Flowers, Swords and France

Such an arrogant and rude announcement made the young people's excitement and illusions disappear immediately.

He found that the powerful Mr. de Treville was more conceited than he originally thought.

However, even if regret and bitterness arose in his heart, he had no intention of quitting - because if he went back now, he could be sure that his betrayal would never be forgiven, and the ambassador had many ways to improve his future. All destroyed.

"Sir... I understand what you mean. I will never let my personal opinions influence your judgment." With a resigned mood, the young man replied to Charles in his most humble tone, "I Only carry out your will..."

"If that's the case, that's good." Ciel nodded with satisfaction. "I think you also know that I have always been very generous to those subordinates who can satisfy me. Don't worry, as long as you can satisfy me, then you will never just stay anonymously. Now in this position, I will take you back to the country."

If he returns to China, he won't just be in this insignificant position now... Paul Bilott thought to himself.

If you can return to your country and prosper in the ministry, then even if you have to kowtow to this person, so what?

"Before coming to the UK, I already had some understanding of the British, but after all, we are separated by a strait, and there are always some things that I don't understand..." After a moment of silence, Charles spoke again, "So, I want to ask you Tell me everything you know about British politics. But let me speak first, considering your concerns. status. I don't need you to tell me much, just a general idea. I won't blame you for this - but you can't put any personal opinion in your pitiful information. My judgment, otherwise you won’t get anything from me that I promised, got it?”

"I understand, sir." Ignoring wiping the sweat from his forehead, Paul Bilot bowed respectfully to Charles, "I will tell you everything I know..."

In this way, Charles kept asking Paul Bilott questions. Paul Bilott has been answering carefully, trying not to have any personal color in his answer. It was not until very late that Charles asked the servants of the palace to take him to a small room to rest.

……………………

The next day, Charles got up very early.

"Charle? Why don't you rest for a while?" When he was about to get out of bed, Charlotte beside him was also woken up, and then asked in a dazed tone, "Why are you up so early..."

"I have something to do, please continue to rest." Charles patted her cheek affectionately. Then he leaned into her ear and whispered, "Don't worry about me. Aren't you going to accompany the Queen today? Get some rest first."

"Okay, then go ahead and do your work..." Charlotte replied still confused. Then he turned sideways and continued to fall asleep.

On a normal day, Charlotte would wake up with Charles. Sometimes she even goes earlier than Charles and makes her husband's morning coffee. Just after this period of bumpy road. Charlotte is indeed a little tired, plus she is now in a foreign country. Moreover, she had an event with Her Majesty the Queen to attend later, so she had no intention of worrying about Ciel anymore.

After putting his wife back to sleep, Charles slowly walked out of bed. After freshening up, he went directly to the desk and compiled some of the ideas he had come up with yesterday into a memorandum, ready to be provided at any time. He would make inquiries on his own in the future, and at the same time he also wrote several letters to China to deal with his other affairs.

By the time Charles finished such a busy routine work, the sun was already rising.

Looking at the golden morning sun in the distance, Charles breathed a sigh of relief, and then slowly stood up.

It's almost time.

He walked out of the room, and then ordered the attendant to call Paul Bilott to him.

"Good morning." He greeted the other person with a smile. "I hope you enjoyed a very pleasant evening."

However, the opponent's condition cannot be called good.

His face was very pale and he still looked tired. It was obvious that he had almost spent a sleepless night last night.

Being able to get the opportunity to stay overnight in the palace was indeed an unforgettable experience for him; and what was even more unforgettable was that he became the assistant of the famous Mr. de Treville without any psychological preparation, and participated in two Among the most high-level meetings between countries... This kind of honor not only gave him motivation, but also gave him a lot of fear. He was deeply afraid of not performing well, so that he would lose the luck that fell from the sky.

After looking at Ciel with some fear, he reluctantly showed a flattering smile on his face.

"Good morning, sir."

"You should be calmer, so that you can leave a good impression on them." Seeing the other party's panic, Charles couldn't help but frown slightly, "Although I don't intend to let you participate. In the next discussion with the British, but - at least you should behave like a person who can shoulder heavy responsibilities..."

"I...I understand, sir..." Paul Bilott nodded reluctantly, but he still seemed a little unable to calm down.

Forget it... we can't ask too much of the original small staff.

"Let's go have some breakfast first. I guess those people have almost arrived." Ciel no longer blamed the other party, but turned and left, "Don't be afraid, it's just a meeting with some mortals..."

Then, he said no more and walked forward directly.

With anxiety in his heart, Paul Bilott followed the steady pace of Charles and walked towards the restaurant step by step.

He originally planned to eat something first to replenish his hungry stomach and calm down his emotions. However, when he arrived at the restaurant. His uneasiness only became more intense.

"Oh God!" He suddenly exclaimed in a low voice while standing at the door. "They...they...are all here now!"

He couldn't help but panic, because... At the dining table not far away, there were three people sitting at this time. Except for the prince, the other two looked to be elderly and were wearing black formal suits and gray or black thin ties. There was a low conversation during the meal, and he happened to recognize all three of them.

Prince Albert, Prime Minister Mr Russell. As well as Foreign Secretary Palmerston - several big shots have actually made money together.

"It seems that the person I was waiting for has come now?" A gentle and calm question suddenly came from the side.

"Yes... sir..." Paul Bilott replied mechanically, "The prime minister and the foreign minister are here."

"Calm down!" Charles suddenly whispered beside him, then reached out and patted his shoulder, "At least now, you are representing France!"

Represent France! Oh my gosh! When did I suddenly get such an honor again?

Although he was sighing in his heart, Paul Bilott bit his lip and finally managed to calm down.

At this moment, the two old men besides the prince also turned their attention. Then it focused on Ciel.

One of them has an ordinary appearance, gray hair, and a reserved manner. The one with a thoughtful expression looks like Prime Minister Russell; the other is quite handsome and looks very energetic. He also smiled and nodded towards Charles, as if he admired his youth - this seemed to be the Foreign Secretary, Lord Palmerston.

At least at this moment. They are Britain.

The decisions they make can be guaranteed by the wealth and military might of the world's most powerful country. Able to leave a deep mark on the entire world.

Even Ciel felt suddenly excited and slightly nervous at this moment.

However, many years of experience have already enabled him to keep his emotions and anger a secret.

He smiled and bowed to the opposite side, as if apologizing for being late, and then walked over to the table calmly.

"Good morning everyone, I'm sorry I'm late."

"Good morning, Charles." After he walked to the side, Prince Albert spoke first, and at the same time made a gesture to signal Charles to sit opposite. "No need to apologize. In order not to disturb your rest, we didn't notify you to come over for breakfast... Well, let me introduce it to you first."

Then, he calmly spread his hands to the other two people, "This is Mr. Russell, our country's Prime Minister; this is Mr. Palmerston, our country's Foreign Secretary. They are here today." You were here to discuss some personal matters with me, so I’ll introduce you to you.”

At this point, the prince still wanted to maintain the superficial purpose of a 'private unexpected meeting', which surprised Charles a little.

However, since it already has substance, he doesn't care what the name is.

"Oh! Then I'm so lucky!" he shouted slightly exaggeratedly, and then bowed to the two men again, "It's nice to see you two."

Neither of the two old men answered. Instead, they looked at Charles carefully, as if they wanted to discover something from his face.

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

"Mr. de Treville, you are younger than I thought, which makes me a little jealous." After a long time, the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Palmerston, finally spoke in French. Surprisingly, his words The voice was full of energy, and it was obvious that he was an old man who was over sixty years old. "I lived in France for a long time when I was young, so you can speak freely in French."

"Thank you." Charles nodded respectfully to him, and then sat down on his seat. "But I think the Prime Minister doesn't speak French, right? So I brought a translator here."

"It doesn't matter, that's your freedom." Palmerston waved his hand indifferently, indicating that Charles could do as he pleased, "I don't need an interpreter here, I can transfer what you said to the Prime Minister."

Then, he told the Prime Minister the conversation he had just had with Charles in English.

Although he could understand what he was saying, Ciel still pretended to be confused.

After listening to the words of the Foreign Secretary, the Prime Minister's stern expression relaxed a little, and then nodded to Charles.

"Mr. Treville, this is a private party. I don't think we need to make it so formal. You can treat us how you like." After the two people greeted each other. Mr. Palmerston clapped his hands lightly happily, "Actually, I would like to get some vitality from young people... After all, at my age, there are not many such opportunities."

Although there was a hint of qualifications in the other party's words, Ciel felt that the other party was somewhat kind to him.

That's not bad.

"I have heard a lot about your deeds, which are very worthy of admiration." Ciel smiled respectfully at him, "This fills my heart with respect for you."

"Oh? That's very gratifying. I'm afraid the admiration of a young hero like you is not so easy to get, right?" Palmerston looked very satisfied with Charles's attitude. "Everyone says you are a bit like Talleyrand, I think this appearance is somewhat similar - I saw him with my own eyes. He was so handsome back then."

"Compared with his appearance, I hope to learn from that character in other aspects." Charles still smiled and replied, "However, I think that as long as I can continue to learn from you, I should be able to learn from you. The big shot is close."

"Ah! I dare not compare with him!" Mr. Palmerston shook his head exaggeratedly. "He saved France in Vienna from being partitioned. I did not save England to that extent..."

He is the Foreign Secretary after all. He combined appreciation and ridicule in just one sentence, and even Ciel couldn't tell which one was his true meaning.

However, there was no need for him to explore the true meaning now.

"Your achievements in 1839 are completely comparable to his achievements in 1815... It can even be said that he saved France in the present, and you even eliminated the crisis facing Britain in the future." Charles was full of admiration. He looked at the other party calmly and said, "Your achievements are worthy of being remembered by your motherland for hundreds of years."

[Referring to 1839, under British diplomatic pressure. European powers such as Britain, France, Austria and Prussia signed an entente to guarantee Belgium's independence and permanent neutrality. Britain also gained a very important buffer zone on the mainland.

The British Foreign Secretary at the time was Palmerston, and this was one of his greatest diplomatic achievements. 】

"Oh?!" The old man raised his eyebrows, obviously very interested in what Ciel was implying. "In other words, M. Bonaparte firmly approves of this treaty?"

"The president not only agrees, France also intends to do its best to defend this treaty as before - if anyone dares to violate it." Charles replied decisively, "As we have repeatedly reiterated, the president is peace-loving and is willing to assist Western Europe. There is peace.”

Western European.

Ciel placed special emphasis on the word.

Palmerston did not reply, and then relayed Charles's words to the Prime Minister in English.

"So, is France willing to reiterate its claim to European countries?" Palmerston asked again after a moment.

"We can reiterate it now if necessary." Ciel answered without hesitation again. "You can see how far we are willing to go for peace."

"Judging from Bonaparte's surname, such sincerity for peace is very valuable, sir." Palmerston nodded calmly, "But... I think you can understand that we British are more Now that he has become the de facto master of France, how much contribution does Mr. Bonaparte intend to make to the existing peace in Europe?"

Because Charles had been emphasizing "Western Europe" before, the Foreign Secretary immediately asked what to do about the whole of Europe.

"France respects the existing order and is willing to assist any peace-loving power in maintaining the existing peaceful order." Charles was still evasive, but he still added his true meaning at the end, "Of course, if this order is replaced by someone, If some countries undermine his words, he is also willing to help other countries restore order-France deeply understands that peace cannot rely on one country to protect itself...Peace is not defended with words, but relies on some...some kind of coercion. means."

"That's an interesting statement of yours!" Palmerston suddenly laughed. "Can I take it as the president himself answering me?"

"I think it is possible." Ciel nodded. "But - I'm not so sure about you."

"What?"

“We have no opposition in France, so my words, as long as they represent the supreme leader of France, they will one day be effective... and with all due respect, I am not sure that the same is true in the UK. "With an uncertain inquiry, Charles looked at Palmerston seriously, "If we work together After the two of you reached a certain satisfactory tacit understanding, some changes occurred in your country's political environment not long after. Then, would it bring about drastic changes in diplomatic strategy, so that this tacit understanding was shelved? ? What I said may not sound very good, but this kind of worry is widespread among the leadership of our country..."

"You and your superiors are overly worried about this. In fact, you don't seem to have a very clear understanding of Britain." Mr. Palmerston raised his head slightly and glanced at Charles with a slightly arrogant look. Not only is there no opposition in France, there is no opposition in Britain either."

"If that's the case, the president will be relieved..." Charles sighed with relief. "He is willing to make his own efforts for the cooperation between Britain and France - if this effort is taken seriously by your country, then... we also hope that your country will cherish our efforts..." (To be continued...)