The second prince went to the bedroom to change clothes. After talking so much, Ma Wei was a little thirsty. He picked up the tea cup and was about to drink it when he saw Yunia tilting her head and looking at him, her big eyes full of shock.
"What's wrong?"
"Dad, you...can actually use...yourself as an example..." Yunia whispered in Frederick: "Isn't this too shameful?"
"Shameless?"
Ma Wei thought about it and felt that he was a little shameless, but he didn't feel any heat on his cheeks and his mood was very calm.
If you don't want to be shameless, then be shameless. At least the goal has been achieved.
After the second prince changed into his evening dress, he took a carriage to the Regent's Park villa area. Unlike the three princes who had independent palaces, Arthur could only live in the villa left by his mother. Of course, he was very satisfied.
.
The carriage stopped at the door of the villa, and when he got off the carriage, the second prince looked surprised.
It was said to be a banquet, but the villa in front of it didn't look like a banquet at all. It was deserted. Where were the carriages of the other guests?
While thinking, Arthur walked out of the foyer, flanked by Gulhana in formal attire. She seemed to be attending the banquet, but...
"Arthur, what are you doing?" The second prince asked with a frown: "We agreed to invite Nicholas and I to the banquet...why can't we see a single guest?"
"Aren't you just guests?"
Arthur grinned: "There are only a few of us at tonight's banquet."
What is this banquet called?
It’s just a dinner invitation!
The second prince felt that he had been deceived, and turned around to leave, but was pulled back by Ma Wei: "Your Highness, you are already here, you might as well go in and have a look, I guess he won't dare to do anything to us."
It wasn't until Ma Wei was protected by a team of demon hunters that the second prince hesitated for a moment and finally agreed. If it hadn't been for Ma Wei, he wouldn't have been able to come tonight!
"Please, Shukri, by the way, this is my wife, Gulhana, you have met her before."
The second prince nodded to Gulhana. He knew that Gulhana was Arthur's wife, but he had never introduced her formally before today. As for the meeting, it happened more than ten years ago. At that time, Gulhana
Na's father is also the teacher responsible for teaching the princes the court swordsmanship....
When we arrived at the restaurant, everything was just as Arthur said. There was no one at the table with candlesticks on, and there were only a few sets of tableware. It was obviously an intimate banquet.
After sitting down, the maid removed the extra napkins and brought over a bottle of red wine wrapped in a towel with the label faded and blurred. After opening the bottle, she poured it into the decanter. The mellow aroma of the wine spread out, tempting the mind.
This is a bottle of rare and good wine, but the second prince stared at the bottle, his face a little pale.
"This is the red wine that His Majesty gifted to my mother. It was seized from the palace during the victory over Napoleon Bonaparte half a century ago. There are only 12 bottles, and this is one of them."
Arthur rubbed the wine bottle and traced the faded label with his fingertips. The traces of time reminded him of his childhood, when Princess Sophia was doted on and it was also his happiest time.
The second prince didn't understand why Arthur took out the red wine from that year here. It had something to do with Princess Sophia... Could it be that he was going to investigate?
But he is not guilty! He did not do this!
"Arthur, I have always respected Princess Sofia. She was very kind to me. I still have the sweater she hand-sewn for us!"
"Really?"
"Really, of course it's true!" The second prince swallowed. When he was a child, Princess Sophia did sew sweaters for the four princes. This was the case every year. They were delivered on time on God's birthday, but the second prince never
I haven't worn it, and I have a dozen sweaters that I don't know where I've lost them...
When I mention it now, I am afraid that Arthur will do something stupid.
"I still have those clothes. Although I can no longer wear them, I can still keep them as souvenirs."
Arthur smiled, with not much expression on his charming and handsome face, and his eyes were very calm: "Taste the wine, Shukri, this is the red wine that represents victory, it is rare."
Picking up the wine glass, the second prince took a sip. The wine was mellow and sweet, with a long aftertaste and a refreshing magic power.
After tasting the wine, the head maid directed the maid to serve a sumptuous dinner. The night breeze blew outside the house. Inside, Arthur and the second prince chatted about their childhood, and occasionally joked. They seemed to have a very close relationship.
The dinner lasted until 10 o'clock in the evening, and ended with the aftertaste of a cigar. The second prince, who had drunk a lot of wine, was supported by Ma Wei, swaying into the carriage, returned to Kensington Palace, and fell asleep at the end.
.
After sending the second prince home safely, Ma Wei took Yunia back to Flower Street. As soon as he entered the door, Levin couldn't wait to ask: "How is the situation?"
"It went very well. Next...it depends on the reaction of the eldest prince."
.............................
"What did you say? Last night, Arthur invited Shukri to a private dinner? He also opened a bottle of Victory red wine?"
The next day, at Clarence House, the eldest prince woke up from a sweet dream and was struck by a bolt from the blue. With his hair disheveled, he looked at the butler Nicks in disbelief.
"And Nicholas von Manstein, he also went last night." Butler Nix said: "Yes, the informant we placed next to Arthur said so. After dinner, they also
I stayed in the lounge, smoked a cigar, and talked for a full hour and a half. I don’t know what was said.”
What can we talk about? What can we talk about?
Do you want to chat homely?
The eldest prince looked extremely ugly. He waved his hand to the maid to take down the prepared breakfast. He got out of bed in his pajamas and sat down in front of the desk. He lit a cigarette and took a puff.
At this moment, only cigarettes can calm him down.
"Has Arthur...reinstated those principals?"
"No, the executive order has not been revoked and is still in progress."
"asshole!"
The eldest prince grabbed the water glass on the table and smashed it into pieces on the wall, roaring: "Rebellion! He rebelled! He betrayed me!"
"Your Highness, are you going to summon Earl Austin and the others for a meeting?" the butler asked: "After all, we are not sure what the fourth prince and the second prince talked about at the moment... In case there is a misunderstanding..."
"Misunderstanding? Misunderstanding at this juncture?"
The eldest prince sneered solemnly, and the hand holding the cigarette trembled slightly: "This is definitely not a misunderstanding, he is demonstrating to us... He is different now from before, and he actually dares to resist me..."
"Are we going to take emergency measures?"
"Emergency measures? He is now the leader of a political party, has the support of the West Island Councilor, and is the president of the Educators Association... What emergency measures can I take? Kill him?" The eldest prince laughed at himself: "Before, I
We can still use the power of the Conservative Party to suppress him, but now that he has the strength to establish his own business, it is impossible to get rid of him. We can't even get rid of Nicholas von Manstein, and we also want to get rid of Asia.
Se?"
There is one more thing that the eldest prince didn't say. Even if he didn't say it, the housekeeper knew it in his heart.
The current king, Rhodes IV, hates fratricide the most. The family gatherings held every Sunday at Windsor Castle are to enhance the relationship between family members. If Rhodes IV knows that there has been an assassination among the brothers...
Can the position of the eldest prince and crown prince be retained?
Just because Arthur had private contact with Shukri, he would risk being demoted and kill him?
The eldest prince felt that he would not be so heartbroken.
"Are we going to impose sanctions on him?" Butler Nix asked.
"Sanctions... using sanctions now will only push him to Shukri's camp. We cannot lose the support of the West Island MP!"
The eldest prince smoked a cigarette and frowned: "When I sent Marquis Bracken and Arthur to the West Island, I knew that Arthur would one day escape my control, but I didn't expect that day to come so quickly."
Although he felt unwilling to do so, the eldest prince had to admit that Arthur's wings had indeed become stronger and he could challenge his elder brother. In the past, Arthur had to rely on him and be obedient to him, but now...
Offense and defense have changed.
His eldest brother is going to start to win over Arthur with good words.
Such a psychological gap left the eldest prince speechless for a long time.
After sitting there until noon, the eldest prince got up and went to the toilet to pee. After peeing, he felt much more relaxed. He put on his clothes and came to the Educators Association.
Entering the office, the eldest prince saw Arthur working. It was obvious that he had entered the room, but Arthur had no intention of raising his head.
After a while, the eldest prince coughed, and Arthur raised his head and said in surprise: "Charles? Why are you here?"
"I...I came to talk to you."
"Sit down and talk."
Arthur pointed to the sofa and asked his assistant to bring tea and snacks. Then he leaned back, raised his chin slightly, looked at the eldest prince who was leaning forward, and asked: "What do you want to talk to me about?"
"I heard that you invited Shukri and Nicholas to your home last night?"
"Yes, but it was just a family gathering."
Of course the eldest prince would not believe Arthur's lies, and asked insinuatingly: "What did you talk about?"
"What happened when I was a kid was much happier then than now."
Staring into the eyes of the eldest prince, Arthur suddenly changed the topic: "I know what you are coming to see me for, Charles. Let's open up the sky and speak openly about education reform. I have made up my mind."
"Okay, I support you."
"Am I going to be in any trouble?"
"Yes, I will try my best to solve it."
"After the reform of the public school system is completed, I will also reform the university. I will let you know in advance."
"..."
The eldest prince couldn't help it anymore: "What's wrong with the university? You should know who is eligible to go to university! Universities are like private schools, specifically for nobles! They are different from public schools! What can be reformed?
?”
"I want to open up the channels connecting the upstream and downstream." Arthur said calmly: "To put it simply, I want to turn the private one into a public one."
"You will cause public outrage if you do this! I won't be able to protect you then!"
"In the face of greater interests, there will always be people who make compromises." Arthur said: "You can tell what is more important, and those old foxes can tell it even more clearly."
The eldest prince was silent. Arthur was right. Although education reform will have a huge impact on the existing education system and even affect many noble families, these problems are not unsolvable.
In other words, it's okay to lose some profits.
The key is that once the Conservative Party loses the support of West Island MPs and appears too passive in parliament, they will have to pay more.
The eldest prince suddenly remembered what Arthur said yesterday:
"If one of your arms is ulcerated and life-threatening, would you choose to cut it off to save your life, or go to the grave with your arm?"
The answer is already there.
Excision is a life-saving procedure, but it is just a matter of lingering.
Only by keeping the arm can there be hope of healing!
The eldest prince suddenly smiled. He thought Arthur was talking about the education system, but now it seems...
As early as yesterday, Arthur had anticipated what would happen next and had already reminded him.
If he had understood Arthur's deep meaning earlier, the situation would not have developed to this point.
Or, different positions lead to different choices.
The eldest prince had no choice.
"You proposed the idea of equal rights for renting and selling. This is indeed a good strategy, but who would have thought that the ultimate beneficiary would be you?"
The eldest prince stood up and took a deep look at Arthur: "You have changed. You were not like this more than ten years ago."
"Maybe I have never changed." Arthur said, "Maybe you have changed me."
Shaking his head, the eldest prince didn't want to say anything more and turned around and left the Educators Association.
Education reform is beyond his control.
A storm targeting basic education also unfolded rapidly under Arthur's control.
Without the obstruction of the Conservative Party, the protestors gathered downstairs gradually dispersed, and Arthur also issued a third executive order:
[Children over 6 years old and under 16 years old can attend public schools for free. Public schools implement a zoning system, with equal rights for renting and selling. Pilot projects are being carried out in Ealing District and Newham District.]
Free public school education is a policy that has been implemented in the kingdom for a long time, but the school district system is still new. Taking advantage of the gap in building public schools, Arthur, who is not sure what the consequences of implementing the school district system will be, decided to start in the rich and slum areas.
Conduct pilot projects and conduct horizontal comparisons.
The pilot program started soon, but the result was unexpected. Not many children in either Ealing or Newham districts were enrolled in public schools.
If children in wealthy areas can receive guidance from tutors and do not need to attend public schools, children in slum areas simply do not have time to go to school. The poor family situation requires them to go out to work, and they can enter mining areas or factories when they are over 8 years old.
Now, even if the weekly salary is only a few pence, you can still buy a few pieces of bread.
Compared with education which is invisible and intangible, bread is real.
And the consequences were serious. Arthur found that house prices in both Ealing and Newham were on the rise, especially in Newham. Because it is a slum area, apartments that were originally not very expensive to rent were now priced at
It rose by 30% in just a few days!
If it continues to rise...
Can people living in Newham still afford to rent a house?
If they can't afford to rent a house, what should they do?
The problem was right in front of him, and Arthur suddenly realized that the situation did not seem as optimistic as he had expected.
