Eagle’s Glory

After watching the young man leave, Prince Metternich walked to the window again, looking at the scenery outside the window and meditating secretly.

After a while, he strode out of the room and walked towards His Majesty's office.

When he came to the door, the attendants saluted him hastily.

"I want to see His Majesty." He said to the attendant in a natural tone.

"Please wait a moment, Your Royal Highness." The attendant opened the door and went in to make an announcement, and then turned back immediately.

"Come in, Your Highness."

Prince Metternich walked into the wide hall, while His Majesty the Emperor was sitting behind the walnut desk, looking up at him.

His Majesty Emperor Franz I, who is a few years older than the prince, has gray hair, but there is no sign of exhaustion.

He stared at the prime minister he appointed with piercing eyes, and his expression was serious and rigid, which complemented the ancient royal family.

He is not a particularly talented person. The only reason he sits on the throne is because he is the grandson of Empress Theresa. In the first ten years of his reign, Austria repeatedly failed in wars with France. So much so that it became the background board of Napoleon's rise, was attacked by Napoleon, and signed an alliance under the city for land cession and indemnity; he was even forced to send his daughter to France for marriage to maintain his crumbling empire.

Today, although Emperor Napoleon has been reduced to loess, he still does not have confidence in his ability to maintain the empire, so he relies on the army and the secret police to maintain his rule, and even his own brothers can't help it from time to time. will be monitored.

But even so, he was not a cruel and ruthless monarch, he was willing to project a wise image, and he was quite generous to those around him.

In the history books, he is just another ordinary witness on the downhill road of the ancient Habsburg dynasty, not remembered by many people, but at this moment, after all, he is also the master of a top power on the European continent , no one can ignore his weight.

"Sir, I heard that you just went to find our dear Franz?" After looking at the Prime Minister, His Majesty the Emperor asked first, "Did something happen?"

"Some things have happened a long time ago, so we must prepare for some things before they happen." The Prime Minister replied.

"Huh?" His Majesty the Emperor looked at the Prime Minister with some doubts, not understanding what he was talking about.

After all, he was a diplomat. When Prince Metternich spoke, he always had a bit of cloud and mist that is unique to diplomats. But it didn't matter, as he was an emperor, he could naturally get a detailed explanation.

"Your Majesty, what do you think of our little Franz?" the Prime Minister asked first.

"An excellent child, a very lovely young man." His Majesty the Emperor replied after a little thought, "It's a pity that he has the wrong father."

"But the key point is that he had a wrong father, so he was entrusted with unrealistic delusions by many people." Prince Metternich replied calmly, "Your Majesty, you must remember that just three years ago, France Several military officers declared in the barracks that they would support His Majesty Napoleon II's return to the country to succeed him, and as the rule of the Bourbon family became increasingly unpopular, this kind of thing has increased day by day in the past few years. What is even more frightening is that this sentiment is not limited to It's only in the territory of France. When his mother was in Parma, the Italians who passed her balcony were also shouting long live Napoleon II..."

"Really? This is really ridiculous, obviously Franz is just a child..." Maybe it was because of hearing a disgusting name, His Majesty frowned slightly, but it was quickly covered up by a wry smile , "Do they think a child is capable of taking them to heaven?"

"Yes, of course very ridiculous,

But the political opponents don't care about logic; what matters is that they want to use that name against Bourbon and us. The Prime Minister looked at His Majesty the Emperor seriously, "I also want to remind you that a child cannot remain a child forever, and Franz will grow up." As he begins to grow up, there will be renewed hope among the long-dormant supporters of the Bonaparte family, and there are indeed dangers now emerging - and I think he may not be what we hope, Growing up as a Habsburg or a German. "

"Aren't you a little too worried?" His Majesty smiled, "You shouldn't spend so much energy on a child."

"He is worth the effort. You know better than me that he is a child with both talent and willpower. Such a person will never be willing to die in obscurity. Therefore, when he grows up one day, will he Will suddenly one day be overwhelmed by fanatical ambition, and then respond to the call of those ambitious people? No one can guarantee this." The Prime Minister continued.

His Majesty the Emperor fell silent.

"I've just spoken to him and I can honestly say he has the poise and the alertness and the kind of sophistication that doesn't befit his age that I would be happy for the future of our country if it was in any of the other royals... ...But it's a pity that he is the special one." Prince Metternich had a strange expression, as if recalling something.

"I've been watching him, and when the news of Napoleon's death reached here, even though he was crying on the surface, I could see that he wasn't in any real shock or grief, it wasn't the loss of the most important person in his life at all. Look, he was ten at the time! You know what that means? It means he has a talent that men like me and Talleyrand have when they are adults, and he lacks that real feeling, is a natural cold A good performer, such a person is especially dangerous and terrifying if his mind is smart enough, and he cannot be ignored just because he is just a child."

At this point, His Royal Highness, who has always been good at calculating, has missed his eyes. When he learned of his father's death in history, the young King of Rome was devastated. What about souls that have nothing to do with Napoleon, or even with this era?

Even if he really wanted to grieve, the child couldn't grieve, not because he really lacked human feelings.

"I admit...the risks you mentioned do exist." After quietly listening to the Prime Minister's words, His Majesty the Emperor nodded slightly, finally agreeing with the other party's opinion. "So what do you think he should do?"

"Your grandson is a lovely young man, but more importantly, he is a handy tool, a tool we use to terrorize France. But we should never use this tool, no one can bear it I can afford the risk of releasing the Napoleonic plague on the European continent again." Prince Metternich's eyes sparkled, as if recalling something, "We just need to hold him in our hands and let the Bourbon royal family have scruples about us. Now, the tool itself should not have a mind of its own."

"I admit that you are right, so what can you do about it?" asked His Majesty the Emperor.

"Let's send him to the army for education as soon as possible. Use the training of the army to kill his hostility and cultivate his obedience. Making him an Austrian officer will also disappoint his potential supporters in France." Prince Metternich had already prepared a draft on this issue, "After two years, we will find him a suitable wife as soon as possible, and use the family noose to make it difficult for him to get rid of."

His Majesty the Emperor quietly listened to the Prime Minister's suggestion, and did not feel that there was anything wrong.

Although Egron is only fifteen years old now, it is not uncommon for members of the royal family to marry early in this era. His Majesty the Emperor himself married four times because of several widows. The first marriage was in 1788. He was 20 at the time; his father, His Majesty the Emperor Leopold II, was 18 when he married for the first time in 1765.

And the unlucky king Louis XVI whose head was beheaded was only 15 years old when he married the Austrian princess in 1770. The princess herself was even one year younger than him.

So it is not shocking to start looking for a marriage partner at this age.

"Sending to the army and marrying..." His Majesty the Emperor pondered again, "You can really think about it."

"These are insurance measures, and they may not all work, but at least you should do it." Seeing that his opinion has been adopted by His Majesty the Emperor, His Royal Highness is also in a much better mood.

After a pause, he lowered his voice again, "As long as he has a wife and children, if he wants to get out of control in the future, at least we will have other options..."

When he said this, there was a meaningful pause, and of course His Majesty the Emperor could understand what he meant.

"Oh, my poor grandson!" His Majesty the Emperor sighed, "Someone always wants him to live in peace!"

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After getting His Majesty's approval, Your Excellency the Prime Minister continued to discuss some other important issues with His Majesty, then took his leave and left.

Before returning to Vienna, he specially summoned Count von Dietrichstein, who was in charge of Aiglon's education.

"Sir, do you have any orders?" asked the count.

"Has your little master made any unusual moves recently?" Prince Metternich asked bluntly.

"From my point of view, everything is as usual, and there is nothing unusual." The count replied respectfully, "In addition, His Highness has always been a bit tough, if I offended you, please forgive him, I think He didn't mean to offend you, he usually treats people like that."

"It sounds like you really regard yourself as a follower of the French prince." The prince glanced at the other party with some displeasure, "We didn't put you by his side to ask you to intercede for him."

"I have always been a entourage of the Austrian royal family, and I will never forget my duties..." the count replied quickly.

"I hope you don't forget this." The Prince interrupted impatiently. "I repeat, now that he is no longer a child, you can no longer treat him in a leisurely way. If he has any unruly thoughts and actions, you must report to me in time."

After a pause, he added, "If it's too late to report him when he acts aggressively, you can temporarily detain him if necessary, don't care about his special status, and then wait for me to deal with it. I'm also in charge of everything."

"Isn't he just being detained now..." the count sighed softly.

The prince looked at the count coldly, with an expression of "you should understand what I mean".

"I understand." The count bowed.

"Okay, I wish you all the best." His Royal Highness waved his hand, signaling the Earl to leave.