Face-off

"What? Franz, you want to enlist in the army? No! You have to stay home and study properly!" Lady Sophie said furiously.

Her expression seemed to say, You little rascal, you actually want to use this as an excuse to skip class? This is outrageous!

Franz explained, "Dear Lady Sophie, this doesn't count as enlisting. I only want to spend three months experiencing life in the army."

"Three months of experience? Is that necessary? In another six months, you'll officially be enlisting in the army anyway. Why do you need to experience it now?" Lady Sophie demanded.

Franz knew he had to explain himself clearly. Without a good reason, his mother wouldn't agree. As for his father's attitude, when had anyone in their family ever let him make the decisions?

"Isn't there a revolution breaking out in Sicily? Based on the intelligence I've gathered, I believe the European Continent will enter a period of frequent revolutions in the near future.

"To prepare for the unexpected, I need to develop my military skills, so I won't be caught off guard when the time comes!" Franz explained.

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

Franz nodded. "Yes! The domestic economy is in terrible shape, and the struggle between the aristocrats and the capitalists is extremely intense. If the economy doesn't improve soon, the conflict could escalate!"

Watching Franz analyze the situation with such solemnity, Lady Sophie looked grave and a little anxious. Revolution—what a terrifying word.

"You should tell the government about this. As long as they prepare in advance, the capitalists' little bit of power won't amount to anything!" Lady Sophie said after thinking it over.

Judging by Lady Sophie's expression, Franz knew she was only half-convinced. He immediately pressed his advantage:

"No, we can't tell anyone about this. Before anything happens, it's best if only we know. The struggle between the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie has already reached a fever pitch. If we get involved now, it'll be easy to bring disaster down on ourselves!"

Politics was always dark. Franz was going to be emperor; he could stir things up behind the scenes, but he'd leave the business of getting directly involved to someone else!

Looking at Franz, Lady Sophie's expression changed. She asked in disbelief, "Are you planning to use this opportunity to seize power?"

Franz knew Lady Sophie was tempted. No one wanted to place their fate in someone else's hands. The Regency Council had controlled Austria's government for more than a decade.

That was long enough to make the Vienna Court uneasy. Even Ferdinand I, who was only occasionally lucid, understood that the situation was bad for the royal family. How much more so did she?

Having lived in the palace since childhood, even the slowest person would be more politically perceptive than an ordinary person.

Historically, why had the Vienna Court forced Metternich out? Beyond its dissatisfaction with his political reforms, it was more concerned about the power wielded by its minister.

Franz patiently explained, "That depends on the circumstances. Judging by the situation right now, things are very unfavorable for the government.

"The bourgeoisie wants Chancellor Metternich gone and a weak government put in his place. The aristocrats are unhappy with him too, and are preparing to replace him.

"In this situation, it's hard to say whether Chancellor Metternich can weather this political crisis. The people at the top are all caught up in political infighting. Who has time to care about the lives of the people at the bottom?

"When people get hungry enough, they'll do anything. France has already seen food riots, and the situation in Austria is much the same. If the economy doesn't improve, an uprising will be the least of our worries.

"Not long ago, revolutionaries showed up at a banquet hosted by the capitalists and openly proclaimed revolutionary ideas, but the police failed to catch them.

"We have every reason to believe the revolutionaries have made contact with the capitalists. We have no idea how far their cooperation has progressed!"

After a moment's silence, Lady Sophie digested what Franz had just said. She glanced around, then asked, "Does the Vienna Government know? I mean the Regency Council!"

"They probably do. So many people attended that banquet, and I managed to hear about it. There's no reason they wouldn't have heard as well," Franz said calmly.

Lady Sophie studied Franz carefully, as if she no longer recognized him and was trying to get to know him all over again.

It was true. Franz's behavior today had far exceeded her expectations. These weren't things a seventeen-year-old boy could say. He sounded more like a seasoned politician analyzing the situation.

After a long pause, Lady Sophie finally asked, "Franz, when did you reach this conclusion, and when did you start preparing?"

Before Franz could answer, Lady Sophie continued, "It seems you've had all of this under control from the beginning, haven't you? From first provoking conflict between the aristocrats and the bourgeoisie to now preparing your endgame—weren't you afraid the whole thing would spin out of control?"

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

Anyone would feel afraid upon discovering that a young man had laid so many plans to seize power, manipulating a group of politicians as if they were toys in his hands!

Franz explained with complete seriousness, "Dear Lady Sophie, this is a necessary path for an emperor. From the moment I was born, my life was destined to be extraordinary.

"As for the plans you mentioned, I've merely gone with the flow. From beginning to end, none of this has anything to do with me. No matter how the situation develops, I'm only an outsider!

"The Austrian Empire is sick. In this ancient empire, ninety-nine percent of the population is struggling just to survive.

"Hundreds of thousands of people can't even fill their stomachs. A country like this needs only a spark to explode!

"Faced with this situation, if you were in my position, what choice would you make?"

Lady Sophie's face went pale as she demanded, "But you can't play with fire! Is there really such a hurry? You could wait until you succeed to the throne before dealing with these problems. It wouldn't be too late!"

Looking at Lady Sophie's anxious face, Franz felt his heart tremble. He quickly recovered, shook his head, and said:

"I'm afraid there isn't time. Even if I don't interfere, the political struggle at home won't end. Once Chancellor Metternich steps down, there won't be another person in Austria capable of holding the whole mess together!"

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

As soon as she said it, she regretted it. She wanted Chancellor Metternich gone herself, so how could she ask Franz to support him?

Even if the two of them had a very good relationship in private, history books had even described them as mentor and friend.

But political struggles didn't care about personal ties!