Flowers, Swords and France

Because of the time and the venue, Charles certainly didn't dare to stay in Matilda's room for too long, so after a brief exchange, he had to reluctantly bid her farewell and left the Earl's Mansion in his carriage.

Before leaving, Matilda once again specifically reminded him of the previous warning, which also left a deep impression on Charles.

Although he didn't understand her reasons, at least she really wanted to help him and Fran, and that alone was enough to move him.

As for Miss de-Bovan... Although she really couldn't be taken lightly, she was just a girl anyway, and although her father was very fearful, she was not afraid of him.

As for Fran's problem... I still couldn't think of how to deal with it.

In this way, he followed the carriage back home while thinking about these things.

When he just got home, he took out his pocket watch and looked at it, and then he felt that it was not too late tonight, so he planned to talk to Fran first and try to understand what his sister was thinking about recently. However, ~~Book~bar~ .nsb.om He had just returned to the mansion when his grandfather's personal servant ran over and told him that the Marquis de Treville wanted to see him. Surprised, Charles immediately followed the servant upstairs and came to the old marquis' bedroom.

At this time, he found that his grandfather had not taken off his clothes to go to bed, but was wearing his daytime clothes, sitting in front of the desk and seemed to be thinking about something.

"Grandpa, what do you want to talk to me about?" He immediately ran over and sat next to his grandfather.

"You don't look like you drank much?" The old man looked at Charles. "Is it okay?"

Although the old man's demeanor was quite gentle, perhaps because he had been on the battlefield for a long time, Charles always felt that his eyesight was still as sharp as before.

"It's okay. I just drank a little bit, it's not a big deal." He quickly expressed his attitude, "If you have anything to say, just tell me."

"Oh, that's good." The old marquis nodded, and then continued, "I have contacted many old friends recently. Their attitude is better than I thought. It didn't take much effort for them to say that they can support the president - at least not hinder the president's career."

"Isn't this good news?"

"It's really good, but it may not be good for us..." The old man dragged out his voice.

"Huh?" Charles looked at the old man in some confusion. "Don't I know them? They are so easy to talk to because they see that the president is in a good situation now. So they just want to follow suit. They are neither sincere nor firm." The old marquis sneered slightly, "If there are no other considerations, it doesn't matter to us - who doesn't feel the same way? But... Charles. I am worried about you. In this case, it will be very problematic to force the reforms you want. I am afraid that the president will not see the need to do so in the short term, because he can slowly get the support of the army without doing so..."

So that's it, Charles understood the old man's concerns.

He was afraid that Louis-Bonaparte would win the support of the army too smoothly, so that the future emperor would temporarily lose interest in making a big move in the army system - and lose interest in implementing Charles' plan as soon as possible.

"It's okay, grandpa, I'm not in a hurry, anyway, we have plenty of time." Charles was very moved. He reached out and patted Grandpa's shoulder, "It's better to leave it for the army until we have the power to make more important decisions in the future. Wouldn't it be easy to solve it then?"

"But by then, the credit will not be mine, nor in your hands!" The old marquis sighed softly, "If that happens, what's the point of you doing more and working harder for the reform?"...

"At least it's good for the country." Charles replied in a low voice. "Sometimes we can't care so much."

If the end result is still a defeat to Prussia and the empire is destroyed, then what's the point of the Treville family stealing more glory in the empire?

Such considerations can't be told to Grandpa directly.

"How can you not care? This is very important to you, Charles!" The old marquis frowned slightly, as if he was a little dissatisfied with his carelessness, "I am old and can not care, but you still have unlimited prospects, how can you be so indifferent?"

"I know." Under the teachings of his grandfather, Charles did not dare to say much, so he nodded, "I will try to promote it in the future."

"That's right." The old man nodded, "In short, I have to live as long as possible, so that I can pass on all the glory you deserve to you, and not let others steal what belongs to you..."

"Thank you, grandpa." Charles bowed his head.

Although he did not agree with his grandfather's opinion, he could not take this kind of heart seriously, so he did not intend to argue.

"It's enough to be sensible." The old marquis waved his hand, indicating that he should not be so emotional.

Then, as if he remembered something, he asked again, "Did you go to Count Dillion's house tonight?"

"Yes." Charles nodded.

Then, he told his grandfather everything he had discussed with the Dillion family tonight - of course, he didn't tell his grandfather about the private conversation with Matilda later.

"Hey, it's not easy for this family. After an old man died, the family suddenly declined a lot!" The old Marquis sighed as if something had hurt him. "The old Count Diliion was a well-known old cunning man. He has always stood up and helped promote so many people. But what happened? As soon as he died, no one took his family seriously... Sigh... Looking at this, how can I let you down?"

"Although they encountered many difficulties, they got through it after all." Ciel shrugged.

"It was the help of luck," the old Marquis replied calmly, "and... your help. Speaking of which, Charles. I still don't quite understand why you spared no effort to help their family at that time? It didn't even come close. Did you hook up with yourself?"

Charles was slightly shocked. This question must have been in the old Marquis's mind for a long time. I don’t know why I asked this today.

"Judging from the results, isn't it great?" After hesitating for a moment, Charles reluctantly answered.

"That's just judging from the results," the old Marquis frowned and replied, "But at that time, Charles, could you have predicted such a result? If you couldn't predict it, wouldn't you have staked your own future? Come and make a bet for this family?"

"I did some planning and decided to bet because I thought the odds of winning were high." Ciel said hesitantly.

"Regardless of the odds of winning or not, you shouldn't have made such a gamble in the first place, right? What does this family have to do with you? Is there anything worth gambling for them?" The old Marquis's eyes became sharper, "I still I don’t understand why you, who is usually so smart, suddenly do something like this?”

How should I answer? Tell him everything that happened that night?

This is obviously not possible.

because. In Ciel's heart. The memory of that night has become a precious treasure that he can treasure forever, and he doesn't want to share it with anyone.

"Anyway, I won the bet. That's enough, isn't it?" On a rare occasion, he responded to his grandfather in a slightly tougher tone.

The old man opened his eyes wide, staring at Charles closely as if he didn't recognize him.

Such a harsh look. This made Charles feel uncomfortable for a while, and he turned his head slightly. Avoiding grandpa's sight.

There was an awkward silence between the two until a long time later,

"It seems like it's because of a woman? Is it Miss Dillion?" With an unquestionable certainty, the old Marquis came to a conclusion. "Did you hook up with her?"

"That's not the case. I didn't intend to do anything for the Dilion family because of her at first, just because later..." Charles wanted to explain his entanglement with Matilda, but in the end, Under Grandpa's gaze, he finally lowered his head, "Okay, we have a good relationship now, Grandpa. I think even so, it doesn't matter, right?"

There was another moment of silence.

"Whether it's irrelevant or not depends on how you view this kind of thing. If you think this is just a game, then of course it's irrelevant. It's just a harmless affair. Anyway, you haven't suffered any losses from it yet... "The old Marquis shook his head slightly, "But if you fall into blindness because of this, that would be bad. It will make you lose your judgment and determination. "

"No." Charles couldn't help laughing, "Why would you look at me like that? I'm not that kind of person."

"You love her?"

"Uh..." Sharka paused.

"Then let me ask in another way." Before he could answer, the old Marquis continued to ask, "If one day, because of the interests of you and our family, you need to deal with the Dilion family, you need to be ruthless. Can you crush this family under your feet immediately and without hesitation? "

I will.

Ciel opened his mouth slightly, but did not say the word immediately.

Matilda's face flashed through his mind - this girl was still thinking about herself just now!

After a moment, he nodded solemnly.

"I... I will definitely do it, but I can prevent this from happening. Miss Dillion is a smart person and will not let their family do this..."

"You're so hesitant, why are you so sure..." The old Marquis moved the corner of his mouth slightly, and smiled as if he was mocking, and then gave a verdict. "Char, it seems that you are really in love with her. If not, you will give me an answer right away."

"Even if you are truly in love, it doesn't matter, right? People always have times like this." The courage that came from nowhere made Charles suddenly raise his voice, "I do like her, but it's also because she's cute. "

"Love is harmless to ordinary people, but smart people never fall in love, especially those smart people who are ambitious and hope to achieve greater achievements." Marquis Treville's eyes did not meet Charles, but his tone was very Yan Yan said, "Not only are you stupid enough to fall in love, but you also fell in love with a smart man! My child, what a mistake this is! Do you know how worried I am for you?"

"Worry?"

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

What he didn't expect was that his grandfather didn't denounce himself from the aspect of "you are going to marry Charlotte" at all. It was as if the only thing he grieved about was Charles's inability to show off. But it's like he really has some love for Matilda.

However, this is not surprising.

"The Dilion family is our ally, no matter how bad their current situation is. They are still our allies, not friends or subordinates. But you forgot this, and ended up getting yourself involved with that young lady. What will happen if something happens in the future? The world is always changing. You may have to abandon or even deal with your former allies for the sake of profit. "The old Marquis stared at Charles closely." Am I right? "…

Charles didn't answer. Reason told him that what grandpa said was actually right.

"In this world, you can be loyal to your family and friends. You can be loyal to your boss, or even to your subordinates, and they can all repay you, but you can't be loyal to your allies. Because they can abandon you at any time," I don't know what he thought of, but the old Marquis's tone became cold, "Once you lose your head and tie yourself up in this kind of rope, then you will only be the one who suffers. You still don't understand this." ”

Charles didn't answer.

"Listen to my advice, Ciel. Don't be stupid and wake up from your dream." Looking at Ciel's speechless look. The old Marquis's tone became much softer, "You are my grandson. What does it mean to us Treville to be proud in love? You should! However, romantic affairs are not only a pleasant embellishment, but they also often make people feel uncomfortable." The key is how you deal with people falling into danger. You can have fun with it, but don’t take it seriously and don’t trap yourself in it, otherwise you will be making a fool of yourself!”

Charles still didn't answer.

From the utilitarian point of view of politicians, my feelings for Matilda are indeed an unnecessary and harmful weakness.

"I've told you so much, all for your own good. You can understand it if you think about it yourself." The old Marquis suddenly stretched out his hand and patted Charles on the shoulder, "Charle, you have always been smart. So you shouldn’t be stupid about such a small issue. So, answer me now and tell me that you can kill the Dilion family—or anyone else—without hesitation when needed.”

Under the old man's gaze, Charles remained silent, and this reaction made him increasingly disappointed.

Did my grandson fall for a woman so easily? He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

However, at this moment, Charles suddenly raised his head and looked at Marquis Treville with bright eyes.

"You were right just now - we should not be loyal to our allies, but you are also right, that is, we can be loyal to our friends and even our subordinates." Charles' tone was full of certainty, "Then, I want to Wouldn’t it be enough to turn their family into his subordinates?”

"Huh?" The old man looked at Charles in surprise.

"You ask me whether I want one or two. My answer is, I want it all, and I will definitely be able to get it. This is my answer. I am just so greedy." Charles said without any hesitation, "I will Make them obey me, no matter what."

"You...hey, what are you..." The old Marquis finally reacted, and then became a little depressed, "I really don't understand what's so good about that young lady, that she makes you so dizzy, how come you can't Don’t want to let go?”

"She...she is just very different, different from everyone else." Charles lowered his head, "In short, I cannot abandon her, and I will never tolerate her abandoning me."

"What the hell, what's the difference? Women are the same all over the world!" The old Marquis patted Charles on the shoulder again, this time with a lot more force. He obviously hated iron and steel. "What woman didn't I see back then? Napoleon's sister. I also slept in the same bed with me! Let me tell you, they are all the same, they both like each other fundamentally. You're not young anymore, you're not young enough for those pretending to be reserved, you like to be vain, and you like to daydream, but you're actually being raped by one? Little girl, are you fascinated? You...you are simply confused!"

"It's because I've seen her before that I think she's different." Charles replied leisurely, "That's why I plan to never let go. I can comply with any other request you ask, but this is not an option. I must do it." .”…

"Crazy!"

"I'm fine, I feel sober, Grandpa." Charles shrugged, indicating that he had no intention of changing his mind.

This is also the first time that he has resisted his grandfather's teachings face to face.

"If you have nothing else to do, shall I say goodbye first? It's getting late, so you should take a rest first." Charles looked at his grandfather with concern.

"Are you really not going to change your mind?"

"Yes, I must get them all." Charles bowed and saluted his grandfather.

"Okay, okay, damn it, go back!" The old Marquis sighed dejectedly, "What a ghost."

Ciel said nothing more, just nodded again to apologize, then turned and left the room.

Watching Charles's leaving back, the old Marquis remained silent. He was still shocked and heartbroken by Charles's attitude just now.

Yes, heartache.

This grandson, no matter from any aspect, is his most proud work and the crystallization of his life's wisdom. After more than twenty years of careful training, he was very pleased to see that in almost all aspects, his beloved grandson performed to his satisfaction, even surpassing himself.

However, such a talented and promising grandson made a mistake and lost his soul on such a simple issue.

Why?

He fell into deep reflection.

After thinking about it, he found that he had made a fatal mistake in educating his grandson.

That is, after learning from his son's failure, he was too strict when educating his grandson, trying to cultivate his knowledge, his reason, his firmness, his demeanor, and his calmness in the face of changes, but because of his son's lesson, he did not let him enjoy a youth life that was enough to let him see through the world like a normal aristocratic youth.

As a result, he didn't understand what women were like, so he was so easily confused, so he came to the absurd conclusion that "this woman is completely unusual". If he had lived like himself and his father, how could he have such a stupid and absurd view... Thinking of this, the old marquis lowered his head dejectedly.

After spending so much effort to cultivate such a perfect work, a work that can make you proudly boast to your ancestors, but suddenly, you accidentally discovered a fatal flaw. This feeling is enough to make anyone depressed!

Thinking of this, the old man couldn't help but shook his head and sighed.

However, at this point, it is meaningless to regret it. Fortunately, it is still early and the grandson is still young. He has not made a fatal mistake yet. There is still enough time to make up for it, correct the defects of this work, and make it more perfect...

Yes, it must be done.

Anyway, there are plenty of medicines.