24. The Showdown

"What? Franz, you want to enlist in the army? Absolutely not! You must stay home and study properly!" Lady Sophie said, her face full of fury.

The expression on her face was as if to say, You brat, you're actually trying to find an excuse to skip class; this is simply lawless!

Franz explained, "Respected Lady Sophie, this isn't considered active service. I merely wish to enter the military for three months to gain some experience."

"Experience for three months? Is that necessary? In another half-year, you will officially enter the military for service; is there any need to go and 'experience' it now?" Lady Sophie demanded.

Franz knew that if he didn't explain clearly, it wouldn't work. Without a suitable reason, his mother would never agree. As for his father's attitude, when had their household ever been under his father's command?

"Hasn't a revolution broken out in Sicily? Based on the intelligence I've gathered and analyzed, the European Continent is about to enter a period of high revolutionary activity in the near future. To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, I must cultivate my military literacy so I won't be caught off guard when the time comes!" Franz explained.

"You're saying that a revolution might break out in Austria?" Lady Sophie asked, her face darkening.

Franz nodded and said, "Yes! The domestic economic situation is very poor, and the struggle between the nobles and the capitalists is extremely intense. If the economy doesn't improve in the short term, the contradictions will likely escalate!"

Watching Franz's solemn analysis, Lady Sophie's expression turned grave and somewhat nervous. Revolution—what a terrifying term.

"You should be saying these things to the government. As long as they prepare in advance, the meager power of those capitalists won't be worth mentioning!" Lady Sophie thought for a moment and said.

Seeing Lady Sophie's expression, Franz knew she was only half-convinced, so he immediately upped the stakes:

"No, this issue cannot be mentioned to anyone. Before it happens, it is best if only we know. The struggle between the nobility and the bourgeoisie has already reached a white-hot stage; if we get involved now, it will be very easy to bring disaster upon ourselves!"

Politics is always dark. Franz was destined to be an emperor; he could stir things up from behind the scenes, but as for getting his own hands dirty, he would leave that to others!

Looking at Franz, Lady Sophie's face changed, and she said with some disbelief, "Are you planning to use this opportunity to seize power?"

Franz knew Lady Sophie was tempted. No one is willing to entrust their fate to others, and the Regency Council had held the reins of the Austrian government for over a decade.

Such a long time was enough to make the Vienna court feel uneasy. Even Ferdinand I, who had occasional moments of clarity, knew this situation was unfavorable to the imperial family, let alone her.

Having lived in the court since childhood, even the dullest person would have a higher political sensitivity than the average person.

Historically, why did the Vienna court want to kick Metternich out? Beyond dissatisfaction with his political reforms, it was largely due to their anxiety over a powerful minister.

Franz patiently analyzed, "That depends on the specific situation. From the current perspective, the situation is very unfavorable for the government. The bourgeoisie wants Prime Minister Metternich out to replace him with a weak government; the nobles are equally unhappy with him and are preparing to replace him with someone else. Under these circumstances, it's hard to say whether Prime Minister Metternich can withstand this political crisis. With the energy of the upper echelons tied up in political infighting, who has time to care about the lives of the lower classes?"

"You must know that once people are hungry enough, they will do anything. France has already seen riots among the starving, and our situation in Austria is much the same. If the economy doesn't improve, riots will be the least of our worries. Not long ago, at a banquet held by capitalists, revolutionary party members appeared and openly declared revolutionary ideas, yet the police didn't catch anyone. We have sufficient reason to believe that the revolutionaries have already made contact with the capitalists. How far their cooperation has progressed, that, we do not know!"

After a moment of silence, Lady Sophie digested what Franz had just said. She looked around and asked, "Does the Vienna government know? I mean the Regency Council!"

"They should know. With so many people attending the banquet, if I could receive the news, there is no reason they wouldn't," Franz said calmly.

Lady Sophie scrutinized Franz carefully, as if she no longer recognized him and was currently getting to know him all over again.

That's right, Franz's performance today had far exceeded Lady Sophie's expectations. These words were not something a seventeen-year-old boy could say; it was more like a seasoned politician analyzing a problem.

After a long while, Lady Sophie finally asked, "Franz, when did you come to this conclusion, and when did you start preparing?"

Without waiting for Franz to answer, Lady Sophie continued, "These situations seem to have been under your control all along, haven't they? From initially provoking the conflict between the nobles and the bourgeoisie to now preparing to manage the aftermath—aren't you afraid of it all falling apart?"

Fear! That's right, in Lady Sophie's eyes, Franz saw fear.

Anyone who discovered that a young boy had made so many arrangements to seize power, playing a group of politicians in the palm of his hand, would feel fear!

Franz explained solemnly, "Respected Lady Sophie, this is the path every emperor must take. From the moment I was born, my life was destined to be extraordinary. As for the arrangements you speak of, I am merely following the trend. From beginning to end, these matters have had nothing to do with me; no matter how the situation develops, I remain an outsider!"

"The Austrian Empire is sick. In this ancient empire, ninety-nine percent of the people are struggling just to survive. There are even millions who cannot even fill their stomachs. A country like this only needs a spark to explode! Facing such a situation, if you were in my position, what choice would you make?"

Lady Sophie asked with a pale face, "But you can't play with fire! Is there a need to be so urgent? It wouldn't be too late to solve these problems after you ascend to the throne!"

Franz looked at the anxious Lady Sophie, his heart trembling slightly. He quickly recovered, shook his head, and said:

"I'm afraid there isn't that much time. Even if I don't intervene, the domestic political struggle will not end. Once Prime Minister Metternich steps down, Austria has no second person capable of being this 'wall-patcher'!"

In her panic, Lady Sophie blurted out something she didn't even believe herself: "Then you could support Prime Minister Metternich!"

As soon as she said it, she immediately regretted it. She wanted Prime Minister Metternich out; how could she possibly want Franz to support him?

Even in private, the relationship between the two was very good, and history books even described them as mentor and friend.

But political struggle does not account for personal sentiment!