Chapter 30: Chapter 29: What Will Come Will Come

March 1835.

The old Emperor, Francis II, suddenly felt unwell. Following a medical examination, the doctors discovered that his body was on the verge of collapse; he likely had only a few days left to live.

Francis II left his bedchamber and wandered aimlessly through the imperial palace.

As he walked, he arrived at his grandson's room. He thought perhaps this was divine will, or perhaps it was something he had wanted to do all along; now, none of that mattered.

When Francis II entered Franz's room, he still wore a kind smile, but his complexion was poor, and he appeared heavy-hearted.

Franz was unclear as to what exactly was happening.

However, based on the news currently published in the newspapers, the entire Austrian Empire was in a rare period of ascent.

Austria's fiscal revenue in 1833 was 130,269,877 florins, and in the first year of joining the German Customs Union, it rose to 146,120,349 florins—far exceeding the predictions of Count Kolowrat and the Ministry of Finance. A growth rate of 12% was more than enough to boast about.

Politically, loans had firmly placed the central Italian states under Austrian control. The rulers of central Italy, rather than feeling resentment or suspicion toward hiring Austrian advisors to help manage their states, felt they were getting a bargain by not having to pay for officials themselves.

After joining the German Customs Union, Austria's position within the German Confederation became even more secure.

Even those small states that had previously followed closely in Prussia's footsteps were once again turning toward Austria.

In the last vote, Prussia had been outmaneuvered by Austria. Because no one could identify the mole, the Foreign Minister had died, and the Polish insurgents were causing trouble, the Prussian side had become increasingly suspicious of everything.

Domestically, because the nobles and capitalists of Northern Italy also wanted a piece of the pie from the German Customs Union, they appeared extremely well-behaved.

The Hungarians, meanwhile, were still busy with internal strife and would not make any major moves until a new leader was decided.

Furthermore, a new faction had emerged within Hungary, led by a group of young nobles headed by Count Széchenyi.

These individuals were typically not traditional aristocrats; their status as industrial and commercial bourgeoisie meant they naturally desired open markets and free trade. They did not oppose joining the German Customs Union; on the contrary, they supported Hungary's entry into it.

With the addition of this new faction, the factional struggles within Hungary became even more intense.

In short, the domestic scene appeared peaceful.

In recent years, France had first suffered a cholera pandemic, followed by natural disasters leading to reduced grain yields, and then large-scale worker uprisings; now, cholera was spreading through France once again.

The Russians' target remained the Ottomans; regarding Austria, they had only sent some Pan-Slavists into the Eastern Transylvania region to infiltrate and spread Pan-Slavist ideas.

The spread of Pan-Slavism caused certain hidden dangers locally. The local garrison commander, General von Anton, immediately took decisive action, executing those who deserved death and deporting those who deserved expulsion.

Although von Anton's actions were somewhat extreme, the Russians could find no fault with them. After all, their crime was disturbing local public order, and there was no mention of so-called Pan-Slavism.

As a land power and a Mediterranean nation, Austria posed almost no threat to the British, so it did not attract special attention from them.

The international environment was also becoming favorable to Austria.

Franz truly could not fathom what the old Emperor could be worried about, yet he saw the old man hesitating to speak.

He could only say, "Grandfather, what is wrong?"

"I am fine," Francis II smiled and continued, "Franz, would you answer a question for your grandfather?"

"Yes." Franz put down his newspaper, sat up straight, and waited for the old Emperor's question.

"Is your grandfather a good emperor?"

"Of course you are a good emperor. Look at the newspaper!" After saying this, Franz picked up the paper and pointed to the news.

Francis II took the newspaper and examined it closely.

It was filled with accounts of how powerful the Austrian Empire was and how wise His Majesty the Emperor was.

After reading it, Francis II felt quite gratified, as it had been a long time since anyone had sung his praises.

However, after a few more glances, he couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. The newspapers only wrote about the recent achievements of the Austrian Empire, while remaining completely silent on the difficulties the empire currently faced.

But as he read further, Francis II's brow relaxed, and he even felt a bit happy.

Because the newspapers disparaged the surrounding countries as worthless: the French could not afford bread, the Prussians had no shoes to wear, and the Russians had to use humans to plow the fields—it was as if everyone in the world, except for those in the Austrian Empire, was living in misery.

The Italian people, in particular, were described as welcoming the imperial army with open arms and abundant food.

These cloying words did not affect Francis II's mood, nor did they make him feel ashamed.

Instead, he instructed the Imperial Grand Chamberlain to print more copies and ensure that every Austrian official read them.

Franz felt a bit embarrassed, but he felt relieved that Prince Metternich's system of newspaper and book censorship was being effectively implemented.

If one could still find news unfavorable to Austria or the Imperial Family in the newspapers supplied to the court, that would be a failure on Prince Metternich's part.

Especially after joining the German Customs Union, Austria would become the focus of attention for the entire German region. Any small stain could be infinitely magnified, thereby affecting national policy or even threatening the rule.

The common people could use newspapers to understand the state, but an Emperor must never rely on newspapers alone.

"Franz, today I will tell you a secret to being an emperor. This is a secret your grandfather only realized after decades of ruling," the old Emperor said with an expectant look.

Although Franz was somewhat surprised—as he did not consider the old Emperor to be a successful ruler—he decided to listen attentively, as he did not want to dampen the old man's spirits.

Francis II cleared his throat and took a deep breath, trying his best to bring his body into its best state.

"To be an emperor, one must possess the aura of a monarch. And that aura requires not just dignity and politeness, but also decisiveness and a sense of responsibility. If you cannot understand that, then even if you must be a barbaric tyrant, do not expose your weakness in front of others."

"I was once a weak emperor, so Napoleon, Talleyrand, the French, the British, the Russians, the Prussians, and even those hypocritical ministers and the Hungarians—everyone targeted me!"

Francis II appeared somewhat agitated, but then he laughed again.

"But one day, the moment I picked up the sword, they all feared me. They feared me as their Emperor; they feared I would reconstruct the Holy Roman Empire, and they feared I would bully them. No one dared to bully me or this country again. Now the whole country has improved; it is just a pity that I realized this too late."

Tears rolled from the corners of Francis II's eyes as he continued, "Your uncle is not suited to rule this country, and your father also lacks such talent. The future master of this country must be you. You must remember my words: when you reconstruct the Holy Roman Empire, you must let me be buried under the title of Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire."

Franz was somewhat stunned, but he still nodded.

Francis II turned and added, "Remember to have many children."