Every time Yuan Shikai held a meeting, the Beiyang crowd surrounded him like stars around the moon. Of course, in the past, when Yuan himself was following others, he had to treat his superiors the same way. But recently, Yuan Shikai had suddenly grown tired of this behavior from the Beiyang group.

"How many people came to inquire about the trade agreement today?" Yuan Shikai asked with a cold face.

The expressions of those in the cabinet varied. Some clearly did not want to get involved in the matter; they either feigned composure or looked slightly uneasy upon seeing Yuan's expression.

Others were clearly opposed. Zhang Jian, for example, replied immediately, "President, the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce oversees the economy. Countless people have come by these past two days, all asking about this matter. I truly don't know how to answer them. The People's Party is spreading news everywhere; their intentions are truly sinister."

At this point, someone spoke up: "You can't say that. If this agreement can be reached, doing business will become much easier."

This was a clear stance of support for Chen Ke's proposal. Zhang Jian looked toward the voice and saw Yan Xiu, the Minister of Finance (Du Zhi Minister). The position of Minister of Finance was similar to that of a Treasurer, and Yan Xiu had never been one of Yuan Shikai's die-hard supporters. It wasn't surprising to hear such a "self-righteous" remark from him.

That someone actually dared to support the proposal of an "outsider" like the People's Party immediately triggered a war of words within the Beiyang cabinet.

Yuan Shikai watched the debate with cold eyes. Having become President, in the eyes of most people, he was now equivalent to an Emperor. Moreover, the advantage Beiyang held was so immense that it was unshakable in today's China. The North, at least on the surface, submitted to Yuan Shikai, while the southern provinces were isolated and weak. Beiyang had also occupied Zhejiang, effectively driving a deep stake into the South. The only ones who dared to stand against the Center were the People's Party. However, Yuan Shikai knew full well that the People's Party had truly exerted great effort to help him reach where he was today.

But none of this could put Yuan at ease. If the current situation had been forged entirely by his own hands, it might be different. A realm won by oneself has extremely stable superior-subordinate relationships. But while others didn't dare say it openly, Yuan Shikai knew in his heart that his current position felt more like "stealing the country" than "conquering" it.

As someone who had studied the classics since childhood, Yuan Shikai felt he was essentially another Zhao Kuangyin. The matter of the "Yellow Robe being added to the body" was not particularly glorious, and those around him who had draped the robe over his shoulders were not necessarily well-intentioned. Chen Ke's sinister motives went without saying—at least Chen Ke was completely open about his opposition. As for those who publicly supported Yuan Shikai on the surface, Yuan himself had no idea how many were truly loyal to him personally.

He watched Zhang Jian fiercely attack Yan Xiu with accusations that "the People's Party is colluding with the foreign devils, using foreign influence to bolster themselves and coerce the Center." It seemed Zhang was being so loyal to the Center. In reality, Yuan Shikai knew very well that Zhang Jian was merely borrowing the name of the Center. In the entire cabinet, the only ones truly committed to following Yuan were Zhao Bingjun, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and Duan Qirui, the Vice Minister of the Army. Aside from them, there were the Royalists led by Liang Qichao, the local powerhouses led by Sah Zhenbing, the "Pure Stream" faction led by Shen Jiaben, and the "Detached" faction led by Wang Shizhen. The attitude of these people toward Yuan Shikai was more like being "colleagues in the same hall" from the Manchu Qing era. Yuan Shikai had yet to establish absolute dominance of his own.

Even without comparison, Yuan Shikai, having ascended to the position of China's paramount leader, could no longer accept this situation. And now that he had to compare himself with the People's Party, his dissatisfaction intensified.

Chen Ke undoubtedly held absolute leadership within the People's Party. Yuan Shikai felt he could imagine it: everyone in the People's Party had been personally trained by Chen Ke. It was impossible for them not to be loyal to him. Take the events of the past few days as an example. The young cadres in the People's Party delegation were parading through the streets, visiting central officials. As long as an official held a significant rank, these reckless youths dared to knock on their doors. According to reports, it wasn't just men; several young women were also showing their faces, openly appearing before central officials as representatives.

The officials in the capital naturally looked down on women, but they didn't dare offend the People's Party. In the end, they could only hold their noses and receive these girls. And the girls actually dared to "talk business," seriously testing the attitudes of these central officials toward the "trade agreement."

Yuan Shikai had long ago experienced the lawless and disrespectful nature of the People's Party youth. But the officials in the capital should at least know some rules, shouldn't they? Yet there were those blind enough to try and echo the proposal. Inquiries and even lobbying were catching the cabinet off guard.

A group of young people knew how to work with one heart and one mind. Yet a grand cabinet, when faced with a problem, only knew how to bicker. This left Yuan Shikai feeling extremely disappointed.

"Enough," Yuan Shikai said. Those who could climb to this status in officialdom were all clever individuals; if allowed to argue, they could go on for days and nights, let alone hours. But Yuan Shikai truly didn't have that much time to waste on such matters.

"By the day after tomorrow at the latest, we must have a counter-strategy," Yuan Shikai ordered.

Hearing his words, the cabinet members looked at each other. Yuan did not give them a chance to argue but commanded, "Juren, you are the Vice Premier and hold the highest rank here. You will be in charge of this."

Although Xu Shichang did not refuse, a look of difficulty appeared on his face. Yuan Shikai knew that even though Xu Shichang held the highest rank, these ministers and vice ministers wouldn't truly follow his orders. But Yuan had no choice; the situation in Beiyang was such that either Yuan alone made the decisions and everyone listened, or there was a long period of buck-passing. It was difficult to produce a solution to the immediate problem.

But this wouldn't do. Yuan Shikai had given these people such high positions so they would get things done, especially those who could shoulder the burden at such a critical moment. In truth, Yuan himself was now undecided and needed these people to draft options for him to choose from.

"Discuss it amongst yourselves," Yuan said, then rose to his feet.

The cabinet members were quite adept at these surface formalities; they stood up from their chairs almost like springs. "We respectfully see off the President," Zhao Bingjun said with great deference.

Just after sitting down in his office, Yuan Shikai felt a wave of dizziness. He habitually sat upright, pressed his hand to his forehead, and closed his eyes for a long time before he felt he had recovered.

"Sigh..." Yuan Shikai let out a rare sigh. When he served under Empress Dowager Cixi, he had at one point held eighteen concurrent posts, but regardless, he only had to be responsible for one region or specific affairs. It wasn't until he seized central power in 1909 that Yuan Shikai truly held great authority. But since then, he hadn't enjoyed a single day of that feeling of being high above. The energy and mental effort required to view problems from a national perspective far exceeded his imagination.

Yet precisely because he had attained the position of President, Yuan Shikai found he was not satisfied. It was true that no one in China today could shake his status, not even Chen Ke. If they could, Chen Ke wouldn't have traveled thousands of li to Beiyang to discuss cooperation. But human hearts being what they are, Yuan could still feel the chasm between a President and an Emperor.

A President was elected; legally, any adult Chinese person could become President. If Yuan Shikai could be elected, so could someone else. In this regard, an Emperor was completely different. The process of seizing power might be brutally cruel, but once the grand position was settled, the subjects had to accept it. Even a cub like Puyi could be Emperor, and Yuan Shikai had to kneel before him.

the status between monarch and subject was truly a curious thing. A President's cabinet members could work if they wanted to or leave if they didn't. Try doing that under the Qing system—a single act of "great disrespect" could cost such a madman his head or make him wish he were dead. Thus, an Emperor could forcefully push many things through. Cixi had merely not been crowned Emperor, yet even an old woman like her could dominate the situation in China.

Yuan Shikai very much wanted to be Emperor now. If he declared himself Emperor, he would possess such power and could use it to do what he wanted: to build China into a powerful nation.

Wiping his hand across his face, Yuan lowered it but did not open his eyes. Almost all founding monarchs ascended the throne before the age of fifty. Yuan Shikai was already fifty-two this year. Right under his nose, a group of extremely young children from the People's Party were jumping around, pushing forward the things they wanted to push. Although their methods were unconventional, they at least worked together with one heart and were entirely centered around Chen Ke. If the members of the Beiyang cabinet could show such an attitude, why would Yuan Shikai be worrying as he was now?

What exactly does Chen Ke want to do? Yuan Shikai couldn't help but wonder. This young man could be described as audaciously reckless, running directly to the Beiyang capital and visiting foreign envoys everywhere without the slightest fear of danger.

Most irritatingly, Yuan Shikai actually had to ensure Chen Ke's safety. Recent intelligence showed signs of large-scale troop movements in the areas where the People's Party bordered Beiyang. It went without saying that this was a clear warning to Beiyang not to act rashly.

At the Mianchi Meeting, King Zhao only met with King Qin after deciding on his heir. Chen Ke had brought even his wife and daughter this time. Whom had he appointed as his "Heir Apparent"? And this "Heir Apparent" seemed truly loyal to Chen Ke.

At the thought of an heir, Yuan Shikai couldn't help but think of his own son, Yuan Keding. That scoundrel had been jumping up and down lately, trying to persuade Yuan Shikai to declare himself Emperor. Yesterday, Yuan Keding had even urged him to find a way to let Chen Ke "have an accident." It seemed his son believed Chen Ke was the greatest obstacle to Yuan Shikai becoming Emperor. Upon hearing this, Yuan Shikai hadn't said much but simply used the family discipline to give Yuan Keding a severe beating.

Although Yuan Shikai did not like Yuan Keding, having to beat his own son for the safety of another—the thought of such a thing was so absurd it made him want to grit his teeth.

At that moment, a guard knocked softly on the door.

Yuan Shikai opened his eyes to see the guard saying respectfully, "President, the German Minister requests an audience."