Eagle’s Glory

"May you live a long and healthy life."

Although Theresa had concealed her disgust very well, she still had little experience after all. What kind of person was Talleyrand? He had already seen her reaction clearly and knew it well.

But he doesn't care. There are countless people in the world who hate him. It doesn't matter if there is one more future queen. He even enjoys the feeling that others hate him but can't kill him.

"Thank you for your blessings. I will try my best to extend my life with gratitude." Prince Talleyrand smiled, "In addition, Your Highness, I am very grateful to you for your pain and giving me the gift. During this time I have admired it carefully many times.”

In order to please Talleyrand and promote cooperation between the two parties, Theresa took the initiative to propose to her husband to give Talleyrand heavy gifts to win over him. To this end, she shamelessly asked her father for a few of his cherished items. The painting was kept privately and secretly given to Talleyrand.

It was a good thing that Prince Talleyrand did not mention this matter, but the mention of it made Theresa feel even more disgusted. She thought that she would make you proud first, and she would take it back and return it to her father immediately after your death.

"No matter how precious the works of art are, their value can only be reflected in the hands of people who know the goods. If they have an owner like you, they are worth the money." Teresa shook her head seemingly indifferently. "Since you like them, go ahead and appreciate them..."

How could Talleyrand have thought of Theresa's thoughts?

However, he has always been a realist who enjoys instant gratification all his life, and he has never believed in spirits after death, so he has long put aside the matters behind him.

Anyway, as long as you can enjoy all the glory and wealth in this life, it will be fine. After your death, others can dispose of your collection as they please. What does it matter?

Like the kisser just now, he deliberately mentioned this in front of Theresa, partly because his wandering soul wanted to say a few more words to Princess Theresa out of admiration for her appearance; On the other hand, he has a bit of an old naughty mentality and wants to tease the future empress of the empire to have some fun for himself.

Back then, he was an aristocratic bishop in the Palace of Versailles, and could make fun of the distinguished king and queen; now that he has become the head of the government, he can also make fun of the young emperor and queen. Although he will get older, his aloofness The acerbity and humor outside of things will never change.

After pleasant and cordial greetings, under the guidance of Prince Talleyrand, the Agrons walked into the Tuileries Palace.

During the previous turmoil, the palace was besieged, causing very tragic damage.

Although the provisional government immediately allocated funds to renovate the palace after its establishment, traces of previous damage can still be seen everywhere.

"It's such a pity that such a beautiful palace has suffered a disaster." Teresa, who loves art and architecture, couldn't help but feel a little distressed when she saw the traces of destruction, so she sighed. "We really need to get serious about fixing them up."

"From what I have seen and heard in my life, this is by no means the first time it has been destroyed." Prince Talleyrand replied with a sarcastic tone. "At the time, those revolutionary masses rushed in to arrest Louis XVI and caused a commotion. Even bigger! Hundreds of Swiss Guards shot because they dared to perform their duties faithfully, and they were all killed after they surrendered..."

As he spoke, he wiped his neck with his hand and made a gesture of cutting his throat.

Teresa felt a little uncomfortable after hearing this. She looked at the beautiful palace in front of her with a little hesitation. At this time, her eyes no longer had much appreciation, but seemed to regard it as some ominous place.

She also remembered that it was here that her great-aunt was dragged away and imprisoned by the revolutionary masses, and was guillotined not long after.

And Teresa would have never known that during the Paris Commune in 1871, the Tuileries Palace was burned down by revolutionaries, turning it completely into a white land. The palaces carefully built by the past generations and the art collections inside could no longer be seen.

Before coming to Paris, Agron told her that in order to avoid crowded cities and for the safety of the whole family, he thought it would be better to live in the Palace of Fontainebleau. At this time, she was even more in agreement with her husband. Views.

"Are you still getting used to living in this place?" Theresa couldn't help but ask Talleyrand with mixed feelings.

"Your Highness, I slept soundly, even more comfortably than at home." Talleyrand answered her happily, "As long as I have the power to make a pillow, I can sleep peacefully even in hell. Surrounding the palace No matter how many evil spirits there are, they will never deface the scepter."

"This is indeed you." Theresa smiled and nodded in agreement.

Regardless of the real situation, acting is an essential part of politics. After Talleyrand and Theresa exchanged greetings with smiles on their faces for a while, the "rapport" between the Agrons and Talleyrand was established.

This "rapport" is indispensable for Agron and Theresa, because at this moment only Talleyrand can smoothly transfer power to the hands of their couple.

Of course, he is not just working for free, he will get paid from the Agrons - he will enjoy the power and honors he deserves for the rest of his life, and even get the couple's coffin after his death. It is concluded that he will be buried in the cemetery as a symbol of an era and enjoy the respect of future generations.

It's a fair deal, and at least both parties are satisfied.

Soon, the group came to Prince Talleyrand's office, and at this time, Theresa went to rest surrounded by the attendants. After all, she was pregnant and it was not suitable to move around much, and Aiglon and Talleyrand both He was left alone.

Just now in the public, Aiglon and Talleyrand could still chat and laugh, but now when they were alone, the atmosphere began to become solemn, because this was the moment that was definitely the fate of many people.

"Your Majesty, are you satisfied with today's entry into the city?" Prince Talleyrand asked first.

"I'm very satisfied." Aigron nodded, "At least I feel the expectations and enthusiasm of the people."

"Yes, they are indeed looking forward to a vigorous young man." Talleyrand also nodded slightly, "From my current observations, at least now you are the one who is widely expected by the country. If an election is held at this time, then You can get a pretty ideal effect.”

"So are you already preparing?" Aigron asked.

According to Aiglon's plan, the legitimacy of his empire must be based on "popular authorization." The specific operational steps are to first hold parliamentary elections to elect a nationally representative National Assembly, and then the members of this assembly will Vote to decide which "national system" to use next.

As long as the Parliament agrees to adopt the monarchy and approves Aiglon's accession to the throne, a referendum will be held for this purpose, and then he will be officially crowned.

Although this operation will be a bit cumbersome, it can at least express in a clear and unmistakable way that "the empire is supported by all the people", and Aigron can use this method to shape his authority.

Because of this, he is bound to win this election. He must not make any mistakes. He wants to get a parliament that is completely controlled by him.

And this is impossible to achieve without the help of the state apparatus.

Because of this, Aigron asked Talleyrand about his arrangements for this.

"Of course, this is one of my most important tasks at the moment, you can trust me." Talleyrand smiled slyly, "During this period, I have replaced some of the senior officials in the provinces and replaced them with Become someone willing to be loyal to you, and order senior officials in each province to make a list of politicians in their province. If some people hold dangerous political views and are agitating and appealing, then take all measures to monitor them. , if necessary, can be temporarily detained in the name of disturbing public order...

In addition, at the government level, in order to make this election go smoothly, I will establish a steering committee in the government. It will have the power to supervise and investigate electoral fraud in various places, and will work closely with the Ministry of the Interior and the judicial department to deal with it. The chairman of the Steering Committee is the prestigious Marquis Noirtier. "

In other words, the person responsible for supervising the election was the Marquis of Noirtier, Aigron's die-hard supporter.

Aigron was indeed quite satisfied with Talleyrand's careful arrangements.

In this era, cheating in elections in various countries occurs one after another. There is even an old saying that "the biggest secret to winning an election comes from who is responsible for counting the votes."

With Talleyrand's help, Aigron finally realized that the athletes, referees, and organizers were all his.

He has just appeared in front of the masses, and his image is fresh, so he is naturally favored by the people. There are veterans and farmers everywhere who are full of nostalgia for the emperor, and they will naturally be close to him. In addition, there are various governments that are biased or even cheating. The method... can be described as a three-pronged approach.

Eggron predicts that winning a parliament with more than 80% of supporters should be a certainty.

And with the help of such an absolutely overwhelming majority, he can do whatever he wants under the "constitutional" system.

Of course, this method can only be used temporarily, not for a lifetime, but as long as it can form a fait accompli and allow him to sit on the throne, the rest will be just details.

"The means of arrest and detention must be used as little as possible, and they must not mobilize troops and cause uproar in the domestic public opinion circle." Aigron reminded Talleyrand.

"Don't worry about this, we will control the intensity." Talleyrand nodded, "Besides, due to the unrest, almost all newspapers in Paris suspended publication. Now which ones can resume publication, and which ones will continue to suspend publication. , it all depends on the government’s face, and we can reduce the negative public opinion towards you to a minimum.”

After a pause, he added, "Even if there are some small noises, we are not afraid. What can they do? Now that the Bourbon royal family has gone into exile, the Orleans family will also go into exile. In addition to supporting you, they also What better plan can you come up with?”

"Having said that, there must still be some diehards who can't see the situation clearly." Aigron reminded the other party, "During this period, we should pay special attention to the west and northwest."

Aiglon spoke cryptically, but Talleyrand understood completely. The Venetian and Normandy areas in the west were places where royalist rebels rebelled several times in the past. Today, the royalist forces are still quite deep-rooted. If A sudden rebellion would not be enough to shake up the overall situation, but it would indeed be unsightly for Aiglon, who was determined to project an image of "support by all the people".

"Marshal Soult has promised me that he will send more troops to all areas showing signs of instability, and will use the most severe means to punish those who disturb social order." Talleyrand quickly assured Aiglon. , "The Marshal knows the significance of this election to you, and he will never allow anyone to cause trouble for you or damage your image."

Aiglon believed this very much. Although Marshal Soult was greedy for money and power, the two of them were now considered to be a grasshopper on the same rope. They had a mutually prosperous relationship. In order to protect the fruits of his victory, he would work hard for himself at least for now. Suppress all dissatisfied elements.

And with a strongman like him taking action, any commotion in those places will surely subside quickly.

After all, after the sweep of the Great Revolution and the disappointing rule of the Restoration Dynasty, those loyal royalist areas are no longer what they used to be, and they will not be able to stir up unrest against Aigron in a short time.

Now, the entire institutional machine is on Aigron's side, and what he has to do is indeed much simpler than before.

"Okay, since you have such careful arrangements, I don't have any objections." Aigron nodded, recognizing Talleyrand's hard work, "Next, I will go on a tour across the country to build momentum for the election. , to stand up for those candidates who support me; on the one hand, let the people become familiar with me, let them meet their future emperor, and establish my prestige."

"That's very good." Talleyrand nodded, agreeing with Aigron's opinion, "You can go ahead and leave the rest to us. We will take care of it for you."

Suddenly he thought of something else, "But... Her Highness the Princess is still pregnant. I'm afraid she won't be able to follow you there, right?"

"Yes." Agron nodded, "Teresa can only stay in Paris. She will be my representative during this period. You can discuss anything with her. The decision she made is equivalent to I made it.”

"What a pity... The French people must really want to see their future queen, especially Her Majesty the Queen, who is so cute and dignified... Even someone as picky as me can't comment, and they definitely won't have any!" Prince Talleyrand Sighed.

Then, his eyes lit up.

"I heard that Miss Agnes is your lover?"

"Yes." Aigron nodded again.

"I met that girl once before when she went to the Parliament for a hearing, and I really liked her." Talleyrand clicked his tongue, "Your Majesty, you have really good taste."

"Actually..." Aigron looked away with embarrassment, "This time I am touring the country, and she will go with me and be responsible for the security work."

"Yes, security work." Talleyrand smiled, as if he understood completely.

Then, he laughed again.

"Of course, that's how it should be! If you are only loyal to your wife, the people will probably look down on you."