As night fell, Her Majesty Queen Kalona's birthday celebration also came to a peak, the palace salute was still roaring, and the fireworks that had been prepared in all corners of the city began to bloom in large numbers in the air, in the sound of cannons and hissing, all kinds of colored halos opened in the air, forming one fleeting beauty after another, and the residents of the city also enjoyed these fireworks displays in their homes and streets, and many people carnivaled in the streets to celebrate the birthday of Her Majesty the Empress of the Empire. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

His Majesty Emperor Franz-Joseph and his fiancée of the Austrian Empire were also the center of attention in such a night of national celebration, and after dinner, the court began a grand ball, attended by the dignitaries and celebrities who danced under the lead of the two Majesties and their wives. It almost reproduces the grandeur of the imperial court in the era of Emperor Napoleon.

It was not until late at night that the banquet finally ended, the lights of Wanjia were slowly extinguished, the court fell into silence again, Queen Kalona's birthday finally passed, and this long-prepared celebration finally came to an end.

However, the Austrian Emperor's journey did not end, and even for him, it was just beginning.

He took part in the celebration of Empress Carona's birthday with a polite observance, not thinking that it was very important, but that there were things that were of great importance to Austria, and that they had to be done in some more secret way.

At noon on the day after the celebration, a carriage carrying the Austrian Emperor and his fiancée, escorted by uniformed Praetorian cavalry, drove out of the city of Paris, to the outskirts of the city, and then stopped at a mansion.

This is the residence of His Excellency Chancellor Treville, which was originally the residence of the former Prince of Jurville, and since the Bonaparte family ****, it was half-sold and half-given to His Excellency the Chancellor of Treville, and today His Majesty Franz-Joseph personally came to the palace of the former Prince and the Minister of the Dynasty - this cannot of course be just a courtesy visit.

The servants in the mansion, all dressed in new uniforms, even the buttons were polished, and their movements were very fast, and there was some nervousness in their respectful expressions, and each one seemed to feel honored to be able to receive a His Majesty the Emperor.

The visit of the Austrian Emperor to France was unheard of in hundreds of years, and the visit of a French minister was even more unheard of, so they could see the status of their masters in the imperial court and in the eyes of the countries of Europe, which naturally made them feel bright.

Under the pretended casual gaze of the servants, His Majesty the Emperor and his fiancée crossed the vestibule and came together under the pillars at the entrance of the mansion, and at this time, the Charles, who had been waiting under the pillars, immediately descended the steps and greeted the detached unmarried couple.

"Your Majesty, I am very grateful to have you here at the Humble House, I am so excited." After walking up to the Emperor, Charles bowed down and saluted respectfully, "Right now, our family is gathered together, and they are all looking forward to the honor of being able to entertain you. ”

"I hope you don't have to work too hard because of our visit." His Majesty Franz-Joseph only smiled indifferently, and although he said it very modestly, he was also quite reserved, and seemed to keep a lukewarm distance. "Please and your servants relax, or it will be a real displeasure."

"You have a humble and merciful heart, but you can't stop people from revering you, Your Majesty." "We are all very eagerly looking forward to today's arrival, and we hope that you will receive the most attentive service from us, so I implore you not to be afraid of us, Your Majesty." ”

"It's really frustrating." His Majesty Franz-Joseph smiled and nodded, apparently using Charles's compliment, even if he knew it was just a politeness.

And when the two of them were talking politely, Charlotte also walked in front of Princess Elizabeth, and then also complimented her, but the princess looked a little timid and didn't seem to know how to deal with the couple, but fortunately, Charlotte also knew that the princess was not able to cope with this kind of social situation, so she just smiled and dealt with her, and did not make the princess feel embarrassed.

Between talking and laughing, His Majesty the Emperor and His Royal Highness the Princess had already walked into the mansion under the leadership of Charles and Charlotte, and at this time, there were already several people waiting in the hall, the two young men were Charlotte's brothers Philip and Eugène, and the young lady was Charles's sister.

The younger generation of the Treville family has gathered to welcome His Majesty the Emperor.

In the presence of His Majesty the Emperor, Charles introduced the young men one by one, and then they all saluted His Majesty the Emperor and His Royal Highness the Princess, and both of them replied very politely, which made the atmosphere in the hall very harmonious.

I don't know why, Charles felt that His Majesty the Emperor and His Royal Highness the Princess were much more comfortable than in the palace, and they didn't speak as restrained as they did yesterday. I'm afraid this is because there are fewer people here, and His Majesty the Emperor doesn't need to say too many polite words, and secondly, because the Tréville family is an ancient aristocratic family after all, and compared with the Bonaparte family, it makes His Majesty the Emperor feel more comfortable.

And the young members of the Trevier family also feel honored, although they are from the Duke's family, but where do they have the opportunity to talk to the emperor in person? Both Philip and Eugène couldn't help but get a little excited, thinking that this would be a conversation point they could brag about with their friends in the future.

As for Fran, she is much calmer, she has talked and laughed with the Russian Tsar and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, she has a lot of experience in dealing with this kind of big person, and she no longer has a psychological sense of looking up, and she has been taught by her brother since she was a child, and she doesn't feel that these people have anything to look up to, because she is more comfortable to deal with.

However, in the gap where everyone was not looking, she watched Princess Elizabeth carefully for a long time, as if to see from it why she was so praised by her brother.

Princess Elizabeth couldn't feel that she was being calmly evaluated, but in the conversation and laughter with the Trévilles, she seemed to be much happier, after all, even the eldest Philip and Charlotte were only in their twenties, and it was much more comfortable to stay with a group of young people than to face a group of old men in uniforms and medals.

In the midst of the conversation, a servant took a box and walked up to Charlotte respectfully, and Charlotte calmly took the box and handed it directly to Her Royal Highness the Princess.

"My dear Highness, I take the liberty of asking you to accept our gift so that you may have a better memory......," she said with a smile, "a little courtesy, and please do not dislike it." ”

Her Royal Highness was a little overwhelmed by this sudden move, and she looked at her fiancé next to her, not knowing whether she should accept it or not.

His Majesty the Emperor did not hesitate, he nodded slightly, after all, it would be too much to refuse Charlotte's gift on such an occasion.

So Her Royal Highness took the small box with both hands, and then opened it casually to take a look.

"Yikes." She let out a small exclamation.

Lying inside this small box is a string of black pearl necklaces, these pearls are round in shape, and they are almost exactly the same size, they shine against the red velvet, which makes people look a little inexplicable.

Although her family is not a particularly wealthy family, Her Royal Highness the Princess, who has been chosen as the fiancée of the Austrian Emperor, is of course used to seeing all kinds of jewelry, but seeing such a beautiful necklace in a hurry will naturally make her heart flutter in an instant under human nature.

Seeing Her Royal Highness the princess so tempting, Charlotte's smile became even more cheerful, these black pearls, all Charlotte took from the islands of the South Pacific through the relationship of their distant relative, Count de La Touchche-Treville, is really a rare treasure, and the pearls used in this pearl necklace are carefully selected from these pearls, which made her work a lot.

However, when I saw that Her Royal Highness the princess loved it so much, all this hard work was not in vain.

"It's really unpleasant for you to give such a valuable gift...... "After a moment of heartbeat, the princess immediately came to her senses, and then raised her head to look at Charles and Charlotte, "We just came to visit us today, and we are already very sorry to let your family rejuvenate, I really don't dare to bother you like this." ”

Of course, she knew that there was no precious gift in this world that could be obtained for no reason, and God knows what the Tréville family was trying to give such a valuable thing, and she didn't want to embarrass her fiancé, who was the emperor.

"If you are willing to accept this small gift, it will be the greatest appreciation to us." Charlotte was still smiling, "I hope you can give us such an honor. ”

Charlotte did not give the princess a chance to back down, and this made the princess even more embarrassed, and she looked at her fiancé again, but His Majesty the Emperor Franz-Joseph still nodded lightly, not taking such a thing to heart.

The emperor of the Habsburgs never had to bother with gold and silver treasures, let alone feel that he would owe anyone a favor, and it was a big deal to give a gift in return, anyway, his treasury contained heirloom jewels.

"Thank you for your hospitality, ma'am." After seeing the emperor's approval, Her Royal Highness the princess also relieved her heart, and then immediately thanked Charlotte. "I wish I could repay you."

"If you're happy with our hospitality, that's the best reward." Charlotte replied with a smile.

After Her Royal Highness the princess accepted the gift, the atmosphere between these people became more harmonious, and there was a little more relaxation unique to young people when talking and laughing.

However, this sense of ease was not something that His Majesty the Emperor of Austria was looking for, and inadvertently, he looked at Charles again, and then nodded slightly, indicating that it was almost time.

Naturally, Charles got up from his chair and bowed to His Majesty the Emperor again, "I'm glad to be able to talk to you again, Your Majesty. ”

He said it without intention, but His Majesty the Emperor's expression stiffened slightly.

Obviously, his words reminded His Majesty of the last meeting between the two men, when he had diplomatic aid, but Charles still had a strong attitude to grasp the direction of the talks, and allowed him to boast about the strength of France, which was naturally not liked by His Majesty the Emperor.

However, by now, His Majesty the Emperor is naturally already familiar with working with those he doesn't like.

He made a gesture, and Charles immediately left the table and walked with His Majesty the Emperor to his study, and the others, of course, understood it, and no one said anything about it.

Soon they were in the study, and after closing the door, the laughter in the living room had been cut off by the door, and it was already quiet, and Charles opened the curtains to let the garden view from the window.

"It's a pleasure to talk to you again, Your Majesty." Charles walked back to His Majesty the Emperor, and sat down.

"It's really exciting." His Majesty the Emperor replied in a low voice, but not with much enthusiasm.

"Tell me, let me know, in the present situation, are you and France prepared to honour the commitments made to us at that time?" ”

"I'm afraid that at this time, our minister in Russia has already given an ultimatum to the Russian government." With rare honesty, Charles was frank with His Majesty Emperor Franz-Joseph.

"What?!" With the initial consternation, His Majesty the Emperor couldn't help but exclaim.

Then, the consternation immediately faded, replaced by anxiety and ...... Wrath.

He was originally afraid that the French would not be active enough to fulfill their promise to stand up and stop the Russians by force, but what he did not expect was that the French were now directly preparing to launch an ultimatum against the Russians!

There can be no doubt that this was a deliberate move - given the timing of the exchange of news between Paris and Petersburg, it must have been predetermined, that is, they had to pinch this point in time to threaten the Russians and Austrians at the same time, and at the same time make it seem like the common position of France and Austria.

It's been too positive, too positive, so much so that now it's dragging him into an awkward field.

Originally, he thought that even if the French wanted to act by force, the preparation time would drag on for a while, but who would have thought that they would be so desperate.

"You ......" His Majesty the Emperor frowned, as if he wanted to reprimand Charles, but he couldn't think of words.

"Your Majesty, what are you anxious about?" Charles had already prepared, so he asked unhurriedly. "Isn't that a good thing? You need to defend against the Russians, and we do not hesitate to stand ready to defend the peoples of Europe against the Russians - this is our commitment to defend European civilization, it is our duty and our responsibility, and we are glad that we are able to fulfill it so quickly. ”

"Why do you have to pick this time?" His Majesty the Emperor frowned and looked at Charles very sternly.

He wanted to accuse Charles, but he didn't know what to say, after all, it was the Austrians who asked the French to use force against Russia.

"This is to make you show the same attitude, Your Majesty." Even in the face of the anger of an emperor, Charles did not panic, "We cannot give the Russians any luck, and if the Austrians take a stand with us, the Russians will definitely be afraid." ”

"This is not your prior promise!" The Emperor retorted sharply.

"But it's a must! If you can't show your displeasure to the Russians in an awe-inspiring manner, then you are going against the teachings of your ancestors! "There is no doubt that the Russians are very powerful, but the Habsburg royal family is not afraid of any powerful enemy, and the seemingly invincible Turks have come to Vienna several times, and it is not your ancestors who drove them away with that fearless spirit?" You do the same with the Russians - not to mention the fact that now you have two great powers standing by your side as friends...... Why should you hesitate? You can be armed neutral, but you have to take a stand, that's what we and the British say! Please accept it! ”