Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 719 The Pseudo-Imperial Palace

Chen Hui stared at the plane atop the monument for a while, then suddenly turned to Xiao Wei and asked, "Have you been reading the newspapers lately?"

Xiao Wei paused for a moment, then asked, "What are you trying to say?"

Chen Hui said, "There's a private boss in Jiangsu and Zhejiang named Wang who contracts flight routes. Have you seen the report? It's from Changsha to Wenzhou."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I saw it. The first big shot to privately contract an airline route. What's up?"

Chen Hui thought for a moment and asked, "Tell me, is he richer or are we richer?"

Xiao Wei said, "They must be rich, is there even a question? We couldn't catch up with them even if we sold everything we owned."

Chen Hui shook his head and said, "Not necessarily. I suddenly thought yesterday that we are quite capable now, no worse than others."

Xiao Wei was confused and asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Xiao Wei asked, "What does this have to do with whether or not you've ever flown before? Why did you book it?"

Chen Hui said, "Selling tickets? Isn't that the same as you renting out a hotel? You pay a contract fee, and the money from selling tickets is yours. Any extra is profit. Airplanes must make money, right? They're so expensive."

The driver coughed and said, "Hey bro, we're here. Ten yuan. You guys are pretty awesome, can't even afford ten yuan and want to charter a plane."

Xiao Wei took out some money and gave it to him, saying, "Of course, how can we charter a plane if we don't try to save these ten yuan?"

The driver paused for several seconds, then said, "Hey bro, write down my license plate number. If you charter a plane to come find me, I'll give you fifty."

Xiao Wei and Chen Hui got out of the car, which was parked at the gate of the Puppet Emperor's Palace. As they looked up, the driver shouted from inside the car, "Remember, I'll give you fifty."

Chen Hui leaned against a tree by the roadside and burst into laughter.

The taxi sped away, and Xiao Wei asked Chen Hui, "Why did you suddenly decide to charter a plane?"

Chen Hui wiped away tears of laughter and said, "I saw the airplane on the monument in that square just now, and it reminded me of this. Hey, you know, Fengtian is all about tanks, Xi'an is all about airplanes, so what could Harbin be?"

Xiao Wei was stunned for a moment: "Huh?"

Chen Hui said, "I haven't been there. It must be a warship, right?"

Xiao Wei asked, "I've been there before?"

Chen Hui laughed again.

Xiao Wei went over and bought the tickets. When he came back, Chen Hui was no longer smiling. The two of them checked their tickets and entered the Puppet Palace.

That's not the entrance; you have to walk a bit to the west to enter from this side.

Inside, there was a forest, with the path hidden among the trees and bushes. The ticket had a guide map, and the two of them turned left to see the Imperial Guard camp.

Chen Hui said, "I've discovered one good thing about the Japanese."

Xiao Wei asked, "What?"

Chen Hui said, "I have seen many old photos and visited many places where the Japanese used to live. I found that the Japanese are particularly concerned about the environment. The places they run or where they have lived are generally very well-maintained. I have also seen old photos of Xidu. It is really a city in the forest. You can't see the road at all. No matter which way you look, there are only treetops. Look at it now."

Xiao Wei said, "I knew that there used to be eight scenic spots in front of the Japanese in Andong, but it seems that they are no longer there."

Chen Hui said, "Moreover, the Japanese are very devout. They are extremely serious and dedicated in everything they do. Putting history aside, I think there are some aspects that we can learn from them. They seem to like to do everything to the extreme."

Xiao Wei said, "No matter what you do, if you're serious, you can do it well. Even the most insignificant things can be done in a spectacular way. Maybe it's because they're small and have fewer resources, so everything they have is precious. We're big and populous, so we don't care about anything else."

Following the trees around the central drill ground (racecourse), passing the flower cellar, and entering the palace through Xingyun Gate, this is the inner palace. Upon entering Xingyun Gate, there is a clock above your head frozen at 9:10, which is the time when the pseudo-emperor fled 45 years ago.

Manchukuo implemented a vice-ministerial system. Whether it was the Imperial Palace, various ministries, or individual units, all were headed by Chinese officials, with Japanese serving as vice-ministers, essentially their deputies. The heads of these departments handled the administrative work, while the vice-ministers were responsible for all practical matters. Even the Imperial Household Department, responsible for the puppet emperor's daily life, had a vice-minister who effectively managed and arranged the emperor's affairs, wielding considerable power.

Because it is relatively recent, a lot of things are preserved inside, and the buildings and items are in good condition.

The two slowly looked around. The palace was divided into many sections, some Western, some Chinese, and some Japanese, each with its own distinct style, yet they blended together beautifully, creating a striking visual effect. The interior decoration was exquisite and beautiful. In fact, apart from the Qinmin Building, a European-style building, all the buildings in the palace were Japanese in style, but the designer cleverly integrated them with Chinese elements.

The theater had a cinema, a lounge, an audience hall, a billiards room, a piano room, a barbershop, and a swimming pool—almost everything we have in modern times. They even had a model of the Parker sedan, the former emperor's car. Actually, it was Buick; before General Motors was established, Buick was an independent company, and at that time it was translated as Parker. Not the one that makes fountain pens.

There's even a modern bathroom here. The Puppet Emperor must have been the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty to say goodbye to digging holes in wooden stools.

There was also a medicine room, or small clinic, in the palace, which was used by the puppet emperor himself. When he or his people were sick, he always prescribed and brewed the medicine himself and dared not take Japanese medicine. It was a rather tragic life, powerless to resist under the rule of tyranny.

The entire bedroom was decorated in a European style. Chen Hui muttered to himself as he looked around. Xiao Wei asked, "What are you saying?"

Chen Hui said, "I'll bring my camera. I found the decor here, the beds, and the sofas are all really pretty. I'll have someone make them to look like them when I get back. They'll be comfortable for me to use, and they'll definitely sell well too."

Xiao Wei nodded; he also thought it was beautiful. He said, "I'll write it down and draw it out. But I doubt it. Can anyone still carve the same patterns on this bed and chair? The design itself is easy to replicate."

Chen Hui said, "Just look for them. There are plenty of skilled craftsmen out there. Finding a few old sculptors shouldn't be difficult. What kind of place is Fengtian? It's the capital. There are plenty of old artisans and craftsmen there. Leave this to me."

Xiao Wei paused for a moment before realizing, "The Forbidden City is under renovation?"

Chen Hui raised an eyebrow and gave Xiao Wei a look that said, "You're very smart."

Tongde Hall is the last palace to visit in the Puppet Emperor's Palace, and also the largest one. It was built because the planned palace in the Imperial Garden could not be completed on schedule. However, the Puppet Emperor never lived there because he suspected that the Japanese had installed listening devices inside; he only went there to watch movies.

To be honest, Japan was in a pretty bad situation back then. Their country was depleted, they had no money, and the entire nation was fighting the war with their bellies hanging off their backs. They almost wiped out all the men, and in the end, even their children went to the battlefield. While they were suffering defeats and retreating steadily in the Pacific, they were still meticulously constructing a palace for their puppet emperor. And even at that point, they didn't cut corners; that's what's truly impressive.

Once you exit Tongde Hall, you'll find yourself in the garden, the actual Imperial Garden, covering eighteen acres. It's a remarkably well-preserved Sino-Japanese integrated park.

Just past the park are exhibitions on the history of the Northeast's occupation, Manchurian culture, and Russian crafts.

Chen Hui said, "Why are there Russian things here?"

Xiao Wei said, "What's so strange about that? The Russians occupied Northeast China for much longer than the Japanese. Which city—Bingcheng, Xidu, Fengtian, Dalian, or Lushun—wasn't occupied by the Russians first? Dalian and Lushun were completely established by the Russians out of thin air. Otherwise, why would they have such deep feelings for that place?"

The Japanese entered Northeast China during the Russo-Japanese War, you know? They drove the Russians out, and then the Russians came. Later, they were defeated, and the Russians came again. Just look at the train stations; all the major stations in Northeast China were built by the Russians. And the buildings—I heard that Harbin is full of old Russian buildings, and we have quite a few in Fengtian too.

Chen Hui said, "Oh, right, I didn't think of that. Damn, they're all scum. We Northeasterners are really unlucky."

(End of this chapter)