Old Walter was afraid that Prince Frederick would not be able to see through the key, so he had to say: "Your Highness, as a member of the royal family, you really shouldn't get involved in this matter. If the districts and seats were to be redrawn, the power of the nobility would be greatly weakened, and the power of the gentry and nouveau riche would be left unchecked, which would be extremely detrimental to the political stability of the kingdom. Moreover, the Times, which has always been known for its political neutrality, would be unwise to take the liberty of the Whigs. ”

Although he knew that the hope was not very great, Prince Frederick was still a little disappointed when he heard the rejection from the mouth of old Walter. Frederick is really stupid not to be a prince, he has long seen these powerful relationships, but his brother is determined to find the king unhappy, even his younger brother can't persuade him. In order to increase his brother's good opinion of him, he had to bite the bullet, after all, his father's health is not as good as before, maybe in two years, the United Kingdom of Britain will be his brother's own family.

Prince Frederick's eyes swept over Wickham, who was shrinking his neck and lowering his presence, and thought that perhaps this ill-insighted young man could give him some inspiration, so he asked: "George, what do you think of the Whig reform proposal, maybe we can change the form, which can not only ensure the stability of the current political form, but also allow my brother to vent his dissatisfaction?" ”

Wickham secretly screamed that it was not good, he could really be shot while lying down! This level of political struggle is something he can casually talk about? But if you don't say it, you can't do it, or the goodwill you just won at Prince Frederick will soon be lost.

In the midst of a dilemma, Wickham suddenly thought of the "Confucian History" he had translated on the ship, and the short commentary he had written on the reform of the British civil service, which he had intended to use to make political capital, and perhaps now was the opportunity.

"Your Highness, the proposal for parliamentary reform is too involved, and it is definitely a political storm to put forward. However, the reform of the civil service is different, as many members of the Legislature have long been dissatisfied with the current system of office gifts. ”

"I believe that His Royal Highness the Prince and Mr. Walter are well aware that there are now a large number of officials in various government departments who do not work for money, and most of these people are the gifts of the Cabinet and His Majesty the King to win over the hearts and minds of the people! These people even hire clerks to do the official duties they are responsible for, and they can enjoy a large amount of annuity provided by the government every year without making any effort. ”

This situation is also what Wickham just heard from the War Department today, and it is just right to speculate and sell: "A few years ago, the big leaders in the Tory Party also proposed to reform the current civil service system of government, but the resistance was too great and they had to give up. From this point of view, the views of the two parties on this issue are probably the same, there is also a favorable public opinion base, and the possibility of success in the operation is relatively high. ”

Prince Frederick was a little less optimistic, because many people benefited from the system, including members of both parties and ministers in the cabinet, and many parliamentarians even held certain positions in the government.

Prince Frederick said worriedly, "George, I'm afraid this won't be easy. In order to win over the councillors, His Majesty gave the councillors many positions that only paid pensions and did not work, and Pete Jr. gave away these positions in order to stabilize the position of the Tory ruling party. If we cut off this financial route, won't those people stand up and fight us? ”

Old Mr. Walter nodded in agreement, and what Prince Frederick said was exactly what he feared.

Wickham wiped his mouth with a napkin and said confidently: "The people who benefit from it can be divided into three categories, that is, members of the House of Commons, big nobles of the House of Lords, and some minor nobles from middle families. Needless to say, the great nobles of the House of Lords, who does not own a large estate in the countryside and will look down on these small sums of money? In the face of political prestige, it is believed that they will make the right choice. Those down-and-out little aristocrats are different, they rely on connections to get a position, and they can't even live without an annuity. But how much political clout do these down-and-out aristocrats still have to oppose this reform? ”

Old Walter frowned and said loudly: "Mr. Wickham, you have forgotten the group of members of the House of Commons, they are the largest beneficiary group, and there is no shortage of political influence. ”

Wickham smiled and said: "Here is the key to the reform I have proposed, which is to give all MPs a monthly subsidy, three or four hundred pounds a year, which will not only make up for the loss of their gifts, but also cover the cost of time spent in meetings in London." ”

Nowadays, there is no subsidy income for parliamentarians in the United Kingdom, similar to volunteer activities in later generations, and it is precisely because of this characteristic that it is impossible for people with poor family resources to run for parliament. Wickham's move can completely dispel the opposition of most parliamentarians, after all, not every parliamentarian can get the position of king and prime minister, and it is not a matter of spending no income in parliament for a long time.

Prince Frederick's eyes lit up and he said happily: "George, I have to say that you are simply a genius!" Not only is he quite accomplished in military affairs, but he didn't expect to be so sophisticated in politics that he looks like an old politician! As soon as you come out with this method, you can directly hit Pete Jr.'s control over the House of Commons, and even Tory MPs will not stand on his side, which is really amazing! ”

Prince Frederick felt more and more that he had made the right friend, and in just one day, Wickham solved two big problems for him in quick succession. Wickham was a little embarrassed, these were not things he came up with, hundreds of years of reform and evolution of the British Parliament were written in the book, he was just a mouthful.

Old Walter also nodded approvingly: "The redundant pension saved can be used to pay the allowance of the councillors, and even a little surplus, such a reform can be said to be a great joy for all." If this is the case, my Times will be able to build momentum for the reform of the civil service the day after tomorrow! However, the momentum also needs to be supported by a professional and persuasive critical article, which my editors have not studied. But ......"

Old Walter, the old fox, looked at Wickham and smiled, and the meaning was obvious.

Wickham wanted to throw out the commentary at the end of the translation of "The Outer History of Confucianism", so he readily agreed: "Mr. John Walter, to tell you the truth, on my way home, I translated a novel about the imperial examination system in China, followed by an article about the imperial examination system in China and an article proposing that the kingdom reform the current civil service system of the government come in handy. However, I have one request, and that is not to disclose that I am the author of this article. ”

Pitt Jr. is a generation of famous ministers in modern British history, and Wickham doesn't want to be targeted by Pitt, who is about to become a teenager. It is impossible for little Pete to take revenge on Prince Frederick, and giving Wickham a small officer without a backer to wear small shoes is simply as anti-war. Now, it's better to keep a low profile.

As for the imperial examination system, because of the introduction of missionaries, Europeans have long been familiar with it, but they have not understood it thoroughly. Remembering that Wickham had spent some time in China, Prince Frederick and Walter Sr. became confident.

"Mr. Wickham, your translation can be handled by our publishing house under the umbrella of The Times. You see, when did Your Highness and I ask you for a manuscript? Because of the cultural differences between the East and the West, such translations generally do not sell very well, and Walter Sr. promised to help Wickham publish the book, which was also meant to return for his article.

"Then tomorrow I will wait for His Highness and Mr. Walter at the War Department building." Until a replacement clerk was found, Wickham would not dare to leave his post without permission. Prince Frederick and Walter understood this and agreed to meet tomorrow afternoon.

After talking about the matter, the three of them chatted all over the world, from the love of the Swedish queen and the mathematician Dikafor's uncle Lori with a huge age gap, to the royal secrets of the Austrian Habsburg family, which really made Wickham addicted to gossip. After dinner, Wickham and the two chatted for a while in the living room about the current bleak economic situation in Britain before leaving.

On his way back, Prince Frederick took Wickham home in his luxurious carriage, while he stayed at Mrs. Abel's house, and had no intention of going back at all. Wickham saw it and confirmed the rumors of a feud between Frederick and his Prussian wife.

When the carriage first arrived at the Wickham mansion, the butler William Edward was a little confused by the luxurious carriage parked outside the door, and was about to go up to inquire, when he saw Wickham get out of the carriage.

William glanced at the luxurious carriage a few times, and when he found the gilded royal insignia on it, he was taken aback in his heart, and hurriedly asked, "Young master, ......what is this carriage?"

The coachman who returned home this afternoon reported that the young master had been picked up by a noble person, and William Edward thought that the young master's friends were nobles, and he didn't care, but in the end he didn't expect it to be a member of the royal family! This made William Edward very happy, because the more prosperous the family he served, the higher his status as the steward of the family.

Wickham looked at William's look that he wanted to ask but didn't dare to ask, and felt a little funny: "This is the carriage of His Royal Highness Prince Frederick, and His Highness saw that it was getting late, so he sent his carriage to take me home." By the way, Alice, has she rested? ”

William handed Wickham's military jacket and triangular military hat to the manservant behind him and put them away, and then said: "Young master, Miss has always refused to rest, I have to wait for you to come back, Young Master, Miss is still in the living room." ”

Ever since Wickham reported to the War Office, Alice had been sullen and embroidered crookedly on the silk. Wickham frowned, pulled out the pocket watch from his short vest pocket, and found that the hour hand was already pointing to eleven o'clock.

Wickham felt a little distressed, and walked briskly to the living room. As soon as he entered the door, Wickham found Alice curled up in a chair like a kitten, her blond hair hanging messily over her ears, and her sleeping position was languid and cute.

On the table next to it was a book of sermons, which was clearly flipped over. This kind of didactic book has never been loved by the young lady, and it seems that Alice is really bored while waiting for Wickham to look at it.

As soon as Wickham put a wool shawl on Alice's body, Alice opened her sleepy eyes, rubbed her eyes with her white and tender little hands, and realized that the person standing in front of her was Wickham.

"Brother, when did you come back?" Alice's voice was tinged with surprise.

Wickham rubbed Alice's blonde hair dotingly and said, "Silly girl, if my brother doesn't come tonight, won't you go back to your room to sleep?" ”

Alice enjoyed this intimacy of Wickham very much, and a pair of blue eyes smiled into a small crescent: "Brother, if you don't come back, Alice doesn't dare to sleep alone in such a big house." ”

Wickham scratched Alice's little Joan's nose: "Little girl, aren't Uncle William and a dozen servants human?" You're cursing around the corners. Let's go, Alice, my brother will take you up to the room to rest. ”

Alice submissively put her arm around Wickham: "Can my brother make a story before going to bed, the kind that wants the prince and princess to be happily together." ”

Wickham suddenly had a big head and said, "Alice, you are a little lady of fourteen, how can you still be like a little girl." ”

Because Alice is a head shorter than Wickham, when she looked up at Wickham, a pair of big eyes looked pitiful: "Brother, it's just a story, like it's still in the Schmidt Hotel, okay?" ”

Listening to Alice's words, Wickham remembered the time when he was at the Schmidt Hotel, and his heart softened: "Okay, I'll tell our little princess another story tonight." ”

After Alice fell asleep, Wickham looked at the sleeping girl with a quiet and contented face, and suddenly felt a heavy responsibility in his heart. Even if it is for Alice to continue to live happily and happily, he has to keep fighting!