In the midst of the jewels, Fran was attracted by these jewels that shone with various colors, and for a moment she exclaimed uncontrollably. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

Although she is not a big money lover, the love for these sparkling jewels is an instinctive reaction of every woman, if not everyone. Seeing so many jewels in front of him at once, how many people can not be surprised?

Seeing her so shocked, the corners of Crown Prince Alexander's mouth twitched slightly, obviously very satisfied with the effect.

"What do you think? Paying you all this should satisfy you, right? ”

"That's too much, Your Highness!" Fran almost blurted out, "I...... I'm just an unknown artist, and I don't deserve your honorarium! ”

Although she was not a professional jeweler, she had no way to appraise the value of the whole box of jewels, but she could already conclude that the jewels were worth a lot of money just by their appearance, and that even hiring the best painters to paint them would not cost so much honorarium.

Even if the Tsar had always been generous, it was amazing that he could give such a gesture at such a casual pace.

"We value talent, not fame, and people who cheat the world never get our attention." Crown Prince Alexander was still smiling, and at the same time took his hand back, "Please do not shirk, accept our gift, it is what you deserve, my father is very pleased with your painting, and hopes that you will continue to paint new works with the same enthusiasm and level in the next few days, and enough to be a gift between the two emperors." ”

"Of course I'm going to get on with my job...... But...... I don't think I'm entitled to such a high honorarium. Fran hesitated for a moment, and finally handed the box back to Crown Prince Alexander, "Your Highness - you have a big problem for me......"

Crown Prince Alexander frowned imperceptibly at the rare rejection, but this displeasure was quickly overshadowed by the royal formulaic smile.

"Why, don't you like that? Aren't they good enough? If you're still not satisfied, then I can change to a better batch, which is enough to satisfy you......"

"No...... Your Highness, I am not dissatisfied, but I am too satisfied, satisfied to the point of panic, and I know that I cannot afford such a gift. Fran's expression was already very serious, "And I am convinced that you have given me such a gift, not just out of appreciation for my drawing skills...... You must have something else in mind, though I don't know what it is. So in such a situation, I feel that I cannot accept your gift or reward. ”

She changed her usual gentle style and said this in a serious manner, which surprised Crown Prince Alexander slightly, he did not expect that this usually cowardly-looking young lady could be so sober at this time, and that she could resist the temptation of these jewels. All of a sudden, he couldn't help but raise his opinion of her in his heart.

"You...... You're a serious person. In order to lighten the mood, he smiled deliberately, and then gently pushed Fran's hand away, "However, I'm sorry, the gift given by our Romanov family will never be taken back, please accept it......"

Then, without waiting for Fran to excuse himself, he looked around for a moment, and then lowered his voice, "Okay, don't refuse, let's find a place and I'll explain it to you in detail......"

"Explain in detail?" Fran was a little surprised, but by this time Crown Prince Alexander had already stepped into a room next to the hallway.

"Now you can say it, right?" Upon entering, Fran kept a slight distance from him with a slight guard, and then asked.

"Well, first of all, I want to make it clear that these jewels are indeed honorariums, representing the sincerity of my father and me, and there is absolutely no malice towards you......" Crown Prince Alexander shrugged his shoulders lightly, looking calm, "Of course, these honorarities are not just for you, but also for ...... Your brother. ”

"My brother?" Fran was a little surprised at first, but soon understood something.

Is this a bribe?

The Russian Empire, intending to give a bribe to His Excellency the Chancellor of Tréville?

"To be precise, it's only part of the reward, and if your brother is able to maintain friendship with the Russians as we hope, then he will be paid even more—I can guarantee that it will be more than he thinks." Crown Prince Alexander still kept his smile on his face, almost like a spring breeze, "My father just told you, right?" We intend to develop relations between our two countries for the better, and for this reason he intends to present your Majesty and your brother with a portrait of himself - of course, it is not enough to give a portrait alone, and we all know that His Excellency Chancellor Tréville is a practical man, so we will simply be practical. ”

"It's a little surprising how much you actually are." Fran sighed softly, slightly mocking and dissatisfied. “…… The French people will be amazed if they know what you intend to do to him! ”

"Wouldn't it be nice not to let them know?" Crown Prince Alexander's smile deepened, "It's just us here, and I will never say it, will you say it?" ”

"You ......"

"Well, don't make a fuss about it, beautiful Miss Treville. Your brother is not morally perfect, I am fully aware of that, so you don't need to say anything very high-profile to ruin our friendship. Fran wanted to say something, but was stopped by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's hand slightly, and now his bloodline arrogance has been revealed in great detail, "Now that we have said this, it doesn't matter if we are open and honest - in fact, this matter is very simple, we need your brother's help, and we also know that he will not help us for nothing, so we are creating conditions and reasons for him to help us, I don't see anything to blame for this, Isn't it right to be paid for hard work? As far as I know, Talleyrand has received a number of such payments - and from more than one foreign government. ”

His words were so explicit that Fran couldn't even laugh or cry, not knowing whether to be glad that he had compared his brother to Talleyrand, but angry that he had so much contempt for his morality.

However, there is nothing to be angry about, in the eyes of the courts of European countries, isn't her brother that kind of person in the first place?

The point is, should she accept these gifts at all? When she came to Russia, she had not received any instructions on this, and no one had told her what to do in such a situation.

"Why, you're still a little uneasy? It's really not necessary. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander smiled and waved his hand again, urging her to make up her mind quickly, "You are so beautiful and intelligent, isn't it natural for you to receive some gifts from us?" Don't think there's anything wrong, you're doing a great job to bring the relations between the two countries to a smooth path and make the people of the two countries happy and happy! ”

"Really......?" His sudden agitation made Fran a little confused.

"Of course, if our relations have improved because of your efforts and those of your brother, have you not done a great thing?" His Royal Highness the Crown Prince resolutely asked, "Since we have done a great thing, why can't we make greatness worthwhile?" For your merits, you should receive the reward you deserve, and this is a matter of course! ”

…… Fran was already a little stunned, she didn't expect that when needed, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of an empire would be able to talk about bribes so high-sounding.

On the face of it, she ought to have rejected this unexpected gift, for she had not been instructed to accept it, and still less should have been involved with a foreign court.

However, after some thought, Fran made another decision.

"Undoubtedly, I hope that the relations between the two countries can move towards friendship and harmony, because I have a good impression of Russia......," she replied after a moment's hesitation. And you and Your Majesty have been very friendly to me. ”

Her eyes are very clear, and her face is also innocent.

Although no matter how you look at it, it is just a polite polite word, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who has been training in the social arena for so many years, can certainly hear it, and this is an implicit promise.

Boy! Who would have seen from such a face that she was going to accept a large bribe!

His Royal Highness suddenly realized at this moment that he had almost completely misestimated this Miss Tréville before, she was not so ignorant of the world at all, but she was very clear-headed, very calm in advance and retreat, and even more powerful was that she could make her appear innocent on the surface no matter what the situation.

God knows how many people this chick has deceived in France. For a moment, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had a little strange idea of her...... Of course, this is only a minutiae, and what really pleases him is that his plan and plan are mostly done.

He wanted to restore relations between Russia and France, and his father, although he agreed with him, was reluctant to make much effort to achieve this, after all, his attitude was still too arrogant. Tsar Nicholas considered his portrait enough to show sincerity to the French, and Crown Prince Alexander preferred to believe in the power of gold, silver and jewelry.

As long as the ministers of Treville, who were trusted by Emperor Napoleon III, worked together, then the matter would probably be inseparable. For a while, he was secretly glad in his heart, glad that he had seized this opportunity and found a good enough intermediary to establish contact with the French court.

Wouldn't it be better if something else could happen to this middleman......

"Our friendship will never be erased." With a smile on his face, he stretched out his hand and gently took Fran's hand, "You put the box away, I think the contents of the box are not worth mentioning compared to your beauty, and it is an incomparably honorable honor to be able to pass through my hand and send them to your palm......"

"I'm just conveying the kindness of His Majesty the Tsar and you to that person on your behalf, you don't have to compliment me like that, it's really an honor I can't afford." Fran smiled slightly, and gently pushed the hand away.

"Don't you really want our friendship to last forever?" Crown Prince Alexander asked unwillingly.

"Really." Fran said categorically.

"Okay...... Okay......" Crown Prince Alexander nodded rather disappointedly, according to the rules of the social world, it would be a shame to hint any further. "At least you have established a friendship between us and France."

Then, he changed the subject, "As I said before, I also wrote a personal letter to your brother, and I hope you can convey it to him, the content of the letter is very important. ”

"Of course, there is no problem with this, since I have accepted your gift, naturally I will not let your heart be disappointed." Fran joked with a smile. "However, I can't guarantee that he will give you a satisfactory answer."

"All you need is to deliver the letter, and God will make a judgment for us." Crown Prince Alexander was obviously full of confidence, and he couldn't help but reveal a little in front of Fran, "I believe that in the face of the sincerity we have given, he will not be untouched at all." Let me tell you the truth...... We intend to build Russia on a large scale in the future, as the British and French did at home, and to build railways to every corner of the empire, and this will require a lot of money, too many dollars...... And now that the French have money, and Solomon favors you so much, we intend to borrow from France in the future, and if Monsieur Tréville can help us as best he can, then he will be able to take his share of these loans. ”

Even Fran had to stay for a moment for such an offer.

"Really...... Terrible. After a few moments, she could only answer like this. Your sincerity has terrified us. ”

There is no doubt that if Russia really borrowed heavily from France, the amount of money would be unimaginably large, even if only a small commission was taken from it......

"I just grieve that I have given you so little that it is not enough to impress you!" Crown Prince Alexander sighed softly, clearly still feeling a little disappointed by the rejection just now, "If only you let me know how I can impress you." ”

"My heart has been filled with what I'm chasing, and I'm really sorry, Your Highness." Fran shook her head.

"Is it a painting? Ay...... You artists are always like that. Crown Prince Alexander made his own understanding, and then sighed.

"I ...... I'm glad to be part of the Trevill family, and you've given me a surprise that my brother hasn't given me yet! Fran didn't explain anything more, she said something that made Crown Prince Alexander scratch her head, and then suddenly turned around and left the room. May your father and your empire be well forever! (To be continued.) )