Dissolving Parliament

Watching the guards escort the Cabinet away, Ferdinand let out a deep sigh of relief. After all, Stam had been the one to put him on the throne. If it hadn't been necessary, Ferdinand really wouldn't have wanted things to come to this.

But politics was cruel; it left him no room to retreat. Even so, Ferdinand had chosen to show mercy.

Ignoring everyone's astonishment, Ferdinand continued, "Gentlemen, you may now look away. The Cabinet led by Mr. Stam-Bolov had achieved results in its early days that were plain for all to see, making outstanding contributions to Bulgaria's development. May God grant them a speedy recovery!"

"As for their later work, their illness may have clouded their minds, causing them to do many foolish things against their better judgment! But I'm sure you won't hold it against the sick. The people of Bulgaria are generous, and they will surely forgive them!"

"Under the Bulgarian Constitution, the Cabinet no longer exists. To handle the work ahead, I have decided to form a provisional Cabinet to serve until the end of this term, when new elections will be held!"

The Liberals' faces changed dramatically. Ferdinand had denied them the chance to form a new Cabinet, leaving them deeply dissatisfied.

Many began to stir. After being suppressed by Stam-Bolov for so long, they could no longer hold back.

"Your Highness, shouldn't our Liberal Party be the one to form the Cabinet?" Hoover stood up and challenged Ferdinand.

The other Liberal deputies also voiced their protest. It seemed that unless they were given a reason, they would not let the matter rest.

Before Ferdinand could speak, another deputy leaped to his feet. Clement, the archbishop and a member of the clergy, immediately rose to argue, "Under the Bulgarian Constitution, His Highness's actions are entirely legal!"

"The previous Cabinet violated the Constitution time and again. If we hadn't determined that Stam-Bolov and the others were mentally ill, they would be in prison now! The Liberal Party failed to stop the Cabinet's unlawful acts and has forfeited its right to form a government."

He immediately won the support of a group of deputies. Stam's reign of terror had long since left them discontented.

If the Liberal Party stayed in power, who knew whether it would keep purging its enemies? They might find themselves hauled away by the police any day.

Better to support Ferdinand. At least he wasn't their enemy, and they could work together. Maybe they could even secure a place in the Cabinet.

The two sides fell into a shouting match. The Liberal deputies had strength in numbers, while the opposition held high the banner of the law and argued their case.

Ferdinand slapped the table and roared, "Silence!"

"This is Parliament, not a marketplace. Anyone who causes another disturbance will be thrown out!"

"I hereby declare that, because the Liberal Party repeatedly violated the Constitution while in power, it is stripped of its status as the ruling party! Furthermore, with several deputies under arrest, the number of members of Parliament has fallen below three-quarters. I have decided to dissolve Parliament and hold new elections!"

At the news, the faces below showed every shade of emotion, some delighted, others worried.

The Liberal deputies' faces changed at once. They knew it was over. Thanks to the Stam Government's wanton abuses, their reputation was in tatters, and they had no chance of winning.

They had been so busy fighting over power that none of them had imagined Ferdinand would cut the ground from beneath them. After all, the Liberal Party had been the main force supporting Ferdinand's accession. Most of Bulgaria's other political factions were pro-Russian and had opposed him.

But politics was full of irony! Before Ferdinand took the throne, the pro-Russian faction had opposed him.

Now that the matter was settled and Ferdinand was Bulgaria's legitimate prince, the pro-Russian faction had no grounds to oppose him.

Instead, the Liberal Party, which had once supported Ferdinand, had become a stumbling block on his path to power.

The trouble was that the Liberals had failed to see the writing on the wall. They still treated him like a rubber stamp, and now they were paying the price.

The other deputies, meanwhile, wore triumphant looks. The all-powerful Stam Cabinet had fallen ill as a group, and the Liberal Party had gone down with it.

Bulgaria's political landscape was about to be turned upside down. For them, this was a godsend. They would have to be out of their minds not to seize the opportunity.

Ferdinand looked over the uproarious crowd, said nothing more, and left the chamber. He knew that once the massacre came to light, the Liberal Party would truly be finished.

To avoid suspicion, the news could not come from him. He could only let things take their course and allow it to spread on its own.

A street newspaper in Sofia had already begun printing. Some time ago, the government's crackdown had forced it to shut down.

As luck would have it, Hoover had taken notice of them, then brought them into his fold. They had fled in time and escaped the purge.

Now it was time to show their new boss what they were worth. Exposing the news of the massacre would be their opening salvo.

The workers had still been hesitant, but after seeing the photographs of the slaughter, fury at the government surged in their hearts. They threw themselves into the work at once.

Just as the new boss had said, if they exposed the news, the prince would see it and dissolve the Cabinet, and the arrogant police would get what was coming to them. Then everyone could live better lives.

The former deputies had barely stepped out of Parliament when they received the horrifying news. Many were so shocked they could only stare, dumbfounded!

Those who had still harbored doubts now declared one after another that the Cabinet members really had gone mad. Otherwise, who would dare do such a thing? They had slaughtered tens of thousands of people in one fell swoop, and none of them were ordinary folk.

One could imagine the wave of prestige Ferdinand would gain once news of his dismissal of the Cabinet and dissolution of Parliament spread.

Back at the palace, Ferdinand finally let go of the tension that had gripped him. He had truly feared that the deputies might beat the king and cause a scandal.

Fortunately, nothing had happened. Now he could take stock of his gains at ease. The Liberals had become the target of everyone's scorn.

The opposition would surely have no qualms about branding them a butcher's party. With disaster looming, everyone was looking out for themselves; they had no time to go after Ferdinand.

"Year after year, I toil over the golden thread, only to sew the wedding gown for another." Those words perfectly captured Stam's feelings now: he had worked hard and shouldered the blame, while Ferdinand reaped the rewards.

Setting out on the road to Vienna, Stam-Bolov seemed to pause and look back every few miles. He knew that unless something unexpected happened, he would never set foot on this land again.

But it wouldn't end so easily. So many people had died; the government had to answer for it. The Cabinet had been sent away, and though Ferdinand had branded them mentally ill, that didn't mean the matter was over.

There were so many officials in the government. A few would have to be thrown to the wolves. And there was that enormous fortune—plenty of people were already eyeing it.

All right, time to settle accounts!