still flows eastward, and the trams on Zhuque Avenue still depart on the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), carrying craftsmen going to work, vendors heading to the early market, and young children going to school, heading to every corner of this giant city.

But observant people will notice that the year at the end of the notices posted at the city gate has changed.

It was no longer "the sixty-first year of the establishment of the dynasty", but "the first year of the Yonghui era".

The new emperor ascended the throne and changed the era name to Yonghui. This name signifies "to forever inherit the glorious mandate and continue the dynasty without forgetting its past." Hui means beauty and goodness. Therefore, Yonghui signifies the perpetual continuation of benevolent governance and the enduring preservation of virtue.

.........

The Purple Palace, the Imperial Study.

Yi Junze sat alone at his desk, a thin booklet spread out in front of him. The cover of the booklet was blank, with only a small red seal on it.

This was the last thing his father left him after he ascended the throne. There were no elaborate instructions or lengthy admonitions, only this small booklet of less than a hundred pages, densely filled with his father's thoughts, reflections, and... some unfinished ideas on governing the country over the past sixty years.

Yi Junze had been watching it all night.

As dawn broke outside the window, he finally closed the book and stood up.

"Father..."

Yi Junze looked through the window lattice towards the majestic sacrificial tower in the distance.

That tower was the most illustrious symbol left by his father. But this thin booklet was the most precious legacy his father left him.

The booklet contained the Emperor's profound insights into the empire, his calm reflections on the policies of the past sixty years, and his vague anxieties about the future.

What touched Yi Junze the most was this passage:

"For sixty years, I have ruled with an iron fist, and the empire's territory is ten times larger than before, its population a hundred times larger, and its national strength a thousand times greater. Yet, under an iron fist, there are bound to be hidden pains. Under high pressure, there are bound to be cracks. The naturalized people resent my harshness, the controlled people resent my cruelty, and the laborers resent that I have cut off their livelihoods. Although the Han Chinese have benefited, they are also trapped by the hierarchy, easily offended, and dare not cross the line. The empire is like an iron bucket, incredibly solid, but those inside are all suffocating. The reason why things have succeeded in Nan Yinzhou is not because of my benevolence, but because those who are suffocating have found a place to breathe."

I did not change this situation during my reign because I seized power and the people feared my might and dared not disobey. If I were to show the slightest leniency, the villains would surely think my power had waned and would retaliate immediately. Therefore, I had no choice but to be strict, ruthless, and decisive.

But you are different. You ascended the throne at its zenith, and the world already fears the might of the empire, not just your individual power. You may show some leniency to win over the hearts of the people. But remember: leniency must be measured, and any change of course must be gradual. Sudden, drastic changes will inevitably lead to chaos.

"I have reigned for sixty years, and the systems I have established have all been adapted to the times. However, times change and circumstances change, and so do the systems. What I can foresee is limited to this. What I cannot foresee, you must fill in."

"Your temperament is gentle and kind, unlike my fierce nature. This is not a weakness, but your strength. Rigidity cannot last, nor can gentleness be maintained. Only by combining strength and gentleness can one achieve lasting success."

"However, remember this: the fundamental framework must not be altered. The distinction between Chinese and barbarians must not be abandoned, the hierarchical order must not be disrupted, and the dignity of imperial power must not be shaken. These three principles are the foundation of the empire. If the foundation is shaken, the edifice will collapse."

"Within this general framework, you may make adjustments as appropriate. For example..."

Next came dense annotations and suggestions. Some addressed specific issues, some offered general guidance, and some were even "unfinished business" written by Yi Huawei in recent years after reflection.

Yi Junze flipped through the pages one by one, becoming more and more shocked and impressed with each page.

Father was not unaware of the empire's problems. Environmental degradation, class stratification, resentment towards foreign tribes... Father saw all of these and wrote them all down in this stack of manuscripts.

Sixty years may seem like a long time, but for a vast empire spanning tens of thousands of miles and with a population of over two billion, sixty years is but a fleeting moment. Conquering this land, establishing this system, and getting this machine running had already exhausted all of the Emperor's energy.

Sixty years of oppressive rule were not because the emperor didn't understand appeasement, but because he had to use the toughest methods to first "form" this vast empire. Technological development required no expense; environmental development required tolerating short-term damage; and foreign tribes had to be subjugated with the most ruthless iron fist to deter them from any wrongdoing.

This was a "rapid march" that gambled with the fate of the nation.

Now, the forced march is over. The empire has taken shape, its territory is stable, and the Han Chinese population has achieved an absolute majority. What is needed next is not a forced march, but rather "rest and recuperation."

Let technology shift from unchecked growth to orderly development, let the environment shift from overexploitation to sustainable utilization, and let people from other ethnic groups shift from daring to be angry to willingly integrating.

These "unfinished business" are destined to be left to future generations.

Yi Junze closed the booklet and remained silent for a long time.

...............

The first day of the fourth month of the first year of the Yonghui era.

Yi Junze issued his first edict after ascending the throne: the "Edict on the New Policies of Yonghui".

The edict begins by praising the achievements of Emperor Shengzu Yihua Wei over sixty years, then immediately shifts its focus:
"I have inherited the throne and am filled with anxiety day and night. Our Holy Ancestor established the empire with his divine martial prowess, and in sixty years, the territory has expanded to thousands of miles and the people to hundreds of millions. However, even in this prosperous age, there are hidden worries. If the laws are too strict, the people will not be able to bear it; if the hierarchy is too rigid, resentment will grow; if expansion is too rapid, the environment will be destroyed; if the authority is too heavy, the channels of speech will be blocked. Although I am not clever, I am willing to carry on the legacy of the Great Ancestor and make some changes to the old laws to conform to the will of Heaven and the wishes of the people."

The imperial edict announced that, while retaining all existing institutions and systems, several new departments would be added:

The first is the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which is responsible for monitoring and controlling environmental pollution. Any industrial or mining enterprise that exceeds the standards for wastewater, waste gas, and waste residue emissions will be severely punished; those that excessively cut down forests will be ordered to replant; and those that seriously pollute rivers will be given a deadline for rectification. The EPA has one Director-General (rank 4) and two Deputy Directors-General (rank 4). It has three subordinate divisions: Monitoring Division, Pollution Control Division, and Legal Affairs Division, each with its own responsibilities.

The second was the "Ethnic Coordination Division," subordinate to the Xuanwei Envoy Division, which was specifically responsible for handling affairs related to naturalized people, tributary people, and labor service ethnic groups. Its duties included: accepting appeals from various ethnic groups, mediating ethnic disputes, supervising local officials to ensure fair law enforcement, regularly inspecting border regions, and reporting the conditions of various ethnic groups to the imperial court. The Ethnic Coordination Division was headed by one Director (rank four) and two Deputy Directors (rank five).

The third was the "Petition Office," independent of the Six Ministries and directly responsible to the Emperor. Commoners with grievances and nowhere else to appeal, and officials with suggestions but afraid to report to higher authorities, could submit their petitions to the Petition Office. The Petition Office was headed by one Director (a third-rank official) and two Deputy Directors (third-rank officials), and comprised the Reception Department, Verification Department, and Reporting Department. The establishment of the Petition Office signified that, for the first time, the Empire had a dedicated official channel to hear the voices of the common people.

Fourthly, the "Audit Office" was in charge of auditing the nation's finances. The revenue and expenditure accounts of the Six Ministries, the Protectorates, and the vassal states were to be reviewed annually by the Audit Office, and only after confirmation of accuracy could they be filed. The Audit Office had the authority to directly transfer any cases of corruption, embezzlement, or falsification to the Censorate and the Imperial City Guard for investigation and prosecution.

Fifthly, the "Translation Bureau" was responsible for translating, introducing, and publishing academic works from around the world. All classic texts on physics, medicine, mathematics, and agriculture from Persia, Arabia, India, Fulin, and even further afield were translated, printed, and distributed by the Translation Bureau for the study of the empire's students.

…………

At the end of the imperial edict, Yi Junze personally added a paragraph:

"I am no saint, and I am not without fault. The implementation of the new policies will inevitably have oversights. I hope that all my subjects will speak frankly and offer their advice, and work together to make this a great undertaking. If there are any feasible solutions, I will humbly accept them; if there are any drawbacks that are difficult to implement, I will correct them in time. Emperor Taizu's founding of the dynasty was arduous, and I dare not slacken in maintaining it. I wish to work together with you all."

This imperial edict was transmitted throughout the country by express courier at a speed of 600 li, and then instantly sent to each protectorate by telegram.

The world was shaken.

The first to feel the changes brought about by the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency were those factories that used to emit black smoke day and night.

In the western industrial zone of Luoyang, towering chimneys used to spew thick smoke day and night, obscuring the sky and choking people. In May of the first year of the Yonghui era, officials from the Environmental Protection Agency first appeared here.

Leading the team was Zheng Mingyuan, the first director of the Environmental Protection Administration, a thin, over fifty-year-old man. He was originally a secretary in the Ministry of Works' Land Reclamation Department, and had studied water and soil management for more than thirty years. He had repeatedly submitted memorials calling for attention to environmental pollution, but all to no avail. Now that the new emperor had ascended the throne, he was put to use, and he threw himself into his work with almost desperate enthusiasm.

"This factory's chimney is too low, allowing thick smoke to be emitted directly. It is fined five thousand taels of silver and given three months to rectify the situation!"

"This factory discharged wastewater directly into the Luo River, causing the fish and shrimp downstream to disappear. It is fined 10,000 taels of silver and ordered to immediately cease production for rectification. It can only resume operation after passing the inspection!"

"This factory is dumping coal slag indiscriminately, occupying 30 acres of farmland. In addition to a fine, all the coal slag must be transported to the designated landfill and the farmland restored to its original state!"

Some factory owners attempted to resist by secretly bribing officials from the Environmental Protection Agency. The next day, both the bribe-giver and the bribe-taker were taken away by the Imperial City Guard, their factories were shut down, their property confiscated, and their entire families exiled to northern Xinjiang. Once the news spread, no one dared to harbor any further ill intentions.

Three months later, a 300-page "Investigation Report on the Surrounding Environment of Luoyang" written by Zheng Mingyuan was placed on Yi Junze's desk.

The report's conclusions are alarming: within a 300-mile radius of Luoyang, 80% of the rivers are moderately or more polluted; the amount of coal smoke in the air is more than ten times what it was thirty years ago; large areas of land around the mines are covered with slag and barren; and the well water in some villages can even be ignited directly—because too much kerosene and chemical waste has seeped into the ground.

After reading the report, Yi Junze remained silent for a long time.

Subsequently, he ordered all factories that exceeded pollution standards to rectify their practices within six months, and those that failed to meet the standards by the deadline would be shut down.

This order caused a huge uproar in the Luoyang industrial zone. Some factory owners jointly wrote a letter, claiming that "the cost of rectification is too high and cannot be borne" and "who will be responsible for the shutdown of factories and the unemployment of tens of thousands of workers".

Yi Junze's reply remained concise: "The Environmental Protection Agency will send people to guide the rectification. If you are truly unable to rectify the situation, you can apply to relocate to the frontier. The empire is vast, and there are plenty of places for you to continue operating your factories. But Luoyang cannot continue like this."

Ultimately, seventeen factories, due to severe pollution and their inability to rectify the situation, were ordered to relocate to the territory of the Protectorate General of the Western Regions. The imperial court subsidized half of the relocation costs. Most of the remaining factories completed the rectification within the deadline—building wastewater treatment ponds and improving production processes.

Two years later, fish and shrimp began to reappear in the rivers around Luoyang.

The UNEP also did something significant: it launched a nationwide tree-planting campaign.

In the spring of the second year of the Yonghui era, the Environmental Protection Administration issued the "Afforestation Order": trees must be planted along both sides of railways and official roads; vegetation restoration must be carried out after mining is completed; and local governments are encouraged to organize people to plant trees on barren mountains and bald ridges, with the planted trees belonging to the planters.

For a time, from Liaodong to Lingnan, from Longyou to the East China Sea, crowds of people carrying saplings and shovels were everywhere. Mangshan Mountain outside Luoyang City, which was a barren mountain thirty years ago, had become a lush forest by the tenth year of Yonghui.

...............

The establishment of the Ethnic Affairs Agency is more sensitive than that of the Environment Agency.

For the past sixty years, the empire's policy toward foreign races has been primarily one of repression. The Han Chinese were given the highest status, followed by naturalized citizens, then those under imperial control, and finally, those conscripted for labor. This policy ensured the empire's stability and expansion, but it also accumulated a vast amount of resentment.

Small-scale riots, rebellions, and escapes have never ceased. Although each time they are swiftly suppressed, the root causes are never eliminated.

Yi Junze knew that this problem could no longer be solved using the old methods.

The first director of the Ethnic Affairs Bureau was a middle-aged civil official from the Xuanwei Envoy's Office. His surname was Pei and his given name was Huai Ren.

Pei Huai-ren served in the Western Regions for fifteen years, was fluent in Turkic, Persian, and Sogdian, and had a thorough understanding of the customs, beliefs, and demands of various ethnic groups. More importantly, during his time in the Western Regions, he mediated disputes between Han Chinese immigrants and local tribes on numerous occasions, and was known for his "fairness without losing his dignity."

The first thing Pei Huai-ren did after taking office was to establish "Ethnic Affairs Sub-offices" in major areas across the country where naturalized and detainees lived in concentrated communities, and to send special commissioners to handle various appeals.

These complaints were varied and numerous: some were from naturalized citizens suing Han Chinese landlords for seizing their land; some were from people under the control of the Han Chinese government demanding that the government honor the three-year tax exemption promised upon their submission; some were from naturalized women who had been seduced and abandoned by Han Chinese men and had no recourse; and some were even from laborers who secretly sent letters written in blood to accuse their overseers of mistreatment…

Pei Huai-ren's handling principles were: all cases with solid evidence and in accordance with imperial law should be handled impartially, regardless of whether the plaintiff was of Chinese or foreign ethnicity; cases without solid evidence or involving historical issues should be mediated as much as possible to give both parties a way out; appeals involving laborers should generally not be accepted, but if serious violations such as torture or abuse were involved, they should be secretly reported to the Imperial City Guard for investigation.

This principle neither challenges the fundamental interests of the Chinese community nor prevents other ethnic groups from seeking justice.

A year later, the riot rate in naturalized communities dropped by 40%.

...............

The revision of the Intermarriage Ordinance is the most controversial aspect of Yi Junze's new policies.

According to precedent, intermarriage between Chinese and naturalized citizens is prohibited. Violators will have both parties stripped of their naturalized citizenship.

This regulation has been in effect for thirty years without any change. Its original intention was to prevent the Chinese bloodline from being "tainted" and to prevent naturalized citizens from "mixing in" with the Chinese through marriage. However, the side effects are also obvious: countless truly loving couples have been torn apart; countless illegitimate children have become "unregistered" individuals, neither Chinese nor naturalized citizens; and ethnic barriers in border regions have become even more difficult to bridge.

Yi Junze's new regulations, which may seem to be just a change from "one-size-fits-all" to "conditional permission", actually contain profound wisdom.

Children whose father is of Chinese descent and whose mother is a naturalized citizen will be of Chinese descent.

This provision ensures "downward compatibility" for Chinese bloodlines. Chinese men can marry naturalized women, and their children will remain Chinese. This is a huge temptation for Chinese men: naturalized women are often more docile, more hardworking, and more likely to cherish a hard-won marriage.

Children born to a naturalized citizen whose father is a naturalized citizen and whose mother is of Chinese descent are naturalized citizens.

This clause serves as an "encouragement" for naturalized men—want to marry a Chinese woman? Sure. But your children will still be naturalized citizens. This means your descendants must put in twice the effort and go through the "citizenship advancement" system to have any chance of becoming Chinese in the future.

Women who marry naturalized citizens automatically lose their Chinese ethnicity; the same applies to men who marry into naturalized families.

This provision effectively blocked the path for Han Chinese women to "become compatible with their ethnicity." If a Han Chinese woman insisted on marrying a naturalized man, she had to relinquish her inherent Han Chinese identity and share both joy and sorrow with her husband. This was both a test of "love above all else" and a disguised form of protection for Han Chinese bloodlines.

The new regulations have sparked much discussion both within and outside the government.

Some Chinese scholars criticized the new regulations as "corrupting the Chinese bloodline," while some naturalized youths cheered, "Finally, we have the opportunity to marry Chinese women." Some Chinese women were angry, "Why can men marry naturalized women, but we can't?" Some naturalized women secretly rejoiced.

Yi Junze declined to comment on these matters.

He said the following to a few key ministers at a small, private meeting:

"Eight hundred million Han Chinese, six hundred million naturalized citizens, four hundred million under house arrest, and over one hundred million laborers. These two billion people must coexist on the same land. Forcibly separating them will inevitably lead to collapse one day. Give them a crack, let them squeeze in, fight for it themselves. Those who squeeze in have skill; those who emerge have luck; and those who fail to fight for it should not blame the court." (End of Chapter)