Flowers, Swords and France

The secret discussion between Charles and Du Taai lasted for a long time, and it was almost night before he returned to his home.

Fortunately, he was in time for dinner. And his grandfather, the Marquis of Treville, felt much better today, so he took the main seat and started tonight's family dinner.

However, what was different from the usual Treville family was that there was one more person at the dining table.

His sister was sitting on one side of the dining table with her female companion, the Marquise Leolan, also eating quietly.

After Ciel nodded in agreement, Fran also used the reason of "worrying about her friend's safety" to persuade her grandfather to agree to the proposal.

Fortunately, although the Marquis of Treville's residence was not luxurious, it still had one or two rooms. Not long after, Mary moved out of her original small apartment with a lot of gifts and moved into Fran's bedroom. In the next room, two friends stayed together like this.

Maybe it was because of the extra person. Although the Marquis of Treville would occasionally say a few words to liven up the atmosphere during the meal, Charles always felt that it was different from usual. Even the old Marquis was serious when he was joking. A lot.

However, Miss Marquis was of course keenly aware of this incongruity in the atmosphere, so she kept cooperating with the old Marquis in chatting without leaving any trace. Slowly, with her efforts, the atmosphere in the restaurant became the usual relaxed and casual atmosphere again.

"Miss, you kids who grew up in a greenhouse can't imagine what it would be like to see tens of thousands of people fighting each other on the battlefield, with cannonballs and bullets flying around, and cavalry charging forward!" said Miss Marquis! At the request, the Marquis of Treville talked about his past war experiences and the battles he had participated in.

Charles and Fran had heard these things countless times when they were children, so they didn't feel anything and continued to eat calmly. Only Miss Marquis has been listening with great interest, and she also inserted a few questions from time to time, which stimulated the old man to talk more.

And the Marquis, who had finally caught a new audience, was more energetic than before, and the initial dejection was gone.

"When we retreated from Russia, we really suffered a lot!" As he spoke, he couldn't help but sigh again, with a bit of sourness in his tone, "Hey, you all know that River? That river! We were exhausted when we got there. , as a result, the Cossacks chased me from all directions, and many of us died there... Do you know that I survived by eating horse meat all the way? I killed my mount with my own hands, and the horse followed me south. Fighting thousands of miles to the north! God knows how painful it was for me..."

["That river" refers to the Berezina River. In the winter of 1812, Napoleon's army that invaded Russia retreated from Moscow. Due to the severe cold and the pursuit of troops, it lost troops along the way and fell into an extremely disadvantageous situation.

When they retreated to the Berezina River, they were constantly harassed by pursuing troops during the crossing. In the end, tens of thousands of people died of hunger and cold, or drowned directly in the river, which became a sad place for the French.

Regarding the tragic situation of Napoleon's army at that time, the soldiers who survived and returned home often told it by word of mouth. Later paintings, dramas, literature and other artistic works also often mentioned it. Even historians such as Thiers also mentioned it. As a result, this river became very famous in the minds of the French and became almost synonymous with the fall of the empire. Even noble ladies knew it very well. Balzac also wrote a short essay "Farewell" about this war. The plot is very shocking and touching. Interested students can take a look...]

After hearing his narration, Charles was fine, but Fran and the Marquis both looked extremely strange and seemed to be no longer in the mood to eat. Obviously, for these girls, the above words were too much for them. A little too impactful.

"Grandpa, you are serious. You have said the same thing so many times that I am tired of hearing it!" Fortunately, Fran finally gained some resistance to her grandfather's words over the years and protested in a low voice with dissatisfaction, " Are you talking about this at the dinner table without caring about our feelings at all? "

"It's okay, I think it's quite interesting!" Mary quickly smiled reluctantly, saying that it was okay, and then she looked at the old Marquis with admiration, "I heard you, an old man who has experienced that era, talk about that era. , It’s really amazing, so spectacular, so many heroic deeds! It’s a pity... His Majesty the Emperor has gone with that era forever..."

After hearing this, Charles couldn't help but smile, and then nodded to Miss Marquis to express his gratitude.

As a descendant of the old aristocracy, she must have spoken like this because she knew the political leanings of the Marquis Treville family, so she secretly catered to the nostalgic thoughts of the old Marquis.

In any case, even if it is a deliberate ingratiation, this politeness is worthy of gratitude.

"Good girl!" After hearing her compliment, the old Marquis reciprocated and praised Miss Marquis. Then he waved his hand gently, "However, you are wrong about one thing. Although His Majesty the Emperor has passed away, that era will not be gone forever, because we are still alive and we can still rebuild this country. ——Although it has been delayed for a long time. "

"Moreover, we are not just the emperor's old subordinates. We also have our own successors, even successors who are better than us. They will take over our unfulfilled vows..." Then, he raised his hand slightly and pointed. Pointed at Ciel. "We, one day we will make France stand up again and make those Russians and those who were our enemies look good!"

Mary opened her eyes slightly, and then suddenly saw Charles, she looked really surprised.

She really didn't expect that the Marquis Treville and his family would talk about their political leanings and ambitions so openly in front of her.

Moreover, it is so fast.

Obviously, although the Marquis still smiles very kindly, if he answers carelessly and shows his dislike for his political stance, the other party will definitely turn against him immediately and he will be asked to leave.

After a short period of consideration, Miss Marquis Leolan answered softly.

"If that's the case, shouldn't we all find it funny?"

[“Shouldn’t we all be amused?” is a famous saying of Louis XV. 】

She sidestepped her own difficult position and tactfully expressed her approval of the family's political leanings.

It can also be seen from this that the positions of the French nobles have been very different and difficult for decades! When they first start interacting with each other, they often determine their respective political affiliations at the first opportunity, and then determine whether they can continue to interact.

"Yes, it is indeed very interesting." After hearing this rather playful answer, the old Marquis couldn't help laughing again. "You are really a smart child, very smart. I am happy that Fran can have a friend like you. You can help her more in the future and give her good ideas..."

"Thank you." After hearing these words from the old Marquis, Mary finally breathed a sigh of relief in her heart and nodded her thanks quickly. "It is an honor to have Fran as my good friend."

She knew in her heart that with her answer, she was finally recognized by the head of the family here and was regarded as a member of the circle. From today on, she can always sit at this dining table to eat. The nobles always decide whether someone belongs to their circle or not, just in a few words.

"To be honest, you are much cuter now than before, Miss Marquis de Leoland, if this is your original appearance..." Charles said suddenly. "I have always underestimated you..."

"Really?" Mary blinked, and then looked back at Charles with a smile, "Then are you qualified to be your assistant?"

"Perhaps," Ciel replied, "if you can prove that you can help me."

"I will." Miss Marquis nodded, looking very determined.

"I sincerely hope you will succeed."

…………

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

"Brother, I also want to learn something!" Suddenly, Fran shouted to Charles.

"What do you want to learn?" Charles asked immediately.

"I want to know how to manage household expenses..."

"Huh?" Charles was a little surprised. "Why?"

"My teacher planned to give his studio and collection to me after he passed away. I agreed to his request... So I wanted to learn how to maintain and manage his studio first, so as not to let the teacher down later. Expectation..." Fran said about her considerations, "Besides, I have grown up, I should learn how to manage a house, right?"

This makes sense... Just when Charles was about to agree, the old Marquis suddenly spoke up.

"Want to learn housekeeping? That's great. All girls should know this craft. I'm afraid you won't want to learn it because it's troublesome." He looked at his granddaughter lovingly, "Well, you can follow me more in the future. Ask the housekeeper and your brother, they will tell you all the expenditure items and details. If you study hard, you may be able to take charge of the house in the future..."

Then he laughed and made another joke.

"In this case, when you get married in the future, you can hold your husband in your hands early... I don't have to worry about my granddaughter suffering in the future..."

The joke seemed to elicit an unexpected reaction.

Fran, who was still smiling at first, suddenly turned red after hearing the joke. Then she looked at her grandfather angrily, and then she put the knife back on the plate hard, causing a dull sound. crisp sound.

Seeing that his granddaughter was so thin-skinned and angry, the old Marquis quickly smiled and apologized to smooth things over.

"Oh, don't be angry, don't be angry, grandpa was just joking..."

While everyone else was suppressing their laughter, the Marquis' valet suddenly came over and handed the Marquis a note.

After the Marquis took the note, although he still remained calm, the smile on his face completely disappeared.

What's wrong?

Ciel looked at him doubtfully.

The Marquis gave him a look in return, indicating that he would wait in his room.

Ciel nodded to show that he understood.

What could it be? He secretly speculated. (To be continued.)