Chapter 124: Water Wells
Evidence suggests Franz Joseph didn't pay much attention; as emperor, he's busy with state affairs every day and tends to trust his mother on matters of Rudolf's education. So poor Rudolf soon found himself in Ernst's clutches, oblivious to the adventures ahead.
"Karina, goodbye! Grandmother, goodbye!" the boy said farewell to his two sisters (his real sister Gisela and Karina) and to his grandmother, Sophie.
"Ernst! I'm entrusting Rudolf to you for a while—see that he doesn't slack in his studies," Sophie reminded him.
"Rest assured, Empress Dowager. I'm taking him so that he can receive more complete and advanced instruction. He'll be interacting with the best young nobles in Europe," Ernst promised.
"Take care of yourself, darling!" Sophie kissed Rudolf's forehead in farewell.
"Let's go," Ernst signaled to the driver. The coachman cracked the whip, and the convoy pulled away.
Watching the carriage disappear, Sophie felt torn, not knowing whether this would be good or bad. It was only for three months, so likely no great harm.
…
"Rudolf, how do you find the scenery along the way?" Ernst asked, gazing out the train window at the fields rushing by.
"Ernst, it was interesting at first; I saw views I never knew existed from the palace. But it got so exhausting—my body feels like it's falling apart," Rudolf complained.
This old steam train was indeed quite uncomfortable. Ernst had deliberately booked hard-seat carriages reminiscent of later "green trains"—wooden seats, bumpy tracks, deafening noise, a journey lasting over ten hours.
As a child used to luxury, Rudolf found this torturous, but Ernst wanted him to experience the hardships ordinary people endured.
After more than ten hours of rattling, they finally arrived in Berlin.
It was Rudolf's first trip abroad, and he found it all fresh and fascinating. Prussia, compared to Vienna, seemed stricter and more disciplined, a city exuding a distinct orderly vibe one could sense without words.
Ernst had a rigorous educational plan ready for Rudolf—his schedule was packed. Besides the palace tutors' normal curriculum, Rudolf would interact with the Prussian royal family and visit industrial sites in Prussia. He would also spend a month at the Black Forest Military Academy.
Ernst's focus was on giving Rudolf a "social education" that complemented his strict palace schooling. Much like how, in another world, the general populace's school education offset the deficiencies of many families' home schooling.
Where family education fails, school can partially compensate. In Rudolf's previous life, family education had failed miserably, so Ernst aimed to replicate an "exam-oriented education" model to forcibly instill a normal mindset in him.
Exam-oriented education has a big advantage: intense competition. Rudolf, overwhelmed, would have no time to dwell on negative thoughts.
Sharing his fate would be a dozen students from the Black Forest Military Academy of similar age. Ernst set up a special class for them, with an extreme curriculum. The demands were staggering, with constant assignments and exams.
In his earlier palace studies, Rudolf had begun learning sooner than most, so he initially held a knowledge advantage over the local Hechingen students (whose curriculum was more limited). In the early days, he stood out and was often praised.
But as those bright kids caught up, the margin between them and Rudolf visibly shrank week by week—putting him under increasing pressure. Each exam saw his top scores threatened.
"Rudolf, 97 points. You're still first in the class, but your improvement is minimal. Work harder," said homeroom teacher Alfred Essenbezer.
"Yes, sir!" Rudolf said nervously, both relieved and stressed.
"Next: David Zhang, 93 points, very good—keep it up. Robert Jervis, 92 points…"
"Jim Liu, 32 points. This is failing," Alfred Essenbezer said, exasperated. "Jim Liu, you've got to try harder, or soon you won't even see your classmates' dust!"
As a highly reputed teacher from Germany, Essenbezer rarely encountered students quite as hopeless as Jim Liu. In an ordinary class, it might not be so obvious, but here, with geniuses and the Austrian crown prince, the difference was glaring.
Other teachers in various subjects shared his bewilderment at why Ernst placed such oddballs in the same class.
The teachers themselves had no idea who Rudolf really was. Ernst had hired them on good pay from other schools, instructing them to treat every student equally.
Yet Rudolf's excellent upbringing and broader academic foundation (starting younger in Austria) earned him high esteem, while the truly gifted local prodigies also impressed the teachers. Those who lagged behind were scolded or, in some cases, given up on.
And so, a class mirroring exam-focused schooling was formed at the Black Forest Military Academy, with a heavy academic load that dwarfed the standard curriculum. Geniuses, average students, and stragglers all mingled in a single environment.
Beyond academics, the special class engaged in the academy's regular social life and extracurricular activities.
Rudolf found himself in a new world, forging friendships unlike any in the past. They didn't revolve around aristocratic flattery but shared academic struggle. He was far too busy with homework and exams to think about home or his parents' strained relationship, or his father's sternness and his mother's conflicts with his grandmother.
He gradually forgot that negativity. Constant tasks left him no time for brooding, and the teachers' impartial evaluations showed him that with effort he could achieve real progress. The sense of competence he gained was a first in his life.
Indeed, though the academic load was grueling, Rudolf felt an unprecedented satisfaction, forging genuine camaraderie with classmates. He discovered how to relax, to share jokes, to do things he liked—none of which he experienced in the palace environment.
On weekends, Ernst would sometimes take him to visit the Prussian royal family and Crown Prince Frederick, or attend court gatherings. That way, he wouldn't lose his royal etiquette.
Rudolf found it exhausting but fulfilling. He seemed healthier, more cheerful each day. The once timid heir now radiated self-confidence and balanced awareness of both his strengths and weaknesses.
He also learned to shift personas: a regal heir among the nobility, but a normal boy among classmates, joking and playing.
Observing these changes, Ernst was very pleased; this was the youthful vitality Rudolf ought to have.
…
On Sunday:
"Rudolf!" Ernst called.
"Yes, Ernst?" the boy answered politely.
"Come here!"
Rudolf approached.
"How's your first month at school? Enjoying it?" Ernst asked with a smile.
"It's great, sir. The teachers and classmates are all wonderful," Rudolf replied.
"How does it compare with Schönbrunn Palace?" Ernst teased, trying to coax a slip.
"They're both good. At the Black Forest, I've experienced a new way of life. I've learned a lot," Rudolf dodged the trap.
"Huh, then why didn't you seem this happy before? I heard you even told some raunchy jokes at school?" Ernst teased further.
Rudolf showed no embarrassment. "You must be mistaken, dear cousin. I'm a good student who'd never tell such jokes."
"Tsk, tsk. Already lying to me, are we? Don't forget I have eyes everywhere," Ernst said, flicking the boy's forehead.
"Ow!" Rudolf rubbed the sore spot.
"Seems you're growing up nicely. Now it's time for the next step. Tomorrow, you and I are going to a photography studio. I'll need you to act like you do when you're visiting the Prussian court: confident, alright? Tomorrow, just follow my lead," Ernst instructed.
Though Rudolf wasn't sure what Ernst had in mind, he nodded.
…
A few days later, at Schönbrunn Palace:
In the photograph Ernst sent, Rudolf is seen sitting astride a black horse, looking spirited, his youthful face showing a hint of steeled resolve. The overall impression is bold confidence.
Empress Dowager Sophie admired the photo in delight.
"Franz, look at my grandson—doesn't he have the bearing of a future emperor?" she asked Emperor Franz Joseph.
"He's halfway to what I was at that age," Franz Joseph boasted shamelessly.
Sophie paid no mind to his bragging, too busy admiring the photo. She added, "Ernst writes that Rudolf is doing wonderfully, that it's best for him to continue studying in Prussia for now. He'll bring him back at the year's end."
"Mother, isn't that rather long?" Franz Joseph fretted.
"Fiddlesticks! Ernst clearly knows how to educate children better than any of you men. You and your brothers are all incompetent fathers. Especially Ferdinand (Maximilian I), so long away. Karina hasn't seen him in ages!
"Yet look at Ernst—he sends weekly updates about Rudolf, all those tests and homework. There must be dozens of pounds of papers by now. You pledged to check your son's schoolwork, but you gave up by the second day."
She continued, "Look at my grandson now—he's so healthy and even looks a bit chubbier, full of energy without slacking on his studies. People visiting Prussia say he carries himself with a new poise and spirit!"
Indeed, Sophie was overjoyed. This was precisely the image Ernst had worked to cultivate in her mind.
At present, Ernst had no intention of sending Rudolf back too soon. If he returned, the Austrian court might undo all his progress. So Ernst's daily bulletins to Schönbrunn carefully emphasized Rudolf's outstanding performance, ensuring Sophie felt no need to recall him prematurely.
He cunningly shaped their impression: so many pages of homework and tests—who could say Ernst was neglecting the boy's education? Reading them all would wear Franz Joseph out. Hence, Ernst achieved his goal. He wanted more time to train Rudolf in his "experimental class" at the Black Forest.
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