After a noisy and memorable night, the Marquis de Treville left the Duke's Palace the next morning with his grandson and granddaughter.

Charlotte was left behind to continue to participate in the funeral of the Duke - even if a person of the Duke's stature died, it was not a trivial matter, and there had to be a funeral of sufficient scale to reflect it, so there were still several days to prepare.

And because Charles and the old Marquis were both men with many affairs, they had to retire first, and prepare to attend on the day of the funeral.

Along the way, the old marquis's expression was very solemn, and the whole person exuded indescribable grief, so Charles didn't dare to say much, so he accompanied him back home, for fear that something would happen to him.

Since his new marriage to Charlotte, he has moved to a new mansion and has not been home for a long time. When I came back today and saw those familiar furnishings, I felt a lot of feelings.

The old marquis did not speak much until lunch, when he asked Charles to report to him what had happened last night.

Charles replied truthfully, and the old man listened quietly until Charles had finished speaking, and then slowly and suddenly spoke.

"So, you've already leveled the two of them alone?"

"Yes, there should be no problem anymore." Charles nodded at first, then added meaningfully, "At least that's no problem now." ”

"It's okay now, who can expect them to be happy and convinced for the rest of their lives!" The old man sighed, "At least I can let my brother be buried with peace of mind, I can't let him even find a place to live!" ”

There was indescribable sadness in this long sigh. It made the atmosphere even more dreary.

"Grandpa, don't sigh. Believe in your brother. Yesterday he single-handedly subdued them all! You didn't see that those people were terrible about him! Fran to comfort Grandpa. smiled and praised his brother, "Don't worry, as long as we are here, anything can be solved, even if they have any dissatisfaction in the future, it will be too late at that time." ”

"That's not bad, isn't it...... Originally, I thought that I might need to come out in person, but I didn't expect you to solve it alone, and now you can subdue them alone, and you will definitely be able to do it in the future. The old marquis nodded approvingly.

Although he was approving. But there was no joy in his expression.

Both Charles and Fran understood the old man's mood at the moment, so they looked at each other and decided to change the subject.

"Grandpa, relax, don't think about so many worries." Charles looked at his grandfather very earnestly, "You have become a marshal, what else can you not let go?" Our children and grandchildren are not useless, and if there are any problems in the future, we can solve them ourselves. ”

"You're right." The old man nodded, looking a little more uplifted.

"But...... You're ridiculous! He suddenly raised his head. Do you think I'm going to collapse after a blow like this? Do you think I'm going to be old and foolish at this age? No, you're wrong, I'm not moldy, I'm still awake! There's a lot more I can do. It's not your turn to have pity on me! ”

Seeing the old man like this, the two brothers and sisters breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at each other.

"You're over there. How did the talks with the British? I see you're confused in your letter. The old marquis put a glass of wine into his mouth, "the Russians thing." Are you sure? ”

Charles hesitated.

"I'm going to take a break, there's still a lot to do." Fran stood up with great amusement.

And then. She walked up to her grandfather and kissed him on the cheek, "Grandpa, wait a minute, you should rest early." ”

"Thank you." The old man patted his granddaughter on the head and watched her leave with a smile.

When she had left and the door of the dining room was closed again, the old marquis's face had become serious again.

"Charles, tell me now, how did the British react to your idea?"

"The response has been excellent." "They seem to be happy that we're so positive and ...... They clearly don't want to miss this opportunity and want to make a big splash. ”

"Do a big job...... the old man's hand trembled slightly, "yes, do a big job!" Now I have only one wish left, and that is to beat the Russians to the ground! It was only after I had done this that I could close my eyes. ”

Although he knew his grandfather's intentions, Charles still felt a little uncomfortable after hearing this.

It's so unlucky.

However, now, there is no point in persuading him to reconsider, and the only thing he should do is to help the old man realize his wishes with his heart.

"Diplomatic preparations are not a problem, the British are more active than I thought, and I have also tested the Austrians, and found them ......," Charles muttered slightly, "I found that they were equally dissatisfied with the Russians, and although they did not dare to proclaim it, they did not accept the self-proclaimed savior status of the Russians. So...... The Russians are now in a state of unconscious isolation. ”

"What about the Prussians? They have always been pro-Russian. The old man asked in a low voice.

"The Prussians did not have the guts to be enemies of England and France at the same time, let alone add an Austria with their eyes on them." Charles immediately replied, "They can only be neutral, at most they will be more friendly to the Russians, and will not make any difference to the overall situation." ”

It would be better if they were not neutral, so that they could coerce the British forces to destroy Russia and Prussia in one fell swoop, but unfortunately the Prussians still have the brains and will not do such a stupid thing.

"I have made an appointment with the Russian minister and asked him to come to my house tomorrow for a private meeting."

"Huh?" The old marquis looked at Charles curiously, as if he didn't understand why he did this. "A private appointment with the Russian minister?"

"Yes, even if we've decided to give them a big one in the near future, at least for now I'll have to make them think I've got some kindness." Charles smiled slightly, "The day before the war was declared. I can still be friends with the Russians. ”

"And what are you going to do with these Russians?" The old man was a little puzzled, "Are you trying to stabilize them?" ”

"Nope. They don't mean anything good to us, so no amount of good things I say may be useful. Contrary. I'm going to scare them with the British, and make them understand that it's not just the French who resent them. Charles replied with seeming confidence, "I don't want to make them like France, but at least I want them to hate all countries equally." ”

After a pause, he explained, "Of course, I don't want them to feel that war is imminent, I just want to give them the impression that they are currently isolated and surrounded, once they have that impression." They would have treated me and France much better, and it would have been in a good position for us to advance our foreign policy before the war -- rather than just following the steps of the British. ”

"I see." The old man frowned, finally understanding what he meant. "Then you can measure the specific scale yourself, in short, don't disturb those Russians in advance, we can't take risks with this blow, otherwise it will be a catastrophe for the Bonaparte family and our family."

"I know this, don't worry." Charles leisurely poured himself a glass of wine, "What about you?" How's the preparation inside the army? ”

"I'm preparing all the time. lest the pace of death be slowed down. The old man replied with a gloomy face, as if he were complaining. The pace of the army is too slow! Lack of ammunition, lack of uniforms, and even more of officers! I can't wait to kick after them right now. Let the army be ready, too. No matter what, from tomorrow onwards I will be more prepared, if anyone gets in my way. I'll just let him not get off the stage! ”

He is indeed qualified to say so

There are still several living marshals in France, but most of them are indifferent. For example, Prince Jérôme, a generalissimo like Sirte. He could only lie in a hospital bed and survive, so in fact the Marquis of Treville had become one of the most senior and senior men in the French army, and such a person naturally had some kind of incomparable qualifications in the army that emphasized class and self-order.

"There are some things that you can't rush too hastily, you can only take your time, and you shouldn't be too anxious." Charles couldn't help but comfort him, "As far as I am concerned, the army is much more capable now than before, at least there are people to help you carry out the plan." ”

"That's right." The old marquis breathed a sigh of relief again, "Speaking of which, I would like to thank you, the reforms you have carried out in the War Department are very useful, especially the boy De Routrec is very talented, he is well versed in the affairs of the army, and he can do things quickly and well. ”

"He's really useful." Charles agreed with his grandfather's opinion, "But there are too many things pressing on him now, and he can't do everything, so it's hard enough for him to be in charge of personnel and organizational matters." In terms of logistics, it is difficult for him to track the whole process in many cases. ”

"Hey, if only you were still in the Army!" The old marquis sighed, "If many things are left to you, they will definitely be able to do it well." ”

The grandfather and grandson were suddenly silent, because as soon as they said this, they would inevitably be suspected of resenting Louis Bonaparte, and it was not appropriate to continue.

"Actually, it's good for me to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which allows me to absorb enough experience." After a long time, Charles whispered, "And it will allow me to establish my prestige throughout Europe very quickly." ”

"It's fine if you're a minister, but you're not, so what if you build prestige? The most important thing for you is real power. Now even if you have merit, people will not attribute it to you, only a handful of foreigners know that you are powerful, and it is useless for you. The old marquis shook his head, obviously disapproving of his words, "Moreover, diplomacy is a thankless job, and if you do too much, people will only think that you are betraying the country, because you can't shout and kill every day like them, you are not radical enough!" Look at Talleyrand, who saved France in Vienna, and everyone threw stones at him. Charles, you need to be careful not to let yourself be embarrassed by this. ”

"It's not as serious as you say, and most of the French still have respect for our diplomacy......" Charles couldn't help but smile, "but I'll find a way to make myself a minister as soon as possible." ”

"Can you be the Foreign Secretary?" The old marquis was a little surprised.

"I shouldn't be able to be a foreign secretary, I don't have enough qualifications. And the prestige is not enough, they will not agree. Besides, I don't want to do such thankless things so early. Charles shook his head. But if I work hard enough, I can become a new Chancellor. ”

"The new minister?" The old man was still a little puzzled, he had not heard anything like that before. "You mean...... Will there be any moves by the president in the near future? ”

"Yes, since you are about to change from president to emperor, the empire should be a little different from the republic, right?" Charles smiled meaningfully, "Since Mr. President wants to be emperor, then he will not like a legislature that can restrain him, so he will limit our parliament." It would be better to turn it into an advisory and purely applaudable organ than a budgetary power; In the same way, he needs to expand the government and strengthen the power of government institutions. After my persuasion, in order to cope with the coming war, he would bring together all the departments responsible for transportation - roads, railways, canals, and shipping - into a single government department. And I'm ...... I will seek the post of Minister. ”

The old man blinked. "You...... Can you really do it? I'm not talking about your talents, but about his ...... He didn't know if he would agree. ”

Although this department is newly created. But it was clear that he would be in power, and he feared that Louis Bonaparte would not hand it over to Charles, who, after all, would leave the Army. Isn't that exactly what he has created?

"It's really difficult, after all, being a minister at my age will cause some kind of impact in the outside world. But. I will do everything in my power to make this position fall into my hands. "Relative to the old man's hesitation. Charles, however, was full of ambition, as if he already had some kind of plan in mind. "If you think about it, I was originally in the Ministry of Railways, and no one knows these problems better than me, and these railway lines that are being built everywhere are not planned by me? The other modes of transport are just changes in form, not much difference in nature, and I think that if I have a good enough assistant, I can carry this work forward more easily than anyone else, so ...... As long as I create a situation in my favour, I am sure that Monsieur Bonaparte will gladly give me this position. ”

"That's great!" The old man let out a small cheer, apparently rejoicing in his grandson's future, "If you can be a minister while I am alive, then I ...... So what else can I not be satisfied with? ”

"It's not just for myself, even if it's for you, I have to take this position down......," Charles looked at his grandfather with affection, "If the battle is together, you will have to fight the Russians thousands of miles away, I have no doubts about the bravery of you and the French soldiers, then the victory or defeat depends on the logistics and transportation, so if this position is handed over to someone else, I can't rest assured!" Grandpa, I will let you command this expedition without worries, and I will do it even if I fight for my life. ”

The old man looked at his grandson, whose feelings were rarely exposed, and couldn't help but wink, quite moved.

"Okay, great, I'll come to the front when the time comes, and you will come to the rear...... Our grandparents and grandchildren have to complete what Napoleon did not accomplish, and we must complete an expedition to conquer the Slavs! At that point, I'll be able to close my eyes......"

He raised his hand and refused Charles' safety, "However, Charles, I will not only care about myself, I will use my position to leave you a group of people, and even if I die, you can use them to maintain your position." Louis Bonaparte was much more afraid of his men than Napoleon, and even Napoleon was afraid of Fouché and Talleyrand! I'll have to leave you some tools to protect yourself. ”

Because the topic was so terrifying, Charles had no excuse and just nodded slightly.

Now, he is no longer the young man who had nothing back then, and it is indeed time to think about how to maintain his family's power in the future.

As if tacitly, after exchanging opinions, the grandfather and grandson did not say much and continued to enjoy their lunch.

It wasn't until he was about to finish his meal that the old marquis looked up at Charles again.

"By the way, I heard Fran say that you ran into Edgar in England?"

"Uh, yes." After a moment of silence, Charles nodded.

"Agnes is still after him, right?" After a moment of silence, the old man sighed again.

"Yes, he probably ...... You might be in danger. Charles chimed in again.

At this time, the old man stopped talking, but looked at the ceiling in a daze, as if remembering something.

It was only then that Charles understood a truth - never underestimate an old man's love for his only son, no matter how much of a bastard and how many mistakes he committed.

"Forget it, even if it's dangerous, it's his own search, can we hide and see if he's unlucky, what else can we do!" It wasn't until a long time later that the old marquis finally sighed again and put down the dishes sullenly.

Charles saw that his brother's death still caused an indescribable blow in his heart, and his whole person was strong enough to not collapse.

At this time, he can't be allowed to continue to think about this kind of thing.

If Edgar succeeds in escaping, forget it, and if Agnes really kills his father, then he must hide it from him, otherwise...... God knows if he will be able to withstand this blow...... Charles thought to himself. (To be continued......)