After Joining the League

Vienna, Lion's Pride Hotel.

Unlike the aristocratic atmosphere of the Caesar Hotel, the Lion's Pride had a very simple layout, giving it a clean, airy feel, with only a few pieces of porcelain for decoration.

Austrians liked to decorate their rooms with porcelain to show off their wealth and taste.

In the past, porcelain had been extremely expensive in Europe, making it the best proof of wealth and status.

Several bands took turns playing for the hotel's guests, and the lion statues in front were the hotel's trademark.

In a VIP room, Franz Liszt was repeatedly counting the share he was owed. A full million florins. Although they were still paper money that couldn't be exchanged, it was enough to leave him ecstatic.

This was the first time he had felt the benefits that came with power. But Count Kolowrat's words kept ringing in his ears, leaving him unable to eat or sleep in peace.

"Metternich is a beast in fine clothing. He enjoys all the benefits that come with power, yet always has his secret police investigate officials for corruption. When they uncover something, they don't report it to the emperor. Instead, they use it to extort their victims, sucking them dry to the bone."

Franz Liszt had already seen several officials get arrested. The secret police dragged them away like dead dogs, and when they returned, their clothes were in tatters and their minds were gone.

Was Metternich sending people to keep an eye on him now, hoping to extort a fortune from him? The thought left Franz Liszt unable to eat or sleep in peace.

After all, in Franz Liszt's eyes, this money was something he had worked hard to earn, yet someone could squeeze a fortune out of him at any moment. It left him both frightened and furious.

He thought that as long as he did what Count Kolowrat had suggested and brought Metternich down,

they would be able to sleep soundly at night.

In another room, Count Kolowrat was drinking with Count Latour.

"Didn't you say the situation was still unclear and we shouldn't get involved? How did you end up getting involved first? Building a railway takes more than a million or two." Count Latour spoke first.

"What a joke. Once a gambler, always a gambler. How could a gambler see an opportunity like this and not take a chance?" Kolowrat replied with a laugh.

"Of all the places you could have chosen, why pick this unwanted route? The Semmering region is full of towering mountains. No one has ever built a railway up a mountain, let alone through a gorge," Count Latour asked.

"I didn't ask you to invest. Why do you care?"

"I know Trieste is important, but isn't this a bit too hasty?"

"What do you think my odds of success are?" Count Kolowrat asked in return.

"Twenty percent at most," Count Latour replied.

"Twenty percent? That's not bad for a gambler. There's a common gambling device in the East called dice, you know. It has six sides, which means six possible outcomes." Count Kolowrat traced the shape of a die in the air.

"But why can't you wait a little longer? At the very least, you need an experienced engineer," Count Latour continued.

"Someone has to be the first to eat the wolf peach," Count Kolowrat answered calmly.

Wolf peach was another name for the tomato, which had once been thought to be poisonous.

It had been discovered in the sixteenth century, but it wasn't until the eighteenth century that a fearless painter took a bite and found that it wasn't poisonous at all. In fact, it whetted his appetite.

Only then did the wolf peach make the transition from ornamental plant to food.

"But what are you doing all this for?" Count Latour asked, baffled.

"I'm a corrupt official, you know. In the entire Austrian Empire, no one is greedier than that old bastard Metternich. I've lined my own pockets and my family's pockets. Now it's time to line the country's pockets." Count Kolowrat said it with righteous conviction.

"Excellent. Here's to you, you corrupt official." Count Latour raised his glass with a laugh.

"To the Empire." Count Kolowrat raised his glass as well.

At the other end of Vienna, at the Caesar Hotel.

"He's nothing but a bandit!" Salomon Rothschild was beside himself with rage. He picked up an expensive piece of porcelain and raised it high, then gently set it down. Choosing a cheaper plate instead, he smashed it against the floor.

It shattered with a sharp crack.

Several shards flew onto Prince Metternich's shoes, but he paid them no mind.

"Solomon, I told you. His Majesty wouldn't let anyone take his basket away," Metternich said.

"Damn it! Where's my money? What kind of emperor is he? He's nothing but a bandit, a scoundrel. Are my fifteen hundred gold bars just going to vanish into thin air?" Salomon Rothschild roared.

"Solomon, you should know he's the emperor."

"So what? I'm Salomon Rothschild!" Solomon roared.

"Solomon, in consideration of our many years of friendship, let me remind you once more: this country belongs to His Majesty, and you and I are both his subjects." Metternich's voice was icy.

The words hit him like a bucket of cold water, and Solomon instantly came to his senses.

Cold sweat immediately streamed down his face. For years, he had ruled Austria's financial world. Every banker in Austria had followed his lead, and whether it was the emperor, his ministers, or a major national project, none could do without his support.

But ever since the Austrian Empire had joined the Zollverein, bankers from North Germany had poured into Austria in a frenzy.

Salomon Rothschild could tell his brother in Frankfurt not to lend money to the Austrian Empire. But he couldn't stop those North German financiers, who would do anything for profit.

With funds pouring in from North Germany, Austria's debt crisis had eased considerably.

What was more, the mainstream bankers all had high hopes for Austria's future in the Zollverein, and they had one after another jumped aboard this ship riddled with holes.

The Austrian Empire had already begun addressing its debt problem, and one way to do so was to deal with its creditors.

Just as King Philip IV of France had done to the Knights Templar: settle the matter once and for all.

There were even rumors that Emperor Francis II had once forced Prince Esterhazy to submit at swordpoint in the palace, then seized his estate.

If he was capable of such an outrageous act, arresting a Jewish banker would hardly be beyond him.

As for a charge, he hadn't needed one to deal with Prince Esterhazy, let alone with a Jew like him.

At the time, the Jews had a terrible reputation, and cases of persecution against them were hardly rare in European countries.

Russia went without saying; Austria, too, had expelled Jews several times throughout its history.

It was just that Francis II was famous for his weakness, so people had forgotten he was even there.

At that thought, Salomon Rothschild did something he had never done in his life: he bent down, took out a handkerchief, and polished Prince Metternich's shoes until they were spotless.

"Your Highness, forgive my rashness. If His Majesty needs the money, he may take it and use it. He can pay it back whenever he likes; I won't charge a single bit of interest. I beg you to consider our many years of friendship." Solomon spoke with utter sincerity.

"I have good news for you. His Majesty has approved another route for you, from Prague to Bavaria."

These days, any route connected to the Zollverein was a good one, and Solomon knew it. He promptly replied,

"Thank His Majesty. May God protect our Emperor Francis II."

"I came to tell you one more thing."

"What is it?"

"His Majesty says you should settle the remaining balance."