Flowers, Swords and France

After getting the old Marquis's permission, Charles opened the bedroom door and walked in.

The furnishings of the bedroom are surprisingly simple. There are no special furnishings. There are only a few cabinets with peeling paint on the wall, a bed covered with white sheets, and an oil lamp burning on the teak bedside table, which is emitting dim light. .

The old man who was half-lying on the back of the bed looked at Charles, then raised his hand and pointed to the bed, "My grandson, sit there and give old Victor a good talk..."

Charles explained today's experience and secret meeting to the Marquis in detail, including the subsequent shootout.

The old Marquis listened to his story without interrupting, but his slightly furrowed brow showed that he had been thinking.

"So, the subsequent accident had nothing to do with you?"

"From what I personally see, that should be the case." Ciel nodded. "Paris has been uneasy recently. I'm afraid the police are chasing the robbers."

For security reasons, the Bonapartists always choose slums where there is a large flow of people and are generally poor when holding secret meetings, such as the 17th District this time. And this kind of place has always been a mixed bag of people and bandits, so it is not unusual for something like this to happen. Not particularly strange.

Although the old Marquis held the same view as Charles, out of the old man's unique caution, he continued to ask for many details before he felt relieved.

Then, the old man rubbed his hands gently, then put his right hand to his forehead, and gently stroked his short hair - although his expression was still Gujing's, these actions still revealed his excitement in front of those close to him.

"So, they have decided to take action this time?"

"I think it will be soon." Ciel nodded. “The current dynasty’s government is not at all popular.”

"This government has been unpopular from the first day," the old man replied coldly, "However, it still survives to this day. Whether a regime can survive does not depend on how popular it is, but how much it makes people fear it. France only likes political axes that can whip her."

Charles was stunned by the old man's harsh comments.

The old Marquis continued, "However, I agree with what they said, now is indeed a great time! The collateral boy of the Bourbon family (referring to the current King Louis-Philippe, who is from the Orleans line of the Bourbon royal family) is now Don’t have much energy anymore He came to take care of the France he had worked so hard to get, and the bad guy Soult was too old now - without this bad guy, we would have driven the king to Germany long ago! Who else would be behind them? ? Who else can support this regime?”

Ciel nodded again in agreement with his grandfather's statement.

"Those who are at the top of France now, just like that time, they look down on ministers who come from humble backgrounds, but they themselves cannot give birth to children who are good enough to be ministers. When the time comes, they want to dress up as women and run away!" remarked the Marquis acidly. "The downfall of France began with them."

[Referring to Count Montmoulin, one of Louis XVI's most trusted ministers and former foreign minister. In 1792, he disguised himself as a woman and tried to escape and was arrested. In September, he was sent to the guillotine. Soon after, his clan brother, The head of the Montmorin family, the Marquis de Montmorin, was also sent to the guillotine]

This is exactly what the revolutionaries said in 1789! It is unimaginable that someone from a well-known noble family said it later. The resentment that has been suppressed and idle for many years is fully revealed at this moment.

Out of years of frustrated resentment, the Marquis of Treville always spoke fiery words and had a fierce attitude on certain topics. Although these words and deeds of his have always been highly applauded by the Bonapartists, they must have been regarded as treason by the French authorities after the fall of the empire, which further strengthened their will to suppress him.

Charles allowed his grandfather to vent. He just looked at the Marquis with gentle eyes and gently held his hand.

The old man who had been scathingly mocking the current regime suddenly looked at Charles with a kind look. His big, smooth and rosy face showed a kind and serious look.

"However, my grandson, you are different from them. I can guarantee to God that you are the best young man in France."

Even Ciel felt a little embarrassed to be praised like this by his close relatives.

"Others say I am boasting, bah! Old Victor never exaggerates. You are knowledgeable, educated, and have the will to do great things. How many of you can be found in France?"

"Grandpa..." Charles finally couldn't hold it in any longer and his face turned a little red.

"Okay, okay," the Marquis also smiled, "my grandson, how old are you this year?"

Charles was a little surprised by the old man's sudden change of topic. After a moment, he answered, "Years old."

"Years...it has actually been twenty years!" The old man sighed, "You were crawling around my feet when you were a child, but it still seems like it happened yesterday. Time flies so fast! "

Then the Marquis took up his hand and gently touched his grandson's face, "Is there a girl already obsessed with you now? Look at your handsomeness, you are almost as handsome as I was back then!"

Ciel's face turned redder. "No, not yet."

"Then it's time for you to get interested. When you find a girl you like, pursue her as soon as possible. Don't embarrass the old cavalryman Victor!" The old man patted Charles' shoulder gently.

"Then it has to be appreciated by others, right?"

"Who else can look down on my grandson?" The Marquis laughed disdainfully, "You have such a good look, such talent, and you have the surname of Treville! Is there any woman in France that you are not worthy of? Even the princess of the royal family, you are worthy of her!"

"Please give me some face..." Charles was finally overwhelmed by his grandfather's blind praise.

"I am just telling the truth. To be honest, my grandson, you already have everything a young man can have, except a wealthy family..." Then his eyes dimmed and he repeated softly, "But we have no money."

Charles smiled bitterly in his heart. In this era, isn't it miserable to be poor?

The most terrible consequence of the Great Revolution - or the greatest achievement, depending on the position of different people - is that since it, all French people, even the nobles, have understood a truth: God did not predestine some people to be noble, and blood is worthless without power.

When Louis XVI and his queen died on the guillotine, and his crown prince died in the mud due to hunger, cold and disease, everyone found that no matter how noble their bloodline was, their necks could not be tougher than the guillotine blade, so the French people's admiration and obedience to the former nobles and lords had disappeared, and even the nobles themselves no longer believed that they were destined to rule France.

The original text is in the six # 9 @book/bar!

Not only that, now even the word "noble" is depreciating.

Although the Bourbon dynasty regained power in France with the help of foreign bayonets, they could not turn back time after all, and had to admit that France had changed beyond recognition, and had to recognize the new nobles that emerged during the Great Revolution. Most of the nobles who were canonized by the emperor during the Napoleonic era were still retained intact, and some were even canonized into the French House of Lords by Louis XVIII because of their surrender.

When people who were originally farmers, fur traders, soldiers, and even bandits were awarded the title of nobility and even sat in the French House of Lords, how much respect would people still have for the nobility?

Bloodline used to be a passport to the upper class. Without a good surname, a person would never be able to enter those famous living rooms and salons in his life. A newly-crowned duke was far less respected than a count who had been passed down for hundreds of years. But now, in this era, money has replaced family background as the pivot of society, and everything revolves around money. Nobles who have been passed down for hundreds of years? Hey, hey, hey, congratulations on escaping the storm of the Great Revolution. It's really not easy to survive, eh? Wait, do you have money?

The old man was silent for a moment, and suddenly sighed, and the light in his eyes dimmed.

"If I had saved a little family property back then, it would be great, but at that time I always thought about enjoying life in time! Alas, people are like this, they always regret it when they are old..."

Charles held the old man's hand again, staring at him tightly, his eyes full of tenderness.

"No, the feelings you gave me are more important than any property you left me."

The old man also stared at his grandson, tears rolling in his eyes. "Old Victor is so lucky to have such a pair of grandchildren when he is old!" Then, his eyes regained infinite spirit. "But, my grandson, old Victor will let you have everything. We want to be rich, we want to return to glory, and we want to take back France!"

Yes, taking back France has been the eternal wish of the Bonapartists since 1815.

After the July Revolution in 1830, King Louis-Philippe changed the previous dynasty's high-pressure policy towards the Bonapartists and carried out limited tolerance, hoping to unite people's hearts to the greatest extent.

The peak of this tolerance was to welcome back the remains of Emperor Napoleon from the British government in 1840 and bury the emperor with honor.

However...the Bonapartists did not want tolerance, or even honor. What they wanted was France, the regime. This was something the king could not tolerate, so the suppression of the Bonapartists' movements was also being carried out severely.

In 1916, during the last period of the Russian Empire, the Tsar issued an edict to his subjects, saying in an almost pleading tone: "You want freedom, I will give it to you. You want freedom of publication, speech, and demonstration, I will give you everything except my regime."

And the answer of the revolutionary mentor Lenin was also very simple: "Except for the regime, everything is illusory."

For the Bonapartists in 1847, and even for political groups in all dynasties, this is the same answer.

France must be taken back!

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