The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 863: Tianshou Three-Year Reform Strategy
In the winter of the second year of Tianshou, the deposed Crown Prince Liu Wuji was sentenced to death for ten major crimes including treason, patricide, and treason. He was executed in the capital on the day of Tiansheng Festival. All his property was confiscated, and the rest of his followers were also beheaded and exiled. It is not necessary to elaborate on this.

Previously, Emperor Guangde had abolished the system of collective responsibility, and Empress Tianshou did not kill all the rebels' families. After a long public trial, most of the rebels' families were pardoned.

Otherwise, Tianxin City will be flooded with blood, and countless people will die.

Like the eldest princess, the deposed prince was finally buried with dignity next to the tomb of his father, Emperor Guangde Liu Kan.

"He is my elder brother after all, so he should have the dignity of a royal family!"

According to the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty, traitors like Liu Wuji were not qualified to enter the imperial mausoleum, let alone the Taimiao.

However, Empress Tianshou ignored the advice of veteran ministers such as Kang Guangxu and insisted on burying her brother in the imperial mausoleum by relying on the precarious imperial power.

Kang Guangxu stroked his beard and trembled as he said, "One person's heart reflects the hearts of thousands of people. Is it possible that Your Majesty is the only one who has a brother as his closest relative?"

What the Prime Minister meant was that because of Liu Wuji's rebellion, more than a million people lost their loved ones.

However, Empress Tianshou was determined, just as she was when she put down the rebellion. She pointed at the ministers and scolded them like a shrew:

"This is my family affair, and you have no right to interfere! The Crown Prince simply wanted to restore the old ways of the Taizu and the system of polarization. He had no selfish motives. Why bother to scatter the ashes of a dead man?"

After these words were spoken, all the ministers fell silent.

In other words, Liu Wuji's original intention was good, but his subordinates made mistakes during the execution process.

~~~~~~~~~~~
On the nineteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Christina, the biological mother of the deposed crown prince and a Swedish woman who had been trapped in the harem since the Jingnan Rebellion, died of illness in despair and fear.

The old queen's body was not discovered until three days after her death by a palace maid. Fortunately, it was the coldest time of the year, otherwise the consequences would have been disastrous...

There are rumors that Christina was poisoned to death.

The empress immediately sent imperial physicians to the Cining Palace to perform an autopsy, but no signs of poisoning were found.

Finally, the Queen ordered that the Swedish Queen be buried next to Emperor Guangde's mausoleum.

In this way, Emperor Guangde's family was arranged neatly together.

The death of the Swedish Queen marked the collapse of opposition to the New Deal.

An era has ended.

At the end of the second year of the Tianshou reign, the Empress announced to the world that she would abide by Emperor Guangde's wishes and carry out the New Deal to the end. She also announced that she would permanently abandon overseas territories such as Australia, Yinzhou, and Japan, and that the garrisons in various locations would be gradually withdrawn.

On New Year's Day of the third year of Tianshou, all the ministers came to pay their respects as usual.

The ceremony had just ended when the Queen asked for advice from her ministers:

"The previous emperor died midway through his reforms, and now the new policies are still unfinished. The treasury is empty, and the people are living in poverty. This is truly a critical moment for our survival!"

Emperor Taizu Liu Zhaosun was a warmongerer and the world was in turmoil. He raised military funds to attack Japan, Annan and other countries. He collected taxes until the 90th year of Wuding, which was the 29th year of Tianshou. Even during the reign of Emperor Guangde, he was unable to repay these debts (to be precise, he did not even pay the interest).

"We are saddled with debt, and foreign investors are pressing for repayment. We are desperate for a spark. I heard that Deutsche Bank has officially rejected our request for an extension, demanding repayment by three months or they will withdraw all our factories... Other countries are doing the same. I wonder if you, my dear ministers, have any good plans to save our country?"

The ministers were silent.

Veteran ministers such as Kang Guangxu, Chen Mingxia, and Jiang Bailing all looked solemn.

The ministers had long heard about the huge debt, but they had not expected the situation to become so deteriorating.

Affected by the war, foreign trade in Tianxin City, Guangzhou and other places suddenly decreased, and foreigners who immigrated to Da Qi left one after another, taking away astronomical amounts of gold and silver.

The imperial court was worried about causing fear among foreign investors, so it did not take any measures to stop the outflow of foreign capital and completely let it go.

Thousands of jobs also disappeared along with the Europeans. In Guangzhou's Fourteen Factories alone, thousands of interpreters lost their jobs that supported their families overnight.

Not to mention the boatmen in Jiangling, the porters in Tianxin City, and the millions of Cao workers who depend on them for food and clothing. Just thinking about these things makes one's scalp tingle.

"Prime Minister Kang, what do you think?"

Kang Guangxu said solemnly: "Your Majesty, all the countries are worried that Da Qi will become isolated again..."

"No!" The Queen slammed the table and stood up. "Tell the Europeans that the Great Qi will remain the same as before, as it was during the reign of Emperor Guangde. I will be the same as my father! Committed to open and inclusive trade..."

"Your Majesty!" Chen Mingxia couldn't help but interrupt, "The late emperor loved European culture." Empress Tianshou said excitedly, "I can love Europe too!"

"Your Majesty..." Chen Mingxia hesitated to speak.

The empress glanced at the ministers, realizing that something was amiss in the atmosphere. She quickly defended herself, "The Queen's death has nothing to do with me. The so-called poisoning is just a rumor! Do you believe it?!"

Kang Guangxu said cautiously: "Of course we don't believe it, but the foreign envoys stationed in the capital do, and the gentlemen far away in London and Paris do."

Queen Tianshou sat dejectedly on the dragon throne.

The three-foot-thick ice did not form overnight. The current decline of all industries in the Great Qi and the poverty of the people are not a matter of one day or one night. Previously, Emperor Guangde had exempted tenants from rent and taxes for three years. Although the emperor's grace was great, it was only a drop in the bucket. Last year, many provinces suffered poor harvests and trade was forced to be interrupted. It is difficult to repay the debts owed to the Europeans.

The Queen turned and looked at the Minister of Finance Chen Mingxia.

"Master Chen, how much silver do you owe them in total?"

Chen Mingxia listed all the details, "Your Majesty, including the long-term war bonds issued this year to suppress the rebels, the outstanding domestic and foreign debts total 78.78 million taels of silver."

Kang Guangxu added: "The court can't even pay the interest now."

In an instant, the empress regretted listening to the ministers' lies, gave up her secluded life, and came down the mountain to become the emperor who put out the fire.

"Things have come to this. Foreigners cannot be trusted. If you have any good ideas, please tell us."

Kang Guangxu stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have heard that when the late emperor was alive, there was a plan to divide the Great Qi into several small countries, allowing each to govern itself. This way, we can avoid the proliferation of corruption and achieve great order by adapting to local conditions..."

"Let Da Qi split?"

Kang Guangxu nodded: "The movement is scattered but the spirit is not scattered."

Queen Divine Right bit her lip and motioned for the Prime Minister to continue.

"My opinion is that, since the Six Ministries have been abolished, it would be wise to divide financial and personnel powers among the various provinces, allowing each region to formulate laws based on its own conditions and granting more power to prefecture and county governors. Of course, these governors would have to be elected by the regions and appointed by Your Majesty... In short, with the exception of military power, many powers could be decentralized. This way, each province could focus on filling gaps and resolving its own debts."

The Queen gasped.

Although her father and grandfather had both gasped, this time, Queen Tianshou was still shocked.

She tried not to show surprise or anger, but instead gestured for the discussion to continue.

If the new policies are to continue to advance and if freedom, equality, human rights, pluralism, democracy, constitutionalism, etc. are to be truly realized in Da Qi, the imperial power must continue to make concessions.

If small concessions aren't enough, make more.

Empress Tianshou murmured to herself: "The king is under the law, the king is under the law."

She knew that she would eventually become a symbol of the empire, rather than a dictator with the power of life and death like her grandfather and brother.

Kang Guangxu said earnestly: "Your Majesty, only in this way can we strengthen our confidence, overcome the crisis, and ensure the eternal security of the imperial power."

The Queen recalled the scene of her father taking her to recite the Tao Te Ching when she was a child.

Road to Road, very Avenue.

She pondered for a moment and sighed, "This is a serious matter and should be considered carefully. You should plan carefully first."

The reform plan proposed by Kang Guangxu was too radical. It would split the Great Qi and directly transition from the post-polar circle system to a constitutional monarchy. Not only the Emperor Tianshu himself, but many people would probably find it difficult to accept it.

But if we don’t start now, when will we start?

The original intention of the New Deal was to ensure that all people would have independence, freedom and equality, and that individual dignity and rights would be protected.

The Queen believed that this was a sign that the Qi people were moving from barbarism to civilization.

If the era of Taizu was about constantly practicing the taming of humans, turning them into machines, cattle, horses, and wild beasts, then the new policy presided over by Emperor Guangde was to achieve the taming of the emperor by humans and to protect human dignity and rights.

"My father's spirit in heaven will surely bless my daughter to successfully implement this reform."

(End of this chapter)