April 13, 1866.
Today marks the complete construction of Hohenzollern Castle; Prince Constantine has specially invited some prominent members of the family here to celebrate.
Hohenzollern Castle is the birthplace of the Hohenzollern family, it is the spiritual symbol of the family.
The castle was built in the 11th century. The ancestor Burkhard I was enfeoffed as Count of Soron around 1100 (with lands between present Upper Neckar River, Swabian Mountains, and Upper Danube River), who then started constructing the castle. However, the old castle was later destroyed.
The family reinforced the castle, added defenses, making it a refuge for the Hohenzollern family during wars. Due to its strategic location, it was a military stronghold contested by the French and Austrians, having once suffered a brutal siege lasting nine months, ending with the starvation of the castle's defensive troops. In the turmoil, the castle was not completed as planned, and after several changes of hands, it was ultimately abandoned.
In 1844, William IV, who had inherited the Prussian throne, mentioned in a letter the beautiful memories he left at the castle when he was 19 years old, especially while looking out at sunset, thus rebuilding the castle became a dream of his youth.
The current Hohenzollern Castle saw reconstruction starting in 1850, co-financed by Prussia and Heixinggen, historically completed in 1867.
However, after Ernst made money from industry, Heixinggen's royal family became more affluent, so Ernst decided to speed up the castle's construction.
After consulting with the Prussian royal family, Ernst accelerated the construction of the new Hohenzollern Castle, workers worked overtime every day, advancing the completion by a year.
Simultaneously, Ernst repurchased the Prussian royal family's property rights, increasing Heixinggen royal family's rights to Hohenzollern Castle to fifty percent.
After all, this is more than just home; it represents the glory of the Hohenzollern family and the face of Heixinggen lineage.
William I, the Prussian king, who worried about war funding, sold part of the property rights, although royal funds are separate from national finances, the royal family investing in kingdom construction is cheaper than those commercial banks acquiring government bonds, after all, intermediaries will charge a fee.
...
Those attending the castle completion ceremony today are all notable figures of the Hohenzollern family, with only two from the Heixinggen line: Prince Constantine and Ernst.
Due to William I's preparation for war, the Prussian royal family had Crown Prince Frederick (Frederick III, the Hundred-Day Emperor, succeeded by William II after his death) represent them at the ceremony.
Additionally, many members from the Sigmaringen branch attended, including Prince Karl Anton and his two sons, the elder son Prince Leopold (his eldest son Leopold in 1870 became a candidate for the Spanish throne, and Leopold's claim to the Spanish throne was one of the direct causes of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870—1871.)
As for Prince Karl Anton's younger son Karl (the future Romanian Emperor Carol I.), speaking of whom, even Ernst envied him, as now he is in Romania, seemingly about to ascend to the Romanian throne, and thus unable to attend.
Currently present members of the Hohenzollern family indeed include Ernst and Leopold with a bleak future. Leopold once had a chance to become King of Spain but was thwarted by the French. Ernst is even less fortunate, with only the position of Heixinggen Prince to inherit.
Ernst has an advantage over Leopold in terms of the East African colonies, so after the future World War I, Ernst can continue his influence in East Africa, while sadly Leopold's descendants must rely on inheritance in continental Europe.
However, in this regard, his brother's descendants and the Prussian royal family are even more pitiable—losing the Romanian throne and losing the German Empire throne—with such a comparison, perhaps it makes Leopold feel somewhat better. (Dark laughter)
Ernst vows that if East Africa develops well, he will lend a hand to these relatives. This is genuine, like how the Prussian royal family greatly supported Ernst, otherwise, securing military orders and dealings with armaments wouldn't be so easy; this illustrates the benefits of a strong family.
In regards to Ernst's deceased mother, Ozenni de Beorne, who was the daughter of Duke Eugène de Beauharnais of Loichberg, Eugène de Beauharnais has many offspring, with only the former Swedish Queen Josephine remaining among the living.
Above covers Ernst's key relatives; currently, the Hohenzollern family is Ernst's real support.
...
"...The reconstruction of Hohenzollern Castle signifies our family reaching another milestone, may it forever stand on German soil accompanying the Hohenzollern family."
After Heixinggen Prince finished his speech, applause rose from the audience. Subsequently, Crown Prince Frederick and Prince Karl Anton gave speeches representing the Prussian royal family and Sigmaringen.
Evening, banquet.
"Hey, Cousin Leopold, why are you drinking alone?" Ernst greeted.
"I'm mainly concerned about Karl in Romania, whether he is doing well; after all, Romania is not easy, although there is family support, the painful experience of the previous Romanian Grand Duke shows Romania's situation is unstable."
"Don't worry, Karl's various abilities aside, just his experience with the military is quite convincing. As long as Karl can connect with the Romanian military, those Romanian opposers will definitely not dare to act rashly." Ernst comforted. This statement is legitimate; Karl has spent years in the military, and has participated in the Second Schleswig War.
"Oh, let's hope so! I heard you, Ernst, are doing well recently, seems Uncle Constantine hasn't considered letting you develop in the army."
Upon hearing this, Ernst replied self-deprecatingly: "I'm clueless about the military, still incomparable to you siblings, best not to mess with the kingdom's army."
"Father mentioned you have claimed a piece of land in East Africa, is it going smoothly?" Leopold changed the topic.
"Haha, East Africa is indeed not comparable to Europe, right now I'm just managing some agricultural cultivation there, providing raw materials for future factory production, but it's small business." Ernst laughed.
"What are you discussing?" Crown Prince Frederick approached.
Among the three, Crown Prince Frederick was the eldest and, like Leopold, had mingled in the Prussian military, only having met Ernst a few times, thus knew little about him.
"Your Highness, Prince, Ernst and I were discussing minor matters, just curious about Ernst developing a colony in East Africa." Leopold said.
"Colonies are surely good places, the British maintained maritime dominance through extensive colonies. Unfortunately, Germany has not unified, wasting opportunities for overseas expansion, now those wealthy colonies have been divided by Britain, France, and other nations, the remaining are probably just scraps." Crown Prince Frederick remarked.
Ernst seized the chance to say, "Thus, our current focus should be on completing the unification of German territories, only a strong Germany can compete with those powerful nations."
Leopold and Frederick nodded, showing agreement.
Frederick said, "This is Prussia's destiny, completing the unification of German territories, our Hohenzollern family is duty-bound."
This statement was brimming with determination, clearly aimed at the Austrian Empire; it seems Prussian leadership has reached consensus, ready to confront the Austrian Empire fully.