The Emperor had just stepped out of the deliberation hall, and the Electors followed closely behind, leaving the crowded venue.
The Frankfurt city government had prepared a quiet and clean small room specifically for the Electors to hold their meeting.
Meanwhile, the princes remaining in the hall quickly began to divide into chambers for discussion, organized by Clement, the representative of the Archduke of Austria, and the Salzburg Archbishop.
However, before officially beginning discussions on the matter of the Imperial War, the College of Secular Princes had to first resolve a thorny issue.
Among the representatives sent by King Charles of Burgundy, besides several bishops of the kingdom and representatives of subordinate states, there was also a royal representative named Olivier de la Marche.
He was an important advisor to Philip III 'the Good' and became the chief attendant after Charles's accession; he was deeply trusted by Charles and was quite loyal to his lord.
Out of this loyalty, he publicly questioned Clement, Austria's Foreign Minister, arguing that the representative of the King of Burgundy should occupy a position commensurate with his monarch's status.
Since that position would not be in the Electoral College, it could only be the leadership of the College of Secular Princes.
In other words, he hoped to replace Clement, the representative of the Archduke of Austria, as the speaker of the College of Secular Princes.
Although Charles had not given Olivier any explicit instructions, based on his understanding of his proud lord, Olivier knew that if Charles learned his representative had to sit at the same table as a crowd of dukes, princes, margraves, and even landgraves, he would likely be in a very foul mood.
Clement was momentarily dumbfounded.
In fact, he had discussed this matter with the Emperor before the Diet convened.
At that time, the Emperor, considering that Burgundy was in urgent need of Imperial aid, thought they wouldn't fuss over this issue, but he still set a bottom line: the leadership of the College of Secular Princes must absolutely not be yielded.
The Archduke of Austria being the head of all secular princes was a provision written into the Charter of the Imperial Diet; how could it be easily changed?
As for the Burgundian side, Laszlo did not intend to make adjustments for the time being.
At most, he would promise Charles an elevated status later, but as for when that would happen...
On the other side, the Salzburg Archbishop, an imperial advisor presiding over the meeting of the College of Ecclesiastical Princes, wanted to help his troubled colleague, but it was more important to first have the ecclesiastical princes pass the resolution.
In the College of Secular Princes, before Clement could figure out how to refuse the Burgundians' 'insolent' demand, the various secular princes from the Rhine River region were the first to explode in anger.
Princes such as the Duke of Jülich-Berg, the Elector Palatine, and the Duke of Baden successively expressed firm opposition to Olivier's proposal.
Some did so due to close personal ties with the Emperor, while others feared the further growth of Burgundian influence within the Empire; for this, they were willing to set aside their grievances with the Emperor to unite against the Burgundians' ambitions.
While the two sides were arguing heatedly, Clement proposed a compromise: allow the representative of the Kingdom of Burgundy to speak first and cast the final vote.
This right originally belonged to the representative of the Kingdom of Denmark, and powerful princes like the Duke of Saxony and the Elector Palatine were also eyeing this privilege.
There was no other way; to many, authority is entirely ethereal, perhaps even non-existent, so etiquette was born to concretely manifest authority before people's eyes.
Seating arrangements in the Imperial Diet had always been a hot topic of debate among princes, and the order of speaking and voting was even more important, as it tangibly demonstrated a prince's say in affairs.
Seeing his monarch's rights about to be infringed upon, the representative of the Kingdom of Denmark was also displeased.
Although he could only represent the Duchy of Holstein and could only secure the single vote of the Count of Oldenburg, his lord was a true king, and the monarch of three kingdoms: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
Now that the Emperor had created a new king and was pushing aside the majesty of the Danish King, if he didn't put up any resistance, how could he face his sovereign upon his return?
A fierce argument was inevitable and lasted for a full half-day. While the neighboring College of Ecclesiastical Princes had almost unanimously passed the resolution to start an Imperial War against the rival papacy, this side hadn't even made a start.
Laszlo was still completely unaware of this incident, which could be called a diplomatic accident. When the argument began, he was leading Christopher toward the room where the Electoral College was meeting.
Inside the room, the Electors waited in silence for the Emperor's arrival.
Their gazes were all drawn to an exquisite tapestry hanging on the wall of the meeting site.
The tapestry was woven from wool and linen, with borders embroidered in luxurious gold thread, and the entire background was a pale yellow.
The most striking feature was the pattern in the center of the tapestry: a black double-headed eagle with outspread wings.
The two heads of this eagle wore two different crowns and were adorned with halos, which was quite different from the coat of arms Emperor Laszlo had used in his early days.
On the spread wings, seven shields were depicted at the very top, belonging to the seven Electors.
As the feathers extended, more shields belonging to princes were densely arranged, corresponding to states, noble territories, and free cities, even including the coats of arms of the Kingdom of Burgundy and the Italian states.
The body of the black eagle was replaced by a realistic image of the Crucifixion, echoing the halos to tell people that this was the coat of arms belonging to the "Holy" Empire.
"Holy" Empire.
"Where did this tapestry come from?"
Ernst, the Elector of Saxony, turned to ask the Frankfurt councilman waiting nearby for orders.
"This is a gift from the Emperor to Frankfurt. It seems all cities that have hosted the Imperial Conference received the same gift."
The councilman explained to the Electors with a smile.
The tapestry originally hanging here was the Frankfurt city coat of arms—a white single-headed eagle—granted by Emperor Charles IV.
However, during the Imperial Diet, every room where a meeting was held would hang the Emperor's eagle banner, and for this room where the Electors met, the Emperor had directly gifted an exquisite tapestry for decoration.
As for the intention behind this, he could probably guess a bit, but that was for the great figures of the Empire to worry about; he only needed to follow orders.
Moreover, this item could showcase their connection as an Imperial Free City with the Emperor, and its value was far more than just being pretty.
"Is the Emperor... imitating the luxury-loving Burgundians?"
Adolf, the Archbishop of Mainz, raised an eyebrow in speculation.
That famous Duke Philip loved giving tapestries as gifts.
He had gifted tapestries with religious themes to many bishops in France and the Empire, and even three Popes had received gifts from him.
When the current Pope Paul II was elected, Philip III, already gravely ill, had gifted him an exquisite tapestry named 'Hannibal'.
When the Emperor achieved victory in the Swabian War, Philip had also sent a tapestry named 'Caesar', depicting the story of Caesar defeating the Helvetii in the Swiss region during his first battle in Gaul.
It seemed that, influenced by his old ally, the Emperor had now also begun to award or gift various decorations with religious or historical connotations to allies and members of the Empire.
As for the Emperor's intention in doing so... it likely wasn't purely to flaunt wealth, or at least that's what several Electors thought.
"It seems the Emperor is just as ambitious as the Burgundians."
Archbishop Ruprecht of Cologne took up the conversation with a cold laugh, and the expressions of the other Electors changed slightly upon hearing this.
"What is the name of this tapestry?" Ruprecht turned to ask the councilman again.
"'Under the Wings of the Black Eagle.' That is what the Emperor's envoy told me."
The councilman gave a truthful answer, but the room fell into a long silence because of it.
The Black Eagle was both the Empire and the Emperor; the Emperor spread his wings, protecting the entire Empire while also suppressing it.
"This image is quite fitting to reality, isn't it?" Albrecht IV, Elector of Bavaria, tried to break the silence with a light tone, but unfortunately, his words made the atmosphere even more stifling.
Laszlo pushed the door open and entered at that moment, with a young boy following closely behind him, appearing very ill at ease, which immediately caught the Electors' attention.
"Your Majesty, this is..."
Ernst looked at the Emperor with some confusion.
Archbishop Adolf stood up at this time and introduced him to everyone: "This young man is the Emperor's eldest son, His Highness Christopher."
The Electors, who had just finished saluting the Emperor, stood up again one by one to greet the prince.
Although Christopher was very nervous, he still responded politely.
Everyone took their seats around the long meeting table, and Christopher stood silently beside Laszlo. He kept his head lowered, appearing very calm on the surface, but in reality, he was panicking inside.
The whispers of the Electors were like a whistling wind passing by his ears; he knew those great figures of the Empire were passing judgment on him.
"Gentlemen, I imagine you are all curious as to why, now that the resolution for the Imperial War has passed, I have called another meeting of the Electoral College."
Laszlo spoke, his tone still gentle, but it was enough to dispel the whispers lingering in Christopher's mind.
The Archbishop of Mainz, who was in the know, looked as usual, while the other Electors figured out the Emperor's intention in a very short time.
The two Electors of Saxony and Brandenburg exchanged a glance, and Albrecht 'Achilles' said with a frown: "Do you perhaps intend to follow the example of His Majesty Charles IV and hold an early election?"
Years ago, sensing his days were numbered, Charles IV, in order to pave the way for his favorite son Wenceslaus, opened an early electoral meeting in the last two years of his life, demanding the Electors unanimously elect Wenceslaus as King of the Romans and allow him to be crowned Emperor directly after his own death.
He succeeded, but he led the Empire into an abyss from which it almost never recovered.
"Yes, an Emperor has the right to designate his own successor; this is an Imperial tradition. Do you have any objections?"
Laszlo's gaze swept across them. The Elector of Saxony and the Archbishop of Cologne were already a bit restless, but neither jumped out to openly oppose him.
"Your Majesty, as far as I know, Prince Christopher is only fifteen years old. A boy of this age is still too immature. Isn't it too early to nominate him as the successor to the Empire now?"
Ernst voiced his doubts, bracing himself.
In truth, it didn't matter when the Emperor was chosen; they certainly wouldn't mind making another deal with the Emperor and profiting handsomely from their electoral rights.
However, if the throne were monopolized by the Habsburg Family, no one could predict what would happen in the future.
"Back then, His Majesty Wenceslaus was also nominated as the successor to the throne by the electoral meeting at the age of fifteen. What of it..."
""
"Ahem." Laszlo frowned and glanced at Archbishop Adolf, who was eager to defend Christopher, inwardly cursing him as a 'pig teammate'.
Adolf soon realized his slip of the tongue and immediately shut his mouth, but the Archbishop of Cologne had already jumped out impatiently.
"Wenceslaus? You mean the man who sat on the throne for over a decade refusing to go to Rome for his coronation, whose pursuit of pleasure led the Empire into long-term chaos, who started wars with his own brother His Majesty Sigismund and Margrave Jobst, and who allowed Jan Huss to spread heresy in Prague before being deposed by the electoral meeting? No, he never even went to Rome; he was never Emperor!"
No, he never even went to Rome; he was never Emperor!
Ruprecht spoke with increasing fervor, his sharp gaze directed straight at the now-shivering Christopher, as if equating him with the lazy, cowardly, and mediocre Wenceslaus.
It should be noted that the person who presided over the electoral meeting that deposed Wenceslaus and was elected as the new Emperor was none other than Ruprecht's great-grandfather. Furthermore, that monarch's name was also Ruprecht; or rather, the Archbishop of Cologne was named precisely to commemorate that wise monarch who deposed a faint-hearted ruler and restored order to the Empire.
And that Ruprecht, who was elected King of the Romans but died of illness before he could be crowned, was also the last Imperial monarch from the Wittelsbach family.
"Fifteen is already an age at which one can rule personally in Austria. I was also at such an age when I led the Crusaders to a great victory in the East. A person's talent and character can be cultivated; why must you fixate on his age?"
A person's talent and character can be cultivated; why must you fixate on his age?"
Laszlo spoke directly to shut down the topic, and the Archbishop of Mainz beside him hurried to agree.
Although Ruprecht was unwilling, it was not appropriate to say anything more at this time.
The Emperor was already leading Crusaders against the Ottomans at fifteen; how much worse could his son be?
Surely it wouldn't be another case like Charles IV, with a tiger father and a dog son?
Laszlo then proceeded to ask each Elector for their views. Aside from his own vote as King of Bohemia and the already secured vote of the Archbishop of Mainz, Laszlo had not yet obtained the remaining five votes.
Setting aside the explicitly opposed Archbishop of Cologne for now, the attitudes of the remaining four were quite ambiguous and wavering.
During the recess after the first day's meeting, Laszlo began private negotiations with the Electors to secure the support of at least four votes.
The first to yield was the Archbishop of Trier.
His request was for the Emperor to later issue a longer-term Imperial Land Peace decree, to allocate the annual tax revenue from the Moselle River basin to Trier, and he hoped to reach a long-term stable political alliance with the Emperor.
Laszlo readily agreed to this proposal. After securing three votes, he turned his attention to the final target.
Compared to the Electors of Saxony and Brandenburg, who would clearly demand an exorbitant price, Laszlo was more willing to make a deal with his future son-in-law, the Elector of Bavaria.