Chapter 191 Become the Prince’s teacher
The fleets of the three southern giants, Wesen, the Principality of Mainz and the Principality of Bain, flowed down the Rhine together, end to end, for miles. , when passing by the city of Cologne, countless curious people gathered on the shore to watch.
Many well-dressed people had complicated expressions when they saw the Wesson fleet passing by. Last spring, their relatives and friends set out from here and boarded the ship to the south with the hope of making great achievements. Who wanted to end up What came back was a cold corpse.
The army did not disembark in the city of Cologne. Firstly, the king did not dare. Secondly, it was troublesome for so many people to get on and off the boats and station, so they continued downstream, preparing to transfer to sea ships in the lowland areas.
Frederick took his escort ashore south of the city of Cologne. He first went to the royal manor outside the city to meet with the king, and then went to the city of Cologne to show his face.
King William arranged for the two people to meet at the edge of the field, where farmers were picking soybeans.
The farmers picked the pods one by one like picking fruits, put them into baskets, took them to the edge of the field and opened them in front of His Majesty the King and Duke Wesson.
Frederick sat on the recliner and remained silent.
He had already prepared a draft of what he was going to say during this meeting, but when he saw that the left side of the king's body was already paralyzed, he was too lazy to say anything else. If the king was so angry that he blackmailed him, he would be in trouble. .
Although it is possible to make the king heal from anger, but that would be worse, so don’t try it.
William didn't speak either, because he couldn't speak, so he could only use his right hand to write and communicate with others.
The soybeans in the field were grown by Frederick who originally dyed them golden. After last year's harvest, the planting scale was expanded.
He had his own considerations in arranging the meeting place here, to expose Frederick's little trick, and at the same time to show weakness and admit defeat.
The establishment of the Upstream Regional Cooperation Organization is enough to shake the foundation of the Rhine League. For this country, the Rhine River is an important trade channel. Now the lowland areas at the mouth of the sea have been lost. If it is stuck upstream again, The entire country's commerce will be severely affected.
In order to break this alliance, it is difficult for the two old foxes to start, but Frederick, who is too young, seems much easier to deal with.
William had experience in dealing with the young man. If he was too tough, he would be soft. He would raise him to a level that was not his own, letting vanity and power erode his heart. He was used to giving orders from a high place, while planting the seeds of conflicts with his allies, and then quietly Just wait.
The purpose of this arrangement of sending troops this time was to cause conflicts between the three of them and sow the seeds.
The king is certain that he will not live long, so he needs someone to maintain this policy.
The paper used by the royal family is specially supplied by the paper mill in Weisen State. It uses insect-proof medicinal plants. It is light yellow with a hint of fragrance. After purchasing it, it is moistened and pressed one by one with a mold. Rows of royal crests the size of fingernails appeared.
William picked up the dip pen inserted in the ink bottle and wrote with the king's special ink with black and gold: "You are very smart, I am very envious. It is foreseeable that you will govern a country in the future. ”
Frederick took the note and read it and said calmly: "Your Majesty, thank you very much."
William wrote again: "As an elder brother, I have a favor to ask of you. Please agree."
After reading it, Frederick thought for a moment and replied: "As long as it is something within my ability, I will agree."
Although he didn't know what it was, he just followed the topic. If it goes on, if it's not a good thing, then just excuse it because "your abilities are limited."
William heard what he meant, didn't take it seriously, and continued to write: "I hope you can be Rudolph's teacher."
Frederick frowned slightly, shook his head and refused: "His Royal Highness is smart. I haven't even finished the course "Rhetoric" yet. Your Majesty should hire someone else."
He was alert in his heart. Get up, does the king want to keep himself under house arrest in Cologne in this name?
William wrote: "The boy Rudolf is not stupid, but he is not smart enough to be a king. And he is too timid, like a quail."
Frederick did not read it. Talk, just shake your head.
Being a teacher to the prince is an honorable job. It can be said to be the core team of the future king. However, the capital city is a quagmire. Everyone knows that the king’s time is short, so they are crowding around the prince. Frederick Don't want to waste time wrestling with pigs here.
When William saw his refusal, he wrote: "As a father who is about to die soon, I beg you to agree to this."
If you want to praise a person, you must give him a higher and broader place. On the stage, Frederick would definitely not be able to just stay in the south, so for him to come to the royal capital, the most indispensable thing here is a master of flattery, enough to flatter him and over-inflate his self-confidence.
But Frederick refused to answer. William thought that he had wanted to harm his family before, which made him feel hurt, so he could only put down his dignity and lead him into a trap. "When people get old, what they care about most is naturally the things they cherish most. I will give everything for the treasure that I value most in my life."
"I know I did something wrong. I'm sorry to you and your father. I want to kneel down and admit my mistake, but my legs no longer allow me to do so. I hope you can accept me to compensate you and the Wesson family in other ways."
"I love this country, I love it crazily."
"I don't want the country to be destroyed in my hands, nor do I want to be destroyed in Rudolph's hands."
"I beg you Teach Rudolph and at least train him to be a king who can protect the country."
"After I leave, if Rudolph does not do well, as an uncle you can scold him, beat him, or use anything. There is a way to punish him."
Frederick took the six notes written by William one after another, pondered for a long time, and finally said helplessly: "Okay, I will take this job. But let me say it first, I am still young and I will definitely not be able to convince the public. I will wait for a few years.”
William saw that he was in a trap, so he wrote: "I am very happy that you can agree. Do it well. This is the honor you deserve."
Frederick looked at the note and asked: " I think His Royal Highness already has other teachers.”
There must be more than one person teaching the Prince, and William didn’t hide it, so he wrote down the names of several important ministers and famous scholars in the kingdom, including the Minister of Finance and the Ministry of Finance. Duke Hegel, the swordsman, Earl Pisto, the minister of military affairs, and Earl Shakespeare, the chief minister of the House of Heralds, were some of the great nobles that Frederick had heard of.
William wrote at the end of the list, "They are all nobles who are loyal and reliable."
After reading it, Frederick said: "I will visit them."
"By the way!" He seemed to suddenly remember something, "What if there is a cultural conflict between a certain kind of teacher and I when teaching His Highness the Prince?"
William thought for a while and wanted to praise Frederick. Some stepping stones are needed to get up, and these ministers and scholars are important enough. They only need to secretly explain and compensate the victims in advance.
So His Majesty the King wrote: "You can replace him."
After taking the note, Frederick immediately shook his head and said: "This is too sentimental. I will use it for academic questions. I will solve it academically, as long as your majesty promises that they won’t beat me up.”
With the expression on his face, he looked like a child who was worried about being punished for doing something wrong. The right corner of William’s mouth curved slightly, so. Wrote: "I'll ask them to help you and won't beat you, don't worry."
Frederick breathed a sigh of relief and said to the king: "Thank you."
William wrote again: "There is no need to be polite between our brothers."
At this time Frederick saw the distance. Chu Youwei came over with a medicine bowl for the elderly lady. He saw that the king looked a little tired, so he said, "Your Majesty, you want to take medicine? Then I won't disturb your rest."
William seemed to be in a good mood. Perhaps it was because of Frederick's involvement in the trap. He actually complained about the medicine there: "The medicine Rudolf found is very difficult to eat. Every time I take it, it is a kind of torture. I feel very sleepy after eating it. I can't help but feel like I'm dying."
After reading it, Frederick said with a smile: "There is a proverb in Peach Blossom Stone, which means that although good medicine is bitter, it is good for curing diseases. Advice may sound unpleasant but it will help you correct your shortcomings.”
William seemed like a child having a tantrum, and wrote: "Anyway, the medicine is still very unpleasant to eat. I don't want to take it, but I can't do it without it."
At this time, the lady who served the king after finishing the meal arrived. After the two parties introduced themselves, Frederick discovered that she was actually Mrs. Hegel, the king's first love.
Frederick was no longer here to be a light bulb. He said goodbye to them and slipped away with all the notes the king had just written.
William suddenly felt vaguely that something seemed not quite right. He couldn't think clearly for a while, but the unpleasant medicine interrupted his train of thought.
He was about to raise his right hand to pause, but Mrs. Hegel looked angry and said: "You are not a child anymore, don't make excuses not to take medicine!"
William had no choice but to take the medicine obediently, but after taking the medicine and sleeping, he forgot about it.
(End of this chapter)