Flowers, Swords and France

After talking to Charles and Joseph Bonaparte again for a while, the banker Baron Beauvain left directly, while Joseph Bonaparte stayed and sat thoughtfully in his original room. position.

And Charles, like him, stayed in his seat without moving. The two people wrapped in black coats looked a little gloomy at this time.

At first, Joseph Bonaparte seemed to be planning to let Charles speak first, but after waiting for a while and realizing that Charles had no intention of breaking the silence, he had no choice but to speak first.

"Char, I'm sorry that I didn't explain it to you beforehand and surprised you so much." After saying this, a smile appeared on his lips, "But I think you won't blame me for this, right?"

As long as there is a beginning, it will be fine.

"No, of course not. In fact, I am very grateful to you for giving me the opportunity." Charles replied calmly.

"So you don't seem very happy now?"

"I'm just thinking about a question."

"What's the problem?" Joseph Bonaparte asked with interest.

Let’s talk about it.

Charles bowed slightly and saluted before speaking.

"Mr. Bonaparte, I am not a fool, you must know this. Therefore, you have helped me so much. I will not be so bored as to think that I picked it up because I got lucky by chance. I am very happy." Obviously, you will definitely have your own considerations, and I personally think that the sooner you tell me about these considerations, the better, don’t you think?”

Under Charles's tactful questioning, Joseph Bonaparte raised his head slightly to look at Charles, and then lightly shrugged his shoulders.

It’s really time for everyone to speak openly and honestly.

"As you said, some things are better shared by everyone."

Ciel nodded, then looked at him, waiting for his next words.

After a moment's silence, Joseph Bonaparte expressed his final thoughts.

"Char, the reason why we appreciate and support Baron Beauvain's plan so much is that in addition to the fact that this plan can make everyone make a fortune, there is another very important consideration."

"What considerations?" Charles blinked, and then asked inquiringly, "He will bring turmoil to France, giving the Bonaparte family a greater chance of ascending to the highest position?"

"Yes, this is also an important consideration, but it is not the whole story." Joseph Bonaparte replied mildly. "However, for us, its greatest effect is... it can greatly lower people's expectations. value."

"Lower expectations?" Charles was a little confused.

"Yes, that's it." Joseph Bonaparte nodded, "You must also know that people have always been difficult to satisfy, especially the French. The more the rulers give them, the more they expect. They think that what you give them is natural and natural. So what if you lift them to heaven? People want safety when there is no safety! , when there is safety, people want to People want to have sex. When they have sex, people want to be rich. But when they are rich, people will want to be comfortable. Maybe they will even think that you are not fresh enough if we are busy panting! If we satisfy people's wishes, there will only be two consequences: either we will not be able to meet their expectations until we die of exhaustion, or we will become poor people who break promises and break promises - neither outcome will satisfy us, right? Not to mention restoring the empire..."

Ciel, who listened carefully, vaguely understood what they were thinking.

"You mean that if we want to revive the empire now, we can only make the people forget the many needs in their hearts?"

"Yes, do you think there is any other way besides this? The Bonaparte family now has not much left except for the rather famous name of my uncle Napoleon. Thirty years of Time has erased many things. For the sake of reason, we never deny this." Joseph Bonaparte's answer was surprisingly frank, "And, I do. We no longer have the capital and talent to fight the whole of Europe. My uncle only ascended to the throne after winning the Battle of Marengo and defending France. Can we do it again? How many people want us to do it again? I’m afraid not, so to achieve this goal, we can only rely more on wisdom and skill.”

Although Charles actually wanted to echo his opinion, Charles knew very well that some words could only be said by the Bonaparte family themselves and not by others, so he continued to choose silence.

"National turmoil will lower people's expectations from wealth to security. At that time, they will forget that they once wanted to be independent. When we want to snatch the crown from the people, we can only rely on this." Joseph -Bonaparte went on to elaborate on their considerations, "If everything When the weather is calm and people have sex and want to be rich, who would want to have an emperor on their head at that time? Only by ascending the throne when people have almost nothing can they hope to gradually get used to this. As for having security, I don’t mind having an emperor above my head..."

"That gentleman..." Charles pointed upward slightly, "Is that what you think?"

Joseph Bonaparte understood which person he was referring to. He showed no other expression on the surface, but there was a subtle light flashing in his eyes.

"Yes, that's what my cousin and I share."

"I understand." Ciel nodded.

It is true that Louis Bonaparte was not able to ascend to the throne just by luck, nor was he in vain. He and his uncle took different routes, but reached the same end point.

Moreover, at that end point, he stayed longer than his uncle, which is indeed not something ordinary people can do.

"However, it is obvious that these things cannot be done by us. We must ascend the throne with a clean conscience, and we must rule France with a clear conscience. It can only be the emperor's evil servants who can harm the people, not the emperor himself."

Ciel understood completely.

"Our loyalty to the Bonaparte family is such that I don't mind being such a bad servant."

"It's good if you can figure it out." Joseph Bonaparte said the task he planned to give Charles, "We both rely on and cannot trust Baron Beauvin, so we must not completely rely on him, but we trust you, So our money will be given to you this time. You are responsible for making a fortune for the Bonaparte family, can you do it? "

Ciel didn't hesitate. If someone sells you such a big deal, can you still hesitate?

"Can."

"That's great!" Joseph Bonaparte smiled approvingly, "Charles, you are always so reliable."

Seeing that everything was going smoothly and all the arrangements were in place, Joseph Bonaparte, who had always been calm, couldn't help but feel a little complacent, and he said something pointedly.

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

"When dealing with people, favors should be given little by little, and they should be allowed to taste a little sweetness before looking forward to the sweetness in the future; but pain should be found to be inflicted on them as much as possible at one time, so that they are so miserable that they have no time to even think about it. To be angry. Only in this way can the ruler achieve his rule."

This is a classic theory mentioned by Machiavelli in "The Prince". It has been secretly appreciated and implemented by rulers for centuries, but no one has ever explicitly stated it to the people.

"It can be seen that you have studied "The Prince" very carefully." Charles complimented without leaving any trace.

"Ruling is an art, and of course we have to spend many years learning and applying this art." Joseph Bonaparte summed up his words with a smile. At this moment, he seemed to have regarded himself as the person on the throne. Sitting like His Majesty.

As a result, in the end, you will hardly be able to use the imperial skills you have learned so hard throughout your life. Your cousin got married after becoming emperor, and then unexpectedly got a son, a legal heir, when he was nearly fifty years old, turning your greatest desire in life into a ridiculous dream.

Ciel sneered coldly in his heart.

However, he certainly wouldn't say it out loud. He just smiled and bowed to the future prince again.

"Charles, as the banker said, you have brains, courage, and know how to make the decisions you should make, so I can be sure that you will have a bright future in the future." Joseph Bonaparte finally said He said his core question, "But you must also know that if you want to reach the top, these things are not enough. You also need helpers, allies, and people who can be relied on at critical moments, right? ?”

"Of course."

Joseph Bonaparte stopped talking, and just gave him a look that said, "I've said so much to you, don't you understand what I mean?"

Well, if you pretend to be reserved now, it's just out of your mind. It's time to give him some show.

"Mr. Bonaparte, I think I understand what you mean." Charles' tone became light again, "Don't worry, since you have worked so hard to help us so much and are so frank and kind to us. From now on, no matter what happens, our Treville family will always stand behind you."

This makes it easier to push you.

Joseph Bonaparte finally got the answer he wanted, because it was impossible for him to hear what Charles added in his heart.

"I won't let you and your grandfather down." He promised lightly.

The statesmanlike demeanor made neither of them very excited, but both of them knew in their hearts that from this moment on, they had formed an offensive and defensive alliance - Joseph Bonaparte at the top, Charles de Tray. Vail is down.

The difference is that Joseph Bonaparte did not know that this was only temporary, while Charles did.

"Charles, do you know what your greatest advantage is?" After a moment of silence, Joseph Bonaparte asked again. Before Charles could answer, Joseph Bonaparte continued, "That's it. Youth, and the opportunities you encounter, are your first blessings. You can receive an excellent education from an early age, allowing you to understand what you should and should not do; the Marquis of Treville is your second lucky person to be old enough, so that you can stand up and get in touch with some practical affairs early to verify The theory you have learned, and now, you have encountered the third one..."

"I firmly believe so." Charles bowed for the third time and answered respectfully and humbly. (To be continued.)