Eagle's Glory

However, for this young couple, he really hoped to get their approval-some mentality is more subtle, and it is difficult to express love in a few words, but after seeing them, he sincerely hopes to become their friend and be appreciated by them. recognized.

After all, after a great era has passed, he is in a much more mediocre era, and there are very few truly extraordinary people. He anesthetizes himself with luxury and money, but deep down he is eager to find The resonance of the soul, even in a foreign country.

He wished he had found it.　　

250, love and evaluation

Under Pushkin's uneasy gaze, Teresa carefully read Pushkin's poems.

Pushkin's mother tongue is actually French. As a court aristocrat of the Russian Empire, he received strict French education since he was a child, and he didn't start learning Russian until he was a teenager.

However, for reasons of national sentiment, Pushkin has been writing in Russian since he was an adult, and it is precisely for this reason that he has become recognized as the father of Russian literature and created a precedent for elites to write in Russian.

When he went out with the army all the way, Pushkin naturally still wrote in Russian, but before coming to Greece, he expected that the Duke of Lechstedt and Princess Teresa must not understand Russian, so he translated it into French by himself, and then translated it into French. Transcribed it—the poem he gave Teresa was the French version.

Teresa's expression was relaxed and casual at first, but she immediately became dignified and careful as she watched, and it took a while to finish reading.

Then, she raised her head and looked at the young man in front of her in disbelief.

"Well written! Mr. Pushkin, my fiancé is right, you are really a very good poet!"

Teresa has enough taste to see the poet's talent from the poems. Although she still has some reservations about Aigron's evaluation of "comparable to Lord Byron", she has indeed admitted that Mr. Pushkin is the best contemporary poet. one of the poets.

Because of this, she changed her attitude in an instant and was full of respect for the poet.

"You're too proud." Seeing Teresa's "knowledge", Pushkin couldn't help but feel a little proud. "The reason why I create is just to express the passion in my heart."

"So this is the talent of poets." Teresa replied with a smile. "No matter how many emotions a mediocre person has in his heart, he can't write a word on the paper in the end, but you can write brilliantly and make readers resonate with you..."

After hearing this, Pushkin was even happier.

It wasn't just because Teresa was praising him, but from these words, he also saw that Princess Teresa was both literary and elegant, and her conversation was witty, which was really rare.

He has seen too many beautiful women in the court of the empire, and even had romance with many of them, but although they are beautiful, most of them have empty minds, and chatting with them makes people feel vulgar I can't bear it, so even if there is a dewy love, he will quickly abandon it and don't want to be with anyone.

He originally thought that only those salons in France could have elegant and beautiful girls, and sometimes he even dreamed of going to Paris to see the style of the top of civilization—unexpectedly, in a He actually saw the girl who grew up in Austria ahead of time.

Just as Teresa felt that Russia was a cultural desert, in this day and age, Austria does not have any outstanding cultural talents, so Pushkin also looked down on Austria——

Of course, in the second half of the 19th century, as Europe entered the golden age, the cultural talents of these two countries also began to blow out, leaving behind many cultural giants, which is a later story.

After all, the Habsburg family is a family of nearly a thousand years, so it is extraordinary, Pushkin thought.

After this episode of offering poems, the three of them had a very pleasant conversation as soon as they met. In a short period of time, Pushkin became acquainted with the boys and girls.

Originally, Aigron and Teresa were walking, but now it is not difficult to add Mr. Pushkin, and the three began to walk and talk together.

During the chat, Teresa couldn't help but curiously asked about the situation of the Russian court.

"Actually, there is nothing to talk about, Your Royal Highness." Pushkin replied with a wry smile, "The court in Petersburg, like the court in Vienna, is full of luxury and dullness at the same time. It has all the pleasures of the world, but there are also countless intrigues. And slander, it is precisely because I am tired of all this that I will apply to His Majesty the Tsar to go to the distant Balkans."

Having said that, Aigron and Teresa couldn't help but look at each other, and suddenly recalled their days at that time, and then smiled at each other.

"It is true that most of my days in Vienna were as you say—" Eggron replied, "but there were also a few memorable moments, such as... I was under the watchful eyes of the entire court and foreign envoys. , hugging and dancing with Teresa, although you may think it is too flashy, it is a beautiful memory for me that will never be erased."

Teresa was delighted to hear that, and couldn't help but interjected, "I have participated in many palace ceremonies, and as you said, most of them are very boring, and I don't even bother to remember the experience at that time, but My coming-of-age ceremony is still shining brightly in my memory, because it was at that time that the court decided to arrange a marriage between me and His Highness... Although I have some opinions on His Majesty the Emperor and Prime Minister Metternich in many aspects, but here I will always be grateful to them for the matter.God is my witness, I pretended to be calm that day, but in fact I was out of my mind. From the moment we held hands and looked at each other, I knew that I was going to spend my life with His Royal Highness It's...sometimes people's thoughts are so strange, almost a momentary thing is worth a lifetime of savoring."

Being shown affection in person, Pushkin was embarrassed and envious.

However, he couldn't feel any jealousy towards this unmarried couple. They were such lovely young people, who could bear to scold them!

Pushkin was born in 1799. Although he is only 28 years old now, he is 12 years older than teenagers and girls. Therefore, for them, he regards them as friends at first sight, and with a little bit of elders towards juniors. Yourong.

However, this pair of juniors entered the sacred palace of marriage earlier than him.

As a prodigal son in love, although Pushkin has succeeded many times, he always feels empty in his heart.He is a romantic poet, he wants to chase love, but in Petersburg he feels that everything is so out of reach.

I don't know what kind of charm my partner in this life will be?

Having said that, he decided to change the subject.

"Your Highness, you just said that you have a problem with His Majesty the Emperor of Austria and Prime Minister Metternich. May I venture to ask what you mean?"

Teresa hesitated, then decided to answer the other party.

"I think they are old and conservative, which is not a bad thing, but it is too much... Their control over Austria feels suffocating, and the officials are afraid of all cultural works that may be out of date, so they choose to censor and block all things, even Let the remaining entertainment of the citizens of Vienna be smeared and curtailed, you know? I know Mr. Beethoven, and I think he is the greatest musician who ever lived. Maybe no one will surpass him in the next few hundred years, but because In this suffocating atmosphere, he was not tolerated by the official, and finally died of poverty and illness. He created those symphonic works with the best wishes in the world and unyielding determination, but in the end he was alone Died in the attic, is such a thing in line with human nature? Shouldn't people enjoy the spiritual wealth brought about by the progress of civilization?"

Speaking of which, she smiled wryly, "You may wonder, as a princess of the royal family, why should I care about these things? Let me be honest, I think the times are different, and people's natural rights have been recognized by the world today. We know that people's pursuit of the spiritual world is not just a few churches and a few passages of scriptures. They are eager to open the old door to see the new world, the kingdom of reason and freedom, because they have the right to do so. Do... so even the glorious Habsburg family must keep up with the changes of the times, what I am pursuing, in the final analysis is one sentence - I hope to live in a more enlightened era."

Teresa's words surprised and moved Pushkin.

These fit perfectly with what he had in mind.

It can even be said that the fragments that flashed through his mind during the depressing days in Huangcun were not as clear as what Her Royal Highness said.

He was simply impressed.

It is really admirable to have such thoughts at such a young age.

After a while, he suspected that perhaps part of Her Royal Highness's thinking was influenced by the young man, so he subconsciously looked at Aigron again.

"If fate favors me and allows me to regain the throne, then I can give the French people a more enlightened era." Aigron replied vigorously and confidently, "The Bourbon family ruled France again, but look at them What did they do? They haven’t forgotten anything, they haven’t learned anything, they just want to restore the past and make everyone kneel under them, so they are destined to be crushed by the times... I am willing to wave this down for the people One punch."

"And I can help my husband do this." Teresa leaned on Aigron's shoulder with a smile on her face, and then said with longing, "If we are lucky enough to rule France, then I will remember the past that I resented. and to work so that my people never have to experience my wrath again, I will allow them to enjoy their rights and prosper, and God bless us to do so."

"Crack, snap, snap"

Pushkin couldn't help applauding.

"Very well said, gentlemen, if I were French, I would take up my sword and charge for you right now!"

"What if we are Russians?" Eggron asked with a smile. "Do you still dare?"

This question made Pushkin stop suddenly.

This is not a question that can be answered easily-after all, the Decembrists have just passed away.

After a moment he nodded emphatically, "I was friends with many of the Decembrists, and I still have respect for them... Had I been there that day, I would have sided with them. "

"Your spirit is also worthy of admiration." Teresa nodded in approval.

Then, she changed the subject again, "Although what I said just now was so harsh, I ask you not to think that I am full of resentment towards His Majesty the Emperor... In fact, I respect and love him very much, and I also admit that he has been in charge of the empire for more than 30 years. It is indeed not easy to face so many stormy seas. What he has done all these years is not so much out of brutality as out of fear-he is terrified by the events of the previous era, so he takes it for granted that everything The rhetoric about the rights of the people is destroying the foundation of the empire, and all changes will make the empire unrecognizable, so he stubbornly wants to freeze time before 1789, thinking that only in this way can the empire continue... This is not hateful, It's kind of pathetic."

Speaking of this, Teresa couldn't help sighing, "People in the world always burden our family with sins that we have never touched, and force us to add ambitions that we have never had. In fact, our family respects God devoutly. , I only hope that our land and subjects enjoy peace and prosperity. Our family's fault is that we are too afraid that our glorious ancestral property will be washed away by the cruel torrent of time, so we desperately want time to stop temporarily, no matter how ugly the struggle is. I don't hesitate. But... I know, this is not the way, after all, we can't live in the past forever, and the wiser way to live is to embrace the future."

"Then what do you think is the future?" Pushkin asked hastily.

Theresa froze for a moment, but didn't answer for a while.

It is precisely because of her deep feelings for the Habsburg family that Teresa is so heartbroken, but it is indeed a bit too embarrassing for her to find a way for the empire at such a young age.

She knows that the future direction must be "more enlightened", but the specific way to go is a bit vague.

At this time, Egron took the initiative to answer, "I think the future of the Habsburg Empire depends on whether it can continue to be a universal empire, and generously accept the people within the territory with the attitude of not asking about one's background but only one's ability." Any talented person. The more it embraces the fledgling nationalism of Germany in the future, the sooner it will fall apart. Its only way to survive and prosper is to strive to become the enlightened ruler of all nationalities in Central Europe, and let all nationalities The disputes in this family were eliminated under the just mediation of this family, and they did not seek to expand and enslave other countries, and tattooed the glory of peace and justice into the coat of arms of the empire. Only in this way can it continue into the next century, or even the next century— — if it does, I think it's a good thing."

Pushkin was confused when he heard it. He felt that what the young man said made sense, but at the same time he didn't seem to understand it.

It is indeed a bit too far for people in 1827 to understand what happened half a century or even a century later, and Aigron does not want to elaborate too much.

In short, he and Teresa agree, that's enough.

"The rule of the Habsburg family in Central Europe was not as bad as many historians claim. At least in my opinion, he protected a large piece of land from war and massacre, and it also defended strongly. Europe, so that Vienna did not fall to the hands of heretics. Although I was imprisoned by my grandfather since I was a child, and I still have a lot of opinions on him, I think that the existence of the empire is meaningful after all, and only it can make The divided peoples of the Danube could have a common bond, peace and prosperity - if they had the chance."

"Eggron..." Teresa was so happy when she saw the young man talking about herself like that, she couldn't help but kissed him on the cheek regardless of who was around, "It's really hard to hear such a thing from you Nice words~"　　

251, the night before

"It's so hard to hear such good words from you~"

Teresa was genuinely happy.

She has always been worried that His Highness has too much resentment towards the Habsburg family in his heart, so that they will not be able to bridge the relationship in the future. Now that Aigron has such an objective evaluation of her family, and even said a lot of good things, she is naturally full of relieved.

Although she made a choice between His Highness and the family, wouldn't it be a better result if she could have the best of both worlds?

That's why she was so happy that she acted so intimately in front of outsiders regardless of decency.

Aigron also responded affectionately, bowing his head and kissing his fiancée on the cheek, which made Pushkin envious.

Then, Aigron smiled at the other party again, "Sorry, maybe I went a little too far just now."

"On the contrary, I don't think you digress." Pushkin regained his composure, then shook his head, "Everything you said proves that you are really thinking deeply about the problem...Based on my superficial knowledge, I don't know you You are right or wrong, but being willing to think about this problem proves that you are really thinking about a better order, it is hard to imagine that you are only at this age..."

"Compared to my peers, I have less freedom, so I have too much time to think." Aigron jokingly pointed to his head, "Of course, I will not thank my grandfather emperor for this matter .”

"I think he did go too far in this matter." Pushkin also disapproved of the Austrian emperor's approach, "No matter how many grievances your ancestors have, you should not take responsibility for it, and even your body is still flowing. With his blood, he really has the dignity that a loser should have in doing so."

"No matter what happened before, it is already a thing of the past. Although I will not forgive, but I will not always hold grudges." Aigron replied magnanimously, "Thinking about the best, at least I have learned patience and patience. Calm down, and he has already compensated me with the most precious treasure in the world..."

"You are the real royal demeanor." Pushkin nodded approvingly, "I hope you can realize your promise in the future. The Bonaparte family was once powerful and once in trouble. In the name of man, write your new legend, and if you can, I sincerely hope that you will use your wisdom and compassion to create a better future for France and even for the whole of Europe."

In his heart, Napoleon—the former giant—was full of complicated emotions.

On the one hand, he hated his militarism, because his infinite ambition soaked the whole of Europe in a sea of ​​blood; but on the other hand, he admired this great man's inexhaustible energy and power to change the world.

It is not a pity that the empire of the Bonaparte family was destroyed in ashes on the land of Russia. It was its own disaster, but it is indeed a pity that those magnificent passions and ideals of freedom in the era of the Great Revolution were also buried with it—at any rate , the empire of the Bonaparte family is at least closer to the common man than the empire of the Habsburg family.

He has only seen this unmarried couple for less than an hour, but he has already been fascinated by them from the bottom of his heart. Whether they are teenagers or girls, they have left a deep impression on him. Their demeanor makes him look forward to that day .

Of course, Pushkin also knows that people will change, and even the best ideals will fade with time, but he is willing to believe that they can be different, can stick to their promise at the moment, and return enlightened good governance to the earth.

Now, the entire continent is shrouded in the shadow of the Holy Alliance, dying in the mud of the old era. If one day the Bonaparte family, under the leadership of a new generation of leaders, takes the throne again with the passion and glory of the past, That might not be a good thing—at least Pushkin thought so at the time.

He couldn't help but looked at the boy and girl in front of him again. They were cuddling each other intimately, looking forward to a future that belonged to them alone.

Habsburg represents the past, Bonaparte represents the future, and they blend together subtly and harmoniously at this moment to build the "now".

"I venture to ask, when will the wedding of the two of you be held?" He asked expectantly.

Aigron and Teresa looked at each other, and then couldn't help but smile at each other.

"You came at the right time." Then Teresa replied with a smile, "The wedding will be held in two days, that is, on December 12th. We will hold this wedding in the Parthenon Temple, and then the whole of Athens will Celebrate it for three days until the new year.”

Very good!It means I've caught up.

Of course Pushkin knew what the Parthenon represented, but he didn't feel that there was any problem. On the contrary, he found it very interesting.

Before Pushkin could make a request, Egron offered the invitation, "Dear poet, would you honor me to attend our wedding? I'd be happy to see you appear among the guests at the scene."

"Of course! Thank you for giving me such an honor!"

Pushkin was naturally very pleased to be invited face to face by the couple.

This must be a historic moment, how could he not agree?

"Then let's talk about it." Aigron nodded, "During this time, you can live in our mansion, and we can talk again if we have time-but for now, we'd better rest Just a minute, because it's almost lunchtime... I don't think you'll refuse to dine with us?"

"Of course! Of course!" replied Pushkin, laughing. "It would be even better if you were willing to drink with a Russian."

"No, that's not allowed!" Teresa immediately vetoed, "I don't want to see His Highness sleeping next to me, smelling of alcohol, and besides, our wedding is coming soon. He can't lose his composure. Mr. Pushkin, would you like to drink I'm happy to give away any amount of wine, but don't take him with you!"

This straightforward answer made the other two laugh together.

"Yes, Your Highness." Pushkin bowed.

In the next two days, Aigron and Teresa have been following Mrs. Henrietta's orders, preparing for the wedding, and occasionally chatting with Mr. Pushkin.

Two days passed inadvertently.

In a blink of an eye, it was the eve of the wedding.

Although today's temperature is no different from that of an ordinary winter day, Teresa only feels trembling all over her body, restless, her heartbeat always speeds up suddenly, and she is often absent-minded when talking to others.

Teresa knew that she was very nervous, even though she had told herself countless times to be calm and not lose her proper demeanor, she still couldn't avoid being nervous.

So, after having dinner with Aigron, her mother and others, she left first, and the others could see her mood at the moment, so they were tolerant and considerate, and didn't bother her anymore.

Teresa returned to her bedroom alone, sat in front of the dresser, and carefully looked at herself in the mirror under the bright candlelight.

Under her gaze, the girl in the mirror is bright and beautiful, her hair is also tied up in a bun, and two small braids are braided on both sides, and the ends of the braids are also put into the hair behind her head. In the topknot, two half-moon braids encircling the ears are formed.

Her expression was erratic, with sadness and joy, and her eyes were also flickering with weeping eyes.

Why are you so restless?she asked herself.

She is looking forward, she is eager, she is waiting for the future life, but because of these expectations and longings, she inevitably has tension when the wedding is approaching.

After another night, she will become a married woman, but all of this seems so far away, like a dream.

Could it be that after just one ritual, I can automatically become another person?

God, can I really be a good wife and mother?She hesitated in her heart. Although she knew that this question was meaningless, she was inevitably nervous.

Maybe girls before they get married will face this moment, right?

Fortunately, she now has a "mentor" by her side, who is enough to help her heal her hesitation and tension.

"My daughter." She heard a call behind her.