"Cough, cough..." Su Ran felt as if his head had been struck by a heavy hammer and was about to burst. A sweet, metallic taste filled his throat, and his vision was as blurry as if covered by a thick mist. He forced his eyes open with all his might, only to be astonished to find himself in an unfamiliar and exquisitely luxurious room. Carved beams and painted rafters stretched overhead, adorned with delicate patterns of winding dragons twisting along the wooden pillars. Rolls of brightly colored silk and satin hung everywhere, like a series of flowing paintings that exuded an air of extravagant indulgence.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, you're finally awake!" A sharp, flattering voice rang out abruptly beside his ear. Su Ran turned his head with great effort and spotted a man dressed in eunuch attire looking at him with a mixture of anxiety and unconcealed joy. The wrinkles on the man's face were scrunched together from emotional turbulence, and his eyes revealed a trace of hidden worry and anticipation.
Su Ran instinctively wanted to speak, but the moment he opened his mouth, he found his voice extremely hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing together: "W-where is this? Who are you?"
Upon hearing this, the eunuch reacted as if struck by a sudden thunderbolt. He dropped heavily to his knees in fright, his body shaking uncontrollably and his voice trembling: "Your Majesty, what is wrong with you? This is the Hall of Mental Cultivation! This humble servant is Public Eunuch Li, who has served you for many years!"
The Hall of Mental Cultivation? A buzzing sound echoed in Su Ran's head like a flash of lightning cutting through chaos, instantly clearing his mind a little. He instinctively looked at his own hands. They were slender and fair, as warm and smooth as mutton-fat jade—clearly not his own hands, which had spent years doing experiments and were covered in thick calluses. Immediately afterward, countless memories that did not belong to him rushed into his mind like a surging tide, battering his consciousness.
*I've actually time-traveled and become Emperor Xianfeng!* Su Ran was deeply shocked, feeling as though he had been cast into an ice cellar as a chill swept through his entire body. He was a modern scientific genius, utterly devoted to scientific research and full of expectations of achieving greatness in the field of science. How had he inexplicably traveled to this turbulent, crumbling era?
Before he could fully recover from the shock, more information arrived like a hail storm. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement was in full swing, and the Taiping Army led by Hong Xiuquan was advancing with ferocious momentum like a galloping beast, leaving half of Great Qing hanging by a thread under their assault. On the other side, the Eight-Nation Alliance was eyeing Great Qing like a tiger eyeing its prey; the catastrophe of the Old Summer Palace seemed close at hand, and those unequal treaties hung like gleaming blades high above Great Qing's head, ready to drop at any moment and sever the nation's lifeline.
A wave of sorrow and helplessness surged in Su Ran's heart, pulling him down into a bottomless abyss. But as a modern scientific talent, an indomitable spirit like unyielding steel was naturally ingrained in his bones. *Since I'm here, I must make the best of it. Since heaven has made me Emperor Xianfeng, I will do everything in my power to change all of this!* Su Ran clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force, while a resolute gleam shone in his eyes.
He took a deep breath, forced his pounding heart to calm down, and looked at Public Eunuch Li kneeling on the floor, speaking in as steady and dignified a tone as he could manage: "Get up, Public Eunuch Li. I have just woken up, and my mind is still somewhat hazy. Pass my decree: summon the grand councilors to the palace immediately for a consultation."
Public Eunuch Li scrambled to his feet with practiced yet slightly flustered movements. Acknowledging the command with a hurried assent, he scurried out like greased lightning.
Su Ran sat on the dragon bed, his thoughts spinning as fast as a runaway horse. He knew well that to alter this riddled and ruined situation, he first had to stabilize the court and make these shrewd ministers trust him and willingly follow his arrangements.
Before long, several grand councilors hurried over with grave expressions. Stepping into the hall and seeing Emperor Xianfeng seated upon the dragon throne, a trace of surprise inevitably stirred in their hearts. Today, the Emperor's gaze was exceptionally resolute, like a deep, cold pool carrying an unquestionable determination, as if he had become a completely different person in an instant.
Su Ran looked down at the ministers below and spoke slowly, his voice low yet powerful, echoing through the hall like a great bell: "My lords, our Great Qing is currently beset by troubles internal and external. The rebellion of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom rages like a wildfire yet unquenched, while the foreign powers lurk like wolves on the side, ready to pounce and tear at us. I have summoned you here today to discuss strategies of response."
The ministers looked at one another, their eyes a jumble of doubt and unease. The oldest among them, with hair as white as snow, stepped out first and bowed in salute, his face filled with worry and caution: "Your Majesty, this old minister believes that in dealing with the Taiping Army, appeasement should be our primary approach. The Taiping Army is powerful; if we suppress them by force, it may provoke an even fiercer resistance. Splintering them from within so they destroy each other, and then defeating them one by one, is the superior strategy. As for the foreign powers, our national strength remains weak, like a candle in the wind, making it truly difficult to contend with them. We can only bow and scrape as much as possible to muddle through dealings with them, avoiding conflict in exchange for temporary peace."
Su Ran frowned, sighing inwardly at how pedantic and conservative these ministers were. Looking at the old minister with a burning gaze, he said: "What you say has some merit, my lord, but it is by no means a long-term solution. In my view, if Great Qing wishes to truly lift itself from this fiery abyss, we must strengthen ourselves. Starting today, I intend to implement a series of New Policies, develop science and technology, and increase our national strength. Only thus can we stand firm in this world where the strong prey on the weak."
The ministers erupted like a calm lake into which a giant boulder had been cast. "Your Majesty, the ancestral laws cannot be altered! The rules left down by our ancestors have endured for centuries—how can they be lightly changed?" "Develop science and technology—what kind of talk is this? Those bizarre crafts and clever skills will only unsettle people's minds and ruin the foundations of Great Qing!" "Besides, developing science requires vast expenditures, and our treasury is already strained. Where would we find idle money to spend on such useless things? Furthermore, once technology develops, it will inevitably disrupt the existing order of Great Qing. When that happens, where are we ministers supposed to place ourselves?" Voices of objection poured in like a rising tide.
Anger stirred within Su Ran, but he knew he could not be too hasty. He waved a hand to signal the ministers for quiet and said with a stern expression: "My lords, there is no need to rush into opposition. Let me ask you this: why are the foreign powers able to bully Great Qing at will? Is it not because their ships are solid, their guns are powerful, and their technology is advanced? If we wish to resist foreign enemies, we must learn from their strengths. I guarantee that these New Policies will only make Great Qing stronger and better. We can start with military technology, researching more advanced weapons to boost our combat effectiveness. Economically, we can use technology to promote industry and commerce and increase tax revenues. In education, we will establish modern academies to cultivate talents who understand science and technology. With all this, how could Great Qing fail to rise?"
Hearing this, though the ministers still harbored doubts, hesitation, and struggle in their eyes, seeing the Emperor's attitude as unshakeable as a monolith, they found it difficult to say anything more.
Seeing this, Su Ran felt slightly relieved. He knew this was only the first step; the road ahead remained long and thorny, like a winding trail choked with briars. Yet he had already made up his mind that no matter how many hardships and obstacles lay ahead, he would turn the tide and lead Great Qing onto a path where science and technology led the world. What he needed to do next was formulate a concrete plan for the New Policies, carrying out sweeping reforms across military, economic, and educational fronts.
Just at that moment, a guard rushed in with hurried steps and a panicked expression, whispering a few words into Public Eunuch Li's ear. Public Eunuch Li's face instantly turned as pale as a sheet of paper. He hurried over to Su Ran, leaned close to his ear, and whispered with a hint of terror: "Your Majesty, this is terrible! The Taiping Army has captured another city!"
Su Ran's heart sank as if a heavy boulder weighed upon his chest. It seemed the situation was far more severe than he had imagined, and an even greater challenge was ruthlessly bearing down upon him like a gathering storm...