Eagle’s Glory

"Maybe this is your last chance in life, it's time for you to prove that you have talent!"

Prosecutor Villefort didn't understand what his father really meant, but he could hear his father's expectations.

Since he became an adult, he and his father have always been political enemies and have taken incompatible positions. However, his father's dislike of him has always been not only due to differences in positions, but more from a personality. negation.

His father was an enlightened aristocratic representative at the Three Estates Conference in 1789. He actively participated in the revolution of the third estate, and was later hunted down by the Montagnards for being "not revolutionary enough." However, no matter what position he was in, he was He has a kind of generous and heroic passion, and values ​​dignity and honor more than life. Even if he kills people and sets fires, he never bothers to play dirty. He is a member of that heroic era, sharing the glory of the sun.

And Villefort is the kind of swordsman who sits in the office with white gloves. Although he is very successful, he uses his skillful sword of law to create tragedies one after another, and he uses this to achieve a career that is beyond the reach of ordinary people. , but in the father's view, his son's viciousness was too petty and not upright enough.

Now, in the eyes of the Marquis of Noirtier, facing the entire parliament as the embodiment of "justice" and making an impassioned speech in front of all the members and national dignitaries is just like his feat in the Estates-General. His son can finally be like a A hero for once.

Why did he agree to Talleyrand's proposal so easily? The reason is not only that he thinks this is beneficial to His Majesty, but also because he knows that his son is destined to die soon, so he is willing to create an opportunity for his son to "go down in history."

The Marquis is used to life and death. In his world view, it is more preferable than living a mediocre life and then dying in bed, participating in big events like a hero, and then disappearing like fireworks.甔

Of course, Prince Talleyrand could not have known that he had inadvertently done the Marquis a great favor, allowing him to get over his grief.

In any case, after receiving encouragement from his father, Villefort no longer had any hesitation. He also decided that no matter what happened next, he must insist on the authenticity of his report.

He has no other way to go, so he must go all the way. Since he has sold himself, he should sell it completely.

Unlike ordinary people who are afraid of authority, after playing with the law for many years, he has a very clear understanding of the so-called authority and human nature. He also knows that those high-ranking big shots are actually no different from ordinary people. , so even if he faced blatant lies from the parliament, he would not be afraid - not to mention, in his heart, he had already believed that there was at least a 70-80% chance that the Duke of Orleans would be involved.

"I will do my best,

In front of the most noble and upright people in France, uphold the supreme authority of the law! No matter who commits a crime, he should receive the punishment he deserves. "After making up his mind, Attorney General Villefort replied in a solemn tone.

"Very good. It seems that you are not just a knife and pen craftsman, you are a promising boy." Talleyrand nodded slightly, "Then go and get ready. I will take care of the other things."

Then, he looked at the Marquis of Noirtier, "My friend, to tell you the truth, not long ago, the Duke of Orleans visited me."

"Oh?" Marquis Noirtier was not moved, but waited for the other party's next words. "Is he trying to bribe you?"

"Yes, he did it, but unfortunately, it was too late." Prince Talleyrand replied with regret, "He couldn't give me a price that made me excited, and I didn't believe he had the ability to rectify the situation. . So I clearly rejected him and told him that I thought he should not seek to seize the throne through coups and private grants. If he really wanted the throne, he might as well ask the people for trust and let the people come. Decide who will be the monarch of this country.”

"Presumably he was furious at that time?" The Marquis suddenly sneered.

"Yes, he was furious. If he had had a gun in his hand at that time, he might have shot me directly." Prince Talleyrand sneered and shrugged, "But he soon came to his senses. This is not Because he has a kind heart, but because I told him that I am not alone, that Surte and I have already passed our anger, and that we are on the same ground as each other..."

The Marquis of Noirtier knew that Talleyrand was obviously talking about the Duke of Orleans, but in fact he was demonstrating to him and His Majesty behind him. However, he did not care about himself and just listened calmly. "Although he doesn't dare to do anything to you, I don't think he will sit still and wait for death, let alone do what you suggest."

"Yes, he will try his best to resist, even though fate no longer favors him." Prince Talleyrand also laughed, "Now, we should give him a reason to recognize the reality."

"What do you mean?" the Marquis asked.甔

"His only thought now is to get the parliament to recognize him as the king as soon as possible. The throne has been vacant for so long, which has indeed made many people panic and tired. What I have to do now is to let him know that even if it is his last life-saving straw He will also sink into the water..." Talleyrand replied arrogantly, "He was just a junior back then, and finally fled France in despair. Now I believe he still has to repeat his fate."

"Undoubtedly, I also hope for this result, but I am afraid he will not be willing to do so. A person who dares to shoot at the king will not give up before all means are exhausted. Even if he is on the verge of despair, he will become a trapped beast. Fight." The Marquis of Noirtier replied cautiously.

Although he did not say it explicitly, he was already hinting that if the Duke of Orleans chose to use force again to intimidate the opposition in the parliament after his hope of "getting parliamentary support for the coronation" and forced a vote to declare himself the king of France - anyway He has done it once and is not afraid of doing it again.

"This is indeed worth worrying about, but past experience tells me that the more people want to do this kind of thing, the more unlucky they will be. If you don't follow the trend, you will only bring greater disaster to yourself. Robespierre What he couldn't do back then is even more impossible for him to do." Talleyrand replied coldly, "How many people can he mobilize? Are these people loyal enough to him? Can he be recognized by others? We The times have changed. In ancient times, members of the royal family only needed to kill a few people to usurp the throne without worrying about the reaction of the people. But now he needs to kill them to gain the approval of the people. I firmly believe that when there are other options, The people will not allow him to come to power."

The Marquis of Noirtier also agreed with Talleyrand's answer - in his view, the Duke of Orleans had neither prestige nor merit. Apart from the huge wealth he received from his father, he only had the responsibility of notoriety. The revolutionaries felt that it was not revolutionary enough, and the royalists hated the father and son's dark history. No matter how hard he tried, he still couldn't win the hearts of the people.

If he had to choose between "Bourbon" and "Orléans", he still had a chance of winning; but if he had to choose between "Bonaparte" and "Orléans", the result would be clear at a glance.

"Then I hope he can have a clear mind and stop doing stupid things." The Marquis sneered. "In this case, we would be happy to pay him a sum of money to send him away. Otherwise...it will be hard to say. Then the old and new accounts will be settled together!"

After the secret conversation, the Marquis and his party bid farewell to Prince Talleyrand, and then quietly left Prince Talleyrand's mansion.

After they left, Talleyrand pondered for a long time, and then asked his cronies to call someone to him.

"Your Highness, I wish you eternal health." After coming to the prince, the visitor showed a flattering smile, "At this moment when the country is in turmoil, your wisdom and experience are precious to our entire nation. wealth……"

"You are right. For the sake of the country and the people, I have to borrow a few more years of my life from God." Talleyrand always accepted this kind of flattery without politeness.

Then, he changed the subject, "But in the final analysis, the future belongs to your generation. All I can do is pave the way for you in the last few days of my life..."

Hearing the prince's obviously hopeful words, the smile on the visitor's face couldn't help but become even brighter. "You are too pessimistic! In my opinion, you can live a long life. There are still too many things waiting for you to deal with. At most, I will just act as a pawn for you..."

This kind of hypocritical politeness runs through the greetings between the two people. Although they seem to be sincere, they each have their own agenda. Neither of them dares to believe the other's sincerity.甔

The visitor was suddenly Prince Talleyrand's "good friend" and his confidant Count Telewin, who had been with him for many years.

The count followed the royal family into exile in his early years. After the restoration of the Bourbon royal family, he returned to France and participated in the bloody liquidation of imperial supporters and republicans.

However, although he is a royalist in terms of politics, he obviously does not intend to tie his future to the royal family. Instead, he wants to stand firm through various political changes like Prince Talleyrand, so He had private contact with Prince Talleyrand, and when he was appointed ambassador to Vienna, he secretly met with the King of Rome who was still in Schönbrunn Palace on behalf of Prince Talleyrand.

Later, Count Telewin was transferred to be the ambassador to Istanbul, but this was obviously not enough to satisfy his political ambitions. After hearing that there was unrest in the country and that the king's throne was not guaranteed, he did not stay on standby like other ambassadors abroad. Instead, he immediately packed his bags and secretly hurried back to France with a few confidants.

He had long been dissatisfied with his official career. He didn't want to waste his whole life serving as ambassador to foreign countries. He just wanted to find an opportunity to rise to the top, and now, he had waited for the opportunity.

The collapse of the royal family means a major reshuffle of the power structure. No matter who comes to power next, it will mean an opportunity for Earl Telewin.

Of course, he would not be stupid enough to fight alone. He chose to rely on his old friend Prince Talleyrand - after all, Prince Talleyrand's ability to stand up for so many years is still very trustworthy.甔

So after returning home, he did not go to report his work (in fact, there was no place for him to report his work), but immediately ran to Prince Talleyrand.

Of course, the prince was happy to accept this pawn and cordially drew him into his camp.

"I just met the envoy of the King of Rome." After the greetings, the prince entered the topic.

Count Telewin was no stranger to the title King of Rome.

Not only had he met in Austria before, but he also secretly visited the King of Rome when he was in Istanbul. It could be said that he had already made a good relationship with him a long time ago.

"So, you still prefer the King of Rome?" asked the count.

"Yes, after several weighings, I have made up my mind." Prince Talleyrand did not intend to beat around the bush this time, but directly admitted, "Count, what are your opinions on this? Or, in other words, are you willing to do it in the future? Do you want to serve him?"

Lord Telewin had already thought about this issue beforehand - and it was not difficult at all for him to make a decision.

Although he was a royalist before, he did not have any prejudices, and he had no psychological barriers to seamlessly switching to a Bonapartist. As long as you can achieve great success, it doesn't matter who you are loyal to. In other words, he is only loyal to himself.

"I have visited His Majesty twice and seen his grace, as well as his unusual demeanor and insight. Therefore, I am convinced that despite his young age, he has enough ability to save the situation and restore peace to the country... ..." Earl Telewin immediately said the words he had prepared, "If I can do a little bit for this, I will also feel extremely honored."

The count's answer did not surprise the prince.

He had known for a long time that his old friend had been making good friends in private.

Moreover, he also knew that the other party must be planning to replace him in the future.

It's a pity... you have no chance, my poor friend. The prince sneered secretly in his heart.甔

In fact, he secretly called the count back from Istanbul before, not only because he needed manpower, but also because he was entrusted by the King of Rome - His Majesty wanted to ensure that he fell into his hands.

Prince Talleyrand didn't understand why His Majesty hated Count Telewin so much, because he knew that the Count was a smooth man and would not offend His Majesty during his visit.

But this is not important. What is important is that he can discard this chess piece that is difficult to control in order to gain the favor of the young man.

However, even if it is a chess piece that is destined to be discarded, you might as well squeeze out its residual value before discarding it.

"Very good, since you also support the King of Rome, we now have a chance." Prince Talleyrand said to his friend in a soft tone, "Now, His Majesty needs to make a political case public, and we Let it be a koan.”

"What do you mean?" The count was a little confused.

Prince Talleyrand briefly introduced the situation to the other party.甔

After hearing the accusation of assassination, the count was surprised at first, but then he became excited. He understood that his opportunity to make a career had come.

"I will travel around for Your Majesty, and please tell Your Majesty that I am serving him enthusiastically..."

"Of course, of course, my friend." The prince nodded gently, "His Majesty has never forgotten you. Maybe in his heart, you are my suitable successor..."

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