“Franz, what has been going on with you lately?! Why have you fallen so far behind in your coursework?!”

His mother, the Bavarian princess, Archduchess Sophie, questioned impatiently, leaving Franz no opportunity to explain.

This was the consequence of him reincarnating as Franz—he began to go against his public image of a good boy in a lot of ways as time passed: his lower grades were a sign of that.

“I am sorry to say that this is because of you, dear Mother; what with you over scheduling me with coursework to the point of overwhelming me. But more than that, do not forget, I already have the heaviest class load among all the nobles throughout the entire great continent of Europe,” Franz sniped back.

“Franz, do you mean to insinuate that I am abusing you?” demanded Archduchess Sophie, her face now red with anger.

“Dear Mother, I’m not blaming you for it, just informing you about the truth of the unbearably heavy workload placed on me. I barely have enough energy and time for my courses, and yet you’ve imposed extra military training on me recently! Of course my performance will be affected because of such strain. In fact, how about actually getting rid of some of these unnecessary courses so that I can accomplish something!” Franz asserted.

“So then, my dear Franzi; you think yourself grown and within your right to disobey your mother?” challenged Archduchess Sophie, her face turning colder each second.

Trans_Later

Translator's Notes: Franzi is Franz Joseph's pet name from when he was a child.

From the look on his mother’s face, Franz sensed something ominous and realized that he had severely underestimated his mother’s desire to control his life.

When a mother stood her ground on something that she assumed was good for her child, attempting to convince her otherwise was useless.

Even so, Franz couldn’t back down or, things would get tougher and tougher for him in the coming days.

“Mother, I, as the heir to the throne of the Austrian Empire, need to learn different things from the average man,” Franz answered with a serious expression on his face.

He continued, “Since you wish to nurture an emperor rather than a learned scholar, will any of these miscellaneous courses help me with governing a country? If you think I have been slacking off, you can try to experience my life yourself. I have 28 subjects now, not including two hours of military training every day!”

Franz’s words made Archduchess Sophie pause and left her deep in thought. There was a difference in European education compared to Oriental education: it was quite common for children to object to their parents’ demands, and sometimes the parents even accepted the objection if it made sense to them.

Although nurturing obedient workers at a conservative age for the ruling class was the mainstream education model, no one dared to impose that on Franz, the Imperial Crown Prince.

The longevity of European nobility was actually rooted in their advanced concept on the education of children, even though they were conservative regarding politics because of their own interests.

After some thought, Archduchess Sophie had somewhat accepted Franz’s opinion. Still, to quell the lingering doubts in her mind, she asked, “So, what do you plan to do now?”

Franz explained, “Mother, I’m already 16 years old and no longer an ignorant child. I’m very aware of what I’m doing now and what I need to do next! Theoretical knowledge does not always agree with social reality, especially those in my mind, for I, who has barely stepped out of the palace since birth, can only see or know what you want me to see.

And as you know, my teacher was often struck dumb by my questions because the knowledge they attempted to fill me with was full of holes and doubts. I have never known the true colors of the Austrian Empire or what the world is truly like. I will lack a clear vision for the country if I don’t go around and survey it; otherwise, I will become just like my uncle, an emperor who feels at ease being a puppet!”

Archduchess Sophie’s frowned because of Franz’s implicit accusation and rudeness. Still, thanks to her royal upbringing, she managed to quell her temper.

“Franz, don’t forget the fact that you are only 16 years old, which means you have plenty of time to understand this country; for now, what you need to do most is study.”

“No, Mother!” replied Franz while shaking his head. “I don’t have as much time as you think. When the time, as you suppose, comes for me to know this country, the real situation in this country may be beyond my grasp. The bureaucrats have one thousand ways to blind my eyes with what they want me to see while the real situation is too distant for me to grasp!”

“Franz, you are too suspicious. I doubt the bureaucrats are as corrupt as you believe. Read whatever you want to in the newspapers if you would like to learn about the world!” Archduchess Sophie replied, frowning.

“My dear mother, do not forget that being suspicious is one of the central characteristics of a qualified monarch! As for newspapers, do you not know the censorship of publication as well as I do?” questioned Franz.

Learn about the world by reading newspapers? This idea instantly reminded Franz of an emperor, Yuan Shikai, in China’s history, who got busted by doing just that, and then his name turned into mud.

Would the same history repeat in Austria? It was too early for Franz to draw conclusions about that; however, publishing a newspaper specifically for the emperor, like what happened in China’s history to Yuan Shikai, would not be a big deal for the power-hungry politicians.

Both he and his mother ended up in a stalemate since neither was willing to back down.

After the deadlock lasted for a while, Franz offered to break the ice.

“Dear Mother, have you noticed the news of the failed harvest in the German region?”

“A little bit, but does that have anything to do with you?” Archduchess Sophie asked, her temper now greatly abated.

Gently shaking his head, Franz answered, “Not now, but it will in the future! The lack of food will result in decline in the common man’s living standards who will stir up a small rebellion if not appropriately handled by the local government. Of course, any such small-scale rebellion will be suppressed, but tension will escalate between the people and the government.

In the short term, everything will be fine. Then, as time goes by, the capitalists will have a cheaper labor force, resulting in Austria growing even more prosperous. However, deep-down, the conflict will continue to escalate before it will break out at once. Think about it: the French Revolution!”

“Franz, you are being an alarmist!” Archduchess Sophie retorted.

No noble or royal wished to remember the tragedy that befell the French nobles and the royal House of Bourbon during the revolution. Archduchess Sophie was no exception.

“No, I am not!” replied Franz solemnly. “Dear Mother, I have studied the history of the French Revolution very thoroughly.

In 1788, a drought in France caused a fall in food production, which made the lives of the people unbearable. The tension between the domestic bourgeoisie and the nobility intensified, which mirrors the divide between the reformists and conservatives in Austria.

Finally, the government, on behalf of the nobility, oppressed the bourgeoisie by increasing taxes and soon the Revolution, fueled by the bourgeoisie, broke out, which led to the downfall of the Bourbon Dynasty!”

“You mean there will be a revolution in Austria? Franz, do you truly expect me to believe that?” questioned Archduchess Sophie, once again, losing her patience with her eldest child.

Franz shook his head and said, “Mother, this is just my rough personal judgment.

Will there be a revolution in Austria? To answer that, I will need more information and intelligence to draw a conclusion.

I believe this topic is much more critical than some lousy homework. As the heir to the throne, I need to understand the real situation of this ancient empire as soon as possible, lest I’m too late!”