The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

Chapter 258 Ascending the throne and proclaiming himself emperor

"Mr. Wang, please rise! If we're talking about responsibility, the greatest responsibility lies with me. It was my decision to clear out the inner city!" Shen Lian quickly helped Wang Kaiyun up.

"We still lack experience in governing! This incident reminds us that we must think carefully before making any decisions in the future. Every decision we make is related to the well-being of millions of people!" Shen Lian patted Wang Kaiyun's hand and said with emotion.

"Thank you for your teachings, Your Majesty. I will remember them!" Wang Kaiyun bowed respectfully.

"Let's talk about how to solve this problem first! Otherwise, if 100,000 people starve to death right after my new dynasty is established, what face will we have to claim that we are overthrowing the Qing dynasty for the sake of the people?"

"Am I not even as good as those Manchu emperors?" Shen Lian shook his head and said.

"Your Majesty is too self-reproachful! Your Majesty understands the suffering of the common people, your holy heart is concerned for their well-being, and your deep love for them is incomparable to that of the barbarian rulers of the former Qing Dynasty..."

"Alright! Mr. Wang, that's enough! No matter how you look at it, the nature of the matter is pretty much the same. The key is what we do!"

Shen Lian waved his hand to interrupt Wang Kaiyun. This Mr. Wang has also learned to flatter since becoming prime minister.

"Uncle Fu, how's the cleanup of the inner city going?" Shen Lian asked, turning his head.

"Your Majesty, apart from some large royal palaces and noble residences, it's almost done!" Uncle Fu replied.

"Good! Quickly organize all the real estate data. It seems we need to allocate housing to government officials as soon as possible!"

"Mr. Wang, please also compile a list of officials in Beijing who do not own property immediately!"

"Uncle Fu, could you coordinate with the Urban Management Bureau, the Jingzhao Prefecture, and the Relief Committee to ensure that the identities of the displaced people are properly registered during the relief efforts?"

"Then, we'll sort the cleared houses by size and assign a certain number of people to them. This should solve the employment problem for quite a few people."

"Mr. Wang, regarding the reconstruction of the capital city that I mentioned last time, let's get started as soon as possible. Let's begin with what we can do immediately!"

"This two-pronged approach should solve the livelihood problem for most of the displaced people."

"The remaining refugees should be managed in a centralized manner. Not only should they be provided with a place to live and food, but doctors should also be sent to treat them!"

"We strive to ensure that not a single person starves or freezes to death!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Wang Kaiyun and Uncle Fu quickly nodded in agreement!

"That's settled then, you can go and get back to work!"

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Shen Lian let out a sigh of relief. Damn it, he was supposed to ascend the throne in two days, and he almost made a complete fool of himself.

January 1, 1906 (Lunar calendar: December 7, Year of the Snake). Shen Lian ascended the throne in the capital.

The nation was established as the Chinese Empire, and the era name was changed to Shengwu!

Nie Xiaoqian was made Empress, and her eldest son, Shen Junze, was made Crown Prince. Xiao Yue'er was made Imperial Concubine, and Zhao Ruyi was made Consort Rong.

The charcoal mainly used in the Qing Dynasty imperial court was called "Hongluo charcoal," also known as "Hongluo charcoal" or "Hongluo charcoal." It was mostly produced in Yizhou, fired by local kiln owners. The Imperial Household Department purchased it from factories in the production area and then transported it to the capital for storage in the charcoal warehouses of the Hongluo factories. This type of charcoal was made from high-quality hardwoods from the Yizhou area, characterized by its long burning time, minimal smoke, and silvery-white ash. It also produced a slight fragrance when burning, making it of exceptional quality. It was primarily supplied to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the imperial concubines for heating in their daily lives.

There is no clear record of the unit price of red charcoal, but its high price can be roughly inferred from the total purchase volume and expenditure recorded in some archives. For example, in the 46th year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, 48,000 catties of red charcoal and 296 million catties of other firewood and charcoal were purchased for the inner court and the Yuanmingyuan Garden, costing a total of 15,800 taels of silver. In addition, there were strict regulations on the monthly supply of red charcoal to people of different ranks in the palace: 120 catties for the Empress Dowager, 110 catties for the Empress, 30 catties for princesses, and 20 catties for princes.