Chapter 747 "Old Friend"

Gateways inlaid with gold and silver are not uncommon, but the gate in front of us looks too thin, and the color of the gold and silver paint is not right. It feels like a layer of gold powder has been painted on the wooden door.

To put it simply, it is the feeling of not having enough strength but still wanting to show off. The guy standing at the door dressed like an ancient Turk is probably Vihryu Yasuski.

Franz really doesn't like the dress of this kind of grassland nobles. A Central Asian-style robe, plus a weird felt hat, makes people look bloated and fat.

The reason why his felt hat is weird is that it is too high as a hat, but what is even more strange is that it is not like the bearskin hat popular in Western Europe, which is in a towering cylindrical shape, but only protrudes from the front.

What's more terrifying is that there is a fork in the middle of this protruding part, making the whole hat look like a pair of rabbit ears on the head.

The so-called bearskin hat is the kind worn by the modern British Royal Guards, but this kind of hat was first popular in the French army.

Normally, this traditional Polish costume would be accompanied by a scimitar to show off the force, but all of them were confiscated by Colonel Bordeaux.

After all, the Polish nobles could not enjoy the same rights as the Magyar nobles, but the latter's traditional costumes were slightly more gorgeous than the former.

The people following the Polish noble were also very mismatched. The butler-like man behind him was obviously dressed in British style, with a top hat, tie, and tailcoat, but he was missing a cane.

What Franz didn't know was that because there were metal objects on his cane, it was also temporarily confiscated by Colonel Bordeaux.

The remaining servants and guards all had flashing eyes, with fear and anxiety, and a little helplessness.

Needless to say, something must have happened here. But this is just right. If nothing happened, Franz would have come in vain.

He smiled and got off the carriage, but the wind brought a hint of coolness to everyone.

Due to the hasty preparation, the entire welcome ceremony seemed long and boring. Lakshmi Pai wanted to yawn several times, but she held it back.

Mia Artiez was fine, she had seen too many such scenes and was numb. In the end, Franz felt too embarrassed and ended the farce.

Afterwards, Vihliu Yasuski led Franz to visit the entire manor. There were indeed many styles of buildings, but they were like building blocks randomly put together, with no rules or beauty.

Vihliu Yasuski thought that he would never be humble to others in his life, but in front of Franz, he would always lower his head unconsciously.

This made the former feel a trace of shame that he had never experienced in his life, but the latter didn't feel anything.

In Franz's eyes, the big moneymaker of the Polish Restoration Army was not very strong, and his ability was even worse. He was so miserable even though he owned more than 100,000 acres of land.

However, this kind of words cannot be fully believed, because it is very likely that he is lying to avoid taxes. However, based on the intelligence collected before, what he said is very likely to be true.

According to intelligence, the Yasuski family has been on the decline. In fact, it is not only the Yasuski family, but also the entire Galician aristocracy.

Because Count Stadion began to crack down on the power of traditional aristocrats after taking office. His idea is to weaken the great aristocrats, support merchants, and win over the small aristocrats.

But the reality is that the power of railways and technology far exceeds Count Stadion's imagination. The endless flow of foreign goods destroys the local primitive manor economy. With the help of the government, merchants easily take control of the economy.

The great aristocrats have a deep foundation and can barely maintain, while those small aristocrats are directly defeated, and many of them even go bankrupt and become new labor in the city.

(The aristocrats here mainly refer to landlords.)

"Grand Duke Franz, it's rare for you to come to my humble home. I want to give you a horse."

Vehliu Yasuski spoke with excitement and a wretched face, which made it difficult for people to have a good impression. But Franz was sure it was a good horse, otherwise the former would not have given it as a gift to the latter.

It's just that Franz really didn't have much interest in horses. Although there was a stable in Schönbrunn Palace, he rarely rode.

Franz had seen many famous horses, and he preferred watching horses eat rather than riding horses.

In fact, the horses in the palace were often fed some strange things by Franz, such as cream and coffee.

Franz couldn't accept Vienna's diabetic diet anyway, so he would give those animals passing by that he felt he couldn't digest too much sugar.

But the reality is that animals like sugar and dairy products very much, whether it's horses, seals, or flightless auks, they all flock to them.

Let's get back to the point.

"Thank you for your kindness. But how can I let you give it up?"

Franz decided to decline politely. After all, he was here to mess with him. If he accepted the other party's gift and the other party really didn't do anything too excessive, then how should he deal with it at that time?

After all, Vihliu Yasuski was a nobleman with a title, and he couldn't just accuse him of a crime. Although the Polish nobles have their own circles and rarely interact with nobles from other regions.

But the nobles from other regions are bound to be in the same boat, and doing so will inevitably lead to losses. The royal family itself is the spokesperson for the aristocracy, and destroying its own foundation is not a wise move.

"Archduke Franz, don't rush to refuse. The horse farm is in front, you might as well take a look."

Franz glanced at Colonel Bordeaux, who shook his head first and then responded with an affirmative look.

It seems that there is no danger, but there should be something that Colonel Bordeaux doesn't like.

Franz nodded in response, and Vihliu Yasuski immediately trotted excitedly to lead the way. The latter thought that such a gift would definitely satisfy the former. After all, who hasn't been young?

The autumn sun sprinkled on the horse farm, looking warm and soft. The grass under my feet has gradually turned yellow, with a bit of golden autumn laziness.

With a whistle, then the sound of horse hooves came from a distance, and then a tall and majestic white horse came into view.

This horse is extremely fast, full of power, upright and elegant, with a coat as shiny as silk, and pure white as snow, without a trace of other colors, just like a natural protagonist, making the grass, flowers, and even the sky and the earth become supporting roles.

However, the protagonist today is obviously not the horse, but its rider.

A beautiful woman wearing a dark red windbreaker, black tight breeches, and riding boots of the same color grabbed all the attention.

Simple color matching, but not without high-end feeling.

The beautiful woman's golden long hair swayed in the air, just like a fairy descending to the earth, and at the same time, her bright eyes showed firmness and confidence, which would remind people of all the good qualities and make men want to conquer.

"Ajani?" Franz couldn't help but say with some doubt.