Flowers, Swords and France

After the palace banquet ended, the guests hosted by His Majesty the Emperor left one after another, and Charles also returned home with his wife. By the time they returned to the mansion, it was already late at night.

Along the way, Charles remained silent because of his bad mood. Apparently, he still had not recovered from the blow just now, and Charlotte could naturally see why her husband was unhappy.

"How is it? How does it feel to be slapped in public?" Charlotte said coldly in his ear.

However, although she was taunting her husband on the surface, she still gently rubbed her husband's back, as if to comfort him.

"It feels very uncomfortable." Ciel replied very simply, "But... this is not the end of the world for me. On the contrary, he has to continue to rely on me."

"Yes, you still have to endure your anger and continue to serve him." Charlotte was still a little sarcastic, "But, Charles, you really need to restrain yourself. I think the atmosphere in the palace is not right. Many people are Jealous of you."

"It's normal for them to be jealous of me, because I'm young and promising, because I have great power, and because I'm worthy of jealousy." Charles was not surprised. "I also enjoy people being jealous of me."

"Okay, are you talking about such big words in front of me?" Charlotte pinched his face and almost laughed, "Okay, I know you are angry, go back and have a good sleep. Everything will be fine in one day. I don't think he wants to do anything to you - but he just wants to use this method to suppress you and remind you that you are just his minister. "

"Yes, that's what he thinks." Although he was reluctant, Ciel could only admit the reality, "He hopes that everyone will completely obey him and submit to him."

"The nouveau riche just don't know how to educate themselves." Charlotte curled her lips, obviously dissatisfied with His Majesty the Emperor, "You are still loyal to him like this! I don't know if it's worth it or not?"

"At least it's worth it now." Charles sighed, "After all, relying on him, I still have so much power and so many resources to use..."

"Does that mean it might not be worth it in the future?" Charlotte interrupted him.

"..." Charles was silent for a long time, and finally nodded sadly, "Maybe so."

"What is possible? I think it must be like this! Even now, are you still unwilling to admit it? If you are so sharp, he will not be able to tolerate you sooner or later, because he likes slaves but not friends!" Charlotte was dissatisfied. He spat, "Isn't that what his uncle is like? He can't tolerate Talleyrand and he can't tolerate Fouche. Why do you think you are more lucky!"

"Okay, is it interesting to be so sarcastic about me?" Charles couldn't bear it anymore. "If I had taken refuge with the Bourbon family, I might still be homeless now. How could I have the right to worry about the future?"

"You can act like a hero in front of me. Why didn't you say that just now? I'm not saying this because I love you!" Perhaps because of being ridiculed by Charles, Charlotte was also angry, "I just I’m telling you the truth! Can’t you even accept the truth?”

"No... I can accept it." Ciel frowned, "And I will find a way to avoid this situation, or even if he wants to abandon me, I will make myself unable to be abandoned."

"This is a bit ambitious." Charlotte hugged him and then gently pressed his cheek, "No matter what, I will be by your side. We are one and the same."

With Charlotte close to him, Charles felt a warm touch beside him, and couldn't help but reach out and hold her in his arms. "Thank you."

"Thank you for what?" Charlotte rolled her eyes at him, and then let out a sigh of relief, "Anyway, if you are going to lose money, why not just make it bigger?"

"What do you mean?" Charles didn't quite understand.

"Isn't it very simple? You have a lot of money in your hands now. Although it was the national budget at that time, now it is your money. You can use it however you want, and there are a lot of people waiting to honor you... Why do you have to be so cautious? Do you want to show off to others? Even if you do it, will anyone thank you? Don't be ridiculous, everyone will just think you are stingy. You are so stingy that you only want to live alone! Look, none of your colleagues speak for you today. Don’t you think this situation is bad? You usually focus on your business, and you do well. Well, everyone knows that you are very good, but you have such a big money bag, so give it all...otherwise everyone will hate you. "

Charles was speechless now. Charlotte rarely discussed this kind of issue with him in the past, but when she said it today, he felt that it really made sense.

"You...you are right."

"Of course you are right. My grandfather has been a minister for decades. What has he not seen before?" Charlotte sneered. "These days, I have stayed with Her Majesty the Queen for so long. People have seen through it! If there is any difference between the current empire and the original dynasty, it can only be said that it is more unscrupulous and has no bottom line. "

Ciel couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed, but he also knew that this was the truth.

"I see you, don't be arrogant, open your money bag and be generous. Don't others want it? Then we will give it to them as much as they want. Let's give it away as much as they want. The more we have, the more we will have. When we have so much, no one can do anything to us, right?" Charlotte still sneered, "My grandfather had a ledger where a lot of people accepted money from him, became his friends, and became his source of power - relying on these powers, he relied on these things to escape the storm. The revolution knocked down Bourbon, but it didn't knock him down. He just couldn't become a minister... That thing is useless now, but can't we make up another one ourselves? "

Charles listened to Charlotte's suggestion quietly, while thinking about the specific feasibility in his heart.

Indeed...it makes sense.

"Then who should I be in good company with?" he asked in a low voice. "No matter how much I try to please some people, it's useless because I block their way."

He doesn't have so many scruples. After all, Charlotte is right. Everyone in this empire is like this. If he doesn't do this, everyone will treat him as an alien. It's just that he is still a young man after all, with little experience. He is still familiar with specific matters, but he still needs experience in this kind of human sophistication.

"Grandpa has a lot of experience in his account book. We can just do it according to his method." Charlotte answered without hesitation, as if it were some kind of treasure map. "Although empires and dynasties are somewhat different on the surface, the operation of power is The essence of the relationship should not change. Let’s take measures based on local conditions to see who is worthy of our win and who is not worthy... Charles, we have time, plenty of time, and we are twenty years younger than him. "

"That's right...very right." Charles was inspired by his wife's last words.

Yes, isn't your most valuable asset your age? I have plenty of time to learn how to build a power network outside the department. It doesn't matter whether I use money or anything else. What is important is that I must get rid of the position of a minister.

"I have many construction plans... some are urgent, some are not urgent. I can arrange their progress a little, so I can save a large amount of funds first..." After a long silence, he suddenly said.

"That's smart." Charlotte smiled and hit him on the head. "We should have done this a long time ago. No one will care about you if you work hard."

"Really, Charlotte, this can't happen without you. You should be responsible for using these funds. After all, I can't waste too much energy." Charles felt that there was endless energy in his body, and Charlotte Suddenly he hugged her tightly, and then kissed her cheek randomly with his lips, "I want to focus my energy here..."

"What are you doing!" Charlotte panicked and hurriedly wanted to push her husband away. "Are you crazy?"

"I'm not crazy, Charlotte... let's get another one." Charles looked at his wife with interest, "No, one is not enough, let's keep going. The Treville family is destined to spread out here. leaf."

"Even if I do, it's not now." Charlotte's face turned slightly red, and she was obviously a little emotional. "I want to play for a while longer. It's too hard to have a baby. I have to relax..."

"Okay, let's relax." Charles kissed Charlotte's lips.

……………………

Late that night, an uninvited guest came to Charles's mansion. Because of his special status, he came at this time specially.

Because he had been notified before, Charles was not surprised by his arrival. He had to deal with business affairs until very late every night, so after he was informed, he directly invited him to his study.

As soon as he saw Charles, the enthusiastic Russian hurriedly walked towards Charles and gave him a hug. Charles finally made him stop this intimate behavior.

"Your Excellency, long time no see." Andrei Bezukhov, the young Russian diplomat, looked at him cordially. "You have been very busy recently, and it is very difficult to see you."

"I can't help it. I think you can understand me." Charles shrugged and motioned for him to sit on the sofa. "Please take a seat."

The servant brought the coffee and immediately left. Soon there were only two people left in the study.

"You must have something very important when you come to visit me at night, right?" Charles picked up the coffee calmly and blew it gently. "Now it's just the two of us here, you can say whatever you want."

"Actually, there's nothing much to say..." Count Andrei Bezukhov looked a little embarrassed in a rare moment, "Our embassy has been watching your interactions with the British recently. The ambassador almost dreams of knowing about you. What are you talking about? I want to remind you to be careful."

"I will be careful." Ciel shrugged, "We will get rid of all your spies if necessary."

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

"Get rid of it?" Andre was a little confused.

"Yes, we have dug out many people who serve you...and we can eradicate them at any time." Charles smiled slightly, "It all depends on our mood."

"You guys are really..." Andre sighed, not knowing whether he was happy or depressed. "Hey, this is a good thing."

"There is nothing to hide about this, Andre. We are friends, so I will tell you the truth. A war with your country is inevitable." Charles suddenly put the coffee back on the table, and then emphasized again, "Yes, I mean - it is completely inevitable. The British have promised us that they will not waver, so the war will probably start soon."

"What..." Because he was too shocked, Andre, who was holding the coffee, almost dropped the cup.

But he soon calmed down and smiled bitterly. "This... this is expected."

"So I think that both you and your father can make preparations early to avoid losses in accidents."

"I will, sir." Andre nodded, "but to be honest, I still feel a little depressed."

"I can understand."

"Okay, let me tell you another thing." After a long silence, Andre sighed, "My father wants to invite you to St. Petersburg to discuss important matters."

"My people...?" Charles was a little surprised for a moment, and then couldn't help laughing, "With my current identity, how could I leave the country and go to your country? If it was before, it would be possible."

"Then let someone you trust go." Andre was not surprised by his answer, but still insisted on his request, "My father said this matter is very important, he has a lot of things to hand over to you personally. And these things will definitely help you."

"Even if you say so... I..." Charles felt a little overwhelmed.

Andrei's father, Pierre Bezukhov, is one of the most powerful landowners and wealthy people in Russia, but it is strange that such a person of status is committed to destroying the entire empire. Judging from his status and wealth, if he says something is important, it must be very important.

So, who can be absolutely trusted around him? And he has to be entrusted with such a heavy responsibility.

If it is Conze, it is okay, but he has been sent away by himself and is still on the way. It is obviously too late to notify him.

"How about letting your wife go?" Andrei suggested carefully.

"No, Charlotte is the chief lady-in-chief around the queen. What's the difference between her going and me going? Others will definitely think it's unusual." Charles immediately denied it. He thought about it and suddenly had an idea. "Then how about letting my sister go? She is very young and likes painting, so it is perfectly legitimate for her to travel to Russia."

"Your sister..." Andre was obviously a little hesitant, "Is she reliable?"

"She is very smart, low-key, and can keep secrets." Charles answered seriously, "and she has a close friend who is very wise and can help her."

"Well... we are waiting for Miss Treville to come." Andre thought about it and had no other way, so he nodded, "Then I will personally escort them back to St. Petersburg together? I will invite Miss Treville to visit Russia - no one will be surprised to say it..."

"That's good." Charles suddenly felt some strange fun, because he suddenly subconsciously treated his sister as the most reliable person. "Remember, you must protect her safety."

"Of course, this is our responsibility as a gentleman." Andre held his head high, "Don't worry, our family has plenty of money, so there are also plenty of people to protect us."

"That's good." Charles smiled and drank the already cooled coffee.

At this moment, the stimulation of ****** made him think of something very important.

"Andre, my friend, there is something I have to tell you first."

"Hmm? Please?" Andre was a little confused.

"Doing things is doing things, don't mix other things. If you dare to do anything else to her, I will chop off your legs." Charles smiled slightly, and then added, "Cut off all three legs."

"...Uh..." Although he felt that Charles was joking, Andre still had a chilling feeling, and cold sweat appeared on his back. "I know."

"That's good." (~^~)