1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 94

Zhao Yan remained unchanged, spending all his time in the imperial study dealing with mountains of official business, with no time to attend to anything else.

The documents that were sent to Zhao Yan's desk were basically major events concerning the livelihoods of a province or several million people.

Zhao Yan's life was even more miserable than Zhu Yuanzhang's. The documents he reviewed every day were not counted by the number of documents, but by the number of kilograms. Now that it was the end of the year, hundreds of kilograms of documents were being sent to the Imperial Study for approval every day.

The reason why the Republic was able to carry out modern governance using an old-style bureaucratic foundation was that Zhao Yan was in charge of the central government and approved all matters, big and small.

Otherwise, do you think that the old-fashioned bureaucratic system could push forward compulsory education, industrial construction, and economic development so desperately?

It was all thanks to Zhao Yan's eyes watching over things day and night from the central government. Otherwise, relying solely on the initiative of local officials, these things wouldn't even have been implemented, let alone publicized or issued.

"Your Majesty, hold on a minute. Tell me, what name did you come up with?" Zhang Mingqi stormed into the Imperial Study, his face contorted with anger, practically ready to puff out his beard and glare.

Wu Xia followed behind, holding her two sons, looking aggrieved.

Zhao Yan looked up, puzzled. "What's wrong? It's my work time. Don't bother me unless it's important!"

Zhang Mingqi pointed at the two children being held by Wu Xia and questioned, "Eldest son Zhao Aiguo, second son Zhao Jianjun? Is this the name you, the head of state, gave your own sons?"

Zhao Yan nodded matter-of-factly: "Yes, what's wrong with the name? It sounds nice and is easy to pronounce!"

Zhang Mingqi was so angry that he jumped up and down: "How can you name someone like that? Just spouting off like that? I've lived for decades and I've never seen such a name before. It's just too childish!"

Generally speaking, Zhang Mingqi rarely interfered in Zhao Yan's private affairs. After all, it was his son's name, and it was up to the father to decide what name he wanted to give him; no one else could interfere.

This morning, when Wu Xia came to work, she brought her two sons to complain. Wu Xia has always been a very sensible woman, extremely well-behaved. She has never complained, let alone given Zhao Yan a hard time. At most, she would just playfully tease Zhao Yan in bed.

Zhang Mingqi was quite surprised that he had been forced to come to the Prime Minister to complain, but after asking a few questions, he couldn't sit still any longer. When he heard that Zhao Yan had named his eldest son Zhao Aiguo and his second son Zhao Jianjun, the officials in the Prime Minister's Office were in an uproar!

Putting everything else aside, nobody names their children like that these days! Besides, Zhao Yan and his two sons have special identities, so you have to consider the taboos that people usually avoid!

Although China is now nominally a republic, it is still governed by the rules and regulations of traditional Chinese politics at its core, with Western modern political concepts serving only as supplements.

The practice of avoiding certain names is still enforced in both official and civilian circles. Zhao Yan's own name is not very auspicious, which has caused him a lot of trouble.

Official documents always list the head of state's name as Zhao Yan, changing the "Yan" to another "Yan". It still looks like two fires, but it makes it easier for people to avoid using the character. Otherwise, the character "Yan" would be impossible to write, which would be too troublesome.

You now have two sons, one named Aiguo (Patriotism) and the other Jianjun (Army). How can the public avoid using their names? There's simply no way to avoid it!

After some explanation, Zhao Yan realized that the problem stemmed from a taboo, and immediately waved his hand, saying, "It's nothing, there's no need to avoid it from now on!"

Zhang Mingqi was so angry he laughed. Two thousand years of taboo, and you think you can just stop avoiding it like that? A hundred years from now, in the 21st century, who would dare to co-brand their products with the leader?

Moreover, Zhao Yan is terrible at naming things; the names he comes up with are laughable and even worse than those of ordinary people.

Even Wu Xia, who is usually gentle and mild-mannered, was so angry that she came to complain, which shows how willful Zhao Yan is in private.

Every time traveler harbors an ultimate obsession: to return to their original world. If they cannot go back, they can only gradually transform their current world into a familiar one.

Zhao Yan devoted himself to changing the world in his official duties, but in private he often did some ridiculous things, such as his hobbies of treachery, defrauding diplomats, setting up Manchu concentration camps and Thanksgiving, and giving his children random names.

Zhao Yan didn't think much of these things, but outsiders who didn't know the situation found them strange and unpleasant.

Unable to resist the stubbornness of the seventy- or eighty-year-old Zhang Mingqi, Zhao Yan had no choice but to compromise and decided to divide his "Yan" in half between his two children, naming the elder Zhao Yan and the younger Zhao Yan.

Don't get me wrong, Zhao Yan didn't have the cultural knowledge to find those two rare characters. He was just responsible for dividing the fire radical in half between the two brothers, and Zhang Mingqi found the other half.

After her name was changed, Wu Xia finally felt relieved and a smile returned to her face.

Zhang Mingqi grinned so hard his back teeth were showing as he named Zhao Yan's eldest and second sons. Although he only used half of the names, it was still a great opportunity and honor.

It's hard to say who will succeed the prime minister in the future republican government, as none of his protégés are easy to deal with. However, the successor to the position of national leader and head of state will inevitably be chosen from among the eldest and second sons. Regardless of whether it will be a figurehead or a real monarchy, the head of state will certainly still have influence.

By then, Zhang Mingqi will certainly be gone, but his descendants will still be there. The fact that Old Zhang named Zhao Yan's two sons is more effective than a get-out-of-jail-free card. In the future, no matter whether Zhao Yan or Zhao Yan comes to power, they will have to remember this favor.

"The formal names have been changed, but the nicknames must still be Aiguo (Patriotism) and Jianjun (Army Builder). No one can change them. If anyone tries to persuade me again, I'll take those two names as courtesy names and give them to these two kids!"

Despite his resentment, Zhao Yan insisted on retaining the titles "Patriot" and "Army Builder".

Wu Xia dared not utter another word, and Zhang Mingqi tacitly agreed. Nicknames didn't matter; they were afraid of further provoking Zhao Yan, that fool, who actually named the two children "Aiguo" (Patriotism) and "Jianjun" (Earth-Building).

A name, a name, the given name is very important, and the courtesy name is also very important; you can't just do it carelessly!

After successfully defending her son's right to reputation, Wu Xia did not linger and left the Imperial Study with her child in her arms.

Zhang Mingqi nodded repeatedly. Wu Xia had this one point that was enough to leave the ministers speechless: she was extremely clear-headed.

During working hours, Wu Xia never appears at any official location. Even during her rest time, if she sees Zhao Yan still handling official business, she acts as if he is invisible.

In private, Wu Xia would never whisper anything in anyone's ear, whether it was good or bad.

Zhang Mingqi had strongly opposed Zhao Yan accepting Wu Xia as his girlfriend, almost breaking them up, but afterwards, Wu Xia never spoke ill of Zhang Mingqi to Zhao Yan while they were sleeping on the same pillow.

Based on this alone, all the officials, both civil and military, acknowledged Wu Xia's status as the Queen Mother.

After all, everyone was terrified of Empress Dowager Cixi. There have been too many instances of hen crowing at dawn in Chinese history. It is undeniable that some of them did good deeds, but they were a very small minority. Most of them ended up incurring the wrath of both heaven and man.

Yet, these practices persisted endlessly. Despite numerous instances of being fooled, this phenomenon occurred in every dynasty, especially at the beginning of a new era. As for the later years of a dynasty, that's another story; if this continued into the final stages, it was a recipe for national ruin.

Even the mighty Tang Dynasty was badly troubled by Wu Zetian, let alone the newly established People's Republic of China.

So the claim that women in ancient times had no status or human rights is pure nonsense! If they truly had no status, they wouldn't have had the chance to rule from behind the curtain.

Women either don't hold power, or once they do, they hold the power of life and death!

No one wants to put an emotional woman in power, especially one who holds the power of life and death, but there's no way around it, because filial piety is the most important virtue.

When a new emperor ascends the throne, as long as his mother is still alive, she is undoubtedly the Empress Dowager. This is a natural right born from her womb, something men can only envy; only women have this power.

The retired emperor will almost certainly relinquish his power and become a bodhisattva sitting high in the temple, ignoring all affairs. But the empress dowager is a different story. When your own mother is in charge, do you dare disobey her?

However, no one has seen this in Wu Xia at present. She is only focused on taking care of the man and child's daily needs, and doesn't care about anything else. She has even been mistaken for a palace maid by some uninformed people.

He had no desire for power, and this wasn't an act at all, because the eyes of the civil and military officials were incredibly sharp.

After Wu Xia left with the children, Zhang Mingqi did not leave. Instead, he coughed twice and then brought up the matter of Wu Xia and the two sons' status.

Zhao Yan was unimpressed by this. He knew that Zhang Mingqi wanted to confirm a title, that is, to establish Zhao Yan's status as the Empress and heir.

But he still maintained the last shred of humanity and fatherhood. Behind the imperial family's supposed impartiality lay bloody fratricide and even father-son conflict. In the face of power, there was no humanity or kinship to speak of; all that remained was desire and ambition.

“The children are still so young, why go to such lengths? What if they want to be artists in the future?” Zhao Yan said, unable to bear it.

Zhang Mingqi knew what Zhao Yan was worried about. Having known him for so long, he understood Zhao Yan well. This head of state was not a complete political machine, and sometimes he seemed to be reminiscing about something, always appearing so bizarre and unreliable.

Zhang Mingqi said helplessly, "Your Majesty, some things can only be done by sacrificing your own interests for the greater good."

"If we decide now, at most it will be a struggle between the two brothers, and it may not even come to the point of brothers killing each other."

"But if this matter remains unresolved, to put it bluntly, my old bones don't have many years left, but what about Your Majesty? A hundred years from now, there will be many heroes vying for control of the Central Plains!"

“When things are certain, not many people will fight for them, and even if they do, they can be suppressed.”

"But it's not certain that everyone has a chance. Everyone wants to compete for it. Don't just think about your son; even local officials and powerful figures will have their own ideas."

"You don't actually think that the Western methods of electing leaders will work in China, do you?"

Zhao Yan muttered, "If we do this so openly, what if Zifu finds out? Will he raise an army and march on the capital?"

Zhang Mingqi rolled his eyes and said, "When you first started working with me, you said that a teacher for a day is a father for life. Why are you afraid that your disciple is now purging the court of corrupt officials?"

"The deed is done, and now you're telling me this? You've already sent Wu Zifu to the Tibetan Plateau; everyone knows what you're really up to."

Zhao Yan blushed and said, "Old Zhang, this is a test for young people. How can you say that? How can young people hold their heads high and be proud if they don't experience being whizzed by bullets?"

"Hmph, you've really mastered being a master!" Zhang Mingqi didn't refute this. If any other master said that, Zhang Mingqi would definitely punch him to death.

But Zhao Yan did have the confidence to say this, because from the revolution to the Northern Expedition and then to the Far East War, Zhao Yan, as the master, was always at the forefront, undertaking the most arduous and dangerous tasks. Although his disciples faced some risks, they were nothing compared to their master, Zhao Yan.

After pondering for a long time, he finally compromised: "Alright, have the Civil Affairs Bureau send someone to the Imperial Study to process my marriage certificate with Wu Xia."

When the child reaches one month old, inform all civil and military officials that I will be holding a full-month celebration banquet in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony!

Zhang Mingqi nodded, and then left the Imperial Study with satisfaction.

After obtaining their marriage certificate, Wu Xia became the legitimate wife of the Empress, and Zhao Xian and Zhao Wei became the eldest and second legitimate sons, respectively, with indisputable inheritance rights. No matter how many sons Zhao Yan had in the future, Zhao Xian and Zhao Wei would always have the highest priority.

Then, by holding a formal full-moon banquet attended by all civil and military officials, his position would be firmly secured.

The civil and military officials now have a clear target: these two. It can't be anyone else. Choosing one of the two is more reliable than the struggle for the throne among the nine princes.

As for a one-on-one choice, that's impossible. Unless Zhao Yan has completely gone mad, it's 100% likely that father and son will kill each other. Even Emperor Taizong of Tang wouldn't dare to do that.

This doesn't mean that Zhao Yan would completely lose his humanity and harm his own son for the sake of power. Rather, sitting in this position means that many things are not decided by you alone. There are a large group of people pushing you along behind the scenes!

Chapter 162 Year-End Report

At the capital city on a weekend.

As usual, Li Yide carried a large stack of documents and stood obediently at the entrance of the Imperial Study, undergoing inspection by the guards.

Only a handful of people could enter and exit the Imperial Study without being checked, and Li Yide was not among them; he was merely the deputy director and secretary-general of the Attendant's Office.

The Attendant's Office is one of the core institutions of the Head of State's Palace, responsible for the security of Head of State Zhao Yan and assisting him in handling various state affairs on a daily basis.

The head of the department was Zhao Hao, but Zhao Hao was also serving as the commander of the 1st SS Division. There were many things to do at the 1st SS Division, so Zhao Hao gradually began to shift his focus to the SS. The clerical work of the adjutant's office was then taken over by Li Yide, the deputy director and secretary-general.

The dozen or so documents that Li Yide is currently holding are all compiled from various provinces and the Premier's Office, and they all need Zhao Yan's review and signature to take effect.

The Prime Minister's Office usually handles routine daily matters or official business, but these documents are core matters concerning major national development policies. So even though the Prime Minister's Office has already processed them once, they still have to be sent to Zhao Yan for further "deep processing".

After a tedious security check, Li Yide carried the documents into the Republic and the Pinnacle of Power, and came before Zhao Yan.

"Your Majesty, these are the documents that the Attendant Department received today; they are all here."

Zhao Yan didn't look up, but continued to bury himself in the things in his hands, casually waving his hand: "Put it here, sit down for a while."

Li Yide respectfully found a secluded spot and sat down, his posture perfectly upright.

A moment later, Zhao Yan picked up his pen and wrote down his instructions, then closed the document and placed it in the pile of documents that had already been processed. He then turned around, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

“Xiao Li, you also started following me in the revolution back in Shanghai, right?” Zhao Yan’s voice was very calm.

But after hearing this, Li Yide was shocked. When the leader suddenly asked when you joined him, it wasn't just nostalgia; it was a test of your seniority, a sign that he was preparing to give you more responsibility.

Li Yide quickly stood up and replied, "Yes, Your Excellency! I still remember that beer hall that year, your resounding speech, and the inn where you taught us, which was like a sudden enlightenment to me!"

Zhao Yan smiled, a nostalgic look on his face: "Yes, time flies. In the blink of an eye, three or four years have passed. Those greenhorns back then are now all capable of shouldering important responsibilities."

"Zhao Hao is currently busy with all sorts of things related to the SS and really can't spare the time, so I can only ask you to take care of him a bit more."

"The work of the Attendant's Office is tedious and important. I wonder if you are willing to take on this important task?"

Li Yide replied without hesitation, "I am willing, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Yan nodded: "Very good. Starting tomorrow, you will be the acting director of the Attendant Department. Do a good job!"

When Li Yide walked out of the Imperial Study, although he was carrying heavy documents that had already been reviewed, his feet felt light on his feet. He thought he would have to endure several more years of hardship before taking this step, but he never expected to take it so suddenly.

Zhao Yan was very willing to promote the people around him, especially the group of young men who had followed him from the beginning. However, these young men were too young to be sent to the core departments of the central government all at once. They could only stay by his side or in the military to continue to hone their skills.

In recent days, after giving birth to two sons, Zhao Yan began to adjust the work of many veteran members and followers of the Revival Party, and many members with biased positions were transferred to local grassroots positions.

Only party members like Zhao Hao and Li Yide, who maintained a completely neutral stance, were allowed to remain in their central positions.

Zhao Yan was very dissatisfied with the ideological conflicts and line disputes among the central party members. A bunch of hotheads who hadn't even figured out what governing the country was all about had started a line dispute.

They thought that by following him in a revolution, a Northern Expedition, and a Far East war, they could command the country, which left Zhao Yan speechless.

He himself is still governing the country with utmost care and caution, and you bunch of apprentices want to act all high and mighty?

To talk about ideologies and lines when we haven't even solved the most basic problem of food and clothing for the people is pure nonsense!

Before the Chinese people solve the problem of filling their stomachs, talking about capitalism, proletarianism, or nationalism is just castles in the air. Only when the granaries are full can people know etiquette.

Zhao Yan's solution was thorough: send all these restless guys to the grassroots level as county heads, and specifically to those remote and impoverished counties.

Since you keep shouting about serving the country and the people and insisting that your own path is correct, then Zhao Yan, as your mentor, won't be stingy. Let's send you all to the grassroots level and see what you can actually do.

Only after truly immersing themselves in the grassroots and facing the world of ordinary people will these people understand that no matter what ideology you uphold or how much you shout, if you can't produce a single penny or a pound of grain in the end, it's all just empty talk.

It would be unrealistic for Zhao Yan to arrange positions for them in the central government, but it wouldn't be a big problem to send them down to the grassroots level and assign them to a hundred or so county magistrate positions.

During lunch, Zhao Yan took some time to meet with Wang Chongshan and Zhang Mingqi for a short meeting, urging the government and military to speed up the completion of the year-end report.

Zhao Yan personally put forward specific requirements: all reports must be based on solid data and written in plain language. In short, all summary reports at the end of this year must be easy to understand.

After New Year's Day, all reports will be announced to the world, telling the entire nation what the country has done this year, how it has done it, what achievements it has made, and what shortcomings it has.

How much money was spent on these things, where did the money come from, and what is the government's debt and surplus?

All these matters must have a result, to be told to the world, so that all of China understands what the government has done after taking the people's hard-earned money.

This is unprecedented; no government has ever given such a detailed year-end report to its entire population, not even in Europe and America.

Zhao Yan can be said to have pioneered this approach, and after the central government set an example this year, each province will have to prepare its own year-end report and publish it to the public next year. In the future, counties and cities at all levels will also have to follow suit with this kind of report.

Wang Chongshan and Zhang Mingqi both felt a bit stuck. They had never done this before and had no idea how to write it. They could summarize and extract the relevant data and information, but they had no idea what they could write and what they couldn't.