Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 167

Chapter 167: Chapter 54, Lolita Nurturing Plan

Translator: 549690339

Constantinople

A negotiation determining the fate of three empires began, with the Russian representative Alexander Menshikov, the Austrian representative Metstetz, and Herdegel Pasha of the Ottoman Empire present.

The three were like drawn swords and tight crossbows, and thus a negotiation full of gunpowder commenced.

In fact, it wasn’t quite like that; at diplomatic occasions, everyone still tried to show restraint, and the negotiation started off quite harmoniously.

Aside from Herdegel Pasha’s somewhat gloomy expression, the atmosphere of the negotiation was relatively harmonious. The negotiations between Menshikov and Metstetz went very smoothly.

The content had already been agreed upon in the secret treaty between the two countries; it was hard not to get along even if they tried when discussing it out in the open.

The Ottomans attempted to use the conflicting interests of the Russians and Austrians in the Balkan region to divide their strategic goals, but to no avail.

The representatives of England and France, who attended the mediation, were dumbfounded. This so-called tripartite meeting was clearly a prior arrangement between Russia and Austria to carve up the Ottoman Empire.

In less than a morning, the Russian representative Menshikov had reached a consensus with the Austrian representative Metstetz, and the two powers openly divided the spheres of influence in the Balkan region.

The Ottoman representative was seething with rage, but everyone was civilized, and even when partitioning the Ottoman Empire, it wasn’t something you could just outright say.

The argument from Russia and Austria was now: they were dividing commercial trade zones to prevent vicious competition and to help the Ottoman Empire join civilized society sooner.

Indeed, it was about joining civilized society, except not as the Ottoman Empire, but as part of the civilization after being annexed by the two countries.

Herdegel Pasha, his face darkened, said, “Gentlemen, we appreciate your kindness, but the Ottoman Empire does not need this kind of help!”

Menshikov replied with a sneer, “It doesn’t matter if your country does not need this help now; you will soon.”

“For the sake of world peace and stability, as a leader of the civilized world, the Russian Empire has an obligation to help the Ottoman Empire progress.”

A weak country has no diplomacy; this was already fully displayed here. Even though England and France leaned towards the Ottoman Empire, it was still Russia and Austria who had greater say in the issues of the Balkan Peninsula.

“You, you…” Herdegel Pasha was so angered he couldn’t speak.

The Russians’ absurd behavior in diplomatic affairs wasn’t something new, but being so brazen about it in official settings was still hard to accept.

Especially the phrase “a leader of the civilized society,” which irked the British representative Joseph-Edward. He countered sharply, “Since when did your country become the leader of the civilized world? I wasn’t aware. Did you know?”

Those present wanted to laugh, but restrained themselves due to diplomatic etiquette, which was quite painful.

Acknowledge the Russians as the leaders of the civilized world? That was impossible. Aside from themselves, no one in Europe had ever admitted that.

If the phrasing was changed to, “As a member of the civilized world,” maybe others could have accepted it.

“A leader of the civilized world” was out of the question; even as allies with the Russians, Metstetz couldn’t possibly support them on this matter.

Diplomacy has never been Russia’s strong suit, and the Russians had made more than a few blunders in this area, so what was one more?

Caught on the wrong foot, Menshikov’s face turned ugly instantly. When announcing foreign policy decisions, wasn’t this how everyone spoke?

Whether it was the British or the French, when colonizing and invading overseas, they all styled themselves as the leaders of the civilized world, and the Russians naturally kept pace with the times.

Unfortunately, such statements were fine behind closed doors, but problematic when brought into a formal diplomatic setting.

Since Menshikov had already spoken, he had no choice but to stand his ground. With gritted teeth, he said, “As the leading power on the European Continent, it is naturally the leader of the civilized world.”

British representative Joseph-Edward retorted sarcastically, “Your Grace, you forgot to add the words ‘land forces.’ Let me remind you that the standard for judging the civilized world isn’t military power; that’s the way of barbarians.”

Menshikov angrily said, “Who are you calling barbarians? I demand a duel with you!”

Watching Menshikov, who had been trapped into reacting, Metstetz shook his head helplessly. He couldn’t muster any criticism for Russia’s decision to send a believer in force as their representative.

However, he had no choice but to help defuse the situation, or else a full-blown brawl would break out.

“If you two wish to duel, please choose another time and place. Otherwise, we will go down in diplomatic history as a joke for the ages.”

Considering the difference in force, Joseph-Edward decisively chose to back down with a cold snort, “Hmph!”

Menshikov was no fool either; he was simply cornered by the British and decided to go all in. After all, dueling with people was nothing new for Russian diplomats.

Of course, duels in such official diplomatic contexts had become rare in this century, and duels of Duke level had never happened. Menshikov had no desire to be the first.

That said, the tradition of dueling was still prevalent in Russia, where even the father of Russian literature—Pushkin—died in a duel. It’s worth noting that Pushkin was also a part of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

With such a heavy aroma of gunpowder in the air, negotiations naturally couldn’t progress. Anyway, no one was in a hurry, and there wasn’t much hope for a resolution through negotiation, so a few days off to cool heads before continuing seemed to be the best approach.

Vienna

Unaware of the farcical events that had taken place in Constantinople, Franz was occupied welcoming guests.

As a neighbor, the Bavarian Government had always been extremely wary of Austria, and after seeing Austria’s military expansion, it started to worry.

Even though they thought Austria had its eyes on the Balkans, they still wanted to quickly mend the relationship between the two countries to eliminate any potential threats.

Empress Sophie was a proponent of a matrimonial alliance between the two royal families. After Franz delayed with political excuses, he didn’t reject the Bavarian Royal Family’s proposal but gave a response that they would wait a few more years.

Fearing that delays might lead to complications, the Bavarian Royal Family simply sent Princess Helen to visit her aunt. Of course, she was not the only one who came; other younger members of the royal family were in attendance, including the later famous Princess Sissi.

As the host, Franz naturally gave his mother face and personally presided over the welcome banquet.

Europeans mature early, and to be frank, both sisters were quite attractive. Judging from her demeanor, Princess Helen appeared to have received an excellent court education, whereas Princess Sissi’s performance was much worse.

Don’t think that bearing the title of Princess makes them real princesses. In Eastern monarchies, they would at best be considered noblewomen from the extended royal lineage.

Their father was a Duke from a collateral branch of the royal family, a lineage three generations removed from the main line. Under normal circumstances, they would not be considered as marriage prospects for Franz, and the Bavarian Royal Family wouldn’t entertain such thoughts either.

The reason behind all this was Empress Sophie. She and Princess Helen’s mother were sisters and had a very close relationship from childhood. Proposals for a marriage alliance were made even before Franz came to the throne.

By comparison, Princess Sissi’s situation was rather tragic. Born in the countryside with little opportunity for social interaction and no contact with Empress Sophie, she certainly couldn’t expect any affection from her.

This was one of the historical reasons for Princess Sissi’s tragic life. Her sister, Princess Helen, had been doted on by Empress Sophie from a young age. Sissi, being an unexpected interloper, couldn’t expect Empress Sophie to be pleased with her.

Rules existed within the Austrian court, and typically, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts wouldn’t affect the Empress’s status.

However, Princess Sissi was the rebellious type, always clashing with palace rules and often performing actions beyond her station, leading to public disapproval of the royal family.

After a series of incidents, the Empress Mother naturally intervened in her education, and their differences began to accumulate.

As time went on, the voices of criticism grew louder, and the Vienna Court began to believe that Princess Sissi lacked the qualifications to educate the next generation. Empress Sophie stripped her of her parental rights, exacerbating the conflict.

In these matters, the former monarch had made what he believed to be the right decisions, but in reality, they had no effect.

Of course, it was an issue that could not have been solved by anyone else. Unless Princess Sissi’s personality underwent a complete change, tragedy was inevitable.

If mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts might be managed, the education of the children could be taken care of by the father. But the political ramifications were far more damaging.

Especially regarding the birth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as Empress, she won the adoration of the Hungarian people but stood opposite the Austrian public.

For a time, the call to dismiss the Empress became mainstream in Vienna, illustrating the difficult position she faced.

History and movies are two different concepts. The main character’s tragedy was not solely caused by the court; wasn’t it also her own doing?

The regulations of the Vienna Court constrained her, but they also protected her. Without these rules, she might well have been the first Empress to be deposed in Austria.

Reflecting on history, Franz gave no judgment. With the privileges his birth afforded him, he recognized there was also a price to pay.

Before this political marriage, Princess Sissi’s parents held no official positions and were far removed from the centers of power.

On the surface, the pastoral life seemed idyllic, but Duke Maximilian had been forced to leave the big city due to financial strain.

The carefree life of her childhood, in other words, meant that her family couldn’t afford a private tutor and she had to attend public school with others. Taking a day off was naturally easy.

One look at Franz told the whole story: a student being watched over by dozens of teachers could only dream of skipping class. Do you know that if you skipped class, all the teachers were essentially on holiday?

Don’t assume all nobility are wealthy. Like those of the distant branches of a royal household, long removed from power and not engaged in production, they could not sustain the expenses typical of a great noble house without income.

This fact was evident from the meager dowry of Princess Sissi. The dowry she received upon marriage, befitting an Empress, wasn’t even enough to cover the expenses of a grand banquet hosted by Franz.

Empress Sophie, with a smile, asked, “Franz, what are you thinking about? Have you been captivated?”

Franz made up an excuse to dodge the question, “No, I was just thinking about the negotiations in Constantinople.”

Empress Sophie replied with a smile, “Really? We have guests today, would you mind saving these concerns for after the banquet?”

Anyway, she was very pleased with Princess Helen’s performance; her only regret was her low birth, but since she was her niece, that was overlooked.

“Of course, Mother!” Franz replied with a smile.

Regardless, he had to give his mother’s face. Franz invited both of his younger cousins for a dance and then took the opportunity to talk with them about life.

In reality, no business was conducted; Franz simply disliked attending such noble gatherings. Tiring of being surrounded by flatterers over time, he grew weary.

Following that, the Vienna Palace saw an influx of two young girls.