Flowers, Swords and France

As Mary stood up again and used her tongue and silk to wipe away the white marks left on the corners of her mouth from the pleasure at that end, the angry little episode in the lounge soon ended. , the room was silent, as if nothing had happened.

However, Charles, who had just been released from the peak of pleasure, of course couldn't forget everything now. He looked at Mary, but he didn't know what to say. It could be said that his mood was complicated.

Although he had known for a long time that Mary would deliberately please him, he did not expect that Mary could do such a thing for him. He was surprised and touched. Of course, he also knew what Mary had experienced in front of Charlotte just before leaving. Humiliating treatment must have been one of the fuels that prompted her to make such a statement.

However, compared to his surprise, Mary seemed more confident. Seeing Charles' slightly embarrassed and confused look, she couldn't help laughing.

"What's the matter, sir? Haven't you had enough fun yet? Just now you said that time is limited, so I decided to do it in a faster way. If you feel that you haven't had enough fun yet, do you want to..."

"No...I don't mean that, no need." Now Ciel had no idea of ​​doing it again, and quickly waved his hand, "I...I was just thinking that you don't need to go to this point...really Yes, don’t be afraid, I definitely don’t mean to treat you as a victim, please believe my words.”

Mary just said that she was afraid of being abandoned by Charles under certain special circumstances. Perhaps this fear also prompted her to work so hard to please herself. But for Charles himself, he did not want to see Mary treat him like this with trepidation. treatment, so I couldn't help but reassure her again.

As a minister, he speaks his mind in his own field, and the subordinates around him are constantly flattering him every day. If he wants to see others being silent towards him, Charles can see it every day. If everyone is like this, he will feel bored.

"I believe what you say, don't worry, sir." Mary sat back down next to him with a smile, "I don't think of this as a sacrifice, it's just a fun thing, isn't it? Compared to every time It’s the same routine, but I think we should do something different occasionally... Didn’t you say that it’s like..."

Mary put her hands to her cheeks and said "meow~".

"Hahahaha..." Charles was finally amused by her again, "Then please continue to be a kitten...I will always take care of you."

"You can't just make a verbal promise, can you?" Mary's face suddenly darkened, "The gift you promised me is still missing!"

"What gift?" Charles was stunned at first, but soon he remembered what "gift" Mary wanted.

"Uh... okay, I know, I know..." He could only nod his head in embarrassment.

"Don't you use your ability to deal with colleagues on me?" Mary was reluctant to give up. "You agreed vaguely, then dealt with it perfunctorily, and in the end did nothing..."

"But... it's not convenient for you now, right?" Charles asked, "After all, you have a heavy responsibility now, so you can't leave your post suddenly, can you?"

"This is not my permanent job!" Mary still did not give in. Instead, she took the opportunity to express her thoughts directly, "Besides... I can also take some time off in the middle. As long as you say something, can there be any more?" Is there anything that someone would think about and come out to object?”

Although with the support of Charles, Mary is now considered to be prosperous, but she can naturally find the instability of her position, and she increasingly feels the importance of using a child to stabilize her position.

Mary naturally knew clearly which side was more important: current power or future security, so she wanted to take advantage of Charles's excellent mood today to directly determine her future.

"Then what should you do?" Charles was a little angry at Mary, so he had to ask her again.

"Is one year enough?" Mary leaned closer to him, almost as if she was whispering in his ear, "I will work here for you for one year, complete all the things you asked me to do, and then give you It should be reasonable for me to ask for a long vacation, and by then, I should be able to leave our child with peace of mind. "

This is not a matter of a long vacation... Ciel couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart.

"Why, don't you...don't you want to?" Mary raised her head and looked at Charles, "If you don't want to, of course I am not qualified to force you..."

"Okay, okay, okay, that's it!" In this situation, Charles couldn't see Mary looking so pitiful, so he could only sigh and agreed to her request. "You should be satisfied with this, right?"

"Then...I will look forward to that time very much..." Mary was immediately ecstatic and threw herself into Ciel's arms.

However, their tenderness did not last long. Soon it was dinner time. In order not to keep the guests he had called over waiting, Charles returned to the hall with Mary.

At this time, the long dining table is already filled with dishes - although for the sake of confidentiality, too many chefs cannot be brought here to make a big fuss, but because the ingredients are all delicacies, they are still worthy of everyone present. identity.

However, the moods of the people here were different, and most of them were not in the mood to enjoy their food and drink.

The gray-haired Josédan Capafelle is getting older and less energetic, and has long been tired of all other entertainments, so now he is only interested in food, but now he has no interest in dining. He just looked around with his face pale and distracted.

Ever since Ciel revealed this important news to him, he has been in this state of nervousness. Although he protested to Ciel, Ciel, who was well prepared, completely ignored his protest and instead It was threatening him into obeying his orders.

Under the helpless situation, he had to ask for instructions from others, and this request was granted by Charles. Just now, when Charles and Alphonse de Rothschild had a happy conversation, he was He was writing letters anxiously, wanting to tell his good friend, Count Argoux, who was the president of the Bank of France, waiting for him to make a decision for him - or at least to throw the responsibility from himself to the other party's hands.

He has been anxious since the letter was sent. Although he knew that Count Argou would not be able to reply and send the reply so quickly, his anxiety completely destroyed his appetite, so that these words in his mouth No delicious food could impress him in any way.

This mood was not unique to him, many people were just like him, sitting on the edge of their seats nervously or with dull expressions, and the food they ate was tasteless.

However, seeing them looking so depressed and restless, Ciel and Alphonse were not affected in any way. It could even be said that they ate more cheerfully.

Charles and Alphonse chatted with each other at the dining table, showing the close understanding between the two people, and Mary also sat next to Charles, talking and laughing with them.

Seeing the close relationship between Mary and the Minister, others had the same thought as Alphonse, and looked at Mary differently - although they did not know where Mary came from, but since she had If your Excellency the Minister personally endorses it, then no matter who she is, she can mean what she says.

Just as the dinner progressed into the middle of the night, the reply from Count Argoux that Josédan-Capafelle had so longed for finally came. Josédan-Capafelle almost couldn't wait to open the letter, and then immediately Read on.

After reading, he couldn't help but frown, and then he raised his head and looked at Ciel.

"Your Excellency, the person I consulted...doesn't object to your proposal."

"That's great." Ciel nodded slightly, and then looked at each other and smiled at Alphonse.

Just as they expected in advance, under the righteousness of the country's needs, even if he holds great power, Count Argu can only be deeply scrupulous. He also knows the government's financial details very well, so he cannot let himself become The enemies of the Imperial Government can only express their acquiescence in the arbitrary actions of His Excellency Minister Treville.

"But..." At this time, Josédan Capafelle suddenly changed the subject, "In order to reflect fairness, and to help maintain the economic stability and security of the empire, he believed that we need to be extremely cautious, so he requested to send Commissioner to supervise the exchange and use of bonds, so as not to send the country into shock..."

Although Josdan Capafelle's words were very convoluted, the meaning was very simple, and it was not beyond Charles' expectations - since they found that the trend was unstoppable, they decided to participate in order to avoid Let yourself suffer too much loss, at least don't make your opponent too happy.

And this kind of resistance is also very useful for Charles - he didn't originally intend to break with people like Count Argu, he just wanted to carry out what he wanted to do.

"You can rest assured about this." He immediately put down the tableware in his hand, and then looked at the other party with a smile, "Your Majesty and I care more about the financial and economic security of the empire than you do, so from the beginning, the imperial government will Special officials will be sent to coordinate this matter..."

"Has Your Majesty prepared the candidate..." Josédan Capafelle looked surprised and disappointed at the same time.

He did not expect that the emperor of the empire and the minister had already prepared to this point in advance. From here, he saw determination, but he also saw the pain of defeat.

"Yes, His Majesty has tasked several of his most trusted and capable ministers to take charge of this matter." Charles nodded again, "Headed by Prince Murat and Duke of Albifera."

Prince Murat refers to Prince Lucien Murat, who is the son of Murat, the famous general under Napoleon.

Murat was very famous. He was one of the most brave and outstanding generals in the empire. He had made countless military exploits and gained the emperor's immense trust and reuse. He even gained the favor of his sister Caterina. After marrying Caterina, Murat naturally became one of the emperor's most trusted relatives, and he wanted to put a crown on his brother-in-law.

It happened that at this time the king of the Spanish Bourbon royal family was deposed by Napoleon, so Napoleon let his brother Joseph Bonaparte wear the crown of Spain, and took the Kingdom of Naples that Joseph originally ruled (which happened to be snatched from the Bourbon royal family ) was transferred to the hands of Murat and his wife, and Murat became the King of Naples in one fell swoop.

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But the good times did not last long. Soon the empire collapsed in a series of military disasters. Murat was captured and shot by the Austrian army because he launched an uprising against the Austrians who occupied the Kingdom of Naples in 1815.

After the end of the glorious era, Caterina took refuge in Florence and remarried. Her two sons, Achille and Lucien, went to the United States one after another. The eldest son, Achille Murat, inherited the title of Prince Murat, and bought a large estate in Florida, USA with the property left by his father, and married a great-niece of George Washington. Lucien Murat also married the daughter of a wealthy businessman in the United States.

But Ashley had no children after marriage and died in middle age in 1847, so the prince's title was inherited by his younger brother Lucien. Less than a year later, the French Revolution broke out, and Louis Bonaparte took advantage of the revolution to become the president of the Second Republic. At this time, Prince Lucien Murat wanted to return to his country (before, the July Monarchy prohibited him from returning to his country). Finally, he came to France and was valued by Emperor Louis Bonaparte, who always liked to help his relatives.

The Duke of Albufera refers to Louis Napoleon Suchet. His father was Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet, one of the most trusted and trusted generals of Emperor Napoleon. This marshal came from a wealthy family, but at the beginning of the Great Revolution, he joined the army early and made great achievements in the army. Finally, he was appreciated by Napoleon. It was precisely because of his many contributions that Emperor Napoleon named him the Duke of Albufera.

During his military career in the empire, Suchet was always loyal to Emperor Napoleon and admired him very much. He even named his son after him.

After the empire collapsed in 1815 and Emperor Napoleon was exiled to St. Helena, Marshal Suchet chose to leave Paris and the army and return to his hometown of Marseille to live in seclusion in the political atmosphere where the Bourbon dynasty was restored and the founding fathers of the empire were excluded. Although the Bourbon dynasty was reluctant to recognize the nobles who were conferred during the imperial era at first, they still recognized their titles a few years later.

In 1826, Marshal Suchet died, and Louis-Napoleon-Suchet, as his only son, inherited the title of Duke of Albufera. Although it was one of the highest-level noble titles, because of his special status, he was not trusted by the upper class and the government at the time. Although he had been committed to politics, he did not achieve any special achievements. But after Louis-Bonaparte returned to France and rebuilt the empire, the situation was naturally different.

The sons of the most trusted and important subordinates of Emperor Napoleon naturally began to gather under Emperor Napoleon III and became his loyal subordinates. Through His Majesty the Emperor, they also became important figures in the empire.

However, unlike their fathers, these two middle-aged men already had wealth and status, and no longer needed to fight in the army. Instead, they became politicians, defending the empire with pens instead of swords.

And His Majesty Emperor Napoleon III, who had always suffered from not having many confidants to use, was also very happy to summon these old and young people who were once glorious in the old empire to serve him, giving them various positions and honors, which not only filled his reputation for generosity, but also increased his control over the empire.

Before such a critical moment, he asked the sons of two former imperial marshals to take charge of this matter, which not only reflected the determination of the emperor of the empire, but also allowed these people to supervise such an important matter for the emperor, and by the way, let these natural supporters of the empire make a fortune from it - the Bonapartists had lost too much in the previous decades, and they must accumulate their wealth and influence again through various means, and they must spare no effort to do it.

And Charles understood what the opposite Josdan-Capafil was disappointed and nervous about.

"Of course, we all know that although the prestige is high, these two nobles are outsiders in the financial world. They must have special people to assist them. The people who assist him must be loyal to the empire and have the necessary knowledge and influence..."

The minister's words were very gentle, but Josdan-Capafil listened with his eyes wide open, fearing that he would miss a word.

When the minister finished speaking, the old man who had been ups and downs in the financial world for many years immediately understood that this was a chance for him to surrender.

If you surrender now, you still have a chance to be recruited and saved from the terrible losses - there is no doubt that the two are just mascots, and the main executors must be the so-called staff, and if so, you have a chance to escape from the avalanche.

Although surrendering may be a loss of face, but... damn, who cares about face at this time!

"I am very happy to serve the empire." At this time, Josdan-Capafil immediately stood up, and then bowed slightly to the minister to show his obedience. "And you see, I have been in the financial world for so many years, I must have some experience to contribute to the empire..."

"No doubt I don't doubt your experience, but your energy... is it enough?" Charles asked back.

"Sir, don't look at my age, I'm in good health!" Jostan-Capafil answered loudly, and then immediately put a piece of food into his mouth with a knife and fork, and then chewed it, "You see, I still have a good appetite!"

Now he found that these delicacies have become delicious again.

"Puff..." Seeing the old man's anxious, nervous and somewhat funny look, Mary couldn't help laughing.

And Charles patted Mary's hair gently, indicating that she should not lose her manners in such an occasion, and then he looked at Jostan-Capafil again, "Okay, I have seen your determination and your energy, well, very good, I am glad that you are still so energetic, in this case, how can I bear to refuse you... I will recommend you to His Majesty..."

"Thank you, Your Excellency the Minister!" Jostan-Capafil was overjoyed. He knew that as long as the Minister nodded, the so-called recommendation to His Majesty would be just a formality.

"But, after all, you are old..." Charles suddenly changed the subject.

"No, I'm not old yet, Your Excellency..." Josten-Capafil said hurriedly.

"You are old after all..." Charles repeated again regardless.

Josten-Capafil was a little stunned, not sure what Charles meant, but when he found Charles's hand gently stroking Marie's hair behind her head, he finally understood.

"Yes, Your Excellency, I am indeed old, and my energy is not very sufficient after all..." He immediately changed his words, and then looked at Marie flatteringly, "Well, please let this... this lady next to you come to assist me as my deputy."

"Very good." Charles smiled with satisfaction. "Then I wish you all the best." (~^~)