Putting aside the financial statements he had just finished reading, Otto picked up a British tax bill document and began flipping through it.
The bill contained a multitude of clauses, and even just a small portion of it spanned forty to fifty pages. Otto read each clause carefully, his brow furrowing more and more as he read.
The people who drafted these bills were truly brilliant, cramming all sorts of messy, irrelevant things into them. Even someone like him, with a 21st-century higher education, felt dizzy and confused reading it. Expecting ordinary citizens to understand what was written on it was simply a pipe dream!
However, Otto patiently read through it bit by bit, so that it could serve as a reference for legislation once he became King in the future.
After all, not only did he have little understanding of various laws in his previous life, but even if he were a legal expert, laws still needed to conform to the times. Copying laws from the 21st century of his previous life would be like acting without foresight.
As the only fully industrialized nation that had completed the First Industrial Revolution in this era, Britain's various laws held significant reference value for Otto, which was why he deliberately spent effort to study and understand them.
He read for quite a while, simultaneously jotting down many of his understandings and key points in his notebook. Unsure how much time had passed, feeling a crick in his neck, Otto stretched, rotated his shoulders and neck, stood up, and left the room, preparing to get some fresh air in the garden.
As soon as he exited the room, he saw a maid approaching. She curtsied upon seeing him and then said, "Your Royal Highness, Her Majesty the Queen invites you to join the card game shortly."
Although a mother pulling her son into a card game for money sounded a bit strange, it was quite a normal form of entertainment at the time for a King or Queen to invite ministers to play cards and gamble a little. It was also an activity to strengthen the relationship between monarch and subject.
Otto nodded upon hearing this and said, "Very well, I will go now."
After speaking, he first returned to his bedchamber to change into casual, light, yet luxurious attire before setting off with the maid.
Before even reaching the destination, he could faintly hear cheerful piano music and lively chatter emanating from the hall. The servants at the door bowed and nodded to Otto, then pushed open the grand doors.
Queen Therese, who was seated at the opulent table playing cards, immediately spotted Otto and smiled, waving her hand: "My little Otto, you've finally arrived."
Otto took a few steps forward and bowed. Queen Therese was clearly in a good mood: "I heard you've been busy these past few days. Come and relax a bit. I just won eleven hands in a row. I hope you have the same good luck as me."
The surrounding nobles, seeing Otto arrive, temporarily paused and bowed towards him. Several young girls, some cautiously, some boldly, looked at Otto.
Watching the people cautiously flattering his mother, and her joyful expression, Otto thought that these nobles' flattery skills were clearly on point, and this was an indispensable survival skill in the kingdom.
With this thought in mind, someone quickly approached and eagerly said, "Your Royal Highness has arrived at the perfect time. We are just one person short. Let's play cards together."
A young noble who was originally seated at the card table paused slightly, then quickly departed. Otto said nothing, simply smiled, nodded his thanks, and then sat down in the vacated spot. Servants immediately brought wine and drinks to his side.
The rules were similar to 'Run Fast', but the lowest card was A, and the highest was the King, representing K.
Looking at these ministers and nobles who bet gold coins without a care, and then thinking about the nation's strained finances, Otto secretly shook his head.
As one of the few forms of entertainment in this era, Otto was not unfamiliar with playing cards, but because he disliked calculating too much in such situations, his card skills could be described as mediocre, and he quickly lost three consecutive games.
He didn't mind, smiling and chatting with the ministers and nobles at the card table. Afterwards, he had some wins and losses, and by the end, he had lost approximately thirteen pounds in total.
In fact, the stakes at the card table were merely small change for most people there; they came more for the social aspect.
While playing cards and chatting, unlike the ladies at the Queen's table who liked to discuss various court gossips, the nobles at Otto's table were all men. When men gathered, besides talking about women, they enjoyed discussing current affairs, and before they knew it, they started talking about recent events.
In the constantly tumultuous European continent, there was never a shortage of tinder and flames. Not long ago, the French bourgeoisie, dissatisfied with being deprived of their right to vote, incited an uprising in Paris.
King Charles X of France was caught off guard by the sudden Paris riots and lost the rule he had painstakingly regained within a few days. Historically, the Bourbon Dynasty's last chance was also squandered.
It can only be said that this King's character was not decisive enough. If it were Otto, at the first sign of a riot, he would order the army to suppress it. Even Napoleon started his career this way.
A monarch who dares not fire upon his own capital is not a good monarch. This was a jest he had seen online in his previous life, but sometimes, in the face of crisis, only resolute and ruthless measures can be taken, as this ultimately incurs the smallest cost.
Charles X's initial hesitation made him miss the best opportunity. A slight delay caused him to lose the capital, and the enemy, seeing this, would observe, then morale would waver, and the tide would turn.
The Duke of Orleans, Louis-Philippe, seized this opportunity to ascend and take control of the country. Because Louis-Philippe ascended the throne in July, this new dynasty was also known as the July Monarchy.
Many European nobles, while marveling at the Orleans Family's good fortune, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, Napoleon had only left about ten years ago, and many present still retained relevant memories. They also feared a repeat of the French Revolution, which would plunge Europe into another great war.
The French Revolution was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the European monarchies. The spread of revolutionary ideas and Napoleon's conquests caused many once high-and-mighty noble royals to fall from grace. As old and stubborn nobles, they naturally feared a repeat of this scene, and their words inevitably contained verbal attacks on democracy and freedom.
These nobles, whose ideas were outdated, were still immersed in the old days when they could take whatever they wanted from the common people. But Otto knew that the tide of the times moved forward and would not be swayed by anyone's will.
At this historical juncture, various heroes emerged one after another, writing their stories. Stubborn feudal forces remained powerful, but the feudal era was like the afterglow of a setting sun. If one could not adapt to this era, they would inevitably be swept into the dustbin of history.
As an enthusiast of modern European history, Otto knew that Europe would not calm down next. In a few days, an uprising would break out in Brussels, eventually leading to Belgium's secession from the Netherlands.
By the end of the year, unrest in Eastern Europe would also ignite, and Poland would experience an uprising against the Tsar's rule.
Of course, powerful Russia was different from the already declining Netherlands; this uprising was ultimately suppressed by the Tsar's army.
In fact, it was also due to curiosity about the humorous nickname 'Pacifying the Germans, Suppressing the Russians, Great Poland' that Otto paid attention to this country and deliberately learned about its history.
Poland's most recent restoration was in 1807, after a series of conflicts between France and Russia, Emperor Napoleon and the Tsar finally reached a compromise at Tilsit to divide Eastern Europe together.
At this time, Prussia, which had performed poorly in the war with France and contributed many jokes about Prussian humiliation in this era, became the biggest loser.
The territories Prussia had previously gained from the three partitions of Poland with Austria and Russia (including Poznan and Warsaw) were all forced back, and the Duchy of Warsaw was established, finally restoring the nation of Poland, which had been partitioned and extinguished.
The Duke of the newly established Duchy of Warsaw was concurrently held by King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony, Napoleon's loyal follower.
Napoleon's actions were certainly not because he found a close mistress there; his true purpose was to foster a loyal subordinate in Eastern Europe to ensure French influence in the region.
The re-established Poles did not disappoint Napoleon's expectations. After their restoration, they consistently served as the vanguard of the Napoleonic Empire, responding most actively when Napoleon attacked Russia.
However, the Poles' good fortune ended there. With Napoleon's failed Russian campaign, the Duchy of Warsaw, which had only been independent for a short time, was once again extinguished.
The Russians, with a strong stance, swallowed most of its territory, returning only a small portion to Prussia.
The Tsar established a Kingdom of Poland in these new territories, personally serving as the head of state, with his brother Grand Duke Constantine as governor, and simultaneously implemented extremely strict ruling policies.
After Tsar Alexander's death, his successor, Nicholas I, implemented even harsher policies, stripping the Kingdom of Poland of its remaining autonomous rights, and thoroughly igniting the Poles' resistance.
In places Nicholas I could not see, dissatisfaction and anger brewed continuously, eventually leading to the Polish uprising several months later.
The upcoming Polish uprising had little to do with Otto at present, and he had no plans to expand his department store into Polish territory at this stage. Reining in his wandering thoughts, Otto refocused his attention on the card table.