Istanbul.
News of the Athens uprising and Otto I being gravely wounded, with his fate unknown, once again plunged the city into an all-night frenzy of celebration.
The Ottomans both hated and feared Austria and Russia, their two age-old enemies, but toward the Kingdom of Greece, they felt nothing but contempt.
Even after suffering one defeat after another, the Ottomans still looked down on the Greeks. In their eyes, the latter were nothing more than second-class citizens, descendants of slaves, the conquered, traitors, petty men who only knew how to cling to powerful thighs.
Empress Dowager Shevkyevza finally let out a breath of relief as well. It would not be easy for the Kingdom of Greece to recover from its internal chaos, and it would be even better if war were to erupt within the Holy Alliance over the Greek question.
What delighted Empress Dowager Shevkyevza most was that the Greek government had extended an olive branch to her, hoping that the Ottoman government could guarantee Greece's independence.
Naturally, Empress Dowager Shevkyevza could not possibly fall for it. The Ottoman Empire had no interest whatsoever in the Kingdom of Greece at present, and guaranteeing its independence was pure fantasy.
The Greeks could not possibly have failed to understand this. They were simply clutching at straws in their desperation. Empress Dowager Shevkyevza was certain that the situation in the Kingdom of Greece must be extremely dire, but the more dire Greece's situation became, the more favorable it was for the Ottoman Empire.
Besides, they could also enjoy watching the Holy Alliance make fools of themselves.
The upper ranks of the Ottoman Empire were deeply divided. The inner court faction led by Grand Vizier Zohaf believed the borders should be closed and the frontiers strictly guarded, lest they be dragged down by