Chapter 223 Vicious
Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.
Franz was still at his desk planning the future of the famous Austria as usual.
A maid knocked on Franz's door.
"Archduke Franz, Madam Sophie wants to see you."
"come in."
After Franz finished speaking, he went to open the door.
"Hello, mother."
"Hello, Franz. Can I come in and have a chat with you?"
"Okay." Franz replied.
Mrs. Sophie waved to the maids and guards behind her, who wisely exited the room and closed the door.
"Franz, you don't seem to be in a hurry?" Mrs. Sophie looked like she hated iron.
"Should I be anxious? Mother." Franz hugged Mrs. Sophie and rubbed his face on her chest. A feeling that was both familiar and unfamiliar made Mrs. Sophie very angry.
"Why are you so coquettish?" Mrs. Sophie was so angry that she was speechless for a while. She looked around, and finally she found a teacup and took a big sip.
Mrs. Sophie no longer cared about her image at this time, and said with a sigh of relief.
"You are the biological child of me and your father, so you don't have to worry about that. But this rumor is very vicious. Not only does he want to kill you, but he also wants our family to disappear from this world."
"Mom, who do you think is happiest when our family loses power?"
"I have offended so many people, and you have offended a lot of people too. How could I have guessed this!"
Franz facepalmed.
"Then let me put it another way, who is most beneficial to our family's loss of power?"
"The most advantageous?" Mrs. Sophie suddenly thought of a very terrible result. "Queen Anna?"
Franz didn't answer, just making tea silently.
"Why?! That vicious woman!" Mrs. Sophie was already gnashing her teeth in anger.
"I have no evidence, but this matter is very unusual. Most of the things I do are done in the name of my father. If they want revenge, they should go to my father. But the other party just came to me. And spreading this rumor when attention is at its highest can be described as deliberate."
Normally, Archduke Franz does not pay much attention to himself. Once the government takes strong measures, it can easily be eliminated. But this time is different. The entire country is in a kind of fanatical worship of heroes after victory.
"And those details are difficult for people outside the palace to know so clearly. If it was a national-level frame-up, the news would have spread abroad long ago. But even Austria's mortal enemy, the French, did not publish this news in their newspapers. This is It can never be the action of a certain country."
"But that bitch has no children, and the throne of Austria is even less likely to be inherited by the queen. What's the point of her doing this?" Mrs. Sophie was puzzled by this.
"Mother, do you know the story of Catherine the Great?"
"Franz, you mean"
"Mother, there is a first time for everything. Before Queen Theresa, no woman had inherited the throne of Austria."
Franz's words made Mrs. Sophie break into cold sweat, but her heart was still restless.
"But what should we do? Tell the emperor and let him depose the queen? Or let Grand Duke Louis directly lead the troops and let the queen die unexpectedly?"
"Mother, what Austria needs at this time is stability." Franz said flatly.
"But if this continues, your legitimacy and legitimacy will be questioned, and these dirty remarks will accompany you throughout your life..." Mrs. Sophie knew very well the horror of rumors, that is, people don't care whether they are true or not, they just Choose what you like.
Franz also knew that even if Liu Zi opened his stomach to show others, no one would care.
The best way to eliminate rumors is to directly punish those who create rumors and those who spread rumors.
"Don't worry, mother. Those who spread the rumor will be sentenced to hanging in the public square tomorrow. As for those who helped spread the rumor, they will all be exiled to Namibia and Chenla."
"What if someone spreads rumors again?" Mrs. Sophie said worriedly.
"Continue to hang and exile, and only when your life is at stake can those who do evil things be shut up completely," Franz said.
"How did you catch those who spread the rumors? The secret police searched the whole city but couldn't find them. The Bavarian Mutual Aid Association also helped find them for several days. Even the Vienna Chamber of Commerce and Industry offered a reward of 500,000 florins, but there was no clue. "
"Don't worry, mother. The person who spread the rumor will be dead after the execution tomorrow. Anyone who is an accomplice can also be sentenced to death." Franz's tone was cold and murderous.
The real rumor mongers may have left Vienna a long time ago, or even left the European continent. It would be extremely difficult to catch them. But there are a lot of death row prisoners, and people just want to see the excitement.
As for the owners of that newspaper, they all took advantage of the censorship system and at the same time touched the country's bottom line. They deserve to be punished.
Just to damage the reputation of the royal family and send them into exile in Namibia is very merciful.
Of course, if someone jumped out and admitted that he was the one who spread the rumor, Franz wouldn't mind hanging one more person.
As for the mastermind behind the scenes, Empress Anna, and her lover, the emperor's chief advisor Carl von Sluter, Franz felt that he could let them go once for the sake of the stability of the Austrian Empire. After all, although these clowns were vicious, they were nothing more than a few. The drama of palace fighting is nothing to worry about.
"But what should I do about that bitch? Just let her go like this? Your kindness will kill you sooner or later!" Mrs. Sophie obviously didn't want to let Queen Anna go, and she didn't care even if her roommates were fighting.
"Mother, we don't have enough evidence."
Franz still looked indifferent, which made Mrs. Sophie angry and funny.
"Why did I give birth to such an invulnerable thing like you? I really want to ruin your reputation!"
"This scandal alone has hurt the royal family very much. If another queen dies mysteriously, it will definitely not be a good thing for the country. What's more, I have nothing to do with them in the first place. I believe they will get over it after this time. Return."
Different from Franz's optimism, although Mrs. Sophie could not cause Queen Anna to die mysteriously, there was no problem in letting several maids around her disappear before figuring out the matter.
However, Madame Sophie soon became angry, because the two maids brought from Savoy to Queen Anna quickly admitted the fact of spreading rumors under coercion and inducement.
It was Empress Anna and her chief advisor Carl von Sloot who jointly planned it. They sold the rumors to newspapers and then hid in the palace to avoid arrest.
Framing Archduke Franz is only the first step in the plan. Later, Archduke Maximilian and Archduke Ludwig will be framed. The purpose is to drive Mrs. Sophie and her family out of the palace. They even hired gangsters and gunmen to disguise themselves. A mob formed to assassinate him.
Soon, two maids who mysteriously disappeared were found in a septic tank on the outskirts of the city. To be precise, they should be two incomplete bodies. Their identities could only be identified from their clothing and belongings.