Flowers, Swords and France

PS. Here’s today’s update, and by the way, I’m going to vote for the “Qidian” 515 Fan Festival. Everyone has 8 votes, and you’ll get Qidian coins for voting. I beg you all for your support and appreciation!

When Charles said this with a sarcastic tone, the Earl's face quickly changed from bright red to dark red at a speed visible to the naked eye, like a persimmon about to go bad. He closed his lips tightly and his breathing became very rapid, almost making Charles suspect that he would suffocate and faint from holding his breath.

Seeing her father's appearance, Matilda was not only a little worried. She first glanced at Charles resentfully, scolding him for being too eloquent, and then looked at her father again. "Dad, are you okay?"

"I...I...it's okay!" The Earl finally yelled out in a toneless roar. Because he had lost control, his voice suddenly became very sharp, which made other people's eardrums hurt.

Ciel shrugged, not appearing apologetic. "Now, you see, you actually don't have many secrets in front of us now, and you don't even think about what benefits you can get by fighting us. I suggest you face reality calmly, and then make the best choice for you."

The reason why he said such inappropriate words was not only to tease the other party to give him a vent, but also to hint to the other party in a joking way that he had him completely in his hands. There is no point in resisting.

Judging from the count's reaction, it can't be said that it was unsuccessful.

"You...you..." The count glared at the two of them, but Charles remained unmoved. Of course, Matilda couldn't be as heartless as him.

"Dad, we have nothing to quarrel about now... Although Charles may have gone too far, the truth is correct. You... you have no other choice." She couldn't help it. He persuaded his father again, "If you listen to Ciel, at least you can get a decent exit. What's the point of really fighting? It will only cause everyone to break up, and it will not change the outcome. Moreover, by that time, everyone will know that you are alone, and what else can you rely on to gain a foothold. What? Just listen to my advice... We really don’t want you to do anything stupid.”

"Thank you for being so affectionate." The earl was still upset. "You followed outsiders to deal with your father, and you deliberately put your father into this situation, and you were able to pretend that nothing happened! What if? It doesn't matter how much you can get, but what can you get? This man already has a wife. Do you really think there is any glory in being someone else's lover? You... you would actually do such a thing? , I thought you were so smart!"

Being accused by her father, Matilda couldn't help but feel a little ashamed and could only lower her head.

"I don't think I'm smart in the first place. But, could it be that... I've done so many things for you, can't I just do some stupid things I want to do? I have the right to be stupid, Dad."

At this point, the father and daughter were speechless, and Charles also felt a little embarrassed, so the room suddenly fell into silence again.

During this period of silence, the count finally calmed down, and the initial anger gradually settled into the deepest part of his heart. Although he is not a politician himself, he is the son of a politician after all. He has been influenced by his father's style for many years, and at least he knows how to weigh the pros and cons.

As his daughter said, he is now alone. Not only is there an unstoppable Treville family standing outside, but the children in the family have also colluded with each other. No one can stand by his side to support him anymore. If you continue to be angry, you may be able to vent your emotions, but it will not help solve the problem.

Do we really have to swallow this breath and do what they say? This idea flashed through my mind, but was quickly rejected by the count. The blow and setback he suffered today was so great that he couldn't hold back his anger.

"Mr. Treville, I have to say that you have a winning chance now..." He looked at Charles coldly, without the slightly flattering intimacy of the past. "Yes, you are popular now. , I really can't fight you, but don't let me beg for mercy, just do whatever you want, I can't stop you anyway, but I won't wave the flag for you, I will just accept it silently... I will. I wish you all the best in the future.”

What the count said made Charles feel embarrassed. After all, he is Matilda's father and his old boss. He can't really let the earl fall into such a miserable situation. Publicly asking the emperor to dismiss him and abandon him is tantamount to sentencing him to political death. , which is also detrimental to Charles himself. After all, he wants to help this family.

"I have no intention of bringing you down, Your Excellency. If I had thought so, I would not have come to find you. You really don't have to regard me as an enemy." Charles immediately comforted the other party, "I will give For your compensation, the empire will establish a senate, of which you can become a member."

"Senate...I didn't enter politics just to be a senator for retirement." The count sneered, and immediately shook his head and rejected the other party, "It sounds nice, but I know Mr. Bonaparte, he is an arbitrary person. , will never share its power with others, then this Senate will be nothing more than a rubber stamp. What is its use except to provide for the elderly? "

"Shouldn't you be retiring now?" Charles asked, "You have failed politically. There are no party members to protect your precarious position, and no one to intercede for you. Everyone knows that you have failed. In this case, I don’t know how many people will fall into despair and hide in the countryside for the rest of their lives, but you... you can get the title of a senator as a comfort, isn’t that great? "

These words were particularly hurtful because they were true. The corners of the earl's mouth twitched slightly again.

"Okay, very good, but I refuse to accept it, sir."

"I know that having a title is not enough, you will definitely not be satisfied." Charles was not surprised by his answer, but laughed, "I know you still love the railway industry, it doesn't matter, I will organize it when the time comes A semi-official railway organization, staffed by railway-related companies and retired officials, to promote France's railway industry. The first Minister of Railways, I think you are fully qualified to serve as the chief adviser and become one of the main bridges between enterprises and the government to promote cooperation... Well, if you choose to continue to stand with me, then you will be the elder and the As the chief advisor of the Railway Federation, isn’t this a very fortunate thing for your retired life?”

Charles was seductive in a very provocative tone, and the Earl listened quietly without interrupting.

Undoubtedly, compared to the previous words, these words sounded much better, and they were seductive enough to at least make one person forget his grudges. The title of veteran, the chief advisor of the Railway Federation, and the ending of both fame and fortune are indeed attractive enough as a retirement life... He has been the Minister of Railways for so many years. Of course he will know how big the benefits are, and it will only get worse in the future. Come bigger. If you really become the chief consultant of this federation, your income will definitely be very generous, maybe even more generous than now, at least enough to support your retirement life.

"Are you telling the truth?" After a moment of silence, the count asked in a low voice.

Unconsciously, there was no anger on his face anymore.

"Of course I am serious, Earl, I will not make random jokes on such occasions." Charles nodded calmly to confirm, "It is a pity that I have to sit on your throne for some reasons, but it is different from others , I value you and your family, so even for Matilda, I will give you a decent enough way out, decent enough not to let anyone look down on you in the future."

The count lowered his head and fell into deep thought.

Looking at the current conditions alone, they are not so objectionable. In addition to not being able to enjoy the authority and glory of the minister in the future, he will be able to get sufficient protection in the future - the key is that if he rejects this young man's conditions, He still couldn't hold on to power.

Should I refuse this decent ending, or should I insist on fighting this person to the end?

No matter how angry you are, people should live according to reason.

"Dad, don't hesitate any more. Is there any other choice?" At this moment, Matilda couldn't help but persuade her father, "If you don't have Charles' support, you won't be able to maintain your current situation anyway. status, in this case, it is better to find a way out as soon as possible. This way out is already very good. I have discussed it with Charles for a long time, and he is sure that he can achieve his promise... and I will continue to work with you. There is help for you.”

"You have thought of everything..." The middle-aged man smiled bitterly.

Although he is still a little reluctant now, he is much calmer now than he was angry a few minutes ago.

"Xia Er, I really didn't expect that you would actually plan to such an extent. My son, daughter, and even my mistress were bribed by you..." After another long silence, he raised his head and looked at Xia Er. Er, "You are so ruthless."

"Sometimes we can't be merciful. After all, we need to decide a winner." Ciel smiled slightly apologetically, "However, after the winner is determined, I will be merciful. As long as you cooperate, in the future We are still good friends, our two families are still a close alliance, and no one can change this easily."

In fact, it's different. They used to be allies, but now they are master and slave. Their status changes with the situation, that's all.

"As for George, will you really support him?" the earl asked again.

"Really." Charles agreed again, "My grandfather is already old. He originally wanted to support more people close to our family while he was still in power. Lucien was like this, and George was like this. . I believe that with George’s ability, as long as he is given enough opportunities, he will be able to make his mark in the military soon and eventually become a shining star..."

"I don't want him to be a shining star." At this moment, Matilda suddenly interrupted, "Charle, I only have one brother. If he dies, our family line will be cut off... I Please don't let him go to the battlefield, just let him be Marshal Treville's adjutant..."

"If he wants, he doesn't have to go to the battlefield." Ciel shrugged. "Anyway, he can always get ahead."

"Ha...it's really strange. A son's fate cannot be controlled by his father, but it is left to his sister." The Earl smiled bitterly, "I know, you all look down on me and think I am incapable of being a man like my father." Big shot..."

He continued to smile bitterly, and then sighed, "But George is different from me. Although he is my son, he is much more determined and much sharper... My father insisted that he join the army, and I also If I can’t help, I’ll leave it to you to protect me from now on, Ciel.”

Ciel was stunned for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "OK."

Matilda also smiled happily. Her father finally recognized the situation and chose to surrender.

"When do you need me to write my resignation?" After sighing for a moment, the earl finally straightened his face again.

"It's still early. You can prepare slowly. It's about a month away." Charles replied immediately.

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

"Okay, then you inform me when the time comes, and I will write my resignation and recommend you." The Earl nodded first, then frowned and looked at Matilda, "Okay, don't bother me. You can write it when the time comes! Anyway, you have helped me write so many official documents over the years, so you are already familiar with it, so I won’t incur your resentment if I don’t write well..."

"Dad..." Her father's implicitly resentful words made Matilda feel sour.

"Okay, stop talking. Haven't you said enough now?" The count suddenly covered his face with his hands, "Get out, get out! What's the point of staying with a bad old man like me? Don't you like to stay here?" Let’s go together!”

Because he understood the other party's mood, Charles didn't say anything more, pulled Matilda away from the table, and walked out of the living room. Even though there were suppressed cries, neither of them looked back.

The two of them came to Matilda's bedroom together. As soon as they closed the door, Matilda looked at Charles with a little resentment.

"Why did you say so much just now? If you had said it nicely, Dad wouldn't have been hit so hard."

"If the blow isn't severe, he won't wake up from his fantasy soon." Ciel sighed, "There's nothing I can do about it."

"Sometimes you are too harsh." Matilda frowned, then as if she thought of something, her face turned slightly red, "Sometimes you are very shameless..."

"I'm only shameless when I need to." Charles shook his head, then held her in his arms, leaned over and kissed her, "like now."

"No! Don't do this!" Matilda struggled hard to stop his movement. "Everyone is in a bad mood today, forget it."

"...Well, see you next time." Charles understood her mood, so he didn't say much.

"By the way, I have something to ask you for help." Matilda straightened her messed up dress, straightened her slightly crooked glasses, and looked at him solemnly. "There is no need to delay, we must do it as soon as possible."

"What is it?" Charles was a little curious, "Just tell me, I will definitely do it."

"Let Melissa go quickly. Today has become such a mess. Dad will definitely hate her to death." Matilda looked a little anxious, "I know Dad's character best. He doesn't dare to do anything to you. He dares to vent his anger on me, but he will definitely vent his anger on Melissa. If not stopped, her life may be in danger..."

"You don't hate her?" Charles became even more curious.

"Of course I don't hate her anymore. Why should I hate her? What did she do wrong? It was dad who was wrong, not her. Even without her, dad would have found someone else." Matilda shook her head , "Sir, please send her away and tell her never to come back again."

"Melissa is dead." Ciel said calmly.

"What..." Matilda opened her mouth wide, "You...why did you..."

"Oh, you misunderstood, I didn't kill her, I just said that Melissa no longer exists." Charles replied with a smile, "She asked me to give her a new identity, um... a noble identity, So I admit she is a relative of mine, but with a different name.”

"In order to deal with my father, you... you are really willing to spend a lot of money..." Matilda was stunned for a moment, and then smiled bitterly, "I really hope you will stop deliberately planning to deal with us in the future! It's really scary... …”

"Actually, this decision is not that difficult." Ciel was still smiling.

To be honest, he still couldn't understand the importance that nobles in this era attached to the so-called family name and honor. Unexpectedly, even Matilda was not exempt from this custom.

In his opinion, it's just a matter of recognizing a woman as a relative. What's so difficult about it? As long as the Treville family says Melissa is a noble, then she is. All that is needed is to prepare an identity.

Moreover, as long as he does this, Melissa will be his subordinate and can continue to be his pawn in the future - a beautiful, smart, and good at seducing a woman, there will always be enough use value.

"Matilda, I know that you have made enough efforts and sacrifices for me now... I am very grateful to you. And I will do my best to repay you with wealth and power. Give generously to those who obey me." Charles gently held Matilda's hand, "Really, when you are by my side, I feel like I can do anything."

"You are quite good at talking." Because of shyness, Matilda lowered her gaze, but her hands were trembling slightly, "But you can say more...as much as you want."

"But I don't want to talk about it now." Charles embraced her again, then ignored her resistance and kissed her forcefully.

[515 is coming soon, I hope to continue to hit the 515 red envelope list, and on May 15th, the red envelope rain can give back to readers and promote the work. It's love together, I will definitely update it well! 】(~^~)