The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 887 Power and Prosperity

In early May of the first year of Jingyan, the Tianxin City mutiny, led by low-level officers of the garrison and mainly composed of unemployed vagrants in Tianxin City, was eventually suppressed by the imperial guards stationed in the capital.

The mutiny resulted in the deaths of 23 Beijing officials and the casualties of more than 3,000 citizens.

In addition, thousands of houses and shops in the capital were burned down, countless vehicles and ships were destroyed, and even foreign cargo ships docked at the Han River wharf on the outskirts of the city were not spared.

Tianxin City was a river of blood and devastated.

The whole country was shocked. It should be noted that the capital had never suffered such a catastrophe since its construction.

The disastrous consequences caused by the blind xenophobia of several generations of Taizu Liu Zhaosun's system still continue to this day.

Foreign businessmen from various countries suffered heavy losses in the mutiny. Dozens of foreign businessmen and missionaries were killed by the mob, including a French ambassador.

The envoys of various countries expressed strong protest to the State of Qi, demanding severe punishment for the murderer and guaranteeing that similar incidents would never happen again.

The French ambassador ordered Qi to send an envoy of appropriate status to Paris to formally apologize to the French emperor and compensate for the corresponding losses.

After this incident, the perception of Qi among other countries further declined.

Decades of New Deal work were almost destroyed.

Influenced by the rebellion in Tianxin City, similar mutinies and riots occurred in various provinces. Fortunately, the governors and governors-general in various places made preparations in advance, which prevented a major chaos.

Between May and June of the first year of Jingyan, memorials were sent to Tianxin City from all over the country. Local officials unanimously demanded severe punishment for the rebels and asked the cabinet to introduce stricter laws to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Under internal and external pressure, the judicial authorities brought severe and expeditious trials to those involved in the rebellion.

The losses of Tianxin city residents and foreign businessmen were compensated in a timely manner.

At the same time, the cabinet urgently ordered Fujian Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Guo Chongtao to be the chief envoy to France, and Liu Hongxi to be the deputy envoy, to set off from Shanghai and cross the ocean to apologize to the French emperor.

In the following months, all those who participated in the mutiny were liquidated.

More than a dozen leading officers were sentenced to death and executed, and thousands were exiled to Siberia. If it were not for the emperor's amnesty, these people would have spent the rest of their lives in the bitter cold of Siberia, digging potatoes.

At this point, the tragedy known as the "April Countercurrent" finally came to an end after blood flowed like a river and heads rolled like dust.

History does not always move forward, and occasional countercurrents like this are inevitable.

It has to be said that in terms of punishing criminals, Qi's methods were quite similar to those of the already destroyed Rakshasa Kingdom.

I just don’t know whether Da Qi will end up like Luosha, and eventually share the same fate.

~~~~~~~~~~
September 5th, at dusk.

As usual, the regent Kang Guangxu went to the Wenhua Hall to pay his respects to the emperor.

At this time, the seven-year-old emperor Liu Fan had just finished a day of heavy homework and was lying listlessly at his desk.

The lecturer Li Shimian, with white hair and beard, stood upright facing Prime Minister Kang, bowed slightly, and then said goodbye and left Wenhua Hall.

The little emperor looked up and saw Kang Guangxu standing at the palace gate. He felt relieved as if he had seen his savior.

According to the "curriculum" formulated by Kang Guangxu and Zhang Tingyu for Emperor Jingyan, the daily curriculum of seven-year-old Liu Fan was as follows:
You have to get up before dawn and go to Wenhua Hall to listen to the daily lectures after breakfast.

The first class was to study "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy", the main content of which was celestial mechanics and terrestrial mechanics, the three laws of mechanics and the law of universal gravitation, etc. It was said to have been written by a count named Marton.

The little emperor needed to read and recite the text, and then the missionary Fu Ermen would give a lecture.

The second class was a calligraphy lesson, where Liu Fan was required to meticulously write several pieces of calligraphy, receiving guidance and constructive feedback from the calligraphy officials. The third class then focused on a selective reading of the "Zizhi Tongjian" (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government), exploring the patterns of rise and fall throughout the dynasties and drawing on the lessons of imperial rule found therein.

After three classes, it was already noon. After lunch, the emperor still had to learn the languages of European countries.

In addition, on the days before the court session, the young emperor needed to review economics or practice calligraphy. If he encountered any difficult questions, he should ask the ministers immediately after the lecture.

Throughout the year, there are no holidays except for the New Year and the coldest and hottest weather...

According to usual practice, as long as Kang Guangxu arrived, the little emperor's day's homework would be officially over, and this was also the time when Liu Fan was most relaxed.

"May I ask what your Majesty's homework is today?"

“Artificial Air.”

Kang Guangxu smiled and said, "Was it taught by Sir Cavendish? What exactly did he teach Your Majesty?"

Cavendish was the chief chemist of Da Qi. He was originally Swiss and came to Tianxin City in the first year of Tianshou.

The little emperor said in a childish voice, "Combining metals with acids produces hydrogen, which the Count calls 'flammable air,' and soluble acids, which he calls 'fixed air.' The Count also conducted experiments with me, measuring their solubility and specific gravity in water, and recording their flammability..."

Kang Guangxu was confused by what he heard. He knew nothing about chemistry, but he nodded approvingly and pretended that he understood.

"May I ask, Your Majesty, what did Lecturer Li say today?"

The young emperor said, "The Doctrine of the Mean talks about the achievements and virtues of the ancient sage Emperor Yao. It says that rulers, though extremely noble, must be honest, respectful, and humble. They must not allow even the slightest bit of pride or complacency in governing the world."

Kang Guangxu praised him, saying, "Your Majesty, with his sincere nature and virtue, has accomplished the great merit of the transformation of the world. Your teachings are profound and profound, truly sufficient to support the classics and scriptures, and to illuminate them for eternity."

The little emperor was anxious to go out and play, so he quickly changed the subject:

"Mr. Kang, why are you here so early today?"

Emperor Jingyan called Kang Guangxu Mr. Kang, while other officials of the Great Qi Dynasty called him Prime Minister, Cabinet Elder, and Minister of the Central Hall.

"Your Majesty, I just received a letter from Envoy Guo, informing you that he has arrived safely in Paris. I thought I'd come and tell the Emperor about it."

Reconciliation with France is undoubtedly what everyone is concerned about at the moment.

"What? Guo Chongtao has arrived in France! So soon?"

"Lord Guo is on a new sailing ship."

Upon hearing this, the little emperor jumped up immediately.

"What style is it? I want to see it!"

Seeing the emperor's disrespect, Kang Guangxu remained calm and said with a smile: "Did Lecturer Li ever say that it is impossible to be disrespectful to those in a superior position?"

The little emperor hurriedly sat down again and slowly put his feet down.

~~~~~~~~~
The conversation with the young emperor reminded Kang Guangxu of Zhang Juzheng of the previous dynasty, but he didn't know whether he could have a good end.

The reckless action in North America was stopped, and European countries demanded severe punishment for several generals of the pioneer group, but this request was rejected by Kang Guangxu.

Qi State guaranteed that there would be no further radical actions in North America, but if the pioneering group was severely punished as a result, this would be absolutely unacceptable.

The Tianxin City mutiny was suppressed, and a group of warmongers were severely punished. Kang Guangxu held a meeting with cabinet members to discuss the formulation and improvement of laws to prevent similar incidents from occurring.

(End of this chapter)