"In this world, there has never been a perfect state and a flawless ruler, and there will always be people who are dissatisfied with the governing strategy of the country, and it is inevitable to express their dissatisfaction in a way that they approve. www.biquge.info I don't think the Irish don't love me just because there's an Irishman who comes to assassinate me, and I believe that the Irish don't think the king is incompetent just because there's an Irishman who assassinates the king. After this tour of the north, no matter how much the situation may improve, as long as I am alive and healthy, the Kingdom of Ireland will also be alive and healthy, and the occasional cold and fever will not affect my health. I'm right, Dear O-Grady...... Excellency? ”

The preceding sentence is an in-depth analysis of the political situation in Ireland, and the final "Your Excellency" is a reminder of the current situation of the O-Grady family and even the old Gaelic aristocracy - unless a new law is enacted in the Kingdom of Ireland, these self-proclaimed nobles are legally no different from ordinary commoners!

The old Marquis sat on the other side of the table, not sad or happy, but sitting next to him was Fitlair, the brother of the old Marquis, the father of the current Secretary of State, Short, with a hint of gloom between his brows, as if by the title of "Your Excellency" the young king of the Hohenzollern royal family had a contempt for the orthodox nobility of Ireland.

Natsuki noticed the change in Fettlaire's expression, this person was a few years younger than Thor as the head of the family, and his appearance and temperament were seven or eight points similar to him, but the part where the gap between the two was also obvious - the old marquis had the domineering and wisdom to subdue everyone, and Fettlaire seemed to be just a shrewd and capable person.

When the atmosphere was deadlocked, the old marquis suddenly laughed, he squinted at Xia Shu, nodded again and again: "Young but not frivolous, majestic and dignified, advance and retreat in moderation, Your Majesty is indeed a natural leader and an outstanding hero, as rumored by the outside world." With His Majesty in Ireland, no matter how difficult the situation is, it will be able to get through, and in thirty or fifty years at most, Ireland will inevitably become the Netherlands and Denmark of that year. ”

There is a way to reach out and not hit the smiling person, Xia Shu smiled faintly: "It is a deep honor to be praised by Your Excellency." ”

"As Your Majesty has said, Ireland is in a stable situation, and all the troubles that any country may encounter before, and Your Majesty's visit to the north has conquered the hearts of most of the people in the north, and no more troubles will cause the previous restlessness in the future. As Irish nationals, we have lived here for generations, and we love it as much as anyone else. For the sake of the country's long-term peace and stability and its external image, and in order to maintain the momentum of rapid economic and social development, we are willing to spare no time to contribute all our strength. ”

Natsuki was comforted by the old marquis's utter surrender, and he bowed his head slightly, quoting a passage from the constitution and saying: "According to the Constitution of the Kingdom of Ireland, the King has the power to confer an honorary title on anyone who has made a significant contribution to the State, and if the contribution is particularly outstanding, a hereditary title may be conferred upon deliberation by Parliament." Of course, hereditary titles are still based on honor, and the first generation recipients receive the title allowance, and the descendants only retain the title. ”

Natsuki's meaning was understood by everyone present, and apart from the old marquis, who was still calm, the other three members of the O-Grady family were more or less disappointed - their expectation was to restore the former privileged position of the Gaelic nobility, and to regain it as a special class connecting the royal family and the people, and not just the honorary titles that ordinary people had the opportunity to obtain.

Seeing that the old marquis did not answer, the father of the secretary of state spoke: "Your Majesty, soldiers charge on the battlefield, and their exploits are counted by killing and wounding enemies or conquering towns; Officials who exert their talents in the field of politics and diplomacy to safeguard national interests and establish national authority are counted as meritorious achievements in politics and diplomacy; Scientists, engineers, technicians...... The contributions of these people to the country are visible to the public and deserve to be knighted, but some of them seem less obvious and are difficult to calculate in units of measurement. In fact, since the Irish War of Independence, our family has been contributing to Ireland and helping us to make a smooth transition in our place, and there are many other families in similar situations who are doing the same, but unfortunately, until now, our efforts have not been officially recognized, let alone rewarded. ”

There is nothing wrong with the content of these words, but compared with the answer between the king and the old marquis, the vision and mind are a notch lower, just like a master arguing about a sword, and suddenly a guy with mediocre swordsmanship came in and stirred up the situation.

Natsuki did not indulge this person because of his relationship with the secretary of state, he said with a straight face: "Actually, you did not secretly support the British army during the war, and did not hoard goods and disrupt the economic order in the era of peaceful development, you can be regarded as making a great contribution to Ireland, not to mention that there are many positive efforts that deserve to be rewarded." ”

The old marquis immediately heard the voice, and he hurriedly waved his hand and smiled: "Your Majesty is serious, how can these things we do be compared with the soldiers who fought the battlefield, the talents who poured their hearts and souls into the diplomatic field, and those who have brought great reputation or economic benefits to the country?" With the wisdom and wisdom of His Majesty, he will not leave out those who should be awarded and misuse the untalented. From now on, all we have to do is to contribute to Ireland's stable development with all our might, even at the cost of our lives. ”

After finishing the meal, Xia Shu felt that everything that should be said was said, there was no need to bother with these retreat topics, where to go, a smart person like the old marquis would naturally have a decision. So, he took down his napkin and said to the members of Grady's family, "Then I will wait for your good news!" ”

Under the leadership of the old marquis, everyone hurriedly got up to send them off.

When Natsuki returned to the room arranged by the Grady family, Charlotte was sitting at her desk writing postcards, she put down her pen and stepped forward, skillfully helped him unbuckle, remove his sword, take off his coat, and then gave him a warm smile: "How was the talk?" ”

"It's pretty much the same as expected." Natsuki replied, "By the way, tonight's beef tastes good, what do you think?" ”

"The meat quality and heat are very good, but it's a pity that the wine used in the grilling is a little bit of a hindrance, and there are many furniture and bedding here, many of which are newly added, and they don't particularly match the original style, which makes people feel lacking."

When talking to Natsuki, Charlotte basically said something as before, and was not as cautious as officials and entourage, but the way she spoke rarely made Natsuki feel unhappy, which was the biggest difference between her and the people around her.

Seeing Charlotte's appearance as a little woman, Natsuki smiled and said, "Ha, it's good that you're not a Virgo, otherwise you wouldn't be able to sleep at night." ”

Charlotte is not a constellation, and she still learned a lot about the personality of the constellation through Natsuki, and she didn't refute it. While Natsuki washed her face and hands, she returned to her desk and continued to finish her postcard.

Coming out of the bathroom, Natsuki walked to the window next to the desk and looked up at the bright moon hanging in the night sky: "At this time tomorrow night, we can lie in our beds and watch the moon." ”

Charlotte gently grabbed his arm from the left: "Can you go for a walk outside tonight?" ”

The crux of the matter is obviously not Natsuki's interest, but safety considerations.

In the previous talks, one side was a powerful monarch in power, and the other side was a declining aristocrat far from the power class, although the two sides had positive intentions to cooperate, but from the beginning they were in an unequal position, and Natsuki did not even give the other party a chance to discuss specific conditions. The old marquis saw this very well, so he behaved appropriately, reserving hope for his family to regain its rightful nobility. In the interests of the O-Grady family as a whole, they should have clinged to the king's thighs, but after all, this family has been in Ireland for nearly a thousand years, and has their own values and ways of being, but they have secretly planned a path that is more beneficial to them, so secretive that even the Irish government and intelligence services are unaware. At this moment, only staying in the residence under the close protection of the personal guards and military soldiers can ensure personal safety to the greatest extent.

Seeing Natsuki's hesitation, Charlotte explained to herself: "It's okay, let's wait until we go back to Limerick tomorrow and then take a walk on the comfortable grass!" ”

As Charlotte spoke, Natsuki smiled and looked at her lips one by one, her teeth slightly bared. This trip to the north has a bit of a sword to go off the rails, and accidents may happen at any time, but with her by her side, with her silent understanding and support, Natsuki has never been attacked by fear, and this sense of steadiness has made him regain the strong will of Jutland on the eve of his eyes, and any difficulties and dangers are just floating clouds in front of him.

After saying this, Charlotte hesitated for a moment and asked softly, "Jochen, are you planning to restore the aristocracy of Ireland?" ”

Regarding the political affairs of Ireland, except for the very positive advice given to Natsuki on the topic of resolving religious contradictions, Charlotte never said a word, and the question at this time was obviously not out of pure curiosity. Natsuki thought about it and felt that it might have something to do with the Hill family or her own identity, but for a while she couldn't figure out what she meant, so she replied from a conceptual point of view: "The aristocracy is the inevitable existence of every monarchy, and the Kingdom of Ireland is no exception, the difference is that Ireland is currently a non-traditional aristocracy, and the Gaelic nobles represented by the Grady family hope to restore the traditional aristocracy, and I did not agree to them." In fact, even if I had introduced the bill, the parliament representing the will of the people would not have approved it, because the privileges of the nobility were contrary to the spirit of freedom and equality in the Irish constitution, and it could only exist in Ireland in an honourable nature, with at most a symbolic monetary subsidy from the government. ”

Charlotte let out an incomprehensible "oh", leaned her head on Natsuki, and said slowly: "Before coming to Ireland, Her Royal Highness Princess Mary promised me the title of Countess on the British royal family for her special contribution to the country. ”

Before the Champions League final, Princess Mary had asked Natsuki to guarantee the fairness of the referee in the final as a condition, but Natsuki did not reach any kind of agreement with him, and the subsequent game had a dramatic result, and the British were ecstatic about the result, but then fell into the vortex of the Limerick bombing, and the matter was never mentioned again. According to Charlotte's account, the eldest princess made a promise to her before she had negotiated terms with her.

Since Charlotte took the initiative to talk about it, Natsuki asked, "So did she propose a quid pro quo?" ”

Charlotte said frankly: "She hopes that after I become Ireland, I can think about the Irish people and save this revitalized but fragile country from the flames of war...... In the final analysis, Ireland does not want to be the enemy of the British. ”

Natsuki hugged the other party: "Whether Ireland is an enemy of Britain or not depends largely on the strategy and position of Britain, and what I can guarantee is that Ireland will never become a rough and belligerent country. It doesn't matter if you're a British nobleman or a commoner, Ireland wants a beautiful, kind, intelligent, loving queen, like Sisi, who is beloved by the Hungarians. ”

(End of chapter)