Flowers, Swords and France

Just as Charlotte returned to the palace to meet Her Majesty the Queen, and appeared in front of the ladies of the palace in an awe-inspiring manner, Charles was also meeting his benefactor in the same palace.

He accompanied his wife here to express that the Treville family was as solid as a rock and that there was absolutely no crack due to Charlotte's sudden accident. He unswervingly supported his wife and also used this method to express his gratitude to his wife. The outside world has great trust in the couple - as long as there is this kind of favor, others will have to be somewhat wary of the couple in private, and this rumor will go away faster.

Of course, in front of His Majesty the Emperor, what they wanted to discuss would not just be trivial matters within the palace.

In the famous small study with arched windows and doors in the Tuileries Palace, His Majesty the Emperor sat leisurely behind the walnut desk, looking carelessly at the young favorite opposite him.

His Majesty the Emperor is in a very good mood today, and his carefully maintained beard seems to be standing up.

"It seems that the Russians have believed that we really have no intention of fighting them in arms." His tone seemed to be filled with overflowing complacency, more like a bloodthirsty desire, "That minister is We were fooling around in Fontainebleau, and he faithfully completed his mission and deceived his monarch, which will make Russia irreversible! "

"Congratulations, Your Majesty." Charles congratulated His Majesty the Emperor at the right time and cheered him up. "Judging from the information we have received now, the Russians' will to march can no longer be contained, so both the Turks and Austrians are terrified. , I am deeply afraid of being crushed by the rolling chariots.”

"Our diplomats have made it clear to the Turks that as long as they dare to resist the Russian aggression, we French will regain the historical and traditional friendship between the two countries and help them resist that evil wave of aggression..." His Majesty the Emperor raised his index finger and made an expected gesture, "So after getting such clear support from us, they have the courage to fight the Russians with all their strength. As for the Austrians... I have to say that it is a good thing to scare them. Only when they are scared out of their wits, they Only then will you let go of your boring stubbornness and face reality, and then become brothers with us.”

Logically speaking, the monarchs of various European countries would call each other brothers, but since His Majesty Emperor Napoleon III came to the throne, the situation has been different. The monarchs of various European countries, adhering to the arrogance of the past, looked down on this upstart, and would rather call him "I "Friends" were unwilling to call each other brothers, which of course made him heartbroken.

Now that he saw that the Habsburg emperor still wanted to call him brother, and even came to flatter him in person, he was naturally filled with the joy of revenge.

"There is no doubt that in order to keep the Austrians honest, of course we have to beat them and let them feel the pressure from time to time. But Your Majesty, I think we should control the intensity of this pressure so as not to let the Austrians attack us. They left us in panic." Charles first agreed with His Majesty the Emperor's words, and then changed the topic and expressed his own opinion, "Austria is a very useful tool, I think we should find a way to use them. Hold it in your hand."

"Yeah, I forgot, we have a die-hard pro-Austrian here!" His Majesty the Emperor smiled slightly. "Char, we will receive His Majesty the Emperor well. As long as he is our brother, of course we must be generous to him."

His Majesty the Emperor took pleasure in mocking Russia and Austria. Although Charles agreed with him on the surface, he still implicitly reminded him that he should focus on maintaining relations with Austria and not hurt them again when Austria has temporarily bowed its head. Self-esteem, we must find ways to win over Austria.

However, His Majesty the Emperor's answer was still unpredictable. From his face, it was not clear whether he supported or disapproved of Charles's opinion. He only said that he would receive this guest from afar well, but he seemed not to understand. The underlying meaning behind Ciel's words was the same.

This evasive answer made it difficult for Charles to understand, but it was difficult for him to ask further questions, so he felt a little confused.

He had made a guarantee in front of Prince Richard von Metternich, using his future to guarantee France's friendship with Austria. It was for this reason that the Austrian Emperor agreed to come to France and communicate with France. The emperor reconciled. If the French emperor burns bridges and refuses to make good friends with Austria after gaining face, wouldn't that put him in a very embarrassing situation? If not, your reputation will be ruined.

"Your Majesty, judging from the environment we are facing, Russia is already a formidable enemy, and Prussia may follow Russia and become our enemy at any time, whether it is from the perspective of intimidating Prussia or restricting the Russians. , Austria is an extremely useful tool." Because of this consideration, Charles continued to persuade His Majesty the Emperor, "So I think we should continue to interact with Austria with full sincerity. This is both coping with the present and planning. future……"

"Are the Prussians so terrible?" the emperor asked.

"I don't think they are particularly scary, but now, they are the only military power bordering us." Ciel replied calmly.

Indeed, due to Prince Metternich's manipulations, the Vienna system made special arrangements. The German territory along the Rhine River was handed over to Prussia. At the same time, southeastern France was blocked by the Kingdom of Sardinia. So now, France's neighbors only have Prussia was left as a powerful country. In other words, it was the only big country that could prevent France's influence from crossing the border. Charles's words were reasonable from any aspect.

"Okay, Charles, you have asked this question many times, and I understand what you mean. I will think about it carefully." His Majesty the Emperor waved his hand, indicating that he no longer wanted to talk about this topic, "But I think , we should leave more flexibility for our foreign policy instead of limiting the future now.”

That's the problem. Ciel sighed inwardly.

His Majesty the Emperor, or the vast majority of French people, do not think that the Prussians are terrible now, nor do they think that they are facing an imminent crisis, so they still believe that France is the number one power on the continent and there is no need to use alliances at all to defend themselves, but should leave flexibility for diplomacy.

In particular, Louis Bonaparte was a person who advocated contingency and could even be said to be somewhat capricious. He was even more unwilling to limit the empire's diplomacy to a certain number.

So even though Charles took the trouble to emphasize to him the necessity of friendship with Austria many times, he was still vague and refused to give a clear answer, which also made Charles a little discouraged.

"Charles, if you are not working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs now, please don't interfere too much in the work of your colleagues." Perhaps seeing Charles' depression, His Majesty the Emperor smiled again, "Now, we don't have to think about it. So far away, all our goals are to win this war, and you bear a heavy responsibility for this, so you should focus your main energy on this matter."

His Majesty the Emperor's advice was neither soft nor hard, so Charles had to interrupt his advice. He could only nodded, "I understand, Your Majesty. Now I am doing my best to promote production and transportation in the rear and strive to maximize the By using domestic resources to support the expeditionary force, I believe I can provide sufficient supplies for the expeditionary force."

"This is your greatest contribution to the empire. I believe no one can do it better than you at this point. By the way, your grandfather...how is your mood recently?" After smiling for a moment, His Majesty the Emperor suddenly ask. "I heard before that he seemed to be a little depressed -"

This question made Ciel's heart suddenly sink.

Because of the recent incident in Lelouch, the Marquis of Treville was furious several times. With great difficulty, he temporarily restrained his anger under Charles's persuasion, so that he did not cause a bigger incident. After the news came out, Grandpa Naturally, he had to face more pressure, and he was full of resentment towards Charlotte because of this, and almost refused to see Charlotte again.

It is precisely because of this incident that Ciel has been feeling heavy recently.

However, he couldn't tell everything here. Firstly, there was no need for him to reveal his family affairs and make others laugh. Secondly, and more importantly, his grandfather was the scheduled commander of the expeditionary force, so he was already jealous. People in this position privately murmured that the old marshal was old and probably lacked energy. If he said that about the current situation again, wouldn't it make grandpa's status even more questionable?

"My grandfather... is in a pretty good mood recently." Finally, he suppressed the mixed emotions in his heart and replied in a low voice, "He is already eager to try, and he wants to build immortal achievements for you, the empire, and himself. ”

"Is that so? That's great. I absolutely believe that he can do this." His Majesty the Emperor nodded slightly, seeming to express his support for the Treville family in this way.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Charles lowered his head.

The monarch and his minister suddenly fell into silence.

His Majesty the Emperor could tell that Charles was in a low mood now. He certainly knew why this energetic young man was in a low spirit at this time.

I don't know why, but when he saw him in high spirits, His Majesty the Emperor felt a little jealous; but when he saw his favorite minister in such a low mood, he felt a little pity.

After all, this is his loyal subordinate who has served him for so long, and he is still so capable and has done so many things for himself.

"Char, I hope you won't take certain things to heart. I have decided to intervene personally and will not allow anyone to slander you... and your wife." In the end, His Majesty the Emperor could not help but say, "I absolutely will not will allow any rumors against you to spread. This kind of rumor is not only an attack on you, but also against the empire. This must be an ugly act done by someone with ulterior motives to damage the image of the empire. It must be severely punished. Stop it!"

His Majesty the Emperor's unmistakable relief and support surprised Charles a little. He raised his head and looked at His Majesty in disbelief.

Since he came to the throne, he has always been very unpredictable and rarely expressed his attitude in front of others in order to control his ministers, but now he has encouraged himself so clearly.

After all, he still misses his old love. My hard work was not completely in vain.

"Thank you for your support, Your Majesty..." Charles bowed to the emperor again, but this time he was a little more sincerely grateful.

And his mood also improved a lot.

……………………

Under the watchful eyes of the guards, Charles left the study and prepared to find his wife.

And just as he walked through the corridor and was about to come to the garden, he unexpectedly came face to face with Matilda.

"Char..." Matilda was looking at Charles excitedly. "I was looking for you!"

"Matilda..." Charles was stunned for a moment, and then laughed full of surprise!

It was as if a heat arose from the bottom of his heart, making him suddenly feel full of energy returning to his body that he had not seen for a long time.

"Matilda...Long time no see."

It was indeed a surprise to him to see her when he was feeling down.

He strode towards Matilda without caring, wanting to hug her intimately and vent the depression in his heart.

"Come here with me, I have something to say to you." After discovering Charles's actions, Matilda blushed slightly, made a gesture, stopped Charles's footsteps, and then turned to the side. Head down.

"Well, okay!" Charles nodded immediately, and then followed her into the garden.

However, Matilda did not go towards him. Instead, she took him along the path in the garden and took him to a remote corner. Charles did not say much and followed her silently.

"Right here, I have something to tell you..." When she came to the corner of the palace and made sure there was no one around, Matilda stopped, "Yeah..."

She was silent because at this time Ciel had already hugged her, then put his head on her shoulder and rubbed her cheek from the side.

"It is indeed quiet enough here for us to have a good talk."

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

"Sir, please don't do this. This is inside the palace!" Matilda hurriedly stopped him, but she couldn't stop him. She could only give up the struggle after a moment of confusion, "You...can you listen to me? Can you tell me...?"

"I can, just say it." Charles hugged her and listened quietly.

"Recently... recently because of that incident, I heard a lot of people secretly spreading rumors about you. I think you must have been under a lot of pressure recently..." Matilda turned her head with difficulty and looked at Charles , the eyes behind the lenses were full of relief, "Please don't take this kind of thing too seriously, they are just jealous of you... You are too shining, they couldn't find anything to attack you before, so they will catch you now Given the opportunity, of course I want to take advantage of it.”

"Let others say whatever they want. I won't take it to heart." Ciel shook his head, "As long as you still support me."

"Of course I support you!" Matilda quickly replied, "I...when I met them gossiping about you secretly, I was very angry...not only angry with them, but also angry with myself. Why is there no way to eliminate this for you? Trouble, this really makes me feel guilty... In the end, I can only solemnly ask them to stop gossiping about you, and also ask Her Majesty the Queen to issue an injunction to protect the reputation of you and your wife. Oh, if I can do more. That’s fine! I’m so sorry!”

This sentence full of self-blame was said so sincerely that Charles didn't know how to answer it.

"You don't need to blame yourself... This is not your fault at all." After a long time, he raised his hand and gently touched her smooth and fair face, "Actually, I can handle these things by myself, you can't You have to make enemies for yourself.”

"How can I stand by and watch when you are in such trouble? I can't do it! I just hate that there is so little I can do." Matilda lowered her gaze, seeming to still be sad about this, "But , everything will be fine, and I will do my best to support you. Although this power is meager, it will always be useful to you."

"Don't worry about me," Ciel continued, then whispered in her ear, "No matter what, I am a winner and can keep winning."

"...That's why you worry me." Matilda became anxious, struggled hard, turned around, and looked at Charles head-on, "You don't need to force yourself, you are obviously very uncomfortable... …You are also anxious and depressed, why do you have to force yourself so much? Why don’t you just vent your bitterness?”

This question made Charles stunned again.

While being watched by Matilda, he found that he could hardly hide himself as usual.

Only at this time could he feel how deep the depression and anger accumulated in his heart really was.

"What can I do about this? I can only do this!" After a long silence, he sighed, and then looked slumped at the sky in the distance, "I must stand strong, otherwise I can't imagine how it will end. "

Yes, in front of Charlotte, and even in front of Fran, although he received great respect and even blind faith, he also shouldered a huge responsibility because of it. He could not play a role other than a perfect person.

But he knows that he is not perfect, and has various weaknesses that people usually have. These weaknesses can only be covered up and restrained, but cannot be completely put aside.

Now, he is very anxious and in pain.

Although he knew that these rumors and vicious attacks would not cause any real harm to him, the pain could not be avoided.

But he could only hide these anxieties. He was afraid of shattering their faith. More importantly, he knew that he could not add more pressure to Charlotte.

Because of this incident, Charlotte has cried countless times and almost suffered a nervous breakdown. The fact that she is able to cheer up now is also the result of Charles' efforts to comfort her, but if even he himself shows that kind of anxiety If so, God knows what will happen to her.

Maybe it was because he hid it well enough, or maybe it was because of her deep-rooted blind faith in him. Charlotte finally found her spiritual support and stabilized herself again. Others could still see the confident and conceited minister. Even His Majesty the Emperor only vaguely felt that he was a little depressed, but he did not think that the pressure was great.

But Matilda could feel the anger accumulated in his heart, and she was worried about it.

"If you can't walk off the stage in front of others... then at least in front of me, please take a break! Pretending that nothing is wrong when you are in pain will only double your pain, so you need a I need a place to vent... There is no one here, it's just me. You can vent without any scruples, it's okay..." Matilda suddenly looked away, as if she was a little uncomfortable too. As if in a good mood, "Because... because the you I love is not a you who knows everything and is omnipotent, but a you who can go on boldly even if you are anxious, scared, or worried... So, please do your best." You can vent in front of me, and I won’t underestimate you because of it, nor will I be sad or desperate because of it. On the contrary, I will be even happier, because only in front of me you have no reservations at all..."

"Is...is that so?" Charles opened his eyes wide.

"Yes, do you think I need a perfect person to support myself?" Matilda asked, "No, I don't need it. My heart can support myself. Sir, no one is perfect, and no one needs it." A god comes to accompany you, I have known this for a long time... What I like is your imperfection, of course not everyone likes this, just me. "

Indeed...there really isn't much to say.

Charles felt his nose sore and almost shed tears.

He suddenly stretched out his arms, hugged Matilda horizontally, and then picked her up.

"Hey!" Matilda turned pale with fright, "What are you doing? This is the palace!"

"I don't care about that much!" Charles laughed, "You made me happy, I should give you a reward."

"...These are two different things!" Matilda became even more anxious, "Put me down quickly."

"This is the same thing!" Charles leaned over directly and kissed her lips.

It wasn't until much later that they separated.

"Sometimes you are really like a child, willful and mischievous, and don't care what others say." Matilda's face was completely red, her voice was broken, and she didn't know whether it was to blame or to tease, " What should you do in the future if you keep behaving like this?

"Isn't it bad to be willful a few times?" Charles asked, "People should always be willful a few times. Isn't it the willful me that you like?"

"Occasionally... occasionally yes." Matilda closed her eyes. "But only occasionally!"

Then, she gently opened her eyes and looked at Ciel, "Are you feeling better now?"

Ciel nodded heavily, and at this time he was in high spirits again. "Much better!"