Flowers, Swords and France

In late autumn, everything seems to have entered a lazy atmosphere. In the green grass next to the Palace of Fontainebleau, the air after the rain is so fresh that it is intoxicating.

The blue sky, after the baptism of the morning rain, now looks spotless and crystal clear, and the white clouds in the blue sky are reflected on the clear Seine River. The fish-scale-like ripples reflect different light points, adding color to the floating clouds and making the surrounding scenery look particularly gorgeous.

Because the leaves are beginning to turn yellow, the mountains in the distance seem to be coated with a layer of gold, covering half of the sky, and connected with the looming frost light, red like a burning flame, the yellow and red are connected into one, giving people an indescribable warm feeling.

At least Charles feels in a good mood now.

Now, he was holding a cane, wandering in the paths and corridors of the Fontainebleau Palace, and beside him were a group of women in long skirts. Some of these women were about 30 or 40 years old, and some were younger. However, their common characteristics were that they were dressed in luxurious clothes and had a reserved attitude. It could be seen that they were the kind of noble ladies who were always respected and used to being bossy.

The woman standing next to Charles looked only about 20 years old. She was wearing a fluffy blue-green gauze skirt in a classical style, which set off her slender figure. The lace on the cuffs was spread out like petals, and a deep red gem flower decoration was pinned on her chest. At the same time, she was wearing silk gloves on her hands, and her slender fingers held the handle of the parasol.

Her facial features were very regular, and her cheeks were a little red. She looked both youthful and energetic, and had a sense of solemnity.

She is Her Majesty Queen Caroline of the French Empire. Today, she came to the Palace of Fontainebleau to inspect the recent renovation of the Palace of Fontainebleau. At the same time, she took this opportunity to relax and feel the fresh air of nature in the beautiful scenery of the lake and mountains here.

In recent times, because he has been in charge of the renovation of the Palace of Fontainebleau, Charles simply put his office in the Palace of Fontainebleau and stayed here most of the week. Although he did this for his own selfish reasons, under his personal supervision, the renovation of the Palace of Fontainebleau progressed very smoothly. The renovation of several key sections has been completed. With their efforts, the original desolation and coldness here has been swept away, and the beautiful scenery of the past has been reproduced.

At least Her Majesty the Queen seems very satisfied with this.

As the Queen of the Empire, she certainly did not come alone. Her attendants and ladies-in-waiting also came with her to inspect the palace and relax. In addition, some noble ladies also came as special guests invited by the Queen.

A few months after marrying the Emperor of the Empire, a small circle of noble ladies had actually formed around the Queen. Although it was much more glamorous than the circle of the Emperor and his ministers on the surface, it was actually full of intrigue and conspiracy. Everyone fought openly and secretly to win the favor of the Queen, which also made the Queen quickly widely accepted.

At least now, Louis-Bonaparte's goal was achieved. He got a queen from the ancient German royal family, and through this queen who was widely recognized and respected, he indirectly raised the value of his empire. At least now people really regarded it as the royal family of the French Empire.

He also respected and loved this wife very much. At present, he was almost obedient to her. He even agreed without objection when Her Majesty the Queen wanted to go out to relax. Although he couldn't come in person because he had to deal with the imperial government, he still ordered the officials along the way and Charles to receive his queen seriously. So generally speaking, the owner of Fontainebleau Palace has changed from Charles to Her Majesty the Queen.

After Her Majesty the Queen came to Fontainebleau today, Charles stopped what he was doing and turned to accompany her to visit the palace. And his wife Charlotte also came here as a lady-in-waiting beside Her Majesty the Queen.

What made Charles even happier was that Matilda also came here with Her Majesty the Queen today.

Although Count De Dillion, the head of the Count De Dillion family, had recently resigned from his post as minister and only received a position as a senator in the Senate as a consolation prize, he had completely lost power in the eyes of the people, and his family had disappeared from the top of the political world, but after Her Majesty came to France, Matilda got to know Her Majesty, and she was very much loved by Her Majesty, and often appeared beside Her Majesty as a friend.

After Her Majesty decided to visit Fontainebleau, Matilda was also invited to go with her. At this time, Matilda and Charlotte were in the crowd, following Her Majesty to tour the entire Fontainebleau Palace.

Under the leadership of Charles, the group had been wandering in the repaired path for a long time. Her Majesty felt a little tired, so Charles took them to the Diana Garden and rested in the pavilion next to the big fountain. ,

At this time, a waiter brought drinking water, and the sweet spring water flowed into everyone's heart. Then, sitting on the marble seats, listening to the gurgling water of the fountain and breathing the fresh air among the fragrant grass, everyone felt relaxed and happy.

"In the afternoon, you can go boating on the Seine River. The scenery on both sides is really nice." Charles looked at Her Majesty the Queen with a smile, "I have arranged for people to prepare the boat by the river. You can go after lunch. You can go to the boat to see it.”

"Oh? Really? That's really good." Her Majesty the Queen could see that she was very happy, with a smile on her face, "Mr. Treville, I really appreciate your trouble... You have to bother to supervise things here when you are so busy at work. Engineering must be very hard, right?”

"As a minister of the empire, it is my responsibility to serve the empire. I don't think it is hard. Moreover, the restoration of Fontainebleau is of great historical significance to the empire, and it is something that His Majesty the Emperor personally entrusted to My mission, this is a supreme honor for me." Charles straightened his back and replied, "I'm just afraid that my lack of experience will prevent this mission from being completed as expected and let down His Majesty. trust."

"No, you don't have to worry about this at all." Her Majesty the Queen shook her head, "I have seen it with my own eyes today. You have done a great job. Everything here makes me very satisfied, even better than I expected." …”

"I'm so grateful to receive such praise from you!" Charles was overjoyed.

The reason why he spent so much effort was, of course, to make the emperor and his wife happy, and the current situation is obvious. It is more useful to make the queen happy than to make the emperor happy. Now that the queen is willing to praise him face to face, then the effort and money he has devoted are Great value for money.

"I'm just worried that you are too enthusiastic, which has caused you and us to suffer undue slander and bad comments... You see, France has not fully recovered from the previous disaster, and many people among the citizens are still Living in poverty, if we only care about our own enjoyment If you say that, it will break their hearts." At this time, Her Majesty the Queen suddenly changed the subject, "Moreover, many people have been muttering in front of us recently, saying that since you can spend money to repair Fontainebleau so well. , that means you privately left more money for yourself..."

Ciel's face looked a little ugly.

"There is absolutely no need for you to be bothered by this, Your Majesty." He raised his head and looked at Her Majesty the Queen, firmly and directly, "The royal family is a symbol of the empire, and it is also the pride that every citizen of the empire is proud of. It is precisely because the country now needs After restoring its vitality, the royal family should show its royal style, give the people confidence, and let the people see the firmness and hope of the royal family. Therefore, rebuilding the palace is inspiring. Only careerists and traitors who maliciously slander do not want to Well done to the Royal Family.”

Then, he laughed disdainfully, "As for the attacks on me...ah, I don't care at all, as long as I can contribute to the empire, as long as the imperial royal family can enjoy what they deserve because of my efforts. The treatment I enjoy, for me these are What does the slander mean? Although I allocated some funds from the ministry to build the palace, this was also to complete the project as soon as possible. I personally did not seek any personal gain from it. As a minister of the empire, I am worthy of the empire and also Worthy of the people!”

"You are really good at speaking, Your Excellency, Minister." During his impassioned speech, Her Majesty the Queen couldn't help but look at him and chuckle, "Well, Mr. Treville, these slanders against my husband and I will not be treated as the same person." It's okay. We all see your loyalty to the empire and the royal family and keep it in our hearts. We will never take the attacks on you by some people seriously... Please continue to work hard in the future and continue to fulfill His Majesty the Emperor's mission. The heavy responsibility entrusted to you.”

"Serving the empire is my never-ending source of motivation." Ciel replied with a smile.

After deciding to let Charles be responsible for the project of rebuilding the Palace of Fontainebleau, His Majesty the Emperor also asked Charles to bear part of the funds-the funds would come from his secret budget in his Ministry of Transport.

After accepting this task, Charles indeed proposed a large amount of money from this secret budget to support the project, and his financial resources were also seen by everyone - many people were whispering, thinking that Charles I got too much money from the Ministry of Communications, and some thoughtful people even said this to the emperor and his wife.

But Charles also knew that the royal family still needed him, and he spent so much money just to save the royal family's face. Therefore, even though many people filed lawsuits against him, the emperor and his wife still had no intention of pursuing him--despite their words. It is said that she does not want to live too luxuriously, but how could Her Majesty really refuse to get a brand-new Fontainebleau Palace? What's more, it doesn't cost the royal family.

Charles actually wanted to ask Her Majesty the Queen who were the people who complained against him in front of her, but there were many people around now, so no matter how concerned he was, he couldn't ask in detail. Besides, even if he really asked The other party may not answer.

After chatting like this for a while, the sun gradually began to reach the top of the sky, and it was getting closer to lunch time. Charles and Her Majesty the Queen, along with her ladies and attendants, left the Diana Garden and prepared to have dinner in the palace.

In order to receive Her Majesty the Queen and her entourage, a lot of game was specially prepared for the chefs here today, some of which were hunted from the forests around Fontainebleau yesterday.

However, before lunch started, people went to the Francois I Gallery in the palace to wander around and admire the sculptures and murals on the walls. King Francois I of the 15th century was very fond of art, especially Italian paintings, so he ordered someone to build a corridor in the Palace of Fontainebleau that could lead directly from his bedroom to the palace church. This is François I. Sowa I Gallery.

This gallery is more than 60 meters long and was completed by Rousseau, the Italian artist favored by Francois I, together with French, Italian and Flemish painters and sculptors. The lower part of the gallery is a protective wall made of golden thin wooden strips, while the upper part is filled with exquisite murals and sculptures, which can be said to be rare fine works of art.

While everyone was immersed in these brilliant and elegant murals, Charles found his wife Charlotte and took her to a room in the corridor.

"Lolot, thank you." He thanked his wife as soon as he entered the room. "I feel that Her Majesty the Queen's attitude towards me has been much better."

"You don't know that I can help you just now, do you?" Charlotte replied with a smile, then sat down to rest, "I have told you before, Her Majesty the Queen can be very useful to us... so You must respect her from now on."

"Of course I know this." Charles nodded, "As long as she is willing to help me, then I will definitely help her."

"You are still the same as always, always helping, can't you be more gentle? She is the queen, you should be more enthusiastic towards her, instead of always acting like we are making a deal. "Charlotte glanced at him, "She is actually not as sinister as you think. I think she is a good person."

"A person can be a good person or the queen of the empire, but she cannot be both, especially an empire and emperor like ours." Ciel shrugged, "But, okay, I will try my best to appear Be respectful to her."

Then, he smiled and let out a long breath, "Charlotte, fortunately you are by her side..."

"I'm not always with her, I just visit her from time to time to relieve her boredom. You know, the Tuileries Palace is in the center of Paris and it's so noisy that it's suffocating." Charlotte sighed slightly, Then he looked at her husband very dissatisfied, "Also, it's about time you finished this place, right? I haven't been home recently, and I haven't seen anyone a few times a month..."

"I'm sorry... I'm really sorry. I will tidy up this place as soon as possible." Charles couldn't help but apologize to her, "Now I have generally taken care of the things here, and I can go home soon."

"Really, this is not your place, why are you so enthusiastic..." After hearing her husband's promise, Charlotte finally felt a lot happier, but she still complained a few words, "Even if you are not here..." Can you let others fix everything here?"

"This project involves a lot of work. I have to personally supervise it. There won't be any problems." Charles smiled again.

Of course, this is just a reason. In fact, the real reason is... After living here for a while, Ciel really fell in love with it.

The place is magnificent, the mountains and rivers are quiet, and more importantly, it has an imperial style, and these are the things that Ciel loves. At first he came here just to vent his anger, but now he likes the feeling of giving orders in the palace, so he has been here recently to direct various matters of the Ministry of Communications, and his subordinates have been here recently. Take his orders as a king would to his subjects.

However, he is not a king after all. When the Queen, one of the real owners of the Palace of Fontainebleau, came here, he felt this painfully, and those who have truly tasted this taste will never forget it. of.

When he thought that he would move back soon, Charles couldn't help but feel a little lost and depressed - even though his home was actually the residence of a former prince.

This depressed feeling turned into a wonderful impulse. He looked at Charlotte, and then suddenly reached out and held her in his arms. "I'm sorry, Charlotte, for keeping you waiting for so long. I...it's time we work hard for the second child, right?"

"You're talking crazy again!" Charlotte's face turned slightly red, and then she let him kiss her on the face, "I never saw you wanting to go home before, and now you're trying to trick me by saying this!"

"Really... I mean it." Ciel looked at the other party seriously. "How about we do it tonight..."

"Don't be ridiculous! If you have something to do, talk about it when you get back, otherwise we will become a laughing stock!?" Charlotte frowned and glared at him, asking him to swallow his words.

Then, Charlotte became serious again, and then whispered in Ciel's ear, "Actually...actually, I think Her Majesty the Queen has other plans."

"What do you mean?" Charles stopped moving his hands and looked at the other person curiously.

"I feel like she...she seems to be trying to win over us," Charlotte said with slight hesitation, "As for the purpose, it should be for the regency."

"Regent?!" Charles opened his eyes wide, feeling a little confused. "Does His Majesty the Emperor mean this?"

Although the emperor liked her very much, it would be impossible for her to serve as regent...

"Of course His Majesty the Emperor doesn't have this intention." Charlotte shook her head, and then continued to explain, "But I think she seems to have this plan. She seems to have discovered that His Majesty the Emperor's health is not very good, and he may die in a few years. There were some situations where she couldn't manage the affairs of the country, so in order to be able to govern at that time, she wanted to win over some important officials of the empire, and we...we seemed to be used as such a tool by her. "

"Is this... is this what she told you?" Charles frowned and thought.

"Of course she can't tell me such a thing!" Charlotte rolled her eyes at her husband again, "I guessed it by observing people's words, but I think it's almost the same - otherwise it would be difficult to explain, she Why are you so kind to us?"

"Really...really..." Ciel felt a sudden realization.

He did not expect that beneath her innocent appearance, Her Majesty the Queen actually had such an unpredictable side and was already making plans for the future.

However, this is not without precedent. There have been many situations in French history where queens or queen mothers have been regents. Even Emperor Napoleon's Queen Louisa briefly served as regent many times when the emperor went on an expedition. If something unexpected happens to the current Emperor Napoleon III's health... Her Majesty's regency is not a fantasy.

"Hey, don't underestimate Her Majesty the Queen because of this!" Seeing that his expression was a little strange, Charlotte quickly said to him, "She is a good person, but she is just a little ambitious. Now that she is the Queen, she doesn't want to be a vase. And isn’t it normal to want to contribute to the country? Napoleon said that a soldier who doesn’t want to be a marshal is not a good soldier, so of course a queen who doesn’t want to be a regent is not a good queen, right? "

"You make sense." Ciel was amused by this metaphor and laughed. "Yes, it's good to be ambitious...I like ambitious people."

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

Friendships based on good intentions are sweet, but there is always a risk of overturning, but if there are interests and needs as a guarantee, then such friendships can last forever. Charles finally found the greatest common ground of interest between him and Her Majesty the Queen.

However, His Majesty the Emperor is only in his forties now, and although his health is showing signs of decline, it has not reached the point of death. Therefore, even if Her Majesty the Queen wants to be regent, she will probably have to wait until the distant future.

I don’t think about these things now, I’m really tired.

Charles found that he and his wife were close together. The mixture of joy and loss made his spirit very sharp and impulsive. Smelling the fragrance of his wife, he couldn't help but suddenly be filled with desire.

We’ll talk about the rest later, let’s do it first. He had basically not interacted with his wife or anyone else for a month, and now he found that he could no longer resist the urge.

"Charlotte..." He kissed Charlotte's face again, and then called softly.

"Don't move... don't do this!" Charlotte kept trying to push him away, but she couldn't succeed. As a result, she gradually fell into a trance. Her husband's breath sprayed on her face, which seemed to have an intoxicating effect on her face. The breath of intoxication.

"If others know..." She flashed this thought until the last moment, and then finally came to her senses. "No! Don't do this!"

She pinched Ciel's neck hard, causing him to wake up from the pain. "Char, do you want us all to become a laughing stock? Stop being ridiculous! Get out, get out!"

Then, she hurriedly pushed her husband out of the room, while she was repacking the messy clothes in the room.

Charles was kicked out of the room by his wife. His desire did not subside and he only felt a little uncomfortable all over his body.

"Hey, why are you so shy now that you're in this position!" He couldn't help but curse in a low voice, and then left the room.

At this time, Her Majesty the Queen and her entourage were still admiring the murals, but Charles looked around, but did not see Matilda.

Where has she gone?

Ciel was a little confused, and then his feet suddenly started walking of their own accord.

Finally, he found her in the Diana Gallery, where she was admiring the frescoes. The murals here are based on the story of the goddess Diana and the sun god Apollo, and are solemn yet interesting. This gallery was built by Henry IV for his queen in 1600. The pattern of its fine wooden wainscots represents the story of the gods and the wars that Henry IV participated in. Napoleon I renovated this hall and repaired it. These murals.

Matilda was looking at these murals seriously, sometimes carefully pushing up the glasses on the bridge of her nose. In Charles's sight, she looked pale and slender, as if she were the embodiment of literature.

"Matilda?" Charles greeted as he walked over, "Why are you here alone?"

"Char...?" After hearing Charles's call, Matilda finally interrupted her thoughts, then suddenly turned her head and looked at Charles in surprise and joy, "I...I think that It’s so lively... so I plan to visit here alone, it’s also very beautiful.”

"It's really like what you did..." Charles smiled and then walked up to her.

"...Besides, if I'm here, I don't have to hinder anyone." Matilda suddenly added.

Ciel was stunned.

"Actually, are you here to avoid Charlotte?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes... I mean that a little bit. She... she still hasn't forgiven me now. She didn't say a word to me just now." Matilda smiled bitterly, "Maybe she will never forgive me in the future. , but I don’t blame her, it’s my fault.”

"This is our fault, Matilda." Charles held her hand, "Don't blame yourself, the fault is all mine."

"How can I not blame myself harshly?" Matilda smiled bitterly, her eyes behind the lenses looked moist and lost, "I fell in love with someone I shouldn't have loved, and as a result I incurred God's punishment, so I should go alone Bear the consequences...and you, of course, can enjoy your life, with your wife."

"...I'm sorry." Charles heard some of her unspoken complaints, "I'm sorry...I've been too busy recently, so I can't come over to see you."

"You have nothing to ask me for now. It's normal even if you don't see me, right?" Matilda still smiled bitterly, "I can bear such an ending."

"No... no, you are wrong!" Charles quickly explained to her, "I... I will never leave you, and you will not let me leave you."

"Really?" Matilda still didn't believe it, but looked at him resentfully. "So, I have been waiting for news from you, even a letter, but why haven't I received it? Why do you have to wait for me to come before you see me? Don't use such words again. You cheated on me..."

This pitiful confession made Ciel feel even more guilty.

To be honest, he has been staying in Fontainebleau these days. Apart from supervising the project, he also has to deal with matters in the ministry. How can he take care of flirting with others?

However, Matilda's accusation does have its own truth.

Seeing Matilda looking a little sad and melancholy, the desire that was forcibly extinguished by his wife came to his mind again.

He moved his eyes around to make sure there was no one there.

"I'm sorry. It's just because I've been too busy recently." Charles apologized and hugged the other person directly. "Please believe me, I will never do this again..."

Then, he simply hugged Matilda and walked to a room next to the corridor.

"What...what are you doing?!" Matilda was obviously a little surprised. She was just as surprised as Charlotte just now. She obviously didn't expect that Charles would dare to act so boldly.

"You were right just now. This is our fault, so we must bear this mistake. Moreover, I have a better way to prove myself." Charles lowered his head and looked at Matilda, "Well, I I want to use practical actions to prove that I have not forgotten you at all.”

"You...you..." Matilda's face turned red instantly, "You don't want to be here...?"

"Yes, right here... This is interesting, isn't it?" Charles laughed, carrying her directly into the room, and then gently closed the door.

This is a library. Although it has been cleaned recently and there is not much dust, there is no bed for resting.

But of course Charles didn't care about this small difficulty. He walked directly to the back of the room and placed Matilda on a desk.

Then, his hand began to rub Matilda's body gently, and then reached through the opening of the skirt on the chest.

"No! Don't do this, sir!" Matilda finally regained her consciousness. She grabbed Charles's hand and looked at him almost pleadingly. "Think about it... your wife, you still have Her Majesty the Queen is right opposite us!"

Ciel thought about what she said.

Then...he got even more excited.

There were some bloodshot eyes in the corners of his eyes, his breathing became heavy, and his whole person seemed to have turned into a beast.

"Yeah! So what!" He yelled, then reached directly to Matilda's back, unbuttoned her skirt, and then he saw large swaths of dazzling white greasy, which seemed to make the whole body The room is a little brighter. And he himself had already taken off his pants.

Then, having been completely swallowed up by desire, he directly lifted Matilda's feet, and then pressed down on her.

Matilda was still pleading with him to stop at first, but in the end it turned into a muffled moan that she couldn't tell what she was saying. Surrounded by these books, the two of them began the most primitive human activities. (~^~)