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

Chapter 1663 is titled "The Poison of Power".

Buckingham Palace.

“Honey, they brought me this toilet paper again, and I had to sign it. I could even hear them laughing at me.”

Victoria felt that her dignity as queen had vanished in front of these politicians, and that she really was just a stamping machine.

Prince Albert was actually more sensitive to this, as he could clearly sense that the royal family was gradually becoming politically marginalized.

However, Prince Albert simply sighed and then spoke to his wife.

“I understand how you feel, but we live in a constitutional era, which is progress. We must learn to accept it.”

Parliament also had its considerations; limiting Russia could indeed prolong British hegemony.

At this moment, Prince Albert suddenly changed the subject.

"But this was not a well-thought-out plan, but a foolish adventure."

Victoria's eyes lit up upon hearing this; her husband truly understood her. She didn't think this was a wise move.

Prince Albert continued.

“Those politicians are used to a good life; they have no idea how cruel war is. I’ve been to Ireland, and it’s like hell on earth.”

However, according to the veterans accompanying them, the Irish rebellion was nothing but child's play, and the battles with the Russians and Austrians were a hundred or a thousand times more brutal.

Chancellor Gladstone's warnings were not unfounded; the country was on the brink of default, capital flight, and social unrest.

If this continues, then anything, no matter how terrible, could happen.

Victoria understood perfectly well what the terrible thing Prince Albert was referring to. She felt more helpless than ever since she ascended the throne, as if she were being pushed into a volcano.

Victoria clearly remembered that her uncles could interfere with the implementation of policies through court intrigues, but she seemed powerless to do anything about it.

"Then what shall we do?"

Albert was well aware that the shadow of the French Revolution still loomed over Europe, and that Europe was heading towards two extremes.

In some countries, royal families have begun to relinquish their power in support of constitutionalism, while in others they have become unprecedented power beasts.

Of course, there are also countries like Prussia and the Netherlands whose actions are quite perplexing. Their behavior and practices are strange and contradictory, even to the royal families of those countries.

Prince Albert embraced his wife tightly and whispered something.

"We cannot openly oppose war, as that would be considered unconstitutional and would also put us in danger."

However, we won't just do nothing and let those guys run wild.

We can show some concern for the soldiers who are about to go to the front lines, and for the civilians who are forced to pay taxes.

Most importantly, we can extend goodwill to other royal families.

The British Parliament could never have imagined that the royal family would be forced to stand with the people, and that this gesture of goodwill was seen as standard practice by all parties.

After all, Victoria and Albert were related to Franz and Nicholas I, so it was reasonable for them to show some concern. As for words like "desire for peace" and "avoidance of conflict," they were mostly just for show, and neither side took them seriously.

In fact, the reason why the British royal family has behaved in the above ways is not only because the parliamentary resolution was not in the interests of the royal family, but also because the royal family has long tasted the power.

Franz's partnership with the British royal family to start a company was not simply a matter of seeking asylum. In fact, he had many ways to circumvent British laws in the colonies, and he had as many so-called protective umbrellas as he wanted.

Even if Franz openly went to Australia to mine, the Australian government would most likely turn a blind eye.

With Franz's methods, he could easily set up a shell company, and no one would discover his manipulation behind the scenes until the gold mine was depleted.

Why then did Franz insist on spending a large sum of money to bribe the British royal family and run the company with them?

Money can be alluring, and power can bewitch people.

The former makes people see the world they want to possess, while the latter makes people forget who they originally were.

Once the British royal family tastes power again, they will realize how miserable their previous lives were!
What right to consult? What right to warn? What right to appoint or dismiss officials based on government recommendations? They treat themselves like stamping machines and then try to shift the blame onto themselves.

In contrast, after making money doing business with the Austrian royal family, their lives improved, and every day became exciting.

Once money was no longer an issue, they had fewer worries.

They no longer need to waste time on trivial processes and interpersonal relationships; instead, they can pave the way with money to directly push things in the direction they want.

The thrill of "strict adherence to orders" is indeed irresistible.
They have no worries when power returns to them in certain periods of time.

The British royal family also wanted to obtain the same privileges as the Austrian imperial family. In their view, Franz would certainly not have any troubles, since he could do whatever he wanted immediately, and would not have to bear any responsibility even if he was wrong.

Moreover, in their view, the British royal family should have had that power in the first place, and they were simply trying to reclaim what belonged to them.

Indeed, this was Franz's true purpose. Ideological warfare has never disappeared, from the mutual attacks between patriarchy and matriarchy to Qin Shi Huang's burning of books and burying of scholars alive.

From the battlefields of Athens and Sparta to the burning at the stake in the Middle Ages; from the ideas of racial superiority in the Enlightenment to the ideals of equality for all in the French Revolution.

Franz did not believe that constitutional monarchy was the only path in history; he should not have thought so, and he could not possibly have thought so.

Just like the Reformation, if Franz could successfully overthrow the constitutional monarchy of Britain, it would undoubtedly be great news for Austria and all empires.

Moreover, even if it created a rift between the British government and the royal family, it could be considered a success for the Austrian Empire.

As for absolute monarchy itself, it is also beneficial to the British royal family; in other words, if they are unwilling, Franz cannot force them.

Ultimately, however, the outcome was not up to Franz. Interfering in the ownership of British power was still too difficult for the Austrian Empire at that time.

The British government's envoy soon arrived in Vienna again, and this time Prince Schwarzenberg was once again in charge of receiving him.

Georg Wiliers was an old friend of the Austrian Empire. Although the two sides never reached many agreements, they did become quite familiar with each other.

The Hofburg Palace even had Far Eastern black tea prepared for Georges Villiers, which was quite remarkable in a country that wasn't particularly fond of tea.

"Mr. George Villiers, you've come again. I wonder what brilliant ideas you have this time?"

Prince Schwarzenberg said with a smile.