Whether they could find the mastermind behind the scenes or not, days had to go on. After handling several scapegoats, the "Hadden Incident" had ostensibly come to an end.
Social beatings not only matured people but also could make them paranoid. This was now the case with Nicholas II, whose prolonged failure to solve the "Hadden Incident" caused him to lose trust in the government bureaucrats.
Normally, this wouldn't matter much, as emperors who distrusted bureaucrats were common. In a sense, distrusting the integrity of the bureaucratic corps was a necessary factor for a monarch's success.
The trouble was that Nicholas II couldn't control his emotions. Before finding adequate replacements, he inadvertently revealed his true thoughts.
In this regard, Nicholas II was much like Chongzhen. Trusting someone unconditionally until deceived, only then to swing to the other extreme.
