Press Conference
In reality, both Metternich and Nathan Rothschild were very pragmatic people. They both knew that the crown of "Holy Roman Empire Emperor" didn't have much practical significance. Theoretically, with this crown, Austria would have the power to intervene in the Rhine Region. But in reality, the Rhine Region was already within the France sphere of influence, and the Austria couldn't get a foothold there.
Moreover, considering that the Rhine Region is essentially Protestantism territory, Austria has no say in the Rhine Region, let alone the right to interfere. Even if Austria were to speak now, the Rhine Region who, with France support, carried out land reforms would undoubtedly reply in unison, "Shut up! We're discussing a republic!"
Therefore, at least for now, the significance of this crown has diminished considerably. But it is, after all, the glory of the Habsburg, and to simply discard it would be a bit... Besides, although it is no longer very useful in intervening in Europe affairs, at least within Austria, this crown still has some function.
Unlike France, even during the Bourbon period, France was a country with a large remnant France feudalism. Bourbon Austria at least achieved centralization. Although the dukes and marquesses of France also had fiefdoms, these fiefdoms were already under the direct control of the royal government. The lords no longer had the power to establish themselves as kings in their fiefdoms as they had before.
However, Austria's centralization of power wasn't particularly effective, and the lords within the country still enjoyed a high degree of autonomy. Under such circumstances, the papal crown of "Emperor of the Rome" was still very useful. Besides, relinquishing the crown was a huge sacrifice; it couldn't be given up so easily. Even if it were to be given up, it would have to come at a price!
However, Metternich had no say in such matters. He could only write a letter immediately after seeing Nathan Rothschild off and send it to Vienna by carrier pigeon.
By this time, a wired telegraph had been established between Vienna and Paris. However, because the telegraph operator was France, Metternich remained uneasy despite the use of coded messages. A year earlier, Metternich had deliberately sent a fabricated, misleading document to Vienna via the wired telegraph system, then carefully observed the France actions, discovering many suspicious points. Consequently, the Austria embassy began using carrier pigeons to transmit the most confidential information. Although slower than telegraphs, carrier pigeons were far more reliable.
After watching the carrier pigeon with its letter tube attached take to the sky, Metternich turned to visit some friends and ask them to sound out the France. Metternich knew he couldn't persuade Napoleon to abandon his ambitions, but he at least wanted to sound out the France and see if he could get them to increase the money.
But just then, the sound of flapping wings came from the sky. Metternich turned his head and saw a gray carrier pigeon landing, with a small bamboo tube tied to its leg.
Two days earlier, when the incident had just occurred, Metternich immediately notified his country of what was happening in France via telegram, presumably because he had received new instructions from home.
The staff managing the carrier pigeons removed the sealed letter tube from the pigeon's leg and handed it to Metternich. Metternich checked the seal to confirm that the letter tube had not been opened. He then took the letter tube back to his office, retrieved the letter, and began to read it, comparing it with the coded message book.
The letter was indeed about the incident. It first reported on the investigation in Vienna and the response taken. The Austria government had shut down the newspaper that was spouting nonsense and arrested its editors on charges of "insulting the leader of a friendly nation." They were to be brought to court and severely punished. This was understandable; after all, these people were spouting nonsense, causing bewilderment among friendly nations. If this continued, the country might truly be on the verge of collapse.
The letter suggested that Metternich take immediate measures to inform the France media of the Austria government's emphasis on the traditional friendship between Austria and France and its determination to crack down on any attempts to use Austria territory to oppose France, thus expressing Austria's goodwill and resolving the current situation.
"Why are these guys back home so slow?" Metternich thought. "It's obvious the France are deliberately stirring things up. What good will this do?"
Even so, this gesture still had to be made. After a moment's thought, Metternich summoned his secretary and instructed him to arrange a press conference immediately. Metternich himself then went to the French Foreign Ministry to express Austria goodwill to the France government.
Metternich and France Foreign Minister Talleyrand are old friends. Of course, "old friends" doesn't mean they've known each other for a long time, but rather that they've made money together and have many reliable common interests.
After their meeting, Metternich relayed the Austria government's actions to Talleyrand and conveyed to Talleyrand Austria's appreciation of its traditional friendship with France, hoping that this matter would not affect the friendly relations between the two countries.
Talleyrand also stated that France values its friendship with Austria and greatly appreciates the Austria government's efforts to maintain the friendship between the two countries, which are and will continue to be friendly neighbors.
Talleyrand's official rhetoric did not satisfy Metternich. He knew that at this time, the more official rhetoric there was, the more complicated things might become. However, Metternich had not yet been authorized to negotiate with the France regarding the crown, so he could not discuss demanding more money from the France with Talleyrand. He could only subtly suggest to Talleyrand that he hoped the France would not be in a hurry, and that many things could actually be discussed.
The following day, Metternich held a press conference at the Austria Embassy. At the conference, Metternich briefed the attending newspapers on the Austria government's actions, concluding that this incident had caused some misunderstandings among Austria France media. He hoped that the Austria government's actions would help dispel these misunderstandings and further deepen the friendship between the two countries.
After the news briefing, the Q&A session began. The first to ask a question was a reporter from the "Businessman's Daily".
"Mr. Ambassador, we have noticed the newspaper you mentioned that was recently shut down for illegal activities. In fact, it has been engaging in similar illegal activities in your country for several years. Why has your country only taken such measures now?"
"Ah, you know, those guys are very cunning; they've always been playing a game of skirting the rules. Like France, we also want to protect press freedom, and those fake news media are masters at exploiting loopholes," Metternich replied.
At this point, a reporter from the Sun stood up and asked, "Mr. Ambassador, we know that earlier this year, our country foiled an assassination plot against the First Minister. It is rumored that these assassins resided in your country for an extended period before entering our territory. Can you offer any explanation for this?"