After a few more conversations with Charles and Joseph Bonaparte, the banker, Baron Beauwon, took his leave, while Joseph Bonaparte stayed behind and sat thoughtfully in his place.

And Charles, like him, stayed in his seat and didn't move. The two of them, wrapped in black coats, looked a little gloomy at this time.

Joseph Bonaparte initially seemed intent on letting Charles speak first, but after waiting for a while to find that Charles had no intention of breaking his silence, he had to speak first.

"Charles, I'm sorry I didn't tell you beforehand that surprised you so much." After saying this, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "But, I suppose, you definitely won't blame me for this, right?" ”

As long as there is a beginning, it would be good.

"No, of course not, in fact I thank you very much for giving me the opportunity." Charles replied calmly.

"Doesn't that seem like you're happy right now?"

"I'm just thinking about a problem."

"What's the problem?" Joseph Bonaparte asked with interest.

Let's spread it out.

Charles bowed slightly, saluted, and then spoke.

"Monsieur Bonaparte, I'm not a fool, you know that for sure. So, you've helped me so much that I'm not going to be bored enough to think that I picked it up because I had a chance getaway, and I know very well that you're going to have your own considerations. And, personally, I think it's better to talk to me about this consideration as soon as possible, you see? ”

Under Charles's euphemistic questioning. Joseph Bonaparte looked up at Charles slightly, then shrugged his shoulders slightly.

It's really time for us to be honest.

"As you said, there are some things that are really better for everyone to spread out."

Charles nodded. Then look at him and wait for his later words.

After a moment of silence, Joseph Bonaparte voiced his Zuihou considerations.

"Charles, the reason why we appreciate and support Baron Beauwang's Jihua so much is that in addition to the fact that this Jihua can make everyone a windfall, there is also a very important consideration."

"What considerations?" Charles blinked, then asked inquiringly. "Will he bring turmoil to France and give the Bonapartes a better chance of ascending to the top?"

"Yes, that's also an important consideration. But that's not all. Joseph Bonaparte replied mildly, "For us, however, its greatest effect is ...... It can greatly reduce people's expectations. ”

"Lower expectations?" Charles was a little confused.

"That's right. That's it. Joseph Bonaparte nodded. As you know, people are always hard to satisfy, especially the French. The more rulers give them, the more they expect from them, and they think that what you give them is justified. What if you carried them to the edge of heaven? They'll still complain that you didn't put wings on them! People want to be safe when there is no security, people want to be free when there is security, people want to be rich when there is freedom, and what happens when they are rich? People want to be comfortable. It's not even like you're not making the air fresh enough! If we are too busy panting to meet people's wishes, there will only be two consequences: either we will not be able to meet their expectations until we are exhausted. Either we'll be wretched creatures who have broken their promises - neither of which will satisfy us, right? Not to mention the ...... of bringing the empire back to life."

Charles, who listened carefully, vaguely understood their thoughts.

"You mean that reviving the empire now will only make the people forget a lot of what they have in mind?"

"Yes, don't you think there's any other way? The Bonaparte family now has not much left except for the rather resounding name of my uncle Napoleon, and many things have been worn out in thirty years. For the sake of reason, we never shy away from saying this. Joseph Bonaparte's reply was astonishingly frank, "Moreover, we no longer have the capital and talent to fight with the whole of Europe, and my uncle came to the throne after winning the Battle of Marengo and defending France, and can we repeat it again?" And how many people want us to do it all over again? I'm afraid not. So to achieve this goal, we can only rely more on intelligence and skill. ”

Although Charles wanted to echo his opinion, Charles knew very well that some things could only be said by the people of the Bonaparte family, and no one else could say them, so he continued to choose to remain silent.

"National unrest will lower people's expectations from abundance to safety, when they will forget that they once wanted to be free. When it comes to snatching the crown from the people, we can only rely on this. Joseph Bonaparte went on to elaborate on their considerations, "If all is calm and people are free and want to be rich, who would want to have an emperor on their heads?" Only when people ascend to the throne when they are almost left with nothing can they hope that they will gradually get used to this, so that when they are safe, they don't mind having an emperor on their heads......"

"That gentleman......" Charles pointed his finger up slightly, "that's what you think?" ”

Joseph Bonaparte understood which man he was referring to, and he did not show anything else on the surface, but there was a faint glimmer of light in his eyes.

"Yes, that's what my cousin and I share."

"I see." Charles nodded.

Louis Bonaparte's later ascension to the throne was not a matter of luck or fame. He and his uncle took different routes, but they came to the same end.

Moreover, at that end, he stayed longer than his uncle, which is really not something that ordinary people can do.

"However, it is clear that these things cannot be done by us, we must ascend to the throne with a clean slate, and we must reign in France with a clear conscience. It is only the evil servants of the emperor who knock out the bones and suck the marrow of the people, not the emperor himself. ”

Charles got it perfectly.

"Our loyalty to the Bonaparte family. So I don't mind being such a bad servant. ”

"If only you could figure it out." Joseph Bonaparte stated the task he was going to give to Charles, "To Baron Beauvan, we can both rely on and cannot trust. So we must not rely on him completely, but we trust you, so we will give you money this time, and you are responsible for earning a fortune for the Bonapartes, can you do it? ”

Charles didn't hesitate. People have sold you so good, can you still hesitate?

"Yes."

"That's great!" Joseph Bonaparte smiled approvingly, "Charles." You're always so reliable. ”

Seeing that everything was going well and all the arrangements were in place, Joseph Bonaparte, who had always been calm, couldn't help but feel a little complacent. He said something pointedly.

"Treat the people, give favors little by little, let them taste a little sweetness and then look forward to the sweetness that will follow; The pain should be inflicted on them as much as possible at one time, so that they are so painful that they don't even have time to get angry. That's the only way. Only then can the ruler achieve his own rule. ”

This is the classic theory mentioned by Machiavelli in "The Monarch". It has been secretly appreciated and practiced by those in power for centuries, but no one has ever spoken it to the people.

"It can be seen that you have studied the Monarch very carefully." Charles complimented without a trace.

"Domination is an art, and of course it will take us many years to learn and apply this art." Joseph Bonaparte smiled and summed up his words, as if at this moment he had thought of himself as a bixia sitting upright on the throne.

As a result, in the end, you will almost completely lose the imperial art you have worked so hard to learn in your life. Your cousin got married after becoming emperor and then unexpectedly got a son when he was close to fifty years old. A rightful heir who turns your life's greatest longing into a ridiculous dream.

Charles sneered coldly in his heart.

However. He certainly won't say it. He just smiled and once again owed himself to the future prince.

"Charles, as the banker said, you have the brains, the guts, and you know how to make the decisions you need to make, so I'm sure you have a great future ahead of you." Joseph Bonaparte finally addressed his core problem, "But, you must also know that to get to the top, these things are not enough, you also need helpers, you need allies, you need people who can be relied on in critical moments, right?" ”

"Of course."

Joseph Bonaparte stopped talking, but handed over a "Don't you understand what I mean when I say so much to you?" Looks.

Well, now any more reserved is purely brain water, it's time to show him a little.

"Monsieur Bonaparte, I think I understand what you mean." Charles's tone became brisk again, "Don't worry, since you have worked so hard to help us so much, and you have been so frank and valued by us, then from now on, no matter what happens, we Treville family will always stand behind you." ”

It's easier to push you that way.

Joseph Bonaparte finally got the answer he wanted, for he could not have heard the words that Charles had added in his heart.

"I'm not going to let you and your grandfather down." He made a faint promise.

Neither of them was very agitated by the manners of statesmen, but they both knew in their hearts that from this moment on they had formed an offensive and defensive alliance - Joseph Bonaparte on the top and Charles de Treville on the other.

The difference is that Joseph Bonaparte didn't know that it was only temporary, while Charles did.

"Shire, do you know what your greatest strength is?" After a moment of silence, Joseph Bonaparte asked again, and before Charles could answer, Joseph Bonaparte continued, "It's youth, and the opportunities that come your way." Coming from a Treville family is your first fortune, you can receive a good education from a young age, so that you can understand what to do and what not to do; The Marquis of Treville is your second luck that he is old enough to be able to step up early and get into some practical matters to test the theories you have learned. And now, you've hit the third ......"

"I'm convinced." Charles owed a third time, and replied respectfully and humbly. (To be continued......)