Instalment 58 (1915/16)
Scene 1: At Yuan Shikai’s residence
General Zhang Xun and Cao Kun hand a document to Yuan Shikai in which all the Provincial Governors agree to proclaim Yuan the emperor of China. Luo Wen, who refused to sign the paper, has been arrested by Zhang Xun. Yuan is annoyed because he does not want anyone to be forced to sign. Although most Governors signed the document out of their own free will, this arrest shows that some signatures were not given freely (or forged, since it is claimed that even Liang Qichao or Cai E signed).
Scene 2: At Liang Qichao’s residence in Tianjin
Cai E visits his former teacher Liang Qichao in Tianjin. Cai is upset that Yuan Shikai wants to become emperor and thinks of leading his troops against Yuan in order to save the Republic. Liang supports Cai’s plans but is worried that Cai’s troops will not be strong enough. Instead, Liang hopes to convince those generals who used to be his students, to raise their troops against Yuan as well.
Scene 3: In a pavilion; at night
Yuan Shikai and Xu Shichang are playing chess and talking. Meanwhile, two opera singers are performing some classical Chinese opera in the background. Xu mentions that until now, Yuan always declined the throne. But now suddenly he wishes to be crowned emperor. Yuan says that he cannot disregard the will of the people. But Xu believes that the prospect of power makes people blind and warns that Yuan is taking a great risk. Using the metaphor of a boat, he states that if one boards the boat once, one cannot simply jump off again. But Yuan ignores Xu’s warnings. Thus, Xu resigns from his post.
In the presence of an assembly of provincial representatives, soldiers and foreign spectators, Yuan Shikai is made emperor. Previously, the Council Assembly unanimously voted for the institution of a constitutional monarchy. Yuan Shikai is given power through the handover of the „Yongdai shu“ 擁戴書, a document which legitimises the succession from dynasty to dynasty. This document is supposed to be officially handed over in Yuan’s office quarters. However, he only accepts the document, once a Manchu representative, a descendant of the Ming royal family Zhu named Zhu Yuxun, and an alleged descendant of Confucius have declined the document in a ritual sequence. Then he is hailed as the new “Emperor of the Republic(!) of China”.
Sun Yatsen is writing a bill of indictment against Yuan Shikai, the Tao Yuan xiwen. [1] Cai E then comes to visit Sun. Initially, Sun, Cai, Tian Mo and Song Qingling (who mostly remains in the background) talk about Cai’s relationship to the prostitute Xiao Fengxian. Teasingly, Tian asks Sun about his relationship to women and Sun recites a poem he composed himself in which he gives an idealised account of the femininity and beauty of women; a poem which greatly amuses Tian. Then Sun and Cai discuss the political situation. Sun thinks that Cai E has great potential. If Cai was to raise his troops against Yuan in his one province, Yunnan, most of the provincial governors would follow suit – as it already was the case during the Xinhai Revolution (1911). Sun relies on Cai E in his plans to purge Yuan.
Starting in Yunnan, rebellions erupt all over the country. The Provincial Governors are raising their troops with the aim to purge Yuan Shikai’s monarchy.
Meanwhile, Yuan Shikai in his residence is very pleased with the new reign motto which Yang Du has proposed: „Hongxian“ 洪憲; hong denotes the foundation of a new dynasty (since the first emperor of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, chose the reign motto „Hongwu“ 洪武) and „xian“ 憲 represents the constitution, which Yuan intends to accept to resemble a veritable “constutional monarchy” (at least for appearance). Zhang Xun and Cao Kun, however, hand him a joint letter written by Military Governors from thirteen provinces, in which they urge him to step down from the throne and abolish the monarchy. Yuan Shikai is very annoyed since this would mean the new reign motto has already become obsolete. Zhang and Cao quietly retire and Yang Du tries to convince Yuan that this is only a small conflict within the Beiyang Army.
Shen Yuying, Yuan Shikai’s favourite consort, prepares herself to play the role of the empress and does exercises with her female servants of how to behave ceremonially. They shall bow to her and the two elder sons of Yuan Shikai, Yuan Keding and Yuan Kewen. When Kewen is supposed to bow also to his elder brother Keding, he refuses to do so, being jealous of his brother and his being heir apparent.
Thirteen foreign ambassadors call on Yuan Shikai and demand that he step down from the imperial throne. Otherwise, they threaten to not acknowledge the new state. Yuan is puzzled: he had read newspaper articles the day before in which it was claimed that the foreigners would be very happy with his inthronisation. When he gives the ambassadors these newspapers, they tell him that the newspapers are forged. (“In China everything can be forged, even newspapers”!) Yuan’s secretary tells him that over the last few days, the newspapers were always delivered by his eldest son Keding. Yuan thus realises that his son must have forged the newspaper articles. Greatly enraged, he runs over to his residence to call his son to account for his actions.
When Yuan arrives in the private quarters, he finds his two sons in the middle of a fist fight. The servants are trying to separate the two. Kewen, the younger brother, is jealous of the “heir apparent”, Keding. The angry Yuan, whose dream of being an emperor has been destroyed by his son’s greedy ambitions, beats Keding heavily with a rod. Then he falls to the ground in a dizzy spell.
A nurse and a doctor are caring for Yuan Shikai, who is seated in an arm chair. Tian Mo has come to interview Yuan for the newspaper Shibao. She alludes to the influence of the Press and thus to the fact that Yuan is not the most influential person in the country – the journalists are always a little more powerful than those officially in power! Yuan states that he intended to save the country, but that the country is not ready for a democracy. He believes he now knows that stability is more important than the immediate introduction of a democratic system and he is sure that he can lead the country out of its difficulties. When he has a cough attack, the nurse and the doctor lead him out of the room. Before stepping out, he says (somewhat prophetically) that if he was to lose, then no one after him will be able to win either!
[1] One should note that this document (inconsistently) was already mentioned earlier in the TV drama in the context of the second revolution, but that it is historically recorded as having been written only in the course of Yuan’s coronation.
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