Eagle’s Glory

While Aigron continued his tour, Count Alexander Walewski, who was far away in London, was also busy with his "brother's" career and his own future.

After the provisional government was established, he was included in the mission to Britain by Prince Talleyrand, and then followed the head of the delegation, Duke Bassano, to improve the relationship between the Bonaparte family and Britain.

This task is not that easy to complete. Not long ago, they met with the British Prime Minister, His Excellency the Duke of Wellington. However, the Duke was currently worried about the political changes after the death of the king and the new king came to the throne. He had no energy and no ability to do so. Time to deal with the relationship with the Bonaparte family who are about to return to the throne.

Fortunately, this prestigious commander-in-chief was actually a moderate on France. He was not averse to reconciliation with the Bonaparte family. He even hinted to the delegation during the negotiations that he could acquiesce to the members of the delegation and others. Contact with British politicians.

After receiving secret encouragement from the Prime Minister, the members of the mission naturally became more confident.

The Prime Minister's attitude undoubtedly shows that there is a bright future for the compromise with Britain pursued by Prince Talleyrand and His Majesty.

With this awareness, they naturally stepped up their activities secretly, and as expected, as the Prime Minister hinted, the British government did not place any restrictions on the activities of the members of the delegation. In addition to "routine" monitoring, they spent most of their time Can move freely without interference.

Although the calm and pragmatic British experienced nearly twenty years of life-and-death struggle with Napoleon, when necessary, they could easily put aside their old hatreds and implement the most beneficial policies in their eyes without hesitation. This is indeed the innate expertise of this nation.

Closer to home, as an important member of the mission, Count Alexander Walewski, the illegitimate son of Napoleon, naturally would not miss this opportunity. He visited everywhere in London, from Parliament to the docks, and also actively participated in social activities and attended At every banquet he was invited to.

In this way, he became a British expert in a very short period of time. Through these activities and his status as "Napoleon's illegitimate son", he gained the curiosity and attention of the outside world.

Of course, Alexander himself knew that as an illegitimate son, he could not really get any political legacy from the dead emperor. If he wanted to prosper in the future, he would need to continue to build meritorious services for the empire. After all, his younger brother was by no means a good person. If the person you are serving cannot prove your ability, then you will never have a chance to get ahead after completing your mission and returning to France.

He strives to become famous in London's social circles in order to get close to the target of his trip.

His efforts were not in vain.

On a rare sunny summer afternoon in England, he arrived at a theater on time.

Passing through the bustling crowd, he quickly walked up the stairs, and then came to the box he had already booked.

This box is located on the left wing of the third floor. It is isolated but has a good view. It is indeed a good place to watch the show. However, today, he has no interest in the upcoming show.

After arriving at the box, he took out his pocket watch and checked the time from time to time. Sometimes he looked anxiously at the stage downstairs, as if waiting for something.

Just a moment later, the curtain on the stage slowly opened, and then several actors in costumes appeared in front of the audience, and the audience burst into warm applause.

The carefully prepared play began.

In the middle of this noise, the door of the box that had not been closed was quietly pushed open, and then a tall and thin figure quickly rushed into the box, and then blended into the shadows with Alexander.

With the help of the dim light, Alexander could see the other person's face clearly.

This is a middle-aged man who is close to fifty years old. His hair is curly and his face is wrinkled, but you can still see the traces of his youthful handsomeness. His forehead is broad, showing a magnanimous spirit, but he is shrewd and cunning. His eyes make people wonder if this guy is actually a slippery man who takes advantage of the situation.

This was the big shot he was going to meet today.

In fact, both impressions are correct. Viscount Henry Temple Palmerston always lives in contradictions, but he never feels contradictory.

He has both the magnanimity to convince people with reason and the agility to adapt to the situation, the courage of steel and the supple figure, the love of peace but the frequent waging of war. All his contradictory qualities are unified in the final analysis. That's a word.

Benefit.

In addition to interests, principles are flexible and changeable. They can be friends today and enemies tomorrow. They are capricious but unwavering, just like the embodiment of the island nation itself.

Alexander suppressed the excitement and uneasiness in his heart, bowed slightly to the other party, and then took the initiative to extend his right hand and said hello to the other party in fluent English.

"Mr. Palmerston, I am honored to meet you."

"I am also honored to meet you, Mr. Earl." Lai responded calmly, and then held his hand.

His voice was cold and arrogant, but surprisingly not annoying.

Viscount Palmerston cannot be said to be a popular person in any sense. The late king hated him, most of his colleagues in the party also hated him, and the public was full of distrust of him. But even though In this way, everyone admitted that this Lord was energetic and ambitious. He had the ability and the courage to do great things.

Due to the change of throne and the internal strife of the Tory Party, the current leader of the Whig Party, Lord Charles Gray, is likely to be ordered by the current King William IV to form a cabinet. Palmerston, who has already sensed the political trend, also He abandoned ship early and ran to the Whig side, selling his "talents" for a good price.

Although the Whig Party, which had not been in power for decades, saw hope of rejuvenation, it suffered from a lack of talents with political experience in its own party. Therefore, Palmerston, who had held many important cabinet positions, naturally became the became their important governing candidate.

After months of political turmoil, almost everyone can now conclude that Lord Palmerston will surely hold a key cabinet position once the Whigs come to power.

And this is exactly what Prince Talleyrand wanted to see.

He understands this ambitious junior. He cannot be satisfied just by climbing to the position of a cabinet minister. He wants to be the prime minister, and even more wants to create a great cause and become famous in history. For this, he will do whatever it takes. .

And the French just happen to be able to give him such an opportunity now.

The actors off the stage began their performance, and there was a steady stream of voices and music in the box, but this did not affect Alexander's mood at the moment.

"Sir, I specially invited you here because I hope to talk to you about a very important matter." He whispered to the other party.

Palmerston waved his hand and looked like he was willing to hear the details.

Alexander hesitated for a moment, and then glanced at the door of the box. He placed an entourage at the door responsible for keeping watch, and there was no movement there, which meant that they were not being monitored at the moment.

"Actually, I came to you on the orders of Prince Talleyrand. His Royal Highness hopes to make a big deal with you."

His mysterious tone did not make Palmerston lose his composure, but it was obvious that his eyes were sharper than before.

"I have great admiration for Prince Talleyrand. People often curse him for the bad things he did, but they can't understand that he often prevented bigger bad things from happening. Over the years, although the two of us haven't had much contact, I can still I often feel the light of his wisdom... Even if he is idle at home, he is much better informed than me." After briefly praising the old senior Talleyrand, Palmerston's tone became solemn, "This case Is the sale private to him and me, or is it on behalf of France?”

Alexander knew this was the moment of truth.

"His Royal Highness the Prince made it on behalf of France, and then you made it on behalf of the United Kingdom. His Royal Highness the Prince is currently serving as the head of the provisional government and Minister of Foreign Affairs in France. You must also know that even if His Majesty takes charge personally, he will definitely continue to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs and represent Our Empire; and you, His Majesty the Prince, decide that you too will become Foreign Minister and make your name in history."

Being praised by Alexander in this way, Palmerston couldn't help but smile, but there seemed to be a little sarcasm in the smile, "If Prince Talleyrand told me all this in person, then I Definitely a lot happier - I'm more curious as to how he decided I was going to represent Great Britain."

"Although His Royal Highness is old, he has never stopped thinking and observing the capitals of various countries." Alexander smiled slightly, "He has too much money and too many old friends."

"Well, assuming that it is indeed possible that I will take up the position of foreign minister in the next cabinet, then what kind of business does the distinguished Prince Talleyrand want to do with me?" After laughing for a moment, Palmerston resumed his previous attitude. The coldness.

Because he had seen Duke Bassano make an impassioned speech in front of Prime Minister Wellington before, Alexander followed suit. "He hopes to resolve the Belgian issue with you as soon as possible and satisfactorily, so that this place will no longer be in turmoil, but will usher in a glorious and peaceful tomorrow, and become a model for a new era in Europe..."

Sure enough, when he mentioned Belgium, Palmerston's expression became even stiffer, like a stone statue.

As the future foreign minister, he has certainly considered this issue, and he has even more unique insights on this issue.

But now, of course, he doesn't intend to say it outright.

"People often look at problems from very different perspectives depending on their positions. Maybe the French don't like the solution that the French think is perfect."

"But at the end of the day, dialogue and communication are always necessary, aren't they?" Alexander replied, "Both of our countries are too important that we should know what each other wants to do."

"If your real father had had this awareness, perhaps the blood shed would have been much less!" Palmerston replied.

"I am very sorry for what happened in the past, but it has happened after all, and I can't change anything. But now we can do things that belong to our generation, whether it is to make up for it or to create something new, we can make everything change." It has to be different.”

After speaking, he took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Palmerston. "Sir, this is all that Prince Talleyrand wants to say to you...please take a look at it."

Palmerston did not refuse. In fact, he seemed not surprised by all this - perhaps, after the French delegation came to London, he had been observing secretly for a long time and had guessed something.

He opened the letter slowly in front of Alexander.

Alexander knew exactly what was written in the prince's letter - in fact, when the energetic Prince was writing this letter, he stood by to help polish it. It can be said that this was the first major event that he personally participated in. .

He hoped more than anyone else that it wouldn't go wrong.

Even though the letter said something that could shock the entire continent, Palmerston's expression remained unchanged and did not reveal any trace.

As time passed by, this frozen time was finally broken with his movements.

"I have to say, His Highness the Prince's words are always so beautiful, I find them quite interesting." As he said, he put this significant letter into his arms, then raised his head and looked at Alexander.

"But, unfortunately, how much expectations should I place on him? In today's turbulent situation, no one in France or the UK can be sure how long they can be prosperous... What's more, the prince has already Being so old, who knows what will happen next?”

"Please rest assured that all this is not the prince's whim, but approved by His Majesty! Your Majesty acknowledges all the results - it is just Prince Talleyrand who is responsible for signing. No matter what happens in the future, even if Prince Talleyrand is not here In this world, he will definitely abide by the validity of any treaty, because His Majesty is a responsible person."

Alexander's tone was extremely firm, and this firm attitude seemed to have infected Viscount Palmerston.

Indeed, Alexander's "illegitimate son" status came into play at this moment. In Palmerston's view, since he sent his "family members" here, it is enough to show that the young man attaches great importance to all this, and he is definitely not doing it for fun. Just a joke.

That is to say, he did encounter a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, an opportunity where the French were willing to openly admit to giving up their ambitions in the lowlands.

The achievements that no one has completed for hundreds of years seem to be beckoning to me now. All I have to do is lean down and pick them up...

At this moment, a burst of warm applause broke out from the audience.

England is cheering for me too, isn't it? thought Palmerston.