When the new Republican government troops entered Beijing, they did more than just dismantle the concession signs at the entrance of the Legation Quarter. To apprehend those foreign concession personnel who had fled into the embassies, the troops unceremoniously stormed the various legations within the Quarter.

On the afternoon of December 24, 1923, just hours before Christmas Eve, ambassadors and ministers from various countries gathered at the British Embassy. When the topic of Christmas Eve arose, talk naturally turned to that day which had been anything but peaceful.

Unlike the Boxers, He Rui's subordinates were elite troops fresh from the Sino-Japanese War. The assault teams that forcibly entered the embassies carried submachine guns rather than rifles. As explained by the British and French military attachés, the embassy staff came to understand just how tragic the result would have been had a firefight broken out. In the final stages of the Great War in Europe, the German Stormtroopers had been equipped with submachine guns perfectly suited for close-quarters combat, and had breached the trenches defended to the death by British and French forces in a single stroke.

The ministers and ambassadors of the various nations maintained their national dignity, sternly rebuking the Chinese troops who had rushed in. But the Chinese officers, speaking in the official languages of the respective nations, made one thing clear: "Embassies are residences and workplaces for diplomats. Anyone who does not possess diplomatic status, whether Chinese or foreign, potentially threatens the safety of diplomatic personnel. Therefore, to protect the diplomatic members of each embassy, the Chinese army must remove all these non-diplomatic personnel."

The Dutch Minister, bringing up the incident, remarked mockingly, "The Dutch spoken by those Chinese thugs was atrociously bad!"

The Belgian and Spanish ministers nodded in agreement, expressing similar disdain. However, the French Minister did not join in this condemnation. The professionalism displayed by the Chinese officers and soldiers was truly extraordinary, and the fact that young Chinese officers spoke broken but serviceable French was proof enough that He Rui's army possessed a very high standard of education. In the French regular army, officers who could communicate with the Chinese in their own language were, if not non-existent, then certainly countable on one hand. Knowing foreign languages, especially those of potential enemy states, was a capability the officer corps absolutely had to possess.

However, the French Minister did not raise this point at the moment. Instead, he smiled at the British Ambassador, Sir John Jordan, with a hint of sourness. "Congratulations, Your Excellency. Among the list of ministers in the Chinese provisional government, there is actually a British subject."

Ambassador Jordan could not help but smile bitterly. Morrison, serving as the Minister of Commerce in the He Rui regime, had indeed shocked the various embassies in the Legation Quarter when the appointment was recently announced. Yet, upon careful reflection, it was not so strange; Morrison had originally been the Director of the Northeast Government's Merchants Bureau, so his ascent to Minister of Commerce was a logical progression.

After the appointment was handed down, Jordan had received a telegram from the Foreign Office in London, instructing him to ascertain the implications behind this personnel appointment as quickly as possible.

Since the French Minister had brought it up, Jordan seized the opportunity. "Minister Morrison has issued invitations to us in his private capacity for a Christmas Eve ball. Will your legation be attending?"

The French Minister did not answer immediately. This choice of minister by the He Rui regime had surprised the French government as well, and the French Foreign Ministry wanted to understand the political significance within. The most convenient way to obtain intelligence was to seek verification from the person involved. Morrison holding a ball in a private capacity was undoubtedly an attempt to make contact and exchange views with the various embassies.

"Will you be attending, Sir John?" the French Minister asked in return.

Knowing the matter could not be kept secret, Jordan answered truthfully. "The vehicle to take me to the ball is already prepared."

The French Minister looked at the other ministers attending the gathering, noting the slightly mocking smiles on everyone's faces. Needless to say, everyone who had received an invitation would be attending.

Morrison had rented the grounds of Tsinghua College to hold the ball. The current state of urban construction in the capital was terrible; calling it a giant garbage heap would not be an exaggeration. The dilapidated buildings of the Foreign Ministry could not support a large-scale ball. Among the schools available, Tsinghua's architecture was the most suitable.

While inspecting the completion of various preparations for the ball with comrades from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhao Tianlin arrived. Morrison immediately set aside his work to go and welcome this high-ranking cabinet member of the provisional government.

As the two ministers walked through the venue, already decorated for the Christmas Eve ball, Zhao Tianlin looked at the various Western-style decorations and asked, "I wonder if university professors in Europe would be interested in coming to China to teach?"

Morrison paused, then a look of delight appeared on his face. Once China and Britain established formal diplomatic relations, he, as a cabinet member officially visiting Europe, would be able to speak with European ministers and secretaries as an equal. for Morrison, this was a situation he had never dared to imagine.

"I will write to Edinburgh University, and also to my classmates, to ask for their views," Dr. Morrison of the Edinburgh University Medical School replied. "Minister Zhao, you must have contacted Columbia University, correct?"

Zhao Tianlin nodded. "The current situation is not enough to attract the most excellent scholars. I discussed this with the Chairman, and he believes we should prioritize inviting experts from the mathematics department; perhaps the success rate will be higher."

"Mathematics? My specialty is medicine; I really don't know much about that."

"I studied law; my understanding of mathematics is extremely limited."

Both ministers held doctorate degrees, yet different trades are like different mountains; neither understood the field of mathematics. Even less could they understand He Rui's comprehension of the importance of mathematics. Mathematics was indeed an extremely useful discipline, but its application would only truly skyrocket after entering the computer age.

Although they did not know the future, both ministers with their PhDs agreed that mathematics was a very important foundational discipline, and that China lagged comprehensively behind the world in this field.

"So, Minister Zhao, how much budget can you provide?" Morrison laughed.

In a government, there were naturally many ministers, and a minister's importance was determined by how much budget their respective ministry could secure.

In Britain, the Prime Minister automatically served as the First Lord of the Treasury, while the Second Lord of the Treasury was the official who actually ran the Exchequer, though nominally half a rank lower.

In the He Rui government, Premier Wu Youping directly managed the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank (Northeast Bank), deciding how much budget each ministry received.

The department receiving the least budget was the Republic of China Ministry of Defense. The organizational structure of the National Defense Force (NDF) differed from other countries; it was led by the Civilization Party. The Minister of Defense was a member of the government, a post concurrently held by the Commander-in-Chief of the NDF. The entire Ministry of Defense consisted of one formal member and one employee—the Ministry's press spokesperson.

The Minister of Defense was actually the Vice Chairman of the Military Commission in charge of military orders. Structurally, these two were seconded from the NDF to the Ministry of Defense, so their rank and salary were not drawn from the Ministry of Defense at all. Because the Minister of Defense and the press spokesperson had no salary establishment within the government.

But this did not mean the NDF had no budget; the NDF's budget had been the largest single item in the government budget for years. Its importance naturally ranked first.

Ranked second was not the Ministry of Industry led by Zhuang Jiaxiong, but the science, education, culture, and health work led by Zhao Tianlin. In the Northeast Government's budget, these areas accounted for a very large proportion. Of course, the science, education, culture, and health departments had also provided the Northeast Government with rich returns in human resources over the years.

The Ministry of Industry ranked third. The reason for this department's lower budget was largely because orders were issued by the military, and the budget came directly from the military's accounts.

Ranked fourth was the Ministry of Agriculture. A department like Morrison's Merchants Bureau was nothing compared to the previous ones in terms of budget. That was why Morrison had half-jokingly asked Zhao Tianlin for funds.

As they were speaking, Cao Yunxiang, the President of Tsinghua College, walked over briskly, greeting Zhao Tianlin from afar. "Brother Zhao, long time no see!"

Upon approaching, President Cao Yunxiang shook hands warmly with Zhao Tianlin. "Brother Zhao, are you also attending today's ball?"

Zhao Tianlin shook his head. "Brother Cao, I came to see Minister Morrison to discuss some official business."

Cao Yunxiang simply offered a brief greeting to Morrison before pulling Zhao Tianlin into a discussion about the students going to the United States for study. "Brother Zhao, is there a charter from the new government regarding public funding for studying abroad? People are anxious right now; letters are coming to the school from every province. If you hadn't come, Brother Zhao, I would have had to pay a visit to your door!"

Zhao Tianlin smiled. "There will be no changes to studying abroad. Once the Ministry of Education has finished auditing the accounts, Brother Cao can go to the relevant department to inquire."

Cao Yunxiang did not appear relieved by this; instead, he looked more serious. "There are so many 'relevant departments' now, it leaves one at a loss. Moreover, the United States has not established diplomatic relations with us yet, and there are rumors here that Chairman He wants to abolish all unequal treaties. This is naturally a good thing, but will the agreements for studying in the United States be invalidated along with the treaties?"

Watching the two men exchange warm greetings and conversation, Morrison could only say a word of farewell and continue his preparations for the ball. Thinking about the current transfer of power, Morrison found it quite amusing. While working in the Northeast, Morrison had chatted with many people of Beiyang background about their views on Beiyang.

Without exception, Zhao Tianlin and his group believed the Beiyang regime was a representative of rot and corruption. They were born from the corpse of the Qing Dynasty, colluded with foreign aggressors, and inherited the various vices of the Qing. It was a comprador regime through and through. It was something that absolutely had to be overthrown.

Morrison had also had contact with the revolutionaries in the South. The evaluation of Beiyang by Zhao Tianlin and others, and their attitude of wanting to destroy it as quickly as possible, proved the saying: "Heretics are always more hateful than heathens."

In Morrison's view, in the eyes of the various Great Powers, it was a different scene altogether.

The British Foreign Office had given He Rui several nicknames, one of which was "The Elector of the East." He Rui himself, as well as the principal members of the He Rui government, if not of Beiyang origin themselves, had been educated by the system established by those of Beiyang origin.

With such a clear pedigree, this change of regime was essentially the student army formed by the radical youth of Beiyang seizing supreme power. It was still a Beiyang regime.

However, Zhao Tianlin did not think so, which puzzled Morrison somewhat.

Of course, there were those who could understand this. For example, in Tianjin, having finished his bath and applied moisturizing oil, Zhang Xiluan wore thick, fluffy home clothes as he walked with his cane to sit in the glass flower room. A servant brought tea, and Zhang Xiluan listened to the music playing from the gramophone, feeling incredibly relaxed.

When Xu Shichang and Duan Qirui announced their resignations, Zhang Xiluan did not stay in the capital waiting to meet He Rui, but took the train back to Tianjin. Upon returning home, the frail Zhang Xiluan began arranging his own funeral affairs. The coffin was moved to the family storehouse, and the burial clothes, incense, and candles were all prepared. Zhang Xiluan felt his days were numbered and prepared to die quietly.

As the days passed, Zhang Xiluan's health actually gradually recovered in his familiar home. Only then did the old man discover that the biggest reason for his physical decline might have been the environment of his residence in the capital. With the same indoor temperature, the radiator by the wall and the underfloor heating were simply much more comfortable than a coal stove in the room.

Various other details of life were, without exception, affecting Zhang Xiluan's health. Seeing his health improve, his family was very happy. Yesterday, Madame Zhang even wanted to return the coffin to the coffin shop, but was stopped by Zhang Xiluan. Madame Zhang was initially surprised, but then understood. In the view of traditional Chinese mysticism, having a coffin in the home of someone in their declining years might play some role in warding off death.

Zhang Xiluan hadn't considered that much. But being able to live a few more days, especially living as relaxed and happily as now, wasn't bad. The old man listened to the records, drank clear tea, and basked in the sun; it was truly delightful.

Just then, a servant entered to announce, "Master, Director-General Duan has arrived."

"Invite him in," Zhang Xiluan ordered softly.

Not long after, Duan Qirui arrived outside the flower room carrying a chill from the outdoors, but was blocked by Madame Zhang. "Director-General Duan, please sit inside the door for a while to warm up."

Duan Qirui was puzzled why he had to sit at the entrance of the flower room for a while. Over there, Zhang Xiluan laughed. "Brother Duan, don't blame your sister-in-law. She heard some nonsense somewhere and thinks that if I get even a little bit of cold, I'll fall ill. It's fine, come in and sit."

Duan Qirui immediately understood the reasoning. Madame Zhang was worried that the cold air on him from outside would freeze Zhang Xiluan. He hurriedly said, "Brother Zhang, it's warm by the door, I'll sit here for a bit."

At this moment, someone brought a chair with a cotton cushion. The room was warm, the humidity was good, and there was no coal smoke from a stove, only a fresh fragrance in the air. After sitting down, Duan Qirui felt very comfortable and sighed, "Brother Zhang, you are living the life of an immortal here."

"Speak, what is the matter?" Zhang Xiluan was direct now, having absolutely no scruples.