Stephen's Cathedral is the largest church in Vienna and the place where the Austrian emperor was crowned and buried, and can be said to be the symbol of Vienna. At the same time, it is located in the center of Vienna city center, so it is called the "heart of Vienna".

Built in 1304 and completed two centuries later, the cathedral has both Gothic and Renaissance flavors.

Outside the church, you can see 230,000 pieces of colored glass on the roof. Under the sunlight, the colorful glass that is put together into a double-headed eagle is a masterpiece.

Pushing open the doors of the church, the smell of stale and dust greeted you, followed by the smell of resin and frankincense.

Entering the cathedral, the light inside gradually dimmed, and only the candlelight on the shrine shone brightly. The temperature also seems to have cooled down, making it feel peaceful and calm.

The smell of solemnity and sacredness permeated the smoke and fire far away from the world, and Franz II's heart seemed to have calmed down.

When the emperor came in person, Rauscher, as the archbishop of Vienna, naturally greeted him personally.

It's just that his fat body and pompous clothes are incompatible with this ancient and sacred church.

Franz II was in a hurry this time and did not wait for the always belated Archbishop Rauscher. He walked straight to the family shrine, his fingers caressing the ancient words engraved on the shrine.

Unexpectedly, Archbishop Rauscher, who is usually slow, was unusually quick this time. In fact, as a bishop appointed and dismissed by the emperor, how could he snub the emperor?

"Oh! Praise the grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the touching of the Holy Spirit, what brought the great king of the world here....."

Franz II waved his hand, "Polite words are avoided, I just came to pay tribute to my ancestors." ”

Archbishop Rauscher, of course, could hear it. Originally, as God's spokesman, he wanted to be reserved. But he suddenly remembered that His Majesty the Emperor, who wanted to save face and had poor patience.

"Your Majesty, in the dwelling place of God, you can talk about everything."

“... I..."Franz II thought for a moment, but decided to speak, after all, he was a devout Catholic, and the Vienna Archbishop in front of him was his favorite, not an outsider. The most important reason is that this fat man will definitely follow his own words, and it sounds good.

(European monarchs also used a special first-person title, and the tsar would use мы (plural first person) when addressing himself to show the monarch's unique status.) The French monarch would say je or nous. The German monarch would call himself Wir, which translates to "I". ）

"My grandson, Franz the Younger, is in the children's room today, and he has made a proverb about Frederick III."

"What's that?" Rauscher instinctively asked, and the next second he realized that something was wrong. Isn't it written on this shrine that he has been facing all day? In order to hide his embarrassment, he could only make a very indifferent attitude, as if nothing had happened.

"A.E.I.O.U" Franz II blurted out, and there seemed to be a bit of pride in his tone.

"This is a revelation...", the archbishop immediately possessed with a stick.

Ancient and modern Chinese and foreign gods are the same, Rauscher is no exception, he likes to follow the emperor's words, and he himself is a primitive, all his life looking for the so-called "natural saint".

"Archbishop, you mean...?" Franz II seemed a little excited, because he himself thought so. It's a pity that he is not a hero, even if he has an idea, he wants to rely on gods and ghosts to prove his idea.

Naturally, Rauscher would not let go of this opportunity and was sent to him head-on.

"This is a good omen for the realization of the Austrian Empire's ambitions." Archbishop Rauscher swore as if he had really received some revelation.

In fact, after careful analysis, there is no difference between saying this kind of thing and not saying it. Although Archbishop Rauscher said that the hegemony of the empire would eventually be realized, he did not say when it would be completed or to what extent, so strictly speaking, it was not a lie, nor did it violate the doctrine.

It's just that this is undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the indecisive Franz II. Because that's not what he thinks, it's God's will. In short, there was a problem, and he didn't carry this pot, and he was immediately happy.

Rauscher was able to stay in the position of Archbishop of Vienna for so many years, and he still had the skill to observe words and feelings.

He thought to himself, "This emperor is not in the right state today, is he going to pass on the throne to his grandson?" ”

Then Rauscher thought of the "Edict of State", and his heart could not help but tighten, but then he thought of Empress Teresa, and the prosperity of Teresa's time, and the strength of the church, and his mood calmed down again.

"Your Majesty, I have also seen Archduke Franz, he is indeed a special child, and I remember when I was baptized for him, I was nourished."

Rauscher had a good impression of Franz, because Franz always had a Bible in his hand and loved it, and he must have been a devout believer.

In fact, Franz still doesn't know much German. I like to hold the Bible because it's big enough to pad your feet and soft enough to be used as a cushion. Sometimes, Franz, who was a member of the royal family, had to put a few more books under his ass in order to maintain a dignified sitting position.

In addition to this, it can also be used to beat his younger brother (Maximilian).

Maximilian is Franz's second brother, and the two seem to be incompatible by nature, always fighting each other. Maximilian naturally couldn't beat Franz, who was a man of two lives, but Franz couldn't really get along with a child.

Then Franz came up with the idea of finding a book that was thick enough to be large enough, to put on Maximilian's back, and to sit on it himself, so that the dispute between the children could be resolved peacefully, and that book happened to be the Bible.

As a result, Maximilian was often pressed against his back by Franz with the Bible, and only his hands and feet could move. That look, it's like a little Wang Ba who is holding down his shell.

It's just that what the archbishop sees is a devout believer who never leaves the Bible.

On the other hand, Archbishop Rauscher himself has always wanted to find a born saint and restore the people's trust in Catholicism.

But after so many years of searching and experiencing countless failures, he made a decision.

Instead of waiting for the saint to appear, create one yourself.

Now the old emperor is moving, Rauscher will naturally not let go of this opportunity, if this child is allowed to inherit the throne in the future, and then he will become the emperor's godfather, and then he will also be Richelieu, and the power will be tilted towards the government and the opposition during his lifetime, and he will be remembered for eternity after his death.

(Richelieu, a historically famous cardinal.) ）

"Your Majesty, you should follow the choice of your heart, and your choice is the will of God." Naturally, Rauscher could not say what he wanted to do, so he could only throw the pot to God.

"What do you want to say, archbishop?"

Rauscher didn't expect that the old emperor, who had always been straight, would say this, he really didn't even want to make a face, and smiled awkwardly.

"May the Austrian Empire be in peace and prosperity forever."

The old emperor also smiled, he is not a Ming Jun, but he will not be swayed by a magic stick, this is his pride as an emperor, although it is useless.

"Maybe that's a revelation..."