Opening game, American Tycoon

Zhongdu, the Forbidden City, this palace that symbolizes the supremacy of imperial power, has witnessed the rise of the empire over the past century or so.

At this time, a middle-aged man wearing Hanfu stood quietly in the pavilion by the lake in the Imperial Garden, looking thoughtfully at the water birds flying from time to time on the lake.There was an indescribable calmness and restraint between his brows, as if he was carrying a thousand words of silence.

At this time, a voice sounded outside the pavilion, breaking the short silence.It was an old man with gray hair. His demeanor and words were extremely respectful. When he spoke, he slightly lowered his head and stared at his toes.

"Your Majesty, this is the whole process of my first contact with him. I have asked 007 to stay with him and instructed 007 to mobilize all the resources of the Investigation Bureau."

He lowered his head and said, although his tone was respectful, he did not hide his decisiveness at all.

The middle-aged man in the pavilion responded lightly,
"Faceless."

His eyes still stayed on the water birds on the lake, as if he was thinking about some profound question.

Yes, this middle-aged man is the fifth emperor of the Ming Empire - Emperor Qian Sheng.Five years ago, Emperor Dezong passed away in Edo while on a tour of Japan, and he hastily inherited the throne.In the eyes of the outside world, he has always been a generous and kind emperor, deeply loved and respected by officials and people.

But in fact, he has something going on in his belly.

"Do you believe it? Emperor Shizu actually left such a secret plan. Could it be said that Emperor Shizu really expected all this?"

Emperor Qian Sheng whispered to himself in a low voice, and the documentary film he had watched Emperor Shizu once again appeared in his mind. His eyes seemed to always be shining with a profound light, as if he could see into all the mysteries of the world.

Did Emperor Shizu really expect all this?
When this question spread in his mind, Emperor Qian Sheng thought for a moment and seemed to have made a decision.He turned around and looked at the old man behind him. Although his voice was not loud, it was full of power.
"Just do as you say. I believe Emperor Shizu's arrangement must have his deepest intentions."

As his words fell, the entire Imperial Garden suddenly fell into silence.Birds flew in the sky and the sun shone on the water.

Who are the Faceless Men?
What secrets are hidden behind them?
While thinking, he thought of the "Royal Secrets" left by Emperor Shizu, which contained a lot of scientific knowledge that was ahead of the times. Although as time went by, the scientific knowledge was no longer as surprising as when he first saw it when he was a child, but many Directional theories still guide the scientific development of the empire.

Perhaps Emperor Shizu had really anticipated all this, so he left that back-up man behind.

"I think that the great genius of the ancestors may have figured out where the empire's crisis lies. As for the "faceless man", I think it is very impressive and may be a starting point to solve the current predicament. His Majesty once said that if it is not taken into account, When the rectification becomes more and more intense in the future, the country will inevitably be destroyed. Now, if they can be the vanguard, there may be unexpected gains. "

How could Qian Sheng, as the ruler, not notice the crisis of the empire? In fact, he has been carefully investigating everything in the hope that he can take charge of the crisis in the future.

"Governing a big country is like cooking small dishes. I also want to cut through the mess quickly, but, alas..."

Nodding slightly, Emperor Qian Sheng looked into the distance and then said.

"In the final analysis, the descendants are still incompetent! After all these years, we still have to rely on the secret hands left by our ancestors to solve the problem. If this problem cannot be solved, how can the ancestors' spirits in heaven forgive me and other unfilial descendants. "

In fact, as early as when he was the prince, he discovered that the empire's political system had deviated from the design of Emperor Shizu. The imperial government system designed by Emperor Shizu was neither traditional nor Western, but borrowed from Chinese and Western styles. In order to avoid the dominance of civilian officials in the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Shizu adopted the separation of civil and military affairs.The highest administrative system of the empire is the Imperial Executive Yuan, which is responsible for domestic affairs, foreign affairs, finance, education and other matters. This is the civil service system of the empire.The Imperial Army and Navy Ministry is independent of the Executive Yuan. It is only responsible to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the Emperor himself, and is completely independent of the Cabinet.

For the military, the Executive Yuan only has the power to review and approve the budget. Even if the budget does not exceed 5% compared with the previous year, it does not have the power to directly deny the military's preparations. It only has the power to recommend modifications.Even if the limit is exceeded, after three rejections, the emperor can still pass the decree directly depending on the situation.

In other words, at that time, the emperor had absolute authority.

However, in the last years of King Sejo's reign, with the establishment of the Imperial Council of Ministers, which consists of the House of Nobles and the House of Commoners, everything is quietly changing. Now the budgets of the two are subject to the Imperial Council - the annual budget needs to be submitted to the Imperial Council. reviewed and approved by the Court.

In the past century, the Imperial Council, which seemed inconspicuous at that time, gradually extended its tentacles to various departments of the empire through its budgetary and supervisory powers. It was also at this time that things began to happen within the empire. some kind of change.

"Your Majesty, I thought that Your Majesty was too kind and that some people were greedy. When Guan Shizu was still alive, although Shizu was kind, he never let go of the Emperor's Sword!"

There are some things that you can't just do if you want to. Shizu can do it, but what about you?

"Times change, the Emperor's Sword... Shizu has several Emperor's Swords in his hands..."

After such a sigh, Qian Sheng looked back at the old man and said.

"I only have your sword in my hand now. As for the others... they are all broken swords! Go and go well. I hope you can reforge this sword for me... so that I can have the face to see you in the future. Ancestors!”

When the old man retreated, Emperor Qian Sheng was still standing at the nameless lake in the Imperial Garden. He looked thoughtfully at the lake, where a group of waterbirds danced gracefully, gliding across the lake lightly, leaving behind a string of ripples.As night falls, the sky is dyed golden yellow, and the rays of light are reflected in the lake, forming a beautiful scene.

But Emperor Qian Sheng was not interested in such a scene, but said to himself.

"The Faceless..."

Then, as if he thought of something, he said softly.

"When I was young, I seemed to have heard this story from my father. The Faceless Men seemed to be a group of assassins. This story seemed to have been told by Shizu... It seems that the Faceless Men were indeed the work of Shizu."

Looking at the nameless lake under the curtain, Qian Sheng said again.

"Nameless Lake, Faceless Men... This is indeed the ancestor's habit... But, what kind of drastic changes will these faceless assassins bring to the empire's political arena?"

The breeze blew, the lake rippled, and water birds danced on the lake. The emperor in the pavilion raised his brows lightly, with a faint smile on his face.