The Empire will continue to win

"Grandson, you enjoy the Emperor's great favor."

Looking at the many imperial gifts, Old Madam Shen felt both happy and worried. She was happy that the Empress Dowager Cixi favored her grandson, but worried that the Empress Dowager Cixi was in the prime of her life and had just become a widow.

It's truly unpredictable whether something is good or bad.

Shen Moqing felt that she was physically fine, but her head was still dizzy, so she whispered, "Please trouble Grandma to send someone to tell Lan'er to put her mind at ease."

"Why."

"Send someone to buy some more newspapers, any newspapers published within the last year, and any newspapers available on the market, buy them all."

"I will personally oversee the matter, so you can rest assured and relax."

The old lady now attaches great importance to this grandson; he is the son who will bring prosperity to the family, and she cannot tolerate any carelessness.

Send Jiao Da out to buy newspapers, the more the better.

They sent Pearl to inform the Du family in the southern city.

He instructed Madam Wang to oversee the kitchen and prepare soups.

After confirming that his sworn brother Zhang Zongcang was safe and sound, he chatted for a while before going to his room to rest.

.........

Evening~

A horse-drawn carriage slowly drove into Chongwen Gate.

in the carriage.

Du Yulan's eyes were brimming with tears, and she was clutching her handkerchief.

For Pearl, this was an excellent opportunity to build a good relationship with her future mistress.

"Madam, rest assured, the Second Young Master has survived a great calamity and is sure to have good fortune in the future. He has been examined by renowned doctors and even the imperial physician, and they all say that the young master is out of danger."

"But I still feel very sad."

The carriage quietly stopped at the back gate of the Shen residence.

Pearl got out of the carriage first, knocked on the door, took the lantern, dismissed the servants, and then approached the carriage and whispered, "You may get off now."

Du Yulan wore a conical hat, lowered her veil, and followed Pearl without saying a word.

The road was quiet and deserted.

They were never formally married and had no official status.

Unauthorized secret rendezvous is detrimental to a woman's virtue.

But if she doesn't serve her husband medicine when he's injured, she feels it would be against her virtue as a woman.

With these conflicting feelings of guilt and worry, I finally arrived at my destination after many twists and turns.

Pearl gently pushed open the door and whispered, "Please come in. I'll keep watch outside; no one will disturb us."

.........

The room was brightly lit by candlelight.

Shen Moqing leaned against the couch, engrossed in reading the newspaper.

Du Yulan lifted her veil, took off her conical hat, and gently walked to the bedside, choking back tears as she said, "My husband, I have come."

"Don't cry, sit down and talk."

The two held hands, deeply moved. This is what is meant by a young couple, their love genuine and profound.

Even though Shen Moqing had fallen into a deep sleep, she did not close her eyes. Instead, she stayed up all night to brew a nourishing medicinal soup and carefully sewed a soft cushion.

When the clock inside the house showed 5:30.

"My lord, I am not yet married into the family, so it is inconvenient for me to be here during the day. I will come to see you again in the evening." Du Yulan put on her conical hat again and lowered her veil.

"There's no need to go through all that trouble."

"Does my husband despise me?"

"Then I'll be waiting for you tonight."

"Yes."

Hearing the sweet words, Du Yulan blushed, bowed, and gracefully left, still escorted by Pearl.

It must be said that there is a reason why Pearl is deeply trusted by the old lady: she is meticulous, thorough in her work, and adept at dealing with people.

The carriage slowly left the back gate of the Shen residence.

Inside the slightly bumpy carriage.

"Madam, please have some hot porridge to warm yourself up."

"Thank you." Du Yulan was slightly surprised.

"Madam, please don't say thank you to me, otherwise it would be too much for me."

Du Yulan thought about it and it seemed to make sense, so she started eating in small bites.

A bowl of steaming hot white fungus and lotus seed soup, simmered to perfection.

After a night's rest, Shen Moqing felt much better. Her dizziness and nausea were mild, so she sat up and read the newspaper.

A thick stack.

The newspapers included Yangcheng Daily, Beijing Daily, Jiangnan Entertainment News, The Times, The New York Times, and others. The list was messy and varied, spanning a wide period of time, with some even dating back two years.

Newspapers are currently my only window to understanding the world.

"A Great Victory in Goryeo! 50,000 Enemy Soldiers Killed!"

Three years later, the global imperial examinations were held again! More than 3500 candidates were selected, including more than 800 foreign candidates.

A Brief Discussion on Local Autonomy and Centralized Power

Rice prices have doubled; whose fault is it?

The Jiangsu-Zhejiang General Chamber of Commerce publicly called on the royal family to allow railway equity participation.

Constitutionalism? Republic? Or Monarchy?

The Yellow River breaches its banks again; the Colonial Ministry publicly recruits 3000 refugees to be incorporated into the overseas colony garrison regiments.

The Pope reiterates that tea is in accordance with religious doctrine!

Buckingham Palace reiterates its call for European countries to impose hefty tariffs on tea from the East!

Thirty-two cardinals gathered in Paris to oppose any candidate with Ming dynasty blood running for pope.

The World's Only Lighthouse - The United Empire

The Crimean War Breaks Out Again!

Assassination: Just One Step Away from Alexander III, the Boy from the Castle

Sea Power: The Influence of the Republic on the ...

A dramatic transformation taking place on the Eastern Sang Islands, yet overlooked by the world.

London workers vandalize machine factory; ringleader sentenced to hanging.

The first Eurasian cruise ship to set sail required a ticket costing 10 taels of gold.

The Story of Chief Minister Chiang Kai-shek and a Group of Yangzhou "Slim Horses"

Hu Xueyan, the richest man in China, had a treasure bowl in his home.

The Man from the Sea

A Study of Brothels in the Capital

"The Three-Inch Golden Lotus: A Hidden Philosophical Truth"

~

Shen Moqing read with great interest. The newspapers in this time and space were a dazzling array of articles, some serious, some gossipy, some politically savvy, some critical, and some satirical.

It seems familiar.

In short~

Newspapers north of the Yangtze River were noticeably more serious and respectful of the royal family.

Newspapers south of the Yangtze River have a clear objective: to create momentum through various means.

Newspapers south of the Pearl River talked extensively about business and were keen on making money.

Besides reflecting regional cultural differences, it also reflects a problem—the United Empire's imperial family did not have that much control over the local areas (compared to the Qing Dynasty in the original timeline).

The United Empire is very similar to the Lucia Empire in the original timeline. It is a slow-reacting behemoth with both advanced and backward features. Although it has many problems, it can still crush its opponents by relying on inertia and size.

The world is undergoing dramatic changes.

The curtain has been raised on an era of great strife!

.........

Knock knock knock~

Older father Shen Zheng knocked on the door and said happily, "Qing'er, the clerk of Yu Xian, the Minister of Justice, has arrived. He says he has important matters to discuss with you in person."

Shen Moqing wasn't surprised: "Please come in."

How are you feeling?

"She's fairly healthy."

"That's good."

Not long after~

A middle-aged clerk with a goatee entered the house, bowing politely as he looked him over. "Young Master Shen, you've survived a great calamity; good fortune is sure to follow. My master has prepared a small gift; please accept it."

One mentions nourishing medicinal herbs, the other mentions time-honored pastries.

"How could I dare accept a gift from the Minister?" Shen Moqing feigned surprise and delight.

"My master greatly admires Young Master Shen and specially sent me to deliver this message. According to the Ministry of Justice's investigation, seven people died and five were injured in the meeting room, two of whom are seriously injured and may not survive."

The advisor paused for a moment, then continued.

"The trouble is that these 12 people all have some background. Among them, the identity of one of the people who was blown up back then is the most sensitive. His name is Baoyun, who is the nephew of Prince Gong and the cousin of Senggelinqin."

The room was very quiet.

All that could be heard was the ticking of the clock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock~