Trullinczentyr, Workers' District, No. 17 Cinder Alley.
This is one of the darkest, dampest corners within this glamorous capital.
In the alleyways where sunlight is a perennial stranger, the air is thick with the sour stench of poorly combusted, low-quality coal and the rancid odor of household waste.
Anton Muller's home lies at the very depths of this alley.
A room of less than twenty square meters, squeezed full with a family of four.
Anton was once a skilled worker at a textile factory in the east of the city, but amidst the economic chaos at the end of the Twin Empresses' reign, the factory closed down, and he lost his job.
The burden of life weighed so heavily he could barely breathe.
What drove him most to despair was the illness of his youngest daughter, Anna.
A chronic respiratory disease triggered by an infection, requiring the long-term use of expensive medicine to maintain her health.
To buy medicine for Anna, Anton sold everything of value in the house and racked up a mountain of debt.
Every night, hearing Anna's suppressed coughing, Anton felt as though a knife were twisting in his heart.
He hated his own incompetence, and he hated this unfair world.
When news of the new Emperor's ascension arrived, Anton, like his neighbors in the alley, listened with numbness.
What difference did it make who the Emperor was to people like them, living in the mud?
It was nothing more than swapping one tax collector for another.
However, change happened when they least expected it.
First, a group of young people in uniform arrived at the entrance of the alley. Calling themselves the "Community Health Service Team," they began clearing the garbage that had piled up for ages, unclogging the blocked sewers, and going door-to-door spraying disinfectant.
For the first time, the air in the alley became fresh.
Next, a "People's Clinic" was established in the central square of the Workers' District.
A sign with bold, eye-catching letters read: Imperial Citizens, free medical treatment upon presentation of identity documents.
Anton didn't believe it at first; there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
But looking at Anna's increasingly frail face, he swallowed his doubts and carried his daughter on his back to the clinic, just to try.
To his surprise, the doctors and nurses in white coats inside the clinic were kind and gentle, completely devoid of the arrogance found in those aristocratic hospitals of the old era.
An older doctor carefully examined Anna and then wrote out a prescription.
"Rest assured, my child, this is not a terminal illness," the doctor said gently to Anton.
"Take the medicine on time, keep her warm and well-nourished, and she will slowly recover."
Anton went to the payment window with trembling hands, ready to fish out the last few copper coins tucked in his chest pocket.
But the nurse at the window smiled and said to him, "Sir, your expenses have already been covered by the 'Universal Healthcare Security Fund'."
"Here is your medicine. Please take it, and come back for a check-up in three days."
Anton took the bag of medicine in a daze and walked out of the clinic. The sunlight hit his face, yet he felt as if he were dreaming.
He opened the medicine bag. Inside were new drugs he had never even seen before, the packaging stamped with the insignia of the Imperial Academy of Sciences.
He couldn't help but squat by the roadside, a man in his forties, wailing like a child.
This was only the beginning.
A few days later, Anton received a notice from the "People's Employment Placement Center."
Based on his past technical experience, he was assigned to the expanding Trullinczentyr Locomotive Factory, becoming a glorious builder of the Empire.
An eight-hour workday, with a fixed salary and labor insurance benefits.
On the day he received his first month's salary, Anton did something unprecedented on his way home: he bought a small piece of smoked bacon.
When his wife saw that meat, tears instantly streamed down her face.
That night, the aroma of meat wafted from Anton's dining table for the first time in a long time.
Anna's coughing seemed to have lightened considerably as well.
Even greater surprises were yet to come.
The Affordable Housing Plan was launched comprehensively across Trullinczentyr.
These apartments were designed to be simple and practical; every unit had a private kitchen and bathroom, with running water and electricity.
Based on family size and contribution score, Anton's family was lucky enough to be allocated a two-bedroom unit on the third floor.
On the day they moved, the entire Cinder Alley came out to see them off.
The eyes of their neighbors were filled with envy and sincere blessings.
Anton's eldest son, twelve-year-old Peter, ran around the new home in excitement.
For the first time, he had a room of his own and a desk by the window.
Anton's wife, Martha, stroked the walls and the faucets over and over again, muttering incessantly, "Thank you, Your Majesty... Thank you, Your Majesty..."
Anton stood on the balcony, watching the children playing in the community below, while in the distance, the factory chimneys billowed thick smoke.
He took a deep breath. The air no longer carried the sour rot of Cinder Alley, but the scent of hope.
That evening, the family sat around their newly bought dining table.
On the table lay black bread and milk distributed free by the government.
On the wall hung a portrait of His Majesty the Emperor, which Anton had specifically cut out from a newspaper.
In the portrait, the young Emperor's gaze was gentle.
The radio was playing the evening news from the Imperial Broadcasting Station.
"...Today, the Imperial Ministry of Medicine and Education announced the establishment of the 'Morning Star' Special Scholarship, intended to fund all students from impoverished families with good character and academic performance to complete their higher education..."
"...His Majesty the Emperor pointed out in his directive: Knowledge is the key to changing destiny. We must never let any talented child be buried due to poverty..."
Peter looked up, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Anton: "Dad, I want to go to school too, I want to win that scholarship, and be an engineer in the future, just like those uncles who built these apartments!"
Anton patted his son's head, his eyes moist.
He knew that from this day on, his children's future would be completely different from his generation's.
They would possess an opportunity to change their destiny through effort and talent.
This was the world His Majesty the Emperor had brought to them.
A world where they could eat their fill, have their illnesses treated, have a roof over their heads, and where their children could study.
...
Top floor of the Twin Towers, Lacey's office.
Serafina brought him a cup of hot tea and spoke softly, "Your Majesty, the social observers under the Department of External Relations have submitted the latest public sentiment report."
"This is the sampling result from the Trullinczentyr Workers' District."
Lacey took the report and flipped through it.
"...Anton Muller's household: Daughter's condition improved due to universal healthcare policy; quality of family life significantly improved. Support for the Empire: Extremely High."
"...Maria Schneider, single mother: Obtained new residence through the Affordable Housing Plan. Support for the Empire: Extremely High."
"...Over ninety-five percent of the surveyed worker families stated that life in the new era is far better than in the old era."
At the end of the report was a summary attached by Gertrude's Intelligence Department:
"Your Majesty, the last vestiges of the old aristocracy's influence are being thoroughly purged amidst the tangible improvement in the people's standard of living."
"The hearts of the people are with us; the tide has turned."
Lacey put down the report and walked to the window, looking down at the city lit up by the lights of ten thousand homes.
He saw that those once dim areas were now glowing with warm light.
Behind every single one of those lights was a family like Anton Muller's, regaining hope.
These lights, gathered together, became the most solid foundation supporting this newborn Empire.
"Serafina," Lacey said softly, "we are doing the right thing."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Serafina walked to his side and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
"You gave them hope, and they, in turn, have given you strength."
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