War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

Doors inlaid with gold and silver are not uncommon, but the door in front of you looks too thin, and the color of the gold and silver paint is wrong. It feels like a layer of gold powder has been painted on the wooden door.

To put it simply, it's the feeling of wanting to show off despite not being strong enough. The guy standing at the door dressed like an ancient Turk is probably Vihliu Yasusky.

Franz really didn't like the attire of this kind of grassland aristocrat. A Central Asian style robe and a nondescript felt hat made him look bloated and fat.

The reason why his felt hat is neither fish nor fowl is that it is too tall for a hat. But what is even stranger is that it is not in the shape of a towering cylinder like the popular bearskin hats in Western Europe, but only the front. It stood out.

What's even more frightening is that there is a bifurcation in the middle of this protruding part, which makes the whole hat look like a pair of rabbit ears on the head.

The so-called bearskin hat is the kind worn by the modern British Royal Guards, but this kind of hat was first popular among the French army.

In fact, normally, this kind of traditional Polish clothing would also come with a machete to show off force, but it was all confiscated by Colonel Bordeaux.

After all, Polish nobles did not enjoy the same rights as Magyar nobles, but the latter's traditional costumes were slightly more gorgeous than the former's.

The people following the Polish nobleman were also very nondescript. The man behind him who looked like a butler was obviously dressed in British style, with a top hat, tie, and tailcoat, but missing a cane.

What Franz didn't know was that because there were metal objects on his cane, it was also temporarily confiscated by Colonel Bordeaux.

The remaining servants and guards all had their eyes flickering, filled with fear, anxiety, and a little helplessness.

It goes without saying that something is going on here. But this is just right, if nothing happens, then Franz’s visit will be in vain.

He showed a smile and stepped out of the carriage, but there was a hint of coolness in the wind that blew through everyone.

Due to the hasty preparation, the entire welcome ceremony seemed long and boring. Lakshmi Pai wanted to cheer up several times, but she held back.

Mia Artiès was okay, she had seen so many scenes like this that she became numb. In the end, Franz felt it was too embarrassing and ended the farce.

Afterwards, Vihliu Yasusky led Franz to visit the entire manor. There were indeed many styles of buildings, but they were just like building blocks that were put together haphazardly with no order or beauty.

Vihliu Yasus basically thought that he would never be humble to anyone in his life, but in front of Franz, he would always lower his head unconsciously.

This made the former feel a bit ashamed that he had never felt before in his life, but the latter didn't feel anything at all.

In Franz's eyes, the great financial backer of the Polish Restoration Army was not very strong, and his ability was even worse. He owned more than 100,000 acres of land and was still in such a miserable state.

However, this cannot be fully believed, because it is very likely that he is lying to avoid taxes. However, based on the intelligence collected previously, what he said is probably true.

According to intelligence, the Yasuski family has been in decline. In fact, not only the Yasuski family, but also the entire Galician aristocracy are in decline.

Because after Count Stadion took office, he began to attack the power of the traditional nobles. His idea was to weaken the big nobles, support businessmen, and win over the small nobles.

But the reality is that the power of railways and technology far exceeds Count Stadion's imagination. A steady stream of foreign goods is destroying the local primitive manor economy. Businessmen, with the help of the government, have easily taken over the dominance of the economy. right.

The big aristocrats were able to maintain themselves despite their deep foundations, but the small aristocrats were directly defeated, and many even went bankrupt and became a new labor force in the city.

(Aristocrats here mainly refer to landowners.)

"Archduke Franz, it is rare that you are honored to come to my humble residence. I would like to give you a horse as a gift."

Vihlyu Yasuski spoke with excitement and had a vulgar face, which made it difficult for people to like him. But Franz must be a good horse, otherwise the former would not give it to the latter as a gift.

It's just that Franz really doesn't have much interest in horses. Although there are stables in Schönbrunn Palace, he rarely rides them.

Franz has seen many famous horses, and he prefers watching horses eat than riding horses.

In fact, Franz often fed the horses in the palace some strange things, such as cream and coffee.

Franz couldn't stand Vienna's diabetic diet in any way, so he would give it to passing animals that had too much sugar that he felt they couldn't digest.

But the reality is that animals like sugar and dairy products very much, whether it is horses, seals, or flightless auks, they all flock to them.

Back to business.

"Thank you for your kindness. But how can I let you part with me?"

Franz decided to decline politely. After all, he was here to mess with him. If he accepted the other party's gift and the other party really didn't do anything too extreme, how should he deal with it then?

After all, Vihliu Yasusky was a noble nobleman with a title, so he couldn't just charge him with it. Although Polish nobles have their own circles, they rarely interact with nobles from other regions.

However, nobles in other areas will inevitably lose their reputation. Doing so will inevitably lead to a small loss. The royal family itself is the spokesperson of the aristocratic class, and it is not a wise move to destroy its foundation.

"Archduke Franz, don't refuse in a hurry. There is a racecourse in front of you, you might as well take a look before talking."

Franz glanced at Colonel Bordeaux, who first shook his head and then responded with an affirmative look.

It doesn't look dangerous, but there should be something that Colonel Bordeaux doesn't like.

Franz nodded in response, and Vihliu Yasusky immediately trotted excitedly to lead the way. The latter felt that such a gift would definitely satisfy the former. After all, who has never been young?

The autumn sunshine shines on the horse farm, making it look warm and soft. The grass underfoot has gradually turned yellow, with a hint of golden autumn laziness.

As a whistle sounded, then the sound of horse hooves came from the distance, and then a tall and elegant white horse came into view.

This horse is extremely fast, full of power, tall and elegant, and its coat is as bright as silk. In addition, it is as pure white as snow, without a trace of color. It is like a natural protagonist, letting the grass, flowers, and even It is the sky and the earth that have become supporting roles.

But today's protagonist is obviously not the horse, but its rider.

A beauty wearing a dark red windbreaker, black tight breeches, and riding boots of the same color grabbed all the attention.

Simple color matching, but without losing the sense of luxury.

The beauty's long golden hair is swaying in the air, just like a fairy coming to the dust. At the same time, her bright eyes are full of determination and confidence, which will remind people of all the beautiful qualities and give men a desire to conquer.

"Adjani?" Franz couldn't help but said with some doubts.