Eagle's Glory

Teresa was slightly embarrassed, and looked away from the window.

"Isn't that good?" she asked back.

"That's really good, at least I'm happy now." Aigron gently hugged his wife, "Teresa, I didn't blame you, you have your own ideas, and the starting point is also for my own good, as a wife, You didn't do anything wrong... it's just..."

"Just what?" Teresa listened with pricked ears while enjoying her husband's embrace.

"It's just that sometimes fate doesn't necessarily depend on human will. Those best wishes are not so easy to come true." Aigron smiled slightly, "You always want to entangle me with Austria, What is the reason for trying to make me friendly with the Austrians? I'm afraid it's because you don't want to meet your motherland with swords? You are afraid of making that painful choice, so you want to avoid it from the beginning—— "

Teresa lowered her head slightly, and did not deny her husband's words.

"I'm not blaming you. It's normal for you to have such thoughts. It would be terrible if you don't have any feelings for Austria, the country that gave birth to you." Aigron emphasized again, "And I am willing to cooperate with your wishes, and I don't want to be with you. My grandfather met with swords... But Teresa, if we do get to the throne, then sometimes we have to make decisions against our will, because politics is merciless, and any hesitation will be irreparable."

"I know..." Teresa finally said, "Needless to say, Eggron, I know all this. I am indeed afraid of falling into that situation, but if we have to break, of course I am on our side, because we It's a couple, it's one! What makes me sad is not making a choice, but that you would ask such a question... How can you suspect that I will hesitate then?"

Teresa smiled wryly, "Earl Nepeg is making himself regretless, so he has tried his best. Can he know that fate will favor his child? Can he ensure that his arrangement will be successful? He doesn't know, and no one can make sure, but he is still working hard... because only in this way can he go to heaven with a clear heart.

Aigron, I am the same, I have been working hard, and I will work hard in the future, because I love Austria and you, I am willing to find a way to bridge the interests of our two sides, at least not until the day of breaking up .This way, I don't have to face the most painful consequences...

Yes, if I really had to choose, then I would only choose our side, but if I hadn't tried anything, if I just watched everything go to disaster, then I would feel ashamed!So Eggron, let me work on it, what's wrong with that?I love you……"

After finishing speaking, she buried her head deeply in Aegron's arms, as if to express her heart.

Aigron also really felt Teresa's heart.

Yes, Teresa is on her side anyway, that's enough.

He never doubted it for a moment.

And he did love Teresa, so he did what she wanted.

"Isn't it all good now? We should all smile goodbye from here." He laughed.

Next, Luisa quickly completed the corresponding procedures for them, and Aigron and his party also packed their bags and marched all the way to Bavaria in the north.

The mother and the son finally waved their hands as farewell. After a short crossover, their respective life trajectories moved away from each other irresistibly.　　

18, wonderful person

The time has come to the beginning of May, and the weather is gradually getting hotter. Nymphenburg Palace, located on the outskirts of Munich, also ushered in its most beautiful time of the year.

This Baroque-style palace has a gorgeous and elegant shape, and is also quite elaborately decorated. The vast garden is even more beautiful with lakes and mountains, and it is a beautiful scenery of South Germany.

Every summer, the Wittelsbach royal family will leave the palace in the center of Munich and come to this quiet and beautiful place to spend the summer. At this time, Nymphenburg Palace will also sweep away the usual silence and become a noisy upper floor. social place.

It was at this time that the king would quietly come here with his courtiers, entourage, and mistresses to spend this leisurely time.

After all, the monarchs of the Wittelsbach family have always been known for knowing how to enjoy themselves, and the current King Ludwig I is of course a very happy king. Since he inherited his father's throne in 1825, he has started During his romantic career in power, he was easy-going, and while enjoying the glory and wealth, he did not forget to use his romantic affairs to add a bit of talk to his citizens.

But this year, things are a little different.

But this year, King Ludwig I of Bavaria came a little earlier. He arrived at Nymphenburg with only a few of his confidants before the good-for-nothing people who filled the capital gathered in the Summer Palace.

The reason why he did this, of course, was to receive an important guest.

To be precise, to receive an important guest who might bring a crown to his family.

This guest has a special status, and he cannot be received with great fanfare, and even just thinking about how to receive him has already given the king a headache-but every time he thinks that a crown may fall from his hand to his own house inadvertently On the head, he will never have a headache again.

No matter what kind of guest it is, as long as it can bring a crown, it is a good guest.

Although he clearly knew that the Greek crown was not of much benefit, but the crown was a crown after all, enough to satisfy the vanity of this thousand-year-old noble family.

At the same time that King Ludwig I arrived at Nymphenburg Palace, Egron and his party also arrived quietly, ending this not too distant journey.

As soon as they got off the carriage, Aigron and Teresa were respectfully welcomed by the court attendants to the king's reception hall.

King Ludwig I liked collecting very much, and there were luxurious furnishings and precious works of art everywhere along the way, but Egron looked as usual, and he was not moved a little until he saw the king.

The king is probably just in his early 40s. He is wearing a tuxedo, has fluffy hair, a mustache, a ruddy complexion, and the usual smile of an easy-going person, which is quite friendly.

But his broad forehead, and the eyes that look at him from time to time, reveal a bit of the agility of someone in power.

"It's an honor to meet you, Your Majesty the King—" Aigron and Teresa saluted the king.

"I'm very glad to meet you who are so famous—" the king nodded with a smile, and without putting on airs, he walked up to the young couple and looked them up and down with friendly eyes.

"Oh! What a beautiful couple!" He nodded approvingly, "Sure enough, the heroes and heroines of legendary stories must have outstanding looks to meet people's expectations!"

This unexpected exclamation surprised both Egron and Teresa, but considering the king's reputation for acting unexpectedly and his friendly attitude, the two of them agreed I don't think it's disobedient.

"Thank you for your compliment." Aigron took the initiative to thank the other party. "Your Majesty, you have a beautiful country. From the first day I came to Bavaria, I was very satisfied with the scenery of this country. After I came to Nymphenburg Palace, I found that I was a little jealous of you... …It is a blessing on earth to be able to live here.”

"Your Excellency, you have gone too far!" The king quickly waved his hands to show humility, but judging from his demeanor, he was indeed very happy and very proud. "Your couple are our distinguished guests. Since you like the scenery here, if you don't think our place is simple, then you can have fun and enjoy it. As a landlord, I should try my best to entertain you and your wife—"

Before the meeting, the king and his confidants had already discussed how to address the young man. After thinking about it, the Duke of Reichstedt became the least offensive title—after all, the Austrian official It is safest not to take back this title.

"It would be best if this is the case." Aigron didn't mean to refuse, because he originally wanted to stay in Bavaria for a while. "Because of Her Royal Highness Sophie, I have always had a good impression of Bavaria, and my righteous brother, Prince Eugene, was once taken care of by your family, for which I am even more grateful..."

"It should be. Prince Eugene is an admirable hero. There is no need to say his character. Not only my father likes him, but I also respect him very much." When talking about this, King Ludwig I suddenly He looked a little sad again, "Hey, it's a pity that he had a lot of bad luck, and he left us early... If he is still here today, how gratified he will be when he sees you!"

After he sighed, Aigron couldn't help feeling a little sad.

Perhaps seeing Aigron's mood, King Ludwig laughed again, "Although it's a pity that you lost that brother, our country still likes you and is happy to entertain you. If you don't mind, you Think of me as your brother as much as you can—”

Although he was 25 years older than Eggron, King Ludwig still didn't put on airs, and his attitude was quite friendly, even a little too warm.

On the one hand, this is because he wants to please the young people and ensure that his family can get the throne of Greece; on the other hand, he really has no impression of hatred for the Bonaparte family.

True, Wittelsbach had no hatred for Napoleon.

Back then, it was with the help of Napoleon that Bavaria was promoted from an electorate to a kingdom, and King Ludwig I's father Maximilian I also became the "founding king".

At the same time, Emperor Napoleon dismembered the Holy Roman Empire, and then formed the Rhine Confederation, allowing Bavaria to get rid of Austria's long-term oppression and become a German power that cannot be ignored.

Just because of Napoleon's "favor", Bavaria is also quite loyal to Emperor Napoleon. Under the emperor's arrangement, in January 1806, King Maximilian I married his eldest daughter Princess August to the emperor. Adopted son of Prince Eugene de Beauharnay, Governor of Italy.

Then, Bavaria fought hard behind the French Empire and participated in many wars. It was not until the Battle of Leipzig in 1813 that it was forced to abandon the emperor due to desperate situations-of course, this is also human nature, and the emperor himself has nothing to do with it complain.

Even after the destruction of the empire, King Maximilian I treated his son-in-law Eugene pretty well. In 1814, after the fall of Italy, Eugene and August came to Munich with their children. The title of Duke of Eugene Leuchtenberg was specially granted to allow him to continue to maintain his noble status-in contrast, Napoleon's younger brother, Prince Jerome, who married the princess of Württemberg, was directly expelled by the king after defecting to the king gone.

Prince Eugene also lived out the rest of his quiet and peaceful life in Bavaria until his death in 1824.

It was under the protection of Eugene that Chanel settled down in Bavaria, and finally came to Schonbrunn Palace as a maid with Sophie, who was married to Austria.

Although forced by the times, Bavaria turned its back on the Bonaparte family and the empire, but emotionally they did not have any hatred.

Even considering that Aigron is Prince Eugene's foster brother, they actually have a bit of a sweetheart.

—Maybe this is why Sophie treats herself so well when she comes to Schönbrunn Palace?

For some reason, since he came to Bavaria, the image of Sophie kept popping up in his mind. Maybe it was because Sophie had expressed her homesickness in front of him many times.

And at this moment, I am in her hometown, and I don't know how she will feel when she knows the news...?

Aigron interrupted his thoughts in time, and put his energy back on dealing with Sophie's brother Wang.

"Thank you for being so kind to me," he said kindly. "You know I was not very lucky, and fate has dealt me ​​many hard blows. I am glad that I have found so much comfort in your country. , thank you, Your Majesty."

Of course, Ludwig couldn't understand what Aegron meant by "comfort", but he was also very happy to see this young man treating him. "Don't worry, we are different from others, we respect our guests, you can enjoy your trip here as much as possible."

After finishing speaking, he waved his hands to Aigron and Teresa, "I know you two are tired from traveling, so I won't bother you too much today, come on, let me show you around Nymphenburg, and then you can Go get some rest—"

Aegron probably also understood the king's intentions.

At the beginning, he didn't want to directly enter the negotiation of the Greek throne, but wanted to play the emotional card, first to close the relationship with Egron

His calculation is probably that as long as he entertains until he is happy, everything will come naturally.

Nobles, you have to be decent, even if you want something, you have to pretend not to be in a hurry, which is quite normal.

And Aigron is indeed very satisfied with his approach.

So, he and Teresa followed the king, visited this magnificent palace together, and admired the treasures collected by successive kings and King Ludwig I himself.

It has to be said that the king is indeed a fanatic of artworks. When he introduced those precious artworks, he was very familiar with them, which aroused a lot of interest in Aigron and Teresa, who were only planning to socialize, and participated in the conversation from time to time. , the host and guest had a good time, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

However, Egron and Teresa found it a bit strange that the king occasionally kept his eyes on Teresa while chatting, as if he hesitated to speak.

Although the king did have a reputation for flirtatiousness, he was not a second-generation ancestor who couldn't move his legs when he saw a beautiful woman. He had received a complete royal education since he was a child. It stands to reason that he shouldn't be so rude.

"Your Majesty, do you have anything to say to me?" After talking for a while, Teresa couldn't bear it anymore, so she asked the king, "Just say what you have to say, don't worry about it."

"Actually...Actually..." King Ludwig, who had been eloquent all this time, was suddenly a little embarrassed, and after a moment of hesitation, he finally made up his mind.

Then, he looked at Teresa with a sincere attitude. "His Royal Highness Princess Teresa, can you allow me to let the painter leave a portrait of you here...?"

Teresa's complexion changed, a little inexplicably.

"Please don't think too much about it. I just... just have some interest. I want to leave a portrait after seeing a rare beauty. There is no other meaning." The king quickly explained, "If you don't mind, just pretend to be me. It's fine if you don't say it...!"

I see……

Eggron understood.

Although the king's words sounded like a joke, he recalled that the king did have this hobby.

In history, he left a total of 36 portraits of beauties in this gallery. These women range in age from teens to twenties, and their identities include royal princesses, nobles, and commoners, but they are all well-mannered. ,beauty.

Of course, not all of these beauties are related to him, only two or three of them are sure to have had sex with him, and the others are simply invited by Ludwig I to leave portraits - the king did so , not so much to satisfy the collection addiction, it is better to say that the romantic king's pursuit of "beauty" itself, he hopes to see "beauty" stay in the moment forever.

On the original historical line, until the 21st century, visitors to Nymphenburg Palace can still enjoy these portraits in the corridor.

In a sense, he did succeed. Although these beauties have all died in the long river of time, the most beautiful time in their lives, as well as their names, have been retained by these portraits for 200 years. ——If there is no accident, it can stay for another few hundred years.

Although this hobby is a bit strange, it is definitely not evil.

It can even be said that His Majesty the King is really a wonderful person.

In other words, the kings of the Wittelsbach family are indeed a bit maverick.

His grandson, King Ludwig II, was deposed by the Bavarian government because of mental illness and extravagance, but left behind the masterpiece of Neuschwanstein Castle.

Eggron looked at the king again, and at this time he was looking at himself expectantly, as if hoping that he could convince Teresa.

It seemed that once he saw Teresa was a rare beauty, he couldn't restrain his desire for art.

"Teresa, as guests, it's okay to share the worries of the host." Aigron said with a smile, "Besides, I also really want to see your portrait in the world..."

Before waiting for King Ludwig to thank him, Aigron added another sentence.

"Your Majesty, after the painting is finished, can you leave me a picture?"

"Of course! Of course!" King Ludwig repeatedly agreed.

"...you... all right!" Teresa was annoyed and funny, but she still agreed.　　

19. King Xuan and Flower Demon

Under the expectant eyes of Eggron and King Ludwig I, Teresa reluctantly agreed to the king's request for a portrait of herself.

Of course, although she was a little ashamed on the surface, she was also quite happy in her heart - after all, His Majesty's behavior in this way was tantamount to admitting that he was indeed handsome enough that he ignored etiquette, I took the liberty to make such a request when I just met and didn't know each other well.

Seeing that his wish was fulfilled, the king was naturally very happy. He repeatedly apologized and thanked Teresa, and declared that he would definitely let the painter take it seriously, and never let the appearance of Her Royal Highness Princess Teresa be detracted from the canvas.

Naturally, he wasn't talking empty words - as a king, he naturally couldn't lack an excellent court painter. He might not be a genius, but there would be absolutely no problems with his techniques and brushstrokes. It would be difficult to paint Princess Teresa ugly.

However, considering that Eggron and Teresa had only arrived at Nymphenburg Palace today, the fatigue of the journey had not subsided, so the king did not call the painter over immediately, but continued to take the young couple to visit the palace, and let The attendants took them to rest.

After the couple entered the suite arranged for them, Teresa finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then lay down on the sofa wearily.

"I've heard that this king is not a serious person, and it's true when I met him!" Then Teresa complained in a low voice, "I can't imagine other kings would do this!"

"He is a king, so he is naturally qualified to have some willful hobbies." Aegron smiled and defended King Ludwig, "Compared with other kings' hobbies of excessive taxation and militarism, this king has more hobbies. It’s a bit interesting, and it even makes people feel a bit sincerely human.”

"Why, does drawing beauties and admiring them all the time make you stand in awe?" Teresa gave him a sideways glance, and then sneered.

"The reason why human beings can have civilization is because human beings have the pursuit of beauty... What is there to be ashamed of if you like to see beautiful things? Those ascetic monks may be shocked when they see a beautiful woman, shouting that this is the temptation of the devil ;But as a normal person, I can admit that I like beauty and appreciate beauty like him, just like him..."

After speaking, he leaned over to Teresa's side.

"Teresa, I'm so happy, this king can be regarded as a man of knowledge, as soon as he sees you, he knows that you are such a rare beauty, I wish everyone would admit it! Humph, he thought he was in this palace Is it enough to paint your face? Just wait and see, one day, I will have your portrait in every beautiful palace we have, Versailles, Louvre, Tuileries , Fontainebleau, everywhere, you will shine with these immortal buildings...I want people all over the world to see that I have such a beautiful queen, and make them hate me!"

These words were sincere, and there was a sense of arrogance like a king, which made Teresa's muscles seem to soften when she heard it.

She forced herself to calm down, and then feigned anger and scolded her little husband, "Okay, Aigron, it's still daytime now, don't be so imaginative! Think about something realistic..."

Under the scowling look, she secretly glanced at her husband. Right now, he is very proud, proud that his young wife will leave a beautiful image in this beautiful Nymphenburg palace forever.

Darling, you're a lucky little fool...but I'm a lucky little fool too, because I have such a lovely husband too.

She hugged her husband contentedly, then kissed his cheek, and then leaned on his body to rest.

Although the power of the two of them is not enough to command the world, and the crown that they are thinking about seems far away, to her, this is the happy time she wants.

--------------------------------

The next morning, Eggron and Teresa had breakfast after getting up, and then met King Ludwig again under the leadership of the attendants.