General Shuvalov's bribery problem was solved, but another bigger problem was placed in front of the three of them, that is, General Shuvalov wanted Princess Elizabeth to marry into Russia, but in fact, he asked the princess to marry Grand Duke Sergei.

General Shuvalov also confessed privately to the crown prince and the old prime minister that he hoped that a German princess would marry into Russia, but the purpose was to hope that Germany could increase his influence in the Russian court.

Both the crown prince and the old prime minister recognized General Shuvalov's point, but Joy was not interested. However, when he asked Princess Elizabeth to marry far away, Crown Prince Frederick and Joy were not willing to agree no matter what.

The reason why Crown Prince Frederick could not agree was very simple. He had regarded Princess Elizabeth as his eldest daughter-in-law and could never sacrifice the happiness of his son for the so-called national interests. Just like in history, for the love between his daughter Princess Victoria and the Grand Duke of Bulgaria, he did not hesitate to turn against the entire German court.

As for Joey, it was even simpler. He tried his best to change history, especially to change Princess Elizabeth's fate. If history is still reappeared, wouldn't this beating Joey in the face? For the dignity of a time traveler, Joey would never accept such a thing.

What's more, in history, whether men or women, as long as they convert to Orthodox religion, all regarded Prussia as their enemy. Peter III, the only tsar in history who loved Prussia, was eventually killed by his wife from Germany, who converted to Orthodox religion, Caterina Lianlu again.

Moscow, which is far away from the bitter and cold land, is far away from the European civilization. It is estimated that no German aristocratic girl is grateful for the German will of the motherland. Joey thinks that such stupid things should be left to the British, the Danes or even the Belgians.

Compared with history, Joey's old prime minister in this life has become much more low-key.

You should know that in the original history, the old prime minister was an active promoter of Princess Elizabeth's marriage to Russia and preventing Princess Victoria from having sex. In this time and space of Joey, because of the early comeback of the crown prince and the early oath of allegiance to the crown prince, the old prime minister prefers neutrality in these two matters.

Even though he tends to be neutral, the old prime minister can't help but remind him that between the national interests of Germany and Princess Elizabeth's personal happiness, personal happiness is small, and national affairs are big.

As a believer in liberal and nationalist Crown Prince Frederick, after hearing this suggestion, he became very unhappy. After a trace of obvious anger passed by, he whispered loudly, "Your Highness, the relationship between Germany and the Germans is equal. There is no question of who is superior to whom and who obeys whom."

"The first article of the Constitution of the Empire is that the king is under the law. In the law of the Empire, no matter who, from the monarch to the poor, is equal before the law. Whether it is Germany or the empire, it is equal to everyone's legal status. There has never been that law that individuals must sacrifice everything for the monarch and the country!"

"Today, to sacrifice Princess Elizabeth's happiness in the name of Germany means that tomorrow there can be someone who will sacrifice His Royal Highness the Prince, sacrifice me, and sacrifice anyone, as long as he takes the name of Germany and the name of the empire."

"Your Highness, please remember that the original meaning of the word German is the people. Based on the common interests of this nation, liberals and nationalists jointly shape the country of Germany. The establishment of the German Empire was to protect every German from oppression and slavery, to enjoy freedom and happiness, not to let anyone sacrifice the happiness and freedom of a certain German in the name of the German country."

"If Princess Elizabeth is forced to sacrifice her happiness, it will go against the original intention of all the people who are committed to the founding of the nation-state of Germany."

When Joey heard his father talk about the relationship between the collective and the individual, he couldn't help but think of the great liberal Leonard Trilawney Hobhouse, who in his book Liberalism, famously spoke to the country and the individual.

"Society consists entirely of individuals, but it does not have a unique personality separated from its members and is superior to the individuals of each member."

"The state is a unity, but this unity is composed of certain bonds that unite all people. These bonds are thoughts, patriotism, friendship between compatriots, common pride, and countless other kinds of more subtle and detailed emotions that combine people who speak the same language, have a common history, and can understand each other."

"The state is not a mysterious entity above the creatures who live together and abide by the common law. The life of the state is the life of each nation, the happiness or misfortune of the country is the happiness or misfortune of each nation."

"Therefore, the common interest that everyone obeys is a benefit that everyone can share. This sharing lies in fully exerting his ability to perceive and love, fully exerting his spiritual and physical strength, and in the process of fully exerting these abilities and strengths, he has done his duty in social life, that is, I have achieved my own interests in the public interest."

"If individual freedom is guaranteed, it means that the public interest is guaranteed."

When my father talked about the first article of the imperial constitution and the king was under the law, Joey's mind came up with a passage about the "contract society" in the book "Metaphysical State" of Hobhouse.

"Everyone is born free, but in real life, freedom is bound by society and politics. In order to ensure that everyone fully enjoys freedom, the rule of law of the state and society is the only basis for realizing personal freedom."

“Freedom should be based on equality, and freedom built on inequality only leads to privilege. Everyone is equal before the law, and likewise everyone is equal before the opportunity.”

Mr. Hobhouse spent his entire life working to fight with a great mentor of his contemporary era. This great mentor liked to attack Mr. Hobhouse's point of view, that is, Mr. Hobhouse believed: "The amount of personal private property determines the degree of freedom of an individual. Private property rights are an important basis for personal freedom. I always advocate that the political and legal status between people must be equal, but I will never advocate equal economic status between people."

The great mentor believes that individuals should not own private property, but should be proletarian, and then become communicative. Those middle classes with private property are the main obstacles for capitalist society to move towards a paradise on earth. If the middle class is eliminated, they can achieve world harmony.

As long as everyone's property is shared, the issue of equality between political and legal status will be solved.

As an egoist, Joey, who likes to emphasize personal struggle and teamwork, likes liberal concepts, is naturally close to Mr. Hobhouse, who has similar ideas, so he resonates with his father who advocates liberalism.

Looking at the awkward old prime minister, Joey smiled and said, "Sir, the purpose of the German Empire's existence is to seek happiness and interests for each member of its member. The collective interests are the sum of the personal interests of each member after the concentration. Therefore, there is no situation in the German Empire that demands the sacrifice of personal interests to satisfy national interests."

"Once people realize that the existence of the empire exists on the premise of sacrificing his personal interests, our empire will no longer exist! This is human nature! Joining a group or becoming a part of a country is because this group or country is beneficial to you. No one will join a country or group that can sacrifice you at any time."

After a moment of pause, Germany after Joy's thoughts floated to "Crystal Night", he thought sadly, "If it really turns out like that, a Catholic will destroy the soul of Prussia."

"So I agree with my father's point of view that the misfortune of the empire is personal misfortune, and similarly, personal misfortune is also the misfortune of the empire. Only when the empire never gives up on everyone can each person be willing to contribute everything to the country. If the country gives up its own people, then how can the people voluntarily sacrifice for the country?"

"Germany is a society that respects contracts and laws. Empires and individuals have their own rights and obligations."

"So whether my cousin is happy or not depends on whether the country is happy."

Facing the father and son who firmly believe in liberalism and nationalism in front of him, the old prime minister could only shake his head helplessly. Although he was helpless, he felt a little relaxed in his heart. "As long as the father and son are there, it seems that no one will be the one who can be easily sacrificed."

"It's better to live freely than to let you die."
Chapter completed!