"25 to 10. How is that possible!"
Fifteen minutes earlier.
The gorgeous dancer Ajani wore a red-and-white off-the-shoulder dress, holding the ballot box at chest height.
As it rose and fell, the representatives preparing to vote found their hearts swaying along with it. For a moment, they didn't know where to put their ballots.
Ajani's steps were truly captivating. The representative from Bavaria exclaimed that they couldn't let this woman into Bavaria, or their king would be embroiled in another scandal.
What they didn't know was that the French beauty before them was actually the current leader of the Polish Restoration Army. She was the wife of Borkine Agata, former commander of the Polish Freedom Army, and the mother of a four-year-old girl.
When the Polish uprising failed in 1830, large numbers of Polish soldiers were massacred or exiled. Among them was Lady Agata's husband. After he was gone, she decided to carry on his work and became the leader of the Polish Restoration Army.
But under Russia's bloody suppression, the Polish Restoration Army's soldiers were slaughtered, and its assets were wiped out.
To support the thousands of Polish Restoration Army members scattered across Europe and continue the army's cause, Lady Agata organized many of its widows to travel abroad to earn extra money and solicit donations.
Ajani was only one of her aliases. But with her exceptional talent, she soon attracted special attention. Invitations came flying in like snowflakes, though most men only wanted to spend the night with her.
Ajani loathed those men, but had no choice but to move among them.
Today, she had come at the invitation of the local Archbishop. That sanctimonious cleric had even asked her to provide after-dinner entertainment that evening.
But Ajani flatly refused. Someone had offered her 2,000 Florins to stop performing today, then another 1,000 Florins to collect votes.
Making money this way was far too easy. Why debase herself? She couldn't understand the women who sold their bodies. After all, Ajani could earn in a single day what those poor women couldn't earn in a whole year.
She had another reason for coming to Frankfurt: to seek allies who would support their cause. After all, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was gone, and restoring it would take more than money.
But when she heard one of the representatives call the Poles dirty, she felt a surge of anger and hurt.
She thought of her husband, her daughter staying with a friend, and the friends slaughtered by the Russians.
Tears welled in Ajani's eyes, only stirring the men's desire to protect her all the more.
Soon, all thirty-five representatives had voted. The representative from Baden had been carried off to the hospital and counted as an abstention.
This, too, had been arranged by Friedrich Ancillon. Though he estimated Prussia would receive at least twenty votes, eliminating an opponent who didn't support him was no bad thing.
The ballot box was opened in full view of everyone, and the Archbishop of Frankfurt unfolded the first ballot.
"Against!"
Ajani smiled as she took the ballot and raised it above her head, repeating cheerfully:
"One vote against."
"Three votes against."
The first three ballots were all from Prussia. Friedrich Ancillon's lips curled into a cold smile as he shot a malicious glance at Ankett, who was drinking alone nearby. He thought:
Once we drive out the Austrians, Saxony will be next. I'll repay you tenfold for today's humiliation.
Ankett felt Friedrich Ancillon's gaze. Their eyes met, and Ankett responded with a smile.
"Austria."
"One vote for Austria, three against."
Friedrich Ancillon didn't care. He, too, asked a waiter for a glass of wine.
"Austria."
"Austria."
"Against."
"Three votes in favor of Austria joining the Zollverein, four against."
From then on, the two sides' vote totals climbed in turn, making Friedrich Ancillon increasingly restless. He thought again of Ankett's smile. That fellow seemed to have something to say.
"Austria."
"Austria."
"Austria."
The votes in favor of Austria joining the Zollverein had reached fifteen, while there were only seven against. Friedrich Ancillon's throat felt dry. He downed his entire glass.
"Austria."
That was the sixteenth vote. Friedrich Ancillon choked, spitting red wine all over the representative from Brunswick. The man started to rise in protest, but when he saw it was Friedrich Ancillon, he sat back down and took out his own handkerchief to wipe away the wine.
Damn it, someone's betrayed us. Friedrich Ancillon cursed inwardly, grateful he had earlier eliminated a representative who supported Austria.
"Austria!"
"Seventeen votes for Austria, seven against."
Just one more vote, and Austria would be allowed to join the Zollverein. Friedrich Ancillon would have botched his assignment. His palms were already slick with sweat.
The Archbishop of Frankfurt picked up a ballot and slowly unfolded it. He hesitated for a moment, then announced loudly:
"Austria!"
"Eighteen votes for Austria, seven against."
Friedrich Ancillon glared furiously at the Archbishop of Frankfurt, trying to get an explanation from him.
But the Archbishop of Frankfurt only shrugged. He really had supported Prussia and voted against Austria. He didn't know how things had come to this, either.
But he knew the Prussians no longer had things all their own way. Now that the Austrians were here, he had to consider the future. So he had to look pleased.
"Austria!"
The votes continued to be called, but Friedrich Ancillon had already slumped in his chair.
Ankett turned to Friedrich Ancillon again and said, word by word:
"Con-grat-u-la-tions. You have a ri-val now."
Then he raised his glass to Friedrich Ancillon and drained it.
The Archbishop of Frankfurt then formally announced:
"The Zollverein has approved Austria's application to join, with 25 votes in favor, 10 against, and 1 abstention. We welcome the Zollverein's 37th member! Germany will have a brighter future!"
Faced with the result, Friedrich Ancillon knew his political career was over.
Friedrich Ancillon knew the Austrians must have bribed Prussia's allies. But this had been a secret ballot, and he had no idea who had betrayed Prussia.
He still had 47,000 Thalers left unspent. If he returned to Berlin with all that money, William III and Finance Minister Motz would never let him off.
So he came up with a plan.
Friedrich Ancillon told Ajani to wait for him in his room. He paid 5,000 Thalers for it, but he didn't care anymore. Now he just wanted to spend all the money.
Besides the 8,000 Thalers he had already spent, he had converted the remaining 42,000 Thalers into jewelry and property deeds, which he packed into a briefcase.
On the way there, Friedrich Ancillon's throat had been tight. As soon as he entered the room, he impatiently started unbuckling his belt.
But a dagger swept past him and came to rest against his neck.
"Pull your pants up. Where's your money?"
Friedrich Ancillon hastily buckled his belt and said:
"You thieving woman! I'm Prussia's envoy. You dare rob me?"
As he spoke, Friedrich Ancillon looked for an opening.
But to his despair, another woman emerged from the room, a pistol tucked into her waistband.
Ajani walked toward Friedrich Ancillon with graceful steps, leaving him at a loss.
Just then, Ajani snatched the briefcase from his hands and pried it open with her dagger. Inside, she saw glittering jewels.
"That belongs to the King of Prussia!" Friedrich Ancillon threatened.
Ajani fastened a jeweled necklace around her own neck and smiled.
"Not anymore."
"Who are you people?"
"The Polish Restoration Army," Ajani replied. Then she nodded to the woman behind Friedrich Ancillon.
Before Friedrich Ancillon could say another word, the woman grabbed a vase and smashed it hard against the back of his head.
Looking at Friedrich Ancillon sprawled on the floor and the vase shattered all around him, Ajani sighed.
"Caroline, how many times have I told you not to use a vase? They're such a pain to clean up."
"What else could I do? I already smashed it."
"Carry him inside and make it look like a suicide by hanging. I'm leaving tonight. Go tell the other girls to leave at once, too." With that, Ajani tossed Caroline a gemstone ring.
The Vienna News Prussian envoy dies by suicide in hotel amid guilt.
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