The sky was gray, and a thin drizzle fell. Luxurious carriages drove through the streets and stopped beside the Senate Square where the statue of Peter the Great stood.
The car door opened, and a man in aristocratic attire and fine clothes got out of the carriage, took the leather bag handed by the steward or the coachman, and walked towards the Senate Building on foot.
Today is May 7, the day when the Senate convenes.
Because it is a general meeting, members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords will attend together.
Mosk also sent a representative, O'Hare, whom Mavey had met at the celebration banquet.
O'Hare twirled his beard and straightened his waist. He stood by the carriage and adjusted his dress. After making sure that he was neat and tidy, he took out a bottle of red perfume from his bag and sprayed it twice in front of himself. , then took steps and strode into the spray of perfume.
On Katerina's order, he came to listen today because Archbishop Henry suddenly made a move, which resulted in the postponement of the policies and laws that were supposed to be proposed at today's conference. Both Katerina and Ma Wei wanted to see Archbishop Henry. How to restrict the aristocracy.
If nothing else...
There will be a good show today.
A dog bites a dog, and O'Hare certainly won't jump out to distract the fire at such a moment. Letting the aristocratic faction and Archbishop Henry quarrel is the outcome he most wants to see.
Walk into the majestic Senate building, follow the other members, climb the stairs, come to the conference hall on the second floor, and take a seat on the step chair on the right.
O'Hare is a member of the House of Lords. Strictly speaking, the House of Lords should be called the 'Committee' and the House of Commons is called the 'Duma'. As an aristocrat, he is different from the House of Commons, which has many members, and belongs to the elite and decision-making class. , has legislative voting rights.
The Senate was established by Peter the Great. Since Peter the Great's reforms had just begun, the power of the Senate was more inclined to the upper house, that is, the aristocracy. He died before he could further reforms.
It is precisely because of this that the law proposed by the House of Commons must be passed by the House of Lords and then handed over to the king for signature before it can take effect. It can only be regarded as a decoration.
The one who really has the say is the House of Lords where O'Hare sits.
But today...
At the Senate Assembly, a special 'guest' was welcomed.
Archbishop Henry.
Paul I was unable to attend today's conference, so an additional seat was added next to the seat that was originally reserved for him. When O'Hare walked into the hall, he saw Archbishop Henry sitting there at a glance.
It seems that Her Royal Highness Katerina is right... His Majesty the King is really going to be sidelined...
O'Hare took out a white handkerchief from his outer breast pocket, folded it into a square, and put it on his lap. Other members of Congress also made the same move after taking their seats. Each time the members waved the handkerchief, it meant that they agreed with the speaker's proposal.
This is a custom from the Kingdom of Windsor. When Peter the Great established the Senate, he referred to the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Windsor. This is also a symbol of his large-scale reforms that he wanted to imitate the Kingdom of Windsor.
As the door closed heavily, the air was immediately covered with the smell of perfume. Different types, different concentrations, and different flavors of perfume were intertwined together, like a pot of random stew, floating around in the hall, like a colorless palette.
Because he was the representative of Grand Duke Mosk, Ohar had two votes and sat at the front and center, next to Duke Ivanovich, Duke Tbilisi, and Count Shirkov. , everyone's position is fixed, divided according to status.
Duke Ivanovich was talking quietly to the Duke of Tbilisi. Ohar pricked up his ears and was about to eavesdrop when there was a hammering sound from the king's seat on the second floor.
"Everyone, His Majesty the King is unable to attend today's meeting due to physical discomfort. I have full authority to act on his behalf."
Archbishop Henry looked down, glanced at the members of Parliament with different expressions, and said solemnly: "At the same time, he entrusted me to propose a brand new law to the Senate... the "Freedmen's Act."
Pulling out a speech he had prepared long ago, Archbishop Henry read aloud: "In view of the severe situation currently faced by the Romanov Kingdom, I, the King of the Romanov Kingdom, Paul I, formally make the following recommendations to the Senate. "
"1. From now on, serfdom will be abolished in the Romanov Kingdom, and farmers will enjoy personal freedom and general civil rights."
"2. Landowners are not allowed to buy, sell or exchange peasants."
"3. Peasants have the right to own property, hold public office, engage in litigation, and engage in industry and commerce..."
Listening to the content of the "Freedmen's Act", the members of the House of Commons sitting on the left looked at the members of the House of Lords opposite. Most of their eyes fell on Duke Ivanovich in the middle.
To their surprise, Duke Yinvanovich did not show an angry expression, but calmly reached into his arms and took out...
A cigar.
ignite.
The tense members of the House of Commons breathed a sigh of relief. They thought that Duke Ivanovich was going to take out a gun and shoot Archbishop Henry, but after thinking about it carefully, they knew that it was impossible. This was a Senate meeting and guns, swords, etc. were not allowed. Injurious weapons.
Sure enough it started....
O'Hare took a deep breath, took out a hand-rolled cigarette, and borrowed a light from Duke Ivanovich next to him.
He was very nervous, even more nervous than Prince Ivanovich.
Compared with the calm Duke Ivanovich, the face of the Duke of Tbilisi next to him was not so beautiful. His face was dark and his eyelids were half raised, as if someone owed him millions of rubles and was planning to default on the debt.
"Buying and selling farmers will be illegal, and no one or any force shall violate it..." Archbishop Henry finished reading the content of the "Freedmen's Act", put down his speech, and asked: "This is the proposal made by His Majesty the King to the Senate. If there are any objections, please raise them immediately.”
There was deathly silence in the hall, except for the mist.
"Is there no objection?" Archbishop Henry looked at Duke Ivanovich: "Then let's start voting..."
At this moment, Duke Ivanovich looked back at a certain nobleman sitting in the back. The nobleman immediately stood up and said loudly: "I have no objection to His Majesty the King's proposal to abolish serfdom, but I would like to ask Everyone, if serfdom is abolished, how can our rights be protected?"
"We have all made great contributions to the Romanov Kingdom. We are where we are today because of our hard work bit by bit! We have shed our blood for the Kingdom and deserve a good settlement!"
"Now that there are no serfs, who will cultivate the land in our name? I think the wise King must have considered this. He will not let us old people's loyalty to the kingdom go to waste, right? Archbishop Henry ?”
Archbishop Henry's expression changed several times and he fell into deep thought.
He was indeed well prepared, but by being well prepared he meant the priests and monks lurking around the Senate, not the sudden questioning.
Originally, he planned to bloodbath the Senate today, but judging from the current situation...
The aristocracy seems to have given in?
Thinking of this, Archbishop Henry temporarily suppressed his murderous intention and asked: "Of course His Majesty the King has considered your needs, but he wants to hear your opinions first."
"My opinion is very simple!" The noble who took the lead waved his arms vigorously: "Supporting His Majesty the King's abolition of serfdom is a manifestation of our loyalty to the kingdom! But at the same time, the kingdom should also issue a new decree to ensure that we Rights and interests! For example, all land is owned by the landlord. Although farmers can own a certain amount of land, they must pay a ransom to the landlord in exchange for the right to farm!"
"At the same time, the land owned by each farmer is limited. If he wants to cultivate more than the prescribed amount of land, he must pay more ransom on the basis of taxes. Correspondingly, all crops and harvests produced by the farmland belong to The farmers themselves own it and don’t have to pay other fees to the landlords!”
"Archbishop Henry, this is my personal opinion!"
After the nobleman finished speaking, Duke Yinvanovich slowly picked up the white handkerchief folded on his knee and raised it symbolically.
The Duke of Tbilisi, Count Shirkov and other leaders of the aristocratic faction also made the same move.
With their statements, white handkerchiefs were raised in unison on the seats of the House of Lords. Only a few people did not move, including O'Hare.
However, the number of people who agree has far exceeded two-thirds. Whether or not they express their opinion has no impact on the result.
Archbishop Henry pondered for a long time, thinking that since serfdom had been abolished, there was no need to hold on to these places. Comprehensive reform would only lead to greater resistance.
If you can't do it, of course you won't.
He finally nodded:
"Okay, I think His Majesty the King will agree to your request."
