Chapter 22

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Chapter 22: Prince Benevolence

"What does this Redel want to do?"

King Wilhelm IV of Prussia slammed the newspaper on the table, with Prussian Prime Minister Albert and Parliament Secretary Lein in the room.

The Prime Minister took out four newspapers and said, "Prince Redel has given five public speeches in the past week, one at Frederick Square, one at the farmers’ market, and the remaining three on the main streets."

The Secretary said, "His speech skills are excellent, always accurately addressing the real issues that concern the common people, thus gaining high support. Some commoners have even started calling him Prince Benevolence."

The king sighed and stroked his beard as he leaned back gently on his chair.

"My two brothers, one Prince of Cannonballs and one Prince Benevolence, neither of them has a kind heart."

Previous King’s son Wilhelm, known as the Prince of Cannonballs for using artillery to suppress people’s demonstrations.

Previous King’s tenth son Redel, who understands the needs of the common people and shows compassion to them, known as Prince Benevolence by the people.

There are still seven princes and princesses in the royal family, but some of them are behaving properly. They engage in activities like bullying, stealing, and mistreating commoners, but they have never threatened the current king’s throne.

Wilhelm and Redel were both very lively.

The king asked, "Redel has been missing for many years, then suddenly returned to everyone’s attention, making a big splash. What is his goal?"

"Is it for power and wealth?" the Prime Minister asked cautiously.

The king shook his head, "Redel seems uninterested in power. Our father had considered making him the heir to the throne many times. If he had made a move back then, he might have succeeded. But Redel decided to leave and stay out of power struggles."

The Prime Minister said, "So it’s for fame and reputation."

The king said, "Give him two appointment letters, one as a member of the Berlin City Parliament, and the other as the Honorary Chancellor of Berlin University. Let’s see which one he chooses."

The Secretary General commented, "It’s okay for Prince Redel to be a parliament member, but we need to reconsider making him an Honorary Chancellor."

The king said, since Redel likes titles, let’s give him one. If Redel truly wants to be the Honorary Chancellor of Berlin University, he will definitely face a lot of criticism, saying he doesn’t deserve the position.

The next day~

"Your Majesty! Prince Redel has declined the two positions you offered him, and has given three consecutive speeches."

"Then make him a member of the Prussian Parliament, or the official spokesperson for the royal family."

On the third day~

"Your Majesty! Prince Redel still refuses the positions you offered him…"

"Vice Mayor of Berlin."

On the fourth day~

"Your Majesty! Redel…"

"Get out, as long as I’m alive, he can’t seek fame and glory through me. I won’t give him anything, let Redel do as he pleases."

After several attempts, the king could no longer tolerate it. If Redel doesn’t appreciate the opportunity, there’s no point in trying anymore. Let him be idle, what more can he do.

In Prussia’s history, there has never been royal siblings fighting each other or seizing the throne. Nobody apart from the rightful heirs has become king. Would Redel dare to disobey the ancestral teachings? Can the ways of the ancestors be changed?

Frederick Wilhelm IV turned his attention back to Prince of Cannonballs Wilhelm because he had no children of his own. The heir could only be Wilhelm, his second brother, who had valid reasons and legal rights to the throne. This was the biggest threat.

As for Redel, being very low in the line of succession, he could hardly pose a threat to the current King’s position unless he staged a coup. Other methods were unlikely to challenge the current King’s position.

At this moment, Leader One was giving a public speech.

He had a temporary platform set up in front of the Bittenfeld Factory, using the street and surrounding open space as seating for the audience.

Passersby saw Prince Benevolence preparing to speak and gathered around in large numbers. They were eager to hear Leader One speak because he was down-to-earth, spoke in a way that people could understand, and showed willingness to work for the people’s welfare, making him very popular.

Leader One’s speaking skills surprised his brothers, as well as the cabinet members and parliamentarians.

Each of Leader One’s public speeches was fully recorded on the back page of the Brandenburg Gazette, which the noble officials would read afterward.

People were astonished to see that this prince, who had received a royal court education since childhood, could truly connect with the people on a spiritual level, whereas usually the Prussian royal family only bonded physically.

"When Redel was young, he studied with famous people like Angel, Goethe, and Beethoven. He was very talented in art and had good manners. I always thought he was like a noble, the kind you see in a good way in books."

"I never thought he could get along with common people. He understood their lives well, probably visited them himself. He could persuade people easily, knew how to talk to different people, and never spoke in a fancy way to the commoners. He used simple language to connect and talked about things the commoners dream about every day."

"I am looking forward to what Redel plans to do next, to see his true intentions in gathering poor people."

The Crown Prince of Prussia, Prince Wilhelm, said so.

In front of the Bittenfeld Factory, Leader One started his speech today. More than a thousand people had gathered around, even though there were only about a hundred thousand people in Berlin city center. Having a thousand people gathered was already very impressive.

"I’m very sorry, everyone. Even though I am a prince, I don’t have any real power. I only have the right to suggest."

"I have submitted five reform bills to the King and the Parliament, but they all got rejected. They were about improving workers’ welfare and social security, freeing the serfs completely, developing the country’s foundation, reforming the healthcare and education systems, and establishing universal suffrage and a constitution."

"All these five bills were rejected, the King and the Parliament didn’t agree."

Leader One lowered his head slightly, showing a look of regret and helplessness.

The audience was excited, thinking Prince Benevolence’s laws were good. Why didn’t the king and the council agree? The angry crowd wanted to march straight to Sanssouci Palace now!

Seeing the atmosphere getting intense, Leader One quickly came out to calm everyone down.

"Please calm down, the king and the council must have their reasons. I believe they are making reasonable judgments for the country’s best interests. I will keep improving the laws and suggesting ideas to the king. I will keep working hard to make sure everyone can live a happy life."

Later, there was the usual grand promises part, where Leader One painted a beautiful future with his words, making everyone imagine and look forward to it.

In his final speech, Leader One announced that Bittenfeld Factory would be restructured as a model of his benevolent policies. He promised to make it the best factory in the world for everyone to visit.

"I am just a powerless prince. Even though the king rejects my ideas and I cannot implement nationwide reforms, I will lead by example. I will start by renovating my factory first. Please look forward to its completion in a month."

Catherine, "I have spent all my family’s fortune. I am giving the last of it to His Highness for the factory renovation. The Bittenfeld family is now bankrupt."

Catherine’s parents, "Stop, daughter! You have squandered generations of family savings and inheritance."

Catherine, "Oh dear, I still have my parents to sell. Anyone interested in buying some farm laborers?"