Flowers, Swords and France

In the exquisite and luxurious mansion of the Dilion family, the atmosphere today was much more dignified than usual. . Anyone can tell by looking at the trembling looks of the servants that they don't dare to make a sound, that the Earl's Mansion has welcomed a distinguished guest.

Under the personal leadership of the butler, the three guests in coats walked slowly and slowly through the flowerbeds and lawns in front of them and walked towards the deep part of the mansion.

Yes, these guests were the Bonapartists who were invited, including even their leader Louis Bonaparte.

The butler who led the way deliberately created some distance so that the guests behind could talk freely.

"Sir, you have to be careful, don't let them be deceived by accident. This family is famous for swindling." Karion muttered in a low voice, with a bit of uneasiness and some concern in his tone. The host here repeatedly betrayed his contempt, "This is the first time you have visited someone else's home since you came to Paris."

Carlyon, who claims to be a loyal guard of the Bonaparte family, naturally has a little disdain for this kind of "household slave with three surnames" who changes families many times; and he can't help but be a little jealous of the notorious cunning of the Dilion family. , for fear of being plotted by the other party.

"The situation is not that serious." Charles stood next to him and said a good word for the family in a leisurely manner. "They are at least loyal enough to the last moment to be loyal. If the situation has come to a point where they can To the point where we are ready to betray, it only means that we have messed everything up.”

This is the second time that Charles has the honor to step into the residence of the Lord Privy Seal - now it should be said that he is the former Lord Privy Seal. However, times have changed, and now his status has been turned upside down. He is no longer a little person who can be easily ignored like last time.

"Charles is right. We can't expect everyone to be so easy to deal with. At least their previous betrayals were beneficial to us. Moreover, we can still use them now." Louis Bonaparte also spoke, his voice There were no ups and downs, and there was no trace of joy or anger on his face. "We should pay the necessary respect to these respected seniors, right? Of course, we don't need to be afraid of them. Now it's up to them to ask for help." us."

"Yes, they are asking for something from us now." Charles also echoed Louis Bonaparte, "Since they are keen on power, they must revolve around the center of power."

"Like a parasitic vine. The Dilion family can only be a vassal of power, but can never become the master, because they will always only choose to follow the winner - this is a good thing for us now." Louis -Bonaparte made it clear what Charles meant, and then lowered his gaze slightly. "If he needs a reassurance. I'll give it to them."

After he said this, the Diliion family's mansion was already in sight, so the three of them fell silent again.

As if to show respect for the visitors, Viscount Dillion personally stood at the foot of the steps to greet the three visitors. This elegant middle-aged man had the extremely humble smile on his face that he was accustomed to in the palace.

As soon as he saw the three people appearing, he greeted them warmly, then greeted Louis Bonaparte politely, and then chatted enthusiastically with the three people. And these well-informed guests also chatted with the host with the same enthusiasm.

certainly. What the host and guest hide behind the enthusiastic surface is a very cold calculation and clear use of each other.

After all, isn’t that what political “cooperation” is all about?

…………

Soon, the group arrived at the living room of the Earl's mansion.

Count Diliion, who is already very old, is lying on a recliner, closing his eyes slightly to rest. And his granddaughter Matilda stood beside the old man and took care of her grandfather.

Although he seemed to be very old, after the guests came in, the count immediately opened his eyes, and then greeted everyone with a trembling voice. His eyes were still as sharp and shrewd as before, and this look also told everyone that although the count's body was declining under the influence of natural factors, his mind was still as useful as before.

During the greetings, both parties consciously avoided the past history - the Dillion family had been servants of the Bourbon family in the past, and later served the Orleans royal family for many years. Both families are members of the Bonaparte family. Enemy, if you look into it carefully, you don't know how many embarrassing things will happen. Fortunately, both sides are politicians who prioritize reason, so they can avoid those topics very well.

"When you return to Paris for the first time in so many years, you must have a lot of surprises? Compared with a few decades ago, this place has also changed." After the initial greeting, the old count said with emotion, "I Such a bad old man has no chance to go out and see more, and he doesn’t know how long he can stay... Hey, he is old and no longer useful..."

"Please don't say that. Your rich experience can give us a lot of useful lessons, enough to serve as a guide to guide us forward." Louis Bonaparte seemed to respect the compliment, "Although I have observed I have been aware of the situation in this country for a long time, but after all, I am standing outside the wall looking in, so there must be many invisible details, which require your guidance... Please don't be stingy with giving me suggestions, Dili Mr. Eon, we need your wisdom."

After hearing his words, the white-haired old count smiled slightly, and seemed to be very satisfied with Louis Bonaparte's respect for him - this kind of respect, in his opinion, to some extent is the future prosperity of his family. The guarantee of wealth.

In order to further cultivate this respect, he will naturally not hold back.

"If you like it, of course I can give some advice to the elderly, but you don't need to take it too seriously. It's just nonsense made by people as they get older..."

"I will listen well, don't worry."

Count Diliion closed his eyes slightly and fell into thinking. After a while, he opened his eyes again.

"At this moment, you must be thinking about how to take back this country. Right?"

"Yes, day and night." Louis Bonaparte answered this question with astonishing frankness.

"Then. If you are really so eager and urgent, I suggest you calm down, stay put, and continue to wait for the most favorable opportunity for you." The Earl suddenly said something.

After hearing these words, Louis Bonaparte looked away a little, looked at Charles and Carlyon next to him, and then he focused his attention on the old man again.

"Can you explain in detail what you mean?" he asked in a low voice.

"There is no doubt that no one will like it after hearing this." The old earl smiled slightly, "But please believe it. I came to this conclusion after carefully considering it for you."

Then, he asked again, "In your opinion, what is the situation in the country now?"

"Very bad." The other party replied bluntly.

"Yes. Very bad. Terrible." The Earl nodded. "From a financial point of view, the government is completely unsustainable, or has collapsed. And no one knows how to keep it going. ”

Then, he continued to explain his point of view.

"The huge debt borne by the old dynasty to France is still weighing down the government, but there is no way to solve it. Moreover, the economic depression continues. Commercial prosperity is still far away, and financial turmoil has The panic brought about by the general surname is sweeping the country..." When he said this. The count paused, and then emphasized his tone, "Then, in order to win the approval of the public, our New Deal also canceled the salt tax and cut off a source of income for ourselves! Then, they set up some kind of national factory and gave themselves It’s a big burden... Sir, do you think this situation can continue?”

Under his gaze, Louis Bonaparte remained calm.

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

"So, what do you think needs to be done to improve the current situation?"

"The government needs to be reorganized and its controls strengthened to stabilize people's confidence." After hesitating, Louis Bonaparte expressed his opinion. "If necessary ... we need to raise taxes or remove the temporary measures that make it unsustainable."

Read the original article in Liu#9@书/吧!

"There is no doubt that the government needs to do this." The Earl nodded again, and then laughed, "But do you think it will be difficult to accomplish these things in today's environment? Even if If someone succeeds, will he be praised or reviled by everyone? "

After hearing this, Louis Bonaparte stopped talking and fell into deep thought.

"I'm afraid, even you will find this situation very difficult?" There was a hint of treachery in the Earl's smile, "In this case, shouldn't you step back behind the scenes for the time being and let others worry about these problems first? Then let them make those unpopular decisions and accept the reviling of everyone? Why are you anxious to bear all this fire? "

"So, in your opinion, how long should I wait?"

Louis Bonaparte's answer actually suggested that he had accepted the count's view.

"Until this regime, and the delusion it represents, finally collapses," the count replied in a low voice. "This political system is based on a delusion - it and its adherents really believe in the Enlightenment, thinking that the poor and the rich can live in peace, and they think that as long as everyone is given Equality in the legal sense on paper will lead to equality in reality. However, in fact, it is very unlikely. Unfortunately, beautiful visions cannot replace reality. No one can bring a country out of crisis with just a few pages. Of course, the property owners will cheer every liberal declaration, but when it really costs their property. They will all be furious. Isn’t this what we are facing now?”

"If a political ax wants to maintain, it must have a group that supports itself. When a political ax tries to represent everyone, then in fact it cannot represent anyone. It can only stand on the side of a certain group of people, or Either this side or that side. However... However, the government, which is already on the verge of bankruptcy, cannot buy anyone now," the count continued, "But this delusion cannot last. How long will it take for the poor and the property-rich to eventually part ways, because they have never come together in the first place, and the poor who once took up guns to overthrow Mr. D'Orléans will certainly not want to see themselves again like this. Returning to the original situation, all the hard-earned results will be in vain... They will take up guns again to protest against this republic that betrayed their expectations..."

After stating these arguments, the count finally expressed his conclusion.

"Sir, do you believe it? Next, there will definitely be a class war. Although it will not be today or tomorrow, it will definitely be very soon, even faster than our own imagination!"

Louis Bonaparte frowned, thinking carefully about what the old man had said.

And Charles was also beside him, calmly listening to what the old politician was saying.

Class war!

Since coming to this world, this was the first time he heard someone say this word directly, but it truly described the modern and contemporary world clearly with just one word!

"As I said, it won't be long before this class war breaks out, and then everything gets out of control... So, in this case, why do you want to stand out, and which side are you prepared to stand on? It won't make you feel better on either side. Don't forget, there are people on one side who have enough votes to send you or anyone else to the presidency!" The earl's tone was very calm, as if he didn't know how heavy what he said was, "And at that time, that is the time for you to show your ambition. If you show up at the right time, the hope of the entire country will be pinned on you. Even some people who originally opposed you will acquiesce in your seizing this power in order to at least maintain a decent order..."

When he said this, the Earl suddenly coughed, as if his mouth was dry, and Matilda, who was standing next to him, also felt that he was handed a glass of warm water.

"On the road to success, there is always a road sign with the word 'patience' written on it." After drinking the water, the Earl opened his mouth again, "Waiting does not mean doing nothing, of course you need to continue to To expand your power and influence during this time, I'm just saying that you shouldn't stand up and face the wrath of all the opponents at this time."

silence.

Everyone was thinking carefully about the old man's words.

After a long time, Louis Bonaparte spoke again, this time his tone was much more solemn.

"Mr. Dillion, you are indeed very experienced. You gave me some clarity on some of my vague areas, which was very helpful to me... Please continue to give me guidance in the future. Don't worry. , I will listen carefully to your suggestions, and we will never forget the help the Dilieon family has given us.”

"Thank you for still taking an old man's ramblings seriously..." The count, who was still lying on the recliner, replied with a smile. . )