Facing Franz Joseph’s forced assignment, Count Baur could only accept the task with a bitter smile.

"Your Majesty, please grant me some time! I will do my utmost to persuade Empress Dowager Sophie!" Count Baur responded respectfully to Franz Joseph.

"How long?" Franz Joseph asked.

After pondering for a moment, Count Baur raised three fingers and replied to Franz Joseph, "Three days!"

"Alright!" Franz Joseph nodded in response to Count Baur, "Let the departure for Milan be set for four days from now!"

Count Baur nodded, with an involuntary hint of helplessness in his eyes; Franz Joseph clearly wasn’t inclined to grant him extra time.

At this moment, Count Baur could only silently pray that Empress Dowager Sophie would be magnanimous, considering the Empress’s pregnancy.

Otherwise, completing his mission would indeed be difficult.

...

After Bach and Baur left, Franz Joseph also departed the study, heading towards Empress Elizabeth’s residence.

When Franz Joseph arrived at the door of Empress Elizabeth’s room, the lady responsible for arranging the Empress’s various affairs hurriedly greeted Franz Joseph with a curtsey, "Your Majesty!"

"Is the Empress still inside?" Franz Joseph inquired of the lady.

The lady nodded, informing Franz Joseph that Her Majesty the Empress is conversing with the wife of the French Envoy in the room.

Franz Joseph nodded in understanding and reached out to push open the door.

Inside the room, upon hearing the noise, Empress Elizabeth and the others simultaneously directed their gaze toward the door.

Subsequently, both Empress Elizabeth and the wife of the French Envoy stood up.

Elizabeth took small steps to Franz Joseph’s side and spoke softly, "Franz, what brings you here?"

"Just came to see you!" Franz Joseph responded briefly to Empress Elizabeth, then glanced at Elizabeth’s belly and added, "And check on our future child!"

Afterward, the wife of the French Envoy approached Franz Joseph to bid farewell.

Franz Joseph did not extend much retention, only smiling and nodding.

Once the room was left with only Franz Joseph and Empress Elizabeth, Franz Joseph informed Empress Elizabeth, "In four days, we shall embark for Milan!"

Empress Elizabeth’s eyes flashed with excitement; at that moment, she could hardly believe her ears.

So, she asked Franz Joseph again, "Franz, is this true?"

"Indeed!" Franz Joseph assured Empress Elizabeth, "Count Baur has promised me, willing to spend three days to persuade my mother!

Count Baur, being one of my mother’s most trusted friends, my mother should be willing to listen to him!"

"If even Count Baur fails to persuade mother, what would you do then?" Empress Elizabeth asked Franz Joseph again.

"If even Count Baur cannot persuade my mother, then the two of us will leave without informing her!" Franz Joseph replied to Empress Elizabeth, "Once we’re out of Mei Quan Palace, mother cannot stop us!"

"But if we proceed like this, mother will surely be very angry!" Elizabeth told Franz Joseph.

"Then there’s no helping it!" Franz Joseph shrugged in response to Elizabeth, "Since I promised someone I would take her out for a stroll!"

Elizabeth showed a moved expression, resting her head on Franz Joseph’s shoulder.

...

In the following three days, Count Baur tried everything to persuade Empress Dowager Sophie, even invoking the France and Austria Friendship to support his persuasion.

Unfortunately, Empress Dowager Sophie remained unmoved.

Just as Count Baur was about to give up, Sophie said to him, "Baur, tell me the truth! Who sent you here, the Emperor or the Empress?"

Count Baur promptly answered, "Your Highness, it was indeed His Majesty who assigned me here!"

"Really?" Sophie looked at Franz Joseph with a hint of doubt in her eyes.

"Your Highness, absolutely!" Count Baur affirmed to Sophie.

"Alright! Go and bring His Majesty here! I want to ask him face to face!" Sophie instructed Count Baur.

Count Baur had no choice but to obey Empress Dowager Sophie’s order and went to the study to invite Franz Joseph over.

"Count Baur, how is the matter progressing?" As soon as Count Baur entered the room, Franz Joseph asked.

Baur took a deep breath and bowed to Count Baur, "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager Sophie requests your presence!"

"Mother!" Franz Joseph pondered for a moment and then put down his pen, telling Count Baur, "Alright!"

Franz Joseph and Count Baur arrived at the room of Grand Duchess Sophie. Sophie’s first words were, "Baur, you can leave now!"

Count Baur bowed once more to Sophie, then left her room.

After Baur left, only Franz Joseph and Sophie remained in the room. After a while, Sophie asked Franz Joseph, "Did you instruct Baur to say those things?"

"What things?" Franz Joseph feigned ignorance.

Sophie frowned slightly and straightforwardly said, "It’s about having your wife Elizabeth accompany you to Milan!"

"That’s what the telegram demands!" Franz Joseph blinked his eyes and answered Sophie, "The telegram insists that Elizabeth and I go to Milan together!"

"Which telegram?" Sophie asked, her tone slightly stern.

"The one from three days ago!" Franz Joseph continued to deal with Sophie evasively.

"Three days ago? The telegram from three days ago only asked you to go to Milan; it didn’t say Elizabeth could go too!" Sophie replied to Franz Joseph.

Franz Joseph was immediately stupefied; he did not understand how his mother could know the contents of the telegram.

However, since Sophie knew everything, Franz Joseph had nothing left to hide. He nodded and replied to Sophie, "Mother, I really hope Elizabeth can come out with me!

She hasn’t gone out for nearly a year!"

"She is pregnant now!" Empress Dowager Sophie emphasized to Franz Joseph, "A pregnant woman should not move around recklessly!

The only thing she should do now is to stay peacefully at Mei Quan Palace! Other matters don’t need further thought!"

"Mother, you’re going to drive a perfectly fine person crazy like this!" Franz Joseph retorted to Empress Dowager Sophie.

"Crazy? Who hasn’t come through it this way?" Empress Dowager Sophie said coldly, "Back then, that’s exactly how I gave birth to you!"

"Mother, you want to apply all the suffering you went through onto Elizabeth!" Franz Joseph responded passionately to Empress Dowager Sophie, "You can’t do this!"

Empress Dowager Sophie looked at her son in shock, wondering when her son began to slip from her control, listening instead to a woman who had been with him for only a few years.

For a woman with a desire for control, such an outcome was unacceptable.

"Franz, I am your mother!" Empress Dowager Sophie said harshly to Franz Joseph.

"Mother, I’m already 28 years old!" Franz Joseph countered, "I am not just your son now, but also the Emperor of the Austrian Empire!

I have the right to decide any matters within the Empire!"

Faced with the assertive Franz Joseph, Empress Dowager Sophie revealed a comforting expression; in her eyes, Franz Joseph seemed to have grown overnight.

The toddler learning to walk had disappeared, leaving behind a resolute, courageous Empire monarch.

"You truly have grown up, Franz... No, Your Majesty!" Empress Dowager Sophie said respectfully to Franz Joseph.

"Mother, I..." From the moment Empress Dowager Sophie uttered "Your Majesty," Franz Joseph felt a strange sense of distance.

"Your Majesty, I am tired!" Empress Dowager Sophie raised her head to stop Franz Joseph from speaking, "Whether Elizabeth accompanies you to Milan is up to you!

I trust that as the monarch, you should be able to make a competent judgment."

After speaking, Empress Dowager Sophie issued a dismissal order to Franz Joseph.

Franz Joseph had to leave Empress Dowager Sophie’s room and then staggered into Elizabeth’s room.

Inside the room, Elizabeth looked at the distracted Franz Joseph and hurriedly grasped his hand to ask, "What’s wrong, Franz? What happened?"

"Nothing... nothing!" Franz Joseph shook his head after coming to his senses, saying to Elizabeth, not wanting her to know about this matter.

Otherwise, Elizabeth would certainly fall into feelings of self-reproach.

To change the subject, Franz Joseph once again spoke to Elizabeth, "By the way! I have good news for you!"

"What good news?" Elizabeth instantly perked up.

"Mother has agreed to let us go to Milan, which means we can pack our things and depart for Milan tomorrow!" Franz Joseph replied to Elizabeth.

"Really?" Elizabeth had a look of disbelief on her face; she truly didn’t expect Franz Joseph to successfully persuade Grand Duchess Sophie, "That’s wonderful! I can see Augusta Sister again!"

Franz Joseph curiously asked if Empress Augusta was also in Milan.

Elizabeth told Franz Joseph that Empress Augusta was not with Emperor Jerome Bonaparte.

However, she has already set out for Turin.