The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 900 The Emperor's Mercy

The Central Guards were stationed at various gates of the capital, and the Suoyi Guards increased their security. The demonstrations and rallies in Tianxin City subsided considerably, and the turbulent situation suddenly cooled. In October, the Suoyi Guards arrested some looters, closed down two radical newspapers, and expelled a group of foreign forces who had been eager to see the excitement. The capital was now safe, and everything seemed to be returning to normal.

However, anyone with a discerning eye knows that beneath this apparent peace, there are actually undercurrents.

The emperor's majesty can only temporarily deter a group of villains, and a larger-scale unrest is brewing.

A feeling of restlessness spread in the capital.

~~~~~~~~~~
The lights in the Qianqing Palace were bright. After Emperor Jingyan finished dealing with state affairs, he ordered the eunuch Huang An to summon the commander of the straw raincoat guards to enter the palace overnight.

"Is the Emperor going to take action?"

The eunuch Huang An was the emperor's confidant and did not have many reservations when speaking.

Liu Fan shook his head and said, "I'm not good at killing people."

Now if the emperor wants to kill someone, he has to go through many procedures and the prime minister must agree to the cabinet review before it can be approved.

The imperial power that once had the power to decide life and death is gone forever.

The emperor added: "I don't know enough about those who want me dead."

Not only was it not enough, Liu Fan couldn't even name any of the opposition leaders, let alone start a dialogue with them.

Huang An took the order and left.

Liu Fan also ordered to inform Queen Mary that she was busy with state affairs and could not go to the Cining Palace tonight.

"Your Majesty hasn't seen Empress Ma for three days..." The palace maid hesitated to speak.

Since Queen Mary entered the palace, she was renamed Queen Ma by the palace maids and eunuchs.

Although Liu Fan didn't like this title (it reminded him of Empress Ma of Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty), he didn't interfere too much and was used to it now.

"If love lasts forever, it doesn't matter if we're together day and night. The Queen will understand my difficulties. All of you, please leave."

The palace maids and eunuchs all retreated, and the emperor stared at the empty hall and fell into deep thought again.

Half an hour later, Wu Zhongguo was led to the palace gate by Eunuch Huang.

Seeing that there was no one around, the commander-in-chief of the straw raincoat guards quickly reached out and stuffed a stack of banknotes into Huang An's sleeve. Huang An neither refused nor accepted it immediately. He just looked at Wu Zhongguo carefully.

Wu Zhongguo felt uneasy when he was looked at, fearing that he would get into big trouble.

Ever since returning from Nagasaki, he had been apprehensive, worried about whether the emperor would punish him. Given the current system of the Great Qi, a direct punishment was unlikely, but since he'd done all the dirty work, there was no guarantee the emperor would resort to extreme measures.

"Eunuch Huang, His Majesty summoned me so late at night. I wonder why?"

Huang An then crumpled up the banknotes in his sleeve and stuffed them in. Then he looked around and said in a low voice, "It's still the same things happening on the street."

Wu Zhongguo quickly asked, "Are you going to kill someone?"

The Capital City's Suoyi Guards have been abandoned for a long time, having long lost the sharpness they had during the Taizu era. These people may be able to extort money from a few impoverished families in Tianxin City, but if they are really asked to capture that large group of thugs, I'm afraid they will scatter before they even gather.

"Don't you know His Majesty's temper? He just tries to make a big deal out of a small matter, but he won't resort to violence."

Seeing that Wu Zhongguo was still worried, Eunuch Huang patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't you think about it? If we really want to take action, we can just send the Central Guard into the city. Why would we need your Suoyi Guard?"

After hearing this, Wu Zhongguo immediately turned his worry into joy and nodded repeatedly to Huang An to express his gratitude.

Huang An waved his hand and said, "When the emperor asks you questions later, you can answer them calmly. This is all we can do to help you."

Wu Zhongguo thanked him again and followed Huang An quickly.

Ever since he messed up the task assigned by the emperor last time, Old Wu has been worried that the emperor would punish him. Although tortures such as lingchi and beheading are no longer popular, the leader of the貓衣卫 still feels scared.

The two walked for a while in the dark, passed Chengtianmen Square, crossed the Jinshui Bridge, and finally arrived outside the Qianqing Palace in the shadows. The palace gate was brightly lit. The eunuch on duty at the gate saw them coming and shouted at the top of his voice:

"Commander Wu has arrived!"

A moment later, two young eunuchs came out of the palace and bowed to Huang An: "Eunuch Huang, the emperor lets you in."

Soon after Emperor Jingyan ascended the throne, he restored the system of eunuchs in the Great Qi Dynasty. Facts have proved that the emperor cannot do without eunuchs, a force that is truly loyal to him.

Wu Zhongguo followed the eunuchs into the hall. When he saw the emperor, he hurriedly wanted to bow, but Liu Fan waved his hand to indicate that he didn't need to bow.

Liu Fan stepped forward and exchanged a few words with Wu Zhongguo. The two chatted about the recent situation of the Suoyi Guard. When the emperor heard that the Suoyi Guard's salary had not been paid last month, he was shocked and immediately said that he would pay the full amount of food and salary as soon as possible.

Liu Fan tried his best to appear calm, but the more he did so, the more uneasy Wu Zhongguo felt. The emperor summoned him to the palace at night. Could it be that he was just trying to reissue food and wages to the Suoyi Guards?
Suddenly, the emperor asked, "What's the name of the bandit leader outside?"

The bandit leader Liu Fan mentioned was the leader of the opposition and the planner of several marches and riots in Tianxin City. It was said that this person was quite influential in the army and had become a major concern for Emperor Jingyan.

Wu Zhongguo was a street slicker after all, so he certainly knew the details of the ringleader. However, he didn't understand why the emperor was asking about this matter at this time, so he said slowly:

"Your Majesty, the Suoyi Guards have already grasped the details of the bandit leader!" Wu Zhongguo said as he took out a notebook and opened it to read carefully: "This man is called Jin Ning, a native of Kaiyuan in Liaodong. He belongs to the Armored Regiment of the 'Justice Army'. As a grenadier, he participated in the European Campaign and was awarded the Second Class Black Dragon Medal..."

"Kaiyuan..." Liu Fan listened silently, his thoughts flying far away. Kaiyuan was the birthplace of this dynasty, but he didn't expect that such a thief would appear there.

Wu Zhongguo continued to introduce the situation in Kingsning.

"In the tenth year of Jingyan, which was two years ago, Kingsning was injured and retired from the army."

Liu Fan asked curiously, "Which battle was that?"

Wu Zhongguo spoke quickly, "During the Battle of the Somme in the tenth year of Jing Yan's reign, he was injured in the thigh by a shell and returned to the battlefield in March of the same year. In October of the tenth year of Jing Yan's reign, he was attacked by a grenade near the village of Wilwick and his arm was injured."

"In October of the tenth year of Jingyan," the emperor muttered to himself, "that was when Prime Minister Kang mediated with the French."

Wu Zhongguo quickly said, "Your Majesty, remember correctly. During the break in the peace talks, he recovered from his injuries in the military hospital."

In February of the following year, Kingsling was ordered to go to the internment camp in Lechfeld with other "scouts" to eradicate the growing tendency of polarism among our prisoners of war who had been captured during the war. In September of the same year, Kingsling received another order from Army Headquarters to investigate a small group calling itself "Deutsche Arbeiterpartei" (Liberation of the Celestial Heart City). He later, through unknown means, became the leader of this organization.

Liu Fan continued to ask: "What is his proposition?"

Seeing the leader of the Guards hesitate, the Emperor encouraged him:

"But it doesn't matter."

Wu Zhongguo mustered up his courage and said, "These thieves are relying on the Veterans Association and the 'Save Tianxin City' campaign to deceive and deceive people everywhere. They say that as long as you join them, the war will be stopped immediately and the monarchy will be abolished. They oppose the doctrine of several circles, and they advocate equal distribution of land and the abolition of private property. All property must be returned to the collective. They say they are merely the custodians of everyone's property..."

Liu Fan sighed slightly: "He wants to restore the old system of Taizu. He is a lunatic!"

The commander-in-chief cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, should we execute him immediately?"

Liu Fan looked Wu Zhongguo up and down. Not long ago, this man missed the opportunity to capture the rebels, and the queen suspected that the Suoyi Guards had turned to the rebels.

If it is true as Queen Mary said, then I am the only one who is kept in the dark.

No matter what, the power of life and death must be in one's own hands!

Liu Fan mustered up his courage and said loudly:

"Catch him, don't hurt him. Don't hurt any innocent people."

~~~~~~~~~~
On the eighth day of the eleventh month of the twelfth year of Jingyan, the opposition leader Kingsning stood in the Tianxin City Square, holding a loudspeaker in one hand and pointing to the thousands of spectators in the square with the other, giving a loud speech.

"Today, we stand here! Standing on the land of the Qi people! Standing on Tianxin City, the land watered with the blood and dignity of our ancestors! Behind me is the statue of Emperor Guangde Liu Kan! He is a wise ruler recognized by everyone! A pacifist! He is the light of the world! Even the British say so!"

"Before me stands a nation, a nation groaning in humiliation!"

"The war in Europe isn't over yet, and it seems like it never will! But the pride of our nation is gone! Hundreds of thousands of people have vanished! Countless villages have been reduced to ruins, fields barren, factories idled! Our brothers and friends, fighting for a country they had nothing to do with, have become cannon fodder, turned into piles of fertilizer, meaninglessly scattered across the plains of Europe! They are mocked and ridiculed by the Europeans! And yet, those warmongers ride on our necks, tyrannizing over us, imposing exorbitant taxes, changing their policies every day, and sucking the very blood out of us! They trample on our dignity, the dignity of the noblest nation in the world! Citizens of Tianxin City, tell me, will you choose to be a fighter for freedom like Emperor Guangde, or will you choose to be slaves? Will you and your descendants submit to the rule of the Polar Circle? Live like cattle and horses!"

Ye Xiao mingled among the audience, constantly glancing around out of the corner of his eyes, his left hand holding the pistol hidden deep in his pocket.

He didn't see any teammates nearby. After searching for two rounds, he had to give up the arrest temporarily to avoid being exposed.

The big boss on the stage was still giving a long speech, surrounded by a crowd of enthusiastic people holding notebooks and shouting loudly. Every time the boss said something, these people would repeat it like parrots.

Whenever the tone became high, deafening cheers broke out all around.

Ye Xiao cursed inwardly: A bunch of fools! Outdated stuff!

He suddenly remembered the task Wu Zhongguo had assigned him.

"Write down every word of the thief's speech. The Emperor must personally review it!"

Before leaving, Commander Wu gave the Raincoat Guards serious instructions, and Ye Xiao listened intently. He knew this mission was of great importance, and according to the laws of the Great Qi, any speech at a rally that violated customs and morals was illegal.

What they want to do is to find the flaws in the speech and then take down the eloquent speaker on the stage in one fell swoop.

Helpless, Ye Xiao had to listen carefully.

He is gifted and is very sensitive to all kinds of sounds.

After a moment, he had already figured out the pattern of Kingsning's speech:

The tone is extremely calm at first, but soon it becomes passionate and surging, the words are rhythmic and catchy, all of which are accompanied by dancing and often standing on tiptoe, and can reach a hysterical state in a few minutes.
"You might say, 'Mr. Kingsling, I need a living, a sweet potato, a chicken! I need to feed my children and my wife.' Yes, you are right. Life is too important."

The speaker's voice suddenly rose.

"But I want to tell you. There is something in this world that is more important than life. That is freedom! That is dignity! We will never submit to the rule of a tyrant! Never!"

"Constitutional monarchy is the ideal shell of an Arctic nation. We must have the courage to face this cruel truth! A mere figurehead monarchy is not enough! We must ensure that all citizens of Qi hold power and become their own masters! Today, the Emperor of Qi is in dire straits. We must seize his life while he's still weak! We must sweep away Liu Fan and his lackeys like autumn winds sweeping away fallen leaves. We must not hesitate even for a moment!"

"The Emperor abdicates! Europe withdraws!"

"The Emperor abdicates! Europe withdraws!"

There was a huge roar in the square.

(End of this chapter)