shadow of britain

Chapter 891 Sir Arthur is truly a pioneer of British social science

The doors outside the Green Hall slowly opened, and Van Pratt walked in with a scroll of official documents in his hands.

"Your Majesty, Count de Melant requests an audience."

Leopold frowned, then nodded slightly.

He stood up, put down his teacup, and said softly to his nephew, "Albert, you stay here and chat with Sir Arthur. If you need anything, just tell the Royal Secretariat. I'll go and take care of some matters with the Cabinet."

Seeing this, Arthur and Albert also stood up and watched the king leave Green Hall without trying to stop him.

After all, they knew that Count de Merante was the Prime Minister of Belgium, and that the Prime Minister had come to see the King in the middle of the morning, so there must be some important matter that needed to be resolved.

According to news Arthur has seen in Belgian newspapers these past few days, the issue might be related to the 1200 million franc railway construction bond.

As soon as Leopold left, the Green Hall fell silent.

Outside the window, a slightly damp breeze from Brussels drifted through the gaps in the tall blinds, gently stirring the curtains and causing the gilded chandelier inside to sway slightly.

Arthur lowered his head and adjusted his gloves. He looked calm, but he was clearly not as at ease as he had been when he was talking to Leopold.

Ultimately, he and Albert were not familiar with each other. Although they had no prejudice against each other, they had no working relationship. Leopold had acted as a go-between, and the two of them were able to chat for a while. Now that Leopold had left, the awkwardness had come uninvited.

Of course, he had dealt with similar situations before, but today he intended to give Albert the opportunity to break the awkwardness and, incidentally, assess the personality of this candidate for the British Crown Prince.

For Albert, this occasion was not easy.

Despite his rigorous training from a young age and his familiarity with the formalities of the court, the eighteen-year-old Saxe-Coburg youth still couldn't help but feel somewhat reserved when facing a highly respected political figure who enjoyed the trust of his cousin, Victoria.

However, remembering his uncle's instructions from the previous night, Albert, after a moment of silence, mustered his courage, raised his head, coughed lightly, and broke the stagnant air: "Sir Arthur, I heard that you once served as the superintendent of the University of Göttingen? And also as an advisor to the drafting committee of the 1833 Hanover Constitution?"

When Arthur heard Albert bring up this topic, he couldn't help but want to scold his younger brother for being so ignorant.

Because if we continue down this topic, we might end up discussing the Duke of Cumberland's plan to abolish the constitution after succeeding as King of Hanover.

Although Arthur was very dissatisfied with his decision to abolish the constitution, he did not intend to publicly criticize it, nor was he even willing to leak the news privately, since it would not benefit him in the long run. At least for the moment, he did not want a good reputation as a liberal.

Arthur, intentionally or unintentionally, guided Albert: "That's right, I did serve as the academic supervisor at the University of Göttingen. Although it wasn't for long, during those six months, besides the University of Göttingen, I also took the opportunity to visit quite a few other universities in Germany. I remember... Her Majesty the Queen seemed to have told me that you were a student at the University of Bonn, right?"

When Albert heard Arthur mention something he was familiar with, he visibly gained confidence. He straightened his back and replied with a smile, "That's right. I entered the University of Bonn last autumn, majoring in law and philosophy. Professor Fichte is my philosophy tutor, Professor Schlegel is responsible for our literature guidance, and Professor Walter is teaching Roman law and German law."

It must be said that, in terms of faculty alone, the University of Bonn's faculty in law and philosophy is in no way inferior to that of the University of Göttingen and the University of Berlin.

But Arthur wasn't there to compete; he just wanted to take this opportunity to see if Albert was the type to cause trouble.

Seeing Arthur listening attentively, Albert couldn't help but say a few more words, his eyes revealing a hint of youthful innocence: "My favorite subject was philosophy. Professor Fichte's teaching style was very special. Unlike other professors who were bound by the textbook, he often gave us examples, guiding us to think about the relationship between the state and the individual, starting from reality. Once, when he mentioned 'legitimacy of authority,' he specifically quoted a passage from your 'Göttingen Lectures' on institutional ethics... You may not remember that passage, but I remember it very clearly at the time."

Upon hearing this, Arthur couldn't help but scratch his head.

As Albert put it, he really didn't remember writing anything in the Göttingen Lectures.

To be honest, this handout is a complete mess.

As a professor of electromagnetism at the University of Göttingen, he hardly ever taught any electromagnetism courses at Göttingen.

On the contrary, in order to appease the students after the Frankfurt garrison incident and to cooperate with the Hanoverian government in guiding public opinion so that they could successfully complete the drafting of the constitution, Arthur opened a course at the school called "Introduction to Institutions and Legitimacy".

In this course, Arthur's arguments are basically all centered around the French Revolution, and his core point is that true freedom is incompatible with violence and can only be achieved through peaceful, constitutionally guaranteed freedom.

In short, the message was to tell the students to behave themselves and not cause trouble, as a free constitution for Hanover was already being drafted.

However, he never expected that his lecture notes would actually reach the University of Bonn, and that Fichte would even use them in class.

Now, Sir Arthur's spine, which had always been crooked in the field of natural philosophy, finally stood firm in the field of social science.

Seeing Arthur scratching his head sheepishly, Albert didn't laugh out loud. Instead, he seriously pulled a small notebook out of his pocket, which was his study notes notebook that he always carried with him.

"You may not remember, but I copied this sentence into your lecture notes—security is not the goal of rule, but a prerequisite for legitimacy. In Professor Fichte's philosophy class, we often discussed the source of state power. Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau... everyone could recite them by heart. But I always felt that their theories were all flawed, either too abstract and rational, or lacking a real understanding of how institutions work."

At this point, Albert paused for a moment: "But you proposed that the legitimacy of a system must be based on the unity of ethical authority and legal justice, and you even used the examples of the English Bill of Rights of 1689 and the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679. I used to think that the British constitutional system relied on custom and gentlemanly consultation, but you made me realize that it was actually an institutional ethical consensus that was gradually built up over hundreds of years of friction."

Seeing that he was about to continue, Sir Arthur Hastings, who was already standing shoulder to shoulder with Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau, quickly raised his hand to interrupt him, saying, "It seems that the notes from my lecture... have spread more widely than I thought. However, if you are really interested, perhaps after I return to London, I can organize the relevant notes and mail them to your residence."

Upon hearing this, Albert nodded repeatedly and replied, "Then I'll trouble you."

When Arthur heard that the young man actually wanted it, he was a little unsure whether he genuinely liked it or was just flattering him. So he simply changed the subject, saying, "However, Your Highness Albert, philosophy is, after all, a very profound and mysterious subject. If you only read books, it's easy to fall into the trap of theoretical discussions. I'm curious, besides reading and attending lectures, what do you do in your spare time? Don't misunderstand, I'm not testing your extracurricular activities; I just want to know what you truly love." Albert clearly hadn't expected Arthur to ask him this. After all, Uncle Leopold had instructed him yesterday that Sir Arthur wasn't a romantic and exuded the aura of a pragmatist from the inside out.

It is said that this former police officer once set a record of working two consecutive months without missing a single day at Scotland Yard.

How could such a workaholic be interested in things that are purely recreational?
Moreover, even for entertainment and leisure, Sir Arthur still requires results.

Look, he can play the piano and become a sensation in London; he can study electromagnetism and become Faraday's disciple; even if he just writes a book like "The Hastings Adventures," it can still create a sensation among the British middle class.

Albert was momentarily speechless, but he answered honestly: "Well... I practice the violin a little and I also like sketching, but I'm not very good at it. I usually only dare to draw flowers or corners of buildings. As for sports, I ride horses and row boats when I'm in Coburg, and I also try skiing in the winter, but I don't have many opportunities when I'm studying in Bonn. At school, I mainly participate in the fencing club."

At this point, Albert, as if worried that Arthur would look down on him, added, "I know these may not sound like the kind of training a gentleman should have, but I do enjoy quiet things... I think this is probably a result of my mother's influence when I was young."

“That’s not necessarily true.” Arthur’s tone softened, and he switched his cane to his other hand. “How many kings haven’t been deciding whether to levy taxes while pruning and trimming the grass in their gardens? I think that being able to calmly paint an orchid or play a piece on the violin at least shows that you’re not someone who acts rashly.”

Albert felt a little relieved after receiving Arthur's approval, and he said shyly, "However... even during the summer vacation, I still make sure to learn something every day. Uncle Leopold has arranged for Mr. Adolf Kettler to be my summer tutor."

“Adolf Ketterer?” Arthur couldn’t help but laugh. “The gentleman who invented the Body Mass Index (BMI) scale?”

Albert asked, "Do you know Mr. Kettler?"

“Yes, I know him. I remember he’s the director of the Brussels Observatory now, right?” Arthur replied with a smile. “I met him briefly at the founding ceremony of the British Association for the Advancement of Natural Sciences in York a few years ago. He is an outstanding astronomer and statistician. His Majesty Leopold was very insightful in appointing him as your tutor.”

At this point, Arthur couldn't help but joke, "If you could find an opportunity to introduce Mr. Ketterer's Body Mass Index to Her Majesty the Queen, she might realize the importance of controlling her appetite."

Albert also knew that Arthur was hinting at him.

After all, he had known for several years that his father, uncle, and aunt had all tacitly accepted that he would become his cousin Victoria's husband.

Albert did not show any particular resistance to the family's arrangements.

Firstly, unlike his brother Ernest, he did not need to inherit the title of Duke of Coburg. As the youngest son, he would eventually be sent out as a representative of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha family to marry into other European royal families.

Since we can't decide our own marriage from birth, what difference does it make who we marry?

At least he was somewhat familiar with his cousin Victoria, so marrying her was far better than marrying those princesses he had never met and had no feelings for.

Secondly, as the second son, he basically had no way to inherit anything from his father.

Therefore, which girl he marries will largely determine his future standard of living and social status.

My cousin is, after all, the Queen of England, with the gleaming British crown on her head. Even if you look at the whole world, you probably can't find a girl who can guarantee his future life better than Victoria.

In addition, Albert himself is not good at dealing with girls and doesn't know how to flirt. If his family lets him go looking for girls on his own, he will be at a loss.

For this reason, Albert currently considers marrying his cousin as his biggest goal at this stage.

Even if Arthur didn't explicitly express his support, the mere hints of goodwill were enough to win Albert's favor.

Albert blushed and said, "If that's what you'd like, I'll mention it to my cousin when my uncle and I go on holiday to England at the end of the month."

Upon hearing Albert's words, "I'll tell my cousin," Arthur burst into laughter.

He waved his hand and said jokingly, "Your Highness, I was just saying it casually, you don't have to take it seriously. Don't be so formal, we're not having a cabinet meeting here."

He raised his eyes, staring at Albert's still somewhat immature face, and his tone softened considerably: "I know that you are now carrying the expectations of many people, having to be a qualified prince and also appear capable of taking on the responsibilities of a future husband. But you are still young, only eighteen years old, and you can certainly be more at ease. Especially in front of girls, being as reserved as a newly arrived priest in a monastery is not necessarily a plus."

Albert paused for a moment, then lowered his head and chuckled somewhat embarrassedly: "I really... am not very good at interacting with girls. Their topics are always light and lively, and I often can't join in."

“That’s because you’re too concerned with what’s proper.” Arthur slowly paced and sat down on the chaise longue in front of Albert, leaning his cane against the back of the chair. “But the girls aren’t judging you on whether you can recite Rousseau’s ‘The Social Contract.’ They don’t care about that. If you think of them as complicated, then they are complicated; if you think of them as simple, then they are simple. For example, when they talk about dreaming about a carriage running into the garden yesterday, you have to be able to add a witty remark like, ‘Then I’ll have to go check if the garden fence is still secure.’”

Albert was stunned, seemingly not expecting that this supposedly very serious police chief would use such "romantic jargon".

He thought for a moment, then repeated it with some difficulty: "I dreamt that a carriage ran into the garden... and I was told I had to check the fence... This doesn't sound like my style."

“Then let’s try a different style.” Arthur shrugged. “Sincerity never goes out of fashion. If you really care about someone, even just sitting quietly next to them and listening to them talk is more touching than sweet words.”

He then changed the subject and added, "Of course, if a girl says she loves dogs, don't instinctively tell her that dogs can transmit rabies. I have a friend who likes to undermine people like that, and what happened? The girl he liked ended up marrying someone else."

Albert thought for a moment upon hearing this, then shook his head: "I will remember your advice, Sir Arthur. Although... I may still need more practice."

Arthur half-jokingly said, "Practice? It's not difficult. It's much easier than law school final exams. I can teach you slowly when you come to London in the middle of the month."

(End of this chapter)