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The promulgation of the "Edict of the Founding of the Wude Era" was like throwing a boulder into a seemingly calm lake, creating waves that far exceeded expectations.

Among them, the regulations concerning the abolition of the imperial examination system, the promotion of new learning, and the requirement for officials and soldiers to cut their hair short deeply stung the most sensitive nerves of those traditional scholar-officials who considered themselves to be the "orthodox lineage" and regarded the eight-legged essay as the only ladder to advancement.

Within ten days of the imperial edict being issued, undercurrents began to stir.

Some retired officials from the Ming and Qing dynasties, along with local so-called "renowned Confucian scholars" and "gentry elders," frequently colluded under the guise of poetry gatherings and literary societies.

They dared not openly oppose the new dynasty, but instead focused their anger on the "hair-cutting edict."

In the capital city, in one of the few secluded mansions, candlelight flickers.

Several elderly men, dressed in traditional Confucian robes and with their hair neatly combed, were having an excited discussion in secret.

“Our bodies, hair, and skin are given to us by our parents, and we dare not damage them; this is the beginning of filial piety! This is the teaching of the sages! Now the court is forcing officials and soldiers to cut their hair. Is this not going against human ethics and destroying the clothing and customs of our Chinese people?” An old scholar surnamed Zhao beat his chest and stamped his feet, heartbroken.

"What's even more hateful is that they've abolished the thousand-year-old imperial examination system and are now promoting those so-called 'new learning' of strange skills and tricks, allowing the sons of artisans and merchants to be ranked alongside us, the disciples of sages, and even promoting those of unknown origin and illiterate to important positions. Is this court... is this court still a court for scholars?" Another elderly man surnamed Wang, who came from a background as an imperial censor, angrily chimed in. He was naturally referring to those AI officials who were quickly promoted, efficient in their work, but taciturn.

"The court's move is an attempt to eradicate the roots of scholars like us! How is it different from the Manchu Qing dynasty's forced hair-shaving and clothing-changing policy? It's even more cruel!" Some people compared it to the tyranny of the early Qing dynasty, trying to incite broader resistance.

Soon, a petition signed by dozens of "highly respected" gentry was submitted to the cabinet.

In their memorials, they quoted extensively from classical texts, discussing "ancestral laws" and "the way of sages," condemning the hair-cutting order as "harming the body and betraying filial piety," and denouncing the abolition of the imperial examination system and the introduction of new schools as "corrupting people's hearts and severing civilization." Their words were filled with a sense of moral superiority and resistance to the new policies. Although they did not dare to openly disobey the order, their intention to exert pressure indirectly and force the court to retract its decision was obvious.

The memorial was presented directly to Su Ning by Afu.

Inside the imperial study, Su Ning looked at the pages filled with classical Chinese phrases and implicit threats, and laughed in exasperation.

"What a bunch of corrupt scholars and parasites!" He slammed the memorial down on the table, his eyes flashing coldly. "When the country is in such dire straits, with everything needing to be rebuilt, why don't they offer any advice or share the burden of the nation? Now that I want to eliminate the deep-seated problems and strive for national rejuvenation, they use 'body and hair' and 'the way of the sages' to obstruct me! When the Manchus entered the pass, under the butcher's knife, why didn't they die to prove their loyalty and preserve their hair? Now they come to talk to me about filial piety and proper attire!"

"Aren't they nostalgic for the previous dynasty and claim to be loyal? I'll grant their wish, Afu!"

"Your subject is here." Afu's figure quietly appeared.

"Issue my decree!" Su Ning's tone was chilling. "Zhao Moumou, Wang Moumou... and their ilk have disregarded the new policies of the court, spread rumors and misled the public, and formed cliques. Their actions are no different from those of the remnants of the Qing Dynasty who are deliberately sabotaging the government! Order the Police Headquarters to immediately detain and imprison them all! There must be no mistake!"

"Yes!" Afu accepted the order without any change in expression.

The following day, police from the capital region and other areas quickly mobilized, following the clues, and dragged out one by one the gentry and scholars on the list who were still dreaming of "using their writings to remonstrate," from their studies and courtyards, put them in shackles, and imprisoned them.

This move immediately caused great panic in the Shilin circle.

The case was given a expedited hearing by the newly established Imperial Supreme Court.

The evidence is conclusive, and their joint letter is irrefutable proof.

The verdict was delivered quickly:

"Zhao Moumou, Wang Moumou, and 57 others conspired to disrupt the imperial court and slander national policies, a crime tantamount to treason. Considering that they did not resort to violence, they are granted leniency and will not be executed. They are sentenced to life imprisonment and immediately dispatched to the northern and southwestern border regions to build highways and railways, and to develop mines and reclaim wasteland, serving as a substitute for imprisonment as a warning to others! Their property is confiscated and put to public use!"

The verdict shocked the world!

No one expected that this Emperor Wude would be so ruthless!
Instead of the previous dismissal or exile, they were directly convicted of a serious crime, imprisoned, and forced to perform the most arduous labor!
For those pampered scholar-officials who viewed manual labor as a lowly chore, this was worse than killing them.

When the news spread, the scholars who had been eager to write a letter of support immediately fell silent.

What are "body and hair" and "the way of the sage"? They all seem pale and powerless in the face of cold shackles and the threat of lifelong hard labor.

They finally understood that this new dynasty, this emperor, was unlike any ruler before them.

He wielded absolute military power, possessed an efficient bureaucratic machine, acted decisively, and did not care at all about so-called "public opinion" or "scholarly reputation".

A potential political upheaval was swiftly and forcefully suppressed by Suning.

Those clamoring "great scholars" eventually, under the whip and the reprimands of the overseers, used their own bodies, "given by their parents," to expand the empire's frontiers and build vital transportation arteries.

Their fate served as a stark reminder of the intense clash between old and new ideas during the early years of the Wude reign, warning all those who attempted to obstruct the new policies.

The wheels of the empire are rolling forward, crushing all obstacles along the tracks set by Suning.

……

The implementation of the new policies in the first year of the Wude era, accompanied by the iron-fisted suppression of stubborn gentry, may have brought the situation to a temporary calm, but the underlying discontent and the ghost of the old era still lingered.

On this dark and windy night, a ghostly figure silently slipped into the newly renovated, yet even more solemn and majestic Forbidden City.

The newcomer was an old nun dressed in a gray robe, with a gaunt face and sharp, eagle-like eyes. Her empty left sleeve fluttered in the night wind. She was none other than Princess Changping of the Ming Dynasty, and later the one-armed nun, Master Jiunan.

Hearing that the new emperor had not only changed the layout of the Forbidden City but also implemented many "heretical" policies, she felt deeply resentful and decided that tonight she would emulate Jing Ke and assassinate the king to seek "justice" for her homeland!
Her martial arts skills were superb, and her movements were as swift as smoke. She managed to evade several visible and hidden sentries and head straight for the Hall of Mental Cultivation, where the emperor lived.

Inside the palace, Su Ning had just finished reviewing memorials and was about to rest when a sudden sense of unease arose in his heart.

Almost simultaneously, the palace doors were flung open by a gust of wind, and a sharp, unparalleled sword light, carrying the accumulated pain and resentment of years of national subjugation, pierced straight for his throat!
"You tyrant! Give me back my Ming Dynasty!" Master Jiunan's voice was shrill and resolute.

However, she was fast, but Suning was even faster!
Faced with this sudden assassination attempt, which could have killed even the most skilled martial artists, Su Ning did not even change his sitting posture.

He simply raised his right hand seemingly casually, his index and middle fingers together, and flicked the tip of the sword with perfect precision!
"Zheng——!"

A clear, resonant sound of metal clashing rang out. Master Jiunan felt an irresistible, immense force emanating from the sword, her entire right arm instantly going numb and weak. She could no longer hold onto the fine steel longsword that had been with her for many years, and it fell to the ground with a clang.

She was so shaken by the force that she staggered back several steps, her blood surging, her face filled with horror and disbelief!

She had practiced diligently for decades, believing her martial arts skills to be at their peak, yet she couldn't even withstand a single move from this person?!

"Protect the Emperor!" The guards outside the hall cried out and rushed in, drawing their swords and surrounding Master Jiunan.

Su Ning waved his hand, signaling the guards to remain calm.

He slowly stood up, his gaze calmly fixed on the old nun whose face was contorted with shock and despair. He said indifferently, "Your swordsmanship is not bad, but unfortunately, you've used it in the wrong place and on the wrong person."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of understanding: "If I am not mistaken, you are Princess Changping of the former Ming Dynasty, the nun Jiunan, aren't you?"

When Jiu Nan's identity was exposed, she trembled and gritted her teeth, saying, "Now that you know my identity, you may kill me or torture me, it's all up to you! I only regret that I couldn't personally kill you, you traitor who usurped the throne!"

"Usurpation? Traitor?" Su Ning chuckled. "Emperor Chongzhen died at the hands of the bandit Li Zicheng, and the country was subsequently occupied by the Manchus for nearly thirty years. I drove out the Tartars and restored the land of China. How can you say I usurped the Ming Dynasty? If it weren't for me, this land of China would still be a place of bloodshed!"

Upon hearing this, Jiu Nan paused, her expression froze. Her life had been full of ups and downs, fueled by hatred, but what Su Ning said was an undeniable fact.

Looking at her empty sleeves and aged face, and thinking of her troubled past, Su Ning felt a pang of pity.

His tone softened somewhat: "Considering your lineage from the previous dynasty and the hardships you have endured throughout your life, I will not pursue this assassination attempt. You may leave."

Jiu Nan was stunned; she hadn't expected Su Ning to let her go so easily.

To her even greater surprise, Su Ning continued, "Although Emperor Chongzhen was not a wise ruler, he sacrificed himself for the country and refused to surrender to foreign invaders, thus preserving the last integrity of a Chinese monarch. I have already decreed that a memorial stele be built for him on Jingshan Hill so that future generations can pay their respects and remember that period of history."

These words struck Jiu Nan like a thunderclap!
Her life's pursuit was nothing more than hatred for her family and country, and remembrance of her father, the emperor. Now, the bandits who drove her father to his death have long since vanished, the Tartars who occupied the land have been driven out by the people before her, and even her father's controversial posthumous title is being commemorated and recognized in a dignified manner in this new dynasty…

Overwhelmed with emotion, decades of grievances, hatred, and perseverance seemed to have found an outlet.

This one-armed nun, who had been stubborn her whole life, couldn't help but choke up, tears streaming down her wrinkled face.

She looked at Su Ning deeply, her gaze complex and unfathomable, containing relief, gratitude, and endless vicissitudes.

Without another word, she picked up the longsword from the ground, bowed slightly to Su Ning, and then, as she had come, silently disappeared into the night and drifted away.

After dealing with this unexpected incident, Su Ning's gaze fell on a young woman who had been captured by the guards and was now kneeling in the corner of the hall, her face pale with fright.

This woman was stunningly beautiful, with a natural charm and shyness between her brows. She was none other than Ake, who had come with Jiunan but had not yet had a chance to make a move.

"Are you her apprentice?" Su Ning asked.

Ake trembled with fear and said in a trembling voice, "Yes...this humble woman Ake...begs Your Majesty to spare my life!"

Looking at Ake's stunning beauty and pitiful appearance, Su Ning's heart stirred.

Such a stunning beauty, since she's offered herself up, how could I possibly let her go?
"Your master's affairs are none of your business. Since you're here, stay in the palace."

Upon hearing this, Ake, though still frightened, knew that this was the best possible outcome and quickly kowtowed to express her gratitude.

After Ake was taken away by the palace servants to be settled, Su Ning remembered someone else.

"Someone, go and invite Madam Su Quan, whom we brought back from Shenlong Island."

Before long, Su Quan, dressed in simple and elegant attire yet unable to conceal her mature charm and a hint of untamed wildness between her brows, was brought into the hall.

Although she was a prisoner, she remained composed, though her gaze toward Su Ning held a mixture of wariness and a barely perceptible curiosity.

Su Ning sized up the former leader's wife. She exuded a mature and sophisticated aura, quite different from Mu Jianping's naivety, Ake's stunning beauty, Jianning's willfulness, and Shuang'er's obedience. She had a unique charm.

“Su Quan,” Su Ning said, “the Divine Dragon Sect has been destroyed, and Hong Antong has disappeared without a trace. From now on, you will also stay in the palace.”

Su Quan was slightly taken aback. She had long expected this day to come, but she did not expect it to come so directly.

She remained silent for a moment, then finally bowed gracefully: "This sinful woman... obeys the decree."

From then on, two more beauties, Ake and Su Quan, with different looks and personalities, were added to Suning's harem.

His journey to collect all of Wei Xiaobao's wives and concubines seems to have taken another step forward unintentionally.

The stories and entanglements behind these women will undoubtedly add many unknown waves and colors to this deep palace.

……

In the autumn of the fifth year of the Wude era (1680 AD).

In the western suburbs of Beijing, outside a massive complex of buildings made of red bricks with towering chimneys spewing thick smoke, flags flutter and guards stand in tight security.

Today marks the completion and successful production of steel from the first phase of the "Royal Capital Steelworks" project.

His Majesty Emperor Wude, Su Ning, personally led the Cabinet Prime Minister Afu and other important civil and military officials to conduct an inspection.

Standing on the tall steelmaking furnace observation platform, looking down at the molten steel rushing out and turning most of the workshop red, and the production line that was then rolled into standard steel rails and profiles, even the well-informed Su Ning couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.

The air was thick with the scorching smell of sulfur and metal, and the deafening roar of machinery created a stark contrast to the solemnity of the Forbidden City, making it all the more vibrant.

Two large steel complexes have been completed and put into operation, with the Empire's annual pig iron production exceeding 150,000 tons and crude steel production reaching 80,000 tons!

This figure already surpasses that of any single powerful nation in Europe during the same period.

The cold steel is becoming the empire's most solid skeleton.

The Wuhan Machinery Manufacturing Plant successfully copied and improved the horizontal steam engine, with its power and reliability steadily increasing.

It is not only used in mine drainage and factory drives, but more importantly...

Supported by the steel mill's products, the first experimental railway using standard gauge was built...

The Beijing-Tianjin Railway has been fully laid and is now operational. Steam locomotives belching black smoke are pulling carriages loaded with coal and other goods for trial runs.

At the same time, a standardized road network connecting major industrial zones and ports is also rapidly expanding.

Coal mines in Kailuan, Tangshan, and other places have achieved initial mechanized mining, resulting in a surge in output and providing "black grain" for industry and cities.

Textile factories and shipyards in Shanghai and Nanjing began using new machinery, which doubled their efficiency.

The cotton cloth produced by the state-run "China's First Textile Factory" has begun to compete with foreign cloth in the market.

Relying on its own steel and machining capabilities, the Nanjing-based arsenal is now able to mass-produce breech-loading rifles (based on a simplified design of the Mauser 98k), fixed ammunition, and 75mm-class breech-loading cannons.

"Your Majesty," an official who had accompanied the inspection and was originally a craftsman but had been promoted to Vice Minister of Works was so excited that his voice trembled, "we...we never imagined that we would see such a sight in our lifetime! Molten iron flowing and locomotives speeding by, this is a spectacle never before seen in history!"

Su Ning nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the workers in their uniforms below the stage, their faces covered in coal dust but their eyes shining, as well as the ministers around him who were either excited or in awe. He said in a deep voice, "My lords, this is the power of industry! This is the rebirth of China!"

He turned to face the crowd, his voice booming through the makeshift megaphone: "Five years! Just five years! With our own hands, we have shattered our shackles and established the initial industrial system that belongs to the Chinese people! We have proven that the sons and daughters of China are no less than any other nation in the world! We can create our own steel, machines, and future!"

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the crowd.

Many veteran craftsmen were moved to tears. Their ancestral skills, passed down through generations, were both impacted and opened to broader possibilities in the face of this new force.

“However!” Su Ning’s tone shifted, becoming serious. “This is just the beginning! The steel we produce is far from enough to pave the empire’s railways, our machinery is far from enough to equip all the factories, and our ships are not yet able to roam all the seas! The road ahead of us is still long and arduous!”

He then announced: "The Cabinet has initially set the following goals: to double steel production, extend railway mileage to 5,000 kilometers, independently build 10,000-ton steamships, complete the construction of telegraph networks in major cities across the country, and initially establish a modern education system to train 100,000 new technical personnel!"

The grand blueprint stirred the hearts of everyone present, and also made them feel a heavy responsibility.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the towering chimneys of the steel plant, gilding this industrial hotbed with a layer of gold.

Su Ning knew that, starting from the fifth year of the Wude era, the ancient ship of China, under his forceful push, had sailed into the surging tide of industrial civilization.

The road ahead will certainly not be smooth sailing. The backlash from the old forces, resource bottlenecks, technology assimilation, talent shortages... countless challenges are still lurking in the shadows.

However, the ice has been broken and the waterway has been opened.

A China armed with steel and steam will surely stand tall in the East with a brand new look, welcoming the coming era of an even more magnificent and turbulent one!
The prelude to the Industrial Revolution has already begun to play its most powerful notes on this ancient land.

...(End of chapter)