Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 620 Sudden
Following the reorganization of the Progressive Council, Kamil Pasha was appointed Grand Vizier and Avni Pasha was appointed Minister of the Army. Egypt also announced its support for the council, and a large portion of the new army joined the new government.

However, there is one situation in which the government has not taken action: they have yet to announce the selection of a new Sultan.

Based on the current situation, the Sultan may choose from among the children of the former Sultan Abdullah al-Majid, with Prince Murad being the most likely candidate.

Everyone thought so, even Nasser al-Din. This was a good time to take it easy; ideally, the new Sultan would be pro-Iranian, so a treaty could be signed if necessary.

"This committee is indeed excellent; it's well worth all the years of sponsorship."

Nasserdin said this, and then went to celebrate his mother's 67th birthday. In the past, birthday celebrations were always held within the Iranian royal family, but this time his mother insisted that her two grandsons return.

Abbas and Muhammad returned at their grandmother's command. Malik had repeatedly reprimanded Nasser al-Din for their young age and becoming rulers of their own territories. Although she knew her sons' ambitions, she didn't mean she would send them thousands of kilometers overseas to be sultans. What if something went wrong?

As soon as Naserdin stepped into the hall, his mother grabbed his wrist with a reproachful look. Malik gently tapped the back of his hand: "You, on the other hand, sent my two grandsons to such a far place. Muhammad wrote that he couldn't adapt to the local climate. Don't you, as their father, feel sorry for them?"

Naserdin smiled and gently took his mother's arm. "Mother, this isn't just throwing things away. Abbas is training the new army in South America, and Muhammad is managing the mines in the East—both are paving the way for the family. Look, this is a birthday gift specially sent by Russia. Isn't that proof that they have awe for us?"

For the Queen Mother's birthday, various countries sent gifts. Russia presented a set of Tsarist eggs made by the Fabergé workshop, inlaid with miniature reliefs of the Persepolis Palace, along with three thoroughbred Orlov Trotters. A congratulatory message was also included: "Wishing Your Majesty a long and healthy life, and may the friendship between Iran and Russia be as eternal as the enamel on these eggs, and as steady as the trotters of these horses."

Gifts were also sent from countries such as Britain, France, Germany, and Austria, as well as African countries like Tunisia, Sokoto, and Egypt. They all saw the weakness of the Ottoman Empire and the strength of Iran, and wanted to switch allegiance, so they sent gifts first.

After his mother was seated, the birthday banquet officially began. Everyone celebrated the Queen Mother's 67th birthday, and Naser al-Din thanked his mother, saying that without her constant influence on his father, he wouldn't have been able to maintain his stable position in Tabriz.

"Shah! Shah!"

Abdullah arrived with the telegram, and Nasser al-Din offered his uncle a glass of wine.

"Uncle, you're late! Come on over and have a drink."

"Thank you, Shah. I have important information to report. It comes from the Ottomans."

Upon hearing this, Naser al-Din seemed quite interested. "The new Ottoman Sultan has been elected?"

"Uh... yes."

Shah was also quite excited, "Let me guess who this new Sultan is, hmm... is it Murad, the son of Sultan Majid? He's the easiest to become Sultan."

Abdullah shook his head, "No."

Wrong guess! It seems the committee has a good eye. Nasserdin thought again, "Could it be one of Aziz's sons, Muhammad, Hamid... or the youngest?"

Abdullah shook his head repeatedly, "None of them." Now Shah was at a loss, "Really, where did the committee find these people?"

"Yes"

Naserdin exclaimed, "Ah! They really invited foreigners? The committee is really bold."

"Alright, Uncle, tell me, who do they want to be the Sultan?"

Abdullah took a deep breath and slowly uttered a sentence.

"It's you, Shah!"

Naserdin's hand, holding the wine glass, froze in mid-air, a few drops of wine splashing onto the gold-embroidered tablecloth, much like his heartbeat, which had suddenly become erratic. He stared at Abdullah's face, which was flushed with excitement, his Adam's apple bobbing twice before he found his voice: "Uncle, say it again? I didn't hear you clearly."

"The committee has just sent an official telegram," Abdullah said, handing over the telegram, which still had the warmth of the ink. "The entire Ottoman Progressive Council has unanimously decided to elect you, Shah Nasser al-Din of Iran, as the new Sultan of the Ottoman Empire!"

These words exploded like a thunderclap in the banquet hall. The traditional Persian music that had been playing stopped abruptly, the silver cups in the guests' hands clattered to the ground, and Queen Mother Malik abruptly stood up from her seat: "A concurrent Sultan? This... how is this possible? Have the Ottomans gone mad?"

This event had a significant impact on him. He composed himself and quickly led Abdullah to the side hall. As they passed the pillars, they could still hear the melodious tunes of traditional Persian instruments, which seemed completely out of place with the turmoil surging in his chest.

"Why did the committee choose me?" Naserdin asked in a deep voice as soon as he stepped into the side hall, his usual composed smile long gone. "How could the Ottoman nobles tolerate an Iranian Shah taking away their Sultanate?"

Abdullah pulled the original telegram from his briefcase: "Egypt sent a secret letter to the committee, saying that you have funded the progressive movement for more than 20 years, understand Islamic law, and have a track record of reform. Now half of the Ottoman new army has sided with the committee, but the old forces are still secretly hindering them. They need a sufficiently strong ruler to keep things in check."

There was another point he didn't mention: the committee had initially planned to nominate the Shah as the Ottoman Sultan. They knew from the Brotherhood's time that the Shah had a strong pro-Iranian bias, and after the coup, they had become disillusioned with the Ottoman situation. In chaotic times, drastic measures are needed; for a chronic illness, strong medicine is required. Only by bringing in the Iranian Shah could the Ottomans have any hope.

"The committee has all agreed?" Naserdin asked.

"According to the telegram, the committee is in complete agreement. And one-third of the new army already supports it, but there is no word from other countries, and we don't know what their intentions are."

Abdullah's words returned to the main point: the reactions of other countries, especially Britain and Russia, are of paramount importance. And they will undoubtedly be 100% opposed.

"This is going to be difficult!" Shah thought for a moment and then asked Abdullah to summon all cabinet members to his office for a meeting.

Back in the banquet hall, the music was still playing. But all the nobles wore different expressions; the news they had just heard had been too much of a shock. Even their mothers, wives, and children were no exception.

Naser al-Din spoke a few words to them, then asked Murad to host the banquet in his place before leaving to attend to more important matters.

(End of this chapter)