Golden Greenery

"Zhuoyang, what do you think about our family's story?"

Zhuo Yang pondered for a moment, took a deep breath and then said sincerely: "Your grandma, Mrs. Grace Meredith, was a very great woman. She was strong, beautiful, and brave, and she deserved Respect and admiration from all.”

Koko's eyes suddenly showed approval.

The origins of the Kou Kou family are already well known in aristocratic circles, and are not even a secret throughout Europe. But after everyone listened to this story, they all admired the dazzling Emperor Franz Joseph I and Princess Sissi, envied the noble and pure blood of the Koko family, and lamented the loyalty of the royal families of Liechtenstein and Monaco to the late emperor. However, Everyone involuntarily ignored the most important woman among them, Grace Meredith.

In the telling of the story, Grace Meredith, who was born as a commoner, was hurriedly mentioned in a few sentences, and her experience was not part of the main content of the story.

Grace Meredith was only 18 years old when she gave birth to Crown Prince Rudolph's posthumous son Hubert, and she herself was just an innocent little girl intoxicated in illusory love. However, a huge life change suddenly struck. Her lover died in love with another woman. Then overnight, her parents and brother who loved her most in the world were all killed, and all her relatives and friends were slaughtered. Grace Meredith lost everyone except little Hubert, who was holding her helplessly in her arms.

No one knows what she went through during the years of her escape. In that turbulent era, how did a weak little girl and a baby who was waiting for feeding survive the brutal years and the devil's pursuit? No one knows anything. But one can imagine how much suffering and upheaval Grace had experienced.

Women are weak by nature, but mothers are strong. Grace Meredith survived strongly. She was not knocked down by suffering, overwhelmed by hatred, or succumbed to the persecution of fate. Her greatness is the real glory.

But there are too many protagonists in this story, and they all have powerful names. Grace Meredith is just the most inconspicuous supporting role. Everyone ignores her when they hear this story. But Zhuo Yang has the delicacy and sensitivity of an art student. He pays attention to details and respects emotions. Therefore, Zhuo Yang keenly discovered the most glorious character in the whole story, a great woman who can sing and cry, Grace Meredith.

Princess Sissi and Emperor Franz Joseph I had four children, one son, three daughters, and their son Rudolf committed suicide by swallowing a gun. The eldest daughter Sophia fell ill when she was two years old and did not survive. The second daughter Gisela has never been in good health. Later she married the Bavarian prince and German Field Marshal Leopold, and the two had no children.

Rudolf was the third child, and he was followed by a sister, Valerie. Valerie married a Hungarian nobleman and gave birth to a son and a daughter. However, their whole family was guillotined by the proletariat during the Hungarian Soviet Revolution.

No heirs.

As a result, Koko and the Joseph family have become the only blood descendants of Princess Sissi and Frank Joseph I. Apart from them, there is no other branch.

It began to reproduce from Grace Meredith's son Hubert. Although the next two generations were only male offspring, several generations of women on Joseph's branch all spread out after marrying off. To this day, there are a total of 22 living descendants with Hubert's blood, and then counting their spouses, this is the entire size of the Joseph family today.

For these family members, Princess Sissi and Emperor Franz Joseph I are their glory, and they are also the iron scrolls that they are respected in the aristocratic circle. This is where they start when commemorating their ancestors. And the deceased prince Rudolf is the scumbag ancestor they least want to mention. When remembering their ancestors, everyone will deliberately omit him.

Grace Meredith is the most respected ancestor of the Joseph family, and they commemorate her with the most solemn and sincere memory.

Before Grace Meredith died in 1952 at the age of 81, her descendants always loved to surround her. The younger generations have received a good elite education because of their favorable growing environment, but they still love and respect their illiterate grandmother very much.

After Grace Meredith passed away, the Joseph family members, no matter which family they were in, would specially add prayers, blessings and thanksgiving for Grace Meredith after praying on Christmas Eve every year. Because it was on that Christmas Eve many years ago that Grace Meredith held Hubert and began the difficult days of escape.

Without Grace Meredith's strength and bravery, people like them would not have a chance to survive in the world.

Joseph's family has always wanted to clearly promote the greatness of Grace Meredith, but to be honest, no one is interested in this except their family. It has been so long that people living in peaceful times cannot empathize with that era. . What's more, Grace Meredith was born as a commoner. No matter how her name was corrected later, it was a fact that she gave birth to an illegitimate child. Others would deliberately avoid this taboo and the name Grace Meredith when talking to the Joseph family.

But the Joseph people are deeply proud of Grace Meredith, and they never forget their roots. As a small but very prominent family, the Joseph clan has always had the idea of ​​writing a special book about Grace Meredith. They hope to publicly praise this great woman.

Zhuo Yang is a real person. Although he is cunning, he is not tactful. He does not know how to please his future father-in-law and mother-in-law. Zhuo Yang just does things according to his own heart. Therefore, the story of Grace Meredith became the first step in getting the Joseph family to accept Zhuo Yang.

"Hello, Your Excellency the Archduke of Austria."

"Hello, my dear Marchioness."

Under the porch of Kou Kou's house, Zhuo Yang bowed to Kou Kou's parents.

"Hello, Mr. Zhuo Yang, welcome to our home. Please don't be polite, just call me Frank from now on." said the future father-in-law.

Nowadays, the complicated rituals and rituals of the past have long gone. It is normal for Westerners to call each other by their first names after getting acquainted. Many fathers and sons even call each other by their first names. There is nothing surprising.

"I don't dare. Please forgive me for not agreeing." Zhuo Yang said: "In China, it is extremely impolite and ridiculous to call the elders by their names without adding honorifics. If I dare to be so presumptuous, my parents will know You will definitely not be able to forgive me in the end."

"If you agree, please allow me to call you Uncle Frank."

"Hahaha..." Uncle Frank was amused by Zhuo Yang's seriousness and persistence. "It's up to you, I respect Chinese customs."

Zhuo Yang handled the issue of address in a very appropriate manner. It not only avoided the overly solemn and cramped address in the future, but also expressed respect for Kou Kou's parents. More importantly, he showed that he is an independent person and does not follow the crowd. Stay true to yourself.

"Thank you, Uncle Frank." Similarly, Zhuo Yang later called Kou Kou's mother Aunt Matilda, which was Chinese.

"Come in quickly, Zhuo Yang, let's talk at home."