Chapter 28 Think about it

In terms of administrative power, the British aristocracy was also greatly restricted.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, most of the British Prime Ministers were aristocrats, including Barron's ancestor, the 4th Duke of Devonshire, who once served as the British Prime Minister.

Another more famous British Prime Minister, Churchill, was born in the Duke of Marlborough family.

It was not until 1963 that the "Nobility Act" passed in England at that time completely cut off the channel for members of the aristocracy to serve as prime minister.

According to the provisions of the Nobles Law, nobles have no right to participate in voting elections, cannot be elected as members of the House of Commons, let alone serve as prime ministers of the government.

If a member of the aristocracy intends to be Prime Minister, he must renounce his title in advance, leave the House of Lords, and then enter the House of Commons through election.

This was the case for Douglas Home, the Conservative Prime Minister who came to power in 1963.

Generally speaking, the aristocratic era in England is a thing of the past.

British people with noble titles have neither political privileges nor may their families be wealthy.

In today's British society, being a lord is just a kind of "respectability".

Even the British royal family continues to be weakened and becomes more and more like a "mascot".

For example, at the insistence of the government, in order to save royal family expenses and reduce subsidies to the royal family, the "royal downsizing plan" has been implemented since last year to eliminate marginal royal members.

And Barron knows that in eight years, in 2010, there will only be four members of the royal family - the queen, the crown prince and two princes...

This means that from then on, the royal family will only retain direct male members - unless the woman is the direct eldest daughter.

…

"Bonnie, how are you, are you resting well?"

"Not bad, Barron. I like the environment here very much. The scenery outside the window is like an oil painting."

Until three o'clock in the afternoon, Bonnie came to the small balcony on the second floor and drank afternoon tea with Barron.

At this time, she had already changed into a somewhat palace-style shirt and casual pants - even these pants could not hide the lines of her long legs.

"I'm glad you like it here. Besides, your outfit is very charming."

"Thank you for the compliment, Barron. Do we have any plans for this afternoon?"

"I'm going to take a look at the farm in the manor, as well as the nearby town, where there are some family properties. If you are interested, you can come together. You know, since I was in high school, I haven't been back here very often. There are many, so now after taking over the family business, I need to understand it first."

"That must be very interesting. I am still very interested in this kind of rural life."

When Bonnie was talking, Barron watched her and could see that she was excited at this time, but there was no trace of hypocrisy.

There are 35,000 acres of land near Chatsworth Manor, but it is located in Derbyshire, so its value cannot be compared with places like London.

However, the amount of crops and livestock produced by such a vast land is also very considerable. Except for a small part of the products produced in the surrounding farms, most of them will be sold.

For example, in many towns throughout Derbyshire, there are butcher shops of the Devonshire family. They are also the largest suppliers of agricultural products to residents in nearby areas. Even with other industries including tourism, hotels, etc., the output of the farm Sales are also an important part of the family's income source.

Under the introduction of the person in charge of the farm, this afternoon, Barron also learned more about this part of his family's business - you know, his predecessor had never been interested in these.

"Barron, you have taken over the family business now and will continue to run it in the future, right?"

On the way back, Bonnie sat next to Barron in the car, looking at the scenery outside the window, and suddenly asked.

"Yes, Bonnie. To be honest, I wasn't interested in this before. I was more interested in other businesses."

The endless industry outside the window now belongs to him, and Barron suddenly felt inexplicable:

“But since I inherited these properties from my family and they have been doing well for so many years, I also have a responsibility to make them continue, or even better.”

"Actually, maybe you don't believe it..."

Bonnie glanced at Barron, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and she said:

"I quite like this kind of life. When I was young, I read some novels and movies and imagined that I was a noble lady. In such a beautiful manor, I sometimes chased the wind and rode horses. I write while looking at the scenery outside the window in my room. I long for that kind of life."

"Actually, it's very easy. If you want, you can stay here for a few more days, or when you have another vacation, I will always welcome you..."

"It's a pity that I'm not really a noble girl. I still have to go to work to support myself. I only have a few days off."

When the car stopped at the door of the villa, Barron opened the door for Bonnie in a gentlemanly manner. When she put her hand in Barron's and stepped out of the car, he could smell the faint jasmine aroma on the girl's body - Floris perfume is the best in England. It is relatively popular, after all, the Queen is its loyal customer. Barron remembers that when he first met Bonnie, she smelled of this perfume.

"Bonnie, didn't you say before that you like writing very much and have written novels before?"

What gave Barron some comfort was that there was no more weird "British-style Chinese food" during dinner. Uh... Dear Olivia, I hope it didn't hurt your enthusiasm for Chinese food.

"But that was a few years ago. I haven't written anything for a while now. You know, working in a TV station is often quite busy."

Bonnie's green eyes were filled with doubts, and she didn't know why Barron suddenly mentioned this matter.

"I have an idea, but I don't know if it's feasible, so I want to discuss it with you..."

In fact, when Bonnie came to the manor and talked about the novel she had written, Barron's heart moved and he had some vague ideas.

Then after he learned more about the operation of the manor and the attached farm today, this idea became more and more intense. He met Bonnie's eyes and said to her:

"Actually, I have always conceived a story about the life of a former aristocrat, but my writing style... is not very good, and there are too many things to do, and I can't focus on it, so I have thought about hiring a person. , help me write this story into a novel through my narration..."

"So you're saying you want to hire me to do this?"

By this time, Bonnie had roughly guessed what Barron was thinking, so she asked.

"Yes, I wasn't originally prepared to complete it so quickly, but when I met you, your situation is very suitable, isn't it? And you work in a TV station, so you should generally know the salary range of those editors. I can use more I will hire you to do this at a high price, but there is a premise, that is, you can get a certain percentage of the publishing income of this novel, but the copyright of the novel and other subsequent derivatives must belong to me."

"Actually, I'm very interested in your story, Barron, but I'm just worried that I'm not capable enough to complete your idea... You know, the novels I submitted before were all rejected, and I really don't have much confidence. Woolen cloth."

Bonnie's expression at this time was really worried about gain and loss.

Seeing this, Barron stretched out his hand, held her catkin, and said softly:

"Didn't you also say that in fact, the editor also recognized your writing style and description, but it was lost in the storytelling, and the storytelling, in this novel, will be completed by me."

When Barron held his hand, you could clearly feel Bonnie's hand shrinking slightly, but she did not continue to pull away...

Her face turned slightly red and she whispered:

"It's a little too sudden, Barron, can I think about it?"

The data during the new book period is related to subsequent recommendations, so follow-up reading is very important. I beg you not to keep it all the time. If you feel that it is okay, read it every day to help increase follow-up reading. Thank you very much.