No one expected that the second protagonist of the banquet would be here, because the boy's friends were very curious to look at Ernst, after all, he was a legend here.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Are you really Ernst Franz, Count of Moravia in Austria-Hungary, the second son of Archduke Ferdinand?"

The boy was a little unbelievable, after all, there were so many rumors about Ernst that they were even some legendary, which made it hard for them to believe that the boy they had just played with was the famous Ernst, and it was reasonable to believe it and ask repeatedly.

Patting the boy on the shoulder, Ernst shrugged and smiled: "If there is no other Ernst Franz, then you are referring to me." ”

After being verified, Ernst's side immediately became noisy, and the surrounding guests paid attention, but due to the distance, they did not know that the source of the commotion here was Ernst.

Most of the guests around him were elders who were parents, and when they saw this scene, they just smiled lightly and would not disgust or stop anything, even Nicholas II just laughed and laughed and teased his cousin next to him.

Pointing to Nicholas II, an introduction was made in the direction where Ernst was, and a high-ranking Russian nobleman asked a little strangely: "Is that Ernst?" ”

"That's right, a very capable little fellow, Moravia today is not replicable, put you there, if it takes the same amount of time, I'm sure none of you will be able to do it to this extent."

The one who spoke was Grand Duke Mikhail, who had appeared at the funeral of Edward VII, and like most of the Russian nobles, Grand Duke Mikhail hated Japan very much, and Ernst's provocation of the Japanese prince at the banquet made him feel a lot more good for Ernst, so he had a remark at this time.

"The Moravian economy is truly irreproducible."

The nobles were naturally very dissatisfied with the words of Grand Duke Mikhail, because it invisibly showed that they were not as good as a teenager of fifteen or sixteen, how could this make them happy? But the facts were in front of them, and the only thing they could argue with was to put most of the credit on Archduke Ferdinand.

The economy of Moravia is indeed unrepeatable, and the other meaning of this sentence is that they did not have a father who was fully supported by Archduke Ferdinand, otherwise they would have done better than Ernst, a boy of fifteen or sixteen.

Grand Duke Mikhail did not dispute in the face of the dissatisfaction of the nobles, after all, he still needs to live in St. Petersburg, and there is no need for him to offend so many high-ranking nobles because of a word.

Nicholas II has not spoken, this is his future son-in-law after all, and it is not appropriate to praise or disparage at this time, it is better to smile and watch them argue.

How good would it be if Ernst were his own son? Many times this thought came to the mind of Nicholas II, no matter who was the greatest contributor to the economy of Moravia at this time, but Ernst's position was enough to show Ernst's ability, at least the ability and vision of a man.

What is most important to a king or emperor? It's not how much management you have, how powerful you are in military command, but how much you can put the right people in the right positions, and that's what an emperor or king should do.

The German Kaiser made Bismarck Prime Minister, and thus Germany became one of the greatest powers, and was now in a position to provoke Britain. The British emperor made Churchill prime minister, so Britain did not have much to lose in World War II. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty asked Wei Qing and Huo Qubing to conquer the grassland, so he had the outstanding military exploits of Feng Wolf Juxu. A king or emperor may not have too much personality management ability, but he must have the vision to discern people and talents, which is the key to whether you can become a generation of saints.

At this time, Ernst did not know what others thought of him, and broke free from the noisy crowd and fled to a hidden place, where he was accompanied by his St. Petersburg friend Tolubko.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect ......"

Tolubko's face was full of apologies, if it weren't for the high notes he had just made, Ernst would not have been watched like an animal, not to mention that Ernst didn't like that feeling very much.

Shaking his head, Ernst said that it didn't matter, since he had come here, Ernst had already made similar preparations, just like a new classmate, who always attracted attention when he first arrived.

It was a small garden, and Ernst did not know where he was, but Tolubko knew very well, indicating that it was a small garden on the left side of the feast, and the two of them could not help but chatter on the marble of the fountain.

Tolubko was a nobleman during Catherine II's time, his ancestors were Catherine II's bodyguards, with the title of count, and the count at this time was Tolubko's grandfather, Tolubko the Elder.

"Old Tolubko?"

As if knowing what Ernst wanted to ask, Tolubko smiled lightly and said, "My father was killed in the Russo-Japanese War, so they like to call me little Tolubko. ”

In fact, Tolubko's father is still alive, and Tolubko is also little Tolubko, because his father is not called Tolubko at all, and at the same time, it is also inappropriate to call little Tolubko at that age.

"Her Royal Highness Archduchess Maria is very popular with us, she is very lovely and beautiful, you must treat her well, otherwise we will never forgive you."

At this time, Tolubko was as serious as a knight guarding his princess, nodded and Ernst smiled in agreement with Tolubko's words.

The situation in Europe was very clear to most of the military personnel, and although Tolubko did not come from a military academy, he inherited his father's military talent and saw Russia and Austria-Hungary very clearly, and understood that Ernst's nod would have no effect.

"Mary is pitiful."

Some lost Tolubko even forgot what he was called, but who cares about this at this time? Ernst nodded sympathetically, but he also disagreed.

"Nicholas II liked this daughter very much, and perhaps he was the saddest one, because he had to give up one of his daughters to marry Austria-Hungary, and I was unfortunate to be the one he chose."

The situation in Europe was not so bad that war had to be committed, neither Russia nor Austria-Hungary wanted to take the lead, and Ernst's engagement to Maria undoubtedly provided some buffer. Of course, the main purpose was that Nicholas II wanted to leave himself a way out, so that the Russian Empire had another way to go.

Tolubko was silent, Ernst was silent, and the two sat there in silence until half an hour later Ernst was found......

Nicholas II wanted to hunt, and Ernst, as the second protagonist of the banquet and the quasi-son-in-law of Nicholas II, must have to accompany Nicholas II, especially at this time, unlike in those years, he was already riding a horse and shooting a gun.

Inside the suburban hunting grounds

Nicholas II was at the front, followed by a number of Russian nobles, including Ernst, and women in the back, who chattered and glanced at Ernst from time to time.

Dressed in a straight Russian military uniform, shiny riding boots, and snow-white war horse, this body makes Ernst very handsome and chic, even if he does not have the identity of the second protagonist, Ernst is still one of the people who has attracted attention at this time.

As if sensing danger, an elk panicked and wanted to jump into the grass, and Nicholas II had already raised his gun first, but at this time......

Touch!

Ernst was still at a stalemate, smoking from the muzzle of the gun, and Ernst was more than twice as accurate as Nicholas II in terms of movement and accuracy.

"I am also a soldier, His Majesty Emperor Nicholas II."

Smiling slightly, revealing his snow-white teeth, Ernst's words made all the nobles, including Nicholas II, stunned, and then they remembered that Ernst also had the rank of Brigadier General of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the rank of honorary commander of the Moravian Army Regiment.