Eagle's Glory

After hearing the news, Letizia and Aigron were a little surprised.

After all, she sent someone to inform her son just to prepare him for the fact that Aigron would choose to visit him one day, which was also a courtesy for a nephew.

Unexpectedly, Prince Lucien Bonaparte rushed over directly in this way - this also shows how much this uncle attaches importance to his nephew.

"Let him come here quickly!" The Empress Dowager Letizia quickly reacted, calling the attendants to call her third son to her, and then asked someone to add a set of tableware to the dining table.

"It's always good to have more people around." She said with a smile.

Soon, the attendants brought in a middle-aged man, and Aigron was able to meet his third uncle Lucien Bonaparte for the first time in his life.

He is not tall, with a head of brown-black hair, but his temples are already grey, and the weather of the years can be seen, his facial features are soft, his manners are elegant, his eyes are restrained and somewhat unhappy, and he looks different from him. It is said that he looks like a prince, but he is more like a poet who is depressed and frustrated.

He walked to the table quietly, his eyes focused on Aigron, and Aigron stood up politely, bowing to his uncle.

"Nice to meet you, my uncle... I've been looking forward to this day for a long time," he said respectfully.

"I have been looking forward to it for a long time." Lucien Bonaparte nodded lightly, and then sighed with emotion, "Ten years of waiting! But all this is not in vain, you still have to go to this place after all. way."

In his sigh, he could vaguely see some of the aura he had when he accompanied Napoleon in the coup d'état.

Before Eggron could speak, he walked up to Eggron again, raised his hand, tapped Eggron's chest lightly, and then said, "You are taller and stronger than I imagined. .”

"In order to complete our family's unfinished business, I must maintain a strong body." Eggron replied.

"Excellent answer!" Lucien applauded loudly, "When we were your age, we didn't think so much—at that time we all thought that we would be satisfied if we could keep our family's property in Corsica, Who can imagine what will happen after that?"

Then, he hugged his nephew tightly again, "You have done a good job, boy, I have seen all the hard work you have put in so far, and I ask myself that when I was your age, I didn't This ability... So, you are better than me, you are the hope of our family."

These words seemed to come from the heart, so Aigron didn't know how to answer for a while.

"The only thing I'm dissatisfied with is, why didn't you contact me when you came to Rome before? Don't you still have grudges against the disputes of the previous generation?" Lucien Bonaparte continued, "Although I am not your servant, as an uncle, I am also willing to help my nephew in trouble, but you have ignored me."

"I'm sorry, uncle." Aigron smiled sheepishly, "It's not that I don't believe in your loyalty to the family—your performance in 1815 has proved that you do have this kind of loyalty, but before I When I came to Rome, I didn't know what my fate was going to be, so I didn't want to trouble you, after all... You managed to escape the storm and found a peaceful life under the protection of the church, I don't want to destroy it."

Aigron didn't contact Lucien before. On the one hand, he was worried about his political attitude. On the other hand, he really felt that he should not bother this uncle this time. How much sponsorship.

"Since you are not afraid to trouble your grandmother, why worry about trouble me?" asked Lucien Bonaparte. "You're right, I'm really useless now, and it's impossible to stir up the situation anymore, but even so, I can give you a little help if I can, and this is what I should do."

After hearing these words, Aigron felt warm again.

"Thank you, Uncle, I will never forget your help."

Lucien Bonaparte was not just talking, he did use his relationship in the church to say good things for himself, and he was also willing to act as a middleman for his meeting with His Majesty the Pope. He was indeed doing his best to help own up.

Of course, in his current position, there was only so much he could do to help.

"Okay, you two stop talking, let's continue with dinner—" Letizia said with a smile, "and don't look so solemn, our family gatherings should be more cheerful."

Aigron and Lucien smiled at each other, and then sat down, and then they began to chat while eating.

At this time, Lucien finally turned his attention to Teresa.

"My niece and daughter-in-law are really beautiful." He took a closer look at Theresa's appearance, and then said with a smile, "Such a beautiful princess, I dare say she must be the most beautiful in the courts of all countries! Blessed is Aigron .”

"As expected, you have become an Italian, Your Royal Highness." Teresa replied with a smile. "Too good at coaxing people."

"No, I'm telling the truth. I saw quite a few queens and princesses back then, and I think I have enough qualifications to make this judgment." Prince Lucien Bonaparte suddenly thought of something, and felt emotional again Get up, "It's amazing to think about it, you know, I grew up in Corsica, and I didn't have the opportunity to see the world in Versailles until I was a teenager. I especially wanted to see the king and queen. Of course, at that time I am just a descendant of a minor nobleman, how can I have any chance of getting the attention of the court?

It was only at the grandest ceremonies that I could see poor King Louis XVI and his queen, though only from a distance, and I was filled with admiration, and thought what a pomp it was!I imagined that one day I could become a courtier, experience the grandeur of the royal family up close, and appreciate the beauty of Her Majesty the Queen and other ladies, haha... Don't laugh at me, who didn't have similar fantasies in his youth Woolen cloth? !My friends and classmates laughed at me, thinking that I was too far-fetched, and I thought so too. "

When he was talking about this, he changed the topic again, "But who would have imagined that not many years later, a princess from the Habsburg family became my sister-in-law, and after more than ten years, another princess from the Habsburg family became my sister-in-law. The princess of the Boothburg family became my niece and daughter-in-law. The fate is really amazing... I think it’s like a dream now. If someone told this story to me when I was a boy, I would think he was crazy. .”

Hearing his uncle's emotion, Aigron realized that although he is unknown now, his uncle is a person who left his name on the stage of history after all.

He had seen the grand pomp of kings and queens, the Constituent Assembly and the ensuing Revolution, the Jacobin dictatorship and the Directory, until at last he himself became one of the few men at the pinnacle of French power.

"Our family is good at turning dreams into reality." Agitated, Aigron couldn't help but comment, "Grandma will definitely think that this is God's favor for us, but this is more due to our vitality. Ambition, and restless action, and a mind to match those ambitions... We believe in miracles because we make them ourselves."

"You are right." Lucien Bonaparte nodded, "However, it is also important to be born in the right age. Hundreds of years ago, society was suffocatingly closed, every class was unbreakable, and the country It’s just a playground for the kings and dukes with the most noble bloodlines. At that time, no matter how capable we were, we could only crawl under them. It was this era that gave us the opportunity, and we just seized the opportunity better than others——As for I've seen firsthand what happens to people who don't take their chances and miss their chances."

Speaking of this, His Royal Highness raised his palm and slowly lowered it, vividly simulating the scene of the guillotine falling down.

"When the Robespierre brothers went to the guillotine, no one thought that our Bonaparte brothers would rule France, but we did. Although we finally failed more than ten years later, at least we once placed our fate on the In our hands. To this day, I have not regretted it, compared to those who died in obscurity, at least we were once extraordinary."

Then, he picked up the wine glass and said to his nephew, "Cheers to fate."

"Cheers to fate!" Aigron also got excited, drinking with his uncle.

However, the pair of uncles and nephews became interested in talking, but Teresa listened a little uncomfortable.

Queen Marie-Antoinette of Louis XVI was born in the Habsburg family and was her great-aunt. She was eventually sent to the guillotine. Maybe she really deserved the blame, but as a younger generation, she was inevitably responsible for this. The great aunt has a compassionate heart.

Besides, if Aigron's dream comes true one day, then she herself will be another national mother from the Habsburg family, and she is not willing to endure this terrible situation for herself, Aigron, and their descendants. destiny.

It hurts to even think about it.

So she decided to change the subject.

"Then do you think our achievements are great now?"

Perhaps because of drinking, Prince Lucien Bonaparte's serious face softened a lot.

"Judging from normal logic, the chances are really small. Please forgive me for not listening to me, but I think that as an elder, I should tell you the truth." He answered honestly.

"It's okay, you're telling the truth, I won't mind." Aigron shook his head.

Although he is now high-spirited and has achieved a great career, he still maintains a clear head, and he can judge the situation-the resources he has now are almost nothing compared to the whole of France. The army is now only a few thousand at full strength, and lacks weapons. However, the Kingdom of France has hundreds of thousands of standing troops. If they face each other head-on, any division can defeat his pitiful strength.

Therefore, anyone who can face reality cannot say that the odds of winning are great.

"I said the chance is not great, but I don't mean there is no chance." Lucien Bonaparte changed the subject, "Although France is powerful, it doesn't like the Bourbon family. On the contrary, they hate the reaction brought about by the restoration dynasty. There are always people who want to overthrow it - if there is another revolution to overthrow it, then you have a chance, because as soon as the Bourbon crown falls, many French people will remember that there is also the Bonaparte family who is suitable to lead They -- it was a revolution that sent our previous generation to the stage, so the new revolution will also send my next generation to the stage."

This judgment actually coincides with Aigron's judgment. After all, it is a fool's dream to take down France by positive force, and we must find a way to overthrow the current restoration dynasty.

Fortunately, the original historical line gave Aegron great confidence-because at the end of July 1830, the July Revolution broke out in France and drove the Bourbon Dynasty out of power. King Charles X was forced to bring his family members They fled to England, and from then on the rule of the main branch of the Bourbon royal family ended.

Of course, it was not the Bonaparte family that ruled France next, but the Orleans family, a young branch of the royal family that took the opportunity to seize power. The revolution returned to France and eventually restored the Empire.

And this time, Aigron didn't want to wait another 18 years, he wanted to get the crown as soon as possible.

However, he also knows that the historical line has changed, and the original history can only be used as a reference for him, and cannot be completely copied-maybe earlier or later, but such a revolution to overthrow the Bourbon royal family should be inevitable.

And he'll be more than happy to give it a go.

"It's easy to instigate riots and coups, but it's very difficult to ensure that the fruits of the coup fall into your own hands." Lucien Bonaparte smiled a little strangely, "During the Brumaire coup, your father faced Those angry congressmen, almost incoherent, managed to save the scene from letting the situation get out of control."

Aegron also knows this truth.

I can't be picked up by the Orleans family. If I want to achieve this goal, I must act in a planned and orderly manner.

The family of the Duke of Orléans returned to France after 1815. They have been in France for more than ten years, and they are eyeing the throne, and they are bound to win; and now he is abroad, and he can only control his domestic supporters in a short period of time. In comparison, it is true is a disadvantage.

Fortunately, he still has time—though maybe not much.

"Do you have any good suggestions?" Now that he had come to this point, Aigron asked his uncle sincerely.

After all, he has experience in coups and seizures of power.

"I have been away from France for more than ten years, and I have long been forgotten, and I don't know many things anymore." Lucien Bonaparte replied with a wry smile, "But there is one thing, my nephew, you must keep in mind. The core It's the army, and as long as you have the army behind you, you'll be fine."

Aegron was slightly disappointed.

Although my uncle was right, it was just correct nonsense—everyone knew the truth.

"One more thing—" Lucien Bonaparte added, "find out the bottom line of your opponents, and my friend may be able to give you some help."　　

5. Agent

"Find out the bottom line of your opponents, my friend may be able to give you some help."

"Your friend?" Aigron finally became interested again when he heard this. "who is it?"

"A very shrewd and capable man, now a banker to be precise." Lucien Bonaparte replied.

"Banker?" Aigron was puzzled, so he looked at his uncle, waiting for his further explanation.

Lucien Bonaparte stopped suddenly. He looked at the wine glass in front of him, his eyes seemed to be full of emotion.

"Let me tell you a story—"

He picked up the glass, took a sip of the wine, and continued talking.

"You all know that in 1799 I followed my brother in the Brumaire coup and seized France. As a due return, my brother appointed me Minister of the Interior. At that time, I was really high-spirited and only wanted to do something big. .But you need money to do big things, and I happen to be short of money—so I want to find a reliable agent who can save me enough capital.

Fortunately, as long as I have the power, all these troubles will be nothing after all. Soon, many people in Paris came to me, hoping to establish a good relationship with me and my brother in exchange for economic benefits.

However, I look down on this group of well-dressed guys. They are all hypocritical and cunning. Besides, these bankers have been in the market for so many years, and their relationship network is very complicated. I don't want my secrets to be in their hands. I want to find someone who is reliable and easy to control, and let him handle this matter for me.

I am French, but I am also a Corsican, so I put all these calculations in my heart, and then silently observed the surroundings, patiently looking for suitable candidates..."

"It looks like you found it." Aigron probably understood what he meant.

"Yes, I found it, but the process was a bit unexpected." Prince Lucien Bonaparte nodded slightly, and then continued, "You know, as the Minister of the Interior at that time, I had the right to appoint Senior officials also have the right to manage the country’s roads and ports, and they have to deal with petition letters from all over the country. One day I received a petition letter written by a small local bank manager. He sadly told us about the revolutionary era The chaotic financial policy and monetary policy have caused harm to the local area, and begged my brother and I to reform as soon as possible in order to solve the chaos of the French economy and relieve the suffering of the people; in this petition he also listed a lot of data, and Some suggestions, although I don't know much about finance, I think what he said makes sense."

"So you passed on these suggestions to my father?" Aigron asked back.

"Yes, I conveyed this petition letter to him, and he was also very interested. At that time, there were general voices in the financial circles, hoping that we, who had just seized power, would make due decisions to stabilize the national economy." Lu Xi'an Bonaparte replied in a low voice, "So after a while, after careful consideration, Napoleon complied with these appeals, created the Bank of France, and then issued a new franc currency, which finally brought chaos to the financial and currency world. The market has stabilized."

"This is also one of his major contributions to France." Aigron replied.

"That's true, but what we're going to talk about is another matter—" Lucien Bonaparte smiled slightly, "I'm not only interested in the letter, I'm also interested in the person who wrote it , I don't understand finance but I'm a good speaker, so I also have the ability to read between the lines of a person's nature. I quickly saw that this person is cautious, intelligent, and quite professional, and more importantly But he is a provincial, and has not been polluted and swallowed by the complicated interpersonal relationships in Paris..."

"So you turned him into your agent!" Teresa, who had been listening carefully, understood when she heard this.

"Teresa, you are such a beautiful and smart princess." Lucien Bonaparte nodded with a smile and admitted the conjecture, "After my brother decided to adopt this suggestion, I wrote to I gave it to the shopkeeper from the provinces and invited him to come to Paris to have an interview with me. It is conceivable that he must be flattered. Describe in detail what we talked about-but after the meeting, I am very satisfied with him. Although he is not good at speaking, he looks a little dull, but he is really professional, and every time he speaks, he has something to say, which is enough to hit Crucial, and very sensitive to numbers. I met him a little soon, and I even felt that so many boastful idiots sat in the National Assembly, and he could only stay in the provinces in obscurity. It’s a joke made by God on earth! It’s a pity that this kind of joke has happened every day since ancient times.”

Then, he changed the topic, "But this time, I want to change the joke of God. I decided to let him stay in Paris and make greater contributions to me and France after seeing this. So I asked him 'My friend, you are indeed very talented, so why do you stay in the provinces instead of coming here to make a big splash?'

He showed embarrassment on his face, and then told me in shame that he had indeed had a similar dream, but his father was infected with the customs of the old age, and he was a prodigal son who ate, drank, prostituted, and gambled, which made the family owe a lot of debts, and the ancestral fields were also ruined. They were all sold out, and he managed to keep the bank account at home, and then used it to earn money to pay off his debts. The heavy debts weighed him down, and he couldn't come to Paris.

I laughed and told him that you are debt free from now on and that you can carry out your ambitions in Paris.

I didn't tell him what he had to do to repay my kindness, because a wise man doesn't need much talk. "

"So you paid off his debts, and in return he became your attorney, and then developed his career in Paris." Aigron summed up the past, and then asked, "So what did you and him do next?" Woolen cloth?"

"Actually, it's unremarkable. You know how easy it is to make money in my position at that time—whenever the government has important news to announce, I always notify my agent in advance and ask him to buy Or sell the public debt and share the profits with him, and we have made a lot of money just by this simple method." Lucien Bonaparte replied, "We use the money we earn to speculate. This guy has a good eye, and every time he speculates, he can gain a lot. Even if he misses occasionally, it doesn't hurt. In short, I got the capital I wanted, and he became a rich man.

By the way, we Corsicans are all human, when he first arrived in Paris, his sister was getting married, and he couldn't afford to pay the dowry, so I paid for him, and I know he will always be grateful to me , because he is indeed the kind of person who knows how to be grateful. "

When he said this, Prince Lucien Bonaparte suddenly sighed again, and then took another sip of wine, "It's a pity that my most important goal has not been achieved-my ministerial career will soon come to an end , in November, 1800, that vile Fouché and some others sued me, caused me to have such a quarrel with my brother that I had to resign my ministerial post, and shortly afterwards Napoleon in a rage So I was sent to Spain as an ambassador, I originally wanted to save capital for my career, but my career was wiped out in an instant, and my brother took it away!"

Although the past is like smoke, more than twenty years have passed, and Lucien finally forgave his brother, but when talking about this, he still couldn't help showing a bit of resentment.

After drinking a few more sips of wine, Lucien Bonaparte finally cheered up again, "Since the business is over, the so-called capital is no longer important, and the money I saved was spent on Paris and Ladies of Madrid, and my former agent stayed in Paris and continued his dream-although I can no longer help him at this time, but even so, he still respects me very much, in When my money is tight, I will give me a lot of gifts. In short, I am very glad that I can make this friend during my short ministerial career."

"And you want to introduce this friend to me now, don't you?" Aigron asked.

"Yes." Lucien Bonaparte nodded, "He has a shrewd mind, and as a person who has been in the financial circles of Paris for more than [-] years, he must know a lot of things, even better than you and me. France."

"I admit that this may be true." Egron agreed with his uncle, and then asked again, "Then what is his name? And what is his current situation?"

"His name is Jean-Antoine Poncena," replied Lucien Bonaparte. "In order not to implicate him, I have not had much contact with him over the years, but I have heard some news about him. He is quite prosperous now, has run a large bank, is rich and well-reputed, pays on time and almost never makes a mistake--I saw that in him back then."

"I see." Aigron lowered his head and thought silently, "According to what you said, this person is indeed very powerful, and if he is willing to help us, it will indeed be useful to me—but do you think he Will you stand by my side?"

"As far as I know, although he may not entrust you with his wealth and life, but in order to repay my kindness, he will be willing to help. As long as he can help a little, it will be enough for you to benefit from it, won't it?" Lucien - Bonaparte asked with a smile, "Besides, even if he doesn't get on your boat, what will you lose?"

"You're right." Eggron agreed with his uncle. "We can at least give it a try."

"Since you agree, I can write him a letter next, telling him about your current situation and my expectations for him, and let him act at his own discretion." Lucien Bonaparte replied.

"Thank you very much, uncle." Aigron stood up and solemnly thanked Lucien.

Uncle's behavior tonight really made him feel quite comfortable.

There is no doubt that he has neither power nor influence now, and the so-called "help" is just a try based on past favors, and there is not much assurance of success.

But even if he didn't help, the "we're family so I'm on your side" attitude at least served Eggron's needs.

That was all he asked of his uncles.

"So what is important now is to find out this guy's attitude, see how far he is willing to cooperate, and then judge how much to rely on him." Aigron whispered. "Of course, it would be best if he could be brought into our camp. I think I can promise him enough reward."

"My nephew, you really don't sound like a young man." Lucien Bonaparte shook his head slightly. "Do you always frown in thought? You should be more cheerful." After all, people want both power and happiness!"

Aigron was stunned, "But aren't we discussing business now? Of course I have to be serious?"

"What business is it? It's nothing more than a meeting between our uncle and nephew. I'll tell you the story of the past." Lucien Bonaparte said with a smile, "You have learned to be calm when things happen, but you haven't learned to be calm. Remember Don't expect too much, and don't be disappointed too early, all of this is just a breeze."

Then, he calmly picked up the wine glass, "Come on, let's drink to the story."

"Cheers." Aigron finally couldn't help laughing, and then picked up the glass and drank another glass with his uncle, "Actually, I also have a calm time, but now time is tight, so I can't help being a little nervous."

"The tighter the time is, the more calm you should be. How many people slept peacefully before being sent to the guillotine. If you don't despise success or failure in life and death, you can't detach yourself from doing things that ordinary people can't imagine." Lucien- Bonaparte disagreed.

Aigron smiled wryly in his heart. His uncle had always behaved like this. He looked frivolous and detached, but in fact he was a bit ungrounded. No wonder he was defeated by Fouché in the end and fell out of favor in front of Napoleon.