Franz Egon paused, a gleam flashing through his eyes. "Talleyrand also said that if things go smoothly, the Holy See may promote me to Cardinal Archbishop."
The room quickly descended into an argument.
Yet just half an hour later, Ferdinand, who advocated loyalty to the Archbishop of Cologne, was thrown out, while one of Franz Egon's confidants hurried back to Paderborn in the early hours of the morning.
In Talleyrand's reception room.
Count of Nassau Frederick William bowed to Talleyrand with a smile plastered across his face. "Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince. In truth, Nassau has long wished to join the Seine-Rhine Trade Agreement. As for taking shares in the Mining Area, I'll have Adelaide handle it the moment I return."
The French Minister of Foreign Affairs had just promised to place Düsseldorf and southern Westphalia under Nassau's rule.
The territory of their tiny state by the Rhine River had instantly expanded by 120%!
Nassau was now about the same size as Mainz. Coupled with its already strong economy, it was bound to become a state of considerable weight in North Germany.
At the same time, the French had agreed to let Nassau retain its Tariffs on Leather and metal processing, sweeping away Nassau's last lingering concern about joining the French-led trade system.
If it could use this opportunity to enter the French and even Italian markets, Nassau's economy might rise still further.
Naturally, Frederick William would also support every decision made by Talleyrand in the subsequent votes and side with France in North German diplomatic affairs.
After he left, the Archbishop of Mainz could not wait to enter Talleyrand's room.
Friedrich Karl von Erthal first lavished praise upon the Crown Prince of France and Talleyrand, then cautiously said, "Your Eminence, regarding Rothenburg's affiliation..."
Rothenburg was a