Taking a Kickback

The royalists and anti-Vietnamese merchants of Chenla finally raised 350,000 taels of silver, preparing to purchase 6,000 rifles from Austria at a price of 300,000 taels.

Ambrosius and the two officers accompanying him were quite satisfied with the price of 180,000 taels, as these flintlock muskets could only be disposed of for 15 Florin (approximately 10.5 taels) each in Austria.

Furthermore, most of the weapons disposed of in this manner would end up in the hands of the Austrian Empire's enemies or insurgent forces.

The diplomat Zacker had already drafted the contract, and Ambrosius readily pressed his seal upon it.

However, Kuan Kim-pan was horrified after reading the document, as it clearly stated that Chenla was purchasing 6,000 flintlock muskets from the Austrian military at a price of 30 taels per unit, totaling 180,000 taels.

Kuan Kim-pan had originally intended to tear up the contract after a while, but to his dismay, it had been prepared in five identical copies.

Struck as if by lightning, Kuan Kim-pan immediately asked if the unit price and total amount on the contract could be modified.

Ambrosius did not react immediately, but the diplomat Zacker understood the crux of the matter and spoke with righteous indignation.

"Our Austrian Empire has a very strict auditing system; this contract must be retained and reviewed by the Emperor, the Ministry of Finance, and the Prime Minister's Office. If we write 300,000 taels on the contract, we must turn in the corresponding amount, or else it will be considered embezzlement."

"Legal principles should not override human sentiment; please be accommodating," Kuan Kim-pan said with a smile. "I am willing to offer 20,000 taels of silver as a gift. I have heard that your annual salaries are a mere few hundred taels; it truly treats you too poorly."

Ambrosius and Zacker looked at each other, but both firmly refused, as the potential charge was simply too grave.

Kuan Kim-pan could absolutely not accept this outcome; if the matter were exposed, there would be no place left for him in Chenla.

And if he abandoned this deal, he would be burying the future of both the country and his own family.

Just as Kuan Kim-pan was hesitating, Father Pacini interrupted.

"Lord Kuan Kim-pan, if you can allow me to enter the royal palace and become the princesses' tutor, I can consider helping you persuade them."

Unable to abandon the deal and unwilling to ruin his reputation, Kuan Kim-pan had no choice but to agree to Pacini's request.

Father Pacini immediately pulled Ambrosius and Zacker aside to deliberate.

Father Pacini revealed his plan: to use this opportunity to make himself and Ambrosius tutors to the princesses of Chenla.

As the princesses' tutor, Father Pacini would naturally follow the traditional Catholic path of targeting the upper echelons, directly converting the King—there was no more direct way to proselytize.

As for Ambrosius, there was no easier way to get close to the princesses than by serving as their tutor.

As for the contract, he would let the ministers in the Imperial Council worry about it.

After all, Ferdinand I was not Francis II; he would not personally inquire into the details of such transactions, nor did Ferdinand I have the capacity to do so.

As for the 20,000 taels of silver, they would accept it, but it must be reported as an application for startup funds for a supply station.

All three agreed with this plan, though they worried about potential contingencies.

At this moment, Father Pacini stated that the Austrian Church was willing to bear all risks for this.

The Austrian Church at this time was extremely wealthy, possessing not only donations from all social strata and private property but also the power to collect tithes from the faithful.

However, the Austrian Church was now under state control; these earnings were subject to state taxation, and the specific amounts had to be reported to the government.

Once they had made up their minds, they explained everything to Kuan Kim-pan.

Kuan Kim-pan was initially hesitant; having two Westerners become the princesses' teachers was far too conspicuous.

But thinking that if this matter were exposed, not only would the grand plan of restoring the nation be hopeless, but he would also be disgraced, he gritted his teeth and steeled his resolve.

It was just placing two people near the princesses; he still had ways to manage that.

Moreover, if this member of the Austrian royal family became the princesses' teacher and entered the palace, wouldn't that be equivalent to a hostage in his own hands?

Exactly, as long as he framed it that way, everything could be resolved.

Austria, Vienna.

Count Latour, the Minister of War, opened Ambrosius's report in his office and was overjoyed after reading it.

Because this order before him was simply wonderful for the Austrian military.

The Austrian army could just happen to consolidate these obsolete rifles and send them to Chenla to make a tidy profit.

As for whether it was 180,000 taels or 300,000 taels, Count Latour did not care; he only hoped to dispose of these firearms as quickly as possible, and the money exchanged could be used to continue upgrading equipment.

To complete this transaction as quickly as possible and to support the pioneers of the Austrian Empire's first overseas supply station, Count Latour decided to bypass the cabinet and have the military take over the business directly.

At this time, the death of Francis II and the accession of Ferdinand I had plunged the entire country into chaos.

The conflict between Metternich and Count Kolowrat was intensifying, with bureaucrats from both factions attacking each other and vying for power.

The newly appointed Chief Imperial Advisor, Karl von Slut, relying on his status as Empress Anna's lover, wanted to act as Regent, only to be squeezed out of the core of power by Count Kolowrat and Prince Metternich.

As for who would hold the future and power of the Austrian Empire, neither side would yield.

In the end, they had no choice but to make the will of Francis II public.

Francis II had requested the formation of a Regency Committee to replace the Imperial Council.

The Regency Council was to be composed of four special commissioners: Count Kolowrat, Prince Metternich, Archduke Louis, and Archduke Franz Karl.

The intention behind making this will public was to stabilize the political situation, yet it only stirred up even greater dissatisfaction from Count Kolowrat toward Prince Metternich.

This was because Count Kolowrat was not present when the will was drawn up, whereas Metternich was.

This led Count Kolowrat to suspect that Metternich had used a forged decree.

In truth, this was the old Emperor's deliberate doing; he did not want the two power-brokers of Austria to be on intimate terms, and he had added two royal family members to the Regency Council as a double insurance.

The primary objective of this arrangement was balance, ensuring that no single faction could grow too powerful or pose a threat to the imperial family.

Even if the two regents reached an agreement, there were still two members of the royal family who could serve as a check and balance.

Thus, the most argumentative government in history was born.

This government could be said to have achieved nothing, as they spent every day in endless bickering.

No matter what proposal Prince Metternich put forward, Count Kolowrat would raise an objection.

And vice versa.

As for Archduke Louis, he understood nothing of national politics, so he only considered whether a matter was beneficial to the family; naturally, he remained silent the vast majority of the time.

And Archduke Franz Karl was far more interested in wine than in politics.

Consequently, the Regency Council became a mere figurehead, and the entire nation was unable to issue any administrative decrees.

With the country at a standstill, Sophie keenly grasped the situation and attempted to control her husband in order to achieve her own political ambitions.

However, Archduke Franz Karl always remembered the advice his father had given him.

"Do not take a stand, do not speak. Do not approve, do not oppose."