Conquering the world from the Kaiser's driver

Lin Shangzhou remembers the names of that series of national policies: "Reorganization of the Imperial Government", "The Promise of Easter", "Prussian Democracy" and "Reconstruction of the Federal Parliament".

These national policies symbolizing the democratization of the German Empire would not appear until 36 years later, but there would certainly be discussions about rebuilding the Federal Parliament before that, just like the current situation.

Alexandrine leaned back in her chair and looked up at Lin Shangzhou who was lost in thought, quietly waiting for him to finish thinking. She did not understand the relationship between the Federal Parliament and the Imperial Parliament, and did not know the pros and cons of this matter, so she asked Lin Shangzhou for help.

Lin Shangzhou had reason to believe that Papen sent this document not because he really wanted to rebuild the Federal Parliament, but to test Alexandrine's attitude. After all, the promise was made by her grandfather, and whether she, as the successor, would fulfill this promise depended on her own attitude.

During this period, Lin Shangzhou, who has been handling government affairs with Alexandrine, has gained a better understanding of Germany's current political situation. After the Federal Parliament was forcibly closed, Germany's legislative power was temporarily in the hands of the Imperial Parliament and the Emperor.

After William II's unexpected death, the legislative power was controlled by Albert at the time. This was also one of the important reasons why Alexandrine was able to succeed to the throne - Albert used his power to amend the Law of Succession.

Although the closure of the Bundestag violated the Constitution of the German Empire, the fact that the Bundestag was not rebuilt until 36 from the end of World War I shows that the right wing that controls German politics does not care about the existence of the Bundestag. If the Bundestag can benefit them, then even if William II is unwilling to rebuild the Bundestag, German politicians will force William II to rebuild the Bundestag according to the constitution.

Even if William II didn't want to, he would have no choice, because the constitution stated that "the imperial legislative power is exercised by the Federal Parliament and the Imperial Parliament, and imperial laws must obtain the necessary majority consent of the two parliaments."

The Constitution requires a Federal Parliament and a Reichstag, so there must be a Reichstag and a Federal Parliament.

At the same time, although the emperor has the right to dissolve the Federal Parliament, as long as one-third of the representatives of the Federal Parliament ask the emperor to restart the Federal Parliament, the emperor must restart the Federal Parliament. This is equivalent to canceling the emperor's right to dissolve the Federal Parliament.

But the current situation is that German politicians do not care whether the Federal Parliament is established or not. All German affairs are concentrated in one house of the Imperial Parliament.

Rebuilding the Federal Parliament is a democratic advancement for the people, as they will then have an additional place to appeal. Abolishing the Prussian three-level voting system is an even greater advancement for Germany's democratization process.

These two things are good things for the emperor and the ruling party. They can increase their prestige among the people, and expanding the voter base is also beneficial to the SPD's candidacy.

However, these two things are not all good things for the SPD, because they will increase the prestige of the ruling party. If this process of promoting democratization is proposed and successfully implemented by the Center Party Chancellor during the term of the Center Party, then the Center Party, which already has prestige among the people, will become more expected, which will increase the difficulty for the SPD to win the general election.

Lin Shangzhou now suddenly felt that the interface for selecting national policies was right in front of him. Alexandrine himself had no opinion on this matter, and his thoughts would determine whether Germany would start the democratization process now.

He took a few steps back, sat on the sofa and fell into deep thought. This was a very difficult decision. The reason why the Nazis could gain widespread support in OTL was not only due to the personal abilities of the Nazi leaders, but also inseparable from the social environment at the time. The German people definitely needed democracy, but if the process of democratization in Germany was started now, it would be equivalent to sending a signal to the German people: the Central Party could also bring democracy to the German people.

The SPD's main competitive advantage in participating in the election is to initiate the process of democratization. If this is lost, the SPD's situation will become embarrassing.

After careful consideration, Lin Shangzhou decided not to propose these national policies, and to wait until the Social Democratic Party came to power before proposing them. This good thing of increasing prestige cannot be given to others.

What’s more, the document only contains inquiries rather than hopes, which means that the Central Party has no intention of doing so. Since they don’t actually plan to do so, there is no need to help them.

Ultimately, Lin Shangzhou still has to consider his own Social Democratic Party.

He put the document on the table and said to Alexandrine: "Alexandrine, don't give a definite answer, just say a few ambiguous words.'

"what?"

There was some confusion in Alexandrine's eyes. She didn't understand why Lin Shangzhou asked her to do this.

Then Lin Shangzhou told her his thoughts and helped her write a Tai Chi reply. He did not agree, but did not disagree either. He believed that Papen could understand the attitude he was helping Alexandrine to express.

After helping Alexandrine solve this problem, Lin Shangzhou returned to the sofa and sat down, continuing to drink his tea. He looked up at Noah who was standing beside him, and couldn't help but think of Letitia who had been home for ten days.

It is already May 17th. According to the time, it is time for Letitia to come back. With Catherine's company, Lin Shangzhou is not worried about any accidents, but he can't help but feel worried about this girl leaving for ten days.

(I don’t know when Letitia will come back…)

Just as he was thinking this, there was a knock on the door in the silent room. Alexandrine said "Come in" without even raising her head, and then Letitia pushed the door open and walked in.

Seeing Letitia come in safely, Lin Shangzhou's worries disappeared, replaced by genuine joy. However, before he could say anything to Letitia, he saw Letitia speaking to him and Alexandrine in a serious tone:

"Your Majesty, Fritz, I need your help with something."

.

Chapter 221 Contradictions

Lin Shangzhou was a little surprised by what Letitia said. The first thing she said when she came back from home was to ask him and Alexandrine for help. Did she encounter some difficult problem at home that required her to go directly to the emperor to solve it?

Alexandrine was also puzzled, but she was more worried because Letitia had never asked her for help on weekdays. Today's sudden request made the German Emperor think that Letitia's family had encountered some difficulties.

She said to Letitia who had come to the table: "Letitia, if you need my help, just tell me. If I can help, I will definitely help."

Lin Shangzhou didn't say anything. If Letitia encountered a problem that she couldn't solve, he would definitely do his best to help.

"Is such that…"

Letitia glanced at Alexandrine, then turned sideways and said to Lin Shangzhou, "Fritts, you should still remember the female boss named Jenna, right?"

(Jenna?)

Lin Shangzhou recalled the past in his mind, and after a few seconds he remembered the woman named Jenna, the female owner of the Strasbourg textile factory, a not-so-likable female capitalist.

After recalling who Jenna was, he felt a little confused. Why did Letitia mention this person? Did she go to the textile factory every time she returned home?

Lin Shangzhou thought about this question and answered to Letitia: "Well, I have some impression. I remember she was the female boss of the textile factory, right?"

"Are you mentioning her because the treatment of women workers in the textile mills has become worse?"

Letitia shook her head and said, "No, it's something else."

"Jenna told me that she wanted to open factories in other cities so that more women could have jobs that could earn money. She told me that there were many 'war widows' in Germany who had lost their husbands in the war. Although the government gave them a monthly subsidy, it was not enough to support their lives. So Jenna wanted to open a few more factories and recruit these women as factory workers so that they could have a job that could support their families."

Lin Shangzhou was very surprised by what Jenna did as described by Letitia. Of course, the surprise in his heart only lasted for a moment and then disappeared. Jenna seemed to be doing good things, and those women who lost their husbands or sons in the war could indeed benefit from her factory, but in fact she did it for her own benefit.

These female workers are high-quality and cheap labor for Jenna. She can exploit them in her own way, and these women are completely unaware of this. In the end, they have to thank Jenna for providing them with job opportunities.

Generally speaking, Jenner is indeed a bad person, but this incident is objectively beneficial to women of this era. In this era when the women's liberation movement is developing, if women want to be liberated from the constraints of the family, then having a job and financial independence is the most important step.

"Then did she encounter obstacles in the process of setting up the factory, so you wanted to ask me and Alexandrine for help after you came back?"

Lin Shangzhou said to Letitia. Letitia was stunned for a moment. She didn't expect that Lin Shangzhou had guessed her intention before she finished speaking, so she nodded and said, "Well, that's about it..."

"In addition to this incident, I also hope that Your Majesty can introduce laws at the government level to protect the legitimate rights and interests of women. I have been with female workers in Strasbourg for some time, and they told me that domestic violence is very common, and they have nowhere to seek justice when they are beaten by their husbands and can only endure it silently..."

Letitia pursed her lips, took a deep breath and calmed herself down before continuing, "My mother is such a woman. During the year I was away from home, my father often got angry with her for no reason and even beat her. I don't want to see my mother being treated like this, and I don't want other women to be treated like this by their husbands."

Letitia's eyes became determined. The experiences of her mother and the female workers made Letitia determined to change this situation. The people she could think of seeking help from were Lin Shangzhou and Alexandrine, especially Lin Shangzhou. In her mind, he had worked hard to improve the treatment of female workers in Strasbourg in the past, so she would definitely agree to help.

Alexandrine was not worried. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the German Emperor listened to Lin Shangzhou, so as long as Lin Shangzhou was willing to help, Alexandrine would follow suit.

Lin Shangzhou crossed his arms and asked Letitia with a serious expression, "So in order to change the social status of women, you want me and Alexandrine to help?"

Letitia nodded and said, "Well, as long as His Majesty and you are willing to help, I believe their situation can be changed..."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to help with this."

"Eh?"

After hearing Lin Shangzhou's serious words, Letitia was stunned. She never thought that Lin Shangzhou would refuse to help, and the refusal was so quick and direct.

Letitia looked at Lin Shangzhou in disbelief, and Lin Shangzhou also looked straight into her eyes. The two looked at each other without saying another word. The office became quiet and the atmosphere gradually became a little strange.

Alexandrine sensed the change in the atmosphere in the office and said quickly, "Fritts, did you make a mistake..."

Lin Shangzhou shook his head bluntly and said, "No, I'm not wrong. I don't plan to help with this matter."

"why?"

Letitia asked in confusion. She didn't understand why Lin Shangzhou, who had been committed to improving the treatment of female workers, now rejected her request.

"Because rights are won through struggle, not handed down from others."

Lin Shangzhou spoke to Letitia word by word, and then continued in Letitia's puzzled eyes: "Although Alexandrine is the emperor, her one or two words will not change the social status of women. On the contrary, if Alexandrine and I were to do it, it would become very difficult."

"Letitia, I don't know if you remember what Ms. Jenna said at that time. She said, 'The female workers did not report their treatment issues to her, so why should she change the treatment of the female workers?'"

"This sentence can also be applied to what you just said. If you want to change the social status of women, then women must make demands for it. It is useless for only one person to make such demands. Women must gather together to make such demands. In other words, the prerequisite for changing the social status of women is to gain enough social attention."

Letitia listened carefully to Lin Shangzhou's words. His words made her feel a little relieved. She forced a smile and said to Lin Shangzhou: "Then why don't you help me..."

"Letitia, I told you, I won't help, and I won't let Alexandrine help."

Before she could finish her words, Lin Shangzhou interrupted her forcefully and said something that made Letitia feel extremely sad.

"Why? This kind of thing is easy for you, Fritz, right? As long as you are willing to do something for them, it will definitely have some effect, right?"

Letitia questioned Lin Shangzhou in confusion. It was obvious that as long as Lin Shangzhou was willing to help those oppressed women, their current situation would change, but why was he unwilling to do so?

"Letitia, you want to change the social status of women. This is part of the women's liberation movement. Men can play a supporting role in it, but people in my position cannot directly participate in it, let alone become their leaders. This kind of thing depends on women helping themselves."

Lin Shangzhou knew that Letitia must be very sad now, so in order to comfort her, he was no longer so tough and said to Letitia softly: "But if those oppressed women can protest and gain enough social attention, then I will let the newspaper play a role in public opinion and guide public opinion to their benefit."

Letitia clenched her fists, looked directly into Lin Shangzhou's eyes and asked, "Then what do you think they can do to attract enough social attention?"

"Does coming to the gate of Wuyou Palace to protest count?"

"Of course..."

Lin Shangzhou nodded, and then he suddenly realized that something was wrong. Was this girl planning to lead her own team to protest in front of Wuyou Palace?

"Wait, I forbid you to do this!"

Lin Shangzhou stood up and said to Letitia in a tough tone that he didn't want Letitia to do such a difficult task. Someone else would do it in the future. There was no need to ask her to do it, not to mention that it might be dangerous. He didn't want to see Letitia trapped in the double siege of difficulties and dangers.

He was so anxious that he didn't pay attention to his choice of words. He forgot that Letitia was a girl who had resisted her father's control, and the imperative words like "don't" were obviously not suitable to be said to Letitia now.

After hearing Lin Shangzhou's words, Letitia's emotions were instantly ignited, not to mention that these words came from the mouth of the person she liked, which made Letitia feel even more angry.

"You don't allow me to do this?"

"Fritts! You are just my friend. Do I need your permission to do anything I want?"

After angrily shouting this to Lin Shangzhou, Letitia realized that she had lost her composure. She took a deep breath to suppress the anger and disappointment in her heart, then looked at Lin Shangzhou angrily and said word by word: "Since you are unwilling to help them, then I will help them!"

After saying that, Letitia walked quickly to the door and pushed it open.

Lin Shangzhou looked at the wide-open door with mixed feelings. He sat back on the sofa, feeling extremely guilty. After saying that sentence, he realized that there was something wrong with his choice of words, but it was too late when he realized it. He had already angered Letitia and pushed this girl onto a thorny road.

"Shang Zhou, you... should be okay, right? Do you want me to go call Letitia? As long as we explain everything clearly, the misunderstanding will be cleared up."

Noah came to Lin Shangzhou and looked at him worriedly, and then Alexandrine also sat over. Lin Shangzhou shook his head. He knew Letitia. Once this girl decided to do something, no one could persuade her. If Noah were to stop her for his sake, it would damage their relationship.

"Forget it, just let her be. You know Letitia well, and trying to persuade her now will not have any good results."

Lin Shangzhou stood up and walked to Alexandrine's desk, picked up a notebook and pen, and began to write something. Alexandrine came to him, looked at the contents of the notebook in confusion, and asked, "Fritts, what are you writing?"

"You will hand over a draft bill on women's rights to the prime minister and parliament in the future."

Lin Shangzhou said to the Kaiser as he wrote. Hearing his words, Alexandrine breathed a sigh of relief. She chuckled and said, "I knew you wouldn't really not help."

"Letitia is gone, I have to help even if I don't want to..."

Lin Shangzhou smiled helplessly and then focused on the work at hand. If Letitia successfully led the protest team to the gate of the Souci Palace, the social impact they would cause would be extraordinary. Then let the newspapers play a role in this and guide public opinion to be beneficial to women. Then, under the influence of the emperor's request and public opinion, Papen and the Imperial Parliament would most likely make some concessions.

However, this requires Letitia to successfully lead the protest team to Berlin and to the gate of the Sanssouci Palace, and this journey will inevitably be extremely difficult.

.

Chapter 222 Heading North to Berlin

The conflict with Letitia made Lin Shangzhou feel guilty and worried. After knowing that Catherine left with Letitia, his worries were alleviated a little. With Catherine following him, at least he didn't have to worry too much about Letitia's safety.

After finishing the draft for Alexandrine, Lin Shangzhou returned to the newspaper. He immediately contacted the branch in Cologne and asked them to send someone to the Strasbourg area to be on standby. If they encountered anything similar to the women's protest, they should report to him immediately. At the same time, Lin Shangzhou also contacted the Workers' Newspaper and asked them to pay attention to it.

After learning about this, Louis immediately proposed the idea of ​​helping within the Social Democratic Party, and naturally, the result was unanimous support.

The SPD also began to plan for this matter. Based on the information provided by Lin Shangzhou that the protest team would eventually go to Berlin, the SPD prepared to help the protest team in cities connected by roads from Strasbourg to Berlin.

In Strasbourg, the people from the Workers' Newspaper were ready on the same day, waiting for the incident to happen, while the people sent by the Cologne branch only arrived in Strasbourg a day later. And because Lin Shangzhou asked to pay attention to Strasbourg and its surrounding areas, the people sent by the branch dispersed locally.

Although the manpower is dispersed, there is still enough manpower with the help of the Social Democratic Party.

While they were in place and waiting, Letitia also returned to Strasbourg with Catherine. On the train, Letitia's emotions stabilized and she was no longer as angry as at the beginning. After calming down, she realized that Lin Shangzhou's intention was good at the time, but he just used inappropriate words. But now that things have come to this, she is unwilling to go back to Lin Shangzhou for help.

After returning to Strasbourg, Letitia did not plan to go back to her home, because she would have to face her father if she went back, so she took Catherine to Wolfgang's apartment and temporarily lived in the room where she had lived with Lin Shangzhou.

After settling down, Letitia set about solving the first problem she would face - what should she do first?

After some thought and discussion with Catherine, Letitia decided to follow Catherine's advice and follow her to contact the syndicalists here to see if she could use their power to help women.

Before actually entering Wolfgang's bar and contacting the syndicalists, Catherine warned Letitia that if Lin Shangzhou knew about her contact with the syndicalists, he would be unhappy. This made her hesitate and stop, but a few seconds later she resolutely pushed open the door of the bar and walked in.

After entering the bar, Catherine brought Letitia to meet Liester. Because the Strasbourg newspapers mentioned Letitia when reporting on Lin Shangzhou in the past, Liester knew that this girl who wanted to help German women had an ambiguous relationship with Lin Shangzhou.

Letitia did not tell Lister everything about herself. She only revealed her conflict with Lin Shangzhou and what she wanted to do. She knew what to say and what not to say.

Both Liest and Walter strongly supported Letitia's idea. Although Liest hated the Queen in the Sanssouci Palace, she admitted that if she could attract the Queen's attention, it would indeed help improve the current situation of German women.

After discussing with other people in the organization, the two decided to help Letitia. With the help of the trade unionists, Letitia's next goal became much clearer. Under the leadership of the female members of the German trade union, Letitia followed them to the homes of one woman after another, hoping to persuade them to follow her to protest against society and the government.

Then something happened that surprised them. The Social Democrats in Strasbourg approached Letitia hoping to help her.

Letitia was not sure whether this was Lin Shangzhou's intention or the spontaneous behavior of the Social Democratic Party. After thinking it over again and again, she decided to accept the help of the Social Democratic Party. Liszt, who hated the Social Democratic Party, finally chose to ignore the existence of the Social Democratic Party.