"Has the Prime Minister been in close contact with Jerichault lately?" Alexander, putting down the papers in his hand, sounded flat, as if he was just asking an old friend about the current situation, "I remember that he had a good relationship with Jerichault before, and he pleaded for the earl several times. ”

Franz lowered his head, how could he not hear what Alexander meant, he knew the list better than Alexander. "Apart from the invitation received by His Excellency the Prime Minister, there is no other correspondence between him and Count Jericha. ”

"Yes? I see. Alexander nodded, then abruptly moved on to another topic, "Who is the current commander of the Royal Guard?"

"Because Baron McCool was wounded and is still recuperating in hospital, the Royal Guard is under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Reinhardt Noe Guderian and Lieutenant Colonel Hertha Noe Grass. ”

"Oh—Ralph is Guderian's son, right?"

"Yes. Franz bowed, of course he knew which Guderian the emperor was talking about, but Franz did not point this out directly, "Lieutenant Colonel Ralph is the second son of Marshal Rudolf No. Guderian. ”

The emperor's face was impassive, but his heart was quite embarrassed, if it hadn't been for Franz to say it, he would have thought it was the son of the Minister of War Guderian. However, he thought about it carefully and understood that Marshal Rudolph and his younger brother were very different in age, almost two generations, so his second son was not much older than Minister Guderian, and if he could be a lieutenant colonel of the Royal Guard, he should be nearly forty years old, how could it be the son of Minister Guderian.

But pressing the embarrassment in his heart, Alexander's mind immediately became active, and Minister Guderian also received an invitation letter from Swain, as an uncle and Minister of War, he must have considerable influence on his nephew, so in Alexander's opinion, even if the Guderian family is loyal, but just in case, he still has to keep an eye on it.

"What about Munster's side, how are they doing?"

Although Alexander was asking about the Munster Army, Franz could tell that he was actually asking about the current situation of Baron O'Brien, or rather, Baron O'Brien's recent dealings with Swain.

"Baron O'Brien and the armies of Munster, Connaught, and Yanwan are stationed in the camp in full compliance with your arrangement, and are strictly disciplined, and have not set foot in the city except to hunt down the rebels of the Ministry of the Interior as you ordered. ”

"Well—that's not going to work!," Alexander said with a straight face, pretending to be serious, "they have made an incomparably great contribution to the Empire, and after a hard battle, they can't relax and rest, doesn't that mean that we treat the soldiers too harshly?

Alexander's demeanor, Franz could guess what he was thinking even with his eyes closed. The order for the troops of the three provinces to hold the barracks and not to enter the city was given by Alexander, and now I think of the resentment of the soldiers, isn't it too funny?

Of course, these words, and even these thoughts, Franz will not show on his face, he just needs to cooperate.

"However, once the army enters the urban area, it will inevitably cause unnecessary chaos in public order, so it is better to provide reward materials from here and send them to the barracks to reward the officers and soldiers. In addition, we can also find some circus troupes to perform for the officers and soldiers in the barracks, so as to provide some entertainment for the soldiers. ”

Hearing Franz's proposal, Alexander's eyes lit up. "That's a good idea, so who do you think is better to be in charge of this matter? After all, it's to deal with the soldiers, and you should find someone who can talk to the officers, and besides, the O'Brien family is also a famous family, so you have to drink the other party's family background to be the same-Franz, do you have a candidate?"

Franz also pretended to ponder for a moment, then raised his head as if he had suddenly realized, cocked his fingers, and said in a thoughtful manner: "What do you think of Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Reinhardt No. Guderian?"

Alexander laughed, he now felt that the Metternich in front of him was indeed very pleasing to the eye, very different from his arrogant grandfather, a sleek, good mannerist, originally only to appease the Metternich family, the position of head of the court now seemed to be a very good appointment.

"Ralph? Well, a good candidate. ”

The two looked at each other and smiled, but in each other's hearts, which they couldn't see, they had completely different ideas.

After leaving the emperor's study, Franz walked around the corridors of the court with his hands behind his back, of course, he was basically not required to check the small things such as general cleaning, and the position of the court director was more to arrange the itinerary for the emperor and the royal family, and to handle most of the reception affairs of the visit.

However, the power of the head of the court is not clearly defined in practice, sometimes this position is like the emperor's staff, sharing the emperor's public and private worries, and other times, as it is literally, can only manage the trivial affairs of the court.

Franz's predecessor, Sir Willy, who died in the civil war in Germany, was trusted by Nicholas I, but he never expressed his opinion on political affairs, but was only focused on protecting the emperor. And now Franz does not feel that he will be more respected by the Jean family than his predecessor, in fact, even he knows that he can get this position completely thanks to the shadow of his grandfather, if he does a mediocre job, then in a few years, when the residual influence of the Marquis of Metternich fades, his position will sooner or later be given to someone else who is more trusted by the emperor, and he himself will be assigned to a small department that is not often named, and he will not have a chance to stand out in his life.

So Franz did a lot of work in the court, he knew that his prestige had not yet been established, and that the lowly and arrogant court attendants in Tiamat's palace might not take him seriously, and even the servants might not respect him very much, so he tried to manage his interpersonal relationships, and while avoiding angering Alexander, he was very lenient with his subordinates.

Such an approach has at least been superficially respected by others, and as for what he thinks in his heart, it is not something that Franz can control.

Although he has not been in office for a long time, he is not very familiar with the people in the palace, but for a few people, he pays special attention.

For example, Charlotte, who often appears next to Princess Celestia.

When the little girl appeared in front of Franz, he was not surprised at all.

Looking back behind him, to make sure there was no one around, Franz made a gesture of please, motioning for Charlotte to talk to him in the empty room next to him.

Charlotte walked into the room with a cold face, she didn't mince words about Franz, although she knew that this man's actions were helping her save Katarina, but she was still very disdainful of Franz's actions.

"I have complied with the orders of His Excellency the Earl. Franz closed the door and said as softly as he could, although the walls of the Tiamat Palace were well insulated, Franz remained vigilant and careful, "Your Majesty does not fully trust Count Ernest and Baron O'Brien. ”

Charlotte frowned, and Franz's words made her uncomfortable. "I thought you were taking such a risk for the sake of Her Royal Highness the Princess. ”

Franz looked at Charlotte, and felt very strange that this eight-year-old girl could behave so maturely, he checked Charlotte's origin, but because of the chaos of the times and the endorsement of Princess Celestia, the Tiamat Palace did not specifically investigate Charlotte's origin, and they didn't even know about the Vincent, so the only thing Franz could find out was that the little girl had been taken by Catalina since Princess Eldest and Swain returned from Fort Midnight.

Because of this, Franz mistakenly believed that Charlotte and Swain were very close.

"Of course I respect Her Royal Highness the Princess. He threw up his head and said proudly, "I am willing to take the risk so that she will not be wronged, and this is my loyalty to Gion." But, if this is all there is to it, then I can only make a mistake in front of Your Majesty, for His Majesty Alexander is the master of the Empire, the representative of the House of Gion. ”

He looked at Charlotte playfully, and although it wasn't interesting to bully a little girl, he still habitually played with rhetoric. "So, my loyalty to her is not just the reason you expect, after all, I don't just give what I have personally, but the weight of a family name, you can understand this, right?"

"You and Swain are the same kind of people," Charlotte looked at Franz with even colder eyes, "both only think about themselves and use others as tools." ”

"No, no, no, no, you misunderstood, lovely young lady. Franz was not annoyed at all, but laughed, "This is instinct, human instinct, just as human beings need feelings, it is the instinct in our body, but there is always a difference between people, and this instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm is more obvious in politicians, because the interests in our hands are greater than ordinary people, so we are more afraid of the loss of these interests, you know, lovely young lady." ”

Charlotte's gaze at Franz remained the same, and Franz didn't care.

"Count Jericho, by contrast, is a little different, he doesn't do it for profit, he's not like us. Franz's vision suddenly deepened, and until now, he could not understand Swain, "What he longs for is something we cannot know." ”

Charlotte was silent.

"Well, there's no point in saying this, what else does the Earl command?"

"Nothing. Charlotte turned her back, "But I have a question. ”

She looked at Charlotte in surprise, but Franz shrugged her shoulders gentlemanly and agreed. "Excuse me. ”

"Why are you helping him?" asked Charlotte, the "he" in her mouth naturally referring to Swain, "as the head of the court, you don't have to do this, do you? Although the emperor may not be very good to you, at least compared to Swain, you are not so anxious to turn your back on it." ”

"I'm more and more skeptical that you're only eight years old. Franz restrained his smile and his gaze deepened, "Well, it's true that most people think so, look at it this way, as the head of the court, even if I don't have the trust of His Majesty the Emperor for a while, but I at least have a chance, unlike Jericho and the eldest princess, trouble is already imminent." However, that is just the opinion of others, if His Majesty really does not even let go of his own daughter, then can his trust really make people safe? Not to mention, he has no trust in me. ”

But that doesn't mean you're necessarily being targeted by him. ”

"That kind of thought, only Prime Minister Pitt and his old people can have. Franz scoffed, looking a little disdainful, "Is it good to be safe for a while?" When my grandfather was dismissed from the post of Foreign Minister by His Majesty Nikolai, he said to me, 'The decline of Metternich is predictable, from now on. Hesitation, as long as people hesitate in front of problems, they have to face future difficulties'. As he said, Metternich has decayed, because none of us can inherit my grandfather's talents and earn a position in this circle, and now, it is my turn, and sooner or later, I will be removed from this position that seems to be trusted by the Emperor, and then, to an unfathomable fate. ”

"You want to take the initiative?" Charlotte slightly understood Franz's thoughts.

"Nope. Franz looked at Charlotte with deep eyes, the depth of his eyes that the girl did not quite understand, "It's fate, Metternich's fate." ”