Their goal achieved, the two continued chatting about everything under the sun as if nothing had happened. In truth, Franz had already hinted that he owed Archduke Louis a favor.
Favors were hard to repay, but for Franz, owing a few more people favors was sometimes not such a bad thing.
Take now, for example: he had made a connection with the leader of the conservative faction. They could now consider themselves allies.
Otherwise, why would Franz have come to him and asked him to do this favor? As the Empire's crown prince, surely there were other ways for him to join the Imperial Guard.
Obviously, there were. If Franz wished, he could get involved even without holding any position. The Imperial Guard served only the royal family. Its first allegiance was to the emperor, and its second was to the crown prince.
"Uncle Louis, things haven't been very peaceful at home lately!" Franz asked, pretending to be curious.
"Hmm, it's all because our esteemed prime minister keeps calling for reform. Now a bunch of capitalists have transformed themselves into Reform Party members, waving the banner of patriotism while lining their own pockets.
"Our esteemed prime minister pretends not to notice and keeps his eyes fixed on us nobles, as if we were the poisonous tumor holding Austria back!" Archduke Louis said indignantly.
Did Prime Minister Metternich really ignore the bourgeoisie? Then what were the secret police for? Surely not arresting nobles?
As a representative of the nobility, aside from harming their interests by abolishing serfdom, Prime Minister Metternich had, for the most part, defended their interests!
Of course, Franz could only think these things. He would never say them aloud. The man before him was the leader of Austria's conservatives; bringing this up in front of him would be asking for trouble.
"Uncle Louis, if the capitalists can call for reform in the name of patriotism, why can't we nobles raise the banner of reform too?" Franz said with a smile.
It was a good habit Franz had picked up. For some reason, after crossing over, he had taken to digging pits for people everywhere.
"Oh? Franz, you're not joking, are you?" Archduke Louis asked incredulously.
The nobility raising the banner of reform? That was absurd! The reforms being discussed now all meant carving flesh from the nobles' bones. Would they really carve up their own flesh?
Franz explained, "Of course not, Uncle Louis. I'm not one to joke around! If the capitalists can propose reforms, why can't we nobles propose reforms too?"
Archduke Louis fell into thought. It was common knowledge that the Austrian Empire had to undergo reforms, but those reforms could not harm their interests. That was why the conservatives opposed them.
To him, Franz's proposal meant that the nobles should take the initiative and seize control of the reform agenda.
He had no suspicion that Franz had ulterior motives, because the bourgeoisie were enemies of the royal family too. If the capitalists led the reforms, they would first strip the emperor of his powers.
And that was only the moderates. The radical bourgeoisie wanted a republic. One need only look at Charles I and Louis XVI to see why no emperor would have any affection for them.
As crown prince, Franz was naturally no exception. A man's position was determined by where he sat. When Franz spoke with him, hadn't he repeatedly emphasized "we"? That was class interest at work: the royal family and the nobility were natural allies.
"Franz, what's your plan? Could you explain it in detail?" Archduke Louis asked with interest.
He no longer dared underestimate Franz. From their conversation so far, the boy was clearly a little fox, remarkably deft at playing politics.
"Uncle Louis, have you noticed that the bourgeoisie call for the emancipation of the serfs under the banners of freedom and equality?" Franz asked.
"Of course. Those people shout about it every day. On top of that, they've proposed constitutional reform, national autonomy, and all sorts of other unreasonable demands.
"At heart, they're doing it for their own interests. Their factories lack cheap labor, so they want to abolish serfdom. They're nothing but a pack of bloodsuckers.
"Most workers live worse than serfs. At least we provide our serfs with food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, and we support them when they grow old.
"But those wicked capitalists have no such kindness in them. Once someone becomes their worker, it's a rare thing for them to last ten years. As soon as they get old, they're cast out to fend for themselves.
"They toil for those people their whole lives, only to end up homeless in the streets. May God punish those bloodsuckers!" Archduke Louis denounced furiously.
It had to be admitted that Archduke Louis had told part of the truth. The capitalists of this era were indeed ruthless, and it was true that most workers lived worse than serfs.
The average life expectancy in cities was three to five years lower than in the countryside, which showed just how cruel the capitalists were.
After entering a factory, an ordinary worker was worn out in a little over a decade. Most people didn't live to see forty.
Still, most nobles weren't any better. They were all bloodsuckers; none was more noble than the rest.
"Uncle Louis, I know all about that. If the capitalists can demand the abolition of serfdom under the pretense of fighting for the serfs' rights, why can't we limit the growth of the bourgeoisie under the banner of improving the working class's welfare?" Franz said with a cold laugh.
He spoke to people in the way they understood, and to ghosts in the way they understood.
At that moment, Franz was playing the feudal noble to perfection. His expression made it seem as though he wanted to tear the bourgeoisie limb from limb.
"Improve the working class's welfare? I'm afraid that won't do. Quite a few of our nobles own workshops too. Improving the workers' conditions would harm many people's interests!" Archduke Louis said, weighing both sides.
Seeing Archduke Louis's expression, Franz knew history's judgment of him was correct: he was indecisive. But a man like that was exactly the sort he might successfully persuade.
"Compared with the glory of the nobility, what do a few meager profits matter? If we don't restrain the bourgeoisie, it won't be long before they're sitting on our heads and taking a shit!
"Uncle Louis, haven't you noticed that the power of the bourgeoisie keeps growing? If things go on like this, one day we won't be able to hold them down!" Franz coaxed.
Those words would only work for now. The nobility had yet to transform into the bourgeoisie. Even those who invested in commerce and industry wouldn't personally get involved.
To have them sit as equals alongside the capitalists? Sorry, but noble lords couldn't sink that low. If ordinary nobles felt that way, then great nobles like Archduke Louis were even more unlikely to do so.
Before you continue