Before the sudden change, Charles, who had always been calm, could not maintain his composure now, and he looked at the girl in front of him in a daze, and it was always difficult to accept the reality in front of him.

Her Royal Highness the Imperial Princess, His Majesty's favorite daughter of the Emperor, living in the deep palace, would quietly run into the birthday party of a banker's daughter, all this is unbelievable.

But no matter what, this is the reality, and you have to accept it.

After a moment of uneasiness, Charles finally forced his composure back, he looked at Matilda next to him, and then smiled wryly. "Did you bring her here?"

In order not to alarm the others, his voice was so low that only Matilda could hear him.

"Yes, I brought Her Royal Highness the princess here." Matilda's face was still a little red, and her eyes shifted to the side in embarrassment. "I told Her Highness the Princess about Miss Tangral, and she was very interested, so I asked her to take her to see it, and it turned out to be ......"

Charles immediately understood.

Like Fran, Matilda admires Miss Eugenie de Tangral's talent and feels unfair to her being ostracized by her classmates, so she wants to build momentum for them.

The difference is that Fran is touting Miss Tangral in front of her brother, while Matilda finds Her Royal Highness the Princess.

Charles couldn't tell whether Matilda had deliberately lured Her Highness the Princess, or whether Her Royal Highness had made it her own impromptuation, but it was clear that, judging from Her Highness's words, she did quite appreciate Miss Tangral's singing voice.

"You're so daring." He smiled and looked at Matilda with a slight teasing.

"Of course we won't come here alone!" Matilda replied awkwardly, "There are guards among the guests." ”

"Ah......" Charles nodded knowingly.

It's also said that no matter how bold Matilda is, she won't just bring Her Royal Highness the princess alone, if something really happens, it's not a joke.

Charles's eyes involuntarily glanced at the young people sitting in various places in the garden, but there was nothing unusual on the surface, everyone was chatting happily, and no one seemed to be paying attention.

But it is conceivable that if someone wants to do something rude to Her Royal Highness the princess here, they will be beaten into a sieve in an instant......

Thinking of this, Charles couldn't help but shrink his neck.

"Matilda!"

At this time, as if she was a little impatient, Her Royal Highness the Princess whispered to Matilda.

Matilda looked at Charles apologetically. "I'm sorry, Charles, let's talk later when we have time."

"Well, it's okay, there's no need to apologize, I bothered you." Charles smiled and shook his head, motioning for Matilda not to mind, "Then you guys have fun." ”

Charles kept smiling as Matilda turned away and walked back to Her Royal Highness.

And an inexplicable chill also passed from the girl next to Matilda.

This twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, not tall, and dressed in casual clothes, and deliberately covered her forehead with bangs so that others could not recognize her, and she did not look very inconspicuous.

However, the indifference and arrogance in her brown-gray eyes were not disguised in front of Charles at all.

This indifferent look made Charles feel a little like pins and needles all of a sudden.

Her Royal Highness Princess Nanali is the only daughter of His Majesty, so she has been deeply loved by His Majesty the Emperor since she was a child, and it is of course normal to develop a proud personality, but the situation encountered by Charles is a little different - although Her Royal Highness Princess has an arrogant personality, she is usually just above the top and does not like to deal with people, but every time she meets him, she often becomes as cold as she is today, and seems to be hostile to him.

As a person who has been cautious since he was a child and has never been careful not to make enemies in the palace, Charles doesn't know when he offended Her Royal Highness the Princess, this is not like something he would do at all!

If it offends ordinary people, it is a trivial matter, but Her Royal Highness the princess of a country is deeply favored by His Majesty the Emperor, and it is not a person who can afford to offend.

Facing Her Royal Highness the Princess, who was looking at her indifferently, Charles reluctantly squeezed out a smile, but his heart was very nervous.

Her Royal Highness's gaze did not linger on Charles for long, and immediately turned away, as if she did not bother to respond to Charles's flattering smile at all.

Embarrassed, Charles walked away.

"Your Highness, why are you being so harsh on him......?" After seeing Charles leave, Matilda looked nervously at the princess.

Her Royal Highness did not answer.

Matilda had always wondered why Her Royal Highness had such a bad attitude towards Charles.

For a long time, although Her Royal Highness the princess has an arrogant and indifferent personality, but her attitude towards other people is okay, but she is as cold as ice to Charles, according to her opinion, this is a bit incredible, because in the past few years of contact with Charles in the palace, she has already known a little about Charles, knowing that this young man's personality is similar to herself, and he is a very cautious person, and it is almost impossible to offend a princess.

So Matilda guessed that someone secretly slandered Her Royal Highness and said bad things about Charles, which is why Her Royal Highness had such a bad impression of Charles.

Out of cherishing talent, Matilda couldn't bear to see such an excellent talent affect her future in vain because of a few slanderous words, so she couldn't help but take the risk of saying good things for Charles.

Matilda became more and more nervous, and she dared to lean next to Her Royal Highness.

"Charles is actually a very good young man, a rare leader in the current young generation, and it is rare that his character is still very modest, he has never been complacent because of this, and he has always been learning, so he will definitely become a pillar of the empire in the future...... If someone says bad things about him behind his back, please ...... Please do not listen to slander, lest you waste a valuable talent......"

However, her words gradually became speechless, for she found that Her Royal Highness the Princess was staring at her at this time, and the coldness in her eyes made her shudder a little. "Your Highness......"

"Matilda, you have a good heart and are a very sweet person, so I like you, and Dad likes you, and so do everyone else." After a few moments, Her Royal Highness spoke, "Why does everyone like you?" Not just because you're cute, but because you know how to measure. It is precisely because you know how to be proportional and do not get involved in other things that people will feel so happy with you - so you should understand that forming a gang will not make your position more secure, it will only make you look less cute and lose the favor of your father and grandma. ”

Her Royal Highness the Princess, with her still childish face, said to Matilda in a rare tone of reprimand, "You should remember, you took me out to play today, this is your proportion, don't say anything else, it will only make everyone more unpleasant." ”

"Okay, I see, Your Highness." Matilda didn't dare to say anything more, and quickly interrupted the topic.

Although she did have a good impression of Charles, she was not at all willing to put her future on the line for him.

"By the way, it seems that I haven't seen him in the palace for many days, what is he going to do?" Her Royal Highness the Princess's face softened a little, and then asked casually.

"I don't know too much about the specifics." Matilda smiled wryly, "I heard that he went to make friends with a rich foreign man who had just arrived in Paris." ”

"Rich foreigners? Who is it? Do you have such a big face? Her Royal Highness asked with some curiosity.

"I don't know who that man is, but he's been famous lately, and I've heard he's richer than the richest banker." Matilda answered truthfully what she knew, "His name is the Count of Monte Cristo, and I don't know if it's a real title or a pseudonym." ”

"The Count of Monte Cristo......?" Her Royal Highness repeated it softly, and then groaned slightly.

The two men continued to gossip, and this time the conversation shifted to Miss Tangral's singing voice.

And at this time, there was applause in the garden, and Miss Tangral, who had had rested for a while, had now changed her clothes, and then, with excitement and excitement, under the admiring gaze of everyone, walked again to the center of the garden, and sang with joy again.

……………………

The singing sound of the spring not only swept through every corner of the garden, but also rode the breeze around the beams of the roof and came to the mansion next to the garden.

At this time, in Baron Tangral's lavishly furnished study, two men sat quietly in their seats, condescending to admire the beauty of the garden and the singing voice of Mademoiselle Tangral.

Sitting on the left was the owner of the mansion, the great banker Baron Tangral, who was now shrinking his thin shoulders, and then turned to the side, squeezing out a shriveled smile.

"How? Your Highness, my daughter is okay, right? ”

Although he doesn't have any artistic cells, he can also hear that his only daughter's songs are very good, so he is not without pride at the moment.

"Your daughter is indeed talented." The guest sitting next to him replied very politely. "She's more of an artist than the daughter of a big banker."

This guest, tall and handsome, although he was nearly forty years old, still appeared energetic, and his eyes were bright, so that one could feel the infinite ambition contained in the shell.

Although he was very polite on the surface, the arrogance that was empty of everything naturally emanated from him, making people feel pressured.

He was none other than His Royal Highness Prince Louis-Bonaparte, a member of the royal family who had just returned to France from abroad and was about to be reused by His Majesty the Emperor.

He was specially pulled over by Baron Tangral today, and the Baron's purpose was not only to establish a friendship between the two people, but also to have another plan-

After the prodding of His Royal Highness Prince Jérôme, the uncle of His Royal Highness and the baron's old friend, the big banker has already burned with ambition at this time, wanting to marry His Royal Highness of the Royal Family, and he is also quite confident in his daughter, believing that his daughter has enough qualifications and capital to become a prince's wife, and today he invited His Royal Highness the Prince over to let the other party "inspect the goods".

In any case, judging from the performance of His Royal Highness the Prince now, he seems to be very satisfied with Miss Tangral's performance, and this makes Baron Tangral's heart a little more hopeful.

"There are always people who think that those of us who have suddenly become rich have no culture, and will only rudely accumulate and squander money, which is inferior to those who have fallen but still retain their titles." With a strange sense of pride, the baron smiled slightly, "But I will say that these people are wrong. Although I may not have much culture personally, we are the kind of people who have never been stingy with their commitment to raising children. My daughter has had the best vocal and painting teachers to nurture her talent since she was a child, and she is definitely no worse than those famous women. I'm old, money can't transform me, I can't enter the sacred temple of art, but I can use my money to buy tickets for my daughter to walk in. Yes, she is still very young, and she still has a lot of time to make herself the envy of everyone in high society, and I am willing to give everything for it. ”

"No matter what era, no matter what class, parents' love for their children is always so touching." Louis Bonaparte could of course hear the hint in the baron's words, but he avoided it very tactfully, and did not say anything, "I believe that you have achieved your goal—your daughter will undoubtedly shine in the social world in the future." ”

Such a polite and meaningless answer made Baron Tangral frown slightly.

Dealing with this prince is indeed a bit too much of a drain.

As a father, it is difficult for him to directly ask the other party face-to-face, "Are you willing to marry my daughter?" ”

This is not only a matter of face, but also a matter of transaction principles - if one party seems too eager and too attentive in the transaction, then it is tantamount to burying all the bargaining space and initiative, and can only be passively led by the nose.

And this is definitely not the result that Baron Tangral wants to see.

"You and your father have been living in Italy all these years, and Her Majesty the Queen Mother has forbidden any domestic support for your family, which I honestly think is a bit excessive." In desperation, Baron Tangral had no choice but to change the topic slightly, "It is really against the noble status of the royal family to let your family live such a difficult life, but fortunately, now that Your Majesty has finally been gracious, you have returned to France, and there is no longer any prohibition that can prevent you from living a life worthy of the royal family, and I am very willing to donate some insignificant assets for this purpose to make due contributions to your family......"

"Poof...... Hahahaha......" Louis Bonaparte laughed.

"Your Highness?" Baron Tangral was a little puzzled, and looked at His Royal Highness the Prince who suddenly lost his laughter in astonishment.

"I don't think our empire is so old that people have forgotten where the Bonapartes came from, right?" After laughing for a while, His Royal Highness calmed down again, and then looked at Baron Tangral, "That's right, everyone knows that our family, in the not so long past, was nothing more than an insignificant landowner on a small island in the Mediterranean, and even a very wealthy family on this small island. What is the nobility of such a family? My grandparents farmed, and even my father and his brothers planted, didn't they suffer? No, they all almost starved to death, and finally had to flee the island in despair! Our family had no noble blood, only noble ambitions, and in this respect, our family's life in Italy was already very good, at least it allowed me to experience the situation that Napoleon had had, and the difficulties did not hinder me or destroy me, but made me stronger. ”

Boy!

Baron Tangral's heart was secretly awe-inspiring.

Truth be told, Louis Bonaparte's words were quite to his appetite.

In the eyes of the big banker, there was nothing sacred about the Bonapartes, they just took advantage of the situation to pick up the crown that the Bourbon family had fallen to the ground, and the so-called noble blood was nothing more than a lie about the self-deification of the imperial power.

However, not many people in France dare to say this publicly, especially as a royal family can still admit that their grandfather farmed, which is really commendable.

On the other hand, however, it is not quite right—His Royal Highness has always compared himself to his uncle, Emperor Napoleon, but in the absence of his direct heir to the imperial family, this ambition is inevitably too intense.

"Our family has no noble blood, only noble ambitions", it seems that this sentence is really not empty words.

Napoleon's brothers were not satisfied with the emperor, and even if the emperor put them on the throne one by one, they were never satisfied, and they only thought about their own interests, and often caused trouble for the emperor himself, and now it seems that this ambition has not disappeared in the new generation of the family, and has been dominating the members of this family.

Perhaps it is this obsessive ambition for power that has allowed the family to create a formidable feat in just two generations and reign over one of the most powerful countries in Europe?

He couldn't continue this dangerous topic, but he liked the ambition.

Louis Bonaparte was indeed a man who was well suited to be his son-in-law – the ambition of a banker was also naturally suited to the ambition of a statesman.

"Yes, I appreciate noble ambitions, people are noble not because of blood, but because of their never-ending battles, never-ending ambitions, and it is because of this that I have come from a lowly little person to the point where I am today." Baron Tangral laughed again, only this time instead of the flattering flattery, but a business-like smile, "For the sake of this ambition, do you ...... Does an enterprising prince really not need help from a banker? With the utmost enthusiasm, I ask you to think carefully about how much a dedicated banker can help your business. Noble ambition cannot refuse noble assistance, right, Your Highness? ”

The smile on Louis Bonaparte's face disappeared.

The air was suddenly filled with the smell of nervousness, and he could no longer hear the beautiful singing.

"Yes, no doubt I need help." After a moment, he nodded slightly. "There is no doubt that this is the age of the bankers, and if Napoleon had not been able to borrow money from the Netherlands in 1800, I would not be qualified to sit in front of you today, and the empire would have ceased to exist, or should never have existed. In the past, a monarch needed a few hundred knights to maintain his kingdom, but today's emperor has to have 200 bankers to maintain his empire. ”

"A very wise judgment, and I am deeply impressed by your foresight." Baron Tangral smiled more calmly, "but let me point out a small mistake - the current emperor does not need two hundred bankers to maintain his empire, only one is enough, as long as this banker is equally far-sighted, strong-willed, and ruthless, and ...... It also happens to be his father-in-law. ”

With the help of discussing ambitions, Baron Tangral finally took the opportunity to clarify his marriage plan.

He turned his gaze out the window, waiting for a response from His Royal Highness.

He believed that having made matters clear to this point, His Royal Highness Prince Louis-Bonaparte should be able to make a wise decision.

However, what he was waiting for was not what he wanted.

His Royal Highness's face once again showed a smile that made him stunned.

That arrogant smile that made him uncomfortable.

"I'm afraid you're used to being told you to do what you do, Mr. Tangral." Under the gaze, Louis Bonaparte stood up, and then went to the window, and looked downstairs at Mademoiselle Tangral, who was singing loudly. "However, things are a little different now."

"What's the difference?" Baron Tangral asked, puzzled.

"Did you know? Even Emperor Napoleon was old, and a year before he died, he was already an old man who was immersed in his own memories and only wanted to keep what he had. But even then, his brain was still very useful, we were still very young, and like everyone who thinks that his time is short, he often tells us about his life experience. His Royal Highness turned his head and looked back at Baron Tangral, "Once, as I remember very well, he told me that politics is a very complex machine, but it is also quite simple, and in the final analysis it can be said in one sentence - who to listen to? There is not always one answer to this question, and whoever is stronger is the answer. ”

Baron Tangral still did not understand what His Royal Highness meant, and he stared at His Highness blankly, like a schoolboy listening to a teacher's speech.

"Yes, I don't mind working with you, I don't mind accepting a gift from a banker, as my uncle did, I need that help. But all this must depend on me, to decide the rhythm according to my needs, to determine the result, because I am the one who can decide everything. Louis Bonaparte looked at the banker with a hint of coldness, "if my words are too complicated for you to understand, then I will change them to simple words—sir, listen to me!" ”

"What do you mean?" Baron Tangral was a little surprised.

"At this point, everyone will stop guessing each other's riddles, right?" His Royal Highness sighed softly, and then sat down. "Mr. Tangral, I admit that you are one of the best and most powerful bankers in our country, and no one can doubt your ability, but in the final analysis, you are my uncle's purse, and without the help and support that my uncle has always had, you would not be where you are today."

"I ...... I want to ......" Baron Tangral wanted to explain, but was stopped by Louis Bonaparte with his eyes.

"No matter how much you try to hide it, at the end of the day, it's that you're looking at my uncle's precarious position and looking like he's about to be in turmoil, so you want to find another backer for yourself—right?" His Royal Highness's relentless oppressive force made the banker sit on pins and needles, "But at the same time, you still can't make up your mind about the status quo, so you want to balance it first and maintain your relationship with my uncle, so, from your point of view, it is best to follow my uncle's proposal and marry your daughter to me." If you're lucky enough and my uncle doesn't fall, then you have two princes to back up against, and if not so lucky, then at least I have something to rely on – a classic banker's trick. But what should I do?! ”

"Actually, I didn't ......," Baron Tangral still wanted to explain, but the prince didn't give him room at all.

"Your plan is perfect, except for one thing you forgot - I'm the one who has the initiative! That's right, you're the one who wants it, so don't try to trick me with your plan, because I have my own plan. The pace of my plan is more important, so even if your daughter is indeed beautiful, talented, and has your huge dowry, I will have to wait until I have considered it myself. "His Royal Highness summed up his attitude with that extremely unpleasant attitude." Remember, Napoleon needed a banker, but bankers needed him even more. ”

"I want to ...... I think there may be some misunderstanding of your proposal. The banker's shriveled face still had a little dry smile, but it was half-baked so that it made him look even more ugly. I'm not rushing you to make a decision, Your Highness. ”

"Really? That's for the best, then I can tell you that I'd be happy to befriend you and accept your sponsorship, sir. His Royal Highness laughed again. I hope that our future cooperation will be very pleasant. ”

"Yes, it will be very pleasant, sir." His Royal Highness the Prince extended his hand to the baron.

The baron hesitated, then reached out to shake him.

"Please forgive me for not having lunch here, I have another appointment, sorry, sir." Louis Bonaparte let go of his hand, then stood up again, and strode out of the study.

It wasn't until after the prince had left that the barely maintained smile on the baron's face finally disappeared.

"This bastard!" He cursed hatefully.