Flowers, Swords and France

Philip's eager attitude and his mentality of having everything under control made Charles suspicious.

Did Philip have a close relationship with the lady in blue stockings? If this is the case, it will be a big trouble, because that lady is not just a literary lover, but a person with a special identity and mission.

"I've heard a little bit about that lady. Are you familiar with that lady?" Charles asked, pretending to be casual, "You guys had contact before? How did she get here?"

"I'm not very familiar with her..." Philip laughed awkwardly, "It's just that I'm very familiar with one of her friends. Her friend has some old friendships with me. And she came to Fontainebleau through that friend’s relationship—so I met her by the way when I was hanging out with my friends two days ago.”

As if he had thought of something, Philip suddenly looked like he had "a sudden realization" and quickly explained to Charles.

"Char, don't worry, she has nothing to do with me before. I am definitely not introducing her to you after I get tired of playing with her. Don't worry, that girl seems to be very arty, and she is definitely not the type to be dissolute... "

"Okay, I understand." Seeing that Philip was getting more and more unbearable as he spoke, Charles finally couldn't bear it anymore and quickly reached out to stop him. "Then go find them and find a way to make arrangements for me as soon as possible."

"Char, take care of it on me!" After getting Charles's consent, Philip was obviously happy and made a guarantee with Charles again. "I have already made an agreement with them. As long as you nod, she is willing to wait for you at any time, even today if you don't mind. Look, this lady admires you enough, right? She doesn't even talk about the most basic reserve. To be honest, Charles, I don’t think you can waste such an opportunity..."

Philip encouraged Charles enthusiastically, describing the young lady's appearance and behavior vividly, without taking his sister's position to heart at all.

It seemed that he really didn't know who the lady in blue stockings was, and had no friendship with her. She was promised a lot of benefits. Charles made his judgment calmly.

Well, since she is so positive, I will stop putting on airs. After all, we all have old feelings. Ciel thought.

"Well, just help me talk. I will go for a walk outside the garden this evening, and we can choose a place to meet there."

"It's really yours. It's so resolute!" Philip made a gesture of admiration, and then immediately left Charles's room. "Wait for my good news, Charles!"

……………………

When the sunset began to bloom with golden and orange glow in the sky, Charles wandered among the garden paths of Fontainebleau Palace as he had been used to do these past few days, admiring the beautiful scenery in the evening.

Because the horse racing meeting has been held for several days, the enthusiasm of the visitors here has slowly faded. Therefore, the original noisy hustle and bustle began to return to the original tranquility and tranquility, especially in the depths of the garden. , it is extremely quiet and has become a simple corner in this flashy world.

Ciel walked leisurely through the emerald green at a basically consistent pace, looking no different from usual. However, today his footsteps have a clear direction.

There are a large number of forests near the Palace of Fontainebleau. These birch and beech trees isolate the hustle and bustle of the outside world and become natural barriers, cutting off small open spaces. In the past royal era, kings of all generations came here for recreation. They and their courtiers hunted in these green forests, or had trysts with their lovers.

Even today, centuries later, the situation is not much different. When Charles was walking among them, he met several men and women walking together with Gu Yingchuochuo. Some of them even expressed their sympathy to each other. Their eyes then shifted away, as if no one saw the other.

When Charles came to a clearing in the forest, the sky had become very dark, the sun had already set on the mountain, and there was only a thin layer of gray light in the sky. He tried hard to resist the arrival of the night, and the evening wind blew in the forest. It echoed and made bursts of soft noises, while those branches and leaves looked shadowy, as if they were hiding elves in the night.

The air was fresh, but also a little cold. Ciel stopped, looked up at the beautiful scenery, and then buttoned his coat tightly, while secretly wondering when the other party would come.

He didn't wait long, and the sound of rustling footsteps soon sounded from the forest ahead. The sound got closer and closer to him, until finally, a vague figure appeared among the trees in front of him.

Then, the blurred figure became clearer and clearer, until Ciel could see the other party clearly.

This was indeed Mademoiselle Caterina de Perriette, whom he was familiar with - although he knew it was certainly not her real name.

She was wearing a dark gray woolen skirt with a flower-shaped silk knot tied around her neck. Perhaps it was because she was walking at night. She was holding a Chinese-style silk lantern in her hand. This dress coupled with Her regular steps gave her an air of stage elegance.

Due to the yellowish-white light from the lantern, her chestnut hair stood out, and the jeweled hairpins behind her bun also shone brightly, making her skin paler and the contours of her face more delicate.

She still has a familiar smile on her face, as if she is always smiling, giving people a feeling of spring breeze. People can only see a little bit of the real sternness and determination in the depth of this smile.

"Long time no see, Ciel." She walked up to Ciel at an almost constant pace without any nervousness. "Perhaps I should address you as your Excellency, Minister?"

Charles tried to remain serious at first, but soon realized that the pretense was pointless and shrugged.

"Call me Charles, you deserve to be called that."

"I'm really grateful that you are so humble to others, Charles." When she reached Charles, she stopped, then slightly bent her knees and saluted him, "Charlie, I thought you would show off on purpose. I’ll meet you again…”

"This doesn't mean anything to me. I don't need to show authority in this way." Although Charles' tone was humble, he could not hide his complacency. "Besides, our old friendship made me I can’t bear to treat you like this.”

"Oh, old friendship! It's so rare that you still remember these!" Miss Blue Stockings smiled and shook her head, "But judging from your situation these days, I can't believe that you still remember it. After all, you are no longer with us. Communicating news——"

"I am a minister of the empire. I am busy with official duties and have a sensitive status. Naturally, I cannot have close contact with the outside world." Charles shook his head regretfully, "So I also ask you to be considerate of me."

Of course he couldn't directly say, "Because you are working for the British government, I can't have too much contact with you, so as not to arouse other people's suspicions." However, he believed that she could understand this reason based on the other person's intelligence.

"Oh, what a magnificent answer!" Catalina's smile deepened, and she couldn't tell whether it was admiration or ridicule. "Of course, I can understand you. Admittedly, this is a huge regret for me... because I can't see your handsome face and hear your witty words as often as I used to."

This was a bit frivolous, but Ciel was not carried away by it, but instead became wary.

"I believe that there are many young talents around you to save you from regrets." He replied cautiously.

"But young talents like you are irreplaceable. After all, not everyone can be a minister." Catalina still did not give up.

"Then what exactly do you need such a minister to do for you?" Charles decided to go straight to the point.

"It depends on what you are willing to do for me, because I don't have any way to force you." Catalina looked at Ciel with a smile, "I only have admiration and appreciation for this gentleman's rapid rise."

"You helped me when I was in embarrassment. I will always remember this help, so I am willing to repay your help in any way." Charles said unhurriedly, "Of course, some I must also make it clear - this kind of return can only be limited to the authority of the minister, and I have no way to help you at the expense of France. "

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, what a decent answer!" Miss Periette seemed to be very impressed. He’s the right minister! It’s true that I thought so highly of him back then!”

"Don't be like this..." Ciel felt a little embarrassed after being ridiculed like this. "I just feel like I need to make my position clear."

"You are still treating me as an enemy to be on guard." Miss Periette narrowed her eyes slightly, "Of course this is normal, but you have forgotten that I am not a fool, and I will not let you do what you are destined not to do. It would just make me look like a fool, wouldn't it? Besides, Britain and France are as close as sisters now, so we don't need to be so at odds with each other, and we should enjoy the old friendship, right?"

"Okay, sorry, let us enjoy the old friendship." Charles shrugged, "I can more or less guess the reason why you are so anxious to see me. I can assure you that at present, France’s foreign policy decisions are the unshakable will of His Majesty the Emperor. The Russian Ambassador cannot change anything, and we do not intend to let him know anything - we will still stand firmly by Britain’s side.”

When Ciel said this, Miss Blue Stockings' expression became a little more serious. It was obvious that this was indeed what she wanted to know.

"In other words, the count is now just a poor guest in the Palace of Fontainebleau, destined to be deceived and fooled?" She asked again after a moment.

"Yes, that's the case." Ciel nodded very simply.

Because they originally planned to explain this matter to the British, there was no need for Charles to keep the other party secret, but he was happy to use this to show his sincerity and respect for the other party.

"That's good." After receiving such a clear answer, Miss Perriette obviously relaxed a lot, "London should be able to sleep now."

"Do the gentlemen in London just not believe us?" Charles couldn't help complaining. "We have made several promises to the UK."

"Do Turtle Nabal and his accomplices care about morality so much?" Miss Periette asked with a sneer, "Charles, do you ever care about morality?"

Ciel wanted to refute, but in the end he could only shake his head, "At least you should believe in our sincerity now."

"Of course I believe it, but I believe that this is just a stop-gap measure for you under the current situation. Once the situation changes, you will change your mind." Miss Periette did not intend to hide her views, " So isn’t it normal for London gentlemen to be worried?”

"At such a critical juncture, being neurotic is not good for everyone." Charles couldn't help but say, "Besides, don't the British view France with the same attitude? This is a mutual choice, and you can't be harsh Our morals.”

"Well, we don't have to think about morality. At least the current reality is comforting." Miss Perriette immediately changed the subject and stopped arguing with Charles. "Now that this question can be answered, can I ask you to take the time to answer another question for me?"

"Excuse me?" Ciel looked at the other party inquiringly.

"Many people say that your Majesty the Emperor is old enough and may not be able to have children. I came to Fontainebleau today and found that the two His Majesties seem to have a bad relationship..." Miss Periette said with a smile on her face. He smiled, but looked at Charles with a hawk-like gaze, "So, Charles, assuming that in the future, poor Emperor Napoleon III has no direct heir, one day, if there is a crisis of succession to the throne, what will you support? Someone ascends the throne?"

"The Bonaparte family has its own line of succession. This is not a question that I, a minister, can question." Of course, Charles did not intend to tell the truth to her. "Besides, I firmly believe that our Emperor is still energetic and he can contribute to the empire." Bring the emperor's heir so that the empire can continue..."

"In other words, if there is such a succession crisis, you will stand by and watch?" Miss Periette looked at Charles calmly, obviously not surprised by his answer, "But I seem to have heard that you and several Bonaparte family members The relationship with the prince is not good?"

Ciel didn't answer her question, he knew it was a test.

"So, would you mind if the House of Orleans were restored to France under certain circumstances?" Mademoiselle Perrier suddenly asked again. "Of course, what I said is just a hypothetical question and does not represent any actual results."

Ciel suddenly opened his eyes wide and stared at the other party. "Is this a personal issue for you? Or who do you represent?"

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

This is no joke. After the February Revolution of 1848, His Majesty King Louis-Philippe I went into exile in England, and Louis Bonaparte landed in France from England.

Now that Louis-Philippe I has died, and his family continues to take refuge in the British, the fate of the two families has been swapped, but what remains unchanged is that Britain always has a card in its hand to influence the political situation in France - in Most of the time this card is meaningless, but sometimes it can be deadly.

In this case, the question is a bit creepy.

"You can take it as a personal question for me," Miss Perriette replied with a smile.

"The Britons are... unpleasant," he hissed after a long silence.

"The world is ever-changing, and Britain has to make multiple preparations forever. You have to understand the effort we need to expend in order to maintain an empire." Miss Perriette didn't mean to be unhappy at all, "Okay, tell me yours. Take a look.”

"I will absolutely not be willing to watch this happen in silence!" Charles solemnly declared with his rare stern attitude, "If anyone wants to make this happen, then I will use all the resources I can use to make it happen. Use all means to prevent this from happening, even if you lose everything you own."

"Even if the Orleans family is actually willing to reconcile with you and confirm your status?" Miss Perriette asked calmly.

"Even so!" Charles replied decisively.

This was indeed his original intention, because during his previous revolutions and coups, as well as large-scale massacres and exiles, he had already forged a bloody feud with the Orleans faction dignitaries, which could never be settled with just one sentence.

Even if the Orleans family is willing to "reconcile" after the restoration, it is impossible to keep his position, and he may be settled by his queen at any time, so he cannot have any ambiguity on this issue no matter what, and must resist until the end.

Miss Perriette kept staring at Charles, confirming that his will was somewhat positive, until finally, she nodded. "Okay, I see what you mean."

Charles didn't say anything else. It was conceivable that she would definitely report his resolute attitude to London, but she didn't know how the other party would view her like this.

The night is already deep, and everywhere has entered the bottomless darkness. This silence makes people feel a little chilly.

"Then after much thought, I can only wish you good luck and see the birth of His Majesty the Emperor's heir. Only in this way is it best for you." After a long silence, Miss Perriette said.

"This is not a question that I need to think about. I just need to serve the country." Charles replied calmly, "And I believe that God will bless the Bonaparte family. Our Emperor is a pious man and he deserves to be favored. "

"Oh, Bonaparte the Pious!" laughed Mademoiselle Periette. "Well, may God favor him!"

Then, she looked at Charles again and said, "Charle, actually I don't think you need to be so nervous. The situation is not particularly bad. We are just preparing for a rainy day. This does not mean that it will definitely become a reality."

Then, she suddenly turned her head, raised her lantern and looked at the forest in the distance, and then said casually, "It makes no essential difference to Britain whether it is Napoleon or Capet. This is the main reason why we can look at Napoleon's nephew's ascension to the throne of France with a pragmatic attitude... Maybe it doesn't matter if it is Treville?"

Charles was stunned. This obvious agitation is not like the British style. Maybe it is Miss Perriette's private muttering?

"I am loyal to His Majesty and the Empire, and no matter what, I support the friendship between France and Britain for generations." In the end, he could only give a stable answer.

Then, in order to take the initiative, he asked the other party, "What about you? Who are you loyal to?"

"I am not loyal to a monarch, a prime minister or a government, but to the eternal Britain." The slightly frivolous smile on Miss Catherine de Perriette's face suddenly disappeared, and she said with an almost solemn expression, "Kings and queens come and go, but Britain stands there forever, and it is worth my dedication to it."

"It's really admirable." Charles shrugged.

"No, this doesn't need admiration, it's just a kind of passion," Miss Perriette shook her head, "People have to live for passion, right? Otherwise, life is just a desert."

Then, she smiled again, breaking up the serious atmosphere, "Okay, let's not talk about these overly serious topics... Let me ask you something else? How is the lady you brought to my house? Wasn't she beaten to death by your wife?"

"No..." Charles was embarrassed.

"Well, Charles, what's there to be embarrassed about?" Miss Perriette seemed to see what Charles was thinking. "There's nothing wrong with having fun in life."

"Thank you..." Charles was still embarrassed. "Well, she's doing fine now, and I'm still in touch with her."

Miss Perriette looked at Charles again, her gray pupils seemed to reflect the flame of the lantern.

"Well, it seems that what we have to talk about tonight is almost over..." She deliberately dragged out her voice, "In order not to make your cousin suspicious, should we do more?"

"..." Charles looked at her, not knowing what to say.

"For the friendship between Britain and France, we pay passion and tears, isn't it good?" Miss Perriette smiled with narrowed eyes.

"Do you... do you think this is good?" Charles asked back.

"What's wrong with it?"

"France's direct suppression of England... may be a great pleasure for many French people, but are you willing to see this consequence?" Charles asked back.

In front of this slightly obscene question, Miss Perriette was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly couldn't help laughing.

"Hahaha! Charles, this is what I like most about you, you can always say humorous and witty remarks in various situations, hahaha! Funny!" Then, she looked at Charles with a smile on her face, "Then can't we try England to suppress France? Although this is a bit challenging for me, I am willing to work hard and sweat for Britain."

"... This is not good, right?" Charles hesitated.

"It's really not good... public and private affairs are clear." Miss Perriette suddenly seemed to lose her strength, and fell on Charles, and then stuffed the lantern directly into his right hand.

Then, she kissed Charles's cheek. "Then at least you can help the weak lady back?"

"My pleasure." Charles picked up the lantern. (~^~)