Chapter 19
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Chapter 19: The Hohenzollern Family Matter
In February 1841, the influence of the wedding had mostly faded away in Prussia. The social order was restored, the people’s dissatisfaction with Anna had eased, and the reforms in the news had smooth results.
Queen Elizabeth moved into the Prime Minister Palace and lived in a Baroque-style palace at the southeast corner. She just started her married life and felt very fulfilled.
When she was a princess in England, she had nothing to do all day. Now in Prussia, she had so much work to do. She felt her importance, the level of attention she received, and how she could help her husband’s career.
Queen Elizabeth was grateful for the schedule arranged by the royal affairs director, especially knowing it was influenced by Minister of Foreign Affairs Anna.
"I thought I would be excluded when I first came here, but Minister of Foreign Affairs trusted me so much and is willing to help me."
Anna originally thought Elizabeth was against her, but Elizabeth believed Anna was helping her. The two of them spent time together at the Prime Minister Palace, where the Queen’s gentle smile and kind gestures often surprised the wicked Anna.
The Queen was very happy with her current life. She was never one to sit still, and after spending a long time secluded in the palace, she was tired of it all. Now having so many activities was wonderful, and even with a busy schedule, the Queen never felt tired.
"I am a Magic Energy Knight, so if these things can help my husband, I won’t get tired." Elizabeth said confidently.
The only thing that made Elizabeth a little unhappy was the limited time she spent with her husband. They had been married for a month, yet they had only spent one night together. However, with a long life ahead of them, Elizabeth was not in a rush.
Anna felt like she was punching cotton. When she targeted Elizabeth, Elizabeth thanked her. Even when Anna gave her extra busy tasks, Elizabeth was still happy. This… oh this… was confusing, the seemingly innocent Elizabeth was actually quite sly.
But Anna didn’t have time to adjust her palace intrigue strategy at the moment, as the German Confederation Congress was about to convene. The German princes would discuss the Balkan-Eastern issues, and the Austrians were also considering joining the customs union.
Prussian Foreign Minister Ms. Anna was busy preparing for the Confederation conference, she would soon be boarding a train to Frankfurt.
Meanwhile, our dear Your Highness the Regent… seemed to have no particular thoughts about the harem.
The night spent with Elizabeth was hard to describe. Elizabeth was very shy and conservative, even in that regard. The gentle and elegant Elizabeth had a romantic touch, which the prince regent didn’t find enjoyable. So the experience was not as good as expected.
Recently, there was a lot of official business to attend to, so the prince regent didn’t just find Elizabeth, but also didn’t see Catherine, Anna, and the servant girl.
Russia and the Ottoman Empire were getting ready for war, with border conflicts starting in Romania and Bulgaria. Prussia needed to pay close attention and prepare to send a Military Observation Team, advisors, and sell weapons.
There were matters regarding Austria’s affairs in the Near East and discussions about tariff alliances at the German Confederation Congress. Leader One assigned these tasks to Anna.
Troubles arose in Mecklenburg due to Leader One’s marriage to Elizabeth. The Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg was very unhappy, causing a strain in cooperation between the countries and a sharp decline in intimacy.
Lastly, there were numerous problems within the Hohenzollern family.
"Your Highness?"
"Hmm?"
Freeman gently woke Leader One from his nap.
"The crown prince wishes to see you. Shall I bring him over?" Freeman asked.
"Let him come, why is my brother suddenly looking for me."
The King of Prussia, Frederick Wilhelm IV, is seriously ill and staying at the Hohenzollern family castle for recovery.
Although the title of crown prince is on his third brother’s head, it doesn’t hold much significance. Even if the current king passes away, his third brother won’t automatically inherit the throne due to a special inheritance law for prince regents in the Prussian constitution.
Today, his third brother suddenly came over to see Leader One. He wondered why he bothered coming over to the palace instead of just staying put.
The Crown Prince looked very nervous and careful when Freeman led him in. He stood far away in the office, feeling extremely cautious.
"Please have a seat, there’s no need to be so formal, my brother," said Leader One with a gentle smile.
"Alright then… I’ll sit," the Crown Prince sat lightly on the sofa, sitting up straight, only taking up a third of it.
"Respected Your Highness the Regent, I have a small request this time. I hope you can fulfill it, but it’s okay if you can’t."
"My dear brother, just let me know your needs and wishes. There’s no need for you to come here yourself," replied Leader One warmly.
"But this time.. I.. oh, it’s my silly daughter causing trouble for you."
Third brother’s eldest daughter, also known as Leader One’s niece, Erika Mia, was born in 1828 and is 13 years old this year.
Since childhood, she awakened magic energy, received professional training as a Magic Energy Knight, defeated an adult Magic Energy Knight at the age of 10, and was awarded the honorary rank of Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Guard, which is a title of honor without actual power as a member of the royal family.
Erika Mia admires her young uncle Prince Regent Redel greatly, possesses exceptional martial arts skills, and aims to join the military, dedicating herself day and night to improving her combat skills and magic energy, aspiring to achieve the feat of defeating ten opponents at once in order to become the Commander of the Royal Guard.
However, her father, Leader One’s third brother, is timid and feels that his family should stay low key, avoiding attention and power. He has been trying to dissuade his daughter for years, but their arguments have been intense. Unable to stop her, he seeks advice from the prince regent.
Upon learning the situation, Leader One reassured them, "Oh.. it’s fine, it’s good that my niece has lofty aspirations. Let her attend the military academy. Where does she want to go?"
His third brother awkwardly scratched his head, feeling the most difficult part was yet to come, as his daughter didn’t want to attend a regular military academy; she wanted to go to the National Defense Military Academy.
The National Defense Military Academy, with the prince regent as its honorary chancellor, Principal Ron, Director of Instruction Moltke, and curriculum compiled by them, is a prestigious institution for training the next generation of high-ranking Prussian military leaders. Students who graduate from here become generals.
Erika Mia doesn’t want to start from the bottom and aims to directly learn how to become a general, which at her young age of thirteen, seems a bit too ambitious.
The prince regent said no, but he told his third brother, "Your daughter can go to the military academy and learn how to be a junior officer. She can grow up slowly."
His third brother thanked the prince regent repeatedly, feeling grateful that he allowed his daughter to join the military. Now he could go back and explain to his daughter. Otherwise, she would cause trouble every day.
The prince regent didn’t want his brothers and sisters involved in military and politics, but he didn’t suspect their children. Those who wanted to be soldiers could be soldiers, but those who wanted to be politicians could not.
If a powerful Magic Energy Knight or an excellent military strategist were born in the Hohenzollern family, it would be a great blessing for the royal family. So, Leader One allowed his niece to enter the military academy. If she showed potential in the future, she could even be promoted to a general.
Before his third brother leaving, Leader One asked, "How are your sons doing? Do any of them want to join the military?"
His third brother looked puzzled and said, "I don’t have sons, I only have two daughters."
In Earth’s history, Leader One’s third brother’s eldest son was called Frederick Karl, known as the Blood Prince, the fourth of the Three Greats of Germany, and the most outstanding field commander of Prussia. He made significant contributions in the Dynasty Wars and later became a army marshal.
However, for some unknown reason, Frederick Karl disappeared directly, and his third brother never had a son. So, his daughter Erika Mia???
Oh no, Prussia’s Blood Prince has turned into a Blood Princess.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl, as long as they have the ability. Leader One hopes his little niece grows up quickly to make outstanding contributions to the unification of Germany.
After dealing with his third brother’s matters, Leader One welcomed his fourth brother.
In the evening, Freeman brought the fourth brother in, along with the fourth brother’s children, who were Leader One’s nephews.
"What’s the matter? Little nephew, do you also want to go to military school?" Leader One asked as he squatted down.
The little nephew shook his head.
The fourth brother said that his child’s birth mother was the Aldenburg Grand Princess. Now, as Aldenburg is in a direct line of descent with no heir apparent, if Prussia is willing to intervene, this child could inherit the grand duke title of Aldenburg.
The fourth brother was unsure if it was possible, so he asked cautiously, but he was worrying unnecessarily as the prince regent naturally agreed.
Aldenburg is considered a medium-sized principality within Germany. With a legitimate and rational succession order now in place, being able to unite Aldenburg under the Hohenzollern family’s control is fantastic.
Aldenburg is located above the Rhine District, near the sea, with the Netherlands to the left and Hanover to the right. If they could control this area, it would be excellent. Industrial products from the Rhine District could travel upstream to the sea, avoiding taxes and inspections in the future.
The prince regent kindly sat his young nephew down on the sofa and started to explain some ideas about ruling a country to the soon-to-be prince.
"In the future, remember to listen to your uncle. Prussia and Aldenburg are both part of our Hohenzollern family, right?"
"When you become the Grand Duke of Aldenburg, your uncle will provide you with many assistants to help with government affairs. You don’t need to work hard, you can play whatever you want and be happy."
"Oh, I also need to tell you about some taboos."
Do not ride on open-top carriages for fun, do not delay the salary of librarians, do not throw people out of windows, provide more opportunities for art students to learn, be kind to the people, do not show off your wealth too much…
Leader One talked a lot to the little child but still felt worried, also worried about his older brother.
Let’s do it this way, your older brother’s family will continue to live in Berlin and Potsdam, you don’t need to worry about managing Aldenburg, there will be someone taking care of it.
Leader One, "Child, do you like living in Berlin or do you want to go to that boring place Aldenburg?"
Young nephew, "I’m very happy playing in Berlin, I don’t want to go to Aldenburg at all."
Leader One nodded in satisfaction, happy that the child was so understanding.
The prince regent sent away his fourth brother’s family and immediately asked Freeman to gather his trusted advisors for a meeting.
"Today, the topic of our royal meeting is to secure the inheritance of Aldenburg and support my young nephew, Prince Anle, to ascend the throne. Can you all please make a plan quickly, my dear ministers?"
Minister of National Defense Ron looked embarrassed and said, "Your Highness, perhaps we should first discuss the Russo-Turkish War. Mrs. Bismarck has brought back some urgent information from Frankfurt."
