The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1347 Wedding (Part )

With a few popping sounds, petals and candies fell like rain. Countless cameras flashed at the same time, freezing time at this moment.

Due to the advancement of photography technology in the Austrian Empire, in addition to the royal photography team, countless people also recorded this moment.

Fortunately, Franz and Olga were used to being used as tools for photo taking, and they walked into the church hand in hand.

24800 candles were lit in the church, and the red carpet had been laid out leading to the altar. Countless lights fell on Franz and Olga through the stained glass on the top of the church, and the surrounding candlelight made Olga's wedding dress look even more dreamy at this moment.

The most amazing thing was that the sunlight seemed to be attracted by the two of them, moving slowly along with their footsteps.

"A miracle! My God!"

Someone shouted that more clergymen were fainting than ladies at that moment.

This is certainly not a miracle, but science. Someone is manipulating the direction of the glass to adjust the angle of sunlight coming in.

However, for most people at this time, this technology is no different from a miracle.

After arriving at the altar, Olga opened her mouth in disbelief, and Franz was also a little stunned, because the person presiding over the ceremony was not Archbishop Rauscher as previously scheduled, but Pope Pius IX.

But the people and guests attending the wedding obviously didn't know this. They just thought it was a supreme honor. After all, no emperor in history had ever invited the Pope to preside over his wedding.

The pope of the past was not a synonym for weak, powerless and pitiful. He was a true monarch with real power, an unattainable spiritual leader and the spokesperson of God walking on earth.

This was the first time in recorded history that the Pope presided over the wedding of an emperor, and being able to witness this historical moment was enough to make everyone present feel proud.

At this time, Pius IX spoke first with a smile.

"I'm sorry I came uninvited. As an apology, I will give you a gift later."

Franz smiled.

“It is an honor for us to have the pope here.”

The best men and bridesmaids on both sides had no idea what was going on. They thought it was a surprise specially prepared by Franz.

Franz was not happy. There was such a major change in this situation, but he didn't even know about it. If the person in front of him was not Pope Pius IX, but an assassin, would his life be coming to an end?
It seems that some people have indeed reached retirement age.
At this time, the best man is more of a bodyguard, mainly to prevent someone from stealing the bride. The duties of the bridesmaids are similar, their main role is to pass off fakes as real.

“I hope the Empress’ love can free the Emperor from the worries of ruling and lead him into an oasis of peace amidst the wild and raging sea.

Let the smiling roses and charming violets bloom." (One thousand words are omitted here)

"Beside Franz Joseph I, the saviour and hero of Austria, the wise and merciful ruler who laid down the law, the pioneer who fought for the honour of God and the good of mankind.

As the mother of the nation, the radiance of Her Majesty the Queen emanates not only from the crown on her head, but also from her character, just like a ray of benevolent light shining on the heads of every subject of the empire."

Pius IX took a deep breath. It was obviously a bit challenging for him to say so many words in one breath. Pius IX looked at Franz.

"In his prime, he did not flinch in the face of the devil that attempted to destroy all human conscience, and he crushed the violence that wanted to destroy all virtues.

But the victory did not leave him, and from now on they will become the model of a Christian family! "

A flowery speech finally ended, and then Pope Pius IX led Franz and Olga to exchange oaths.

However, there was no scene of exchanging rings, because according to the tradition of the Austrian Empire, the emperor presented the jubilee gift to the queen.

The gifts included a wedding ring set with an extremely rare purple diamond weighing 15 carats, which still looked dazzling even in such a dreamy scene inside the church.

Then there are matching necklaces, bracelets, and crowns. However, most of these jewellery do not use diamonds, but their beauty far exceeds that of diamonds.

Olga's breathing gradually became heavier. She had never imagined that she would hate these jewelry so much one day. When Franz put the crown on Olga's head, everyone cheered.

"Long live Emperor Franz! Long live Empress Olga! Long live the Austrian Empire!"

At this time, Pope Pius IX walked in front of Franz again, and the whole church became quiet again, and everyone held their breath.

Pope Pius IX took a key from a tray beside him and handed it to Franz.

"Your Majesty, this is the key to the gates of Rome, which I give to the one who is more worthy of it.

May you guide the people of the world and keep them from being harmed by external evils."

This scene was even more shocking. No one expected that Pius IX would give the city of Rome to Franz as a gift. But this was undoubtedly a blessing for the Habsburg family and the Austrian Empire.

"Long live Emperor Franz! Long live Empress Olga! Long live the Austrian Empire!"

The roar of the sea drowned out everything. The ceremony was over, but the wedding continued.

Franz and Olga boarded a specially made carriage and began their tour.

Olga's eyes drifted towards Franz.

“I never thought marriage would be so exhausting.”

"It's okay, it's my first time too."

The two smiled at each other, and Olga poked her finger at the bulletproof glass beside her.

"Do you have to be in a transparent cage like this every time you travel?"

Franz nodded.

"almost."

"You've worked really hard."

"Now that you're here, I don't have to work so hard."

Olga pouted.

"Is this how you usually trick girls?"

"Not always."

The parade finally made its way through the crowds and arrived at the dock, where the world's largest inland steamship, the Franz Joseph, was anchored.

In fact, the Austrians did the same thing in history, but they customized it from the UK.

And in the end, they were fooled by the British. The ship, which was originally the world's number one, became the world's number nine. It was expensive to build but it often broke down. What was even more terrifying was that only the British knew how to repair it, so it eventually had to be abandoned.

At this time, the "Franz Joseph" was completely independently developed by the Austrian Empire. Whether in tonnage, technology, or even luxury, it was the best in the world.

However, Franz did not build this ship just to show off. Since the technology of large steamships was just emerging at that time, many people could not imagine how big the ships of the future would be.

This of course included officials from the Austrian Empire, and even technical officials. They united and argued with Franz that it was completely meaningless to continue widening the river.

So Franz built this giant inland cruise ship, and this time the officials of the Austrian Empire were finally speechless.

(In fact, this so-called giant cruise ship only looked huge at that time, far less huge than the most luxurious ship "AmaMagna" on the Danube in later generations.)
I thought about it for a long time, wrote several versions, and even asked a high-end wedding emcee. In the end, I used the modified version of the historical original.