Empire Rising: Spain

At present, there are certain similarities between the parliamentary systems of Spain and the United Kingdom.

Although most Cabinet Ministers are appointed by the Prime Minister, this does not mean unconditional appointments. Even with the Prime Minister’s support, one must first become a member of either house of parliament to become a Cabinet Minister in Spain.

Only after becoming a member of parliament can one earn the right to be nominated as a Cabinet Minister. This system ensures that parliamentary elections serve as the first round of screening before becoming a Cabinet Minister.

Aside from a few rare instances, most individuals who become members of either house of parliament generally possess a certain level of capability.

After an extended period of electoral competition, the Lower House finally elected a new Speaker, with Horne Fernandez from the Progressive Party taking the position.

In fact, the contest for Speaker between the Progressive Party and the Conservative Party was quite fierce. However, Carlo decided on the Progressive Party for the Speaker role in the Lower House, considering that the Conservative Party held both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister positions exclusively.

Compared to the Conservative Party, the Progressive Party currently stands as the most suitable ruling party choice for Spain under Prime Minister Prim’s guidance. If it weren’t for Ruiz being too radical, Carlo might not have settled on Canovas as the successor to Prime Minister Prim.

For Carlo, 1876 was destined to be a busy year.

During the day, he had to attend various governmental and important institutional meetings, while at night, he diligently worked alongside Queen Sophie.

If Carlo hadn’t prioritized physical exercise since arriving in Spain, he might not have endured such exhausting days and nights.

In his leisure time, Carlo also found pleasure with two maids, Anna and Alice, utilizing his time to the fullest.

After continuous effort, Queen Sophie soon brought good news.

Thanks to the experience from little Juan Fernando, Queen Sophie quickly realized she might be pregnant again when she experienced similar symptoms.

Even though this is their second child, Carlo and Queen Sophie remain greatly attentive to this little one.

From the moment the pregnancy was confirmed, numerous royal family doctors were always present, along with scores of maids and servants ready to serve.

The whole Spanish Royal Palace employs barely more than a hundred people, yet over twenty serve personally for Queen Sophie.

Speaking of these palace servants, one cannot ignore the meticulous selection and training process they undergo.

Among the current hundred-plus servants, all have undergone background checks, initially ruling out the infiltration of Republican Party rebels.

Additionally, Carlo searched across Spain for orphans to nurture, steering some loyal yet less capable orphans toward roles of servants and maids.

Besides following a strict selection and training regime, Carlo is particularly lavish regarding salaries and benefits for all palace servants.

The lowest income of palace servants exceeds Spain’s average annual income, with average earnings far surpassing the Spanish average.

The income for those holding more significant positions increases considerably, ensuring their loyalty to Carlo.

Though Carlo trusts these servants, the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau still keeps them under surveillance.

After all, when it concerns his and his family’s safety, a bit of caution is certainly warranted.

One morning in February, Minister of Education Gerard Wilson sought an audience with Carlo, bringing news that greatly pleased him—information concerning Spain’s latest achievements in literacy education.

”Your Majesty, the education department has compiled the latest results on literacy education, and the data wholly aligns with our expectations.” Gerard Wilson, smiling widely, summarized this good news to Carlo as soon as they met.

Carlo nodded, took the literacy education data materials handed by Gerard Wilson, and began to read them independently.

According to the materials, Spain’s literacy education achievements last year, namely in 1875, were quite remarkable.

In 1874, the number of people participating in literacy education in Spain astonishingly grew to a million, a lot of which stemmed from people wanting to take advantage of the free meal benefits Carlo offered, but it’s undeniable that these participants effectively reduced the proportion of illiterate Spaniards.

By early 1875, Spain’s illiterate population had already decreased to below 39%, a significant improvement compared to about 70% when Carlo was crowned.

And a year later, Spain witnessed another sharp drop in its illiterate population, which currently totals less than 35%.

According to government records, as of early 1876, Spain’s population was approximately 18.25 million. (Estimated)

Among them, illiterate individuals have fallen below 6.4 million, with a significant portion being young children unable to receive education, as well as elderly groups too old.

Apart from these groups, a large share of the remaining illiterate populations are family breadwinners, needing to constantly work to earn an income.

They scarcely have any spare time to partake in literacy education, and the factories wouldn’t give them holidays, which is the greatest challenge literacy education faces.

Fortunately, modifications to labor laws ensure that Spain’s numerous workers and other employees have more rest time. Although the improvement is minor, the government’s estimate suggests workers can enjoy an additional half an hour to an hour of rest daily compared to before.