Eagle's Glory

The two people looked in the direction of the sound at the same time, and found that Chanel was running towards them.

"What's the matter? Chanel?" The smile on Princess Sophie's face disappeared and she asked Chanel.

Although her tone was quite gentle, Chanel was quite frightened, she stopped quickly, and then bowed down.

"Sorry, Your Highness Princess. Just now His Majesty the Emperor wanted to summon His Highness the Duke, so I...I have to disturb you, please forgive me!"

"Your Majesty looking for him?" Princess Sophie was a little surprised.

Then she was slightly annoyed. "That old man is really good at timing! We are all so interested!"

But there is no way, after all, His Majesty the Emperor is the only person she fears here, so even if she feels a little unhappy, she can only swallow the bitter fruit.

"Your Highness, I'm sorry...I have to go." Aigron looked at her with some embarrassment, "But it's okay, we can try again when we have time."

"Well, that's how it is." Her Royal Highness nodded helplessly, "Aigron, I'll take you to the theater later, and we won't be disturbed when we practice there."

"You're right." Aigron thought deeply, and he wished that Princess Sophie would take him there as often as possible.

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Aigron bid farewell to Princess Sophie, and under the guidance of the attendant, came to the luxuriously furnished office of His Majesty the Emperor.

Like the overall style of Schönbrunn Palace, this room is luxuriously decorated, with exquisite decorations everywhere, chandeliers on the ceiling, thick and intricately patterned cashmere carpets on the floor, beside the desk, There is also a large globe with Latin inscriptions on its base.

In this resplendent and resplendent room, he was surprised to find that his mother, Luisa, Grand Lady of Palma, was also there.

His maternal grandfather, His Majesty Emperor Franz, was sitting behind the desk, looking at him with great interest.

"Frantz, are you feeling better now?" After Aigron finished saluting, he nodded slightly. "During the dinner that day, I saw that your condition seemed to be very poor."

"Thanks to your blessing, I have recovered." Aigron replied respectfully, "I ask you to forgive me for my inappropriate behavior at that time."

"It's okay, it's just a private dinner in our family, and who stipulates that we must talk about individuality?" His Majesty the Emperor shook his head, expressing that he didn't think it was disobedient at all. "If you're not feeling well, you shouldn't hold on. It's better to rest earlier."

At this moment, his expression can be called kind. After all, His Majesty the Emperor can show the generosity of his grandfather in such trivial matters.

"By the way, you met Archduke Karl yesterday, how do you feel?" His Majesty the Emperor asked again.

"The Archduke has taught me a lot, and I will always keep it in my heart." Eggron replied.

"You should be humble in front of your elders, but it's better not to remember some words." His Majesty replied with a slight sneer, "After all, he has a bit of resentment."

Obviously, what the Grand Duke said yesterday has already been conveyed to him verbatim, and those complaints about the past history also made His Majesty the Emperor unhappy.

Just like any powerful ruler, His Majesty Emperor Franz could not tolerate doubts about him, even if the doubts came from his own brother.

Eggron bowed his head and said nothing.

After all, the emperor's younger brother can speak ill of the emperor, but he can't say a word no matter from any standpoint.

"Okay, the past has nothing to do with you, and you don't have to take any responsibility for what he said." His Majesty the Emperor stretched his expression again, "I just want to ask you, Franz, your mother wants you to be with Karl What do you think of the grand duke's marriage?"　　

33, Frank

"I just want to ask you, Franz, your mother wants you to marry Archduke Karl, what do you think?"

His Majesty's tone was as gentle as usual, and he did not express any opinions of his own.

But of course Aigron knew that without his acquiescence, how could his mother have the ability to make money for herself?

Maybe he doesn't necessarily like Teresa, but he must be happy to see himself continue to be an Austrian through and through.

He had already considered a similar scenario beforehand, so he responded quickly.

"Grand Duke Karl has a great reputation and outstanding achievements, and I have always admired her very much; and Princess Teresa, although I have never been in touch with her before, after meeting, she is also very friendly to me, which makes me very happy. So it must be an unparalleled honor for me to be favored by Her Highness the Princess. But... I don't think I have enough capital to attract her and her father..."

After hearing what he said, His Majesty the Emperor and Luisa looked at each other.

"In other words, you have no objection?" Emperor Franz asked directly.

I have no objection - Egron originally wanted to say this, according to his calculation, with the help of Grand Duke Karl's fame, he can gain more room for action.

But as soon as the words came to his lips, he remembered the words he said in front of Princess Sophie just now...

"I can only say that I am willing to give it a try... but I am not confident that I will be recognized by His Highness." So, it finally became this answer.

"Oh, what a stubborn kid." After hearing his answer, Louisa couldn't help laughing. She thought her son was shy, "Why are you ashamed to admit it? At your age, yes You should think about your life as an adult."

"Okay, there's no need to scold. Young people are a bit shy, and Franz is an introverted child, so it's good to be able to express his opinion to this extent." His Majesty the Emperor nodded, expressing that he had already understood the boy's thoughts, "In addition, your objective concerns do exist, so it's only natural that you worry about gains and losses..."

After pondering for a moment, he spoke again, "However, you don't have to worry so much. As my grandson, you are as noble as any king and grandson. And I know Karl, and he is not a vulgar and snobbish person." Man, he doesn't value money so much, as long as you can show that kind of quality that can impress people, I think he will consider it. As for Teresa, as long as her father nods, her own thoughts are not so important Now, just treat her as a friend and be kind to her, she will get used to it after a long time."

"Your Majesty...!" Before Aigron could reply, the Grand Duchess Luisa was a little dissatisfied, "You are a little too contemptuous of Teresa, I don't think it should be like this. After all, this is about the happiness of two young people, If Teresa holds a firm opposition to this matter, then I will take back my efforts and make my proposal invalid. I don't want to be the object of her hatred all my life, and I don't want to be the creator of tragedy myself."

His Majesty the Emperor was a little taken aback by his daughter's sudden tough attitude, but he soon realized that he had inadvertently reminded her of his dreamy career as a queen of the French Empire in the past.

At that time, she seemed to be sent to France by him with this attitude... Although it was the need of the country, he still felt a little guilty towards his daughter.

"Oh, sorry, I made a slip of the tongue." His Majesty the Emperor smiled awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Luisa, I didn't mean that, Teresa's thoughts are of course very important."

Although it is said so, in the eyes of the emperor, or in the eyes of the vast majority of the world, things have always been like this, and the tradition of the Habsburg family is also like this.

Metternich once said publicly when he was brokering the marriage of Napoleon and Louisa that the princesses were nothing more than tools for marriage.

"Okay, since Franz has no objection to this matter, let's put it on the family's agenda in a serious manner." Emperor Franz changed the subject, breaking the awkward atmosphere, "No matter what the result is, It’s a good thing to make this place more lively.”

As he grows older, His Majesty the Emperor has lost hope of continuing to have children, and the two sons have been unable to come to the world because of their respective circumstances, and the grandson has been unable to come to the world for a long time. His knees are quite desolate, so sometimes he will miss his childhood Meiquan very much. The excitement of the palace.

"Frantz, I hope you will show what you should do so that your mother and I will not be disappointed."

Then, he waved his hand lightly, signaling the mother and son to leave, and Aigron resigned knowingly, and he could clearly see the exhaustion on His Majesty's face.

With the departure of Louisa and her son, the spacious office suddenly seemed even more empty.

His Majesty the Emperor closed his eyes and took a nap for a while, until he regained his energy, he opened his eyes again.

"What did Metternich say?" he asked, looking at the papers on the table.

"Prime Minister Metternich is quite satisfied with the candidate chosen by the court." The attendant behind him replied respectfully, "He proposed to use marriage to continue to hold the surname Bonaparte in his hands. Sharing takes ownership."

"When he talked about the royal family, he used the same tone as when he discussed the goods on the shelves with the merchants." His Majesty the Emperor frowned, showing some impatience. "I'm really worried that after I'm gone, he's going to take personal control of the country in the name of the Habsburgs."

His Majesty's worries are not groundless, because Crown Prince Ferdinand has a congenital mental illness and mental retardation. If he dies and the Crown Prince ascends the throne, he is doomed to be unable to achieve personal rule, and can only rely on the Prime Minister's assistance— — or Regent.

Metternich has indeed done this in history. He also happily manipulated a marriage, allowing Crown Prince Ferdinand to marry Princess Mariana of the Kingdom of Sardinia. It's all wasted on taking care of this mental patient.

"Your Majesty, although His Excellency the Prime Minister does have a strong attitude at times, his loyalty to the empire is unquestionable." The aide whispered to remonstrate with His Majesty, "To get through this turbulent era, we need a strong man like him. "

"You are right." His Majesty the Emperor nodded.

Then he changed the subject again, "So is there anything else Metternich wants to tell me?"

"There is one more thing." The attendant leaned down slightly, and leaned into His Majesty's ear, "According to the information obtained so far, the tariff negotiations between the Prussians and the Duchy of Hesse are nearing completion, and it is very likely that an agreement will be concluded. agreement to form a customs union."

Upon hearing this news, His Majesty the Emperor's originally relaxed expression suddenly became serious.

"Savage Prussians!" he cursed a little after a moment.

It is no wonder that His Majesty the Emperor was so furious. In the eyes of the Austrian Empire, the efforts of the Prussians and other German states to establish a customs union will not only have economic impacts, but will also bring political threats.

Since the Middle Ages, Germany has been in a long-term division. There are many states, and the currency and weights and measures systems are even more varied. Each separatist force has also set up checkpoints to collect commercial taxes. As a result, the development of German commerce and trade has been greatly hindered. .

With the demise of the Napoleonic Empire in 1815, the national consciousness of the Germans began to rise, and the voice of the bourgeoisie became louder and louder, demanding the cancellation of border checkpoints and the establishment of a unified German market and a unified tariff system.

At the Vienna Peace Conference, the German states were already considering the proposal to establish a unified tariff system, but while supporting it, the monarchs of each state were somewhat hesitant about it, worrying that after abandoning their respective independent systems economically, it would cause various problems. The independent sovereignty of the state was damaged, and even a supranational Germany controlled by the bourgeoisie emerged.

The special situation of the multi-ethnic rule of the Austrian Empire amplified this anxiety even more. They worried that the unification of Germany would eventually lead to the disintegration of the empire.

So Metternich turned to delaying tactics, using empty rhetoric to prevaricate the outside world while doing nothing, trying to make the proposal a dead letter.

However, Prussia picked up this proposal. They not only hoped to unify the German market and develop the economy, but also regarded it as a tool to weaken Austria's influence in Germany. In 1818, Prussia promulgated a new tax law to promote liberal taxation. And commercial policies, cancel the ban on all commodity imports, and at the same time abolish domestic taxes and commercial checkpoints, and establish a unified tax system.

In the next few years, they have been working hard to promote the initiative of the Customs Union, and the Principality of Hesse became the first state to waver because of its small size and high economic dependence on Prussia. Judging from the current situation, it may soon It will be a formal proposal.

"A mere Hessen is nothing." The attendant looked at His Majesty the Emperor cautiously, not daring to offend him, "But Your Majesty, if other countries follow suit, it will definitely put our country in a very disadvantageous position... ..."

"Let Metternich put pressure on the Prussians, and don't let the Prussians get ahead." His Majesty the Emperor frowned, obviously quite unhappy, "These Prussians have always been used to pretending to be a big country, without us, they can't do anything. As long as we are tough enough , they'll know what's good and what's wrong."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The attendant bowed.

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Of course, the mother and son who had left the office had no way of knowing His Majesty's anger. They walked side by side in the long corridor towards Aegron's residence.

Although they have been silent to each other, Aegron is in a good mood. In his heart, his impression of Louisa is also much better at the moment.

No matter what purpose she used to promote the so-called marriage plan, in the final analysis it was considered a good intention, at least it proved that she did not completely ignore herself.

"Frantz." When she was about to reach the door, Louisa finally stopped. "I know how I treated you before, so I don't expect you to be grateful to me; what I do now may not be enough compared to a normal mother... But, in my position, I have tried my best And for."

Aigron also stopped and looked at his mother.

The Grand Duchess's expression at the moment is both arrogant and reserved, but also a little expectant.

"I've always been puzzled." He asked his mother in a low voice, "Why are you so active on this issue? You obviously don't care much about me normally."

"Because you are my eldest son after all, if you can become the son-in-law of Grand Duke Karl, then for me, this will be one of the few achievements in my ordinary life. It can be regarded as a consolation..." Louis Sha sighed, her eyes softened a lot, "Also, if you are rich and powerful, the children of Earl Nepeg and I will also be able to add luster. After all, it is impossible for them to be married to the royal family... If my plan is successful, maybe They can count on you in the future."

According to the ancient feudal tradition, only the royal families will marry each other. After all, the Earl of Nepeg is just an ordinary nobleman, so his and Louisa's children can no longer be counted as members of the royal family, but Eggron is actually a real royal family. The Nabals were everywhere married to royalty, and so were their descendants.

It's also a different kind of "when I beat them hard enough, they'll admit I'm one of them".

After hearing this, Aigron was not angry, but his mother's frankness made him respectful.

After years of estrangement, it may be more acceptable for everyone to be honest with each other than the hypocrisy of motherly kindness and filial piety.

"Okay, I understand, ma'am." He nodded, "As long as you continue to take care of me like this, then if I really succeed in the future, I will support you and the earl's child if I have the opportunity. I understand Be grateful, even if this kind of kindness is not pure."　　

34, let go

"I know how to be grateful, even if this kind of kindness is not pure."

After hearing the boy's promise, Mrs. Louisa finally smiled slightly. "Frantz, you are indeed very sensible. When you decide to piss off someone, you can do it easily; but the same is true when you decide to please someone."

Then, she sighed again, "Sometimes, I even think that you grow up too fast, and it's a pity that you lost your innocence at a young age."

"It doesn't seem to be my responsibility. My living environment and survival philosophy are not all determined by myself. Others also have a certain responsibility-especially those who brought me here." Aegron replied calmly.

Of course Louisa could hear the sarcasm in his words, and her eyes flickered with irritation, but in the end it didn't flare up.

"Well, I admit that I'm sorry for you. But, sir - you ask yourself, in that chaotic situation, if I hadn't brought you back to Austria, you would have ended up much better than you are now Is it? Although you are restricted here, you still have no worries about food and clothing, and you are also a noble highness in name, much better than that poor Louis XVII."

During the Revolution, Louis XVI tried to escape with his family, but was stopped at the border and escorted back to Paris.After Louis XVI was beheaded, his son was honored as the new king by the exiled nobles who fled abroad, named Louis XVII-however, he had never been treated by any king when he was young, and he was assigned by the revolutionary government to He was taken under the guardianship of a shoemaker, and his living conditions became extremely harsh. In the end, he died silently of tuberculosis when he was only ten years old.

Although it seemed a bit unreasonable, Luisa's rebuttal seemed to be correct.

When Louis XVI and Napoleon fell, their only sons both suffered strikingly similar fates and both died of tuberculosis, but the Austrians at least did not treat Napoleon's son badly in terms of living conditions.

"Although the Austrians have a grudge against Napoleon, at least they don't hate to the point of mortal hatred, but the Bourbon family is different from those royalists. They have a bloody feud to avenge. If it falls into their hands, it will be terrible." It is God's ultimate test of human morality, are you sure they can pass the test and repay you with kindness and raise you well?" Luisa asked again.

"You're right." Aigron didn't force his words, but nodded directly, "I don't have anything to blame you on this point, Napoleon will pay the price for the destruction of the empire, and I, as the former crown prince, also The same. Compared with Louis XVII, the price I pay is not unbearable."

"I'm glad you can discuss this issue with me rationally." Luisa smiled wryly, "When I was your age, I didn't know how to think about issues at all. I married your father and gave birth to you in a daze. 1814 What can I do in [-]? The coalition forces from various European countries are coming to an end, and Bonaparte's empire is about to end, and some of the coalition forces even come from my natal family! What do you expect me to do? I have never been burdened Training in a country, what can I do at that time? I can only obey my father's call and bring myself to Austria with you-I couldn't think of a better idea at the time."

After a pause, she added in a low voice, "I said so much not to expect you to forgive me, nor to beg for your understanding, I just told you my feelings at that time, don't think that you were the only ones that year Father and son are suffering, your father got carried away with power and ended up messing up all of our lives, and Murat and Ney were both shot because of him! I'm having a hard time finding my own life, have a family that I love, I don't want to be associated with that name anymore, I just want to live the rest of my life in peace and try to give my kids a brighter future, you can Laugh at my mediocrity, sir, I don't care."

Aegron was silent for a moment.

Although his heart is still filled with the anger and resentment that she has ignored and forgotten for many years, even so, he also understands that it is impossible for him to really get her guilty apology.

Everyone has their own standpoint and logic of action, and they move forward within the scope of their own eyesight, and occasionally meet other people and deduce their own stories.

But if you go the wrong way at the beginning, then even if you are as close as mother and child, you will only be strangers in the end.

After returning to Austria, the Queen of the French Empire decided to abandon the nightmare of the past and seek her own life as the Grand Duchess of Parma, so in the end their life trajectories became two parallel lines.

It's nothing to be sorry about, it's just fate.

He is only the son of the Queen of France, not the son of the Grand Duchess of Parma, so why should she entrust her with so much maternal love?

After figuring all this out, Aigron no longer had the original resentment.

This wasn't his mother in the first place, but because of the original spiritual influence of the King of Rome, he subconsciously expected something, but now that it was truly confirmed that she was lost, there was not much loss and pain.

Besides, I also got compensation from others.

Thinking of this, a person's voice and smile suddenly appeared in his mind. Although it was the person he had just said goodbye to, he suddenly wanted to see her again.

"I won't dictate other people's lifestyles, ma'am." He tried his best to suppress the rising desire in his heart, and looked at Luisa as calmly as possible, "I won't place too high expectations on you, you give As much as I am, I will repay you. You were indifferent to me before, so I was indifferent to you; now you are trying to help me, so no matter what your purpose is, I appreciate it and will respond accordingly I can’t repay you now, but I will in the future when I have the chance—and that’s what you’re looking forward to, isn’t it?”

"The reward depends on how much I help you?" Luisa asked back.

"Of course." Aigron shrugged handsomely, "No more, no less, fair and reasonable."

Then, he took two steps forward, took his mother's right hand, and kissed it gracefully before letting go. "Ma'am, I look forward to your care."

Luisa didn't say anything more, but just calmly watched her son's indifferent performance on the surface.