Chapter 727 Social Experiment

Hansel Abbott sat in the dining room of the palace a little bit reserved, nodding slightly to the waiter who was placing food for him.

He looked at the tableware on the table. It was exquisitely made and there was no flaw, but it was all ordinary porcelain products.

Porcelain, as a key product that brought huge profits to Alda, has long been popular all over the world with the merchant ships of the Northwest Bay. These smooth objects with exquisite patterns are loved by all classes.

But thanks to being the country of origin of porcelain, the price of porcelain in Aldo is not as outrageous as in other countries. After the craze when porcelain first appeared subsided, its price has fallen back to a slightly expensive level.

In any case, it cannot be compared with utensils made of gold and silver.

But Hansel heard from his father that the utensils used in the palace to entertain guests were all made of gold and silver.

"This is not disrespectful to you, Sir Abbott"

King Rodney XVIII noticed that Hansel's eyes briefly stayed on the tableware and explained.

"I have exchanged most of the gold and silver products in the palace for money."

"Oh! Your Majesty, you have made great sacrifices for the country." Hansel flattered, but his heart ached.

It was really painful, for the king. Many of the objects in the Jingyao Palace have been passed down for centuries, and their value has far exceeded the objects themselves, even a plate, even a pair of knives and forks.

Rodney XVIII said firmly: "As long as it can make the army of Aldo stronger, no matter how big the sacrifice is, it is worth it."

After speaking, he picked up the wine glass, "Hansel." The king called his name affectionately, "I toast you a glass."

Hansel was flattered and quickly picked up the wine glass, clinked it with the king and drank it.

My God, this was unimaginable before. A bastard of a noble family with a somewhat dishonorable background was actually invited to a banquet by the supreme ruler of Aldo in this magnificent restaurant in the palace. What an honor.

"You have done an excellent job!"

Excellent? The king's words cooled Hansel's heated brain.

"Thinking back then, your uncle arranged you to be with the lords loyal to the royal family to strengthen the connection with them. Among so many people, only you - Hansel Abbott - really brought back huge benefits to the kingdom."

Uh... Hansel's heart became alert. Rodney XVIII's words seemed to still treat him as his direct subordinate.

But Hansel knew in his heart that he could not get out of Alda's system anyway.

In the Northwest Bay, he was a senior official of the Administrative Council who was entrusted with important tasks. He was in charge of agriculture and played an important role in the land reform initiated by Marquis Graman. He gained fear or respect from many manor owners and gentry who held large tracts of land. The feeling of being surrounded by the aura of power was something he had never experienced before when he was just a low-level tax collector in Jingyao.

Hansel also understood that he and the other nobles who were sent to various places to contact the king like him were just sent away by the royal family to avoid wasting food. The most direct evidence is that the royal family has never had the intention to recall them for so many years.

Back then, after coordinating with Paul Graman, who was still the earl, to contribute a large amount of important food and weapons to Jingyao, Hansel was still looking forward to the royal family to recall him to Jingyao, but after waiting year after year, his heart finally cooled down, and gradually regarded the Northwest Bay under his feet as his base.

Moreover, Marquis Paul Graman treated him well, with a generous salary and consultation on everything, which made him feel that he was valued, while the royal family had never given him a penny for many years. For various reasons, Hansel finally completed the transformation of his self-positioning, preferring to be a big fish in a small pond rather than a small fish in a big pond. Moreover, with the rising momentum of the Northwest Bay, it is hard to say which is the big pond and which is the small pond.

Hansel felt no guilt towards the royal family. He did what he should do, and he lived up to his baron title.

"Haha!" The king seemed to see the embarrassment that flashed across his face, and smiled and said, "This is just a sincere compliment! There is no other meaning."

Rodney XVIII disdained to be the kind of riddle man who pried into people's hearts, "I hope you can continue to work hard for Paul, after all, he is my brother-in-law and the marquis of the kingdom. And I just hope you can continue to maintain the bond of loyalty and goodwill between Graman and Rodney, and I will not make any excessive demands on you."

"Thank you! My Majesty!" Hansel looked at him, "Then, Your Majesty invited me to the palace for dinner. Is there any reasonable request?"

"Hahaha!" Rodney XVIII laughed for a while, "I just want to talk to you about my brother-in-law. You have been with him for so many years, and you must know him better than me and Catherine."

Hansel asked: "Isn't Her Highness Irene the same?"

When Hansel learned that the arrogant former director of education was actually the second princess of the kingdom, he was still uneasy for a while, because he had argued with the other party several times in the Council of State Council meetings.

However, as he completed the transformation of his self-identity, this worry was thrown behind him.

Rodney eighteen raised his eyebrows: "After all, she is a young girl with little experience in the world. For another young, capable and high-ranking member of the opposite sex, she may magnify some things and ignore others."

"Hmm..." Hansel thought, asking himself to comment on the de facto master, is this a "not too much request"?

The king smiled again and said: "No matter what you say, I will listen carefully. As you know, I have even handed over the army to Paul. This is a big gamble. I eagerly want to understand it from multiple perspectives." he."

Since it was the king's request, it was impossible not to say something, but what he meant was... that he could say whatever he wanted?

Hansel considered it in his mind for a moment and said: "Your Majesty, it is a right decision to hand over the army to Marquis Graemann's men for training. Marquis Graemann is an ambitious man."

"Uh..." Rodney Eighteen was confused by his completely contradictory words.

"Please don't worry." Hansel continued: "The Margrave's ambition does not lie in the pursuit of worldly power."

The king asked doubtfully: "You mean he is an explorer of the spiritual world? But I don't think Paul's religious enthusiasm is very high."

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Hansel shook his head: "It's not about religion. In addition to studying some weird technologies, the Marquis is also keen on sociology. He seems to want to explore a path based on the various advantages of human beings - hard work, altruism, self-restraint, etc." ——Complete the construction of another social form, this is what I call ambitious. "

"Oh? This seems to be no different from what those wise men in history pursued." The king nodded.

"Yes, but in history the sages have relied on wise monarchs, powerful heroes, or omnipotent gods, but what Paul Grayman wants to rely on is mortals themselves."

"Go on."

"The Marquis has conducted many social experiments. He built several large farms, but did not appoint managers and let the people inside decide what to do on their own - members of the farm worked together according to different divisions of labor and collectively decided on various operations The key is that the property and harvest of the farm are collectively owned by the farm members - the specifics are more complicated, but that's the general situation."

"Innocent!" remarked the king.

"Yes, naive. We all think so privately!" Hansel agreed, "And without exception, those farms cannot continue to operate due to various reasons."

"But Marquis Graiman never tires of doing this. He seems to believe that human nature hides an inherent beautiful trait that can regulate people's behavior. Even if there is no mandatory binding force, it can also allow ordinary people to spontaneously form a positive, Conducive orderly environment.”

"It's just playing house!" The king immediately smiled: "Please don't relay my comments to Paul, it's too impolite."

"Of course." Hansel nodded, "But he said that some mistakes must be repeated before you know why they were wrong."

"Sounds like someone did this?"

"Maybe." Hansel said: "But I don't think people like Marquis Graiman would be keen on making themselves that kind of "mandatory binding force." "

The king smiled, "What if he objects to others becoming too?"

"Marquis Graiman is also a realist."

Hansel replied, "Theory is theory, reality is reality, and he wants to strike a balance between the two."