xymnovel Chapter 102 "Trade Unions" and Charity
Chapter 102 "Trade Unions" and Charity
The assassination in the port of Piraeus sparked two distinct storms in Athens.
In the city's lower strata, in those crowded, dirty neighborhoods, Constantine's name was almost deified.
In the tavern, the storyteller passionately recounted how the crown prince used a silk handkerchief to bandage the workers' wounds and how he established an association on the spot to support the poor.
His portrait was printed overnight by vendors, and although it was crude, it was solemnly pasted on the walls of countless families.
Constantine became the only light in the slums.
In the upper echelons of the city, in those brightly lit salons and aristocratic mansions, the atmosphere was quite different.
People praised the Crown Prince's courage, but when they spoke privately, their words revealed deep concern.
The crown prince is getting too close to the workers.
He used the authority of the royal family to directly intervene in the conflict between capitalists and workers.
This breaks a certain unspoken rule.
This undercurrent finally surged into the royal study one night two days later.
In the dead of night, Constantine was reviewing a secret plan submitted by Antonio Petalas regarding the use of royal funds to purchase shares in shipping companies overseas.
There was a gentle knock on the study door.
"Please come in."
The door opened, and his fiancée, Princess Sophia of Prussia, walked in.
She changed out of the elaborate court dress she wore all day and into a well-tailored light purple gown. Her long golden hair was styled in an updo, revealing her graceful, swan-like neck.
She was as noble and elegant as ever, but her beautiful blue eyes had lost some of their usual gentleness and gained a touch of seriousness.
"Connie, you're still not resting?"
Sophia's voice was very soft. She walked to the desk, picked up the silver teapot next to her, and refilled the empty red teacup in front of Constantine with hot water.
The aroma of tea rises gently.
"There are still some documents to review." Constantine didn't look up; his pen moved rapidly across the documents.
Sofia gently pushed the teacup to his side and stood quietly for a while.
"Connie, I heard about what happened at the docks."
She finally spoke, her voice calm, yet it made Constantine pause slightly at the tip of his pen.
"Your mercy is commendable, and your courage in the face of the assassin makes the royal families of all Europe proud of you."
She first gave it a positive assessment, as it was part of her courtly education.
Then, she changed the subject.
"But... members of the royal family, especially the future king, personally intervened in the dispute between workers and factory owners, and even established a... workers' organization in their own name."
Sofia carefully considered her words, but ultimately used the word "but".
"Connie, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
coming.
Constantine stopped writing.
He knew that this conflict stemming from the "princess" was bound to happen sooner or later.
He slowly raised his head and looked at his fiancée.
In the soft light of the kerosene lamp, Sofia's face was clearly defined, her eyes filled with seriousness and confusion.
She wasn't questioning; rather, she was raising a perplexing question that she couldn't comprehend.
Seeing that he did not speak, Sofia continued to state her views.
"In London, my maternal grandmother, Her Majesty Queen Victoria, also sponsored charitable causes. My mother also established many hospitals and orphanages in Berlin."
"This is what the royal family should be doing. We are the symbols of the nation and role models of morality. We should be at charity galas, cutting ribbons for hospitals, visiting orphans, and using our status to inspire the wealthy to donate their wealth."
Her voice grew more and more earnest.
"Instead of...instead of lowering myself to associate with those oil-smeared workers and those profit-driven businessmen."
"You let them form an association, you let them negotiate with the factory owners. Connie, have you thought about this? Today they can negotiate with the factory owners for benefits, tomorrow could they negotiate with Congress, or even with us, for power?"
"You've opened a dangerous box. You're trading the dignity of royalty for cheap cheers from a group of ordinary people. This...this is too dangerous."
Sofia's words were clear, logical, and well-organized.
This represents the view of mainstream European royalty throughout the 19th century.
Royal power should be supreme, mysterious, and used to maintain order, not to break it.
Constantine listened quietly.
He wasn't angry, nor did he think the other person was short-sighted.
Because everything she said was right.
In Britain and in Germany, this is perfectly correct.
But this is Greece.
Looking into Sophia's worried eyes, he suddenly asked a completely unrelated question.
"Sophia, what do you think is the purpose of our charity work?"
Sofia was taken aback; she hadn't expected him to ask that.
"The purpose? Of course, it is to fulfill the responsibilities of the royal family, demonstrate our benevolence, gain the love and respect of the people, and at the same time maintain social stability."
She answered quickly, and it was a textbook-perfect answer.
"Well said." Constantine nodded. "Is it about 'gaining a good reputation,' or 'truly solving the problem'?"
He asked, word by word.
Sofia frowned; she sensed a hidden meaning in Constantine's words.
Are there any conflicts between these two?
"Of course."
Constantine stood up, walked to the window, and drew back the heavy velvet curtains.
Outside the window lies the sleeping city of Athens.
"The British model you're describing is built upon the British Empire's possession of the world's most extensive colonies, the most powerful navy, and the most prosperous trade. Its social wealth was so vast that some of it could be squeezed out of its fingers to appease the lower classes. Therefore, the British royal family only needed to play the role of a 'benevolent almsgiver,' and that was enough."
"The German model was built upon the policies of the Prussian Iron Chancellor and the strongest army in Europe. Chancellor Bismarck had already patched up the social stability of the entire empire in advance with pensions and health insurance. Therefore, the German royal family only needed to play the role of a 'dignified arbitrator'."
His voice wasn't loud, but it resonated clearly in the empty study.
"But Sophia, look out the window."
He pointed to the darkness.
"This is Greece. We have no vast colonies, no powerful army, an empty treasury, and a declining industry. Here, the wealth of oligarchs is insignificant compared to their English and German counterparts. Although they have bound the monarchy, they themselves are one of the few remaining sources of 'living water' for Greece. We can suppress them to a certain extent, but we cannot 'drain the pond to catch all the fish' and destroy them."
"Under these circumstances, how many children can be saved by building an orphanage with the already meager royal pension? How many patients can be treated by opening a hospital?"
That's just a stopgap measure.
He turned around and looked intently at Sophia.
"Therefore, I choose not to 'give alms,' but to give them the tools so they can fight for it themselves. I give them organization, knowledge, and the qualification to sit at the same table as the factory owners!"
"I'm not just solving the problem of feeding a few workers; I'm solving the fundamental problem of this country's future industrialization!"
"I'm not trying to please them; I'm transforming them into a force that belongs solely to the royal family!"
Constantine's words were powerful, challenging Sophia's preconceived notions.
She was so startled by these blunt and utilitarian words that she took a half step back.
"But...but that's the logic of a mob!"
She retorted somewhat agitatedly.
"You are turning yourself into... a leader of the people! Not a monarch of a nation! A king should be the king of all people, not the king of a particular class!"
"You're wrong, Sophia," Constantine slowly shook his head. "When I'm not capable of being king to everyone, I must first become king to a select few. King to a select few who most yearn for change and who have the greatest power to change the status quo!"
"This..." Sophia's face turned pale. She looked at Constantine in front of her and felt an unprecedented sense of unfamiliarity.
The man before her was a completely different person from the humble and courteous man she usually displayed in the palace.
It was as if a soul resided within him, capable of using any means necessary to achieve its goals.
The atmosphere in the study became tense for the first time.
This is not a quarrel between husband and wife, but a direct clash between two political ideologies and two philosophies of governance.
Sofia took a deep breath, trying to make a final effort.
"Connie, I beg you, for the sake of the dignity of the royal family and the long-term stability of Greece, dissolve that association and return to where we belong."
Constantine remained silent.
He walked back to his desk, picked up the plan for purchasing shares in the shipping company, and placed it in front of Sophia.
"Take a look at this."
Sofia took it with a puzzled look, and her pupils contracted when she saw what was on it.