The joy on Princess Sophie's face could not be concealed at all, or she had no intention of concealing it at all. The deeply angry Grand Duchess was ready to vent her anger and spend the first few decades of her life together.
Let all the frustration out.
As for her eldest son, the Archduke Franz Joseph, he was very calm. There was no emotion or anger on his face, and he looked at his mother in a daze, looking so harmless.
People who don't know will only complain about the Grand Duke, thinking that he was definitely delayed by his mother, otherwise he must be the emperor, not his idiot father.
But Li Xiao didn't see it that way. He saw something familiar in Archduke Franz Joseph's face - performance.
Yes, it's a performance, and it's a very superficial performance, as if a crappy little guy is trying to show off his acting skills.
Li Xiao didn't know what others thought about it. He only knew that this thing was too immature and could only be used to deceive others. The only thing that made him curious now was whose idea was it to perform such a clumsy performance?
Is it Grand Duke Franz Joseph himself or someone else. If it is the Grand Duke himself, then he can only say that this Grand Duke is as described in history - he likes to be smart. Or he likes to take advantage of small things and suffer big losses.
It is true that it is really depressing to not be able to ascend the throne as emperor immediately, but if you use such poor acting skills to protest, then you have really found the wrong person. Apart from being able to fool a few characters like the gossipy aunts just now, who can you fool?
For old foxes like Schwarzenberg and Duke Alexander Gorchakov, they can see through the true intentions at a glance, and will deliberately design to trick you.
Li Xiao guessed that the Grand Duke might want to gain a wave of sympathy first and build momentum for himself. But there has never been such a thing as sympathy in politics. Expecting others to pity you can ascend to the throne of God? Isn't this a blind idea!
Politics has always only believed in strength. With strength, you can do whatever you want, but without strength, you can only be pressed to the ground and rubbed. But this Archduke Franz Joseph has no strength, and his heart is as high as the sky. Isn’t this funny?
What!
Anyway, Li Xiao's first impression of Archduke Franz Joseph was not good. He felt that the Archduke was an ambitious and restless master, but he was not very good at making trouble and was a bad chess player.
On the contrary, Princess Sophie deserves more attention. It's not that this mother is much smarter than her son. To be honest, Princess Sophie may be a little expert in palace fighting within the Habsburg court, but palace fighting is not the same as politics, so
A set of intrigues is nothing compared to the showmanship of these great actors in the political world.
Princess Sophie vented her emotions nonchalantly, seemingly a little complacent, but in fact it was much more effective than Archduke Franz Joseph's tricks. The first was to announce the ownership of the throne to the entire Austrian aristocratic circle, and the second
At the same time, he showed his strong attitude.
Both of these show that she is very confident, and political confidence is almost the same as having strength. In short, the Grand Duchess is actually showing her strength to prevent other troublemakers from causing trouble.
This kind of strength can avoid a lot of troubles and disputes, at least it is much more useful than her son's "baby's heart is suffering but he doesn't say anything" virtue.
Li Xiao lowered his voice and said to Duke Alexander Gorchakov: "The Grand Duchess is smarter than his son!"
"It should be said that he is more rational," Duke Alexander Gorchakov said with a smile. "The Grand Duke simply doesn't know what is the most beneficial thing to do, and will only take it for granted and do some specious and stupid things. Even if he appears to be cheerful, he is not as good as
Look calm and strong!"
Indeed, after all, Archduke Franz Karl is also the father of Archduke Franz Joseph. It is true that this father is a bit slow, but he is your father after all. After your father became the emperor, the girl is full of resentment. You can imagine that you
This son is no good either!
What's more, Archduke Franz Karl's succession to the throne is reasonable and legal, and no one else can find fault with it. Why is it that your son is full of opinions, as if he has been wronged? It is obvious that you are an ambitious white-eyed wolf!
Naturally, to a truly smart person, the humanity of Archduke Franz Joseph can be easily seen, and he can basically be seen through at a glance. What is ridiculous is how smart this stupid boy thinks he is.
"Do you have any idea?"
Li Xiao curled his lips and said: "Not yet, I need to look again..."
Li Xiao's second look was definitely not looking at Archduke Franz Joseph. He was more observing Princess Sophie. He wanted to see how this woman behaved in different situations so that he could make further judgments.
"Would you like me to introduce you to the Grand Duchess?" Prince Alexander Gorchakov asked kindly.
"It's not necessary for the time being," Li Xiao smiled and declined, "It's better for me to hide in the dark for the time being."
Duke Alexander Gorchakov just said this. Li Xiao's chances of being exposed were even smaller by reducing his contact with Princess Sophie and other important figures, and he was happy to do so.
The two men were now divided. Duke Alexander Gorchakov continued to walk among the thousands of flowers without touching a single leaf, while Li Xiao, who was short and unattractive, was walking around the venue holding a wine glass.
It seemed as if he was not here to attend a dance but specifically for a walk.
Li Xiao has been observing Princess Sophie's actions. The future Empress of Austria is able to cope with the current situation very well. Apart from occasionally showing the aura of a hostess, most of the time she is still a breath of fresh air.
Of course, some of her inadvertent actions still caught Li Xiao's attention. She didn't care about her idiot husband. Even if some noble ladies dressed up for other purposes deliberately accosted the Grand Duke, she just watched.
Take a look.
Either he was very confident that he could control Archduke Franz Karl, or she didn't care what this nominal husband did. Or a combination of the two.
Li Xiao noticed that the Grand Duchess was actually very concerned about the movements of Grand Duke Franz Joseph. Whenever she had free time, her eyes would search for Grand Duke Franz Joseph in the crowd and observe his actions. If
If he acts appropriately, the mother will smile happily.
Of course, when the Grand Duke encounters a problem or responds inappropriately, Princess Sophie's brows will frown.
Li Xiao shook the red wine in the goblet and murmured in a voice that no one else could hear: "This seems to be a mother who has a particularly strong desire to control..."