Until he walked out of the Élysée Palace, Charles did not recover from the shock he received today.

Before proposing his plan to Louis Bonaparte, Charles's most desired outcome was that the future emperor would be kind enough to keep the Count of Dilillion with him, but he had no idea that this would be the case.

Louis Bonaparte accepted the Count of Dilillion's retention, and at the same time offered to transfer Charles to the War Office...... I don't feel any "anger" or "punishment" in it at all.

On the contrary, it can be said that Louis Bonaparte, having received Charles's suggestion, which was clearly to anger his cousin, was pleased to see it come to pass, and deliberately encouraged this situation to happen.

Is this a reward for standing in line within the Bonaparte family? Or do you want to see your subordinates fall into their own hands?

I'm afraid it's both.

As he walked out of the Élysée Palace through the corridors, Charles had been thinking about the strategy he should adopt next.

Judging from the current form, he has offended Joseph Bonaparte, and he will get the news soon...... He must be very angry, he was talking and laughing with himself just now, and he was kicked by himself in the blink of an eye, what kind of expression should he have at that time?

At the thought of this, a malicious sneer suddenly appeared on Charles's face.

Now that this has been done, it is useless and pointless to go to him again to talk to him and mend the relationship.

If you have already offended, then you are not afraid to offend to the end.

Thought of this. Charles made up his mind.

"Go to Mr. Morney's house." Before getting into the carriage, he directly commanded the coachman in front.

………………

"Mr. Treville?"

When he met Charles in the reception room, Mr. Charles Auguste Morney did not hide his astonishment at all.

Of course. Even with his astonishment, his face remained calm and indifferent, as if he were never moved by anything else.

The middle-aged man had already bowed his head, leaving only the hair on both sides still wrapped around his ears, and his smooth forehead set off his face even more indifferently, coupled with his sharp gaze, it could even be said to be a little cold. He is usually taciturn, making people unable to see through his inner thoughts, but he is as tenacious and decisive as his brother.

He was the illegitimate son of Louis Bonaparte's mother, Otáns de Beauharnet. Louis Bonaparte's half-brother, and one of Bonaparte's fellow conspirators, is considered to be the most conspirator.

At this time, Charles was under his scrutiny.

Obviously he felt a little uncomfortable, but he still didn't take it seriously. Look at each other with a smile.

"Mr. Morni. I have something I want to talk to you about. ”

Perhaps infected by Charles's expression, Molney slowly put aside his initial doubts and looked at his young comrade seriously, "It seems to be quite important, please sit down, I have time to listen slowly." ”

"Okay, thanks."

He sent the servant away after bringing the coffee, and soon the two of them were left in the room.

"There's no one here anymore. I think it's absolutely safe. Morni glanced at Charles again, "Now you can tell me what's going on, right?" ”

"I remember the last time I was inside the Élysée Palace. Did you tell me something? Charles blew lightly on his steaming coffee, "those words you said to me just after I had spoken with Monsieur Bonaparte. ”

"Oh?" Morni frowned slightly, noncommittal.

"Maybe you don't remember, but I remember it clearly." Charles was still smiling, "'That Monsieur Bonaparte is the president, and you should serve him first,' did you say that to me at the time?" ”

"It seems like it is." Morni remained calm, "Do you have any opinion on that?" ”

"Of course there is no opinion, in fact, I think it makes a lot of sense......"

As soon as he heard this, Morni glanced at Charles alertly, as if sensing something.

"Looks like you're at odds with Joseph?"

This person is really powerful, and he noticed it at a glance, and Charles was a little awe-inspiring in his heart.

However, now, he didn't want to hide anything, he looked directly at the other party and said his current situation.

"You're right, I probably ...... Most likely, it will greatly upset Joseph. ”

"Really? Why? Although the table was just the right amount of surprise and calm, Charles still found a glimmer of joy in the man's eyes. Did something big happen? ”

Good, that's it.

"I'm afraid you already know that the Prime Minister has recommended to Mr. President that Joseph succeed Count Delier as Minister ......of Railways," Charles said in a deliberate voice.

"I know that."

"However, I have annulled this appointment, and this rumor will not be true."

"What! What did you do!? ”

Charles finally had a slight gaffe on the man's face, although it only took a moment to return to that calm that was unwavering, and the future Duke of de Morny was indeed not a difficult man.

"I didn't do anything, I just told the president about some of my own concerns, and after listening to me, the president thought about it and agreed with me. So the Count of Delier will remain in office, and Joseph's thoughts will be ruined, which is a pity......" Charles shook his head with regret on his face, "maybe he doesn't know it yet, but tomorrow, or even tonight, he will definitely know about it." From what I know about him, I'm afraid he'll be quite angry at what I've done. ”

Mr. Morney did not speak, he only gently picked up the cup.

With the action of picking up and drinking coffee, he effectively disguised his thoughts.

"So. Just in case something really happens, I'm coming to you. Charles shrugged his shoulders with regret, then sighed again. You know, I'm just saying this out of a sense of public interest......"

After taking a sip of his coffee, Morney slowly lowered his cup, he had figured out the situation and understood that he was now in a superior position.

"Young people, it's normal to be a little impetuous. There's nothing to be afraid of occasionally causing some contradictions, everyone is still a partisan friend after all, so what can we do to be angry with each other? Especially. It is still a critical juncture, and all of us must focus on unity. He commented seemingly fairly.

However, as if to appease Charles, he quickly reversed course again.

"Besides. Since he is willing to speak out. Then we all know that you are speaking for the good of the country after all. Even if Joseph is angry again, he must understand, and I am sure that he will not do anything to you for this. After a pause, he added, "Even if he really is, I'm sure Louie and I won't let him do whatever he wants...... Rest assured, Mr. Treville. As long as you work with us to serve the country with all your heart, then no force can harm you. I can guarantee that. ”

He didn't hate this young man in the first place, but now that he had a falling out with Joseph, it was even more to him, and Morni didn't have the idea of pushing him away, so he was appeasing him in and out of words, saying that this basket was going to be next.

There is only one condition, and that is to make Charles his comrade.

"Isn't the purpose of our party to do things for the country? There is no doubt about that, no matter how many difficulties lie ahead, I can overcome them......" Charles also slowly picked up the cup and drank the coffee that had gradually cooled. "However, Joseph is an important member of the Bonaparte family after all, and I am afraid that I will not be able to really keep him out......"

It didn't matter whether he became Joseph's party or Morni's. But no matter which side he joined, he had to see the advantages and prospects, although the capital he had raised had been reduced a lot because of the relationship he had fallen out with Joseph Bonaparte, but it was not to the point where Morny would have to take refuge casually.

"Of course I can understand your concerns, it's nothing, and I don't mean to cut off contact with him, after all, everyone is still in the same party......" I don't know if it was because of joy or annoyance, Morney actually smiled slightly, "However, as I said before, you should serve Mr. President, not Joseph, and we should work hard to rebuild the empire and then let Louis ascend to the throne ......"

"Of course I know that." Charles nodded slightly, and then looked at the other party again, as if confused, "However, you can also see that Mr. President does not have a legitimate heir...... Even if we rebuild the empire, if something unexpected happens to Mr. President...... We're going to have to be Emperor by Prince Jérôme, or even Joseph himself, right? In that case, wouldn't it be appropriate for me to get into too much trouble with Joseph right now? ”

Sure enough, as Charles had guessed, as soon as he heard Charles's words, a trace of hideousness suddenly flashed on Morni's originally calm face, and the whole person seemed to be about to roar.

The question was asked by Charles on purpose.

As a time-traveler, Charles of course knew that Louis Bonaparte married Eugénie and gave birth to a son as the crown prince of the empire, although I don't know if Napoleon III will still go the same marriage path in this world line, but one thing is obvious - even if the emperor is close to 50 years old, Louis Bonaparte is still fertile and can give birth to an heir for the empire, and there is no need to worry that the throne will really be transferred to Joseph's side.

But Morney didn't know, so he must be bothered by the question now.

He looked down on Joseph, or rather on the Jérôme branch of the Bonaparte family. Even in the imperial era, Prince Jérôme did not have much of a good reputation, his personality was exaggerated, his personality was arrogant, he liked luxury, and he had no courage and responsibility, which is almost universally recognized as a label, although Prince Jérôme's son was a little better than his father, but the arrogance in his character was the same as his father, and he never looked down on Morni, who was born as an illegitimate child, and correspondingly, Morny naturally never thought of serving this person as his monarch.

"Louis is still young, and it is not difficult to add a legal child to himself. As long as there is a son, Joseph's delusions should disappear automatically, shouldn't they? After a long silence. Morney said abruptly, "Mr. Treville, you don't have to worry so much, it's unnecessary. ”

In an instant, Charles relied on this question to turn the position of the two men, who had originally wanted to become Morni's comrades. It turned out that Morni needed to convince him to become his own party, and this change of stance made Charles very happy. So he couldn't help but take another big sip of coffee.

"What if such speculation comes true?" After drinking his coffee, Charles said lightly, "Sir, maybe I'm just worrying too much right now. But if Mr. President really doesn't get legal legitimate children in the future. Shouldn't we just bow down to Joseph? ”

"Bow down to him? Don't even think about it! Morney sneered and directly interrupted Charles, "Are we going to bow down to someone like Joseph?" Mr. Tremier, you are known to be a wise man, a young man with a bright future, will you allow yourself to do so? Do you think he deserves such treatment? ”

"If I really had no choice, I think I would." After a moment's silence, Charles replied implicitly. "After all. At that time, he was the heir to the Bonaparte family, and indeed to the empire......"

"At least for now, we're not at the point where we have no choice. Isn't it? Trust me, it won't get that bad. Morny continued to sneer, "Besides, even if the situation is really unbearable, France still has a variety of options, even if it is not among the Bonapartes...... We still have more than enough options. ”

He wasn't afraid of me talking too much, and he actually said such things in front of me!

The consternation was so great that Charles was even speechless for a moment.

His shock was not Morni's intention, but his unabashed attitude.

Yes, Morny never intended to bow down to Joseph Bonaparte.

In the original history, when France was about to go to war with Russia in 1853, Napoleon III, who had not yet given birth to a son, asked him what would happen to Morny and the others if he died unexpectedly, and this person answered directly to his brother and monarch without hesitation.

"Then we will first throw all the Jéroma out of the window, and then we will do everything possible to make an agreement with the House of Orléans."

Yes, Morny was one such man, who would rather settle with the royal family of Orleans and welcome the royal family of Orleans back to France as emperor than let Jérôme or Joseph Bonaparte take the throne. That's how he hated Joseph Bonaparte.

It's just that Charles did not expect that he would be so unscrupulous in this kind of thought, and dared to say it in 1850, in a private meeting with a young comrade.

What does he mean by that? Do you think I'm tight-lipped enough, or am I not afraid of my idea leaking out? Thoughts took over Charles's mind, leaving him speechless for a moment.

The astonishment on Charles' face made Morny a little happy, of course he didn't know what Charles was shocking, he only felt that his words had shocked the young man.

"Don't worry, it's just a last resort, for now you just need to hear it as a joke." Morni's smile softened again, "I say this just to get to know you - that is, I have no intention of becoming Joseph's servant, I have not thought about it for a moment, so I will not give up any of my comrades in order to please Joseph, not at any time." Please consider this carefully. ”、

Looking at Morny's smile, Charles froze for a moment, not knowing what to say.

Hehe, is this the Bonaparte? There is such a fierce infighting at any time, no one obeys anyone at any time, everyone is ambitious and arrogant, even the genius Emperor Napoleon, his brothers and younger brothers did not take him seriously, they always wanted to dig into his corners, God knows how much trouble those brothers brought to the emperor!

Now, even Louis Bonaparte's own brother did not regard the so-called "Bonaparte Emperor" as heavy, so what is the point of me being so concerned? Yes, in the end, he was just an illegitimate child, and he did not have Bonaparte's blood in the first place. There was no need to pay attention to whether the person on the throne had the surname Bonaparte or not.

So...... So I, who have no kinship, should I care about this kind of thing? Such a dangerous thought suddenly crossed Charles's mind.

No, this question is too dangerous. Not to think about it anymore, Charles quickly cut off the thought and forced himself back into the real world.

He regained his composure, then looked up and looked at Morni sternly.

"Since you say so, then I have understood your will, all right...... Mr. I must admit that you gave me the courage to keep going, and I now dare to stand up for myself. Thank you for the courage you brought me. As for what you just said, don't worry, I won't mention it to anyone else. ”

"I'll bring you more than courage, my friend." Morni's face was also full of calm. "As for what I just said to you. And that's okay, you don't have to take it too seriously...... I would say this even in Louis's presence, because that was what our group thought - we were loyal to Louis, but not to the other Bonapartes, unless it was his own child, Louis knew it. ”

After a pause, he smiled slightly. "Of course, I'm telling you that. Or because I admire you so much. Don't think I'm just talking politely, I really appreciate you, at your age, I didn't achieve anything, and you have achieved this, it takes not only luck, but also courage, wisdom, and even determination, and I have seen these things in you, and it is very precious to have such things at this age...... So, for a young person like you, I don't want to be an enemy, it's better to be a friend. In a certain way, I think we are probably the same kind of people, we all have our own desires, and we also want to fight our way in this cruel and unforgiving world. Joseph would not treat anyone as a friend, because he felt that he was nobler than others, he felt that he could be emperor, and even worse, he showed this, he thought that he gave friendship to others as if it were a gift, so he ......"

Morni held out his hand,

"So, I don't see why we can't be friends?"

Silent.

It seemed like a long time, and it seemed like only a moment, and Charles also stretched out his hand.

"You've convinced me, I think it's better to be friends with you." With a humble, gentle smile, Charles shook his hand, "Please continue to take care of me in the future, and I think I will do the same for you, as much as I can." ”

These hands, cold and smooth, are really the same as myself, Charles sighed secretly in his heart.

"You've made the right choice." Morney smiled and nodded.

"I hope so."

"Speaking of which, I'm a little curious, why do you suddenly have to spoil Joseph?" Molney's face flashed with curiosity, "Normally, I think the relationship between the two of you is quite good. ”

"Because this is the need of national interests, in front of the country, I can only put public before private." Charles replied earnestly.

"Oh." Morni replied softly, apparently not believing his words at all.

Then he would probably go to his brother and knock on the side, and then he would probably get the answer from Louis Bonaparte, "Probably for the count's daughter," and then would his opinion of me suddenly drop? Charles couldn't help but think in his heart.

Well, that's okay, as long as they think I love to listen to women, as long as they think I have a fatal weakness, then it's good for me...... Charles thought to himself. People, after all, should have weaknesses as well.

Therefore, he did not intend to refute the other party's speculation in the slightest.

"Don't worry, since we can be friends, then I will not let my friends suffer, and then I will go to the president to speak for you." Morni is clearly in a good mood right now, "I'll be there tomorrow." ”

"I'm not particularly worried about that right now...... Because the president has already given me a disposition. Charles glanced at the other with an uneasy look.

"Oh?"

"He's going to transfer me out of my current position so I can take charge of what happened before......" Charles dragged out his voice, "and then put me in the Army, probably." ”

In other words, in fact, there was no panic from the beginning to the end? And then deliberately in front of me so low?

The middle-aged man couldn't help but look at Charles again.

This young man is really interesting.

Really, really, it's interesting......

"Ahahaha"

He couldn't help but laugh.

"You're going to be my friend." (To be continued......)