Flowers, Swords and France

The panic and sadness that permeated the Earl of Dillion's mansion did not spread beyond the high walls. The whole world still moved according to the track it had in the past, and did not stop for a moment because of someone's imminent death, no matter that person had been there before. There is so much splendor and so much prominent position.

In the splendid Hotel Grand Vie, Charles and his companions did not feel at all the sadness of his superior.

They were currently in the private room of this hotel, which was famous for its luxury, drinking and drinking leisurely.

Although these are all young people, their expressions are thoughtful, and they lack the innocence and unrestrainedness that young people should have.

In this private room, several crystal chandeliers made the glassware on the dining table shine, and the carpet under their feet was thick and soft enough for their toes to sink into. A painting is hung on the wall. The girl in it stares at everyone in the room with curious eyes. It is said that this is an authentic painting from the last century. In the hall downstairs, the band was playing seemingly endlessly, indicating what kind of glitzy era this was.

"Mr. de Treville, you are keeping such a secret from me!" Mr. Andrei Bezukhov, the second secretary of the Russian Embassy, ​​raised his glass again and toasted Charles with a smile on his face. Although he was smiling, there was an indescribable meaning in his smile, "I didn't expect that the person I have been dealing with would be such a big shot!"

It was unclear whether his tone was mocking or sincere, but Ciel didn't care.

"It's just good luck," Ciel responded with a smile. Then he drank a glass of wine and said, "I concealed my identity from you before, so please forgive me."

"Hey. What's the point? Understand, understand." Andrei Bezukhov shook his head repeatedly, indicating that he didn't care at all, "I value the future more than the past. Now I know you have such a great ability , I will feel more confident in the future!”

"Really? Then I'm afraid you will be even more surprised by Charles in the future," Albert next to him took a sip of oyster juice. While saying vaguely, "Now you see him being so scared when he becomes the Secretary of State, then you see him climb to a higher position in the future. Is that okay?"

"Hahahaha, that's right, Albert!" Andrei Bezukhov laughed, and then raised his glass again. "Come. Let's drink another drink to our future Ciel!"

"cheers."

Ciel also raised his glass.

Today's party was held at the request of Andre - the diplomat was shocked when he saw Charles in a public place, and then realized that this diplomat had always been with him. The Frenchman I worked with turned out to be such an incredible guy. After he came to his senses, he quickly went to Albert and begged him to arrange today's party.

Ciel considered that this person knew part of his background before he came to power, and the two of them had even collaborated on shady activities together. It's not easy to fool around, so I agreed to the other party's invitation.

Fortunately, after meeting. The youngest son of Count Bezukhov was much smarter than Charles expected. He never mentioned the two people's past affairs, but kept praising Charles, which made Charles feel relieved a lot.

Although this guy appears to be so humble on the surface, he must have some tricks up his sleeve, but as long as he is willing to have a good talk, there will be no problem. Now that the other party is still circling, he will continue to accompany him.

"Mr. de Treville, I really didn't expect that I could meet such a famous family in France! My father must be very envious of me..." Andre continued to compliment, making it difficult for people to understand what he meant, " Speaking of which, my father is also quite unlucky. He just came to When he lived in Paris, it was the revolutionary era, and he could see nothing but mobs. Later, when Napoleon came to power, the situation finally calmed down a lot, but he was about to return to his country, and as a result, he did not recognize several French aristocratic families. It’s really a pity…”

"Oh? It turns out that Count Bezukhov also stayed in Paris?" Albert also became interested when he heard this. "For a rich man like him, I thought he should lie at home all day long and calculate his wealth."

"Hey, my father was not born so rich..." Andrei sighed again, "I'm not afraid to tell you that he was an illegitimate son who was killed by Count Bezukhov of the previous generation - that is, me. His grandfather was thrown to France, where he grew up. As a result, the count was dying. I don’t know what I realized before, but I actually recruited him back and wrote a letter to the Tsar, the late King Alexander I. He asked your Majesty to have mercy and allow him to recognize my father’s legal heir status, so that he Only then can I inherit my grandfather’s huge inheritance..."

"Oh, this is really not easy!" Albert exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Then let us drink to the respected Count Bezukhov!"

Although he has become a wealthy man with a net worth of millions due to a combination of circumstances, Albert still has not changed himself, and he still has that carefree character.

"It's really worth a drink..." Andre's face turned red. "Speaking of which, you French people do owe him a drink - when His Majesty the Emperor led his army into our country, he was also captured. But it seems that because I am a noble, I haven’t suffered much yet..."

Then, he raised his head and looked at Ciel, as if he remembered something. "Speaking of which, Mr. Treville, your grandfather seems to have been a general in the French army at that time, right? Maybe... maybe they all met at that time?"

"Maybe, but even if we meet, it won't be as pleasant as today, right?" Charles couldn't tell whether his words were intentional or unintentional, but he didn't care. "I hope this historical issue will not bother you."

"Don't worry, the grudges between countries have nothing to do with me. Isn't my father alive and well? Who cares about the past, I just want to live my own life." Andre shook his head , indicating that he doesn’t take it to heart. "Come on. Cheers!"

"Well said, cheers!"

After several more drinks, Andre finally stopped hiding his purpose. He raised his head and looked at Charles. Although his face was as red as a drunkard, his eyes were still shrewd, "Mr. Treville, I have had a very pleasant cooperation with you before. I sincerely hope that this kind of cooperation can continue." Keep going."

"In my opinion, there is no reason why it can't continue." Charles replied immediately.

"That's great!" Andre patted his thigh exaggeratedly, "Do you remember the proposal I told you before? I was still a little uneasy at the time, for fear that you wouldn't be able to protect me. Now it's better , since you have such a status, can this still be a problem for us? "

Charles lowered his head and thought for a moment, and then remembered the other party's proposal from the last meeting: Count Bezukhov had many manors and territories. Even if a lot of land is abandoned. Every year, Andre was troubled by the large amount of surplus agricultural products, and Andre thought of taking advantage of France's legal loopholes to process the grain into starch or flour products and then import them to France.

"To be honest, this is a good suggestion..." After thinking for a while, Charles replied warmly, not affected by the large amount of alcohol he had just poured in. "But, you have also seen it. Now I am not lacking. With this amount of money, it’s not worth it to risk being reported. What do you think?”

After hearing Charles' answer, Andre frowned slightly in disappointment, "You can also consider that this is a long-term business. Although you may not make much money in one transaction, in the long run, the income will not be too small... Moreover, you can also gain the favor of our Bezukhov family. If you have anything to do in Russia, it will be much easier for you to ask us for help. You can think about it again..."

Charles didn't answer anymore, as if he was thoughtful.

"Of course, this is just a suggestion of mine. There is absolutely no intention of forcing it. Even if we can't cooperate this time, there will still be a lot of opportunities in the future. I firmly believe that there are a lot of gold mountains waiting for us to dig..." See Charles was still hesitating, and Andre sighed secretly, "Don't worry, our previous interactions are history, and I will definitely keep it secret."

Of course, he didn't intend to fall out with this young man who seemed to have a bright future just because of this trivial matter.

While André wasn't paying attention, Charles gave Albert a subtle wink.

After many years of interaction, Albert immediately understood what Charles meant. So he immediately stood up and smoothed things over for Andre, "Char, you can't let go of such a good opportunity so easily. Besides, Andre is our good friend. How can we think of nothing when we can help?" Can you help me?"

"That's not a bad thing to say, but..." Charles still seemed hesitant and just made a secret gesture to Albert.

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

Albert understood at once what he meant, and continued with a smile.

"Well, let's do this. I find this kind of business very tempting. If you don't mind, let me get involved. I will be the specific person in charge, and I won't be involved in anything at all. You Just help us secretly."

After hearing what Albert said, Andre saw the hope of turning around and nodded repeatedly, "Well, I think this is a good idea! Albert is a good friend of mine, and with such a good opportunity, of course I don't mind if he also takes advantage of it. Get a vote!"

In his opinion, Albert is a good friend of Charles, and as long as he brings him in, he has actually achieved his goal.

"Well, now that it's all said and done, I have no reason to refuse." After a long silence, Charles finally spoke again, but he still seemed reluctant, "Albert, can you It will really cause me trouble..."

"How can you call it causing trouble? Isn't it right for friends to help each other?" Albert waved his hand seemingly angrily, "Why, now that you are rich, can you not take us old friends seriously?"

"Of course I didn't mean it this way!"

"Then don't say anything, it's settled!" Andre picked up the wine bottle and poured more wine for the two of them, "Here, let's have another drink!"

"Speaking of which, although your job at the embassy is just in name, you are not completely unruly, right?" After drinking, Charles looked at Andre seemingly casually, "You also know that our family He is a member of the Bonapartist Party. I would like to ask, what is your country’s view on Mr. President?”

Andre's pupils widened slightly.

Should I answer it?

Forget it, I just owed someone a favor, so I should give something back. Besides, this is not a secret.

"The government of His Majesty the Tsar is very concerned about the president of your country," Andre answered seriously after a moment of silence. At this time, he actually had some seriousness of a diplomat, "You know, because he has such a surname."

"What is the result of the concern?" Charles asked.

Then, he changed the question. "If there are some changes in France that are beneficial to Mr. President, how will Russia react?"

A trace of cold sweat appeared on Andre's forehead.

"The government has no opinion yet, maybe because it has not made up its mind yet." He answered in a low voice, and then added meaningfully, "If there is new news in the future, I will tell you."

"Very good," Charles nodded with satisfaction, "We are friends, we must help each other, hahahaha, cheers!" (To be continued..)