Looking at the newspaper in his hands, Archbishop Clement said in disbelief, "How is this possible? The cabinet has gone mad. Have the officials below them gone mad too? This is utterly insane!"
No one answered him. Everyone around him was just as stunned. The opposition, which had thought it was about to make a comeback, had been knocked reeling by this devastating news.
The key figures were all dead, and their foundation was gone. The few little cats and dogs left were already fated to become spectators.
To the outside world, this was a great battle between the Liberals and the opposition. The Liberals, believing the tide had turned against them, had simply decided to drag the opposition down with them.
Now both sides had been all but crippled. The Liberals were disgraced, and the opposition had been reduced to a handful of people. They had both lost the support of the public, and neither had the strength to wipe out the other.
This was exactly the result Ferdinand wanted. After this battle, Bulgaria's political parties would struggle to gain influence for at least twenty years.
Besides, the public had already grown sick of political parties. The Liberals' massacre and the opposition's string of assassinations were enough to make anyone shudder!
Ferdinand thought it over, then decided to kick his enemies while they were down. He told Hoover, "Your main focus from now on should still be steering public opinion. Make the parties' vendettas the central theme of your campaign!"
Hoover asked in confusion, "Does Your Highness intend to abolish the political parties?"
Ferdinand glared at Hoover in displeasure. After a moment's silence, he said, "What? Do you think there's a problem with that?"
Hoover knew he had misspoken. This was beyond the scope of his work, so he hurriedly said, "No, there's no problem. I'll take care of it right away!"
Ferdinand waved a hand, signaling Hoover to leave. Hoover has too much power in his hands, and he's starting to get carried away. It seems I'll have to divide that power up!
Just then, Alice came over to Ferdinand and said, "Your Highness, Minister Chekhov is here."
"Let him in!" Ferdinand said, composing himself.
After the customary greetings, Chekhov began reporting on his work to Ferdinand.
"Your Highness, I'd like to recommend someone. He's very capable and can help you handle government affairs!"
Ferdinand asked in delight, "Oh! Who is it?"
The Stam Cabinet had fallen. Besides leaving behind a fortune, it had also left a mountain of messes. The provisional cabinet had yet to be formed, and Ferdinand had to deal with all of it himself. He was in urgent need of help.
Chekhov spoke without reservation. "My old classmate, Konstantin Itolov. He was a senior figure in the People's Party and is highly capable. In foreign affairs, he has no obvious bias."
Ferdinand was taken aback. Another famous name. If he remembered correctly, in the original timeline, Bulgaria's next prime minister had been this man.
Konstantin Itolov had become prime minister of Bulgaria in 1894. With more energy than any government before him, he continued the Stam Government's economic policies and promoted Bulgaria's industrial development. In foreign affairs, he reached a reconciliation with Russia and restored normal relations between the two countries.
However, when dealing with political rivals, the People's Party often hired assassins to murder its opponents. And soon after taking office, its officials began engaging in shady deals and corruption, quickly earning a terrible reputation.
Ferdinand thought it over, then relaxed. The situation now was very different from history. Konstantin Itolov couldn't stir up much trouble on his own, and letting him handle domestic affairs seemed like a good choice.
"Oh, since you recommend him so highly, I'll meet him," Ferdinand said with a smile.
Chekhov said with conviction, "Don't worry, Your Highness. He absolutely won't disappoint you!"
Ferdinand nodded. "Good! By the way, the provisional cabinet will be formed soon. I've reserved a place for you. Be ready!"
Chekhov was overjoyed. His efforts had finally paid off, and he had received a reward so quickly. Excitement shining in his voice, he said, "Rest assured, Your Highness. I'll do my very best!"
Ferdinand nodded with satisfaction. He had been in Bulgaria for too short a time and didn't have many suitable people at his disposal.
Chekhov was one of the earliest senior government officials to pledge himself to Ferdinand. His abilities were only so-so, but he was obedient and a capable executor. He was already the Minister of Education, so promoting him to the cabinet wouldn't seem too abrupt.
Time hurried by. After two days of rumors spreading, the news had reached all across Bulgaria, and everyone was talking about it.
The media had only just been freed from restrictions, and now they were like people driven mad after being held back too long, relentlessly attacking the Liberals and the opposition. The intellectuals and educators who had escaped the purge joined in.
Thanks to the Stam Government's reign of terror, many ordinary people kept their heads down and minded their own business, which eased the pressure on Ferdinand.
Although the Stam Cabinet had been taken away on the grounds of insanity, calls for them to be sentenced to death remained loud.
Fortunately, Ferdinand had acted decisively and established the Rehabilitation Committee. By reopening their cases, he had diverted public attention and prevented chaos.
On May 15, 1889, Ferdinand quietly formed a provisional cabinet, leaving the position of prime minister temporarily vacant.
There were only three members for now: Minister of Education Chekhov, Minister of Agriculture James Pedinov, and Archbishop Clement, who was pro-Russian.
After the new government was formed, it immediately abolished the collection of tithes in kind and scrapped the excessive taxes and levies imposed during the Stam Government's rule.
Ferdinand then commissioned Archbishop Clement to lead a delegation to Saint Petersburg, calming the pro-Russian faction at home.
Only after all this was done did Ferdinand finally breathe a deep sigh of relief. Bulgaria's turbulent situation had been stabilized, at least for the short term.
Now Ferdinand finally had the time to deal with the mess left behind by the Stam Cabinet. The ongoing Five-Year Plan could not be stopped; the chaotic government system needed to be reorganized; and most troublesome of all, suspects who had been secretly executed or were still in prison had to be reassessed.
Konstantin Itolov passed Ferdinand's test and was appointed Minister of Interior, responsible for overseeing the government's day-to-day work.
Chekhov personally took charge of the Rehabilitation Committee and began determining the charges. Of course, those who had participated in or been implicated in the assassination case were simply disregarded. Those poor souls whose entire families had been wiped out were pushed even farther down the list.
Even so, the work of rehabilitating tens of thousands of people could not be completed quickly. This was Ferdinand's decision: everything had to follow legal procedure.
Ferdinand also brought in Boris Kristov, a famous old stickler in Bulgaria's legal circles, to establish the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
It began purging the government of vermin. Even the previous cabinet was included in the investigation, and large numbers of officials faced dismissal.
The police department bore the brunt of it. As direct participants in the massacre, they were being denounced and condemned from every quarter. Ferdinand used the opportunity to quietly bring the police under his control.
Ferdinand and the provisional cabinet worked nonstop for more than half a year before the government finally got back on track.
Before you continue