Marie Louise fell ill on December 9, 1847, and her condition continued to worsen. When the news first reached Vienna, no one paid it any mind.
In the eyes of most people, it was nothing more than another new ploy by the Archduchess to win sympathy.
The former Queen of France had lost everything in the eyes of the public: her reputation, beauty, chastity, two husbands, her son, and her father.
At the time, people across Austria were still preparing for Christmas, while the various government departments were getting ready to draw up their year-end reports.
The workers had already received their wages, making this the time of year when they were flush with money. Some shrewd merchants were busy making preparations to squeeze out one last wave of profits.
In truth, even merchants who weren't particularly shrewd had no choice but to get clever: Franz's royal department store was holding a huge sale.
The Austrian Empire's carp production had increased tenfold in three years, but demand was usually poor. Only during the Christmas season did sales surge.
The first reason was tradition. The second was that carp still wasn't cheap enough, and ordinary people couldn't afford it.
The third, and most important, was that the past few years had been marked by constant warfare. Although the flames of war hadn't reached Austrian soil, people could already feel the danger. Many families were stockpiling necessities, even firearms and ammunition.
With no money in their hands, people naturally had no means to buy carp.
Franz's sales strategy was to give away carp with purchases over a certain amount. This would reduce people's resistance as much as possible, while also helping him promote the food and clear his stock.
The first generators had already been developed, but their efficiency was still low.