Eagle’s Glory

"I just want to ask you, Franz, your mother wants you to marry Archduke Karl, what do you think?"

His Majesty's tone was as gentle as usual, and he did not express any opinions of his own.

But of course Aigron knew that without his acquiescence, how could his mother have the ability to make money for herself?

Maybe he doesn't necessarily like Teresa, but he must be happy to see himself continue to be an Austrian through and through.

He had already considered a similar scenario beforehand, so he responded quickly.

"Grand Duke Karl has a great reputation and outstanding achievements, and I have always admired her very much; and Princess Teresa, although I have never been in touch with her before, after meeting, she is also very friendly to me, which makes me very happy. So it must be an unparalleled honor for me to be favored by Her Highness the Princess. But... I don't think I have enough capital to attract her and her father..."

After hearing what he said, His Majesty the Emperor and Luisa looked at each other.

"In other words, you have no objection?" Emperor Franz asked directly.

I have no objection - Egron originally wanted to say this, according to his calculation, with the help of Grand Duke Karl's fame, he can gain more room for action.

But as soon as the words came to his lips, he remembered the words he said in front of Princess Sophie just now...

"I can only say that I am willing to give it a try... but I am not confident that I will be recognized by His Highness." So, it finally became this answer.

"Oh, what a stubborn kid." After hearing his answer, Louisa couldn't help laughing. She thought her son was shy, "Why are you ashamed to admit it? At your age, yes You should think about your life as an adult."

"Okay, there's no need to scold. Young people are a bit shy, and Franz is an introverted child, so it's good to be able to express his opinion to this extent." His Majesty the Emperor nodded, expressing that he had already understood the boy's thoughts, "In addition, your objective concerns do exist, so it's only natural that you worry about gains and losses..."

After pondering for a moment, he spoke again, "However, you don't have to worry so much. As my grandson, you are as noble as any king and grandson. And I know Karl, and he is not a vulgar and snobbish person." Man, he doesn't value money so much, as long as you can show that kind of quality that can impress people, I think he will consider it. As for Teresa, as long as her father nods, her own thoughts are not so important Now, just treat her as a friend and be kind to her, she will get used to it after a long time."

"Your Majesty...!" Before Aigron could reply, the Grand Duchess Luisa was a little dissatisfied, "You are a little too contemptuous of Teresa, I don't think it should be like this. After all, this is about the happiness of two young people, If Teresa holds a firm opposition to this matter, then I will take back my efforts and make my proposal invalid. I don't want to be the object of her hatred all my life, and I don't want to be the creator of tragedy myself."

His Majesty the Emperor was a little taken aback by his daughter's sudden tough attitude, but he soon realized that he had inadvertently reminded her of his dreamy career as a queen of the French Empire in the past.

At that time, she seemed to be sent to France by him with this attitude... Although it was the need of the country, he still felt a little guilty towards his daughter.

"Oh, sorry, I made a slip of the tongue." His Majesty the Emperor smiled awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Luisa, I didn't mean that, Teresa's thoughts are of course very important."

Although it is said so, in the eyes of the emperor, or in the eyes of the vast majority of the world, things have always been like this, and the tradition of the Habsburg family is also like this.

Metternich once publicly said when he was arranging the marriage of Napoleon and Louisa,

Princesses are nothing more than marriage tools.

"Okay, since Franz has no objection to this matter, let's put it on the family's agenda in a serious manner." Emperor Franz changed the subject, breaking the awkward atmosphere, "No matter what the result is, It’s a good thing to make this place more lively.”

As he grows older, His Majesty the Emperor has lost hope of continuing to have children, and because of the respective circumstances of the two sons, the grandson has been unable to come to the world for a long time, and his knees are quite desolate, so sometimes he will miss his childhood Meiquan very much. The excitement of the palace.

"Frantz, I hope you will show what you should do so that your mother and I will not be disappointed."

Then, he waved his hand lightly, signaling the mother and son to leave, and Aigron resigned knowingly, and he could clearly see the exhaustion on His Majesty's face.

With the departure of Louisa and her son, the spacious office suddenly seemed even more empty.

His Majesty the Emperor closed his eyes and took a nap for a while, until he regained his energy, he opened his eyes again.

"What did Metternich say?" he asked, looking at the papers on the table.

"Prime Minister Metternich is quite satisfied with the candidate chosen by the court." The attendant behind him replied respectfully, "He proposed to use marriage to continue to hold the surname Bonaparte in his hands. Sharing takes ownership."

"When he talked about the royal family, he used the same tone as when he discussed the goods on the shelves with the merchants." His Majesty the Emperor frowned, showing some impatience. "I'm really worried that after I'm gone, he's going to take personal control of the country in the name of the Habsburgs."

His Majesty's worries are not groundless, because Crown Prince Ferdinand has a congenital mental illness and mental retardation. If he dies and the Crown Prince ascends the throne, he is doomed to be unable to achieve personal rule, and can only rely on the Prime Minister's assistance— — or Regent.

Metternich has indeed done this in history. He also happily manipulated a marriage, allowing Crown Prince Ferdinand to marry Princess Mariana of the Kingdom of Sardinia. It's all wasted on taking care of this mental patient.

"Your Majesty, although His Excellency the Prime Minister does have a strong attitude at times, his loyalty to the empire is unquestionable." The aide whispered to remonstrate with His Majesty, "To get through this turbulent era, we need a strong man like him. "

"You are right." His Majesty the Emperor nodded.

Then he changed the subject again, "So is there anything else Metternich wants to tell me?"

"There is one more thing." The attendant leaned down slightly, and leaned into His Majesty's ear, "According to the information obtained so far, the tariff negotiations between the Prussians and the Duchy of Hesse are nearing completion, and it is very likely that an agreement will be concluded. agreement to form a customs union."

Upon hearing this news, His Majesty the Emperor's originally relaxed expression suddenly became serious.

"Savage Prussians!" he cursed a little after a moment.

It is no wonder that His Majesty the Emperor was so furious. In the eyes of the Austrian Empire, the efforts of the Prussians and other German states to establish a customs union will not only have economic impacts, but will also bring political threats.

Since the Middle Ages, Germany has been in a long-term division. There are many states, and the currency and weights and measures systems are even more varied. Each separatist force has also set up checkpoints to collect commercial taxes. As a result, the development of German commerce and trade has been greatly hindered. .

With the demise of the Napoleonic Empire in 1815, the national consciousness of the Germans began to rise, and the voice of the bourgeoisie became louder and louder, demanding the cancellation of border checkpoints and the establishment of a unified German market and a unified tariff system.

At the Vienna Peace Conference, the German states were already considering the proposal to establish a unified tariff system, but while supporting it, the monarchs of each state were somewhat hesitant about it, worrying that after abandoning their respective independent systems economically, it would cause various problems. The independent sovereignty of the state was damaged, and even a supranational Germany controlled by the bourgeoisie emerged.

The special situation of the multi-ethnic rule of the Austrian Empire amplified this anxiety even more. They worried that the unification of Germany would eventually lead to the disintegration of the empire.

So Metternich turned to delaying tactics, using empty rhetoric to prevaricate the outside world while doing nothing, trying to make the proposal a dead letter.

However, Prussia picked up this proposal. They not only hoped to unify the German market and develop the economy, but also regarded it as a tool to weaken Austria's influence in Germany. In 1818, Prussia promulgated a new tax law to promote liberal taxation. And commercial policies, cancel the ban on all commodity imports, and at the same time abolish domestic taxes and commercial checkpoints, and establish a unified tax system.

In the next few years, they have been working hard to promote the initiative of the Customs Union, and the Principality of Hesse became the first state to waver because of its small size and high economic dependence on Prussia. Judging from the current situation, it may soon It will be a formal proposal.

"A mere Hessen is nothing." The attendant looked at His Majesty the Emperor cautiously, not daring to offend him, "But Your Majesty, if other countries follow suit, it will definitely put our country in a very disadvantageous position... ..."

"Let Metternich put pressure on the Prussians, and don't let the Prussians get ahead." His Majesty the Emperor frowned, obviously quite unhappy, "These Prussians have always been used to pretending to be a big country, without us, they can't do anything. As long as we are tough enough , they'll know what's good and what's wrong."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The attendant bowed.

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Of course, the mother and son who had left the office had no way of knowing His Majesty's anger. They walked side by side in the long corridor towards Aegron's residence.

Although they have been silent to each other, Aegron is in a good mood. In his heart, his impression of Louisa is also much better at the moment.

No matter what purpose she used to promote the so-called marriage plan, in the final analysis it was considered a good intention, at least it proved that she did not completely ignore herself.

"Frantz." When she was about to reach the door, Louisa finally stopped. "I know how I treated you before, so I don't expect you to be grateful to me; what I do now may not be enough compared to a normal mother... But, in my position, I have tried my best And for."

Aigron also stopped and looked at his mother.

The Grand Duchess's expression at the moment is both arrogant and reserved, but also a little expectant.

"I've always been puzzled." He asked his mother in a low voice, "Why are you so active on this issue? You obviously don't care much about me normally."

"Because you are my eldest son after all, if you can become the son-in-law of Grand Duke Karl, then for me, this will be one of the few achievements in my ordinary life. It can be regarded as a consolation..." Louis Sha sighed, her eyes softened a lot, "Also, if you are rich and powerful, the children of Earl Nepeg and I will also be able to add luster. After all, it is impossible for them to be married to the royal family... If my plan is successful, maybe They can count on you in the future."

According to the ancient feudal tradition, only the royal families will marry each other. After all, the Earl of Nepeg is just an ordinary nobleman, so his and Louisa's children can no longer be counted as members of the royal family, but Eggron is actually a real royal family. The Nabals were everywhere married to royalty, and so were their descendants.

It's also a different kind of "when I beat them hard enough, they'll admit I'm one of them".

After hearing this, Aigron was not angry, but his mother's frankness made him respectful.

After years of estrangement, it may be more acceptable for everyone to be honest with each other than the hypocrisy of motherly kindness and filial piety.

"Okay, I understand, ma'am." He nodded, "As long as you continue to take care of me like this, then if I really succeed in the future, I will support you and the earl's child if I have the opportunity. I understand Be grateful, even if this kind of kindness is not pure."