Chapter 59 Gossip

Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.

"Prince Metternich has a new mistress again!"

Franz had long been accustomed to Talia's gossip, but this time Franz could not remain calm.

"Prince Metternich is 63 years old, Talia, you still won't let him go!"

"What do you mean I won't let him go! Then can you explain why a 63-year-old man is still keen on finding a new mistress?" Talia retorted.

"Oh? How old is Prince Metternich's mistress?" In fact, Franz was also a little curious.

"20 years old, maybe less than 20 years old, how can a woman's age be exposed casually!"

"This is an old cow eating young grass, but this is nothing strange in the aristocratic circle!"

"Hehe" Talia said mysteriously.

"There is something more explosive!"

"What?" Franz asked.

"Count Korolov also found a mistress." Talia replied.

"I asked you to get information, but all you collected was gossip." Franz said helplessly.

"Don't worry, listen to me."

"Okay." Franz had to continue listening patiently.

"Prince Metternich and Count Korolav's mistress are the same person." Talia whispered.

".Aren't they mortal enemies? It seems that some of their views are quite consistent."

"My respected Archduke, perhaps you should expand your imagination."

"No, I just think that woman is courting death. Metternich and Korolav are not easy to deal with. You know this, how can they not know it?" Franz said with a smile.

Talia spread her hands.

"Anyway, this woman is now doing well in the upper class circles of Vienna, and even triggered several duels."

In fact, Austria is a very strange country. Dueling is not allowed in the army of this country. Since Joseph II, any soldier who participates in a duel in the army will be executed.

But, something strange happened. As long as the duel is not in the army, it is not illegal. Nobles, civilians, and even Jews and gypsies have the right to duel.

The dueling culture in Austria is very serious. Even the most famous duel took place between two women, that is, the bare-chested fight between Metternich's granddaughter and the wife of the governor of Lower Austria.

The swift sword was the favorite weapon of Austrians until the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

A principal of Vienna once said that "scholars should not die in duels." His successors inherited this school motto well. Fencing was a compulsory subject at the University of Vienna before World War II.

"It's just a beauty, there's nothing to pay attention to. Talk about something else." Franz was not too interested in this kind of thing.

"People say she is the most beautiful woman in Vienna, the masterpiece of Venus, with an angelic appearance, but a pair of devil's eyes, which can seduce souls."

Franz stopped Talia from continuing.

"Okay, don't you just want to see a beautiful woman? What's her name? If there is a chance, I'll let my mother take us there."

"Ajani."

Talia nodded with satisfaction.

"Any other news?" Franz asked.

"The Polish Restoration Army plans to set up a branch in Vienna," Talia replied.

Franz almost vomited the juice he had just drunk.

"What! This is Vienna!"

"Yes, this is Vienna, but this was said publicly by a Polish exiled noble in a tavern, and now everyone in Vienna knows it."

"Are the Poles crazy? What do those secret police do?"

"I don't know, but it seems that Count Korolav has not approved the budget for the secret police. It is said that Metternich's men can no longer afford to hire professional detectives, so they can only find some homeless people instead."

Franz was ashamed, forgetting that Count Korolav, a liberal, was very opposed to the secret police system. It seems that he can only rely on himself, and his own guards of twenty people seem to be not enough.

"Talia, keep an eye on this matter. I think we can only solve it by ourselves."

"Well. There is another thing recently. That is, the record of civilian killers has been refreshed and has reached 670 people."

"Civilian killer?" It was the first time Franz heard of this name, and the number of 670 people was too exaggerated. You should know that the famous Jack the Ripper in history only killed five people.

"Oh, it's Dr. Thomas. He is the dean of the Vienna General Hospital and an authority on obstetrics in Austria. The mortality rate of his delivery is very low, but it is limited to the nobility. The civilian women who were delivered by him are almost dead. In ten years of medical practice, 670 civilians have died in his hands."

In Europe at that time, medicine was still very backward. Bleeding for minor illnesses and amputation for major illnesses were not a joke.

At that time, the best obstetrics and gynecology hospitals in Europe had an annual maternal mortality rate of about 20%.

Maybe this is not intuitive. The current maternal mortality rate in China is 0.0000016.

At that time, the mortality rate of European mothers was 125,000 times that of China now, provided that they were in the best hospitals in Europe.

In most hospitals in Europe, it is common for the mortality rate to exceed 30%, and it is not surprising to reach 40%. The Vienna General Hospital even created an exaggerated figure of 0 survival rate for mothers within three months.

Tip: At that time, the mortality rate of Europeans giving birth at home was about 10%.

"He doesn't wash his hands."

One of the most important reasons for the high mortality rate at that time was infection.

At that time, there was no concept of clean surgery. No doctor would wash his hands before surgery. Moreover, they would often perform another surgery right after finishing one operation. Some doctors even performed surgery on patients right after going to the toilet.

At that time, European doctors believed that water would weaken the function of human organs. Cold water would cause people to catch colds and have diarrhea, while hot water would open people's pores, thereby inhaling more harmful bacteria and causing serious diseases such as tuberculosis. In short, water is the source of all diseases.

There are also religious factors at work. The church once canonized people who did not take a bath for many years. A Mr. Abraham was canonized as a saint because he insisted on not taking a bath for 50 years. This gave these doctors a reason not to take a bath or wash their hands.

Talia "How do I know?"

Franz thought about it, but he thought it was wrong. Why was the mortality rate of nobles so low, while the mortality rate of civilians was so high?

"Talia, print a few more copies of this six-step hand washing method and give them to all hospitals in Vienna. Let them follow it before the operation and say it is a royal decree."

Talia has developed the habit of washing hands around Franz. After all, she would steal Franz's snacks with her hands when no one was watching. Franz didn't want to die of diarrhea for no reason.

"Okay, what is this for?"

"Save people." Franz replied.

Talia picked up the "Six-step Hand Washing Method" that Franz had just written and prepared to make a few more copies. After all, according to Franz's personality, Vienna first, then the whole country.

"Wait." Franz stopped Talia, "You take my carriage."

"You will die!" Talia made a gesture of wiping her neck, then stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes.

"Wouldn't it be better if you tied one less horse!" Franz said.

Write the follow-up events in Spain in the evening. This chapter has three foreshadowings.

Regarding the swallowing of Chapter 15, if it is not good in the evening, I will post it in two chapters.