As time passed, the long cold nights of winter began to rule the land, and because of the cold wind and snow, people began to avoid travel as much as possible, and the bustling crowds on the streets disappeared, as if even a country had been paralyzed. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

It wasn't until spring returned that the terrible cold nights began to slowly become warmer, the snow began to melt, everything began to recover, and the stagnant continent began to slowly wake up from the winter nights.

It was in the early spring of 1853 that an uninvited guest quietly came to the house of the Imperial Chancellor, His Excellency Charles de Treville.

The gentleman was tall, with a thick brown beard, and looked to be about forty or fifty years old, and still very energetic. He was dressed very well-dressed and formal, and because of his serious expression, he looked like a politician who had been tested by the world for a long time, even in casual clothes. This is not a false impression that this middle-aged man was a powerful figure - he was the new ambassador of the Russian Empire to France, Count Litwinsky.

As one of the great European powers, the person who can become the ambassador to France must be the most powerful dignitary in the diplomatic circles of a country, and the same is naturally true of Count Litwinsky, who was born into a noble family in the Russian Empire, and this family has been engaged in diplomatic activities for several generations, and he is highly regarded as soon as he enters the Russian diplomatic circles, and is also very valued by His Majesty Tsar Nicholas I.

At the same time, in addition to being a national dignitary, he also has another status - he had previously been a teacher of Crown Prince Alexander, and was also one of the close advisers of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander, and his status was unusual, and some people even privately speculated that he might become his foreign minister - that is, prime minister - after Crown Prince Alexander took over the throne in the future.

The sending of such a person to France as an ambassador was enough to show the importance that the Russian Empire now attached to France.

This was understandably the result of Louis Bonaparte's coup d'état and the re-establishment of the French Empire, which led to the establishment of the Emperor and the members of his cronies. For such a group of people, the royal family and nobles all over Europe were not very much looked down upon at first, especially the most conservative and tough Tsar Nicholas I, who was even more contemptuous of them, and did not pretend to be ashamed, which also caused this group of people to suffer a lot of humiliation.

Count Durovyev, the minister to France at that time, was naturally able to comprehend His Majesty's holy will, and he himself was equally proud of himself as a nobleman, and looked down on Louis Bonaparte and his group of fortunate ministers, so he put on a full shelf and had a very unpleasant quarrel with this group of French nouveau riche.

As a result of his trouble, the relations between the two countries suddenly became very stiff, and for a time there were almost no normal contacts, and Count Durovyev himself became a thorn in the side of this group of people.

Over time, however, the reign of Emperor Louis-Bonaparte and his ministers over France became more and more secure, and the Russian Empire, even though they were unwilling to associate with them, finally found itself compelled to recognize the rule of this group over France, especially when Russia wanted to begin a major campaign with the European powers, and urgently needed the support of the European powers or acquiesced in their own actions.

Thus, in order to improve relations between the two countries and mend the rift between the two dynasties due to contempt, the imperial family of the Russian Empire had to change its course and put on a posture of wanting to be friendly to France, and Count Durovyev himself was recalled by the Russian Foreign Ministry and thrown into an idle post, which was considered a political defeat.

Obviously, Count Duroviev was just a scapegoat, but since the Russian Empire made such a statement, it means that they are indeed sincere in improving relations with France, and it can be regarded as a clear signal of diplomatic turn.

This signal was not let off by the sophisticated diplomats of the European capitals, who were secretly watching what was happening in Paris, and secretly speculating about what was going to happen between the two great powers at opposite ends of the continent, while France was surprisingly immobile and did not appear very agitated - and, of course, did not put aside the olive branch extended by the Russians, but calmly accepted the transfer of the Russian minister to France.

However, now the Russians wanted more than the peace of the French, and as soon as he arrived in Paris, the Count of Litwinsky tried by all means to establish personal contacts with the dignitaries of the French Empire, and he took part in all kinds of social events and made efforts to make friends with them, and as part of this effort, he braved the cold wind in this cold spring to go all the way to the suburbs to visit the palace of Charles de Treville, now Minister of Transport of the Empire.

Although His Excellency Minister de Treville is the Minister of Communications, and it seems that he is not very compatible with diplomatic work, everyone knows that the court of Emperor Louis Bonaparte is a Byzantine court, and the so-called position and authority are usually confused, and the status of each person depends on his status in the emperor's heart, so as one of his most relied on assistants, Tréville can play a role in foreign affairs even if he is a domestic minister, not to mention that he was temporarily in charge of French foreign affairs before, For the Bonapartist regime achieved some impression points in the European countries.

After he came to Paris, and after several pleas, he finally got the opportunity that His Excellency the Chancellor allowed him to visit his house, and of course agreed with a cold attitude.

He was not surprised by this, because he had heard before coming to Paris that his predecessor, the Count of Durovyev, had a quarrel with His Excellency the Chancellor, and even ridiculed this de Treville to his face, so that de Treville and the Count had quarreled openly and secretly, which became one of the important reasons why the Count was expelled, so he also expected in advance that he would be hung out.

For the sake of Russia's national interests, he is also willing to be treated like this.

With a calm mood, he was led by his servants to the mansion, and then to the study of His Excellency Chancellor Trevill.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, please be seated, Mr. Ambassador." As soon as he saw the ambassador, Charles, who was already waiting here, extended his hand to him in a friendly manner.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency." The Earl also walked up to Charles with great respect, took his hand, and then sat down opposite him.

Although he had known the truth for a long time, when he saw it with his own eyes, he still sighed a little at the other party's youth.

After he sat down, Charles smiled and took out a box of cigars from the drawer of his desk, then opened it, took out one for himself, and handed the box to the other party, "This is what I taught me when I was in the Foreign Office, and he said that cigars can completely bring two people closer together, so to be honest, I don't usually smoke, but I always treasure some in my own home...... Please try it and hope you don't disappoint you. ”

"Thank you, Your Excellency." The Count looked astonished, then immediately laughed again, and took a cigar from the box. "I have to say that the Marquis of Turgo has taught you the true meaning of diplomacy."

The Count was both surprised and pleased by Charles's opening move, and he had thought that he would be treated more coldly, but now that he saw it, the young man seemed to no longer want to put on a show.

"You're welcome, today you are my guest, and we will do our best to entertain you." Charles cut the cigar and lit it.

The smoke ran down his nasal cavity and into his lungs, causing him an indescribable irritation. Although he doesn't like to smoke or drink, when he smokes once in a while, it is really refreshing.

And at this time, the old and sophisticated Count Litwinsky also took a deep puff of his cigar, and then let out a long breath as if cathartic, half-squinting, as if somewhat intoxicated. "Oh! It's a great Havana cigar! You're so gracious! ”

"I've got some good friends who gave me these, and it seems that they are quite loyal to me, at least you think they are good." Charles replied with a reserved smile.

Then, with a flick of his finger, he dropped the ash into the crystal ashtray, "To be honest, I was surprised to receive your request, for I did not expect that I would be able to cross paths with a foreign minister now...... After all, I have now left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ”

"Although you have now become a minister, you still have traces of the French diplomatic system, you are still famous on the European continent, so you have influence on French diplomacy even if you are not in that position, so I should pay a visit to you, after all, I am new to the city, and I should know everyone I should know." Count Litvinsky replied rather respectfully, "Also, I have read some of your previous speeches and remarks, and I have found that some of them coincide with us Russians, so I think it is necessary for me to communicate with you......"

"But now that I'm gone, I shouldn't blame my former colleagues anymore, and diplomacy should be done by those who are still in office." Charles' smile remained the same, but he replied rather coldly, "If you want me to promise you anything, or help you do something, I'm afraid I won't be able to meet your request." Because I can't trouble His Excellency the Foreign Secretary, he is the one who deals with your country. ”

"Mr. Treville, you're being too modest in this way." Charles's initial refusal did not surprise the Earl, he put down the cigarette in his hand, and then continued to impress the Imperial Minister with the words he had thought out in advance, "As the Minister of the Empire, you must have a great responsibility for the rise and fall of this Empire, not to mention that this is the Empire you helped to create, isn't it?" Because of your efforts and abilities, you have a great deal of influence, and you should use that influence to the benefit of this empire, wouldn't it be a pity to abandon it? ”

"It's a little embarrassing to say that." Charles smiled and picked up his cigarette again. "I'm not as powerful as you say, I'm just serving His Majesty the Emperor and the people."

"We have no dispute about this, but you are a well-known figure in our country and a talking point in other countries, and our Tsar is confident that you can make a great contribution to the friendship between our two nations - if you wish." "Moreover, even your sister enjoys wide acclaim in the social circles of our country, and the ladies, and even Her Majesty, the Empress, are very fond of her demeanor and her exquisite drawing skills, and I am sorry that I was not in Petersburg at the time, so I could not see her...... However, I am now in France, so I still have the opportunity to meet her and see her paintings. ”

Then, his smile became even more meaningful, "When I left Russia, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince made a point of mentioning Miss Trevil to me, and he said that he hoped that his gifts would satisfy her, and if he had the chance, he would like to invite her to Moscow again to meet the Kremlin as it were, so that perhaps she could leave a more beautiful painting......"

When he said this, it was obvious that Charles's face changed slightly.

Obviously, he did not say this just to bring him closer, and his point was not that "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to invite Miss Tréville again", but - "gifts".

It's a reminder that your sister has accepted our gift on your behalf, and of course it's a subtle exhortation that if you continue to work with us, you'll get more.

And with Charles's mind, he certainly understands this reminder.

"Oh, these gifts have made her very happy, and she has told us about the hospitality of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of your country since she returned, and she is full of praise," his smile became a little strange after the smoke filled, "and I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander through you...... I have to say, he flattered us a little. ”

"So you see, you're already in the game, aren't you? Our Highness the Crown Prince believes that you can be an old friend of the Russian people, because your surname, as well as your resourcefulness, deserve our admiration. Seeing the change in Charles's attitude, Count Litwinsky finally relented, "Count Durovsky was a little hasty with your attitude towards His Majesty the Emperor of your country, so now we have asked him to return to China for reflection, and now, I think...... There are no more obstacles to the restoration of friendly relations between the two countries, in which you can play a huge role. ”

Sometimes, as long as you open up the joints, the words are much easier to talk than they should be. The ambassador thought to himself. (To be continued.) )