An Open Plot

After half a year of negotiations, Britain and Austria finally reached an agreement. On November 12, 1877, representatives of the two nations signed the Anglo-Austrian Free Trade Agreement in Paris, and Austria formally joined the free trade system.

It had to be said that the Paris Conference was a comedy. It had originally been meant to reconcile the contradictions among nations and eliminate international conflicts, yet it failed to accomplish what it set out to do while producing quite a few irrelevant treaties instead.

Come to think of it, that made sense. It was, after all, a summit of national leaders. How could they return home empty-handed without so much as a single achievement?

Going off-topic was inevitable; it was all for political accomplishments. So far, the Paris Conference had produced eight treaties in succession, involving most of Europe.

And that was only what was out in the open. No one knew how many secret treaties had been concluded behind the scenes. In any case, the Paris Conference had not been held in vain.

At the Palace of Versailles, Napoleon IV smashed a cup and cursed furiously, "Damn those British bastards! Damn those Austrian fools! They must have done it on purpose!"

Napoleon IV's guess was correct. The Anglo-Austrian free trade negotiations had actually taken place in Vienna. Going all the way to Paris to sign the treaty had been a forceful demand from the British.

The reason needed no explanation. Since the French had so maliciously lampooned Queen Victoria, the London Government could hardly remain silent.

Diplomatic protests could not shut the French up. French newspapers dared to publish even the emperor's salacious scandals, let alone those of the British queen.

What had begun as "curses" had now developed into tawdry gossip, and even erotic novels had appeared,