Upon hearing that the Taiping Army had taken yet another city, Su Ran felt as though a heavy hammer had struck his heart. Anxiety surged over him like a tide, but he knew deeply that he had to steady the situation at hand. Maintaining a calm exterior, he swept his resolute gaze across the ministers below, whose expressions varied, and spoke in a booming voice: "My beloved ministers, the onslaught of the Taiping Army is fierce indeed, but this only strengthens my resolve to push forward with the New Policies to enrich the country and strengthen the military. From this moment on, every single second is crucial to us. We must race against time!"
Pondering for a moment, Su Ran rapidly outlined the preliminary framework for the New Policies and immediately began to issue instructions in an orderly fashion: "First, have the Ministry of Revenue allocate special funds. These funds must be ample and strictly earmarked for importing advanced Western weapons manufacturing technology and related talent. The Ministry of Works must build a modern arsenal at the fastest possible speed, sparing no effort to learn how to manufacture foreign guns and cannons without a moment's slack. Furthermore, I intend to open a modern academy with a focus on cultivating comprehensive talents versed in technology, military affairs, and diplomacy, so as to reserve strength for the future of the Great Qing."
Listening to the Emperor's crisp and decisive string of orders, the ministers felt their unease ripple outward layer by layer. At that moment, Sun Wenxiang, the habitually conservative Minister of Personnel, stepped forward with a face full of anxiety. His brow was furrowed as if carved with deep ravines, and bowing deeply, he said: "Your Majesty, to make such a drastic move and spend exorbitant sums importing Western goods will surely disrupt the ancestral statutes and destabilize the hearts of the people. Besides, those foreigners have always been cunning; how could they easily impart advanced technology to us? There is likely some hidden trickery at play here."
Looking at Sun Wenxiang, Su Ran's gaze revealed understanding and patience as he slowly explained: "Minister Sun, while the ancestral statutes must be respected—for they are the foundation of our Great Qing's heritage—the times are no longer what they used to be. Now the foreign powers are using guns and cannons to forcefully break open our gates. If we remain mired in convention and cling blindly to the past, the Great Qing will have only one path left: death. As for the foreigners, I already have a plan in mind that will surely make them docilely cooperate and serve our purposes."
Sun Wenxiang wanted to persuade him further, attempting to make the Emperor change his mind, but Su Ran raised a hand to stop him decisively: "This matter is settled. My mind is made up. All of you must give your full cooperation and pull together to tide over this difficulty. Anyone who shows slackness will be shown no mercy by me!" Seeing that the Emperor's attitude was as unyielding as iron, the ministers had no choice but to take their orders, though worries still lingered in each of their hearts.
Yet, implementing the New Policies was like rowing upstream—fraught with countless difficulties. Soon, all sorts of opposing voices surged like a tide from both among the common people and within the court. Some conservative scholars, dressed in long gowns and filled with indignation, posted notices in streets and alleys, bitterly denouncing the New Policies in fierce language as an act of "heresy and rebellion" that would shake the foundations of the Great Qing and ruin the ancestral enterprise in a single stroke. In the court, not a few officials also submitted joint memorials, petitions flying to the Emperor's desk like snowflakes, pleading with him to retract his mandate and restore the old system.
Looking at those memorials piling up across his desk, Su Ran felt his mind tangled in a knot of vexation. He knew deep down that reform would inevitably touch upon certain people's interests and encounter resistance, but he had not expected this resistance to arrive so swiftly and violently, catching him somewhat off guard like a sudden storm.
Just as Su Ran was racking his brains for countermeasures, news came from the inner palace as well. Empress Niohuru, leading a retinue of imperial concubines with solemn expressions, arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation. They knelt together, grief written all over their faces. Taking the lead, Niohuru spoke with a tearful choke in her voice: "Your Majesty, since you instituted the New Policies, everyone inside and outside the court has been panic-stricken. Rumors are rife among the populace, and the common people are restless. The ancestral enterprise has been passed down through hundreds of years of wind and rain; how can it be ruined overnight because of a momentary move? We implore Your Majesty to think three times."
Looking at the Empress and the concubines, Su Ran felt a complex mixture of a hundred flavors welling up in his heart. He understood that the Empress was also acting out of a deep concern for the Great Qing, only that, residing within the inner palace, she had limited understanding of the severe situation the Great Qing currently faced. Letting out a long sigh, Su Ran's gaze revealed both helplessness and firmness as he said: "Empress, I am not willfully persisting in my own way or refusing to listen to admonishment. The crisis currently facing the Great Qing can be described as internal troubles and external threats intertwined with perilous dangers; residing in the inner palace, you may not know the full picture. If we do not reform, the Great Qing is on the brink of peril, and by then the ancestral enterprise truly will not be saved."
Yet the Empress and the others remained kneeling on the ground, their eyes filled with entreaty and stubbornness. Su Ran felt both annoyed and helpless; in this deadlock, the atmosphere seemed to freeze. At that moment, Public Eunuch Li hurried in with a panicked expression and whispered into Su Ran's ear: "Your Majesty, this is terrible! A large crowd of common people has gathered outside the palace, shouting and clamoring that they oppose the New Policies and demand an audience with Your Majesty."
Su Ran felt a chill in his heart, not expecting matters to have escalated to this point, rolling like a snowball and growing ever larger. He knew well that if this was not handled properly, the New Policies would surely abort, and the Great Qing would never have a chance of revival. Taking a deep breath and forcing himself to calm down, Su Ran said to the Empress and the others: "Empress, rise first. I am going to handle this matter right now. I will not make a joke of the Great Qing's future; I will treat it with the utmost gravity." With that, Su Ran stood up and strode with long steps toward the outer palace.
When Su Ran reached the palace gates, he saw a dense sea of common people gathered outside, thousands upon thousands of them, shouting and clamoring in high agitation. The people were dressed in various ways—some were ragged, impoverished masses, while others were decently dressed petty merchants and scholars. Their faces were filled with anger and bewilderment, some waving their arms, others shouting loudly. Standing upon the gate tower and looking down at the people below with a composed expression, Su Ran spoke in a loud voice: "My fellow elders and townsfolk, I know you have doubts and worries in your hearts concerning the New Policies. But let me ask you: nowadays the Taiping Army runs rampant across the country, burning, killing, looting, and leaving the people destitute; foreign powers eye us hungrily at our borders, oppressing our Great Qing people and forcing the ceding of territory and payment of indemnities. If we of the Great Qing do not change, is there any path left for us to live?"
Upon hearing this, the previously noisy chatter of the people subsided somewhat, and a brief silence fell over the crowd. Su Ran continued: "The purpose of the New Policies is to make the Great Qing strong, to drive out the Taiping Army, to resist the foreign powers, and to let you live peaceful and prosperous lives. I promise you that if the implementation of the New Policies proves unfavorable, I will bear the consequences myself. But before that happens, please give me a chance, and give the Great Qing a chance, so that we may work together to save our country from the fires of disaster!"
Hearing the Emperor's words, the people began to exchange murmurs and discuss quietly among themselves. At that moment, a strapping young man stepped forward from the crowd. Dressed in coarse hemp clothing, his eyes radiated boldness and trust as he shouted: "Your Majesty, we believe you! We are willing to give the New Policies a chance!" Immediately following him, more and more people responded, their voices rising one after another. Watching this scene, Su Ran felt a slight sense of relief, but he knew deeply that this had only temporarily steadied the situation; the road ahead for the New Policies remained full of thorns and fraught with crises. And at this moment, he did not yet know that someone in the court was already secretly colluding with foreign enemies in an attempt to sabotage the New Policies, while a much greater conspiracy was quietly brewing like a haze...