Chapter 2
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Chapter 2: Bismarck Gets Angry
In the evening, the Regent, feeling bored, picked up his schedule and suddenly noticed an interesting heart-shaped mark on it.
Today is Anna’s ovulation period, hehehe…
"Freeman, arrange a carriage for me. I will be staying at the Prime Minister’s Palace tonight," shouted Leader One.
Freeman, "Uh, I suggest you go quietly."
Leader One thought to himself, "Yes, I should be discreet," and decided to go to the Prime Minister’s Palace alone.
Anna’s bedroom is on the third floor of the North Wing, near the rose garden. The prince regent sneaked in from the outer wall, avoiding the patrolling guards, crawling through the rose garden. Despite the magic energy protecting him, he still looked very untidy.
When he reached a corner with no one around, he immediately began to climb the outer wall. This Rococo-style palace had many places to climb, perfect for an agile person like Leader One. He quickly reached the window of the bedroom, and then…
A gun was held against the head.
"Why is Your Highness the Regent in such a mess?" Anna slowly put away the gun.
Leader One looked messy, his clothes wrinkled and dirty. But he had a happy expression as he entered the room and said, "Soon, the one who will be in a mess is you."
Anna carefully swallowed, taking a step back…
"Why today? Oh my goodness! You must know."
"I will be taking on the role of Minister of Foreign Affairs next month. Do you think it’s funny that I have a big belly? Darn it… I knew your leaning was strange."
The Regent’s smile became uncontrollable; he couldn’t wait to see Anna’s surprised face.
Early the next morning, the efficient maid Sophia and the timid maid Aini came to clean the living room.
It was exactly six o’clock. Usually, Mrs. Bismarck would have woken up to prepare for the day, but today she was still asleep in bed.
Aini gently tapped Mrs. Bismarck’s arm.
"Huh? Again? Oh… is it morning already?" Anna sat up confused, with both maids looking puzzled.
Sophia held a broom and mop, staring at the water stains by the bed, Aini also noticed that not only by the bed, but everywhere in the room had water marks.
Aini, "Is the room a bit dry? Mrs. Bismarck, did you spill water on the floor?"
Anna (annoyed), "Shut up!"
Today Mrs. Bismarck was a bit irritable, she angrily ordered the two maids to start working quickly, and didn’t even let them assist with dressing.
March 12th, 1840, was an unusual day.
The Regent Highness appeared cheerful since early morning, but his face showed some signs of fatigue.
Mrs. Bismarck, who would soon become the Minister of Foreign Affairs next month, was an hour late for work, which was very unusual. Everyone in the Cabinet Office whispered and discussed, what could have made Mrs. Bismarck late.
Today, Anna’s performance perfectly showed what it means to be angry and embarrassed, the awkward battle with the prince regent made her feel so ashamed that she felt like a ticking time bomb during the day.
In the morning, at least twenty people were stared at by her as if they were dead, and a few were severely scolded, making everyone at the Cabinet Office feel on edge. Luckily, there was a parliamentary report today, and Mrs. Bismarck went to Parliament, reassuring the people at the Cabinet Office, while also mourning for the members of Parliament.
The government’s financial report for the whole of last year was unsatisfactory due to the impact of the great revolution, the crisis in Prussia and Austria. Prussia’s annual economic growth was only sixteen percent, government revenue increased by only fourteen percent, and there was also high-interest debt.
The financial report for the first quarter of this year has just been released, showing similar economic growth, revenue, and debt issues as last year. As the Chief Secretary of Finance, Anna is planning some economic policy changes and is preparing to report to Parliament.
The Prussian Parliament, after the great revolution, is divided into upper and lower houses, with the upper house having little influence, the lower house being the main body.
The prince regent intends to use the liberal forces to restrain the conservative forces and the military. Currently, the lower house consists of thirty percent bourgeois liberals, twenty percent proletarian liberals, and fifty percent conservatives and military representatives.
The members of different factions in the lower house have many conflicting beliefs, but due to Prussia’s unique situation, they dare not engage in party struggles. They cannot oppose for the sake of opposing, or the kind prince regent will send them on a trip to Antarctica. All parliamentary factions must prioritize national development and engage in reasonable debates and healthy competition.
Anna gave a speech explaining the current economic situation and the adjustments that the Ministry of Finance plans to make.
The members of Parliament asked questions and raised objections, which were reasonable and based on facts.
"Mrs. Bismarck, how can you make sure that your economic adjustment plan will benefit the country positively? We think your plan is not perfect enough."
"Suddenly lowering the interest rates of the two major state-owned banks may lead to funds flowing into the stock market and financial sector, but it may not necessarily promote industrial development."
Anna listened to the voices of the members of parliament and impatiently scratched her ear.
The Ministry of Finance had prepared almost all possible questions and answers, Anna just needed to follow the script and argue with the members of parliament for an hour or two, and her proposal would almost be approved.
Anna thought the members of parliament were like pests, wasting her time. To be efficient, the best way was to get the prince regent to sign a special decree and skip the parliamentary debate.
However, Anna didn’t want to see Leader One these days. Leader One must be wearing a smiley face by now.
Oh well, let’s argue with these members of parliament pests.
Anna didn’t even look at the Ministry of Finance’s prepared rebuttal materials. She could confidently counter the members of parliament on the spot. When some members opposed the economic policy amendment, Anna immediately opposed their opposition.
If anyone showed a discriminatory expression or attitude towards her gender, or if someone didn’t speak respectfully to her, Anna would challenge them to a duel directly. The timid members of parliament quickly admitted defeat.
Who would be foolish enough to duel with Bismarck, not knowing that Bismarck is a savage dragon rider from the countryside…
Not daring to start a physical fight, nor able to win a verbal argument, today Anna unleashed her full firepower in parliament, engaging in a war of words and leaving hundreds of lawmakers speechless with just her own words.
Over an hour passed, the assembly hall became unusually quiet, as the lawmakers were all defeated, having exhausted their well-prepared arguments against the proposal. It seemed like the only option left was to proceed with the motion.
The lawmakers also felt that the time for arguing was coming to an end, it was time to decide on the agenda, as prolonging the discussion further might draw the attention of the prince regent…
Many lawmakers began to put down their black cards and raised the white cards representing approval.
Suddenly, a conservative party member suggested, "It’s lunchtime, perhaps we should have our meal first before continuing."
In theory, the conservative party should stand with Anna, but the aristocracy and male chauvinist conservatives were not inclined to do so.
Anna immediately glared at those who discriminated against her female identity, especially as she was about to become the Minister of Foreign Affairs, trying to intimidate her in any way they could.
Anna slammed her hand on the table, shouting angrily, "First, let’s vote on this proposal, otherwise none of you will get to eat."
Under Mrs. Bismarck’s strict attitude and with the police outside the door watching, the members of the parliament finally behaved well and discussed the economic issues, and then took a break for lunch.
The parliament slowed down the government’s work efficiency, but it did serve a purpose. Each difficult question from the members made Anna notice some mistakes in her economic policies and correct them on the spot, making the members quiet down and improving the policies.
The prince regent reviewed the day’s parliamentary discussions and thought that the new parliament layout he created was working well. Having everyone brainstorm and correct mistakes together proved useful. Passing a bill in one or two hours was actually quite efficient. In the Great British Empire, debates could go on for days, weeks, or even months for one issue…
Queen Victoria, who came to power through a year of power struggles, admired how efficient the Prussian parliament was. The Prussian members fully supported Prince Regent Redel. Victoria thought of numerous reform plans, but she faced obstacles at every turn in the English parliament.
Because England is a constitutional monarchy, while Prussia is an absolute monarchy according to its constitution, which is very traditional and pure without any mix of different ideas.
Leader One could bring a group of members today and dismiss them all tomorrow. He wants to control the conservatives and the military by supporting the liberals but will back the conservatives and the military when needed. The House of Commons is elected by the people, but ultimately, Leader One has the final say on who gets chosen.
The current composition of the House of Commons is good and meets the balance that the prince regent wants, so there is no need for adjustments at the moment.
But the Cabinet needs some adjustments.
Wolf, the 82-year-old marshal, passed away, and Ron will take over as the Minister of National Defense.
The Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Interior were all replaced. Leader One wanted his trusted people to take over, sending the old, foolish puppet officials back home to retire.
After a big shake-up, only Cabinet Secretary Schultz remained in his position. The other positions were filled with new people, making the average age of Prussia Cabinet Minister and Chief Secretary decrease from 62 years old to 41 years old, making them younger.
Prussia had completely moved away from old influences. The new officials only had one focus in their hearts—a new leader, Regent King Redel.
Perhaps many had forgotten that the previous King, Frederick Wilhelm IV, was still alive. Leader One’s older brother had been "convalescing" at the Hohenzollern family castle… But at this point, the previous King was no longer relevant. No one would support his "recovery," and in fact, they hoped for his death soon, so that the great Your Highness the Regent could officially become the King of Prussia.
