Eagle’s Glory

Chapter 4: 4. The Emperor

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

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

When he came to the door, the attendant hurriedly paid his respects.

"I want to see Your Majesty." He said to the attendant in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Please wait a moment, His Royal Highness." The attendant opened the door and went in to report, then turned back immediately.

"Come in, Your Highness."

Prince Metternich walked into the spacious hall, and his emperor, His Majesty, was sitting behind a walnut desk, looking up at him.

His Majesty Emperor Franz I, who was a few years older than the Prince, had gray hair, but he showed no signs of exhaustion.

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

He is not a particularly talented person. The only reason for him to sit on the throne is simply because he is the grandson of Queen Theresa. In the first ten years of his reign, Austria repeatedly failed in the war with France. So much so that it became a backdrop for Napoleon's rise. Napoleon attacked the capital and signed an alliance under the city to cede land and pay indemnity. He was even forced to send his daughter to France for marriage to maintain his crumbling empire.

Today, although Emperor Napoleon has turned into loess, he still does not have confidence in his ability to maintain the power of the empire, so he relies on the army and secret police to maintain his rule, even his own brothers occasionally will be monitored.

But even so, he is not a cruel and ruthless monarch. He is happy to create a wise image and is 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, and he is not remembered by many people. However, at this moment, he is after all the master of a top power in the European continent. , no one can ignore his weight.

"Sir, I heard that you just went to see our dear Franz?" After taking a look at the Prime Minister, His Majesty the Emperor asked first, "What happened?"

"Some things have already happened, so we have to plan when some things have not happened." 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 is a diplomat. When Prince Metternich speaks, he always brings a little bit of cloud, mountain and fog unique to diplomats, but it doesn't matter, as the emperor, he can 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 is that he had a wrong father, so he was pinned on unrealistic delusions by many people." Prince Metternich replied calmly, "Your Majesty, you must remember that just three years ago, France Several officers declared in the barracks that they wanted to support His Majesty Napoleon II to return to the throne, and with the increasingly unpopular rule of the Bourbon family, this kind of thing has been increasing day by day in the past few years. What is even more terrifying is that this kind of sentiment is not limited to In France, when his mother was in Parma, the Italians who passed by her balcony were also shouting long live Napoleon II..."

"Really? This is really ridiculous, obviously Franz is just a child..." Perhaps because of hearing a disgusting name, His Majesty the Emperor frowned slightly, but it was soon covered up by a wry smile, "Do they think a child has what it takes to take them to heaven?"

"Yes, of course it's very ridiculous, but the political opponents don't care about logic; the important thing is that they want to borrow that name against Bourbon and us." The Prime Minister looked seriously at His Majesty the Emperor. " Also let me remind you that a child cannot be a child forever, Franz will grow up. As he begins to grow, there will be renewed hope among the long-hidden supporters of the Bonaparte family, and There are really dangerous signs now - and I don't think he's going to grow up as a Habsburg or a German in the way we'd hoped."

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

"He is worth the effort, you know better than me, he is a child with talent and willpower at the same time, such a person will never be willing to die in obscurity, so when he grows up one day, will he not Will suddenly one day be occupied by fanatical ambitions, and then answer the call of those ambitious people? No one can guarantee this." The Prime Minister continued.

His Majesty the Emperor was silent.

"I spoke to him just now and honestly his demeanor and his tact and that kind of sophistication that doesn't match his age, if it were to show up on any of the other royals, I'd be happy for the future of our country... However, it is a pity that he is the special one." Prince Metternich's expression was a little strange, as if he had recalled something.

"I've been watching him, and when the news of Napoleon's death got here, he was crying on the surface, but 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 10 at the time! You know what that means? It means he has a talent that people like me and Talleyrand have when we are adults, he lacks that real affection, is a natural ruthless This kind of performer is especially dangerous and scary if he is smart enough, and he can't just ignore it because he is just a child."

This point, His Royal Highness, who has always been good at calculating, has missed the point. In history, when he learned that his father had lost his father, the young Roman king was devastated. How could he know that now this child is living in a body? What about souls that have nothing to do with Napoleon, or even with this age?

Even if he wanted to really 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 words of the Prime Minister, His Majesty the Emperor nodded lightly and finally agreed 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 afford it It is worth the risk of releasing the Napoleonic plague on the European continent again." Prince Metternich's eyes were bright, and he seemed to recall something, "We just need to hold him in our hands and let the Bourbon royal family have scruples about us. Now, the tool itself shouldn’t have its own ideas.”

"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 as soon as possible to educate him, use the military training to kill his hostility, cultivate his obedience, and make him an Austrian officer will also disappoint his potential French followers." Prince Metternich has long been prepared for this issue. "After two years, we will find a suitable wife for him as soon as possible, and use the noose of the family to make it difficult for him to get rid of it."

His Majesty the Emperor quietly listened to the Prime Minister's advice and did not feel anything wrong.

Although Aigron is only fifteen years old, 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 widowhood. The first marriage was in 1788. He was 20 at the time; his father, His Majesty Emperor Leopold II, was 18 when he first married in 1765.

And the unfortunate King Louis XVI, who was beheaded, was only 15 years old when he married the Austrian princess in 1770, and the princess herself was even a year younger than him.

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

"Send into the army and get married..." His Majesty the Emperor pondered again, "It's really worth thinking about it."

"These are all insurance methods, and they may not all work, but at least they should be done." Seeing that his opinion has been adopted by His Majesty the Emperor, His Royal Highness is 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 rid of his control in the future, at least we will have another choice..."

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, "There is always someone who wants him to live in peace!"

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After being approved by His Majesty the Emperor, His Excellency the Prime Minister continued to discuss some other important issues with His Majesty, and then left.

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

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

"Has your little master done anything unusual recently?" Prince Metternich asked bluntly.

"From my point of view, everything is the same as usual, and there is nothing unusual." The earl replied respectfully, "In addition, His Royal Highness has always been a bit tough. If you have any words to offend you just now, please forgive him, I think He didn't mean to offend you, and he usually treats people like that."

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

"I have always been the entourage of the Austrian royal family, and I will never forget my responsibilities..." The Count replied quickly.

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

After a pause, he added, "When he makes a radical move, if it's too late to report it, you can temporarily detain him when necessary, don't care about his special status, and then wait for me to deal with it, I am also responsible for everything.”

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

The prince looked at the count coldly, with a "you should know what I mean" expression.

"I see." The count bowed.

"Okay, I wish you all the best." His Royal Highness waved his hand and motioned for the count to leave.

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