The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 391 Innovation
As the living standards of the people of Qi State continued to improve, many leisure places such as teahouses, taverns, gardens, cafes, and bars emerged, attracting consumption from countless idle people.

Both cafes and bars are completely imported business formats. They were originally opened by some naturalized European residents in imitation of European countries. However, as they have developed to the present day, they have gradually become localized in Qi State. Apart from retaining some European style, they have become almost no different from teahouses and taverns in the East.

The only difference is that traditional oriental teahouses and taverns are more artistic, more spacious, and more stylishly decorated, and are basically populated by people from the middle class and above.

Some teahouses with graceful and elegant decorations even require a certain identity and status to enter.

Unlike bars, which are small and cramped, many of them are located in the front hall of a house, with only simple furniture and crude decorations. Beer, mead (rum), liquor and various fruit wines are brought out from the small door of the warehouse or the half-waist door of the storage room.

Like country taverns, many city bars are small and numerous, with one for every thirty or fifty houses in working-class areas.

In addition to European nationals, the operators also included native Qi people. The extremely crowded urban family housing made bars and taverns a very popular place to relax.

With the city bars, extremely exhausted workers can get away from the crying and noisy children at home, leave the cramped and messy rooms, temporarily escape from the trivial and disorderly housework, and enjoy a moment of spiritual "peace".

Of course, not all bars are like this. Businessmen who have the money to invest and operate breweries will do their best to make their bars look more pleasing to the eye, thereby attracting potential buyers. Their bars are covered with brightly colored tiles, large and bright windows, bright lights, glittering metal decorations and highly polished woodwork. Such bars look grand and magnificent, like a luxurious palace.

However, people with a little status in Qi State generally would not patronize such places where the lower-class people consumed. Instead, they would invite three or five good friends and colleagues to go to those more private teahouses, where they would sip rich fragrant tea, eat delicious snacks, and chat about major domestic and international affairs, current political changes, and exchange information and views with each other in the tea room filled with the aroma of curling fragrance.

"I heard that His Majesty intends to reform the Senate and rename it the Council of Advocates. He also wants to expand the number of representatives and relax the qualifications for selecting representatives."

At 1737 o'clock in the evening on April 4, 3, in an elegant teahouse on Liren Street in Xuanwu District, Chang'an, several familiar officials were drinking tea and chatting about the recent events in the court.

Sun Linshu, a councilor of the Legal Department of the Imperial Court, gently placed the teacup in his hand on the small table in front of him, then grabbed a few almonds from a plate and chewed them slowly.

"What? After Your Majesty has messed with your Imperial Court, now you want to take action against the Senate?" Qi Qingyu, the right magistrate of Chang'an Prefecture, asked with a smile.

"It's not surprising that your Majesty is attacking the Imperial Court and the Senate," said Xue Yanwen, the director of the Ministry of Military Affairs. "It took nearly two months to nominate a new prime minister, and the candidate has not been finalized. In addition, several ministers that your Majesty favored either met with trouble or were rejected by the two houses. This must have made your Majesty very angry, and he is preparing to settle the score later."

"Yes, the selection of the prime minister candidate actually took two months, causing the government to be shut down for a long time, which has never happened since the founding of Da Qi." Sun Linshu said with a wry smile: "First, the cabinet advisor and Minister of Industry and Commerce Zheng Shiliang caused a sensation because the grape trellis at home collapsed, making countless people laugh at him. He had to ask to be sent away and take up a post in Qianzhou. Then, the cabinet advisor and Minister of Colonial Affairs Ma Weiyun was exposed for his poor parenting and killing innocent women, which led to the two houses temporarily abolishing his qualification to nominate the prime minister. Finally, several candidates for prime minister selected and nominated by the two houses were rejected by His Majesty one after another, so that the cabinet was difficult to give birth. This situation, tut, is really heartbreaking. ... Obviously, the representatives of the two houses do not want to see His Majesty monopolize power and gain more say in the cabinet."

"Oh, after a stalemate, a prime minister was finally chosen that neither side was satisfied with. It was a concession from both sides. But in the future, there might be more disputes." Qi Qingyu whispered, "However, the selection of the prime minister must be agreed upon by the Imperial Court and the Senate, and an absolute majority (two-thirds) of support must be obtained to form a new government. This is a political system designed by Emperor Taizu himself, and successive emperors have never thought of making major changes to it. Now, Your Majesty is determined to reform the two-chamber system. I'm afraid it will be opposed by countless people, right?"

"Recently, all major newspapers and media have been promoting the necessity of citizens' participation in politics and even using slogans such as 'God only seeks democracy, so he bestowed the great mandate on King Cheng Tang' and 'Servants are for democracy, and should lead by law', which has made your Majesty's reforms widely welcomed and supported by the people in public opinion." Xue Yanwen said, placing the teacup in his hand on the small table, and slowly said: "So, this time the two houses are fighting with your Majesty, who will win is still unknown!"

"Your Majesty wants to get rid of the many bad policies of today, so you must want to seize more power." Sun Linshu shook his head and said, "However, the original intention of Emperor Taizu to establish the system was to check and balance the power of the entire empire, to prevent the dictatorship of Emperor Qin Shihuang and Emperor Wu of Han, and to avoid the problems of the rigid system and the opposition of power between the Song and Ming dynasties. It has lasted for more than 90 years and has also ensured the long-term stability of the political situation in our Great Qi. If Your Majesty insists on such reforms, wouldn't it put the empire in chaos? Moreover, this move is against the old laws and regulations of Emperor Taizu, which may be a way to bring disaster!"

"However, your majesty reformed the two houses, increased the number of representatives, and relaxed the selection qualifications, all under the banner of being close to the people and governing the country, standing on the highest moral principles of the entire society. It can be said that you are coercing public opinion to force the two houses to submit." Qi Qingyu frowned and said, "If the two houses insist on resisting and are unwilling to reform, I am afraid they will be criticized by the surging public opinion, and eventually lose their morality and fall behind."

"Your Majesty can deceive the people, but can the two houses just sit there and wait for death?"

"However, Your Majesty not only holds the title of righteousness, but also controls the leading power of public opinion." Qi Qingyu said, subconsciously looking around, and then lowered his voice and said: "Although the publication and distribution of newspapers and periodicals are reviewed and approved by the News Management Bureau, the Public Opinion Research Office controlled by Your Majesty can ban any speech and articles that endanger the government and the royal family in the name of endangering the security of the empire. Tell me, if they use this as an excuse to ban all the speeches that oppose Your Majesty's reforms, how can the two houses form a rebuttal and propaganda in their favor in public opinion?"

"Your Majesty has more than just the sword of the Public Opinion Survey Office." Xue Yanwen took over the topic and said, "Don't forget that the Supervisory Council also belongs to Your Majesty. Over the years, many frontier officials have been investigated for corruption, and many cabinet ministers have been dismissed for dereliction of duty. The strike and rally of the Yingzhou coal miners angered Your Majesty, so the Supervisory Council, together with the Public Opinion Survey Office and the Military Police Command, jointly investigated and almost wiped out all the officials in Yingzhou, and also implicated more than a dozen governors and governors of Handong Province. What do you think would happen if the Supervisory Council was ordered to investigate the representatives of the two houses?"

"It won't come to this, will it?" Sun Linshu was startled and said in surprise, "If the Supervisory Council wants to make things difficult, which official can withstand their investigation?"

"If Your Majesty is pushed too far, do you think he will instruct the Supervisory Council to launch a massive purge of the entire officialdom?" Xue Yanwen said quietly, "After all, countless people in the country are happy to see Your Majesty rectify the administration of officials, and they also have strong expectations for the integrity of the officialdom. Is there anyone who dares to stop Your Majesty from fighting corruption? You must know that the former Ming Emperor Hongwu slaughtered officials in the name of fighting corruption, but he was applauded by countless people and even admired and praised by the world."

"During the reign of Emperor Hongwu of the former Ming Dynasty, it was a real nightmare for officials. It can even be said that officials had no money to live and everyone was in danger." Qi Qingyu said with a wry smile: "Although the laws of my Great Qi are slightly lenient and there are no cruel laws such as skinning and strawing or punishing nine generations of a family, if Your Majesty really wants to clean up the officialdom, it will be an unbearable blow to us."

"If Your Majesty cleans up the bureaucracy, who will be in charge of the empire?" "The Yingzhou government was emptied out. Did it cause unrest in the area? You know, our Great Qi is not like the Qin State, which selects officials through imperial examinations."

"Oh, aren't we worrying too much?" Xue Yanwen said with a smile, "Looking at your majesty's eight years of reigning on the throne, although some of his edicts and measures are radical and bold, in general, your majesty still abides by the rules, is reasonable, and respects the legal system. He will not act on impulse, causing drastic fluctuations in the political situation of our Great Qi. Besides, the aristocratic families, elders, and nobles are not so stubborn that they insist on confronting your majesty. By then, the two sides may be like the nomination of the prime minister this time. After each gets what it needs, they will rationally take a step back and not make the situation in the empire too acute. Come on..., drink a cup of fragrant tea, don't worry so much! Even if the sky really falls, there will be someone taller to hold it up first. Why do we need to worry so much?"

"Brother Xue is right. Come on, tea, please!"
-
"Your Majesty, do you really want to reduce the amount of money provided to the royal family?"

Zuo Zongzheng of the Qi State Clan Court and Duke of Dongping Qi Yuanhe held their cups in their hands and looked in astonishment at the head of the Royal Trading Company, Heisei Lord Qi Bangyou, with expressions of surprise and doubt on their faces.

"Although His Majesty did not say it explicitly, his words and deeds do indicate that he intends to reduce the amount of royal tribute to make up for the shortfall in the royal fund." Qi Bangyou said with a smile, "As for how much to reduce, His Majesty probably has not yet made up his mind. I am just reminding Duke Dongping in advance to prevent your clan officials from being at a loss when the time comes."

"They are all descendants of Taizu. Your Majesty, are you going to treat the royal children harshly?" Qi Yuanhe drank the wine in the cup and then said dissatisfiedly: "Our clan office can only use the titles and royal annuities to manage the entire royal family and establish some power. If there is no money, who will be bound by us and obey the management of the clan office? Besides, your Royal Trading Company earns tens of millions a year, so why can't you squeeze out a little money to maintain the royal children's offerings? Are you going to let all the royal children of Daqi go begging on the streets in the future?"

"Duke Dongping, although our Royal Trading Company earns tens of millions a year, the actual profit is not much. Moreover, over the past decade, influenced by domestic public opinion, the Royal Trading Company has gradually withdrawn from many competitive industries in response to the public's call for concessions to the people." Qi Bangyou raised the wine pot and filled the wine for the other party, and said softly: "Moreover, every year we need to provide the necessary maintenance funds for the Royal Academy of Sciences, the Royal Medical College, the Freemasons, the orphanage, the Welfare Society for the Disabled and many other institutions. After deducting these, there is basically not much left. In some years, the Royal Trading Company even has a deficit of hundreds of thousands of yuan..."

"Who are you trying to fool?" Qi Yuanhe glared at him. "Everyone knows that your Royal Trading Company has invested in almost all the monopoly trading companies. In addition, there are so many profitable industries in the country, and the annual income is tens of millions. I still underestimated it. Don't cry poor in front of me. If the Royal Trading Company earns less or suffers a loss, it must be because those of you who are responsible for the operation and management are greedy! Tell me the truth, is His Majesty trying to punish us old men by reducing the royal tribute? Tell me, why is he wrestling with the government and pointing the knife at his own family?!"

"Duke Dongping, you also know that you are one of His Majesty's 'family', right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Duke Dongping, since you are one of us, you should support and stand by all the decisions made by your majesty." Qi Bangyou looked at the other party steadily.

"What? Your Majesty is dissatisfied with our support for the Senate?" Qi Yuanhe immediately understood the meaning of his words.

"Yes, Duke Dongping, your majesty reformed the Senate for the sake of long-term stability of the empire and the permanent rule of the Great Qi royal family." Qi Bangyou said slowly: "As royal children, even if we are dissatisfied with your majesty, we should not join forces with outsiders to oppose your majesty's decision. Think about it, if the imperial power falls into the hands of others, your majesty will not have the necessary means to maintain the legitimate interests of the royal children. What does that mean? If the skin is gone, where will the hair be attached! If your majesty is weak, not to mention that the royal family's offerings cannot be maintained, I am afraid that the royal family will end up like the Li family in the late Tang Dynasty."

"Oh, Heisei-no-bo..." Qi Yuanhe suddenly smiled, leaned back slightly, leaned on the back of the soft chair, and reached out to point at the other party, "I can see that you are entrusted by His Majesty to be a lobbyist, right? ... His Majesty wants our royal family to stand on his side in the reform of the Senate?"

"Duke Dongping is on our side." Qi Bangyou corrected him, "We are all royal relatives, have the same ancestors, and share the same blood."

"If we stand on the side of your majesty, oh, on the side of our royal family, during the Senate's reforms, then your majesty will have to reconsider the issue of reducing the royal children's tributes?"

"Your Majesty is a member of the royal family after all, so he naturally doesn't want to see the royal bloodline live in such hardship."

"I can't make the decision here. I have to go back and have a good talk with those old guys before I can agree to your majesty's request."

"Duke Dongping is well-known, and his words must carry a lot of weight. I also believe that the royal family members are all prudent people who understand the overall situation and will not let Your Majesty down too much."

"But, Your Majesty is planning to expand the number of representatives in the Senate, relax the qualifications for selecting representatives, and absorb a large number of civilians into the Senate. Is this diluting the representative rights of our royal family, nobles, and retired officials?" Qi Yuanhe asked worriedly.

"No!" Qi Bangyou said firmly: "Your Majesty plans to learn from some of the models of the English Parliament and divide the reorganized Senate into the left and right houses. Those civilians who are absorbed will become representatives of the right house in the future. The rights they can exercise will be greatly limited, and the rights of the original Senate representatives will not be weakened too much."

"Left and right courts?" Qi Yuanhe pondered for a moment and smacked his lips. "I hope that our Majesty will not make too much trouble and end up making things worse and bringing trouble to the imperial family of Great Qi."

"How can that be possible! Although your majesty is young, he has great ambitions and will surely be able to push our Great Qi to a higher peak."

(End of this chapter)