William saluted to the four ministers and said:
"Greetings, four adults."
The four of them returned the greeting
"Your Highness Prince William, I haven't seen you for a few years. You have become more handsome and taller than ever before." The speaker was Field Marshal Hans Ernst Carl Graf von Zieten. The old marshal said in a voice as loud as a bell.
"Yes, seeing the growth of His Royal Highness, I deeply feel that the Kingdom of Prussia has a successor," Prince Ferdinand von Brunswick praised.
"Yes, Your Highness, we are already old, and the future of the kingdom still depends on the young people," Duke Rocks said with a smile.
"Duke Rocks, you can't say that. We must also do our part for the kingdom and make Prussia strong so that young people can have no worries," Marshal Leopold Kael Anhalt-Dessau also said with a smile.
"Whether it is now or in the future, the kingdom will always need the support of the pillars of the country. You are the most precious wealth of the kingdom," William said with a smile. If these people stamped their feet, the kingdom would tremble. It is still most important to have a good relationship with them. Moreover, these people are the most trusted people of His Majesty Frederick, so it is important to connect them well.
"Your Highness, you are too modest," they said, and then they began to praise William. They said that he was polite and brave, and that he would become a great man in the future, and that Prussia would become better and better.
"Oh, it seems that you adults are getting along very well with our little prince." Wilhelmine von Lichtenau, who had appeared beside them at some point, opened her big watery eyes and said with her hand covering her mouth.
"Hmph, Austrian, the elders here are talking, it's not your turn to interrupt," said old Marshal Zieten with his tiger eyes, while the other three also looked at Lichtenau unhappily.
To the Prussians who had experienced the Seven Years' War, the Austrians were not good people. The two sides had a hatred that destroyed the country and the family, which could not be erased by time. That was why the Crown Prince, who had never left the palace during the Seven Years' War, liked an Austrian, while others were too lazy to even show her a good face.
"You can't say that, Marshal Zieten. I only came here because I care about His Royal Highness Prince William. You can't misinterpret my feelings," Lichtenau said indifferently, while old Zieten snorted and turned away, ignoring her.
Everyone knows that the Crown Prince's mistress is not easy to mess with because of his favor. Moreover, the nobles in the country basically suffer from them, and the Crown Prince has lost a good image in the hearts of the nobles. Although the Crown Prince knows this, it may be because of his weak will. As long as his mistress cries, he softens his heart.
"Haha, Your Highness Prince William, if you have any questions in the Souci Palace in the future, you can come to me." Seeing old Qi Teng being humiliated, Lichtnau walked away with a laugh.
"You, Prince Ferdinand, don't stop me, I must teach that Austrian bitch a lesson." Looking at Lichtenau's smug look, old Zieten pretended to kick her, but was stopped by Prince Ferdinand who was standing aside.
"Old Zieten, look at what you look like now. After all, we are old," Ferdinand said to comfort old Zieten, but old Zieten shook his head in annoyance and did not go up.
"Your Highness, I'm really sorry for being impolite in front of you," Rocks said, bowing to little William.
"You are all loyal to your country, these are nothing," William said. He was thinking: It seems that there are more than just complaints, it could be a scandal for the Prussian royal family. The mistress of the crown prince openly disrespects the ministers, which makes the whole of Europe laugh. It seems that His Majesty Frederick has a reason to bring me back. My role is to mediate the relationship between the ministers and the crown prince.
After thinking about it, William said to the four adults:
"I'm going to go downstairs to relieve myself first, please feel free to come in."
The four ministers saluted, and Little William walked out. Outside, he saw Old Count Hans, who was sitting in a rattan chair leisurely drinking black tea. When he saw Little William, he hurriedly greeted him:
"William, come and sit down. I just ordered some English black tea from Mr. Buerda. It's really fine." William walked over and sat down next to Hans as soon as he heard it.
"How is it? How does it feel in there?" Old Hans asked casually, holding a cup of tea.
"The palace is treacherous and every step is thrilling." William followed suit and took a sip of tea.
"Yes, you are very talented. You will often participate in these intrigues in the future, but you must remember that everything is for Prussia," said Old Hans.
"Well, everything is for Prussia," William said comfortably while sitting in a rattan chair.
In the evening, William was stopped by a servant who said that His Majesty Frederick wanted to summon him.
William tidied his appearance and followed him. After walking for a while, they arrived in front of a pavilion that was not grand but magnificent. The attendant opened the door and invited William in. Although the pavilion was not magnificent, it was very delicately decorated with all kinds of silk and porcelain. His Majesty was sitting in front of a rectangular table made of yellow pear wood, fiddling with a gilded figure.
"Come here, William, let me show you something good." Frederick the Great greeted William happily when he saw him, and William hurried to his side.
"Look, William, this is an oriental figure. This is a monster that is said to be very well-known in the East. Its name is the Monkey King." Frederick the Great said
William took a look and saw that the little figure looked just like Sun Wukong, only smaller. He asked Frederick in confusion:
"Where did you find this?"
"Oh, this is a gift from the British envoy during the Seven Years' War. It is said that it was a gift from the Governor of the East India Company brought back from the far east to George III, and then George III gave it to me," Frederick replied proudly.
William looked at the little man in surprise and fell silent, and Frederick said:
"Everything in this Chinese building was obtained by me from all over the place with my best efforts. William, you must know that these things are not for playing and appreciation, but to remind us that this world is very big, so big that you can't even imagine. If Prussia wants to rise, it should not be satisfied with Europe. I heard that the Russians have expanded their territory to the far East and gained countless benefits from the East. William, we are already behind, but I cannot tolerate our backwardness. This may not be accomplished in one or two generations, but the bigger the goal, the greater the motivation. We, the Hohenzollern family, are always looking forward to challenges. Never be satisfied with the little bit of interest in front of you, but set your sights on all of Europe and even the world. William, tell me you won't let me down." Frederick stared into William's eyes.
"Your Majesty, I will not let you down, nor will I let Prussia down. Prussia will eventually rise, and I will spend my life to accomplish this," William said while half-kneeling to Frederick.
"William, you are a smart child. You should know the significance of my enthroning you as Prince of Brandenburg. Your father is not fit to lead Prussia, and you will be my only hope," Frederick said, looking up at the ceiling.