Eagle’s Glory

When the King of Rome and his wife entered Paris, not only the whole of Paris and the whole of France were eagerly watching them, but also countless people in other European capitals were watching with joy, anxiety, or resentment. everything that happened.

Paris is a world-famous city, and France is a leading power in Europe and even the world. Its huge size is destined to become an indispensable part of the European balance. Whether it becomes a friend or an enemy, it is enough to influence a country. the future of the country.

Because of this, its political changes have affected every country. Countless letters sneak across national borders every day to report what happened to the governments of various countries.

Vienna is one of the destinations for these letters.

The emperor and his ministers were whispering about this, and even the seemingly unchanged country life of the Archduke Carl and his wife was broken by this explosive news.

"My dear, our daughter is really going to become a queen!" In the Grand Duke's study, after reading the latest news, Lady Henrietta was overjoyed and shouted to her husband.

Compared to the cheering lady, the Grand Duke himself looked much more serious.

"Do you think she can really be a good queen?" he asked his wife.

"Well..." Madam looked embarrassed.

They had watched Teresa grow up. Although they were very proud of their daughter, the couple's life plan for her had never included becoming the Queen of France. Even the lady, who was extremely confident in her daughter, was not interested in Teresa. Sarah has some doubts about whether she can control this violent and capricious country.

After all, there was an unfortunate precedent set just 40 years ago.

"Children will always grow up. Our daughter is so smart and kind to others. She will definitely be loved by the people!" After a while, the lady tried her best to encourage her daughter, "Besides, she has other options to escape now. Is that so? We can only hope that she gets better, what else can we say?"

Faced with his wife's accusations, the Grand Duke could only acquiesce.

Indeed, at this point, Teresa can only go one way to the end, and then pray for God's blessing to be able to wear the queen's crown safely until the day she dies.

This was the path she chose, and it was also the path she insisted on taking without hesitation. The couple already knew this.

But even knowing all this,

It is impossible for them to completely feel at ease with their daughter. Before, they were worried that their daughter would be beheaded as a "traitor" by the Bourbon royal family. Now they are worried that her head will be beheaded as a "tyrant" by the revolutionary masses. Parents are worried about her. My daughter's care and worry will never stop.

"Teresa will definitely write to us, but it's just not that soon..." Just when the Grand Duke was silent, the lady spoke again, "Now we have to think about how to reply to her. This letter shouldn't be too big." No matter how long-winded, don’t pour cold water on her and put too much pressure on her, just tell her that we are proud of her and will always support her family.”

"You have already thought about it, so if you want to say anything to me, just write it down." The Grand Duke disagreed.

"Don't you want to write?" Madam's face suddenly changed, "Normally your attitude is lukewarm, that's all. Now is the most critical moment in Teresa's life. As a father, shouldn't you give her some encouragement and encouragement? Life experience?”

"Okay, okay, I'll just write it." Faced with his wife's reproach, the Grand Duke was so annoyed that he could only agree.

Although he was reluctant on the surface, the Grand Duke was actually already thinking about what "heartfelt words" he should write to his daughter later.

Amidst the couple's quarrels, time passed happily, and even the other children who were growing up were all happy.

Their joy was much more pure and enthusiastic. These children did not know anything about politics. They only knew that their sister was going to become the Queen of France. They all felt honored - as descendants of the royal family, they would spend their entire lives All he could hope for was to become a powerful clan, but he didn't expect to be the "brother of the Queen of France" at this time, which can be said to be the greatest glory of life.

The family was immersed in joy and excitement, but they did not expect an uninvited guest to come quietly.

"What? Metternich came to visit me?" The Grand Duke was slightly shocked when he heard the news conveyed by the servant, but he quickly guessed the other party's intention.

The Grand Duke has been idle at home for many years and has basically not been involved in political affairs. He has almost been forgotten by the political arena. Now that the Prime Minister is interested in visiting him, it is obvious why.

Although the relationship between the Grand Duke and Metternich was not good, the proper etiquette must be fulfilled, so he asked his wife to leave first, and then asked someone to welcome the Prime Minister into his study.

"Long time no see, Mr. Prime Minister." After seeing Metternich, the Grand Duke greeted him in a polite but distant tone, "I'm glad to see you."

"Long time no see, my dear Grand Duke." Prince Metternich was also quite respectful to the Grand Duke.

After the pleasantries, Metternich quickly got to the point, "I think you should know the good news from France? I see that you are very happy here."

"It is indeed good news for me personally." The Grand Duke looked at the other party calmly, trying to figure out the other party's real intention, "but I am not sure whether you are happy to hear it."

"Of course it's good news for me!" Prince Metternich laughed. "First of all, our Austrian princess will become the Queen of France again, which is beneficial to us; secondly, the Duke of Lychstatt can also As my student, I am quite pleased to see that he is so promising..."

"I don't think he will retain much of a master-disciple relationship with you." The Grand Duke replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"The true relationship between master and disciple is not accumulated by beautiful words, but by actions." Metternich smiled and pretended not to hear the sarcasm, "He can become a cold and ruthless lie at a young age. If he is a shrewd gambler, it means that he has learned the essence well. As for whether he is grateful to the teacher who taught him all this, it is completely unimportant, isn't it?"

The Grand Duke didn't know how to respond to Metternich's self-mockery, but from Metternich's unusually gentle attitude, he did not feel Metternich's hostility.

Although the Grand Duke has not been involved in political affairs for many years, he still has a lot of authority in the army. He can easily find out the movements of the army through his former subordinates.

So he knew that there had been no unusual mobilization of the army recently, no emergency mobilization plans, and no massing at the border - that is to say, for the Austrian court, there was no plan to intervene in France with arms, and nothing happened, at least. It can be treated as if nothing happened.

Archduke Karl was not surprised by this result.

Today's European countries are still worried about the continuous wars in the past, so unless they encounter an irreversible situation, they do not want to get involved in a war with tragic consequences.

In the war that lasted for 20 years, France permanently lost more than 1 million young adults. The disastrous Russian campaign in 1812 alone almost wiped out all the elite Guards troops that Napoleon had worked so hard to manage. The important Spanish battlefield suffered nearly 300,000 casualties; while the losses of other powers were not as horrific, they were also severely damaged.

Precisely because the trauma was so great that even the originally warlike kings and nobles were still reluctant to do so, so after the war, all major powers lost interest in continuing to fight big wars. They "recuperated" and "just wanted the world to be peaceful." It has become a common policy of almost all countries - on the original historical line, from the Armistice in 1815 to the Crimean War in 1853, there was a forty-year period of great power peace in the middle, which was rare compared to before. .

In this atmosphere, even if the Bonaparte family may come to power again, countries are not so enthusiastic about "launching another war against France."

What's more, the current Bonaparte is the grandson and niece-in-law of the Austrian Emperor, so there is no reason to engage in armed intervention.

"Do you welcome the Bonaparte family to ascend the throne again?" After a moment of silence, the eldest princess took the initiative to test Metternich.

"I am a realist. My goal is to help my country solve all practical problems and deal with all emergencies. Nothing is welcome and nothing is unwelcome." Prime Minister Metternich immediately answered He, "But, as far as the situation is concerned, at least I don't think there is any imminent threat - so we can accept reality."

Although he had known this result for a long time, the Grand Duke still breathed a sigh of relief when Metternich personally assured him.

As long as Austria has a neutral attitude towards this, the probability of another war in Europe will be extremely slim.

In other words, the daughter he longed for had overcome another difficulty, and the queen's crown was already within a few feet of her.

"Then what do you want me to do?" After heaving a sigh of relief, the Grand Duke simply asked.

Metternich did not answer immediately, but carefully thought about his words before speaking again.

"Grand Duke, I can understand the love for my daughter... but I remind you that you are first a member of the Habsburg family and the Grand Duke of the empire, and then you are a father and father-in-law. Your interests are tied to the interests of the empire. Shared.”

"I know this better than anyone else!" Archduke Karl responded to the other party's question with a proud expression, "I have fought for this empire for more than ten years and personally braved the hail of bullets. I am better than anyone who talks nonsense in the capital. All diplomats know what patriotism is!”

"In that case, that's for the best." Faced with the prince's rebuttal, Prince Metternich also smiled calmly. "Although the outside world has always doubted you, I have never doubted your love for the motherland, respected Grand Duke."

The Grand Duke knew what the other party meant by "questioning".

After Aigron's escape, there have been rumors that the Archduke was carrying out some kind of conspiracy. In order to realize his personal ambitions, he secretly funded the Duke of Lechstatt. He even planned the Duke's original escape.

As the momentum created by Duke Lechstatt grew, this rumor became more and more popular, and various details were added to the spread. It spread so well that many people believed it - after all, this Very self-explanatory.

Even the emperor and prime minister had secret suspicions and investigated.

In the face of rumors, the Grand Duke did not bother to refute the rumors, because it was difficult to explain such things clearly, and if he spoke too much, he would appear guilty, so it was better to remain silent.

"I would like to emphasize to you once again that I will always love my daughter, but if one day she or her descendants take a hostile position against Austria, then my descendants and I will not hesitate to fight against it. It is an obligation that I must adhere to." The Grand Duke declared to the Prime Minister in a decisive tone, "Of course, before that, I will try my best to save the situation, not only to protect my daughter, but also to promote our two families to live in harmony. I believe this is It can be done - and Teresa will work hard for it. She is my daughter and she will think the same as me. She will take the interests of her husband and her family as the starting point, but this does not It doesn’t stop her from loving us.”

"What a touching speech." Metternich couldn't help but sigh after hearing it. "You and Princess Theresa are both worthy of admiration, both as members of the royal family and as human beings..."

After finishing the compliment, he changed the topic, "However, you don't have to be too worried. Although the situation is complicated and confusing at the moment, from my point of view, the situation is still quite optimistic. His Highness asked Prince Talleyrand to clean up the situation, which means that He intends to be on good terms with us, and Talleyrand, to be sure, has written to me to assure me that he will ensure the friendship between our two countries."

"Hmph, Talleyrand..." Archduke Karl sneered disdainfully. "Do you really believe what he says?"

"I believe it, not because of what he said, but because I believe in his reason. This man never does stupid things, so he is easier to get along with than anyone else. Although the world reviles him, I feel sympathy for him. 1815 We got along very happily when we were young, and I am very happy to see that I can work with him again." Prime Minister Metternich smiled slightly, "As long as the monarchs entrust these important matters to us old guys, they can naturally enjoy peace. Got it!"

The Grand Duke did not comment on Metternich's remarks. After all, his royal brother did rely heavily on the Prime Minister and trusted him more than he trusted himself.

"I know that you will write to your daughter to congratulate you, so I am telling you this so that you can convey it to her - and by the way to the little guy, telling him that although Austria cannot congratulate him on his victory for the time being, it will not Will become his enemy." Prince Metternich looked at the Grand Duke calmly, "Also, I have a proposal."

"Please tell me?" The Grand Duke looked at the other party in confusion.

"Maybe he will have a coronation ceremony soon, but in terms of diplomatic etiquette, it is impossible for us to recognize his throne so soon. So in order not to make this cute little couple feel indifferent, I suggest you The eldest son can attend as an unofficial representative - so that we can get closer to them without losing the conversation. What do you think?"

Daha immediately understood the other party's intention.

Indeed, when the major powers have not expressed their stance, it is not convenient for Austria to express its stance. However, in order to maintain the "special relationship" between the two sides, it should make some statement.

In this case, your own family can indeed be a suitable cover.

Of course, it would be too embarrassing for him and his wife to attend in person, but it was justifiable for his eldest son to attend.

Isn't it only natural for a brother to watch his sister being crowned?

"You are really good at playing tricks." He half complained and half praised.

Then he laughed again. "Okay, I'll do as you say and I'll write to them."

"I hope they will thank me." Metternich also laughed, "But I don't think so."