Chapter 56: Chapter 54: Who Is the Most Powerful

Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.

The rubber seeds had been sent directly to the Royal Greenhouse, waiting to be cultivated into seedlings before being transported to Zhenla, so that Ambrosius and the clergy could promote their planting there.

The rubber tree has a very long cycle; it takes eight years before tapping can begin, and it takes another five years of tapping to reach its peak.

Looking at the check and the wheat seeds before him, Franz felt that Talia had gone a bit too far.

"What is this about these hundred thousand florins? We had a contract. You are a robber—a Westerner with absolutely no sense of contract spirit."

Talia shrugged indifferently.

"The contract is gone now; do we still need to abide by it?"

"What about the contract?"

"He tore it up himself. It has nothing to do with me."

"How is that possible!"

Talia made a stopping gesture, then took a pouch out of her skirt pocket.

"This is a gift for you; you'll find it useful in the future." Talia thought for a moment and added, "Hopefully, you won't need it."

"Costa tore the contract himself? How could that be?" Franz pressed.

Talia pointed to the pouch on the table.

"The powder inside makes people feel weak and submissive. Costa tampered with my tea."

Franz looked at Talia and asked curiously, "Are you alright?"

"Of course I'm fine. He reaped what he sowed," Talia said with great pride.

"Well, it seems he has received the punishment he deserves."

Franz looked at the check on the table, thinking that since it was already written, he might as well just spend it.

"Talia, you did a good job. Do you want a reward?"

Talia looked at Franz in surprise. What was this brat thinking? Was he trying to control her? *I am Talia,* she suddenly remembered, *and it seems I am currently Franz's person.*

"A reward?!" Talia's eyes darted around.

"Let me rephrase: do you have any dreams?"

"Dreams? I want to study like a man, hold office, and then have people worship me." Talia seemed to remember the foolish things she had done in the past.

As the stronghold of conservative forces in Europe, women in Austria had only just gained the right to receive an education; universities did not allow women to enter, let alone hold office.

"How about this: I'll help you establish a girls' academy and let you be the principal. That way, you can hold office and be worshipped at the same time," Franz proposed.

"Can being a principal make one worshipped?" Talia asked.

"Let me ask you: in a zoo, who is the most powerful?" Franz countered.

"A tiger? A lion?...Maybe an elephant?" Talia did not have a definitive answer to this question.

"It's the director!"

Talia had an epiphany, feeling that Franz made a lot of sense.

Only then did she realize: a girls' academy!? This would be an unprecedented event, as there had not been a school specifically for girls in Vienna before.

It wasn't until 1835 that Emperor Ferdinand I approved the decree allowing women to attend school.

However, there was no compulsory education in Austria at the time. Attending public schools or hiring private tutors usually meant expensive tuition fees.

Furthermore, church schools or private schools established by the nobility had strict requirements for admission.

The extremely high illiteracy rate in the Austrian Empire was the best proof of this.

During the eras of Empress Maria Theresa and Joseph II, Austria had implemented completely free compulsory education, but it was entirely abolished during the reign of Leopold II.

After the Napoleonic Wars ended, Francis II had briefly restored it, but due to a lack of funds, he required schools to find their own way.

An illiteracy rate of over 70% could only be rivaled by Russia to the east.

"Franz, are you serious? Establishing a girls' academy requires the approval of His Majesty the Emperor." Talia made a gesture as if feeling Franz's forehead.

"What's the big deal? I am Franz." Franz wasn't bragging. Although he did not dare to meddle lightly in matters of state, as long as it didn't involve the national level, even if he wanted to build an amusement park in the Vienna Central Garden (the Vienna Central Cemetery) tomorrow, no one would object.

"Oh, so that means I can be the principal?"

"Of course. I have two manors in the north of the city that can be converted into a school. They face the Danube and are backed by the Kahlenberg; situated between mountain and water, it is a perfect place for a school. Even the buildings are ready. Since I won't be living there anyway, I'll give them to you."

Talia had seen them from a distance once before; they were two beautiful imperial manors. She hugged Franz excitedly, and the weak, pitiful, and helpless Franz was squeezed until he could barely breathe.

Talia suddenly let go of Franz. She thought of another problem: how many eccentrics like her were there in all of Austria? Moreover, three predecessors had already been burned at the stake, and she herself had almost been hanged from the chestnut tree in front of the Prime Minister's residence.

"Where will I go to recruit students! There aren't many girls in Austria who have received a high school education, let alone girls who want to go to university."

For women in Austria, graduating from university faced a major problem: there were no suitable jobs for them. They could only choose to be wives and mothers or become governesses in other noble households.

Thus, in the Austrian Empire, education for women usually stopped at reading and writing.

"That's simple. If there aren't any in Austria, we can recruit from abroad. And it doesn't have to teach the same curriculum as a regular university; we can tailor the courses specifically for you.

For example, simple courses like etiquette, housework, arithmetic, languages, literature, and theology can be offered alongside electives in complex disciplines like economics, law, sociology, psychology, natural sciences, engineering, and mechanics.

You can start from primary school and extend it to middle school, high school, and university. In any case, the field for girls' academies in Vienna is currently a blank slate."

Talia was somewhat speechless.

"Where am I going to find so many female teachers?"

"The ladies-in-waiting of the Viennese court—those who have retired or are too old to continue working in the court."

"You want to replace them with young and beautiful ones!"

In truth, Franz wanted to implement universal compulsory education, but given the current situation, such a project would never pass.

Even if the Emperor approved it, it would be rejected by Kolowrat and Metternich of the Regency Council, because the Austrian treasury simply could not support it.

The French were using their influence to reduce bank loans to the Austrian Empire, while simultaneously intentionally causing the construction of railways contracted by French merchants to pause.

Furthermore, Friedrich List was using the connections he had built while working in the Austrian Empire to offer benefits to Austrian officials, causing them to make all sorts of difficulties regarding railway construction.

On the Hungarian side, new laws were introduced refusing to sell pig iron, sand, and timber to Austria. Although Hungary was not the primary supplier for Austrian railways, original suppliers took one look at this law and demanded price increases.

This caused the merchants who had originally been enthusiastic about investing in railways to be shrouded in panic, leading them to sell off their railway stocks. The result of the capital outflow was widespread work stoppages.

Meanwhile, Count Kolowrat and Prince Metternich were engaged in endless debates over whether to protect the South or the North.