Dear Mr. Darcy [Pride and Prejudice]

His Excellency the Duke is in a very good mood recently.Even if the most beloved thoroughbred accidentally injured his leg, it didn't make him furious, which made the servant who came to plead guilty very gratefully, until the Duke waved his hand to let him go, it still didn't feel real.When he got up, he secretly looked out of the corner of his eye. His Excellency was holding a newspaper in his hand. Two headlines were very eye-catching. One was "The Economist of XX pointed out that the high import tax rate of agricultural products is not conducive to the development of the country's agriculture, and the other was Mr. Brown." It is recommended to unify the minimum standards for voters in all districts.

Although the servant didn't understand the specific meaning, he had probably heard some news after staying under the duke for a long time.This is the handiwork of those merchant capitalists who have newly joined the Tory Party, and it is not conducive to the interests of the conservative faction headed by the Duke.The servant took another sneak peek at the Duke, and was surprised to find that the Duke's expression was very relaxed and happy.The servant didn't dare to look at it any more, and secretly murmured in his heart, could it be that he was deranged by anger?

Of course the Duke is not insane.If he had seen such reports last month, he would definitely have lost his temper, but now that he saw these reports, he was no longer panicked by the threatening anger, but instead felt happy that everything was under control.He caught the handle, and Brown, who was against him everywhere in the party and gradually threatened his authority, and Little Kentra, who was obedient and vicious, had to bow their heads obediently.Brown became the initiator of the proposal for the unified standard of voters in accordance with the agreement.If this proposal is passed, since some cities such as port cities do not have enough land, they will inevitably use personal assets instead of land as the minimum standard for voters, which will benefit emerging capitalists, and the importance of land will further decline.Looks like the odds are against him, but Brown, who has been caught, has promised to persuade some friends and collaborators to change their tune when the proposal is opposed.The same goes for the issue of import taxes on agricultural products.

Although the Duke still insists on the glory of the ancient nobles, his years of political sense tell him that merchants and capitalists are gradually rising, and this force cannot be ignored.He first suppressed the real power figures of this faction, denied their proposals, and let them know that relying on their own strength can no longer occupy the main position of the Tory Party, and it is not possible to use the power of the Tory Party to seek interests for themselves by joining the Tory Party.Then secretly reconcile the contradictions between the two factions in the Tory Party, and give these emerging forces a small amount of benefits, such as reducing the import tax of industrially necessary raw materials, and adopting a dual-track system of land and property for voters. In this way, those who newly joined the Tory Party You should be able to understand who you should rely on.

The invention invested by Little Kentra is also a pretty good bargaining chip.For the businessmen who are the first to make a wise choice to join him, the Duke will give them the privilege of selling penicillin. Of course, he is the patent holder behind the scenes. Percentage profit is also attractive enough.This combination of kindness and strength can attract most of the emerging forces who joined the Tory Party.In this way, no matter whether the old aristocrats are in power or the emerging forces are gradually becoming stronger, even if there is a major change in the party, he will still be the absolute authority that will not fall.

Thinking of this, His Excellency the Duke smiled.Perhaps, when he has entered the twilight of his life, his brilliance can go one step further.

Chamber.

Comfortable chairs from the East are lined up on both sides of the long table.Candlesticks were placed on the long table, and the mellow aroma slowly emitted from the candlelight.The dark velvet curtains were pulled back, and sunlight streamed in from the windows.There is a fuzzy boundary at the intersection of the two kinds of light, which just falls in the center of the long table, as if an invisible boundary has materialized.

One side of the long table was already full of elegantly dressed nobles, with gorgeous wigs, neat and playful mustaches, and proud beer bellies. At first glance, it was difficult to identify each person's identity.The Duke sat upright.In his opinion, the tense meeting in the past was just a formality, and his confidants who had received the notification were also confident.Suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps at the door, and the Duke glanced over.

The leader is an old acquaintance of the Duke, also a veteran nobleman. Due to his poor background and relatively young age, he has been suppressed by the Duke. The addition of new forces gave him an opportunity.He chose to bring these people under his command.Brown stands behind him to the left.With Brown's background and position, he is not in that position here, but he is very capable and has a particularly high reputation among big merchants and bankers. When many old-school nobles disdain to be with the upstarts, he has already tied many people to his own. around.This position symbolizes his extraordinary reuse as a confidant.

Who would have thought that Brown, who had betrayed his surname, had already surrendered to him.His Excellency the Duke gave Brown a meaningful look.When Brown met his gaze, he lowered his eyes slightly.It is a gesture of surrender.

The Duke smiled with satisfaction in his heart, and greeted his old acquaintance with a polite but arrogant gesture as before. "Long time no see, I hope you can enjoy today's meeting."

The other party also responded to him with the same gesture. "Thank you for your kindness, I actually enjoy it every time and this time will be no exception."

This routine confrontation was much shorter than before, and both of them were too lazy to waste their words.After Mr. Brown's party was seated, the meeting began.

In the afternoon, Mr Brown presented proposals for reform of electoral standards.

Within 2 minutes of Mr. Brown speaking, the Duke's heart sank suddenly. He keenly felt that Mr. Brown had lied to him.Prior to this, in order to show his sincerity, Mr. Brown had secretly handed over the proposal they had drawn up to the Duke.In this way, the duke can prepare counterarguments against this proposal in advance.Of course, the results of this kind of meeting have basically been concluded before, and the result was negotiated based on the private exchange of interests. The speech and voting are just a formality, but the sincerity of Mr. Brown made the Duke even more satisfied. .But now, the proposal that Mr. Brown handed him is inconsistent with the one shown now!

His Excellency the Duke is also weather-beaten, although he was swayed, he didn't show it on his face.He suppressed the anger that suddenly surged up in his heart, and his brain was running fast.Surrender is false, so what does Mr. Brown want to do today?What is the ultimate purpose?Is it because he has found a backer who can protect him, does not take his threats seriously, and wants the proposal to pass?Or do you want to negotiate with him again if the proposal prevails?

In the plan, Mr. Brown's proposal is to unify the minimum standard of voters with property, so that the resistance will be greater.However, Mr. Brown's actual plan is a dual-track system. Statistics show that in this way, the Tory Party has more advantages than the Whig Party in most cities.The content is detailed and simple, and the words are beautiful.If it wasn't the opponent's proposal, the duke couldn't help applauding.But thinking that this is the opponent's plan, those advantages have become unbearable disadvantages.

The Duke gave him a look, and a nobleman behind him stood up. "This is simply ridiculous. People in the Whig Party will also make statistics on such a big matter about electoral qualifications. After they draw their conclusions, they will definitely strongly oppose it. Rather than wasting a proposal, it is better to propose a more moderate one." Big proposal."

Another nobleman beside him stood up, his tone much gentler than his. "I have some doubts about the investigation method. If the content is true, then this proposal is very valuable. It is a matter of great importance. We should proceed with caution and check whether the method is scientific and whether the data obtained is true."

The Duke nodded with satisfaction.A fierce opposition, a mild doubt, a singing and a harmony can test the other party's thinking.

Someone on the opposite side immediately stood up and refuted the objection with the same fierce words. "Perhaps you only do what the Whigs will approve, but I never forgot that I was a Tory." The first nobleman to rise to speak flushed with a pale doughy face. "Your Excellency, please don't slander at will." The man ignored him and continued to patiently explain the mild doubts. "We have formulated the investigation plan this time based on the opinions of all parties. In order not to delay the speech time, I did not elaborate on it just now. If you have any doubts, I can explain it to you from the beginning."

The Duke listened for a while, and the attitude of the other party was always the same: ruthlessly refute the staunch opponents, but he was not in a hurry to pass the proposal immediately, and adopted a gentle explanation for the less tough objections.

The duke felt much more at ease.Judging from the attitude of the other party, Mr. Brown should want to take advantage of the position to negotiate with him.Mr. Brown refused to believe that he was normal.In fact, His Excellency the Duke does not intend to fulfill the agreement.Even if Mr. Brown did what he said today, he still wanted to smash this unstable factor that was always against him.

His Excellency the Duke does not trust Mr. Brown 100%. He has made an estimate in advance. If Mr. Brown's surrender is false, he can also occupy a slight advantage.However, there is a certain gap between the facts and his imagination. Mr. Brown obviously made sufficient preparations in advance. Under the circumstances that neither party wanted to tear their faces apart, the negotiating parties had been stalemate on this proposal for a long time, and there was no result in the end.

The Duke returned home with a gloomy face, and locked himself in the study for a long time.Just when the servant was hesitating whether to inform him about dinner, the Duke came out of the study and handed the servant an invitation. "Sent to the residence of the Earl of Kentra."

The servant took the invitation respectfully and left.

His Excellency the Duke rubbed his sore forehead.He originally thought that the plan for the next stage of implementation would be advanced.