It's Time to Show Real Skill

"Why are you bullying Grandpa!" Franz cried as he ran over.

Seeing his grandson running toward him, Francis II instinctively pushed aside Prince Esterhazy, who was standing nearby. He patted the boy's head and said, "What's wrong? Grandpa is the Emperor; no one can bully me."

"Then why are they surrounding you? They were just trying to grab your arm! I saw it all, they are trying to bully you!"

"I did not! I didn't mean to! You little brat, don't spout nonsense!" Accustomed to being overbearing, Esterhazy could not tolerate being falsely accused for no reason and blurted out his retort.

Prince Esterhazy realized he had made a mistake and tried to explain.

Prince Metternich and Count Kolowrat were initially shocked, but as seasoned political veterans, they had seen every kind of scene imaginable.

"Esterhazy, remember your place! How dare you speak to Archduke Franz like that!" Metternich's implication was clear: did Esterhazy have no respect for the Imperial family?

Count Kolowrat was far less subtle than Metternich. He roared, "What are you trying to do to the Emperor! How dare you!"

Count Kolowrat was quite cunning; he immediately framed Prince Esterhazy as having malicious intent toward the Emperor. Although Archduke Franz was not yet the Emperor, who could guarantee he wouldn't be in a few decades?

With these two heavyweights backing him, Franz saw the timing was perfect. He didn't need to say a word; he only needed to do one thing: cry!

Initially, Emperor Francis II hadn't paid much attention, assuming Prince Esterhazy was merely overexcited. But after the two old foxes stoked the flames, a nameless rage rose in the old Emperor's heart. Combined with Franz's sudden wailing, he could no longer suppress his anger and threw his golden goblet at Prince Esterhazy.

As the saying goes, when one's luck is down, even drinking water can hurt. Esterhazy instinctively blocked, and the goblet bounced back, striking Francis II squarely on the forehead.

Things had escalated! Seeing the situation turn dire, Esterhazy wanted to check if Francis II was injured.

However, Minister of War Count Thürheim roared and charged forward. "His Majesty is injured! Protect His Majesty!"

Standing beside Francis II was Grand Duke Louis, the Emperor's own younger brother and commander of the Imperial Guard. Though not particularly bright, he was absolutely loyal to Francis II.

The moment Francis II was struck by the goblet, Grand Duke Louis stepped to his side. Hearing the cry to "protect His Majesty," he instinctively drew his sword.

The sword in Grand Duke Louis's hand was the only weapon in the entire Hall of Mirrors. As soon as he drew it, the atmosphere in the hall grew tense. The Imperial Guard knew the Grand Duke wasn't very sharp, but the nobles and their attendants did not, and the room descended into chaos.

Seeing Esterhazy rushing toward his brother, Grand Duke Louis swung his sword. He only intended to separate the two, and Esterhazy dodged in time, remaining unhurt.

But to those watching, the scene appeared entirely different.

Because he did not trust the Germans, the attendants Esterhazy had brought this time, with the exception of Pietru, only understood Hungarian.

Seeing this, the attendants were instantly incited to a fever pitch.

"Kill the Emperor of Austria and seize his throne." This was a common topic of conversation among the Hungarian nobility. While the great lords spoke of it as a joke, the lesser nobles listening did not see it that way.

Furthermore, as Esterhazy's retainers, they recognized only Prince Esterhazy, not some Austrian Emperor.

Esterhazy's attendants made to rush the throne to finish off the old Emperor.

The Imperial Guard in the Hall of Mirrors might have lacked combat prowess, but their loyalty was absolute.

After all, many of them had served the Habsburg family for generations, some even for over a dozen.

The entire Hall of Mirrors suddenly erupted into motion. Esterhazy's attendants charged toward the imperial throne as if their lives depended on it.

The Imperial Guard fought desperately to block them, some standing in the middle of the imperial path, others throwing themselves at Esterhazy's guards.

The captain of the guard rang the alarm bell, which had not sounded in hundreds of years.

Soon, the eight hundred guards stationed throughout the palace received the news and rushed frantically toward the Hall of Mirrors.

A purple firework exploded over the palace. Seeing this, the city defense forces and the commander of the Vienna garrison immediately assembled their troops, preparing to support the palace.

Inside the Hall of Mirrors, Esterhazy's attendants had all been subdued. Count Thürheim took the opportunity to tackle Prince Windisch-Graetz and land a few punches.

Prince Metternich hid behind a pillar, only emerging once the chaos had subsided.

Count Kolowrat found a noble he disliked and beat him severely.

Only Baron Bruck, a man of integrity, was knocked down by a punch while trying to stop Esterhazy's attendants.

The doors were kicked open, and a large detachment of guards flooded into the Hall of Mirrors, surrounding everyone.

Esterhazy looked at everything in disbelief. He could not believe his eyes; how could it have come to this?

To be honest, Franz hadn't expected it either. He had only intended to sideline Esterhazy, the leader of the opposition.

He hadn't expected him to be completely finished.

Francis II rubbed his head where he had been struck, his heart filled with terror and rage.

"Esterhazy, what else do you have to say for yourself!"

"I... I... I didn't mean it. For God's sake, believe me."

Francis II stood up and walked toward the collapsed Esterhazy, drawing the sword from Grand Duke Louis's hand.

Seeing this, Esterhazy was consumed by fear. He scrambled backward on his hands, repeating, "My ancestors served the empire, they bled for the empire!"

Francis II remained expressionless and raised the sword.

"I have 3 million Florin in deposits at the Vienna bank."

Francis II's sword stopped in front of Esterhazy. Esterhazy felt a warmth spread beneath him; he would likely need a change of trousers.

Francis II took a deep breath. "Esterhazy, you have shown poor judgment and brought an assassin into the palace. In consideration of your ancestors' merits and the fact that you were deceived, I hereby strip you of your titles, confiscate all your assets in Vienna, and order you to return to Hungary immediately, never to set foot in Vienna again for the rest of your life."

Francis II turned and walked toward the throne, tossing the sword in his hand to Grand Duke Louis.

Grand Duke Louis sheathed the sword and waved his hand at the Imperial Guards.

Prince Esterhazy was dragged out by two Imperial Guards, his eyes vacant as if he had lost half his life.

The Esterhazy family owned vast tracts of land in Hungary, but most of their wealth had been used to acquire properties in Vienna. Thus, it was no exaggeration to say that half his life had been taken from him.

Compared to Prince Esterhazy, his attendants were not so fortunate. Since Pietru was also brought by Esterhazy, he was taken away by the Imperial Guards along with the rest.

Pietru thought that he would likely spend the rest of his life in a dungeon. However, he saw one of the Imperial Guards pull a garrote from a bag. He wanted to flee, wanted to scream, but someone stuffed a rag into his mouth.

Pietru felt someone yank him from behind, and the noose tightened around his neck. The Imperial Guard behind him began to twist the handle at the other end of the garrote.

As the handle turned round and round, Pietru struggled violently from lack of oxygen, his hands clawing at the noose in a desperate attempt to save himself, but his executioner was an expert who gave him no chance. Pietru's feet kicked the ground twice before he stopped struggling altogether.

A total of thirteen corpses were loaded onto a special carriage, to be sent out of the palace at dusk.