"Joey, we have a joint application, on behalf of Mr. Siemens, Mr. Merck and me. Three of our businesses want to join the Crown Princess Victoria Foundation, and we are willing, and the annual donation amount of each company is equivalent to the amount of Sir Gruson's donation, I wonder Joey, as a representative of the Princess Victoria Foundation, can you accept our application? Old Mr. Engolhorn asked.

"On behalf of my mother's foundation, I would like to welcome three distinguished gentlemen to join, only." After a moment's hesitation, Joy said, "Three honorable gentlemen, it's just that in terms of the proportion of the Foundation's equity, I can't refer to Sir Gruson's ratio to give three of them, and I can at most provide 5% of each of the three. "But I promise that after the three esteemed gentlemen, others will donate the same amount, and his equity will not exceed 3 percent." ”

Mr. Engelhorn thought for a moment and said, "We demand the same rights as Sir Gruson, with priority over Foundation patents in their respective fields!" ”

"Yes, Honorable Gentlemen." Joey said with a smile.

Engelhorn looked at each other with the Siemens brothers and Mr. Merck, and said to Joey with a smile, "Deal!" ”

While Joey dances solo in front of Engelhorn and the others, Mary is also alone in front of her aunts, Empress Eugenie and Empress Augusta.

Empress Eugenie looked at her precious granddaughter with an unhappy face, and said very unhappily, "Mary, as a lady, the most basic lesson is to know how to distinguish between men with bad intentions. And you just now, without discernment, dancing with other men without being introduced by adults, Mary, you have completely lost the identity of a lady! ”

In the face of her aunt's sudden and harsh accusations, Mary was very caught off guard, and a stubborn anger of being humiliated in public surged up on her face, and her flushed face and miserable lake blue eyes made the hearts of others feel painful.

Empress Augusta, who was standing next to Empress Eugenie, was the first to see this situation and was not happy, "Dear Maria, you are unfair to Mary like this, what is called not being introduced by adults, Mary is still an 11-year-old child, not an adult girl, and she is not coming to the ball on a blind date.... Ah, even if it's a blind date! ”

Empress Augusta waved her hand domineeringly, "Even if it's a blind date, when they first came to the Imperial Palace, the two of them were introduced to each other in front of us!" Besides, Joey of my family is not a man with bad intentions. I don't deny that the Prussian blueskins you say are ill-intentioned creatures, but Joey of my family is a kind child, right, my little Mary! With your Grandma Augusta here, no one will think about treating you unfairly! Empress Augusta gently wiped the tears from Mary's face with her hand.

Empress Eugenie glared at her best friend and said dissatisfiedly, "Dear Mary, my Empress Augusta, I am educating my granddaughter on how to be a good lady. ”

Not to be outdone, Empress Augusta said, "My dear Maria, I have seen countless noble and elegant ladies in my life, whether she is from the old Medici, Bourbon, or the vast Habsburgs, whether she is an English lady of the Welf family, or a German lady of the Romansov family. ”

"But in my heart, I can't think of a lady who surpassed Mary in nobility and grace. Maria, I like little Mary from the bottom of my heart, and if you want to criticize Mary indiscriminately in front of me, I will never agree to it. Empress Augusta said unrelentingly.

In the middle of the dispute between Empress Augusta and Empress Eugenie, Mary tried to calm her excited inner emotions, and bravely faced her aunt with big blue eyes.

"Grandma, I don't think Joey is a scheming person, I think he's a sincere person, at least a sincere person to me. If you ask me, grandma, do you have any feelings for Joey? Lake Mary's big blue eyes welled up with autonomous stubbornness, and he spoke his heart without fear.

"Yes! Grandma, I can't control myself, when or where I meet the person I like, and meet the person who can accompany me. If I meet someone who can meet and accompany me, it is not a beautiful and lucky thing in life, and if I can meet the best person in the best years, this is actually my luck. ”

"Grandma, please rest assured, although I am young, I will think independently about my own life and decide my own life." Mary said strongly.

"Hahahaha!" Queen Augusta, completely ignoring the gazes of others, laughed loudly, and said firmly to Mary. "Mary, I want you to marry into the Hohenzollern family." And raised his chin, looked at the unhappy Empress Eugenie with the corner of his eyes, and continued to say proudly, "Dear Maria, even if you don't agree, I will let my grandson." ”

Then, with a gesture of his hand, the Prussian generals who were watching him around him announced loudly. "Let him take this group of Prussian blue-skinned robbers and go and snatch Mary back! Robbing people is what these robbers do! ”

"Venerable Empress Augusta." Mary blushed and was about to say something to Augusta, but was interrupted by Queen Augusta's infinite tenderness, Queen Augusta looked at Mary with a smile and said softly, "My little Mary calls me grandma, tell grandma quickly, whatever you want, even if Joey can't do it, I will do it for you." ”

"Grandma.... I would like to say that I still have a long way to go, and growth is a process of understanding my true self, and it is also a process of understanding the people I meet and know. In this process of growth, perhaps in the end, Joey and I will slowly discover that what we want is different from what the other party can give. Mary whispered to herself.

"My darling Mary, you're right, you don't know Joey's bastard, Joey isn't the right pair for you." Empress Eugenie quickly interjected, trying to guide Mary's train of thought.

"Grandma, you can't evaluate a relationship by harvest, even if I like Joey's final ending is only flowering and not fruiting, but as a youth that can be recalled after aging, I have had a youthful time when I was liked and liked by others." Mary remained steadfast in her convictions.

"Dear little Mary, Grandma is really getting more and more fond of your character. Grandma swears to you, only if you don't like Joey, you can even dump him, but if my grandson wants to have crooked thoughts, or if he can't protect you, I'll break his legs, well, grandma does what she says! Empress Augusta swore to Mary with a holy face.

"Grandma, you don't have to break Joey's legs, I will protect myself while pursuing beauty. Besides, I'm just a little bit attracted to Joey, and I'm nowhere near where I like it, and Joey is still far from the standard in my heart. Mary's face was still red, but there was a proud determination in her words.

"I knew that my grandson was too stupid, and the key was his stupid grandfather! It's okay my little Mary, grandma will help you educate my stupid grandson. Empress Augusta quickly reformulated a new training plan for Joey in her heart, and easily put Joey in her heart, and moved Mary down one place.

The tragic Joey was unwittingly demoted to the second position by his grandmother, and by the way, he was also formulated a new and more rigorous training plan.

Empress Eugenie looked at her own independent and proud baby granddaughter speechlessly, shook her head, and said to her best friend Empress Augusta, "Dear Marys, you have all won. Well, little Mary, I have no objection to you and Joey continuing to be in a relationship, but you must know that you have chosen a path full of thorns. ”

Empress Eugenie thought of the great contradiction between France and Germany, and couldn't help but be angry, and said angrily, "Just think about that bastard Joey, I'm angry!" I want to break his leg now! ”

Empress Augusta put her arms around little Mary and whispered in her ear, "Don't be afraid, little Mary, that Prussian blue-skinned monster dares to bully you, I will break his dog's leg first, even Joey can't bully you!" ”

Mary, who has big eyes and loves to laugh, dances solo with her beautiful mazurka and wins her own declaration of youth.

After bidding farewell to the crown prince, the crown princess met Karl, the "Prince of Blood", and a large number of Prussian generals and their wives on the way to the cafeteria.

After the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, the German Army expanded to five corps, the first of which was the strongest in Prussia's foreign wars, and is currently the main force against the French, stationed in Saarbrücken, on the German-French border, with the former commander being the "Blood Prince" Karl and his successor General von Golwitz; The Second Army was stationed in the city of Hanover, in what is now the province of Hanover; The Third Army was stationed in Berlin, which was also the unit of which the Crown Prince had been commander for a long time, and the current commander of the corps, General von Kuschel; The Fourth Army was stationed in Stuttgart as a reserve for the First Army; The Fifth Army was also stationed in Berlin as a newly formed corps.

So the Prussian generals that the Crown Princess sees today are mainly from the Third and Fifth Army Corps, as well as officers of the Army Staff, such as General Alfred Ludwig Heinrich Karl Graf Wadsey and his wife Marie Wadsey, General Alfred von Schlieffen and his wife Anna Schrieffen, and even Marshal Moltke's nephew, the current adjutant of the Chief of the General Staff, Helmut Johannes Ludwig Moltke and his wife Alyssa Moltke, and so on.

Under the slightly surprised gaze of the crown princess, Karl said the reason, "Your Royal Highness, please accept the Prussian soldiers to salute you, as a way to thank you for your continuous help to the disabled and veterans of Prussia in the past fifteen years since the beginning of the Prussian-Danish War. Your help has saved servicemen who have lost limbs from starvation, families who have lost loved ones to grief and veterans jobs. On behalf of all the Prussian soldiers, I would like to thank you for your continued generosity and selfless help. ”

The crown princess bowed back to everyone and said with a smile, "Honorable Karl and distinguished generals, this is my responsibility. Please do not forget that I am also the wife of a soldier, and my husband is with you, so your wife and children are also my sisters and nephews. Please don't be grateful for my duty, any of you would do the same in my place. ”

Karl's wife, Princess Anna, reached out to hold the crown princess's hands, and said with a smile, "Vikki, we should all learn from you, I discussed with Karl, if you allow me, during this time in Berlin, I want to help with charity in your foundation." ”

"Mary, is this true? I'm so happy! Crown Prince Victoria turned to Karl, the "Prince of Blood", and said, "Karl, thank you for having Mary help me, it's great." Also, when Joachim returns to Berlin from his sister, let him and Joey live in the palace, and you will both live here before your Berlin palace is repaired. ”

The wives of other generals, with the encouragement or acquiescence of their husbands, expressed their willingness to join the Crown Princess Victoria's foundation and do their best for charity.

When the ladies spontaneously formed a circle, the generals began to bid farewell to the crown princess, leaving only the ladies and the crown prince to exchange their philanthropic hearts.

Among the ladies who exchanged their philanthropic experiences, only General Wadsey's wife, Mary Wadsey, said with a lonely face, "It seems to me that charity costs a lot of money, and only the daughter of a wealthy businessman from New York, USA, like me, has enough money to carry out charity." ”

Crown Princess Victoria glanced at Mary Wadsey with a smile, then turned to Lady Anna Schlieffen to discuss warmly how to prepare some condolence clothes in a few days. Seeing that no one echoed her thoughts, Mary Wadsey couldn't help but become even more unhappy, and said in a loud voice, "Your Royal Highness, charity is the work of the rich, you see me..."

Princess Victoria interrupted Mary-Wadsey with a smile and no doubt, "Dear Mrs. Wadsey, charity is the work of every capable person, and charity has nothing to do with whether you are rich or not, only whether you have a loving heart. Charity is only about the act of love, not the flaunting of wealth or the rhetoric of words. Then he turned to appease the wives of the other generals who had caused public outrage for Marie Wadsey's flaunting of wealth.

Mary Wadsey was a little dumbfounded, and then said with some unconvincing, "Your Royal Highness, Your Royal Highness, charity always needs money, what's wrong with having money to do charity." ”

The crown princess turned to look at Mary Wadsey and said, "It is right to have money for charity, but please note that charity is not a handout from the rich to the poor, and it is not for the rich to show off how rich they are. ”

The crown princess then turned to the ladies and said, "Although we are doing charity with a heart of fraternity, please don't take me to do things with a high posture of love." Helping the poor is a beautiful ideal, but please don't put your mentality very high just because you are doing good deeds for your ideals. ”

"So dear ladies, we have to start by wanting to do something good, and make charity and public welfare our own work and our own duty. You must not only rely on the enthusiasm of the moment, but also bend your noble waist down, take root in the grassroots of Germany, and start to do charity and public welfare from the smallest place bit by bit. ”

"Charity is an ideal, but it is the work of a person with a loving heart, and it is the duty of a nobleman, only by taking it as a job and a duty, can we do charity well. This is the real secret of my philanthropic work for 15 years. Crown Princess Victoria said to everyone with a smile.

Charity is love, but also work and duty, which is the secret of the success of Prince Victoria's mazurka solo dance in front of everyone.