Eagle’s Glory

“Can you wait until he gives birth to a grandchild before exercising your rights?”

The eyes of the Marquis Noirtier were full of supplication.

At this moment, he was not the all-powerful political trend-setter, nor was he the imperial minister whose hands were stained with blood. He had turned back into an old man over sixty years old.

This look made Edmond Dantès feel pity.

If he had a choice, how could he want to see a similar scene?

"Prosecutor de Villefort was married before I entered the cell. Doesn't he have any children?" Edmund asked.

"There is only one daughter now, named Valentine." The Marquis of Noirtier replied sadly, "She is a very smart and very cute child. He originally married the daughter of the Marquis of Saint-Meran, but the lady has passed away , he recently married a second wife."

Edmund pondered for a moment. As far as he was concerned, there was no big problem in agreeing to this condition - he was not in a hurry to seek revenge now anyway.

However, he also knew that he could not agree to this request broadly. After all, if the prosecutor never gave birth to a son, would he have to give up revenge on him?

"I can wait, sir, but I cannot wait indefinitely, please understand." So he replied.

The Marquis of Noirtier also fully understood the count's concerns, so he nodded, "Okay, let's just wait quietly! If God still has mercy on me, then maybe he will let him have a child with his second wife. Son; if God feels that justice is needed in the world and wants to let him perish, then what can I say? Let's take three years, and we will see the result after three years. Please don't worry, I will keep quiet during these three years. , I will never reveal a word, I am waiting for fate to decide."

The Marquis' words were emotional and reasonable, and Edmund felt that he had nothing to dispute.

"Okay, then let's make an agreement like this." So he nodded and agreed, "Marquis, your son's actions have not undermined my respect for you. Your glorious resume in the past, and what you are doing now in front of me. The demeanor you have shown makes me deeply admire you. You are an upright person. I hope you will always be in good health and dedicate your talents to His Majesty and the people in the future."

"You're flattering me. I'm just an old man in his dying years. What can I praise?" The Marquis smiled bitterly and seemed uninterested. "But I will do my best. I have experienced countless major events in my life. There is very little left behind,

Families were broken, husbands and wives turned against each other, and the country was bleeding into rivers... I hope that when I pass away, I can see a better era coming. "

The Marquis of Noirtier was obviously depressed because of his son's matter. Edmond Dantès and the Marquis of Treville also agreed tacitly and did not stimulate him anymore.

Then, the three people put aside the matter of Prosecutor Villefort, talked about some recent political topics, and tried to figure out the next trends in the political arena - the most important of which was trying to figure out who could be used by the Bonaparte family.

When talking about this, the Marquis of Noirtier finally regained his energy and talked eloquently. Edmond Dantès could hardly speak about these questions. He just listened quietly and memorized them. , just like students listening in class.

At the end, the Marquis of Noirtier summarized the current situation.

"In today's era, it is no longer appropriate to implement autocracy, especially in France after the awakening. A monarch cannot rely solely on swords and guns to impose his personal will on the people, or even ignore his government and parliament. He can only There is no other way than to govern hand in hand with the existing political system and accept the harsh scrutiny and judgment of the people."

As if to prove his own argument, he continued to explain, “When the emperor was restored in 1815, he abandoned his arbitrary authority in the imperial era and declared that he would implement tolerant politics, because he knew that this was the only way. Only then can they win the hearts and minds of the people; and after the return of the Bourbon royal family, although they always want to return to the old era, they also know that it is impossible. King Louis XVIII promulgated the "Charter" is a clear example. He knew that if he did not make a gesture of tolerance, he would immediately be overthrown by the French people like his brother... It can be expected that today, when the people are generally dissatisfied with King Charles X's perverse behavior, if His Majesty wants to win the hearts and minds of the people, he will inevitably We must also adopt a more tolerant posture than before.”

"But... His Majesty is not a tolerant person..." Marquis Treville sighed, "I have been with him for a while and I can see that he is a very open-minded person and is good at listening to other people's suggestions, but He is also very stubborn. Once he makes a decision, he will not allow others to question it and must complete it... It is not easy for His Majesty to tolerate others violating his authority."

Logically speaking, these words must not be uttered by the Marquis de Treville. As a minister, he cannot make irresponsible remarks about the monarch. However, the three people present here at this moment are all core members of the Bonaparte party, so they cannot be said in private. No taboos were violated, and there was even a feeling of being "close enough to His Majesty".

Edmond Dantès also deeply agreed with this. He had stayed with His Majesty longer, so he naturally understood the young man better. "His Majesty is a very proud person at heart. He looks down on those who talk but achieve nothing. He is a practical person and is convinced that he must be right... I don't think this is a shortcoming. If he didn't have these qualities, he wouldn't There will be today’s achievements.”

"You are right. For fools, stubbornness is very dangerous, but for smart people, this is by no means a shortcoming, because smart people often worry too much and look forward and backward. Little do they know that big things are done by those who are single-minded. Did Robespierre have any training in running a country when he was pushed to power? He didn't, but he relied on his stubbornness to stabilize the situation of foreign invasion and domestic rebellion. No matter how many heads he lost, he was able to stabilize the situation. It's his ability - although I have been hunted by him, but I admit this ability." The Marquis of Noirtier smiled and replied, "However, different times have different practices, and I am silently observing that this country is fast. It has been half a century. Although I am now idle at home, I still pay attention to the pulse of the new era... Therefore, I believe that Your Majesty needs to stubbornly realize his ideals while having the skills to adapt to this era. Only in this way Only then can he secure his seat."

"I would like to hear the details." Edmond Dantes suddenly became interested.

The Marquis of Noirtier knew that the Count of Monte Cristo was His Majesty's confidant, and everything he said in front of the Count today would definitely be spread to the young His Majesty's ears soon, so he also worked hard and tried his best to think I must make my "advice" more thorough so that His Majesty can listen to it.

“First of all, he must cooperate with Parliament and treat it as a legislative body that needs to be respected rather than a purely executive organ, but at the same time he must also find ways to tame it and make it cooperate with every action of the monarch and make his intentions fair and aboveboard. After all, our citizens still believe that the parliament represents them!”

"Then how to do it?" Edmond Dantès asked again.

"I have been observing for more than ten years since the restoration of the Bourbon family. Our Parliament is like a big inn. Various factions constantly change their seats as public opinion fluctuates, and every time they bring unexpected guests to the monarch. . For mediocre monarchs, this will make them at a loss. They don’t know how to deal with the chaotic situation and the political winds that change every two or three years; but for the smart monarch, this happens to be the right thing for him to do. With the opportunity, he can hide himself behind the noise of the parliament, use the prime minister and ministers to face this chaotic quarrel, isolate himself from the endless quarrels, exert power aloofly, and win over those who are in the royal family. Opposition." The Marquis of Noirtier replied in a low voice, "I personally participated in the great Constituent Assembly in 1789. Although some people there were boring mediocrities, there were many great people gathered together. It was really a A scene where all the heroes gather together! In comparison, today’s parliament is just a bunch of eloquent but useless little losers. As long as you use your skills, you can easily control them."

From the tone of the Marquis of Noirtier, Edmond Dantès suddenly noticed the Marquis' position for himself, or the price he offered to His Majesty.

Does he want to be His Majesty's spokesman in Parliament in the future?

Edmond Dantès had no opinion on this, neither supporting nor opposing it. After all, this was a decision that could only be made by His Majesty, and he was just conveying it to the past.

He did not resent the Marquis's political ambitions - after all, how could a man do great things without ambition?

"Of course, the so-called respect for Parliament also has risks. In order not to be hijacked by Parliament, I believe that the scope of electoral rights should be expanded, the imperial power should be appealed to all the people, and His Majesty should become the emperor of the referendum of the entire French people - just like his father." Under Edmund's gaze, the Marquis of Noirtier continued, "The Bonaparte family has no history and long lineage, so it can be consolidated with a referendum. It not only appears morally superior, but also creates the legitimacy of the royal family. Sex allows His Majesty to project the image of the 'Guardian of the People'. Whenever the noise in the Parliament begins to cross the line, he denounces these unscrupulous people in the name of the people, and then uses new issues and referendums to stir up the wind. After all, The people's emperor needs the people to protect him. People are willing to spend more money for the people they spend money on, but they are extremely stingy to the people who give them money. The more His Majesty the Emperor gets from them, the more it proves that the royal family The bond with the people is unbreakable.”

The Marquis of Treville secretly laughed at the word "People's Emperor" and almost burst out laughing.

He had personally stayed with Bonaparte and his son, and naturally he had witnessed with his own eyes their father and son's domineering, self-centered and arrogant attitude. For these two people, the so-called "people" had always been just a whitewashed excuse.

However, since it is useful, then you might as well use it, so what’s the problem? At least he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

"If you refer power to a referendum, you can gain temporary support, but it also involves great risks." After pondering for a moment, Marquis Treville raised his own doubts, "After all, you have given others the right to support. , that would allow others to assume that they have the right to object, and strictly speaking, this situation is very dangerous. I think His Majesty neither needs support nor opposition, but only natural obedience."

"So you have pure military thinking..." Marquis Noirtier shrugged, "It is very dangerous for you to bring the military habits to the national level. Today is no longer the Middle Ages. We are a country affected by the Great Revolution. A reshaped country! All idols of authority have been shattered. Our people don’t even obey God. Think about how many priests they killed back then!? For this current situation, we must acknowledge the reality and patiently build the future. A reality-based model of power.”

Then, he smiled slyly, "Besides, you are still a soldier after all. You don't understand that a referendum does not mean that there are two options: support and opposition. It can also only have two options: support and more support! As long as the time and means are available, It's appropriate, and the people will be at peace with it - besides, whoever has the power to count the votes controls the outcome of the vote, and this has always been the case."

The Marquis Noirtier's words were evasive, but the other two people who were doing it understood him clearly.

They couldn't help but smile at each other and secretly sighed that the Marquis was indeed a veteran who had been in politics for many years.

"Hey, you are so good at playing tricks..." The Marquis of Treville secretly sighed, "In my opinion, nothing is better than seizing the army. As long as you have half a million bayonets in your hands, you can say anything. It’s a golden rule, so why think about it so much. The clamor in the Court of Five Hundred was dispersed by the late emperor with bayonets during the Wrigley Coup, and that’s why the empire was born.”

"Of course, for the empire, the army is everything. Your Majesty must control the army and never allow others to get involved, but... this must not be said publicly. Don't forget that the army ultimately comes from the people. If we cannot convince the people , then there will be no troops loyal to the empire - Louis XVI also had hundreds of thousands of troops, why didn't he go to the guillotine?" The Marquis of Noirtier refuted the other party's statement, "Yes, the emperor must be the biggest warlord , but he must not let people see this. He will use parliament and laws, referendums and various circuses to decorate himself, making people forget that his power only comes from the most naked violence-once he is seen through Otherwise, other warlords who think they are qualified will also be ready to take action, and the country will never have peace! Don't forget, after the former emperor seized the country with a bayonet, the first thing he did was to revise the law. That was a truly wise move. ! That’s when I started to admire him wholeheartedly and would do my best to serve him.”

After saying this, the Marquis of Noirtier looked at Edmond Dantès sincerely, "Count, I said something inappropriate in front of you, but these are my life experiences. I implore you to do it for me." I will convey this to Your Majesty...I believe it will definitely be useful to him."