In stark contrast to the happy lives of people like Wang Ze, the tragic circumstances of those "superior people" of the old era stand out.
Qian Fugui was once the biggest landlord in the area within a ten-mile radius of Wang Ze's village, and was known as "Master Qian".
In the old days, he owned thousands of acres of fertile land, lived in a luxurious mansion with blue bricks and large tiles, had a large number of wives and concubines, and a large retinue of servants. He was extremely harsh on his tenants.
In years of natural disasters, instead of reducing rents, he took the opportunity to lend money at exorbitant interest rates, seize land, and drive countless families to ruin and death.
Wang Ze's father was beaten to death because he couldn't repay the Qian family's debts.
For Qian Fugui, the arrival of the empire was like the sky falling and the earth collapsing.
His land was all confiscated and became "imperial public property," his mansion was transformed into a "historical education base for exploitation in the old era," and his wives, concubines, and servants were all liberated and became imperial citizens equal to him.
He himself was stripped of all his property and was given only a citizen number and a standardized apartment exactly like Wang Ze's.
He could not accept the change from "Master Qian" to "Citizen Qian Fugui (Number: SN-7354-0013)".
What devastated him even more was the job the Empire assigned him. Based on the AI "Pangu's" assessment of his physical abilities and skills (the assessment result was: physically inactive, ignorant of farming, and lacking any production skills), he was assigned to the "City Waste Recycling and Processing Center" and became the lowest-ranking "Organic Waste Sorter".
Every morning, while Wang Ze takes the anti-gravity bus to work at the "heavenly place," Qian Fugui has to go to a designated location in the community, put on heavy protective clothing, and be sent to that stinking treatment center.
His job is to stand in front of the conveyor belt and sort the organic waste collected from all corners of the city that requires manual processing.
Those hands, once used only to caress his concubines and manipulate the abacus, now held sorting tongs, sifting through rotting food scraps and filth. The pungent, sour stench made him vomit several times a day.
What did he see? He saw those "peasants" he used to look down on, now living a respectable life.
They live in the same houses as him, eat the same food as him, and because they have production skills, their "citizen contribution points" are much higher than his, which can be exchanged for some extra entertainment products that he can't even dream of.
He saw Wang Ze, the son of the tenant farmer whom he hadn't even bothered to look at back then.
Once, the two met while queuing at the community's supply distribution center. Wang Ze looked at him, his eyes no longer filled with the fear and hatred of the past, but with a complex, almost pitying calm.
“Citizen Qian Fugui,” Wang Ze said calmly, “your nutritional ration seems to be insufficient. Are you working too hard? I have some extra points here, which I can exchange for a vitamin B-3 for you.”
That condescending, condescending tone instantly shattered Qian Fugui's pride. He wanted to yell, "Who do you think you are! I beat your father to death! All your land is mine!"
But he didn't dare.
He saw the blue badge flashing on Wang Ze's personal terminal, representing "Level 2 Technician," and he also saw the gray mark on his own terminal representing "Unskilled Laborer."
He also noticed that the citizens queuing around him were casting disdainful and wary glances at him after hearing Wang Ze's words.
He knew that if he dared to utter those words, the citizens around him, filled with hatred for the "exploiting class of the old era," would immediately drag him to the "Citizens' Disciplinary Committee." His fate would be even heavier labor and forced "ideological re-education."
He could only lower his once proud head and squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth: "...No need, thank you."
At that moment, his spirit completely collapsed.
He realized that his era, the era in which he could oppress others at will, had ended forever and completely.
In this new world, he was no longer the "master"; he became a useless person, a shameful parasite who needed others' pity to survive.
He began to yearn for the past, for the Ming Dynasty. Even though that Ming Dynasty was riddled with problems, at least there he was a person of high status. Thus, a resentful and unrealistic thought sprouted in his mind. He began to secretly spread rumors among some former gentry and bureaucrats who were also dissatisfied with the empire.
"That Lin Feng is a monster! He's destroyed all the methods of our ancestors!"
"You see, this won't last! The people's hearts still belong to the Ming Dynasty!"
"Although the Zhu family's emperor is gone, the Han Chinese tradition cannot be severed! We must find a way to turn this world upside down again!"
He thought his connections were well-hidden, unaware that his every word and action was being monitored by the AI "Pangu." His laughable dream of regaining his sight was, in the Empire's eyes, nothing more than a moldy spot in a petri dish about to be eliminated.
Wang Ze finished his day's work and returned to his community.
The community was even more lively in the evening than during the day. In the square, a huge holographic projection was playing the Empire's promotional video: a magnificent interstellar fleet cruising in the boundless universe, brave Imperial soldiers fighting against ferocious insectoids on alien battlefields, and the Heavenly Emperor Lin Feng delivering an inspiring speech in the Nine Heavens Moon-Embracing Palace.
All citizens, whether strolling or conversing, would stop in their tracks, stand at attention, and perform the civic salute when they saw His Majesty the Emperor appear, their eyes filled with boundless reverence and fervor.
Wang Ze's son, Wang Qimeng, was playing with a group of children in the children's area of the square. They weren't playing the old-fashioned games of rolling hoops or throwing beanbags, but a holographic interactive game called "Empire Guardians." Wearing small sensor bracelets, the children operated miniature "Divine Might" mechs on a virtual battlefield, fighting against cartoonish "barbarians" and "bandits."
"Charge! For His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor!" A five- or six-year-old boy waved his arms and shouted loudly.
"Destroy the Later Jin Tartars! Purify all enemies!" Wang Qimeng echoed in his childish voice.
This subtle and gradual indoctrination of ideas, which begins in childhood, ensured that the empire's rule would have the most solid and enduring foundation of faith passed down through generations.
At 7 p.m., solemn music played over the community's loudspeaker. This was the time for the daily "Thanksgiving Ceremony."
All citizens in the public area consciously walked to the center of the square, facing the phoenix sculpture named "Nirvana" designed by artist Zhang Tielin. A three-dimensional image of the Heavenly Emperor Lin Feng was projected from the top of the sculpture.
In the video, Lin Feng, with his golden eyes looking down, has a dignified expression.
"Thank you, Heavenly Emperor, for granting me a new life."
"Thank you, Heavenly Emperor, for granting me food and warmth."
"Thank you, Heavenly Emperor, for granting me peace."
"We are all the blade of the empire, the shield of His Majesty. We are willing to fight for the rise of the empire, and we are willing to dedicate ourselves to His Majesty's will!"
The unified, heartfelt shouts of thousands of people converged into a powerful wave of sound, echoing across the community. Their faces bore an almost religious fervor. Wang Ze stood in the crowd, fist raised, tears welling in his eyes. He felt that his life had become one with this great empire and this godlike emperor.
At this sacred and solemn moment, an accident occurred.
A dozen or so members of the "Citizen Security Team" escorted a group of people to the high platform in the square. Leading them was Qian Fugui. He and the other former gentry looked dejected, their wrists bound by restraint rings that emitted blue electric light.
A security captain stepped forward, picked up a megaphone, and announced in a cold voice:
"Citizens of the Empire! These remnants of the old era enjoy the Empire's favors but know no gratitude! Instead of repenting and working hard to repay His Majesty, they secretly conspire to overthrow the Imperial order and restore the corrupt old dynasty that has long been swept into the dustbin of history!"
"Citizen Qian Fugui, a former landlord of the Ming Dynasty, has countless blood debts! The Empire, considering that he still has Chinese blood, has shown him leniency and ordered him to undergo labor reform. However, he remains unrepentant and instigated rebellion, committing heinous crimes!"
"In accordance with Article 37 of the Imperial Public Security Law and the 'Thought Purification Regulations for the Special Period of the Fourth Development Zone,' and as determined by the AI 'Pangu,' the chief culprit, Qian Fugui, is hereby subject to—'Mental Reset'!"
"Mental reset!"
Upon hearing these four words, the crowd in the square fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a deafening, exhilarating cheer!
Purify him! Purify this vampire!
"Make him forget who he is! Turn him into a real beast!"
"Long live the Heavenly Emperor! Long live the Empire!"
Qian Fugui was terrified, and a foul-smelling liquid oozed from his crotch. He knelt on the ground, desperately kowtowing and begging for mercy: "I was wrong! I'll never do it again! Please forgive me! Citizen Wang Ze! Er Niu! For our sake as fellow villagers, please put in a good word for me!"
He saw Wang Ze in the crowd.
Wang Ze stared at him expressionlessly, his gaze colder than when he looked at a cockroach. He slowly spoke a sentence to the security guard beside him, his voice not loud, but clearly carried throughout the entire square through the loudspeaker:
“My father was beaten to death by him. For someone like him to undergo ‘mental reset’ is the greatest mercy His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor could show him.”
This statement became the final judgment on Qian Fugui.
Two Purifiers walked onto the stage and forcibly placed a metal headband on Qian Fugui's head. Qian Fugui let out a pig-like scream, but soon his body began to convulse violently, and his eyes gradually became empty and dull.
A minute later, the headband was removed. Qian Fugui stopped shouting and looked around blankly, like a newborn baby with pure confusion in his eyes.
The security captain walked up to him, pointed to a stain on the ground, and ordered, "Lie down and lick it clean."
Qian Fugui, the former Master Qian, without any hesitation, lay down on the ground like a dog, sticking out his tongue and earnestly licking the filth off the ground.
A deafening roar of cheers erupted in the square. Watching this once-powerful tyrant now transformed into a truly obedient dog, their elation and awe of the empire's iron-fisted rule reached their peak. They were even more convinced that only the Heavenly Emperor Lin Feng could bring such absolute and complete fairness and justice.
Wang Ze watched this scene quietly, without the slightest ripple in his heart. He felt that all of this was how it should be.
He turned and, with his wife and son, returned to his warm and bright home. On the holographic screen, the empire's evening news was playing. At the end of the news, an image of the Heavenly Emperor Lin Feng appeared, his calm yet authoritative voice greeting all citizens with goodnight.
Holding his son Wang Qimeng, Wang Ze pointed to the face on the screen and said softly but firmly, "Qimeng, remember, that is our God, our Heaven. Everything we have is given to us by Him. You must spend your whole life loving Him and believing in Him."
Wang Qimeng nodded as if he understood, and repeated in a childish voice, "Love...the Heavenly Emperor."
Outside the window, the light from the fusion energy tower shone brighter than the moon. An old era, along with its last embers, had vanished completely. And a new era was rising, rising above the fervent faith of hundreds of millions, shining for eternity.
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