Flowers, Swords and France

With the Emperor's order, the starter fired a gun into the air, and then the horse race officially began. More than a dozen horses started at a speed that ordinary people could hardly see, and then rushed forward quickly at the rhythm they were familiar with in countless trainings, galloping in the track separated by wooden fences. The sound of horse hooves, accompanied by cheers and noises to cheer for the riders, filled the entire world.

Since the horse race began, His Majesty the Emperor and almost everyone on the high platform stared at the galloping horses in the distance, and for a while, the conversation with the Russian envoy Count Litvinsky also stopped. Although they did not shout loudly because of their manners, their concentration was no less than that of other spectators below.

However, as a foreign envoy with an important mission, Count Litvinsky did not pay much attention to the horse race in the distance, but took this opportunity to calmly observe His Majesty Emperor Napoleon III and the important officials around him.

His Majesty the Emperor wore his military uniform, with a plain smile on his face, his gloved hands clasped together, as if he was watching an opera. Everyone knew that this emperor was hard to guess and was used to hiding himself. After two encounters, he felt that the rumor was true. He was indeed a person who was hard to tell what he was thinking.

But now, at least he had a helper.

The ambassador slightly turned his eyes and looked at the ministers beside him, and directly fell on Sir Charles de Treville.

At this time, he immediately found that the minister seemed to feel his gaze at the first time, and then looked at him in the same way, smiled and nodded.

It seemed that he was not too enthusiastic about horse racing itself, just like himself, and did not pay attention to the race at all.

What else would this young man be interested in besides power, wealth and a belly full of evil desires? Such a question suddenly flashed through his mind.

There was no answer to this question, and he found that he still knew too little about this person.

But now was not the time to discuss this issue.

He stood up, and then walked to the side of the minister unnoticed amid the cheers of the others, and then bowed to him very cordially.

"Mr. Minister, thank you very much for your help... You really keep your word."

"I am a man of my word, and you will know better in the future." Charles replied with a smile, "How is it, now you have met with His Majesty? You should be satisfied, right?"

"Very satisfied, sir." The ambassador bowed again, and then changed the subject again, "However, there is still a little regret, after all, the time I talked with His Majesty is too short now."

"Do you want me to arrange a private meeting between you and His Majesty?" Charles asked.

"If you want, you can also listen from the side. I don't intend to keep a secret from you." The ambassador replied immediately.

"No... that won't work." Charles shook his head, "I'm afraid that won't work. I'm not His Majesty's chief steward, so I can't arrange his schedule, and I don't have the ability to make His Majesty do what I like. If you want to have a private meeting with His Majesty, you must fight for it yourself, or submit this request through our Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

The Ambassador shrugged, his eyes revealing a teasing look of "It's already this time, don't be so formal."

"Okay, I know it's not too easy for you, but... since you can bring me to His Majesty at this time, then I think you must be able to arrange a private meeting for us, and I believe that only you can get such a high degree of trust from His Majesty the Emperor."

Then he smiled again, "Of course, we won't make you work hard for no reason."

Under his hint, Charles really pondered for a while.

"So what do you want to talk to your Majesty about?"

"Of course, we want to talk about the friendship and cooperation between Russia and France. Apart from that, we have no other demands on France." The ambassador puffed out his chest and assured Charles, "And don't worry, we will never embarrass a friend like you, and we will definitely say something that will please your Majesty."

Charles still did not answer, as if he was hesitating, or perhaps waiting for something.

"I heard that Her Majesty the Queen of England and His Majesty the Emperor of Austria have both awarded you medals. I think that considering your contribution to Europe, it is appropriate for you to receive another medal from our Russian Empire, Your Excellency." The ambassador immediately made an offer to the minister.

He believed that although the minister was very capable, he also had the common problems of all young people - he was young and energetic, valued vanity, and liked to use honorary titles to package himself, and this was exactly where he could take advantage of it.

"Okay...then I can try." Sure enough, after hesitating for a moment, Charles finally nodded and agreed.

At this time, the horse race had entered its final stages. As it was the sprint stage, the riders and horses no longer held back and used the last bit of their strength to dash forward. The storm seemed to be sweeping over at an even faster speed than before, and the sound of the horses' hooves echoed throughout the entire platform. Almost everyone's attention was focused there, wanting to witness the final winner.

Under the expectation of the crowd, a chestnut horse was the first to rush through the ribbon placed in front of the finish line, and then the rider reined in the horse's head. The horse suddenly stopped its hooves while sprinting, and then stood up and neighed sharply.

Accompanying this neigh was a tsunami of cheers, and some people sighed. And the rider in the hussar uniform also sat on the saddle, waving to the side of the platform as a winner, showing off his victory to the people, and showing his loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor and His Majesty the Queen.

Charles stopped talking, then walked to the railing and looked at the final winner.

"Do you think which contestant won?" Charles put his hand on his forehead and looked over there carefully.

The ambassador also walked to his side and looked together.

"It seems to be number six."

"It's number six? Great! Mr. Ambassador, you are really lucky today!" Charles clenched his fist and looked very happy.

The ambassador knew that Minister Treville had no interest in horse racing, so he guessed another aspect. "Did you buy the winner?"

"No, I bought number five, and I bought it for fun, and it didn't cost much." Charles shook his head, then looked at the other party with a smile, "But our Majesty bought number six."

"That's great!" The ambassador couldn't help but smile.

Under the gaze of the emperor of the empire, the first opening race of the horse race outside the Fontainebleau Palace ended. He really enjoyed the game very much, and was secretly happy because he bought the winner.

What made him even happier was today's lively scene, which could give him an impression of "the empire is full of joy" in front of the people and foreign governments, and make people feel that his empire has been consolidated - every event and ceremony attended by the emperor was for this purpose after all.

There were several more horse races to come, but he didn't have much interest in watching them all the time, and he had many more important things to do.

At this moment, the person who was sitting next to him just now was followed by Charles.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, you have won another victory." The Ambassador bowed to His Majesty the Emperor again, "You are really lucky, and every emperor is blessed by God."

"It's just a moment of good luck." His Majesty's face was full of smiles. Although he was very humble, he was obviously very proud of it. "And it doesn't mean anything, it's just a little trick. By the way, where were we just talking about?"

"I just greeted you and explained to you that I firmly believe that only two great empires standing together can cope with the dangerous situation in the European continent that is now full of storms." The ambassador patiently repeated it again, "And Your Majesty, this is not just my opinion, but the opinion of the current Petersburg diplomatic community. Even our Tsar and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince think so."

The original text is available at Six # 9 @Books/Bar!

"Wow! That's a nice thing to say." The emperor couldn't help laughing, "I didn't know that we are so important in your eyes now!"

"In fact, we have always believed that France is extremely important, Your Majesty." The ambassador did not feel embarrassed at all, but continued to speak in front of the emperor, "Especially now, Europe is being stirred up by some restless forces, making everyone uneasy."

"What do you mean?" His Majesty frowned. "It seems that you are referring to something."

"I am referring to the island country next to you, Your Majesty." The ambassador replied in a sharp tone, "This island country has been sowing the seeds of discord and suspicion on the European continent, and unfortunately they have repeatedly succeeded. Their purpose is very simple, that is, to deliberately make Europe uneasy, to make the various powers on the continent feel resentful and fight each other, forcing everyone to ask them for help, and then they can pretend to be a hypocritical angel who saves the world. The British are so sinister, and everyone can see it."

His Majesty has not answered all the time, but just looked at the ambassador curiously.

It is indeed rare to attack another country in front of a monarch like this.

"You seem to have a lot of opinions about Britain?"

"I am a straightforward person, Your Majesty. And I am pro-French and hate the British." The ambassador answered very straightforwardly, "I think there is now enough evidence to prove that the British are playing their old tricks for centuries, trying to create discord and disputes between our two countries so that they can profit from it."

This is not what the ambassador really said. In fact, an experienced diplomat like him has long erased his personal preferences in diplomatic affairs. He has no special love or hate for any country, and only judges other countries based on the benefits they can bring to his own country. The reason why he said this is, on the one hand, to use sharp words to make a deep impression in front of the French emperor, and on the other hand, it is also to naturally attribute the previous hostility between the two countries to "the malicious provocation of the British", which is more convenient for His Majesty the Tsar to find an excuse to change his course.

It seems that his purpose has indeed been achieved for the most part. After hearing his words, His Majesty the Emperor seemed to be a little shaken.

"So, how do you plan to change this situation?"

"I think there is only one solution, that is, let the powerful countries on the European continent join hands and handle their own affairs, and ignore the loud noises of the gentlemen next to them." The ambassador's tone was a little more resolute, "At the same time, we can also let you not worry too much about the British - in short, your majesty, Europe is not the European Europe of the British, there is no law that requires us to obey the will of the British, if you are attacked and excluded because of opposing the British, then His Majesty the Tsar can guarantee that he will be your backer at that time."

After hearing the ambassador's guarantee, His Majesty the Emperor was stunned for a moment, then suddenly looked up, looked at Charles next to him, and looked at the noisy people around.

"It seems that His Majesty the Tsar really wants to make friends with France and get France out of the shadow of the British?" He deliberately lowered his voice.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I came to France with such a promise and goodwill." The ambassador felt relieved, and then he straightened his back and assured His Majesty the Emperor, "As long as you can show your courage - of course I have no doubt that you have it - stand up, push away the poisoned honey sent by the British, and show the firmness of the French Empire, then His Majesty the Tsar and Russia will definitely stand by your side. We firmly support the sacred and inviolable rights of all major powers to their domestic affairs, and no one else can interfere."

"I understand what you mean..." His Majesty the Emperor nodded gently, as if he understood something.

Then he laughed again and cut off this seemingly dangerous topic. "However, you are new here, you must be tired, right? Lunch will be served soon, I hope you can get enough rest during our hospitality."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The ambassador also stopped his agitation wisely. He knew that haste makes waste, and it was not good to continue inciting in public.

Next, the emperor was going to present the prize to the rider who won the first race. He walked down the platform, and there were cheers all along the way. His Majesty, wearing a formal dress and medals, was dazzling and became the focus of everyone, just like he was the winner.

"You see, your Majesty should be quite satisfied with what I said." Looking at the back of His Majesty the Emperor going away, the ambassador said to Charles.

"I feel the same way." Charles nodded, "But... you seem to be too harsh on Britain."

"I can't be polite to these British people." The ambassador replied, "They have endless ambitions for the world, but they are extremely hypocritical and refuse to admit anything."

"Really..." Charles smiled.

Then, he chatted with the ambassador in a casual manner, but his eyes drifted around, and finally fell on Her Majesty the Queen who had been sitting on the platform.

The young Queen was looking blankly ahead alone, her eyes drifting, and when His Majesty the Emperor walked into the crowd, they cheered like a tsunami, but she didn't seem to see His Majesty the Emperor at all. (~^~)