Another World: Naval Storm

On August 1912, 8, three assassins from the Yanjinbao branch of the revolutionary party set out to assassinate Liang Bi. The assassins threw a bomb, which broke Liang Bi's left leg and caused him to fall to the ground seriously injured. Unfortunately, the three assassins were shot dead on the spot by Liang Bi's guards.

However, their sacrifice was not in vain. Liang Bi was seriously injured in the explosion and eventually died. Before his death, Liang Bi sighed: "If I die, Xunyang will die."

Regardless of whether Liang Bi was flattering himself or not, his death greatly shocked the members of the Zongshe Party. Although Zhuang Wei still shouted that he would never abdicate and was willing to fight a decisive battle with the Southern Revolutionary Army, he ran faster than anyone else. The day after Liang Bi was assassinated, Zhuang Wei ran to a village outside the capital and hid overnight. No matter how Empress Dowager Chongman called him to the palace to discuss matters, Zhuang Wei dared not return to the capital.

Zhuang Wei, who had the most tough attitude, hid himself. Other royal relatives who had the same tough attitude as him also fled, fearing that they would be assassinated by the revolutionaries. They hid in the concessions of various countries. It could be said that they were a mob, and when disaster struck, everyone fled. No one was willing to risk their lives.

Although the other people in the Zongshe Party who did not have a very tough attitude did not run away and hide, they also lived in seclusion and did not say a word in response to Empress Dowager Chongman's advice, and no longer expressed their opinions or views.

"Look, they are barking loudly, but when they are scared, they become quails!" Yuan Duren looked down on the Zongshe Party.

"Sir, we can proceed to the next step. It's just right that they ran away." Another aide, Wen Yilin, said.

"Mr. Wen, is the time right?"

"My Lord, now is the perfect time!"

"Okay, okay, Master Yang, give 200 million to old man Yi Kuang! Let him explain the pros and cons to the Queen Mother, so that everyone can part ways in peace!"

Yi Kuang was the grandson of Prince Qing, the seventeenth and youngest son of Emperor Qianlong of Xunyang. The title of Prince Qing was not originally a hereditary title. Yi Kuang inherited the title of General Auxiliary to the State since he was a child.

When Yikuang was a child, his family lost the title of king and the family’s mansion was taken back by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which made him realize the benefits of power and wealth at a young age.

Therefore, later on, Yikuang regained the title of Prince Qing by fawning on the old Queen Mother of Xunyang, and was also rewarded with hereditary treatment, becoming the last iron-hat prince of the Xunyang Empire.

He was a mediocre and greedy person. After he gained power, he began to use it to engage in rampant corruption. During his tenure as the Grand Councilor, he was in charge of the financial and personnel affairs of the Xunyang court. He used his power to sell official positions on a large scale. He hired people not based on their abilities but mainly on how much money they could afford.

Therefore, people who went to the palace to buy official positions and bribe him had to line up, and the palace was crowded with people. Therefore, the people in the capital also jokingly called Yikuang's Prince Qing Palace the Qing Company behind his back.

Yi Kuang even shamelessly said to others, "I'll do it for money, but I can't do it without money. To enter my palace, you have to pay a thousand taels of silver first!"

It was at this time that Yuan Du Ren tried to curry favor with Yi Kuang. Who could have made Yuan Du Ren willing to spend money?

After Yi Kuang became the Grand Councilor, Yuan Du Ren paid a large sum of money to win him over and asked him to help say more good things about him in the court. As a result, he became Yuan Du Ren's biggest helper in the court.

It was Yi Kuang who strongly advocated the reinstatement of the dismissed Yuan Duren, which led to Yuan Duren forcing Zhuang Yi to abdicate. When Empress Dowager Chongman was discussing whether Zhuang Yi should abdicate, Yuan Duren bribed him with 200 million taels of silver, asking him to analyze the interests involved and make Zhuang Yi abdicate as soon as possible.

Although Yi Kuang was a corrupt official, he was quite particular about his work. He always wanted to do things well after taking money. So Yi Kuang explained the pros and cons to Empress Dowager Chongman and persuaded her to let Zhuang Yi abdicate as soon as possible.

"Empress Dowager, I'll tell you the truth, I did accept money from Yuan Du's people! But why? If Xunyang could still be saved, could these few taels of silver be enough to get rid of me, the hereditary iron-hatted king of Xunyang?" Yi Kuang opened his heart to Empress Dowager Chongman as soon as he came up.

"Old Prince, please tell me, I don't blame you. Is Xunyang really in trouble? It's so painful that the country is destroyed in my hands!" Queen Mother Chongman has been hesitant. After all, once she abdicated, the good days would be over.

"Empress Dowager, don't look at Zhuang Yi and the others shouting. They all ran away as soon as Liang Bi died. You asked them to come back to discuss things, but they didn't dare to come back. What can they accomplish with just their strength?" Yi Kuang was also very disappointed. If the court still had a pillar to protect Xunyang, a mere few million taels of silver would not be enough for him. He had seen the glamorous world of Xunyang.

"Old Prince, what you said makes some sense. There is no talent left in our clan!" Queen Mother Chongman nodded in agreement.

"Since the Japanese and the Russians have been acting recklessly in our birthplace, we, the Langya Clan, have no way out. Now half of Xunyang has been lost, and the other half cannot be controlled. We can still talk about abdication now... but if..."

"Old Lord, please speak frankly..."

"Do you know the French Republic? The French Revolution deposed the emperor and the queen." Yi Kuangguang said, but that was not enough, and he scratched his neck with his hand.

"Ouch~" Chongman was so scared that he spilled his tea.

"Really, old lord?"

"Absolutely true!" The prince next to him, Zhuang Lun, echoed. He was the fifth-generation grandson of Qian Long and the great-great-grandson of Qian Long's eleventh son, Prince Chengqin. When Emperor Tongzhi of Xunyang died, Zhuang Lun had a chance to inherit the throne, but because he had no blood relationship with the old empress dowager, she stopped him. The last emperor of Xunyang was only three years old when he inherited the throne, so the old empress dowager could control him more easily. After all, her emperor son's rebellious years made her very uncomfortable.

Because of this, and because Zhuang Lun later joined Yuan Duren in politics, Zhuang Lun was a member of the royal family who strongly supported Zhuang Yi's abdication. After all, I can't get it, and I don't want you to get it. This is human nature.

After the fall of Xunyang, Zhuang Lun completely threw himself into Yuan Duren's arms. He was appointed as the president of the Council of Political Consultative Conference and always supported Yuan Duren's various policies. He was a die-hard among Yuan Duren's die-hards and his treatment was even better than in Xunyang.

"Sir! Sir! Good news has come! Good news has come!" Master Yang started running to report to Yuan Du who was fishing and almost fell on his butt.

"Master Qi, don't panic when things happen. You should have the composure to remain calm even when a mountain collapses in front of you!"

“Huh~Huh~” Yang Shiqi straightened his clothes, “Master Yuan, old Prince Yikuang sent a message that Queen Mother Chongman agreed to abdicate!”

"Good, good, good!" Yuan Du pulled the fishing rod tightly, and a fish was hooked!

This persuasion worked, after all, it was better to live a miserable life than to die a good death. On February 1913, 2, Empress Dowager Chongman announced the abdication of the Qing emperor in the name of Zhuang Yi and supported the republic.