The Empire will continue to win

Chapter 103 The Speech of Big Wins

Oh shit.

It's rare to see a hypocrite go to such lengths, both in ancient and modern times.

Looking at the impassioned Kang Youwei, Shen Moqing said softly, "Let Mr. Kang know that this grand court meeting was proposed by me before the Emperor and personally approved by the Empress Dowager. However, there is great resistance, with the entire court and the Crown Prince's Empress Dowager vehemently opposing it. I believe that all those with insight will stand up to support the Empress Dowager."

"Oh dear, my apologies." Kang Youwei's eyes were gleaming as he patted his chest. "Brother Shen, don't worry, not only is my vote secure, but I can also garner at least five more votes."

ponder for a moment.

He added, "We hit it off immediately. The day after tomorrow morning, I intend to pay you a visit in person. Brother Shen, please don't think I'm coming uninvited."

"Brother Kang has come to visit, which is more than I could ask for. How could you say I look down on you? My humble abode is the third house in Needle and Thread Alley in the northeast corner of the inner city, which was bestowed by the Emperor as the Yunqiwei Mansion."

A gentleman's word is his bond.

"What is done cannot be taken back."

The two understood each other without saying a word and burst into laughter.

Kang Youwei was so desperate for an official position that he was almost driven mad by it. He was not about to let go of the opportunity to use connections.

Shen Moqing watched as the Cantonese man walked to a tall, beautiful conference attendee in a cheongsam, seemingly looking for his name tag.

The assessment is: a hypocrite with an insatiable thirst for fame and fortune, but one who can be befriended to a certain extent.

Poor, pedantic writers like Kang Youwei, who made a living by writing, may not amount to much, but they were particularly adept at causing trouble. It would be best to spend some money to buy his pen.

The conference affairs liaison office is located on the second floor of the theater. Four young naval cadets stand at the entrance; this is the busiest place today.

Anyone who has done it knows that conference administration is a complex and profound undertaking.

"Is there a list of representatives?"

"have."

"Let me see it."

"Alright then," replied a young official from the Ministry of Rites.

Today, more than 800 representatives from five ranks have come to attend the Grand Council. These five ranks refer to the Emperor, officials, merchants, scholars, and...

people.

The number of representative positions for the five levels is approximately 50, 200, 100, 200, and 200 respectively.

Shen Moqing frowned as he looked at the crowd below, chatting happily in their local dialects, and asked, "How were their seats assigned?"

"By province."

"Nonsense! Change it immediately. How can you divide it by region? It must be based on social class and industry."

"I'm sorry, but unless I have Lord Weng Tonghe's written order, I can't make any changes here." The young head of the meeting affairs team, a secretary from the Ministry of Rites, directly refused.

You think you can just change things like that? You're neither my boss nor the emperor or empress dowager, so who do you think you are?

No way~

The capital city is not Paris, and the ambiguous affair between Shen Moqing and the Empress Dowager has not been widely reported in the newspapers, so even middle and lower-ranking officials are unaware of it.

"What's your name?"

"Zhou Yunyi, the prefect of Tianjin, Zhou Fu, is my cousin."

"Hmph! Even if your cousin's benefactor, Li Shaoquan, were here in person, I would still change things. Zhou Yunyi, I'm telling you, either make changes immediately, or I'll kill you." With that, he pulled out a revolver.

The gun barrels were menacing, and Zhou Yunyi trembled.

Five seconds later.

He decisively cupped his hands and said, "Your humble servant obeys."

Suddenly rearranging the seating of more than 800 people who had already taken their seats was a huge undertaking and a nightmare for any event organizer, but there was no other way; if they didn't change it, they would be in trouble.

So~

The signs for Jiangsu District, Shandong District, Zhili District, etc., were temporarily changed to: "Royal Members", "Retired Officials and Gentry", "Scholars in White Robes", "Landlords and Local Worthies", "Newspaper Elites", "Wealthy Merchants and Tycoons", "Ordinary Citizens", "Scientific Elites", "Naval and Army Officers", "Religious Figures", etc.

The venue is divided into three sections, separated by pedestrian walkways.

At Shen Moqing's instruction, those of lower status sat on the left, those of higher status sat on the right, and those of intermediate status sat in the middle.

Backstage at the Grand Theatre, in a luxurious dressing room.

Before the enormous dressing mirror, the beautiful Empress Dowager Cixi was applying makeup, attended by two palace maids. Seeing the professor through the mirror, her eyes instantly lit up with surprise.

She stood up, turned her head, and asked urgently, "Mo Qing, where did you go just now?"

Shen Moqing took off his military cap and looked around: "Everyone, please leave. The Empress Dowager has urgent business to attend to."

"Yes."

After Wang Qianniang led the palace maids away, Shen Moqing quickly closed the door, walked up to the Empress Dowager, and skillfully put his arms around her slender waist.

"I have just won over a few representatives from other provinces."

"More than 800 delegates, more than 800 votes~"

Do you believe me?

"Now that things have come to this, who else can I trust if not you?!" The Empress Dowager laughed in anger, rambling on, "I must be out of my mind. How could I possibly convene a grand court meeting on my own initiative? How could I trust you so much? Is it just because you bear a striking resemblance to the late Emperor?"

Regret it?

It's late.

Shen Moqing smiled wickedly and lifted the Empress Dowager's chin with two fingers.

"Your Majesty, in this new era, with new struggles, we must replace cold imperial edicts with passionate speeches. The people want to hear the voice of their monarch."

"I am not good at public speaking."

"There's a first time for everything. Practice makes perfect, so it's okay. You give your speech, and I'll sit down. I'll say a sentence, and you'll say a sentence, so that the people know what they want to know and what they should know."

"and then?"

"Win, keep winning until the Dongsang people surrender on their own initiative."

at this time.

Suddenly, cheers erupted from the delegates outside the meeting hall. Listening closely, they realized it was a unified chant of "Freedom" and "Equality."

"Universal love".

"Mo Qing, did you hear what those unruly people were shouting?"

"I heard you. Your Majesty, let me correct a misconception: from now on, there will be no unruly people, only citizens." Professor Shen was relaxed; for him, the Grand Theater was more suitable for showcasing his talents than the Golden Palace.

Outside, rebels are in uproar; inside, lovers are entwined.

Full of charm.

It's full of charm!

"Mo Qing, I...I'm scared~"

At this moment, Empress Dowager Cixi resembled a timid woman, with shifty eyes, an anxious expression, and frequent fidgeting—a typical case of speech anxiety.

The older generation of local politicians particularly opposed the speech.

But Professor Shen is different. He was once the chief debater of the Dan University debate team and is particularly good at public speaking.

The more listeners there are, the more excited I get; the stronger the opposing debater's eloquence, the more excited I get; if the opposing debater is a female debater from Jiaotong University, then the female debater, Shen, gets even more excited.

This is a kind of self-confidence.

With confidence, your speaking skills will improve.

win!!!

-

!!!

"Empress Dowager, let me explain."

This is a situation of unprecedented change for royal families around the world, one that has not been seen in three thousand years.

Industrialization gave rise to an unprecedented opposition. Unlike previous peasant armies, they possessed greater organization, more money, a broader perspective, and easier access to firearms.

Britain and East Asia did a better job; their capitalists and royalty were in cahoots.

But we are different; our national conditions are very similar to those of Frankish countries.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager trembled.

Frankish history is a century of turmoil and bloodshed.

Shen Moqing said calmly, "Empress Dowager, since we cannot suppress it, we can only make peace."

We have no other choice but to make peace. Look at the current situation; we only control half the country.

The Eastern Sang Empire, the Southern Governor-General, local gentry, Empress Dowager An, the Emperor, Prince Gong, and even Senggelinqin and Guiliang—they are all wolves, ready to jump out and tear you apart at any moment.

The phoenix throne was teetering on the brink of collapse, its balance easily disrupted.

Therefore, you have no other choice but to adopt an open-minded attitude and try your best to win the support of the five levels of representatives.

By the way~

Besides the fact that Eastern spies were plotting to bombard the Forbidden City, I also received bad news from the wife of the military attaché at the Frankish embassy: they had sold four of their newest battleships to the East.

"So, you slept with her?" the Empress Dowager suddenly screamed. "Twice? Three times? I can't remember."

Shen Moqing raised his head and readily admitted it, thinking to himself, "Woman, you should be focusing on the four battleships right now, not sleeping."

"You~"

With her phoenix eyes narrowed, her teeth clenched, and her chest heaving violently, Lan'er, who looked to be 26 years old, was furious.

Mary, you brat, how dare you stand in front of me!

I want foreigners dead!

"Your Majesty, if I hadn't dealt with that woman, how could I have obtained such important information?" the professor said, his neck stiff and his voice full of self-righteousness.

What's wrong with sacrificing yourself for the national interest?

Moreover.

There are only vines that twine around trees, never trees that twine around vines.

"Damn Franks, I think we didn't kill enough Prussians. Bismarck should have ordered the massacre of Paris back then."

"The Empress Dowager is wise."

"This is a one-time exception. You are not allowed to see her again." The Empress Dowager's phoenix eyes were filled with affection. She actually took the initiative to hug the professor, whispered in his ear, and said, word by word, "What she can do, I can do too."

awesome!

You said it yourself.

Shen Moqing was overjoyed and promptly gave him a kiss.

Eyes facing each other.

Side by side, their legs intertwined.

But the jealous Empress Dowager was so angry at the thought of being the first to have her soup eaten by that bitch Maria that she gnashed her teeth with hatred, so she smeared rouge and powder all over Shen Moqing's face.

Ten minutes later.

Suddenly, stirring military music filled the air; it had finally begun. The fifth-grade delegates, their spirits high, rubbed their hands together, their eyes bright, eager to emulate their Frankish predecessors and fiercely challenge the Royal Will.

Another changing room.

"Uncle, I am young and have not yet assumed personal rule, so it is not appropriate for me to appear in public."

"Yes. Sixth Master, why don't you take the lead? We can't just do nothing, can we? Otherwise, people will think we're afraid of the Western Palace."

May our ancestors bless us, may the six sages bless us.

Prince Gong wiped the sweat from his forehead again, took a deep breath, and, dressed in his military uniform with a sword at his waist, slowly walked toward the execution ground—no, I mean the podium.

The so-called podium is actually a circular balcony located on the third floor of the Grand Theater.

However, the balcony faces inward and is very small, only able to accommodate one or two people. When there are performances, singers from various countries showcase their talents here.

"His Highness Prince Gong, the sixth son of the late Emperor, the current Imperial Uncle, and the Grand Secretary, has arrived!"

The heavy, wine-red curtain slowly opened.

A chorus of boos erupted.

Prince Gong's eardrums ached, but he suppressed his anger and said in a stiff and emotionless voice, "The topic of my speech today is—'How to solve the Empire's fiscal and tax problems.'"

Over the past decade, southern provinces, led by Jiangsu, have defaulted on taxes owed to the imperial court, totaling more than 15.09 billion yuan.

Currently, the war in Liaodong urgently requires a large amount of military funds. Therefore, the imperial court hopes that the southern provinces will voluntarily and conscientiously pay their outstanding taxes.

Fate of the nation, everyone is responsible.

The empire belongs to us, and to you as well. For the sake of the nation, the people, and the people, I urge all of you representatives to set an example!

That brings us to this point.

The representatives of the five levels were furious.

"Your Highness, could you please explain to everyone how the Eastern Army managed to fly to Fengtian all of a sudden?" An army officer in the middle seat stood up.

"Your Highness, no one pays taxes without representation. If the court can grant local autonomy, I dare not say anything else, but from now on, Hangzhou Prefecture guarantees that it will never default on its taxes." Another merchant stood up from the seats on the right.

"If it's for the sake of the nation, why does the royal family keep control of railways, shipping, salt administration, telegraphs, and overseas mineral resources?"

"It is wrong for the royal family to try to shift the responsibility for the war onto the local authorities."

"Rights and responsibilities are aligned."

"All men are created equal."

Apart from the relatively quiet "Royal Members" and "Religious Persons" areas on the right, the rest of the area was filled with shouts and curses, with some people even taking off their shoes and throwing them at Prince Gong.

Although it didn't hit anything, it was still very eye-catching.

Prince Gong retreated from the balcony in a disheveled state.

The crowd cheered loudly, and some even recited Confucius's famous sayings aloud.

Helpless.

No way~

If someone dares to publicly arrest and kill people at the Grand Theater today, tomorrow, provincial governors and viceroys will dare to use this as an excuse to declare their separation from the central government, or even launch armed rebellions.

Let me put it this way.

The Jiangsu-Zhejiang General Chamber of Commerce is eager to decouple and is trying to establish a de facto separatist regime.

Having witnessed the entire process of Xiao Liu being ridiculed by the crowd, Empress Dowager Cixi paced back and forth in the dressing room nervously, round and round.

Suddenly~

She walked over, wearing military boots.

Thump thump thump~ The footsteps are firm and powerful.

With her hands on her hips and her chest heaving, she stared at Shen Moqing: "You're right! In this unprecedented upheaval of three thousand years, rather than lingering on in vain, we should burn brightly. Today, I'll go all out with you and take a gamble."

If you win, I will reward you with myself.

If we lose, we'll both go to the guillotine.

Shen Moqing decisively took a step back, stood at attention, and saluted: "Empress Dowager, victory is assured!"

Accompanied by the naval anthem "Ironclad Ships March Forward," the heavy, wine-red curtain was slowly drawn back once more.

As the crowd gradually quieted down, a palace woman dressed in military attire emerged and stood quietly on the small balcony. Because of the low wall that obscured her view, only her waist and above were visible; she had a slender waist and exceptional beauty.

Half a minute has passed~

A minute has passed~

The delegates looked at each other, speechless.

At this moment, Empress Dowager Cixi appeared calm, but was actually sweating profusely. Not wanting to bow her head in public, she could only gently nudge Shen Moqing, who was squatting below, with her boot.

next second.

Across from the balcony, a huge portrait painting slowly descended.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Holy crap, it's Jiang Ziya!!

Everyone turned their heads and exclaimed in surprise. Some took off their hats, some saluted, and some bowed. Even the religious people who claimed to have transcended the mortal world did not dare to be negligent. Some made the sign of the cross, some clasped their hands, and some put their hands to their chests.

That's the charisma of a leader.

Shen Moqing reached out and poked it, indicating that they could begin.

You say one thing, I say one thing.

Human-shaped repeater.

"Chief Minister Jiang had eighteen daughters. The twelfth daughter was Jiang Zhen, the Lady of Ruyang County. Jiang Zhen had a son, Kong Linghua. Kong Linghua had two daughters and one son. The second daughter, Jiang Yilan, took her mother's surname."

"This Empress Dowager, Jiang Yilan, is the great-granddaughter of Grand Secretary Jiang and the current Empress Dowager."

The room was completely silent.

Half a minute later.

The royal representative was the first to stand up: "Greetings to the Holy Mother Empress Dowager."

Afterwards, representatives from all walks of life stood up and shouted in unison, "Greetings to the Holy Mother Empress Dowager!"

Europe is ruled by divine right of kings, East Asia by mandate of heaven; essentially, they are the same thing. Those who understand, understand; those who don't, are simply exiled to Sakhalin Island.

You can't criticize a true descendant of a saint.

Shen Moqing listened intently, feeling reassured.

The United Empire is good because it has true gods, both ancient and contemporary. With such well-crafted gods, the nation naturally prospers.

East Asia needs a god.

No one understands the spiritual world of Greater East Asia better than an associate professor of political science who has spent 25 years studying it.

This is a very good sign.

"We can win," Professor Shen muttered to himself.

"win!!"

Surprisingly, Empress Dowager Cixi, like a broken record, actually shouted it out loud.

-

The entire audience was stunned.

Oh well, let's just go with the flow. After all, top debaters never write a draft; they rely entirely on improvisation.

Thus, under the professor's remote control, Empress Dowager Cixi launched into a passionate speech.

"Fellow citizens!"

Why are we gathered here today? To win! We have been winning ever since the great United Empire replaced the Qing Dynasty a hundred years ago.

We won far too many times.

Imperial examination, Confucianism, tea, silk, Chinese language, porcelain~

We not only possess the most glorious history and the most brilliant culture, but we have also become the greatest empire in the history of the world.

At its peak~

The United Empire's annual fiscal revenue is equal to the sum of all countries in the world. Its warships sail across five continents and four oceans, and its colonies are spread all over the globe.

No one can afford to offend the United Empire.

No! There is! No! person!

The Celestial Empire, with all nations coming to offer their congratulations—what a glorious and magnificent era it was!

First praise, then criticize.

The conversation turned.

"The empire is facing many problems, and all those who care about the country and its people are deeply concerned. I understand this and I support you."

Wow~

The entire room fell silent.

To my utter surprise, the Empress Dowager would actually criticize herself in public. It was so rare, so moving, so remarkable.

"Long live the Empress Dowager! Long live the Empire!"

In the left-wing section, a citizen representative suddenly stood up, tears streaming down his face. His section, designated "white-clad scholars," erupted in cheers and tears of joy.

Empress Dowager Cixi truly deserves to be called a descendant of a pure-blooded sage.

Fortune