The parliament dragged on like this for ten days. Under the strong wave of criticism across the country against the "opposition" councilors, and forced and urged by celebrities from various places who rushed to Beijing day and night, the parliament finally began to proceed.

Since the wealthy princes were stripped clean, wealthy Bannermen fled one after another. Impoverished Bannermen dared not show their heads. Coupled with the political turmoil, the teahouses and entertainment industry in the capital declined into a complete mess. In these chaotic days, the famous Peking Opera actors in the capital could only rest at home. But starting from early November 1909, the business of these famous actors suddenly boomed. Waves of celebrities from various places flocked to the capital. Their purpose was to get in closest contact with the Constitutional Conference that would decide China's future destiny.

The parliament building was now fully blockaded and strictly guarded. The residences of councilors from various provinces were also lined with military police; unless the councilors personally gave the word to specify someone, not even a sparrow could fly in. However, Vice Prime Minister Yuan Shikai was transparent enough in doing things; every afternoon after the parliament adjourned, the day's topics and voting results were published. Yuan Shikai was very smart; he didn't talk about the Manchu Qing issue at all, only about the future political development plan. Every item had a major impact on the provinces, so everyone had to pay attention.

These celebrities from various places couldn't just hole up in their residences or squat outside the parliament building without moving after arriving in Beijing. Many of them had heard of each other but never met, so entertainment venues everywhere—teahouses, restaurants, including theaters—became lively again. Because Yuan Shikai issued a martial law order within the Beiyang Army, officers and soldiers were not allowed to leave the barracks without orders. Plus, the Banner troops were completely wiped out, and the Eight Great Hutongs (red-light district) had been depressed for a long time. With this large group of people entering Beijing, even this place became lively.

The teahouses had the most people, and the teahouse owners adapted quite well. There were many guild halls from various places in Beijing, and many officials too. Southern accents and northern tunes were originally very common. Apart from better conversation and more brilliant content, these new masters were not essentially different from the usual Banner regulars in the teahouses. Moreover, these masters were much more generous with money and had far more spending power than those poor ghosts of the Eight Banners.

However, Wang Lifa, the owner of Yutai Teahouse on Qianmen Street, saw a scene he had never seen before. A group of people came onto the street, led by a short-haired young man wearing a silver-white satin "student suit." This outfit was similar to Japanese student uniforms; as more and more students returned from Japan, this kind of clothing became increasingly common. But this silver-white satin student suit was truly rare. What was even rarer was that this person's clothes were actually embroidered with several five-clawed golden dragons. Wang Lifa was a young shopkeeper who knew how to observe very well; this kind of golden dragon was something only the Imperial Family dared to use. There might be dragon embroidery on a prince's clothes, but clothes with this kind of golden dragon coiling around the body—what kind of status must a person have to dare wear them?

And this young man had short hair, obviously not a member of the Imperial Family. He was tall and handsome. He shouted slogans in Cantonese Mandarin. Wang Lifa was only in his twenties and couldn't understand very well. But the other young men following this young man held high a banner with bloody red characters written on it: "The Tongmenghui resolutely demands the downfall of the Manchu Qing!" Although there were not many people, the young men looked vigorous; they shouted slogans while distributing leaflets everywhere. It was quite lively for a while.

Wang Lifa finally judged that these young men were the legendary "Revolutionary Party." He had always known about Revolutionary Party activities and had seen notices posted by the Revolutionary Party, but this was the first time he saw living Revolutionary Party members. Taking three steps in two, he reached the door. Wang Lifa wanted to hear clearly what that young man was saying. That young man's Mandarin wasn't too terrible, and Wang Lifa roughly heard a few sentences clearly: "I am Wang Jingwei, a member of the Tongmenghui. The current situation of the world is that if the Manchu Qing does not perish, China will not flourish. During this Constitutional Conference, our Tongmenghui calls on councilors and celebrities everywhere to overthrow the Manchu Qing together for the sake of China!"

Whether the Manchu Qing would perish or China would flourish, young Shopkeeper Wang Lifa wasn't clear. But seeing live Revolutionary Party members with his own eyes surprised Shopkeeper Wang Lifa. Actually, Wang Jingwei's outfit looked very much like the attire of delinquent youths in Japanese hot-blooded violent anime; Chen Ke would probably laugh out loud if he saw it. But in this era, it was truly dashing enough and could attract attention. Plus the high-held banner, the leaflets distributed everywhere, the idlers following behind, and the outsiders from various places turning their heads to watch—it was really quite interesting.

While watching, he saw a rickshaw stop at the door. The puller was a tall man in his thirties. Shopkeeper Wang Lifa looked closely; it was Fourth Master Chang (Chang Siye), a regular customer of Yutai Teahouse. Fourth Master Chang was a Manchu, but an outlier among Manchus. He didn't smoke opium or walk birds in cages. He usually helped people drive carts in the capital and lived quite frugally. A few years ago, when honeycomb briquettes became popular in the capital, he made a small profit. Once the Bannermen were scattered, many lost their livelihoods. Fourth Master Chang, however, used his savings from these years to buy an eighty-percent-new rickshaw from a certain prince's mansion at a low price. Now he made a living pulling a rickshaw.

Fourth Master Chang was usually quite chivalrous and had wide connections. Even when the capital was relatively depressed, he didn't lack customers. Now that people from all over came to the capital, he was so busy his feet didn't touch the ground. After dropping the customer off into the teahouse, Fourth Master Chang shouted to Wang Lifa, "Shopkeeper Wang, give me a bowl of Rotten Meat Noodles (noodles with stewed meat)."

Someone nearby saw the rickshaw was empty and wanted Fourth Master Chang to take him to Ghost Street (Gui Jie). Fourth Master Chang laughed, "Sir, it's not that I won't take you. I've been running all morning and am starving. Even if I took you, I wouldn't be able to run, and I'd just delay your business. Sir, you'd better take someone else's rickshaw."

That customer sounded like a person from Jiangsu. Seeing Fourth Master Chang being so straightforward, he became interested in him. He followed Fourth Master Chang into the front of the teahouse and asked, "When can you finish eating?"

Fourth Master Chang didn't deceive the customer at the door either. He laughed heartily, "This Rotten Meat Noodles comes fast, but I have to rest a while after eating. Sir, I'm afraid I can't leave for less than half an hour."

"Rotten Meat Noodles?" This customer had never heard of this name. While they were talking, a big bowl of Rotten Meat Noodles had already been brought up by the waiter. It was a big bowl of thick noodles topped with meat gravy and green vegetables. It was noon now; the meat gravy had long been prepared, and the noodles cooked fast. It was ready in a blink of an eye. It smelled very fragrant.

The customer immediately had an appetite. He said to the waiter, "Bring me a bowl too."

Although Wang Lifa was very interested in the Revolutionary Party that just passed by, he would absolutely not throw aside his own business to watch the excitement. Seeing the back of the Revolutionary Party disappear, he turned back into the room and said to his old customer Fourth Master Chang, "Fourth Master Chang, in these times, even the Revolutionary Party parades on the street so swaggeringly. And no one cares."

Fourth Master Chang sighed, "This Great Qing Dynasty..." Speaking of this, he slouched and ate a few mouthfuls of noodles, then shouted to the waiter, "Waiter, give me another half a flatbread. Bring the wine I keep here."

After speaking, Fourth Master Chang continued to slurp his noodles.

"Fourth Master Chang, what do you say is happening to this Great Qing Dynasty?" Although Wang Lifa was timid, seeing the Revolutionary Party tossing about in the capital in broad daylight with no one caring, he couldn't help asking.

"This Great Qing Dynasty seems unable to hold on. How many Bannermen are left in the capital now? The rich ones all ran to Tianjin. The poor ones can't even eat. In the past few days, people coming to my house to borrow some rice and flour almost trampled my door flat. They are all from the same Banner; I can't refuse to give. The rickshaw I pulled these days is equivalent to pulling for them." Fourth Master Chang finished gloomily, picked up the wine bottle brought by the waiter, pulled out the stopper, took a sip, and then picked up half a flatbread and gnawed on it with his head down.

Wang Lifa didn't know what to say either. He had seen quite a few miserable states of Bannermen. Originally, many people just scraped a living following various princely mansions, and some simply ate the leftover rice thrown out from the Imperial City. Now all sources were cut off; they neither knew how to work nor were willing to work. There were more than one or two who had fallen to selling their sons and daughters.

Seeing the regular customer Fourth Master Chang burying his head to eat, but so many old customers of the past had vanished without a trace, Wang Lifa couldn't help but say a sentence, "Is this Beijing without Bannermen still Beijing?"

The customer with the Jiangsu accent had been eating noodles quietly. Hearing this, he stopped his chopsticks, looked up, and said, "In the first few hundred years when Beijing City was built, where was there a single Bannerman in here? Without Bannermen, this Beijing is still Beijing."

This voice wasn't small. Quite a few people in the room heard it clearly, and several people had already turned their heads to look. Wang Lifa was originally timid, and discussing state affairs this time was him summoning up courage. Seeing this customer so agitated, he hurriedly said, "Sir, it was me who spoke wrong. You eat slowly, eat slowly." After speaking, Wang Lifa slipped back behind the counter to calculate accounts.

Wang Jingwei didn't know such a story happened in the big teahouse he just passed. While frankly reporting his family background, he shouted various anti-Qing slogans. Reaching the street corner ahead, seeing many onlookers, Wang Jingwei simply climbed onto a nearby flight of steps and began to make a speech. "...At this time today, the whole country hopes for a republic. How can there be clowns acting as mouthpieces for a rotten monarch again!..."

This was Sun Yat-sen's draft. Wang Jingwei himself was also a talent; with a little filling and trimming, he polished it to be impassioned. The main idea of the draft was to overthrow the Manchu Qing and create a republic. This was the consistent stance of the Tongmenghui, or rather Sun Yat-sen. He could be called a revolutionary pioneer because he was firm enough. Sun Yat-sen always had a characteristic, which was to squeeze into the center of the spotlight no matter what. Previous revolutions were all like this. Even if he was propped up as a puppet or a clown, he never refused. If a person had a firm attitude and appeared frequently in the center of contradictions in the great era of the late Qing Dynasty where "you sing and I take the stage," he himself became a banner, a symbol.

Chen Ke's resistance to Sun Yat-sen wasn't entirely because of Sun Yat-sen's terrible private morality or because of Sun Yat-sen's acts of selling out China's sovereignty everywhere to gain support. People with such tenacious will like Sun Yat-sen really left Chen Ke somewhat unable to deal with them. Chen Ke could only choose to completely refuse contact with Sun Yat-sen. The internal affairs of the People's Party piled up like a mountain; Chen Ke really didn't have the time or energy to deal with these annoying external things.

But for Sun Yat-sen, the current Constitutional Conference was a key major event deciding China's destiny. In this era, more than 90% of the "Revolutionary Party" pursued constitutionalism. At the earliest Tongmenghui conference, in a room of seventy or eighty people, Sun Yat-sen only knew a dozen. And among these seventy or eighty people, those pursuing constitutionalism accounted for the vast majority. There were only seven or eight who swore to overthrow the Manchu Qing. And these were the relatively radical "Revolutionary Party."

In the days that followed, the People's Party, which fought fiercely with the Manchu Qing, firmly refused Sun Yat-sen's invitation. The Guangfu Society, which swore undying hatred against the Manchu Qing, also broke away from the Tongmenghui. Huang Xing and Song Jiaoren also led members of the Huaxinghui to leave the Tongmenghui under the stimulation of many events.

In 1908, Sun Yat-sen had to risk great danger to personally organize the Zhennanguan Uprising. After the uprising failed, Sun Yat-sen went to Nanyang to raise funds, preparing to make a comeback. By the second half of the year, China's situation changed suddenly. First, Cixi and Guangxu died one after another. The People's Party prepared to fight a decisive battle with Yuan Shikai. Then came the chaos in Hebei, and the Manchu Qing looked tottering.

In 1909, the People's Party went south, and Yuan Shikai returned north. Then Yuan Shikai announced preparations for constitutionalism. The whole situation became as complicated as a kaleidoscope. Almost all revolutionaries revealed their true colors as "Constitutionalists"; what they wanted was for the Manchu Qing to decentralize power and for localities to govern themselves. When this result was within reach, the Tongmenghui itself completely disintegrated. The remaining radical faction that truly demanded a republic was only a tiny minority. Totaling less than 200 people. Many were members of local peripheral organizations.

Sun Yat-sen rushed back to Japan again. The Japanese government was as polite to Sun Yat-sen as ever. Polite was polite, but they didn't attach importance to him at all. In desperation, Sun Yat-sen had to order his firm believer Wang Jingwei to lead the radicals of the Ping-Jin (Beijing-Tianjin) Tongmenghui to express the Tongmenghui's firm attitude of "Overthrowing the Monarchy, Establishing a Republic" to this Constitutional Conference.

Wang Jingwei fully knew the current status of the Tongmenghui. Actually, the only ones in the Tongmenghui who could still act in an organized way were this group of young people in the Ping-Jin area who had never launched an uprising. At this time, there were no Bannermen in the capital, so assassinating high-ranking Banner officials had very limited meaning. As for assassinating councilors from various provinces, it seemed to have a good effect. But could death force these people to submit after the assassination? Opinions within the Ping-Jin Tongmenghui were very divided.

The Assassination Faction believed, "Deter the petty people, let them know that nothing but a republic will do."

The Moderate Faction believed, "Parliamentary representatives are representatives of the people. Although they deserve to be killed, they cannot be killed by us! We need to expose their true colors and let the people of the provinces kill them."

Young people refused to yield to anyone, and the quarrel became more and more intense. In the end, Wang Jingwei slammed the table fiercely, "Everyone is unwilling to assassinate; is everyone willing to go to jail!"

Everyone was startled after hearing this. Wang Jingwei immediately proposed that the Tongmenghui go onto the streets for public activities and publicize their political views. If Beiyang arrested everyone, it would prove that Beiyang was "Truly Royalist, Fake Constitutionalist."

This suggestion was immediately agreed to by the Tongmenghui members. In order to express opposition to the Manchu Qing to the maximum extent, naturally, they did it as conspicuously as possible. Forty young comrades of the Tongmenghui who were not afraid of going to jail were divided into eight groups, with five people in each group. They also got eight sets of Coiled Dragon Satin suits, eight banners, and a large pile of leaflets. Everyone agreed that as long as the previous group was arrested, the next group would fill in the next day. If everyone was arrested, the other comrades of the assassination team could act freely.

With the determination of "Willing to be prisoners of Chu" (willing to be prisoners for a cause), Wang Jingwei led the comrades of the first group onto the streets to start the parade. Everyone shouted slogans and distributed slogans. Although there were some sneaky-looking people tailing this small parade team, generally speaking, no one really stopped them. The police only maintained order; since this small team had no intention of obstructing traffic, the police didn't care either. This increased the courage of Wang Jingwei and other young comrades a hundredfold amidst their joy.

On the day of the Tongmenghui's public parade, the topics of the Constitutional Conference had also reached the end. Originally, the three observers of the People's Party were objects the councilors avoided like the plague. As the long meeting was visibly coming to an end, everyone's eyes increasingly focused on the three.

In the eyes of the councilors from various provinces, the one who personally cut the power of the Manchu Qing until it existed in name only might be Beiyang's Yuan Shikai, but the root cause that truly provoked this great change and brought chaos to the world was the People's Party. If it were Chen Ke, he would have a different view. The People's Party merely found the pulse in the trend of this great transformation in the late Qing. It was this group of representatives who truly persevered in weakening the Manchu Qing's rule.

Leaving aside this gap in understanding, the armed forces in the hands of the People's Party were real. Since conquering the entire province of Jiangxi, the southern provinces that originally criticized the People's Party fell silent. Beiyang naturally wanted to use Chen Ke to threaten the southern provinces. The southern provinces bordered the People's Party; they absolutely refused to ask for trouble. Especially the representatives of Guangdong, Fujian, and Hunan, they kept their mouths shut about the People's Party. The People's Party's reason for conquering Jiangxi was "Jiangxi Governor Wu Xun is a hardcore royalist." Actually, Wu Xun couldn't be talked about as very royalist, nor had he publicly expressed royalist or anti-constitutional remarks.

Yan Fu and Feng Xu were both celebrities; in such occasions, they habitually remained silent. Shang Yuan, this young nobody, apart from laughing occasionally, could actually remain silent too. The councilors of various provinces didn't dare to talk with the People's Party privately. Since private talks didn't work, there were only public ones. Originally, the councilors thought Yuan Shikai would actively inquire, but Yuan Shikai also calmly turned a blind eye to the People's Party representatives. The councilors of the southern provinces naturally became more and more uneasy.

Noon recess, everyone ate. To avoid trouble, the parliament's food was a collective big canteen. Yuan Shikai accepted Chen Ke's suggestion. In the big courtyard, there was a row of temporary kitchens, each with a different cook in charge. Whatever everyone wanted to eat, they paid for it themselves, and Yuan Shikai paid out of his own pocket to reimburse half.

The aroma of various dishes permeated the air. Coupled with the sound of ladles colliding with woks, the canteen courtyard overflowed with a pleasant aura of life. With the noble status of the councilors, they could have sent people to deliver menus, and the food could also be delivered by others to the meeting rooms of each representative. It was just that at this time, many councilors' attendants waiting outside sent in the latest news. The councilors had begun to get used to this method, and the process of choosing dishes was also a good opportunity for networking between provinces. As usual, the news was quickly handed in. The person who received the news first unfolded the paper in his hand and immediately changed his expression.

This was an announcement just released by the People's Party: "The People's Party participated in the Constitutional Conference thinking it was a political consultative conference to overthrow the Qing Court and create a republic. The result was finding that the Constitutional Parliament is full of submissive subjects of the Great Qing. The People's Party cannot accept this and declares withdrawal from this conference to continue the efforts of armed struggle."

It wasn't just one person who received this news; many people were stunned.

"Fuck me!" Unknown who cursed first, other representatives hurriedly gathered to see the news. First whispering, then buzzing commotion, and then public indignation. Originally, the People's Party representatives didn't say a word, and everyone thought the People's Party representatives understood rules and didn't cause trouble for everyone. Until seeing the naked military threat of the People's Party, they instead blamed the People's Party representatives for refusing to speak. The group of representatives completely forgot that the People's Party were just observers, and observers had no qualification to participate in parliamentary discussions at all.

"Everyone, we have to let the People's Party representatives explain this matter clearly. What exactly do they mean?" Someone in the crowd shouted.

"Right, let them explain clearly." Immediately someone echoed. Mass emotions are easiest to trigger collective action. Immediately, younger councilors took the lead to rush towards the People's Party delegation's meeting room.

In order to protect the safety of the councilors from various provinces and incidentally monitor them, Beiyang equipped the entrance of every meeting room with quite a few guards. Seeing a large group of councilors rushing over aggressively, the guards immediately stepped forward to block them. They had been trained for a long time. Although they didn't know exactly what was going on, the leading officer shouted loudly, "Gentlemen, you cannot storm other delegations."

"Let Yan Fu come out!"

"Feng Xu, come out and speak!"

"Don't hide in the room; what does the People's Party mean?"

"Don't play dumb! Come out!"

But the door of the People's Party delegation was tightly closed. No matter how people shouted outside, it was as if there was no one inside.

"Everyone, let's go back to eat first and prepare. During the afternoon meeting, we must make the People's Party representatives explain clearly." Another relatively young councilor shouted. As the parliament convened, representatives from various provinces gradually became familiar with each other. Although everyone refused to yield when talking about provincial interests, on some relatively public matters, councilors with loud voices and strong mobility gradually had a tendency to lead the situation briefly. This was what Yuan Shikai wanted to see, but it was what the leaders of the provincial representatives didn't want to see.

This time was the same. Everyone didn't care which councilor shouted this. Since everyone was concerned about this matter, this suggestion also fit everyone's general interest. Except for a few councilors who resolutely refused to leave, other councilors began to scatter one after another.

The parliament building was heavily guarded. On the top-level sentry post stood a middle-aged man. He wore ordinary military clothing without any rank or insignia proving rank. However, from the respectful behavior of several officers around him, it could be seen that he was absolutely not an ordinary soldier. From the moment the councilors were in public indignation to their gradual dispersal, this man remained silent. The officer next to him couldn't help asking, "Lord Feng, they won't really fight down there, right?"

Feng Guozhang seemed to have not heard his subordinate's question at all, just looking silently at the increasingly sparse crowd below. This time Yuan Shikai let him be responsible for the security of the parliament. Feng Guozhang didn't understand Yuan Shikai's plan at first. Ever since Beiyang seized the leading power of the court, Feng Guozhang originally thought he could finally get rid of the awkward idle job of "Consultant" and get real power. Actually, he didn't expect to be able to control a province, nor even expect to control a division (Zhen) of the Beiyang Army. But at least let him go teach at the military academy.

But Yuan Shikai insisted on giving Feng Guozhang such a job of guarding the parliament. This was really a hard job; all five hundred councilors, including Yuan Shikai, had to be taken good care of. After such a large pile of celebrities came to the capital again, this job was simply not for humans. That bunch of people held their status high; if you blocked them, they really dared to make a scene with you. Feng Guozhang had to issue strict orders and used Beiyang's consistent cruel military discipline to govern his subordinates. Finally, no trouble was caused.

After doing this for a while, Feng Guozhang also saw some clues. As long as the newly discussed content was relatively sensitive, the councilors would make a fuss. And this announcement by the People's Party made Feng Guozhang feel extremely uneasy. He specially came personally to hold the fort, ensuring that in case of emergency, he could order people to stop the conflict at any time. Seeing the last few people scatter, Feng Guozhang breathed a sigh of relief. He said, "Let's go down."

When the councilors were making a big fuss, Yan Fu, Feng Xu, and Shang Yuan were all in the meeting room. The three People's Party representatives got their meals early. They ate and rested as if they hadn't heard the clamor outside at all. Everyone already knew the plan of the base area. This was also one of the steps arranged by Chen Ke.

Yuan Shikai had to care about his own face after all. In the matter of overthrowing the Manchu Qing, he could only weaken the Manchu Qing's power step by step. But on the final key issue, it must be the parliament actively demanding the Qing Court to abdicate. Yuan Shikai couldn't force the Qing House himself. Moreover, on the matter of whether Yuan Shikai really wanted the Qing Emperor to abdicate, the comrades' thoughts were not quite consistent either.

Chen Ke had said long ago, "Yuan Shikai is used to being a slave. Letting him be his own master, Yuan Shikai might not really be willing. The People's Party often has to give him a push."

Before leaving, the delegation asked Chen Ke, what if the final Constitutional Parliament didn't reach a decision to overthrow the Qing House? Chen Ke's answer was simple: "Then tell the parliament to go play Constitutional Monarchy by themselves."

Although he knew the afternoon would be a cruel showdown, Shang Yuan felt very relaxed in his heart. Coming to Beijing this time, he felt he had obtained enough things. What was needed now was to hurry back to Huaihai Province and throw himself into work as a most ordinary People's Party member and also as a most ordinary laborer. If Shang Yuan subconsciously avoided grassroots work before, his chest was now filled with desire and passion for grassroots work.

The People's Party chose to enter the parliament hall last. As soon as the three walked into the main door, the parliament building, which was originally full of discussion voices, first quieted down, and then a burst of booing erupted. In these days, it wasn't that there hadn't been conflicts between councilors in public in the parliament building; they were all settled by the violent intervention of the parliament police. With past examples, the councilors were now unwilling to cause trouble for no reason again.

After Yan Fu and the others sat down, they surprisingly didn't see anyone stand up immediately to accuse and attack them. The parliament's topic actually continued. He felt somewhat surprised and glanced at Feng Xu; Feng Xu also felt puzzled. Could it be that these councilors were preparing some huge conspiracy?

"Comrade Shang Yuan, what do you think?" Yan Fu asked.

"Brave in private fights, cowardly in public war." Shang Yuan gave a reply calmly.

Yan Fu and Feng Xu were both stunned. A scholar who has been away three days must be looked at with new eyes; they really didn't expect a living example to appear before them. Shang Yuan's insight was really extraordinary, pointing out the immediate fact and truth almost simultaneously. What surprised the two great scholars Yan Fu and Feng Xu even more was that Shang Yuan didn't gloat or pretend to be profound at all. On the contrary, an uncontrollable enthusiasm appeared in Shang Yuan's eyes; that was the attitude of being ready for the next struggle.

After drawing the conclusion of "Brave in private fights, cowardly in public war," Shang Yuan was already prepared to continue the struggle on this basis. This focus and alertness forced the two seniors to feel a kind of admiration.

When Viceroy of Yun-Gui Xi Liang went on stage to speak, the attention of the three People's Party representatives quickly focused. The Manchu Qing claimed their root was Manchu. When the Manchu Qing was strong, it was fine. Now that the Manchu Qing had been weakened to this shape, it was a bit too laughable for Han Viceroys to jump out and act as filial sons and grandsons of the Manchus. Only Manchu officials were qualified to mention this matter.

Xi Liang had a good reputation in Yun-Gui. After becoming Viceroy of Yun-Gui in 1907, during his two-year tenure, he carried out vigorous rectification targeting malpractices such as lax military discipline and negligence in training of the local garrison despite the strategic geographical location, as well as backward education, tight finances, and thorny diplomatic situations. He focused on rectifying official governance, setting up schools, rectifying armaments, building railways, and banning opium, and all achieved certain results. If one must give Xi Liang an evaluation, it would be "He really doesn't look like a Manchu."

After taking the stage, Xi Liang wanted to say something, but paused for a long time before opening his mouth to say: "The Great Qing established the country for more than two hundred years. Constitutional Reform is the general trend, so gentlemen are here discussing state affairs. However, the national lineage cannot be lost, and the legal lineage cannot be abolished. Gentlemen have all received Imperial Grace for generations, being ministers of the court. If..."

Xi Liang's words were just those clichés. The main idea was that the Manchu Qing had reached today and needed everyone to work together to tide over the difficulties. The councilors were already rich and honored now. Even if they overthrew the Manchu Qing, they would just gain a reputation of rebellion for nothing. And if the situation became turbulent, wouldn't they lose everything?

However, these words definitely couldn't be said so bluntly. Xi Liang might be able to handle some administrative affairs, but he was not an orator. So some words sounded in the councilors' ears and instead made them frown.

When Xi Liang finished speaking, Shang Yuan stood up in a speaking posture for the first time. Although according to the process, Shang Yuan shouldn't speak, at this moment no one dared to stop him. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Shang Yuan. Everyone held great curiosity, wanting to hear what the People's Party representative wanted to say. Xi Liang was usually a decisive person and was quite strict with his subordinates. Before he left the stage, he already saw Shang Yuan getting up and walking towards this side. Watching Shang Yuan approach step by step, then walk steadily onto the podium step by step, and stand beside him. Xi Liang wanted to shout at Shang Yuan, wanted to tell Shang Yuan to get lost. But no matter what he thought in his heart, he found he couldn't move.

Actually, preventing Shang Yuan, or even killing Shang Yuan, Xi Liang might not be unable to do. But Shang Yuan's power didn't come only from Shang Yuan himself, but from the powerful force behind Shang Yuan. Since seeing the People's Party's public statement, Xi Liang felt a kind of despair. When making the final defense and justification for the Manchu Qing on this podium, Xi Liang had never felt so powerless. Although he was the dignified Viceroy of Yun-Gui, Xi Liang could only use interests to lure, reputation to threaten, and habits to beg. In short, Xi Liang could only rely on language to defend the Great Qing. And as a Manchu, as a loyal minister of the Great Qing Dynasty, Xi Liang knew very well that language was the most powerless thing.

Shang Yuan didn't speak at first. He scanned the entire parliament hall from left to right, from front to back. His line of sight almost saw everyone's eyes. Yan Fu couldn't help showing a slight smile; this was the method Chen Ke liked before speaking. But compared to Chen Ke, Shang Yuan's performance still appeared a bit immature.

But the councilors offstage were seeing this public speaking technique for the first time. They were first nervous, then felt anxious in the long silent wait, and then couldn't help whispering. Just at this moment, Shang Yuan spoke. His voice was not gentle, but intense like metal and stone colliding.

"Nonsense! What I heard from Mr. Xi Liang's mouth just now was all nonsense. This person said everyone received Imperial Grace for generations. I want to say, this is all nonsense. Everyone being able to sit in this position was either through passing the imperial examination or at least spending money to buy an office. It is the Manchu Qing that needs everyone, not everyone who needs the Manchu Qing. Yes, the Manchu Qing held imperial examinations, but when the Manchu Qing felt the imperial examinations were useless, they immediately abolished them. This is something everyone saw with their own eyes. Not a few years ago. The Manchu Qing wanted everyone's money, so they made up the system of selling offices. What they were after was everyone's money; there is no doubt about this. As for the imperial examination, I'll tell a story. In the early years of Kangxi, several special examinations were held because few scholars participated in his regular imperial examinations. Even so, local celebrities refused to participate in the special examinations. So Kangxi forcibly invited these celebrities. No matter how the celebrities cursed him on the exam papers, mocking the Manchu Qing as barbarians, Kangxi endured it all. With a wave of his big brush, Kangxi passed everyone. Gave them official titles, gave them positions. Why? Because without local celebrities, the Manchu Qing's empire would be a joke. Uprisings rose one after another across the world; without the support of celebrities, the Manchu Qing would fall."

Shang Yuan accompanied his speech with some body movements. Although appearing a bit immature, the content Shang Yuan recounted powerfully attracted the councilors' attention. These movements seemed quite harmonious instead.

Yan Fu and Feng Xu nodded slightly. Neither of them was convenient to go on stage for this speech, and neither was very good at this kind of thing. Although Chen Ke provided the outline, the specific content still had to be organized and arranged by Shang Yuan. Now it seemed Shang Yuan had clearly grasped the key points.

"Now, that woman and that little kid in the Forbidden City can eat, drink, shit, and piss. But they don't know a thing about governing the country. So on what basis should they be the nominal masters of China? Gentlemen councilors are all heroes; on what basis should you kowtow and kneel to them? As for this vast Imperial Grace of the Manchu Qing for over two hundred years, everyone is very clear. Literary inquisitions one after another. Everyone is a scholar; as long as we calculate a bit further back, I'm afraid everyone has predecessors and teachers who died in the Manchu Qing literary inquisitions. Besides these literary inquisitions, it is the repeated forfeiture of sovereignty and humiliation of the nation. Up to now, the Viceroys and Governors of the coastal provinces open a port and collect some tax, but it doesn't fall into the hands of the local yamen. Foreigners control the customs duties. Why do foreigners control our customs? Because the Manchu Qing signed treaties with foreigners. This is the vast Imperial Grace."

After saying this, Shang Yuan paused slightly. He was a bit unused to this speech. Although he had practiced many times in private, saying so much in one breath after really getting on stage, he showed signs of being a bit out of breath.

According to Chen Ke's suggestion, he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. After adjusting his breath, Shang Yuan continued, "Yes, if everyone votes to let the Manchu Qing end, everyone is the terminator of the Manchu Qing. Some people might say everyone is a traitor. But, every end means a new beginning. What history records in the future will not only be that everyone ended the Manchu Qing's rotten rule, but also that everyone created the glorious future of the republic. China has always regarded the people as heaven. Gentlemen representatives are elected by the provinces; you represent the will of the people, which is representing the Will of Heaven. Now you hold the Will of Heaven in your hands, facing a great opportunity to create a bright future, yet you still want to bow your heads to a woman and a little kid. I think everyone is too pathetic."

Hearing this, some sounds came slightly from offstage. It was the sound of some people moving their bodies involuntarily, not intending to raise any protest against Shang Yuan.

"Every time dynasties change, people loyal to the previous dynasty die like raging fire for the final resistance. The resistance of the Southern Ming in Jiangnan at the end of the Ming, and later countless predecessors risking their lives to oppose the Haircut Order; tens of millions were killed in Jiangnan. If anyone decides to betray the will of the people and decides to hang firmly on this broken coffin of the Manchu Qing to be buried with it, that is also your personal choice. I cannot force everyone to do anything. But I can predict one thing to you: your burial sacrifice is destined to be meaningless. Everyone is a smart person; everyone can see that the demise of the Manchu Qing is destined to be like dust and dirt. When a dynasty ruins China into such a miserable state, its demise is destined to be accused by thousands. The reputation of loyal ministers you want to seek will only become the shame of your lifetime."

The parliament hall was silent. The councilors were the smart people Shang Yuan spoke of; they actually had no necessity to be loyal to the Manchu Qing at all. What everyone had to consider now was actually their own interests. And after Yuan Shikai came to power, everyone wasn't at ease. Even if the Manchu Qing was on stage, even knowing the Little Emperor was actually in Yuan Shikai's hands. But at least nominally, Yuan Shikai couldn't do whatever he wanted.

"We, the People's Party, issued a statement; everyone saw it. Because the first thing our People's Party wants to oppose is the Manchu Qing. If the Manchu Qing is not destroyed, or any parliament or similar organization created on the basis of the Manchu Qing's constitutional monarchy, we will not recognize it. Anyone who supports the existence of the Manchu Qing is our enemy. Towards enemies, we never show mercy. However, anyone who agrees to overthrow the Manchu Qing is our friend. We will also absolutely not make things difficult for friends. We demand the overthrow of the Manchu Qing, the overthrow of the monarchy, and the realization of a constitutional republic. This is our People's Party's stance, and also our eternal stance."

"You, you traitor!" Xi Liang beside Shang Yuan let out a miserable cry and rushed towards Shang Yuan. He was closest to Shang Yuan and heard every word clearly. Unknown when, Xi Liang had started to stream tears down his face and tremble all over. But everyone's sight was attracted by Shang Yuan; surprisingly, few people noticed Xi Liang's changes.

The People's Party attached great importance to military training. Shang Yuan also knew he had to face danger at all times and didn't neglect practicing martial arts for self-defense. Plus he was prepared long ago. Facing Xi Liang who fell into a semi-crazy state, Shang Yuan stepped aside and retreated two steps, then kicked fiercely on the side of Xi Liang who rushed in front of him. Xi Liang was kicked straight off the stage by Shang Yuan. Seeing this change, everyone couldn't help but let out a burst of exclamations.

Seeing someone fighting, the parliament police immediately rushed up and dragged Xi Liang out without saying a word. Everyone only heard Xi Liang's crying sound getting further and further away. But they didn't see any parliament police trying to come up and arrest Shang Yuan.

Shang Yuan slowly walked back to the position where he stood just now, and only then continued to say loudly: "Whether gentlemen vote to end the Manchu Qing is gentlemen's business. As observers, our People's Party cannot interrupt, let alone interfere. However, our attitude is consistent. If this parliament becomes a parliament elected by Chinese people themselves, we will happily join and pull together in times of trouble with everyone, serving China together. If there is still a Manchu Qing banner over this parliament, then we will fight this parliament to the end. Never resting until death."

Scanning the parliamentary councilors again roughly, Shang Yuan said loudly, "My words are finished."

"Clap clap clap clap..." Yan Fu and Feng Xu had already stood up and applauded. In these days, the councilors had gradually become accustomed to applauding. With someone taking the lead, several councilors already started clapping in a daze, until pulled by companions beside them, they realized they were wrong. They hurriedly lowered their heads with red faces, not daring to look at the glaring gazes of the surrounding councilors at all.

But these few councilors who made mistakes actually worried too much. The people around them didn't glare at them at all. Everyone was thinking about their own matters thoughtfully. They couldn't care about this little disturbance.

Shang Yuan nodded slightly to Yan Fu and Feng Xu offstage, and the two also nodded slightly at the same time. Coincidentally, all three walked towards the parliament door. The mission of the People's Party delegation observers ended completely here. What remained to be done was for everyone to embark on the return journey to the base area together.