Flowers, Swords and France

The weather in August is slightly cooler than in mid-summer. At this moment, Duke Treville was sitting in his living room, receiving his guests.

Facing the foyer were several floor-to-ceiling windows with a very high ceiling, with huge crystal chandeliers hanging above them. Since it was evening, they were shining brightly. Above the fireplace is a gilded mirror with cartouche decoration, and in front of it are two Oriental enameled porcelain inlaid with gold filigree and precious stones. The living room of the former minister of the kingdom was just as luxurious as befitting his status as a duke.

His guest was wearing casual clothes, but he had a blue ribbon and a Cross of Honor on his chest to show his identity. He is the Duke of Navarrein, a member of the French House of Lords.

Although he is not particularly old, Duke Navarrein's hair has already turned completely gray, his face has become extremely pale due to long-term enjoyment, and his eyes are a little dazed.

The two people were talking. To be precise, the Duke of Navarrein was speaking alone, and the Duke of Treville was listening, only adding a few words from time to time.

"Philippe, where did I say it?" As he spoke, Duke Navarrein suddenly asked.

"Speaking of your son," Duke Treville replied calmly.

"Oh, yes, my poor Silas!" Navarrein sighed. "My poor son...he has to hide in the military camp now."

"Why?"

"Hidden from debt! He and his wife have an income of 100,000 francs a year, but they can spend 200,000! God, how can we not be in debt like this? The land we gave him and the land his wife gave as dowry have been used He has mortgaged multiple times. If he is involved in gangs, he might be sued by his creditors. God, a nobleman is sued in court..."

"How could this happen?" Duke Treville was a little surprised.

"Today's young people don't have any skills. They just want to have fun and squander things. They want British pure prostitutes, horse racing, card games, travel and other things. Plus my wife, she is simply Can spend all the money on the planet and not even know it How did you spend it!" Duke Navarrein sighed, "Fortunately, I found a job for him as a palace attendant before, but I said good things to the Minister of War and let him join the army as an officer, otherwise he... …I really don’t know what to do with him!”

In today's era, children of aristocrats can no longer join the army or navy as they used to. If you want to become a second lieutenant officer without going through professional school training, you must first serve as a palace equine, but there is a shortage of palace equine. How many? If they were unable to become a court attendant, then the sons of famous families would have to go to the Saint-Cyr Military Academy, just like the sons of ordinary people, and they would have to pass a public entrance examination. In the examination, nobles might not be able to pass the examination of civilians. It is not easy for the Duke of Navarrein to find a job for his son in the court.

[Saint-Cyr Military Academy was founded by Napoleon in 1802. Until 14 years ago, it is still a high-level training place for the French Army. Most of the senior army officers came from here. 】

"Ha! Damn it! If the French government can owe debts, why can't we? In the past, princes were always in debt, and nobles were always in debt. It has always been like this. But now nobles can be sued in court for debts. France, how far have you fallen..." The Duke of Navarrein sighed, "What have you become under the rule of the great Louis-Philippe!"

Navarrein's sigh did not move Duke Treville. He just nodded slightly.

"So we have to bring this dynasty down."

"Yes, we must overthrow him, welcome back our most orthodox king, and restore the old France. A French monarch who marries a German woman will never end well. Charles VI married Isabella of Bavaria, and ended up fighting for power. She brought the British in and almost destroyed France; Louis XIII married Anna of Austria and was suppressed throughout his life. He died in depression; Napoleon insisted on deposing the queen and marrying Louisa. What happened? Haha, it’s a joke... Look at Louis-Philippe, my friend, this is a curse, this is an inescapable curse. , God has destined Louis-Philippe's death!" Duke Navarrein became more and more excited, and finally he almost shouted.

Duke Treville, on the other hand, was much calmer. "But our Queen is only half German?"

"That's enough!" Duke Navarrein said viciously, "enough for her husband to live to see the collapse of the dynasty."

[While on the run, Louis-Philippe married Marie-Amelia, the sixth daughter of King Ferdinand I of Sicily, and the mother of this princess was an Austrian princess]

This was the beginning of the daily dialogue among the purest nobles in France at that time: complaining about the loss of privileges and fading glory, and then using various curses without swear words to viciously curse the two usurpers-Napoleon and Louis-Philippe. .

"Perhaps God has indeed destined the demise of the current dynasty, but this needs to be done first by the hands of us." Duke Treville still had a straight face, "Our current efforts are a major driver of its demise. "

"Yes, that's exactly it." Navarrein smiled and agreed with his senior, "No one can match your wisdom in terms of far-reaching vision."

Even after receiving compliments from the other party, the Duke remained unmoved.

"Let's talk about business. As long as we get the business done, don't worry about your son's debt. Even millions of dollars and even the position of minister will be within easy reach, right?"

"Yes, yes, that's it." Navarrein agreed with the other party's view with a smile. "I'm just saying that we must bring down this dynasty."

Yes, the Duke of Navarrein was also a member of the royal party, but in order to cover it up, he had a false relationship with the new dynasty and accepted the appointment of a member of the House of Lords. But in his heart, his nostalgia for the old days and his hatred for the new dynasty were almost equally profound.

"To achieve this goal, then, please tell me what M. Guizot said to you yesterday?" asked the Duke of Treville in a low voice.

Navarrein knew that this was Duke Treville's lair and it was absolutely safe, but he still looked around subconsciously, but he also lowered his voice.

"Mr. Guizot has found the 'cannonball', and now he is looking for helpers everywhere."

"Cannonballs?" Duke Treville said in a calm tone, "What kind of cannonballs?"

"Deadly shells." Duke Navarrein lowered his voice even lower. "Mr. Guizot has obtained tangible evidence. In 1842, Prime Minister Soult, who was also Minister of War at the time, embezzled a large amount of money. The army spent money to buy himself a villa and use it in other places, totaling about two million francs..."

"It sounds pretty powerful." Duke Treville remained very calm. "Then what is he going to do? You know it's not that easy to unseat a prime minister, even if you have evidence of his crime."

"He did not elaborate on this aspect, but what he vaguely revealed was that Mr. Dumont would take the first step...starting with the audit of the Ministry of Finance and poaching Mr. Prime Minister's throne bit by bit."

[Referring to Pierre-Dumont, the French Finance Minister at the time. 】

"Oh? It seems that he is quite well prepared..." Duke Treville fell into deep thought. "Then what role do you play in his plan?"

"After the situation has been revealed to a certain extent, both the House of Lords and the House of Representatives will intervene. At this time, some members will need to raise questions...that is, let us propose a bill." Duke Navarrein explained in detail, "In addition, If the Prime Minister still refuses to leave at the last moment, we will propose a motion of no confidence in the entire cabinet, and then urge His Majesty the King to dissolve this cabinet... This will remove him from office in disguise. "

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

"I see..." Duke Treville breathed a sigh of relief, "Are you sure about Louis-Philippe's attitude?"

"Judging from Guizot's attitude, he should be very confident."

"Very good." Duke Treville's tone finally showed a hint of fluctuation, and then he looked directly at Duke Navarrein. "Continue to inquire, and let me know if you have any further information."

"I will." Duke Navarrein nodded in agreement, and then continued to ask, "If Guizot has any further request for cooperation...?"

"Promise him directly! Of course we will help him and this dynasty go to hell, since he thinks so!" Duke Treville answered directly. "Not only do we promise, we will do everything we can to do it. This is a golden opportunity. As long as Soult falls, we can crush Guizot and his poor king to pieces!"

Then his voice rose again. "Work hard, the day when we will succeed is not far away."

"That's great...that's great..." Duke Navarrein couldn't help but get excited. "I really hope this day comes soon!"

===========================

After the Duke of Navarrein left, Charlotte slowly walked out of the mezzanine in the wall. When Ciel came to visit last time, she was quietly watching her cousin's confrontation with her grandfather in the mezzanine of the study.

She smiled mockingly at the seat where the Duke of Navarrein had been sitting. "Grandpa, is our job to save people like this?"

"No one can save people who are trapped in the bad habit of squandering. It is the same in any dynasty, especially when two generations work together to squander." The Duke still sat calmly in his seat. "Ah, the Navarrein family was on par with Treville in the fourteenth century, or even surpassed it. I didn't expect that today, I would have to watch this family name fall into dust..."

"Whatever." Charlotte smiled. "He talked so much nonsense that he kept me waiting for so long."

"Nonsense? You are too young, Charlotte." The Duke of Treville sighed softly, "He is asking me for money! A Duke will never say the word request when asking for money. Yes, he wants dignity and money."

"Then what should we do?" Charlotte was a little surprised.

"You can send 100,000 yuan to their family later. He is still needed now." The Duke shook his head and sighed softly, "If my colleagues can put all their thoughts on their careers, what will happen to France?" Will be reduced to this situation!"

===========================

;