(Chapter 466 Upload Error, Corrected)
After the conversation ended, Richard tternich didn’t linger too long at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After declining Minister De Luy’s invitation to the Opera House, he returned directly to the Austrian Embassy.
Upon entering the embassy, Richard tternich imdiately saw the Rothschild Envoy, dressed in a black suit and holding a cane with a pistol, walking towards him.
It was apparent from his attire and actions that the Rothschild Envoy was about to go out and et soone.
Looking at the envoy, who had a rather indifferent attitude towards diplomacy, Richard tternich couldn’t help but feel a bit of resentnt inside.
"Going out again?" Richard tternich asked the Rothschild Envoy with a hint of disapproval.
The Rothschild Envoy was montarily stunned, then stopped, smiled at Richard tternich, shrugged, and explained, "Yes! My cousin, Jas Rothschild, has invited to his mansion!"
"So, you plan to neglect your duties at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?" Richard tternich questioned, a bit agitated.
"I think you’ve done a great job! The entire embassy is in excellent order under your managent!" The Rothschild Envoy spread his hands and replied to Richard tternich.
"The purpose of the embassy is not to handle trivial matters. It’s about..." Richard tternich attempted to say sothing, but found that aside from so trivial matters, all the embassy seed to do was reiterate the foreign policy of the ho country.
"What else?" The Rothschild Envoy responded flippantly: "The role of the embassy is to maintain normal diplomatic relations between two countries. Besides that, there’s no other function. We cannot determine the foreign policy of other countries nor the direction of our own. (The Rothschild Envoy paused, sighed) All we can do is offer so advice to Vienna, yet has Vienna ever listened to us?"
At this, a hint of sarcasm appeared on the Rothschild Envoy’s lips: "Mr. Richard! If I recall correctly, since you beca the secretary of the embassy, you’ve been writing letters to Vienna with advice!
(A look of dejection appeared on Richard tternich’s face) But has any of Vienna’s dignitaries been willing to listen? Ever since Pri Minister Felix Schwarzenberg took ill, look at what the entire Austrian Empire has beco?"
The Rothschild Envoy’s face twisted, his tone growing more disrespectful: "I bet Minister Bao’er (Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria), that fool, hasn’t read a single letter you wrote to him!"
"Rothschild Envoy!" Richard tternich frowned and "rebuked" Rothschild: "We should not make unwarranted assumptions about a Minister of Foreign Affairs!"
"Unwarranted assumptions?" The Rothschild Envoy shook his head and replied to Richard tternich: "Alright, Secretary Richard, since you say so, I have nothing more to say!"
Subsequently, the Rothschild Envoy asked Richard tternich about the situation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Richard tternich truthfully reported to the Rothschild Envoy about the Sardinian Kingdom’s participation in the war.
"Mr. Richard, now the Austrian Empire must make a choice! Whether to side with Russia or with Britain and France!"
Sohow, Richard tternich felt a flavor of schadenfreude in Rothschild’s words.
"Indeed!" Richard tternich sighed deeply: "It’s ti to make a choice!"
The Sardinian Dynasty’s participation itself isn’t terrifying, what’s terrifying is the attitude of the French Empire behind it, and more precisely, Jero Bonaparte’s attitude at the Tuileries Palace.
Austria’s duplicity has greatly displeased Jero Bonaparte.
Austria must either beco an enemy of France or beco a friend of France.
"I’ll go prepare!" Richard tternich responded to the Rothschild Envoy.
"Writing to Vienna again?" The Rothschild Envoy asked casually.
"Yes!" Richard tternich replied with a stern face, nodding.
"This ti, I suggest you slightly exaggerate the situation. Bland rhetoric won’t move those guys in Vienna!" Rothschild advised Richard tternich, then added: "You’d better write a letter to Prince tternich as well, telling him everything happening in Paris! If there’s no action soon, Paris might turn its focus on Austria!"
"Hmm! Thanks for your advice!" Richard tternich forced a smile, nodded at the Rothschild Envoy, and then directly headed upstairs.
Watching Richard tternich’s sowhat frail back, Rothschild shook his head and murmured softly: "Still far to go!"
That afternoon, after finishing the advice letters (one for Minister Bao’er, one for his own father, Prince tternich), Richard tternich sealed them and handed them to a trusted aide of the embassy (a retainer to Prince tternich, responsible for looking after Richard tternich’s daily life), instructing him to deliver them as soon as possible.
The aide nodded and assured Richard tternich of a prompt delivery.
"Hurry back!" Richard tternich instructed once more.
"Yes!"
The aide carrying the letters departed at 4 PM on the Paris-Strasbourg train, arriving in Strasbourg the following morning.
The servant who got off at Strasbourg, and then reached within the borders of Germany via a deserted path.
Afterward, he took a train to the area at the border between Bavaria and Austria.
Here, he switched to a carriage to reach Vienna, and when the servant delivered the letter into the hands of Prince tternich living in a manor near Vienna, it had taken only four days in total.
Prince tternich first examined a letter from Richard tternich, where Richard tternich summarized recent events in Paris to Prince tternich, including the establishnt of the planning committee and the full mobilization.
Through Richard tternich’s description, Prince tternich suddenly felt that this so-called planning committee seed strangely familiar.
mories of the Great Revolution once again surfaced in Prince tternich’s mind, and his expression grew increasingly grave.
"Jero Bonaparte, is this guy crazy?" Prince tternich couldn’t help but curse: "Does he think France now is still the France of the past?"
Nevertheless, Prince tternich’s voice involuntarily started to tremble.
Having lived through that frenzied era, Prince tternich did not want to experience it a second ti.
"Master!"
At this mont, the servant’s voice reached Prince tternich’s ear, he looked at the loyal servant in front of him and asked faintly: "Is there anything else?"
"The young master asked to deliver this letter to Minister Bao’er! However, I am unable to see Minister Bao’er!" The servant presented another letter with both hands.
"Deliver it to Bao’er?" Prince tternich took the letter from the servant, chuckling bitterly to himself: "What use is it to give it to him? Everything in the Austrian Empire still depends on that person in the i Quan Palace!" Then, tternich shook his head and said to the servant: "I will keep the letter. Wait here for a few days. There will be results then. You can return to Paris at that ti—it won’t be too late!"
"Yes!" The servant responded obediently.
Following that, Prince tternich called the servant again, and with the servant’s help, he changed into his red court robe, and put on the wig he hadn’t worn in ages.
Then, Prince tternich summoned the butler in charge of the stables and ordered him to prepare a carriage for himself.
"Master, where are you going?" the stable butler respectfully asked.
"i Quan Palace!" Prince tternich instantly replied.
Under the preparations of the stable butler, a luxurious open-top carriage stopped at the gate of tternich Manor.
Prince tternich got into the carriage, and it rode away from the manor towards the center of Vienna.
After about an hour, the speeding carriage appeared at the city gate in the suburbs of Vienna.
The soldiers guarding the city defense, upon seeing the tternich emblem on the carriage, imdiately cleared a path, allowing the carriage to continue into the city center.
The carriage, after further traveling a few miles into the city center, finally reached i Quan Palace.
"Sir, we have arrived!" Almost falling asleep in the carriage, Prince tternich quickly woke up upon hearing the coachman’s announcent.
Seeing i Quan Palace through the window with its iconic fountain, Prince tternich got up and got off the carriage.
Then, he instructed the coachman not to drive the carriage around randomly.
The coachman nodded in agreent with Prince tternich’s instruction, who then proceeded up the steps, encountering no obstacles as he entered the interior of i Quan Palace.
"Your Highness, I fear you will be disappointed. You cannot et His Majesty at this mont," the chief steward of i Quan Palace appeared before Prince tternich upon his entrance into the hall and apologized.
"What about His Majesty? Why?" Prince tternich was slightly taken aback, his voice trembling slightly as he asked.
"Nothing major," the chief steward shook his head in response to Prince tternich, then softly inford him that Princess Maria Ludovika Wilhelmina of Bavaria (Empress Dowager Sophie’s sister) had arrived with her two daughters, and His Majesty the Emperor was currently engaged in an outing with his two cousins, hence unable to attend to matters of state.
After hearing that the Emperor was fine, Prince tternich sighed in relief, then insisted on eting Emperor Franz to discuss affairs, suggesting that if impossible, he could et with the Empress Dowager instead.
"Her Highness Sophie has also accompanied His Majesty. Your Highness, what exactly do you intend?" The chief steward frowned, unwilling to disturb the Emperor’s mood.
"Paris may be preparing to move against Austria," Prince tternich responded, uttering an astonishing statent.
This ti, the chief steward could not remain calm, hurriedly inquiring if Prince tternich’s information was accurate.
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