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

Chapter 1612 Forced into the Palace
In addition to aiding the Ottomans, the British were also trying to repair relations with the Greeks.

Although the Don Pasifico incident had extremely negative consequences, the Russian threat was also very real. After much deliberation, Otto I decided to allow British merchants to enter and establish trading posts near the Russian border.

Everyone knows perfectly well what these so-called trading posts are actually doing, but no one exposes it.

Russians have a very bad habit: they always want to eat what's in their own bowl, and even want to put the person next to them into their bowl and eat them too.

Otto I could barely tolerate the former, but the latter could not tolerate it no matter what.

Although Otto I had lost an arm and no longer dreamed of a grand Greek nation, the flames of Greek nationalism had been ignited, and the Greeks wanted to be on the table.

However, when they excitedly sat down at the table with their knives and forks, they found that only scraps of food remained. What angered them even more was that even those scraps were marked as untouchable. The Greeks' anger was understandable.

The Greeks still highly valued the Austrian Empire as an ally, so their expansionist ambitions were limited to Russia and the Ottoman Empire.

At this point, Greece was clearly no match for Russia and the Ottoman Empire, and if Russia gained the upper hand, it would certainly not leave Greece any chance.

On the contrary, if the Russians had given up the Balkans, they might have had a chance.

Franz was well aware of these absurd deals, but from his perspective, there was nothing wrong with Greece and Russia becoming enemies.

Franz wasn't worried about the relationship between Britain and Greece; they were merely using each other. If he were to intervene, it would only worsen the situation.

Both Britain and the Ottomans had a clear objective: they wanted Russia dead.

At this time, France's attitude was ambiguous, and it did not react as aggressively as it had in the past.

This was mainly determined by strength. If the French were to provoke Russia again by bringing up the issue of the Holy Land, the Russians would most likely fall for it. However, France's strength at this time was far inferior to that of the same period in history. Napoleon was not a fool, and he would not act as a pawn for the British without any benefit to him.

According to Franz's assessment, war is unlikely to break out for the time being, since neither side has the strength to break the balance of power, so he should still have some leisure time ahead of him.

However, there aren't that many "shoulds" in the world.
Prague Palace.

Franz stared at the mountain of petitions on his desk and fell into deep thought. Friction between the Austrian Empire's aristocratic elite and the common people had a long history, and Franz's choice was to divide and rule.

The aristocratic schools of the Austrian Empire had facilities, faculty, and management that were incomparable to ordinary schools, but the entry requirements were also very high. In addition to aristocratic status, students had to pay high tuition fees or make significant contributions to the country, as well as have extremely strong self-control and discipline.

Franz genuinely wanted to cultivate some social elites from among the nobility, but this approach aroused dissatisfaction among the minor nobles and lower-level officials. They were unhappy that their children attended public schools with commoners, but were not qualified to attend noble schools or were unwilling to spend the money.

So these people wanted to create a new type of school between elite schools and public schools to satisfy their vanity and alleviate so-called class anxiety.

Normally, Franz, as the ruler, should accept their suggestions and create so-called secondary schools for them. This would not only appease their resentment but also allow him to make another profit.

However, Franz never considered education as an industry from the beginning. He had more exploitative methods to pursue industrialization and reform, but he had no interest in doing so.

The nature of the empire dictates that Franz cannot solve problems according to the mindset of a businessman; he needs a completely brainwashed class to serve him.

Moreover, Franz was well aware of the power of the privileged class. Even if he didn't provide them with upward mobility, it would only achieve superficial equality. Once this illusion of equality was exposed, it would only lead to a greater backlash. Rather than letting these guys wreak havoc everywhere, it was better to gather them together and manage them. At least under Franz's nose, they would still pretend to be human to some extent.

Eton College has a poor reputation in modern times, being a concentration camp of rigidity, stagnation, dullness, and waste, but that did not prevent it from shining brightly in the nineteenth century and cultivating countless elites for Britain.

(Seven of the 23 British prime ministers in the 7th century graduated from Eton College.)
Eton College's decline didn't occur until after World War II, when a large number of nobles died in the war, their lineages died out, and the power of the entire aristocratic class plummeted.

Furthermore, Franz's support for public schools is substantial, as evidenced by the country's extravagant education spending.

After all, these funds weren't spent on elite schools. The exorbitant tuition fees of Austrian Imperial aristocratic schools largely served to alleviate the financial burden on the imperial government, and in return, students had the opportunity to acquire an impressive network of connections from the moment they enrolled.

Public schools in the Austrian Empire were not only almost free, but also enjoyed many preferential policies provided by the state, such as cheaper stationery and books.

However, the minor nobles and lower-ranking officials were clearly not swayed by Franz's small favors, and they continued to tirelessly write petitions.

Of course, there were even more assertive ones. For example, the local Bohemian nobles were dissatisfied with Franz's actions, and they gathered a group of people who were surrounding the palace.

"We are nobles! We need a place that reflects our status! We don't want to share a school with commoners!"

"We want a school that belongs to us, with reasonable fees and a respectable environment!"

The crowd chanted slogans, putting the soldiers outside in a difficult position. After all, the time they had chosen was very sensitive, with royal families from various countries present. If not handled properly, it could become an international laughing stock.

Bordeaux was wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Your Majesty, I."

"Alright, that's enough. I know your difficulties; with so many nobles and officials colluding together, it's indeed very difficult for you to handle."

But you need to think carefully: what would have happened if these people hadn't come to offer suggestions, but rather to cause trouble?

Bordeaux breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Franz's words.

"Your Majesty, our army has surrounded them. They are at your command."

Franz sighed.

"What order? Do you think I'm going to slaughter them all? Let them elect a representative."

Bordeaux quickly arrived on horseback with his men to the protesters, but the protesters' first reaction was to flee. It took the royal guards quite a while to bring them together.

"His Majesty Franz Joseph I has ordered you to select a representative to go in."

However, the huddled crowd looked at each other, none of them wanting to be the first to take the lead, and the few who were supposed to be in charge even started passing the buck to each other.

Bordeaux couldn't help but begin to worry about the future of the imperial nobility.