She changed Europe

Page 6

"Rita, we can deal with the body on the ground later. First, open this box for me. I want to see what's inside." In fact, the carefree Gisela didn't pay any attention to the dead body in front of her. Instead, she picked up the box and examined it over and over again.

"Yes, Your Highness." Rita picked up the dagger and infused it with magical energy once more, but this time the dagger's light remained only green. From her earlier observation, Gisela had discovered that Rita's weapon could display different levels of power depending on the magical energy she infused it with; to put it simply, what she saw now was green, blue, and red.

"Crack!" The key was smashed off by Rita using the hilt of her dagger.

"What a convenient way to use it! Rita, when will I be able to use magic power as skillfully as you?" Gisela exclaimed casually. Today's learning had at least shown him that magic power was indeed a very convenient form of energy.

“If it is Your Highness, as long as you study diligently, you will definitely be able to become an excellent mage.” Rita did not mention mage at this time, because mage are the so-called chosen ones. In order to prevent Your Highness from losing interest in learning due to psychological gap, she should also avoid such a thing from happening as a personal maid.

Although His Highness's mother was a magical user, Empress Elizabeth was truly exceptional, possessing both outstanding talent and noble status. While it may sound disrespectful to say this, it was a great honor for Emperor Franz to marry this beautiful Bavarian empress.

“Thank you for your kind words, Rita.” Gisela opened the box while considering the issue of her magical power. She didn’t really care about the strength of her magical power, because her status dictated that she could not be mediocre. What she valued more was how much magical power could help her plans. In the royal family, having strong magical power meant having more say and, of course, more status.

"Why is it empty?" Gisela stared at the empty box, feeling as if her intelligence had been insulted. Everything that had happened to her that night was caused by this box, and some people had even died because of it...

"Your Highness, may I take a look?"

“Of course.” Gisela handed the box to Rita, then looked around the empty hall with a bored expression. Although it was raining heavily outside, it did not affect her pleasant mood. Apart from the empty box, she had at least dealt with an internal traitor.

"Squeak." The sound of mechanical turning reached Gisela's ears. She turned to look at Rita and noticed that the box in her hand was glowing. Then, the empty bottom of the box slowly opened to reveal a roll of wrapped paper.

"What's going on?" Gisela frowned slightly, her expression full of doubt.

"I channeled a little magic energy into this side of the box, and it seemed like the box could accept magic energy, so I channeled more magic energy into this direction, and then the base opened like that." Rita told Gisela after trying hard to recall her actions and repeatedly confirming the sequence.

“A storage box using magic-sensing technology, Your Highness! This technology was lost hundreds of years ago! It was first created by the famous Italian artist Michelangelo and was once all the rage. However, the special nature of this box angered His Holiness the Pope, who ordered its complete prohibition. Anyone found doing so would be excommunicated. The box was lost with Michelangelo’s passing. I only heard about this from my tutor when I was studying in Milan, and this is the first time I’ve seen it in person.” Rita explained eloquently as she took out a piece of parchment wrapped in the box, sealed with a red stamp.

“I see. Open it and see what’s written on this paper.” Gisela lit his kerosene lamp and moved closer to Rita, watching her carefully unfold the paper. After all, he could tell from the oxidation of the parchment that the scroll was indeed quite old.

"A scaled-down oil painting?" That was Gisela's first thought, as she noticed a layer of dried, faded oil paint clinging to the paper. The painting depicted a group of people surrounding a woman in red, their faces buried in their hands as they wept bitterly. The colors were dark, but the figures were remarkably realistic. This was Gisela's immediate impression, given her complete lack of knowledge about art.

"This is a work by Michelangelo! The Assumption of the Virgin Mary." Rita's excitement was palpable. Perhaps influenced by her mentor, and being a devout Catholic herself, she naturally held Michelangelo in high esteem, which was perfectly normal for a traditionally Catholic country like Austria.

It is worth mentioning that, unlike the reputation of the French as the most filial sons of God and the epic achievement of the Avignon Conquest, the Austrian emperors, because they were also Holy Roman emperors for a long time, maintained a long-term friendship between the Papacy and the Habsburg family, and the Habsburg family also long regarded themselves as the protectors of the Catholic world.

"So what is the relationship between Caravaggio and Michelangelo?" But Gisela was more curious about their relationship than the content of the painting.

"Your Highness! In fact, Caravaggio and Michelangelo are the same person."

"one person?"

"That's right, his full name is Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio." (Not the sculptor Michelangelo!)

"What!" It's obvious that someone would leave a box for themselves with the word "dear" on it, so it must be someone who admires them. If someone dares to defy the decree of the Holy See to leave a box, then there must be something fishy going on.

"Rita, help me find information on everyone who has ever owned this manor."

“Yes, Your Highness,” Rita replied with a bow.

As things became increasingly interesting and the various forces involved began to surface, a playful smile crept onto Gise's lips.

PS1: Don't be surprised if you give more votes or water the plants while you're reading! 0v0

Chapter 19 The Princess Starting from Zero: Capter 18 Paris Tonight's Poems - For Whom Do They Sing?

Paris, the jewel of Europe and the heart of the Second French Empire, has been the capital of the country since the 6th century. Because the world knows Paris but not France, the French people consider the country to consist of only two kinds of people: Parisians and people from the provinces.

The year 1840 was a pivotal one for the city, as Napoleon III, then President of the Second French Republic, ordered a complete overhaul of the city, aiming to solve the problem of filth and disorder that had plagued it for a thousand years.

"This is the great city I've always dreamed of." A young woman with long, dark green hair stood on the balcony of her hotel room, taking in the entire city before her, and couldn't help but exclaim.

The young girl possessed exquisite features, exuding a maturity and composure unlike Gisela's youthful innocence. Her blood-red eyes revealed a powerful possessiveness towards what she loved. This beautiful and unique girl was none other than the person Gisela had seen on the newspaper headline earlier that day: Princess Misera of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and one of only two magic users currently in the kingdom.

Her purpose in coming to Paris was, as publicly stated, a routine friendly visit to France. However, this time was different, because her delegation included a man of special status—Count Camillo Benso Cavour. This visit was, from beginning to end, a smokescreen, designed to lower her adversaries' guard and create conditions for Monsieur Cavour to reach a secret agreement with Napoleon III.

"Knock knock knock!" A sudden knocking sound interrupted Misera's thoughts. She turned to look at the door. Her magical senses told her that the person knocking outside was "one of their own."

"Please come in." Missera's tone was flat and devoid of any emotion.

The door handle rotated, the door opened, and an elderly gentleman with a cane, wearing a black suit and white shirt, a top hat, and graying temples, but still in good spirits, slowly walked into the room.

"Good evening, Your Highness." The old gentleman removed his hat and greeted Misella politely before closing the door.

"Good evening, Lord Cavour." Misera stretched out his hand, indicating that Cavour could find a seat wherever he pleased and need not be too reserved.

“Then I shall respectfully accept your offer.” Cavour took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack in front of the door. He then pulled out his graying sideburns and straightened his hunched back.

“I still find you more pleasing to the eye, Lord Gaful.” Misella’s lips curled up slightly, emphasizing the word “Lord”, her teasing tone evident.

This version of Cavour looks much younger than his counterpart in history. He doesn't have the typical belly of a middle-aged leader, and his physique is much more robust. Although he is nearly 50 years old, he doesn't look old at all. The monocle he wears actually gives him a mature and capable look.

"Any gains? That man's ambition and appetite are well-known in Europe." The "man" that Misella was referring to was undoubtedly Napoleon III.

“She clearly doesn’t have the strength of her aunt Napoleon Bonaparte, yet she always tries to replicate her aunt’s glory and honor by relying on her own strength. She is a dwarf standing on the shoulders of giants.” Misella’s disgust for Napoleon III was genuine. After all, the French, like the Austrians, were a group of invaders who ultimately led to the same goal in Italy.

"The failure of 1849 was the result of our rash actions. It is impossible to succeed by relying solely on an unorganized and undisciplined uprising of the people. Our kingdom has limited strength and cannot stand against the whole of Europe on its own. We do not have the talent of Napoleon I, nor do we have the national strength of France to support us," said Cavour, who was sitting on the sofa watching Princess Misella prepare coffee for him.

"Nineteen years have passed, and now our opportunity has finally arrived. Mazzini of the Young Italy Party has already laid out multiple spies in Vienna, ready to teach the Austrians a profound lesson at any time. Our other magic user, Miss Garibaldi, has also returned to Genoa by ship from America, and His Majesty is having her train the kingdom's most elite Alpine Jaeger Regiment."

"So what is Napoleon III's price?" This is the question that Missella is most concerned about right now.

“Let us hand over Nice and Savoy to France.” Upon hearing this, Misella slammed her cup onto the plate.

"What a joke! Nice is one thing, but he wants Savoy? That's my hometown!" Since Umberto I became the first Count of Savoy in 1003, this land has always been an integral part of the Savoy family.

“Your Highness, you can’t catch a wolf without risking your cub! Napoleon III has agreed to compensate us with the occupation of Lombardy and Venice, which belong to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in exchange for these two territories. This way, we can completely remove all obstacles to the unification of northern Italy.” Seeing Misella’s somewhat excessive reaction, Cavour quickly stood up, trying to persuade the girl before him. After all, if a mage were to lose control in Paris at this moment, the destruction would be unimaginable. Leaving aside the negative international repercussions, the cost of losing a mage alone would be something the Kingdom of Sardinia could not afford.

"Would you like sugar in your coffee?" Misella forced herself to calm down.

"Huh!?" Even he, who was usually shrewd and composed, was momentarily taken aback by this unexpected question.

“I apologize, Your Highness, I am hard of hearing and did not hear you clearly. Could you please repeat it?” Cavour pushed up his monocle to hide his embarrassment and asked Misella again.

"Do you want sugar in your coffee?" Misera looked at the prime minister of her kingdom with a forced smile, and for some reason, she really wanted to teach him a lesson.

"No, no. I prefer plain coffee. The bitterness reminds me of my failure 19 years ago, reminding me not to be blinded by the comfortable material life I have now." (It's like the feeling of enduring hardship and biding one's time for revenge.)

“Alright then, although I also like bitter coffee, after all, the original taste of coffee is bitter and cannot be masked by sweetness.” Misella picked up the box of coffee powder and examined it.

"When will we have our own overseas coffee bean growing regions, with coffee powder from Ethiopia?" Misera's words carried a hidden meaning. (The complicated relationship between Italy and Ethiopia)

PS1: Rubbing

Chapter 20 The Princess Starting from Zero: Capter 19 The Chess Game (Please collect and vote)

"Your Highness, you are still young, and you will surely see that our motherland will become strong again, and you will become the unique queen of that unified Kingdom of Italy, and Italy will have its own colonies." Cavour's words were full of expectations for the future.

"By the way, Miss Bismarck of Prussia, are you planning to take action against Denmark recently, and even bring Austria-Hungary into it?"

"Yes, Your Highness, the first war in Europe this year will be a fatal blow from the German and Austrian 'sisters' against the weakened Kingdom of Denmark, the former leader of the Kalmar Union, and it will be a pointless, one-sided farce."

"Lord Cavour, do you know anything about Miss Bismarck of Prussia?"

"Of course, I had a meeting with that venerable lady in Westphalia. She was about my age but full of energy; she was sometimes obsessive but always had a clear goal; she admired force but was not averse to using wisdom; she was an excellent mage and an excellent politician; she, like me, pursued national independence as her lifelong goal." Cavour had every right to say such things. Having joined the Carbonari at the age of 14 and dedicated his life to the country he loved, if asked what was the only thing he cared about, it would probably be the unification of Italy.

"Then Prussia and Miss Bismarck should become our future allies in the Kingdom of Sardinia. They want to unify Germany, we want to unify Italy, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire is our common obstacle." As she spoke, the proud princess of the Savoy family raised her right hand and made a palm-flipping gesture. In her confident words, the vast and bloated empire that stood between Prussia and Italy was like a roadside stone, not worth worrying about.

“You’re right, Your Highness. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

"What about London and St. Petersburg?"

"What we are doing now is not attracting the attention of London. Britain's 'splendid isolation' is aimed at the balance of power among the major European powers. We just need to do our job well now, and the British will not interfere. (This theory was proposed in the 1880s, but the troublemakers have been doing this ever since they 'grew up')"

"The Russian Empire has nothing to worry about. Its soul has been completely bewitched by that 'Oriental Beauty' who was once admired by all in the Far East. The weakened Chinese Empire is now its favorite piece of fat meat." (That's Da Meng. Anyway, in the eyes of Westerners at that time, calling China a specific dynasty was not as practical as calling it the Chinese Empire.) At this point, Cavour raised his left hand to confirm the time.

"Your Highness, it's getting late, you should rest. I'll take my leave now." Cavour put on his coat and hat, preparing to depart.

“Lord Cavour, your cane and beard,” Misella pointed to her chin, reminding the middle-aged man before her.

"Sorry, I'll take it right away." Missera covered her mouth and laughed as she looked at the somewhat comical middle-aged man in front of her.

“By the way, Lord Cavour, do you know anything about Mr. Caravaggio?” Misella asked Cavour this seemingly cryptic question as he was about to leave.

"Your Highness, please don't ask this question. Just leave this matter to us." With that, Cavour pulled up his hat brim, closed the door, and left.

The following day, they returned to the Royal Magic School in Vienna.

"Your Highness, these are the books you requested." The attentive and considerate Rita presented Gisela with a stack of books nearly taller than her. Gisela looked at the pile of books and couldn't help but feel a little helpless. What a joke! So many… how could she possibly read them all in such a short time! Was she supposed to use some kind of quantum speed reading method?

Gisela's efforts in her previous life only lasted until the summer after graduating from high school. After that, she entered a state of giving up. As for her time in college, she couldn't muster any interest in making progress and spent all her precious time on entertainment.

“These are military books, these are art appreciation books, these are about magic, these are about philosophy…” Rita raised her hand and held out the books to Gisela, along with some of her own thoughts and comments on them.

"Rita, how many books have you read? Why are you so fluent?" Gisela rubbed her forehead with her right hand, her head bobbing back and forth. Clearly, her friend Rita was desperate to improve...

“Your Highness, reading is the best form of entertainment. It can not only relax your mind and body, but also help you learn. Your mother, Queen Elizabeth, also had this habit. If you want to be even more outstanding, you should learn more from Her Majesty the Queen.” Rita gently stroked Gisela’s golden head.

“Rita, I’m not a child anymore.” Gisela, though not averse to being close to a beauty like Rita, still emphasized this earnestly out of male pride.

“Yes, Your Highness, you’ve grown up.” But to Rita, who had watched Gisela grow up, Gisela’s words sounded like a spoiled child, so Rita stroked her fur even more enthusiastically.

"No way! Books are the greatest enemy of students!" Gisela declared righteously, making it sound like an anti-intellectual manifesto. Perhaps due to her excitement, her voice rose several decibels. Such a thing might not have aroused dissatisfaction if it happened on the street or in other public places, but this was in the quiet library of the Imperial Royal Magic Academy, which forced Gisela to face the accusing gazes of the students reading around her.

"Your Highness, please be mindful of your manners. This is not your home," Rita whispered to Gisela, leaning closer.

Realizing she had spoken too loudly, Gisela was visibly embarrassed. She quickly sat back down, picked up a book, and covered her face completely with it.

At this moment, Gisela's face flushed uncontrollably, her blue eyes darted around unnaturally, and her beautiful eyebrows furrowed. In short, she decided to bury her head in the sand.

Based on his original, unyielding nature and thick skin, Lin Wei was naturally fearless, and blushing was not an issue for him. If he did something wrong, he would dare to call him a coward. If he blinked twice, his brothers would each get a pack of cigarettes on the spot without hesitation.

But the problem is that the past is the past, and the present is the present. Since becoming this princess, I've become much more thin-skinned, and I even occasionally have some strange emotions lingering in my heart. It just goes to show that the physiological differences between men and women are indeed very large.

If possible, you should pick up the Stone Mask at this moment and shout, "JOJO! I'm not a man anymore!"

“But I refuse!” Gisela not only wants to be a “man” but also a “real man” who is even more manly than a man.

"Alright! Your Highness, you don't need to really blame yourself. If anyone is still going to hold a grudge against you, then we can only..." Rita came up to Gisela and gently patted her shoulder to encourage her. From an angle that Gisela couldn't see, Rita was giving all the students who dared to look up a warning with a cold and murderous gaze. After all, if His Highness was unhappy, none of them would have a good time.

It's worth mentioning that although Gisela acts as Louise Vanessa Hurence at school, that's in public. In private, Rita prefers to call Gisela "Your Highness."

PS1: ra

Chapter 21 Princess Starting from Zero: Capter 20 Investigation Results (Seeking votes and collections)

"By the way, Rita, what results have you found in your investigation of our mansion?" The numerous problems caused by that magic energy storage box a few days ago flooded Gisela's mind again. There were also many conspiracies around her, not only domestic ones, but also those of many external forces. This feeling of being in the fog was obviously not good.

“Yes, Your Highness, I have investigated. The mansion we are currently staying in was completed in the 15th century, specifically in 1452. At that time, Frederick III, as the head of the Habsburg family, built a large number of mansions in Vienna to reward a large number of ‘meritorious’ people in order to celebrate his and his family’s coronation as Holy Roman Emperor. This mansion was among them,” Rita said solemnly.

"1452? Why not 1453? That was a day when the elite Luo people shed tears, even though their Shen Luo is still a Luo." Of course, she dared not say this in front of the elite Luo people, otherwise she would probably be attacked by them.

Back to the present, Gisela rested her chin on her hand, pretending to think. To be honest, she didn't know much about the history of medieval Europe, partly because it was too complicated, and partly because she hadn't used it in her daily life.

"Its original owner was a Venetian merchant named Domenico, who provided nearly 10 ducats for the coronation of Emperor Frederick III, making him one of the emperor's biggest financial backers at the time." Bribing seven electors to run for Holy Roman Emperor was standard practice, much like indulgences issued by the Papacy. You could make up for it with money if you didn't have "piety," Gisela couldn't help but think to herself.

"What is the demand?" As a businessman, the act of giving away money to others for free is nonexistent, especially for a merchant from Venice. As for Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice," which is so popular, they have all been labeled as profit-driven.

"The right to reduce taxes on goods traded in Carinthia and Lombardy, and to reduce the tolls levied repeatedly on goods traveling between major cities within the empire."

“I understand. Although the emperor’s power is limited, he can still help them in these matters. What merchants want is to reduce the cost of transporting goods. The Venetians’ goal is very clear: to expand their coastal commercial network, which relies on the Mediterranean, into the interior. They are offering this condition to the emperor at a near loss.” Gisela made this judgment based on his knowledge.

“That’s right, Your Highness. That was the initial agreement between the two parties.”

"At the beginning?"

"Your Highness is also aware of a momentous event that occurred in 1453 that impacted our Christian world: the Ottoman Empire captured Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, and the eastern gateway to Europe was completely opened to their young and promising Sultan Mehmed II."

To counter the maritime threat from the Ottomans and to consolidate their commercial interests in the eastern Mediterranean, the Venetians refocused their attention on the sea, and their plans to expand inland were thus abandoned.

"Then their investment will have gone down the drain?"

"In terms of the outcome, that was indeed the case. Compared to the enormous wealth brought by the Eastern Mediterranean, what was 10 ducats? Of course, Domenico, the merchant who spearheaded the agreement, was also kicked out of Venice and lived in seclusion in his Vienna mansion until his death."

"Because he had no children, he bequeathed the house to a distant relative, Andrea, before his death. The house was almost completely destroyed by a fire in 1599. Later, it was sold by Andrea's descendants to a noblewoman from Florence whose name can no longer be found. However, she completely renovated the mansion and expanded it several times in size."

“Wait a minute, Rita, I have a question. When was Mr. Caravaggio born and died?” Gisela seemed to have thought of something and was eager to get the answer from Rita.

“1571年9月29日—帬陾酒琦陸盈sanj巴流1610年7月18日殿下想到了什么吗？”

Between 1599 and 1610, something must have happened in those 11 years that made this unknown noblewoman keep the magic storage box and the paintings inside it in the bottom drawer of her room. Nearly three hundred years have passed, and not only is the box undamaged, but no one has ever found it. This is very strange no matter how you look at it, as if it was deliberately made to be seen by her. But the layer of dust on it that day told her that the box had been there for some time.

The phrase "Dear Caravaggio" suggests that the owner of the trunk had an extraordinary affection for Mr. Caravaggio. Based on the timeline, I can assert that this unnamed noblewoman had some intricate connection with Mr. Caravaggio, and that she was indeed the owner of the trunk. Of course, I believe their relationship was far more complex than simply admiration.

“Let’s talk about that painting in the box again. Rita, from your perspective as an art connoisseur, what do you think of it?”

"Does Your Highness want to hear the academic answer or my intuitive feeling?" Rita gently stroked a strand of silver-gray hair behind her ear and asked softly.

“Your first impression.” Gisela looked intently at Rita, her eyes waiting for her thoughts.

"No, the colors are too cold. Considering that the person in red who is dying in the painting is the Virgin Mary, this painting lacks a sense of holiness from a religious perspective. The death of the Virgin Mary is also too bland and lacks impact, just like an ordinary woman. I still prefer realism in ordinary subjects, but in religious subjects, I prefer warmer colors."

"Rita, what would you think if I told you that the person in the painting isn't the Virgin Mary?" Gisela's lips curled into a slight smile, her tone full of amusement. Rita was initially taken aback by Gisela's sudden change in demeanor, but then felt a sense of relief, since she didn't dislike the current princess.

“No! Your Highness, this is illogical. I saw the original painting in Milan, and most scholars are convinced that it depicts the Virgin Mary. It was a work submitted to the church by Mr. Caravaggio, and he named it himself.” (The work was, of course, ultimately rejected.)

"Caravaggio didn't want to paint the Virgin Mary, but rather the woman he loved most, the owner of this storage box. Because of their different social statuses, they couldn't truly be together. Day after day, they enjoyed physical intimacy in that house, but it couldn't fill the emptiness in his heart. Through this painting, he wanted to tell the woman he loved most that this relationship should end like this."

"This is why he was so erratic in his last few years. He vented his emotions and his dissatisfaction with this secular society by inventing storage boxes with magical sensing technology (the development of magical energy by ordinary people was forbidden by the church) and by painting some bold works that challenged the Catholic Church."