War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

On the sparkling water, the huge "Franz Joseph" blew its whistle. The onlookers cheered one after another. They had never seen such a ship, such people, or such a wedding.

Both sides were filled with people who wanted to see the emperor and the queen. Franz and Olga came to the bow, and the salute that had been prepared on the shore suddenly sounded, and people exclaimed excitedly again.

Although Olga was exhausted by the heavy wedding dress and crown, she still waved her arms tenaciously to greet the people on both sides.

Franz on the side seemed calm, which made Olga's eyes unconsciously become a little resentful.

Franz also noticed this and comforted her.

"In fact, if you had chosen less jewelry when you chose it, the current situation would be very different."

"Huh."

Olga didn't speak. She still needed to maintain her strength. God knew when this torture would end. As a Russian princess and the queen of the Austrian Empire, her sense of responsibility made her dare not slack off.

"In ten minutes, we can go to the cabin to rest for a while."

"Hmm?"

Olga's eyes immediately lit up, and she finally saw hope.

"Let's eat something and take a short rest to replenish our energy."

"Really?"

Olga asked excitedly.

Franz nodded.

"Really."

The space in the cabin was surprisingly large. The white jade ceiling was decorated with a gorgeous crystal chandelier, and the velvet floor made people feel indescribably warm.

But Olga didn't have the heart to look at these now. The first thing she did was to take off the deadly armor on her body, and then quickly eat something to replenish her energy.

After a storm, Olga found that Franz was sitting opposite her and looking at her. The two sat opposite each other, and Olga couldn't help but think of the scene when she left the church before.

The moment the two walked out of the church, petals fell like rain, cheers were like thunder, and the bells of the whole Vienna rang for them.

Thinking of this, her cheeks flushed and became shy.

"Why don't you eat?"

"If you eat too much, you will be slow to react."

"Then why are you drinking!"

Olga asked, staring at the wine glass in Franz's hand, and Franz answered seriously.

"This is rose water."

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In a blink of an eye, the rest time was over, and several maids came in to wash Olga, then re-make up, and put on the light pink wedding dress she brought from St. Petersburg.

Franz also took off his dress and changed into a marshal's uniform.

The dock was already crowded with people before the ship docked, and the band, reporters, painters, and photographers were all ready.

While Franz and Olga were taking a rest on the boat, the whole city held a grand holy prayer ceremony, which included almost all the residents of Vienna.

During this period, two hundred couples also held weddings, because holding weddings on this day would receive the emperor's blessing (a gift of 1,000 florins).

As the capital of art, how can Vienna be without art?

On this day, Franz provided an extra job for more than 20,000 musicians and 10,000 painters, which was to add atmosphere to the wedding. Each of them would be paid 100 florins.

If the work was appreciated by the royal family, they would also be hired by the royal family and receive a large bounty.

Of course, most people were assigned to various corners of the city to enhance the atmosphere. Only a few famous artists could get the best positions, or even the qualifications to accompany the royal family.

In addition, poetry, stories, novels, and essays were also collected, but they needed to be reviewed before the bonus could be issued.

Franz's wedding was a feast for the cultural world of the Austrian Empire. The reason why he was so generous was, on the one hand, the need to support the cultural industry of the Austrian Empire.

On the other hand, it was because these guys would most likely spend the money after getting it, which would still have a stimulating effect on developing the economy and boosting consumption. In the long run, it would promote the circulation of wealth.

The Austrian Empire in history also did acts of grace, but the intensity was quite limited. A total of 400,000 florins were allocated to alleviate poverty in the country.

Among them, 50,000 were given to Bohemia, mainly for the poor in the mountains and Prague; 12,000 florins were given to Moravia; 8,000 to Silesia; 50,000 to Galicia; 100,000 to Tyrol, mainly to help the affected grape farmers in South Tyrol; 20,000 to Croatia; 30,000 each in the coastal areas and Dalmatia.

The last 100,000 were used to stabilize the rising prices in Vienna.

Franz was naturally not so stingy. His order was to add 200,000 jobs and 1,000 primary schools across the country. All farmers in the country could pay 15 groschen (0.5 florins) less.

The next thing was the amnesty issue that people were most concerned about. When Franz ascended the throne in 1848, he did not grant amnesty. His reason at the time was that he was in a period of war.

At this time, the Austrian Empire had defeated all its internal and external enemies. Franz couldn't continue to use this reason, right?

In fact, many people are waiting for this amnesty. The core members and leaders of some families and organizations were arrested by the Austrian Imperial Government, leaving them leaderless. But as long as those people can be pardoned, they still have a chance to make a comeback.

Others took advantage of Franz's upcoming wedding and took the chance to fish in troubled waters. They thought that the emperor would grant amnesty anyway, so the cost of their crimes would be low, so they would rather not commit crimes.

In addition, some people wanted by the Austrian imperial government did not leave Austria, and some even provided them with asylum, betting on this amnesty.

Franz naturally knew what these people were thinking, so how could he let them get what they wanted? But traditions should still be respected.

Franz's order was to halve the sentences of those political prisoners. Anyway, these people were either sentenced to death or life imprisonment, and even halving would not change the results.

As for those petty thieves, they would all be sent to the colonies. Serious criminals who had good performance for many consecutive years could also be pardoned to the colonies, but they needed someone to guarantee them.

Other criminals could be transferred to labor reform prisoners as long as they behaved well and repented actively. If they did not behave well, they would be sent to the colonies for reform.

The prisons of the Austrian Empire were cleared, and the people praised the emperor for his kindness.

The parade motorcade bypassed Central Park and finally returned to Schönbrunn Palace. The setting sun cast a golden glow over the entire city, but the enthusiasm of the people remained unabated. After all, every place the parade passed through was new, and the music made people feel excited, and the candies were even more delicious.

The candies picked up by the children were more than the candies they had eaten in the past few years combined, and of course it was not just the children who picked up the candies.

On the lawn of Schönbrunn Palace, a three-meter-high wedding cake stood in front of everyone, and immediately won applause.

In this era, even the vast majority of princes and nobles had never seen a cake over 1 meter high. After all, in this era when sugar can be linked to luxury goods, no one would do such a wasteful thing.

In fact, Franz was not interested in this kind of thing. After all, in his impression, the bigger it was, the harder it tasted, or even inedible.

No one had ever done this before, but there were so many distinguished guests coming to Vienna at this time that even if each person only got a small piece of the largest cake known at this time, it would not be enough.

In order to avoid this embarrassment, Franz's sister Maria Anna took the noble ladies of the Vienna Women's College and tried repeatedly, and finally pieced together the largest cake in history.

As for the price, experts like Babbage, who had blood sugar problems, were hospitalized.

After the cake was divided, the sky gradually darkened. This is a good time to set off fireworks. Franz and Olga stood on the balcony to enjoy the fireworks, and balls of fire exploded in the night.

As a burst of magnesium powder was ignited and emitted a violent white light, the picture was frozen at this moment.

Franz and Olga finally breathed a sigh of relief together. This long day was finally over.

The two looked at each other for a long time in the light of the fireworks. Olga finally took the initiative to hug Franz's neck and kissed him tentatively.

Franz lifted Olga's legs and picked her up, then walked towards the bedroom.

"Is there a woman in the world who can make people feel noble even if she is naked?"

Olga unconsciously expressed her doubts. In her heart, the man in front of her was too mysterious, dangerous, and so perfect.

Olga wanted to know what different answers he would have.

"Of course. Venus, Lady Godiva, they are all. Some are pure and beautiful, some are noble, and the world should not look down on them just because they are naked."

"What about me?"

(Lady Godiva is an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman in England. Legend has it that she rode naked around the streets of Coventry in order to fight for a reduction in the heavy taxes imposed on the citizens by her husband.)