Eagle’s Glory

Just as the Marquis of Treville cheered for His Majesty's journey and sent his only son Edgar de Treville to Greece to join in the grand occasion, the Paris court finally received news from Greece.

The surname Bonaparte, after a lapse of more than ten years, finally once again surprised the French monarch.

In 1815, Napoleon landed in France and restored the empire. At that time, the king of France was Louis XVIII, the younger brother of Louis XVI. Today, in 1827, the throne of France has been replaced by Charles X, the younger brother of Louis XVIII.

Compared with his slightly more open-minded brother, Louis XVIII, Charles X was much more conservative. From the moment he came to power, he abolished some of his brother's reconciliation policies, and only trusted the most conservative nobles around him. The rule is only accountable to God.

The king, who only ascended to the throne after the deaths of his two older brothers, has been on the throne for three years. During these three years, he has appointed close ministers who are most in line with his personal political views to run the country and overthrow Louis XVIII. The policy of reconciliation sought to rule France as absolutely as Louis XIV did. He had a famous saying, which aptly confessed his ruling goal - "It is better to cut down trees for a living than to rule like the king of England!"

He also maintained his rule with this fanaticism.

In order to interrogate a large number of revolutionaries and sympathizers of Napoleon's empire, the Restoration Dynasty established military courts and special courts. The "kingslayers" of the year, namely the members of the National Convention who voted for the execution of Louis XVI, and the generals who voted for Napoleon in the "Hundred Days" were not spared. Was directly dismissed, and can only receive half salary as retirement compensation.

Under such a severe purge policy, he thought that the Bourbon royal family's rule over France would be as rock-solid as his ancestors' reign, at least until the end of his life, but at this time he found that the nightmarish The surname surrounded him like a ghost, making him restless.

In 1789, the French Revolution broke out. Because the famine in Paris was not resolved, it intensified. The angry citizens and women gathered on October 6, 1789, and went to the Palace of Versailles to petition, and then forcibly took Louis XVI. He and his family were taken hostage to the city of Paris, and then placed in the Tuileries Palace in the city.

Since then, the Tuileries has replaced Versailles as the forbidden palace for French monarchs.

During the reign of Napoleon I, he lived here for a long time, and spent a lot of manpower and material resources to renovate the interior of the Tuileries Palace on a large scale, adding many luxurious furnishings, as well as oil painting murals; after Napoleon abdicated for the first time in 1814 , the Tuileries became the palace of the restored Bourbon Louis XVIII. For the same consideration as Napoleon, Louis XVIII did not restore the palace status of Versailles, but continued to live in the Tuileries.

This luxurious palace has witnessed the entire history of France in the 19th century.

Monarchs belonging to different families come and go in it, issuing orders, but no one has completely tamed this rebellious and enthusiastic country.

"I knew this little **** wouldn't be safe!"

In the study room of the Tuileries Palace, the aged King Charles X was furious with his prime minister, the Count of Villers. "He used to talk to me to seek reconciliation before, saying that he respected me as the king and had no interest in French affairs. In the end, every word was a nonsense lie! The bad seed is the bad seed, and the naturally vicious blood has been passed down! How could the Habsburg emperor be so stupid to let this man grow up healthy?!"

The Count of Villers just lowered his head and let His Majesty the King vent. He knew that His Majesty was in a fit of rage, and he could only discuss the issue after he had finished venting.

Last year, the Duke of Reichstedt, who lives in the secluded Schönbrunn Palace, took the initiative to write a letter to his Majesty the King, and stated that he had absolutely no intention of interfering with his rule.

Although no one at that time would believe the sincerity of this little guy, but since he said so, His Majesty the King was of course also happy to write a warm reply, thanking him for his general knowledge, and encouraging him to study hard, so as to serve the Habsburg royal family in the future. service.

However, no one expected that Duke Reichstedt fled Vienna not long after the reply was sent, and looking back, every word of his letter turned into a sharp irony.

Although the teenager has not set foot in France yet, and has not even sent any declaration to France, everyone knows that there is only one thing he is plotting-that is the throne occupied by His Majesty the King at this time.

After venting his anger, His Majesty the King finally calmed down a little.

"This little guy must never be allowed to do whatever he wants," he said coldly. "We must find a way to stop him."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I think so too." Count Villers nodded immediately and said yes, "If you allow, I think we can send the Mediterranean Fleet and part of the army to destroy him."

"In what name?" asked the king.

The Prime Minister was at a loss for words.

Indeed, judging from the information received, at least so far, the Duke of Reichstedt has not played the banner of being an enemy of the French king, and even his own title is an unknown Fontainebleau Knight Commander. And what he did was to help the liberation of Greece.

If you put aside his identity, this is almost a righteous act worthy of admiration.

The French people have always held sympathy for the cause of Greek independence. Although this sympathy does not mean military intervention and financial support, the forceful annihilation may greatly go against the will of the people.

What's more, for a dignified king of a country, he panicked at the slightest move by a young man. What is the proper way to speak out?

He had thought about these things before, but he didn't say it because the king was angry. He didn't expect His Majesty to be angry, at least he was still thinking calmly.

"Then what do you think should be done?" asked the Count of Villers cautiously.

"We have instructors stationed in the Egyptian army. Send a secret order to let those instructors instigate and help Ali Pasha to eliminate these Greek traitors as soon as possible, especially to wipe out the supporters of Bonaparte." His Majesty the King He stated his plan, "On the bright side, let's not be too provocative, you have to emphasize to other countries that Bonaparte is not only our enemy, but also the enemy of the whole of Europe and human civilization, and we cannot give them A place to stay."

The Count of Villers secretly said that the opinions raised by His Majesty coincided with his own thoughts.

He himself knew that the rule of the Bourbon royal family was not popular nowadays, and the nostalgia for the Bonaparte family was gradually spreading in France. More sympathy for him - because on the surface he was not fighting France.

If you can borrow the Egyptians to do it, then the situation will be much better.

"Okay, Your Majesty, I will execute your order immediately." He immediately agreed.

The king frowned, looking angrily at the frescoes on the wall.

"I hope that God will send the punishment of God as soon as possible, like his father, so that this little **** will be wiped out, so that our country will avoid disaster." "

After cursing viciously, he turned to look at the Prime Minister again.

"Do you have anything else to report?"

The Count of Villers was silent for a moment, and then decided to tell the truth.

"There is evidence that students in Paris and some other provincial cities are secretly connecting to petitions"

In 1826, under the push of King Charles X, the French Parliament passed a new publishing law, implemented a severe censorship system, and threatened publishers with fines to suppress public opinion.

However, this backfired. The government's draconian measures, instead of quelling public opinion, sparked protests everywhere, especially the students and intellectuals in Paris who were disgusted and denounced the government in various ways.

If it was just some students making trouble, of course the king didn't care, but behind the protests that spread everywhere, there was always a ghost that loomed.

"Is the Duke of Orleans behind your back?"

"Yes, there is a lot of evidence to prove that the supporters of the Duke of Orleans are inciting and participating in these protests." The Prime Minister replied immediately.

The king's footsteps also became restless.

"The Duke is not only in secret contact with the protesters, he is also bribing parliamentarians from all over the country to continue to oppose the government in order to intensify the confrontation between the government and the opposition." The Prime Minister continued, "Your Majesty, the activities of the Duke of Orleans have become more frequent recently. I have reason to think that they want to make a mess."

Inadvertently, His Majesty the King clenched his fists angrily.

Compared with Greece, which is far away, France itself is more worthy of their worries.

The name Orleans disgusted him more than the disgusting Bonaparte.

Because, the Duke of Orleans family is threatening his throne at the moment, and they are not afraid to use various or dark means to shake the rule of the Bourbon royal family.

From the beginning of the restoration, he firmly supported the strict liquidation of the revolutionary leaders who rebelled during the Great Revolution, as well as those who firmly supported the Bonaparte family. Under his severe crackdown, a large number of political enemies and civilians were killed inexplicably.

The White Terror also provoked hatred and counterattacks from his enemies, and on February 14, 1820, his youngest son, the Duke of Berry, was assassinated.

The killing of the prince not only brought grief and anger to the Bourbon royal family, but also brought about a crisis of succession:

Louis XVIII had no children, and his heir could only be his younger brother, the later King Charles X; King Charles X had two sons, but the eldest son, the Dauphin, had no heirs, and the younger son, the Duke of Berry, was killed. At the time, there were no sons, only Princess Mary Caroline, the Duchess, who was pregnant at the time, and the children were unknown.

According to the ancient French inheritance law, women have no right of inheritance, which means that if the pregnant Princess Caroline gives birth to a daughter at this time, then the throne can only flow to the nearest royal family in the future. In the hands of the side branch—this side branch is the family of the Duke of Orleans.

The Duke of Orleans, whose ancestor was Prince Philip, the younger brother of Louis XIV, was also the closest royal branch by blood and the royal family.

The dignity of blood not only gave them a lot of wealth and honor, but also gave them the ambition to covet the throne. In the era of the Great Revolution, the Duke of Orleans actively participated in the revolution to shake the rule of the royal family. The Royal Palace became a meeting place for revolutionary leaders, and the duke even voluntarily gave up his title of nobility and changed his name to Philip-Equal to please the masses.

Later, at the trial of Louis XVI, the duke voted in favor of the death penalty.

However, he was not able to control the fire of the revolution. In the following era of great terror, the duke of the speculative revolution was finally sent to the guillotine by Jacobin, and all the conspiracies became a dream.

Although the duke died, his blood and ambitions were not cut off. His son Louis-Philippe fled France and finally returned with the restoration of the Bourbon royal family, regaining the title and great wealth of the Duke of Orleans .

The Bourbon family has not forgotten what the Duke of Orleans did in those days, and some people even scolded them as monarchs; and the Duke of Orleans has not forgotten their ancestors' ambitions, buying people's hearts everywhere, and singing against the royal family. It is known to all.

It is conceivable that the death of the Duke of Berry has brought much panic to the Bourbon royal family, and has brought much hope to the Duke of Orleans family - they are about to take the throne by peaceful means without bloodshed.

However, at the last moment, fate once again took pity on the troubled Bourbon royal family.

On September 29, 1820, the Duchess of Berry gave birth to a son at the Tuileries Palace, and the little prince immediately became the future heir to the Bourbon family, whom King Charles X called a God-given child.

The Duke of Orleans and their supporters were even more angry when they saw the throne in their hands fall.

They took advantage of the fact that the royal family was not present when the duchess gave birth to the child to spread rumors, claiming that the son was replaced, and the duchess replaced the daughter she gave birth to with a child adopted from outside.

(In order to determine the bloodline of the royal heirs earlier, the French royal family had a rule that the royal family members must be present when the queen gave birth. But this rule was abolished by Louis XVI during his reign, and he was reluctant to let his queen bear childbirth. She was surrounded by people when she was in pain, so the Duchess did not violate the rules.)

Under the deliberate manipulation of the Duke of Orleans, the rumor spread and was trumpeted by disgruntled opponents of the Bourbons.

Bloodline is what the nobles care about the most. Questioning the bloodline of the grandson will make the king furious more than any attack. He will never forgive the Duke of Orleans.

"It seems that I will take decisive measures to eliminate all these parasitic insects in the kingdom." He said angrily.

"Your Majesty, it is not advisable to act rashly at this time. The Duke has many supporters." The Prime Minister quickly advised.

"If we deal with it now, we still have time. I'm afraid it will be too late to hesitate." The king replied. "I'm going to arrest them all!"

The Prime Minister was silent for a while. He knew that this topic should not be involved at the moment, so after thinking for a while, he decided to change the topic.

"The ambassador to Vienna, Earl Tylerwin, is familiar with Eastern affairs, and has met with the Duke of Reichstedt before, and is at least a little familiar with him. I suggest sending him to Constantinople. I think he can handle it properly. Okay."

"That's it." The king nodded.

Orleans, Bonaparte, both inside and out, make him extremely annoyed, and if he can't handle it a little, they are all scourges.

What he is most worried about is that he is old, the crown prince is incompetent, and the grandson is still young and ignorant. If he drags it on, God knows what will happen.

"It's time to prepare for this." After thinking for a moment, he emphasized it again.