Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1234 Step by Step
While Prince Hui was disappointed at not receiving the high-ranking title he had expected, he wasn't resentful or dissatisfied. Prince Hui was a clever man, and besides, he was now in England, not the Ming Dynasty, and had traveled thousands of miles with Charles II to Europe, learning a great deal about European politics, especially the current situation in England.

In Wang Zihui's view, modern Europe is actually no different from China during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, both characterized by numerous small states constantly at war with each other. Moreover, the power of nobles and priests in each country is immense, while the monarch's power is relatively small, and in some countries, the monarch is merely a figurehead, with real power in the hands of the nobles.

Wang Zihui, well-versed in history, was not disappointed at all; on the contrary, he felt excited and expectant. In his view, the more this was the case, the more opportunities he had. Moreover, Britain's geographical location was excellent, much like the Qin state during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. Located in western Europe and separated from the European mainland by the Channel, this natural barrier was the foundation for Britain's security. Furthermore, Britain's national strength was not weak. Although it had experienced internal strife, the beheading of Charles I, and Cromwell's more than ten years of control over the British government, Britain remained a powerful nation in Europe. With such a foundation, why couldn't it achieve something great?
Prince Hui was indeed an outsider, but it was precisely because of this outsider status that he was more likely to gain Charles II's trust. These days, Prince Hui had been observing the actions of the British nobles with a detached eye, and naturally understood what they were plotting. Their support for Charles II's restoration wasn't actually out of loyalty to the monarchy or Charles II himself; the more important reason was entirely driven by their own self-interest.

Now, he wants to control the king by forming a royal guard, but he has run into a brick wall with Charles II and failed. Charles II ordered Prince Hui to arrange for the elite Eight Banners troops who follow them to form a royal guard to protect the palace. This move inevitably made Prince Hui the target of the resentment of these nobles. Under these circumstances, Charles II intended to directly ennoble Prince Hui as a count, a high noble title. How could these nobles easily agree to this?
Prince Hui understood this perfectly well, but to be honest, he was still somewhat disappointed to have only received the title of baron. However, in Prince Hui's view, there was no rush. The rank of the title could be gradually increased later. He was a baron now, but he might be promoted to viscount, earl, or even marquis in the future. The key was for Charles II to establish a firm foothold in the country and then gradually take control of the power, rather than being a king who was superficially supported by the nobles and was like a puppet.

“Your Majesty, a baronship is already an immense favor from the Emperor. I am but a scholar in the Ming Dynasty. I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty’s kindness and care. How could I possibly have any complaints?” Prince Hui said sincerely to Charles II.

Seeing Prince Hui's attitude, Charles II breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid that Prince Hui would be dissatisfied with this, since the final result was far from his original promise, and he felt somewhat sorry for Prince Hui.

"It's a pity that Mary and Anne are already married. If they weren't, it would be nice to have one of them marry Prince Hui. That way, not only would Prince Hui become my brother-in-law, but I could also take this opportunity to elevate his title." Charles II thought to himself with a sense of satisfaction.

Mary and Anne were both sisters of Charles II. They were actually quite young. Mary was one year younger than Charles II, and Anne was fourteen years younger. Mary married William II, Prince of Orange, when she was nine years old and lived in the Netherlands. Her husband William II died of smallpox ten years ago. Mary is now a young widow and still lives in the Netherlands with her son with William II.

Anne was only three years old when the civil war broke out in England. She was helped out of England by her governess and eventually went to France, where she lived in the palace of her cousin, Louis XIV. Perhaps for this reason, Anne eventually married Philip I, Duke of Orléans, Louis XIV's brother. Don't assume that Europeans married late; in fact, in this era, the West and the East were alike, and women married very young. Mary and Anne were both under ten years old when they married, which, by modern standards, would be equivalent to a third or fourth grader.

"Perhaps I can try to find a way through Mary. After I'm crowned, I'll bring my mother and brother back to England anyway, and then I can have Mary brought back as well. It's not easy for her as a widow with her son in the Netherlands. Now that I'm king, I should naturally make some compensation to this princess's sister. If she returns to England and something happens between her and Prince Hui, it might not be a bad option." Thinking this, Charles II couldn't help but glance at Prince Hui, a smile creeping onto his lips.

"After your coronation, I will bestow a peerage upon you and then find a way to get you into the House of Lords," Charles II said to Prince Hui, while briefly explaining the structure of the British Parliament. As a king, once Prince Hui became a formal nobleman, getting him into the House of Lords would not be difficult, and he could keep that promise.

"However, I would like to ask for your opinion regarding a specific position in the government," Charles II said, looking at Prince Hui. "What are your own thoughts? Is there any position you would like to hold?"

"Your Majesty's arrangements are at your disposal..."

Charles II waved his hand and said, "I have already wronged you in terms of titles, so I would like to hear your thoughts on the appointment of officials."

"This..." Prince Hui hesitated, unsure of what to say. Charles II smiled and told Prince Hui to say whatever he thought and not to worry about it.

Prince Hui pondered for a moment and asked Charles II, "Your Majesty, on the way back to Europe, Your Majesty and I talked a lot. You mentioned that after your restoration, you planned to reform the domestic political system by emulating the Ming Dynasty. I wonder if Your Majesty still has this idea now?"

“Of course I had that idea,” Charles II nodded. “The reason I went to the Ming Dynasty back then was to see for myself what the most powerful empire in the world was like. Those years in the Ming Dynasty were arguably the happiest and most fulfilling time of my life. Everything about the Ming Dynasty was new and fascinating to me, and I fell deeply in love with this country. Many times I’ve wondered if my country were to become like the Ming Dynasty, would I, as its king, lead it to glory?”

At this point, Charles II stood up and slowly paced around the room, saying, "In the Ming Dynasty, I learned a great deal and saw even more. I have long been determined in my heart that as long as I can regain the throne, I will make England as powerful as the Ming Dynasty. Now I am only one step away from the throne. After I am officially crowned, I will definitely reform the country according to the Ming Dynasty's system. This is inevitable!"

"Your Majesty is a man of great talent and strategy, and I admire you greatly!" Prince Hui first flattered him, then said, "However, Your Majesty, reforms have always been extremely difficult. The reason why the Ming Dynasty has such a political system is because it has evolved over thousands of years in China. After the First Emperor unified the six kingdoms, he replaced the enfeoffment system with the prefecture-county system, standardized writing and governance, and thus established the foundation for later generations."

"But Your Majesty should also know that the First Emperor's achievements were immense, yet the dynasty perished after only two generations. The Han dynasty inherited the Qin system but also restored the enfeoffment system. It was this system of enfeoffment and prefectures that laid the foundation for the political structure of the Han dynasty. Moreover, this system continued for hundreds of years afterward. Even at the founding of the Ming dynasty, the court retained the system of enfeoffing princes, which shows how difficult it was."

"As for the imperial examination system, it originated in the Sui Dynasty, but the Sui Dynasty also only lasted for two generations. It was not until the Tang Dynasty inherited the Sui system that it truly flourished. However, the aristocratic system was still very powerful in the Tang Dynasty, and even the emperor could not do anything about it. It was not until Huang Chao's uprising at the end of the Tang Dynasty wiped out all the aristocratic families in the country that the pattern of the rise of commoners and the great prosperity of the imperial examination system was formed..."

Charles II listened attentively to Prince Hui's account with a solemn expression. Prince Hui had mentioned these things to him before, and Charles II had also audited classes at the Imperial Academy during the Ming Dynasty. He had read similar articles and historical records and knew that what Prince Hui said was true.

Wang Zihui's meaning was clear: he was using this method to tell Charles II that reforming the country was not easy, and that the risks were extremely high, with potentially dire consequences if not handled carefully. He cited examples like Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Yang of Sui, Wang Anshi of the Northern Song Dynasty, and Zhang Juzheng of the Ming Dynasty. Some of these reforms succeeded, while others failed. Although the policies were subsequently continued, the overly drastic methods or overly ambitious steps they employed led to unpredictable consequences.

Charles II's desire to reform England is fundamentally correct, but the question remains: is such sweeping reform appropriate? Will it encounter strong opposition? This must be considered beforehand; otherwise, before the reforms even take effect, Charles II will suffer the backlash they bring, which would be a terrible thing.

As mentioned before, the current European countries are equivalent to the political structure of China during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. China has gone through two thousand years from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods to the present day to form its current political system. This was not something that could be accomplished in one dynasty. It was the result of many trials and errors by successive dynasties over these two thousand years.

Of course, with the Ming Dynasty as an example, Charles II could avoid many detours, but the risks of implementing reforms in such a drastic way all at once were also extremely high. This was precisely the point that Prince Hui wanted to remind Charles II of. He did not want Charles II to use overly drastic methods to carry out this matter. Reforms could be gradual and could involve appropriate compromises, but they should never be based on assumptions or rushed; these were not good choices.

(End of this chapter)