Eagle’s Glory

Just as His Majesty the King was in the Tuileries Palace and was furious with the heir to the Bonaparte family, whom he deeply hated, another object of his hatred, Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orleans, was also troubled by the young man.

The business of the Bonaparte family is also the business of the Orleans family. It can even be said that they engaged in this business much earlier than the Bonaparte family.

As early as more than 100 years ago, after the death of King Louis XIV, his nephew Philip II, Duke of Orleans, joined the Supreme Court to abolish Louis XIV's illegitimate son Duke of Maine as the regent of Louis XV. , and once employed John Law to create a vigorous financial scam in France.

The previous generation of the Duke of Orleans, in order to seek power, once actively participated in the Great Revolution. He turned his mansion Royal Palace into a revolutionary incitement center, and joined the third estate to attack the kingship, and even later in Louis XVI's The death sentence was voted in favor; and Louis-Philippe, who was still a young man at the time, joined the revolution with his father and became a pioneer of civil rights.

It is a pity that although the duke overthrew the kingship under the painstaking efforts, he was also buried in the fire of the revolution - and was sent to the guillotine by Jacobin, while Louis-Philippe escaped France ahead of schedule and finally saved his life.

During his exile, the Duke of Orleans was once in poverty. In order to make a living, he tried to make a living in various places, and even worked as a governess in Switzerland, but in the end he survived and married the beheaded queen's sister, Princess Amalia, daughter of Caroline, Queen of the Two Sicilies.

Later, with the failure of Emperor Napoleon and the successful restoration of the Bourbon dynasty, the Duke of Orleans naturally rushed back to France.

King Louis XVIII, despite his distaste for the son of the "Kingslayer", acknowledged his royal status and returned to him all the property of the Duke of Orleans' family—for whatever reason In the end, he finally cultivated an opponent for the Bourbon royal family to appease again.

The duke knew that he was not favored by the royal family, so he would never set foot in the court, and consciously kept his distance from the upper class. He took his wife to seclusion in the Neuilly Manor on the outskirts of Paris, and in their married life They had ten children together and formed a huge family-compared to the thin Bourbon royal family, the Orleans family, which had always been a single lineage, suddenly became prosperous, reflecting the prosperity vitality and determination to replace the orthodox royal family.

Although the Duke of Orleans has never extinguished his coveting for the crown, out of strategic considerations, he has been careful and low-key when he returned to the country, and he did not easily expose his ambitions; he put his main energy on cultivating people, He lives a simple life, and treats people with humility and kindness. He is also very generous, and deliberately shows the attitude of "dedicated to handing over" and "li Xian corporal".

In contrast, the current members of the Bourbon royal family are either reactionary, arrogant, or both at the same time, which really doesn't make people feel close.

Over time, the Duke of Orleans became the object of support from some opponents of the dynasty. Some moderate monarchists or constitutionalists who hated the reactionary and high-pressure Bourbon royal family, but did not want to make another revolution, regarded the approachable Duke of Orleans as a man. An ideal future monarch.

With the passage of time, his wings have become more and more full, and his supporters have become more and more. He even formed a force that cannot be ignored in the parliament. At this time, King Charles X, who inherited his brother's throne, has also come to power. The king was stunned to discover that, without making a sound, the Orleans family had formed a new political force, trying to launch a new challenge to the throne.

The king did not forget the disaster that the duke brought to the royal family. He immediately regarded the Orleans family as a great enemy, but now there are many supporters of the duke, and no public charges can be found, so he can only be patient and watch out for a while. While looking for the opportunity to defeat the duke.

Over the past few years, the Orleans family has been looking for trouble for the royal family in various ways. Seeing that the conflict between the two factions has reached a fever pitch, an unexpected change has occurred—

The forgotten little fellow, the poor deceased prince, had fled Austria and made it his life's work to regain the throne.

He tried his best to make a fuss, and in the end he actually made a career. And now, it is clear that he is already eyeing France.

On the one hand, the Duke of Orleans is glad that someone shared his pressure and attracted the hatred of the king; but on the other hand, he is even more troubled by the fact that he has a terrible opponent - compared to the old and unpopular Charles For the tenth king, this young man who is full of vigor and daring to fight is definitely not someone who can be easily defeated.

And his judgment was soon confirmed - just yesterday, he received news from the eastern border area, this non-stop little guy really dared to sneak into France, and appeared in public, published After a speech, he quietly fled.

The Duke of Orleans quickly got the full text of the speech from his own sources, and then he was even more terrified-although the young man's speech avoided a lot of questions, it was emotionally impassioned enough to move people's hearts, and directly. Refers to the royal family, which means that it will be overthrown immediately.

This little guy is really not easy! The Duke reaffirmed this fact.

"We must not take him lightly." The Duke of Orleans put down the letter in his hand, then raised his head and looked at the advisor in front of him, Mr. Finick Gordon. "I'd rather Bourbon stay on the throne than him, because then we can stay here...but if this kid takes the throne, there will be no place for me and my family in France anymore. !"

Phoenix Gordon's expression was as grim as ever.

He knew why the duke summoned him alone, because he was the only one who had met Duke Reichstedt in person and communicated with him among the supporters of the Duke of Orleans. His evaluation of Duke Leichstedt was also based on this. most authoritative.

"When I met him, I felt his unscrupulous arrogance and ruthlessness. It's no surprise that he was able to do what he did today." After a while, he replied to his benefactor in a low voice , "And his eloquence is really good. When the two of us were arguing, they could block me from saying anything."

Hearing that his advisor had been complimenting the little guy, the Duke of Orleans was not angry, he was just a little annoyed.

"We must not take advantage of the Bonaparte family!" he concluded again. "He is also a disaster for me."

"Yes, it is also a disaster for the French people." Phoenix Gordon nodded, "This unscrupulous and eloquent careerist will only bring the French nation into another disaster, and we will never again Can't afford another bloodbath... so we have to stop him."

The Duke of Orleans agreed.

"It's not a bad opportunity for us now." Phoenix Gordon suddenly changed the conversation.

"How to say this?" The Duke was a little surprised.

"From what I know about His Majesty the King, he is absolutely unbearable for this kind of provocation... He will be furious and order the government to severely punish and suppress those Bonapartists - this is an opportunity for you. "Finick Gordon quickly said his thoughts, "You can cooperate with His Majesty the King or even help fuel the flames. The more suspects are dealt with, the more losses the Bonaparte supporters will suffer; at the same time, the King Your Majesty will also be infamous for his rudeness, further losing the confidence of those centrists. As long as both sides are weakened, then you will reap the benefits, and you can make a magnanimous gesture on the surface, and be implicated for those innocent people. talk kindly to the people and try to help them - then people will find that you are the best choice than the reactionary Bourbon and the radical Bonaparte."

"Good idea." The Duke of Orleans' eyes lit up, "The king wants to crack down hard, so we will follow his wishes!"

The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

Then, he frowned slightly, and then said his judgment, "Now we have to hurry up... We can't wait quietly for that little guy to continue to accumulate his fame and supporters, and if we drag it on, maybe the most The time in our favor is coming to an end..."

The Duke of Orleans has always been a calm and pragmatic person. He will carefully evaluate the situation and make judgments. Therefore, he knows that compared with this young man, his courage and eloquence are far inferior. The only advantage is many years. The experience accumulated in the **** storm, and the power accumulated after returning to France early.

And these things will be gradually leveled out by time-now, the seventeen-year-old Bonaparte has accumulated such a reputation and done so many great things, if he were given a few more years Years, God knows what else he can do?

If you watch the situation continue to develop like this, maybe it will not be your turn to claim the throne by then.

And this means that he has to pull down the Bourbon royal family as soon as possible and in a short period of time, and sit on the throne himself, fulfilling the long-cherished wish of the ancestors of the family.

Must ASAP!

The Duke's heart was agitated.

Phoenix Gordon glanced at the Duke of Orleans unhurriedly - he has served with the Duke for many years, so he can easily touch the Duke's mind.

"Your Majesty, your idea is indeed correct, but it doesn't solve the fundamental problem—" He spread his hands, "you step up and take the throne yourself before that kid knocks down the Wang family, that's right. But if you just do With all that said, you're just replacing poor King Charles X and playing the same role, and you're still facing the same crisis, or worse - the king's supporters will turn against you then , and that boy Bonaparte is still staring, and the crisis you face will still give you a headache."

Phoenix Gordon's words were like a basin of cold water, which instantly calmed the excited Duke.

He thought about it and thought it was right.

"Can't we do anything?" the Duke asked in despair, "No...I'm going to be on the throne even if it's just a taste of the sweetness. Besides, I've been preparing for that day for too many years. Now the royal family is crumbling. , is my best chance...I can't imagine myself doing nothing in this situation, dying tragically without wearing the crown on my head, and then I would be shameless to my ancestors."

"No, I'm not saying you shouldn't do it, I'm saying you should do it to the end." Phoenix Gordon shook his head, "Since your biggest obstacle and scruple is no longer the king but that little Bonaparte, then Why not just wipe him off the ground?"

The Duke was stunned for a moment.

"It's not unimaginable... In fact, destroying the opponent's body once and for all is the most reliable means." Phoenix Gordon said coldly, "If it weren't for the fact that the Duke of Guise and Henry III were killed successively. How could Henry IV win the throne so easily and become the founder of the Bourbon dynasty?"

The duke was right to think about it—now little Bonaparte was too young to have any other legitimate brothers, and if he died then everything would be solved.

It is said that his wife Teresa is pregnant, but that doesn't matter. Even if she is lucky enough to give birth to a son, it will be more than ten years later if she wants to set off the storm again. Besides, it is difficult for him to have the ability of a father.

Once and for all, but it is not so easy to achieve.

"It's not that old age anymore - it's not that easy to kill." The duke regained his composure and replied calmly. "And it's too bad for the reputation."

"As long as no one knows you did it - there are people in the world who want his life except you. And you're definitely not the biggest suspect." Finnick Gordon whispered to his lord Said, "Imagine, if Duke Reichstedt really died, everyone would guess that His Majesty the King avenged Duke Enghien? Their anger will burn to Bourbon, which is even more beneficial to you! You You can denounce this murder publicly and make the supporters of the Bonaparte family feel good about you."

"Then... is there any reliable way to achieve it?" After pondering for a moment, the Duke asked in a low voice.

And this question also means that he has agreed to Phoenix Gordon's proposal.

"Few things can be 100% sure of success, but...I do know a person who is capable of carrying out this task." Phoenix Gordon replied cautiously. "Whether it is successful or not, it is at least worth a try."

The Duke of Orleans looked at his advisor suspiciously, as if he had only known him today. "I didn't expect you to make such a suggestion."

"I hate doing it, but I think for France...I need to do it," Finnick Gordon replied sternly.

"Okay, don't tell me this again." The Duke waved his hand suddenly, then stood up, "This kind of thing is not suitable for us to talk about."

Then the Duke nodded slightly, then turned and left.

And there was no disappointment on Phoenix Gordon's face. He knew that his benefactor did not reject his proposal - it was just that he was responsible for everything.

"Then, I'm willing to take responsibility." He whispered to himself.