Eagle's Glory

The prime minister sighed secretly.

Compared with the Duke of Reichstedt, who had already fled, he had more headaches to deal with, and he couldn't waste all his time listening to an old man lose his temper.

From the Prime Minister's point of view, the domestic political situation has become increasingly tense recently, and sharp confrontations have emerged between various factions, and most of them have pointed the finger at the government and His Majesty the King, and those radicals have become more restless—it can be said that Now the dynasty is already in crisis, and will face a big accident at any time.

Without such a background, how could the Duke of Reichstedt make trouble, and what impact would it have?At best, he is just a down-and-out prince in a foreign country. Without domestic cooperation, he has no possibility of shaking the Bourbon dynasty.

He believes that His Majesty the King is very clear about these reasons, but the old king, who is already in a hurry, is dominated by emotions, so he can't tell the priority for a while.

"There is no doubt that we do need to punish treason, but we must control the scope of punishment and not make the situation worse." The Prime Minister made a suggestion, "We can replace local officials who are ineffective; the officers of the local garrison should also immediately Transfer away."

"That's not enough!" His Majesty the King shook his head, apparently dissatisfied with the result, "That little bastard sneaked into the border of our country without any prior warning or report, and let him enter in such a grandiose way This time he's in Strasbourg, where is he next? Paris? Or my study door?"

His Majesty the King became more angry as he spoke, and couldn't help but patted the table again, "No! We must make the most stern gesture, only in this way can we intimidate those rebels lurking everywhere! Right now they must be hiding in the gutter Laughing at us everywhere, I'll make them pay!"

The prime minister stopped talking, he knew that what he said now was meaningless, so he quietly lowered his head, waiting for His Majesty's instructions.

He knew that His Majesty the King hated this little Bonaparte now, but he had nothing to do with him for the time being, so he wanted to vent his anger on those who he could "have a way".

Although he had some opinions in his heart, since this was already His Majesty's decision, he could only obey it.

The king did not waste any more time, but directly expressed his thoughts, "I will send a trustworthy minister to the local area to arrest and interrogate all those who may be related to this time, and at the same time implement martial law on the border. Do your best to hunt down that little fellow and his men. As for Paris..."

The king's gaze became more and more serious, "Arrest all the Bonapartists who are openly active, and you can find any crime! Interrogate them in detail to find out any possible conspiracy they may still exist! In addition... We will strictly ban those newspapers that praise the little guy, and those newspapers that openly disagree with the kingdom government, and revoke their business qualifications. The chaotic public opinion field in France must be purified! We want the kingdom to return to peace as soon as possible."

Hearing this, Count Villers finally understood what the king really meant.

He wanted to use this sensational event to purge the country, deter the opposition, and take the opportunity to strictly control the public opinion field in Paris and clean up those newspapers that are anti-government.

It's a good idea, but in this turbulent time, if you do this hastily, the Prime Minister is a little worried that it will provoke a more violent backlash-especially, there is another group of people who are also spying on His Majesty the King throne.

"Your Majesty, I must remind you that besides that little guy, you have many enemies with sinister intentions... They are all waiting for you to give them a chance." He whispered admonishment.

"Orleans, always Orleans!" His Majesty waved his hand impatiently, "You always tell me how dangerous the Orleans family is, but don't you see it now? It's the Bonaparte family who are making waves and are attacking me Shake my fists! I must strike back harshly at that little bastard, and—if we show our iron fist, the Orleans family will be held back."

The Earl of Villers moved his mouth and wanted to persuade him again, but was stopped by the king with a wave of his hand.

Seeing His Majesty the King's expression, the Prime Minister suddenly came to a realization - I am afraid that his position will not last long, and His Majesty the King is very dissatisfied with the results of his work in the past few years.

Well, in that case, what else can I say?That's okay, let's pass the stall to the next unlucky guy... the count thought to himself.

"Yes, Your Majesty." So, without further words, he bowed respectfully and bid farewell to the king.　　

54, Orleans

正当国王陛下在杜伊勒里宫当中，为他所深深厌恶的波拿巴家族继承人大发雷霆时，他另外一个厌恶的对象——奥尔良公爵路易-菲利普，也同样在为那个少年人而苦恼伤神。波拿巴家族的事业，同样也是奥尔良家族的事业，甚至可以说，他们从事这项事业比波拿巴家族要早了太多太多。早在100多年前，路易十四大王去世之后，他的侄子奥尔良公爵菲利普二世伙同最高法院，废弃了路易十四以私生子曼恩公爵作为路易十五摄政的遗嘱，自己享用了摄政权力，并且一度任用约翰劳，在法兰西搞出了一场轰轰烈烈的金融骗局。而上一代奥尔良公爵，为了谋取权力，曾经积极投身于大革命当中，他将自己的宅邸罗亚尔宫变成了革命煽动中心，联合第三等级一起向王权进攻，甚至后来在路易十六的死刑判决当中投下了赞成票；而当时还是青年人的路易-菲利普，也跟着父亲一起加入到了革命当中，俨然成为了民权先锋。可惜公爵虽然在苦心孤诣之下推翻了王权，但是自己却也葬身于革命的烈火当中——，被雅各宾派送上了断头台，而路易-菲利普则提前逃离了法国，最终保全了性命。在流亡期间，这位奥尔良公爵一度陷于穷困当中，为了维持生计他在各地想办法谋生，甚至在瑞士当过家庭教师，不过最终他还是挺了过来，并且娶了那位断头王后的姐姐、两西西里王后卡洛琳的女儿阿玛利亚公主。再后来，随着拿破仑皇帝的失败，波旁王朝复辟成功，奥尔良公爵自然也就赶回到了法国。路易十八国王虽然对“弑君犯”的儿子颇为讨厌，但是还是承认了他的王室身份，并且将奥尔良公爵家族曾经的财产都发还给了他——不管这么做到底是出于什么目的，他最终还是为波旁王室再次姑息培养出了一个对手。公爵自知不受王室的待见，因此轻易绝不涉足宫廷，并且自觉地保持了和上流社会的距离，他带着妻子一起隐居到巴黎城郊外的纳依庄园当中，在他们的婚姻生活当中他们一起生了十个孩子，组成了一个庞大的家庭——比起人丁单薄的波旁王室来说，原本一直都是一脉单传的奥尔良家族，突然反倒人丁兴旺起来，体现出了旺盛的生命力和取代正统王室的决心。虽然奥尔良公爵从未熄灭过对王冠的觊觎，但是出于策略考虑，在他回国之处一直保持小心低调，轻易不暴露自己的野心；他把自己的主要精力都放在了培养人望上面，他生活简朴，并且待人谦逊和蔼，而且非常慷慨大方，刻意去展露出“折节下交”和“礼贤下士”的姿态。相比之下，波旁王室现在的成员们，要么反动，要么傲慢，要么同时兼具两者，实在不能让人产生多少亲近之心。久而久之，奥尔良公爵便成为了王朝的一部分反对者们拥戴的对象，一些既讨厌反动高压的波旁王室、又不想再来一次革命的温和君主派或者立宪派，就把这位平易近人的奥尔良公爵当成了一个理想的未来君主。随着时间的流逝，他的羽翼日渐丰满，支持者也越来越多，甚至在议会当中也形成了一股不可忽视的势力，而这时候，继承哥哥王位的查理十世国王也已经上台，国王愕然发现，在不动声色之间，奥尔良家族又形成了一个新的政治势力，在试图对王位发起新的挑战。国王没有忘记当年那位公爵给王室带来的灾难，他立刻就把奥尔良家族当成了大敌，只是现在公爵支持者甚多，又没有公开的罪名可以找到，所以一时间只能一边忍耐提防，一边寻找足以击垮这位公爵的时机。这几年来，奥尔良家族就在以各种方式来给王室找麻烦，眼看两派人之间的冲突已经到了白热化的时候，谁也没有想到的变故发生了——那位已经被人遗忘的小家伙，那个可怜的亡国王子，居然逃离了奥地利，并且把重新夺回皇位当成了毕生的事业。他想尽办法闹腾，最后竟然真的搞出了一番事业。而现在，很明显，他已经在对法兰西虎视眈眈了。一方面，奥尔良公爵庆幸于有人分担了自己的压力，吸引走了国王的仇恨；但另一方面，他更加头疼于自己多了一个可怕的对手——对比起垂垂老矣、不得人心的查理十世国王来说，这个朝气蓬勃并且敢打敢拼的少年人，绝对不是可以轻易战胜的对象。而他的判断很快就被印证了——就在昨天，他收到了来自于东部边境地区的消息，这位不消停的小家伙真的就胆敢潜入到法国境内，并且在公众面前露面，发表了一通演说之后才悄然逃离。奥尔良公爵很快就从自己的消息渠道那里搞到了演讲的全文，然后他心里更是有些胆寒——虽然少年人的演说回避了很多问题，但是在情绪上却足够慷慨激昂，能够打动人心，并且直指王室，大有要立刻将其推翻之意。这个小家伙真的不简单！公爵再度确认了这个事实。“我们绝对不能对他掉以轻心。”奥尔良公爵放下了手中的信件，然后抬起头来，看着自己面前的顾问菲尼克-高登先生。“比起他来，我宁可波旁继续坐在王座上，因为那样的话我们还可以留在这里……但如果这小子登上皇位，法兰西就再也没有我和我全家人的立足之地了！”菲尼克-高登的表情一如既往的严峻。他知道为什么公爵单独召见了自己，因为是奥尔良公爵那些支持者当中，唯一一个当面见过莱希施泰特公爵，并且和他交流过的人，他对莱希施泰特公爵的评价也因此最具有权威性。“我和他见面的时候，我就感受到了他那种无所顾忌的傲慢和狠辣，他能够干出今天的事情实在不出人意料。”片刻之后，他以低沉的声音向自己的恩主回答，“而且他的口才确实很好，当时我们两个争辩的时候，都能堵得我无话可说。”听到自己的顾问一直都在夸奖那个小家伙，奥尔良公爵并不感到生气，他只是心里有些烦闷。“我们绝对不能便宜了波拿巴家族！”他再度做出了结论，“他对我来说也是灾难。”“是的，对法国人民也是灾难。”菲尼克-高登点了点头，“这个无所顾忌又口灿莲花的野心家，只会把法兰西民族带入到又一场灾难当中，我们再也承受不起又一次的腥风血雨了……所以我们必须阻止他。”奥尔良公爵深以为然。“现在对我们来说，也未尝不是一次很好的机会。”菲尼克-高登突然话锋一转。“这该怎么说？”公爵有些惊讶。“就我对国王陛下的了解来看，他是绝对难以忍受这种挑衅的……他一定会大发雷霆，并且责令政府严厉惩处和镇压那些波拿巴分子——这对您来说就是一个契机。”菲尼克-高登快速地说出了自己的想法，“您可以配合国王陛下甚至推波助澜，被处理的嫌疑分子越多，波拿巴家族的支持者就会遭受越多的损失；而同时国王陛下也会因为他的粗暴而承担骂名，进一步失去那些中间派的信心，只要两边都被削弱了，那您就坐收渔利，并且您可以在表面上做出一副宽宏大量的姿态，为那些无辜受牵累的人说好话，尽力帮助他们——到时候人们会发现，比起反动的波旁和激进的波拿巴，您才是最好的选择。”“好主意。”奥尔良公爵眼睛一亮，“国王要严厉打击，我们就顺他的意！”他越想越是觉得合理。接着，他微微皱了皱眉，然后说出了自己的判断，“现在我们要抓紧时间……我们不能静静地等待那个小家伙继续积累他的名望和支持者，再拖下去的话，也许最有利于我们的时间就要过去了……。”奥尔良公爵一直都是一个冷静务实的人，他会仔细估算形势并且做出判断，因此他知道，和这个少年人相比较起来，自己的胆魄和口才都远远不如，仅有的优势就是多年腥风血雨当中积累的经验，以及自己早早回到法国之后积累起来的势力。而这些东西，都是会被时间慢慢拉平的——现在，年仅17岁的波拿巴小子就已经积累了如此名望，并且干出了这么多大事，要是再给他几年十几年的时间，天晓得他还能干出什么来？如果眼睁睁地看着事态继续这样发展的话，也许到时候就轮不到自己来觊觎王位了。而这就意味着自己要尽快，在短时间内先把波旁王室拉下马，自己坐上王座，一偿家族历代先祖的夙愿。必须尽快！公爵的心里一阵焦灼。菲尼克-高登不紧不慢地扫了奥尔良公爵一眼——他跟在公爵身边服务已经很多年了，所以能够轻易地摸到公爵的心思。“阁下，您的想法确实没错，但是却没有解决根本问题——”他摊了摊手，“您加紧步伐，抢在那个小子打倒王家之前自己坐上王座，这是对的。但是如果只是做了这些的话，那您只不过是让自己取代了可怜的查理十世国王然后扮演同样的角色罢了，您还是要面临同样的危机，甚至更糟——国王的支持者那时候会死命地反对您，而那个波拿巴小子还是在虎视眈眈，您面临的危机依旧会让您头疼。”菲尼克-高登的话，犹如是一盆冷水，让激动的公爵瞬间冷静了下来。他想了想也觉得很对。“难道我们就什么都不能做吗？”公爵颓丧地反问，“不……哪怕仅仅只是尝一尝甜头，我也要登上王位再说，我为那一天已经准备了太多年了。现在王室摇摇欲坠，正是我的最好机会……我无法想象自己在这种情况下无所作为，还没有头戴过王冠就凄然死去，那样我将无颜面对我的祖先。”“不，我不是说您不该干，我是说您应该干到底。”菲尼克-高登摇了摇头，“既然您最大的障碍和顾忌已经不再是国王而是那个小波拿巴，那何苦不将他直接从地上抹消掉？”公爵顿时愣了一下。“这并不是什么不可想象的事情……实际上一劳永逸地将对手肉体消灭是最可靠的手段。”菲尼克-高登冷冷地说，“如果不是因为吉斯公爵和亨利三世先后被人杀死，亨利四世又怎么可能那么轻松地赢得王位，成为波旁王朝的始祖呢？”公爵想想也对——如今的小波拿巴还太年轻，也没有别的合法兄弟，只要他死了那就什么问题都解决了。据说他的妻子特蕾莎怀了孕，但那无关紧要，哪怕她侥幸生下儿子，想要再掀起风云那也是十几年后的事情了，况且他能不能有父亲的能耐还很难受。一劳永逸，但想要实现却没那么容易。“如今已经不是那个古老的时代了——想要谋杀没有那么容易。”公爵恢复了镇定，然后不紧不慢地回答。“而且对名声影响太坏。”“只要没人知道是您干的就行了——除了您之外，世界上有的是人想要他的命。而且您绝对不会是最大的嫌疑人。”菲尼克-高登小声对自己的主君说，“试想一下，如果莱希施泰特公爵真的死于非命，所有人都会猜测是国王陛下为昂吉安公爵和贝里公爵报仇吧？他们的怒火，会烧到波旁那里，对您更是大大有利！您大可以公开谴责这种谋杀，让波拿巴家族的支持者对您升起好感。”“那……有什么可靠的办法实现吗？”沉吟了片刻之后，公爵小声问。而这个问题，也代表着他已经同意了菲尼克-高登的提议。“很少有什么事情可以100%确保成功的，不过……我倒是知道一个有能力去执行这项任务的人选。”菲尼克-高登谨慎地回答。“不管成功没成功，至少值得一试。”奥尔良公爵疑惑地看着自己的顾问，好像今天才认识他一样。“我真没想到是您说出这种建议。”“我很厌恶这么做，但我认为，为了法兰西……我需要这么做。”菲尼克-高登严肃地回答。“好了，别再跟我说这些了。”公爵突然摆了摆手，然后站了起来，“这种事情并不适合我们谈论。”接着，公爵轻轻点头，然后转身离开了。而菲尼克-高登的脸上并没有失望的神色，他知道，他的恩主并没有拒绝他的提议——只是，一切都由他负责而已。“那么，我愿意负责。”他低声自语。　　

55, patient

The King and the Duke of Orléans were troubled by the young man, while in some places there were people who were cheering another victory of public opinion for the House of Bonapartes, and eagerly looking forward to the day when the empire would be restored.

The Marquis of Treville is naturally one of them.

After bidding farewell to His Majesty, he traveled day and night with stars and moon, and finally returned to his home last night, which also ended his dangerous but rewarding journey.

The exhaustion of the journey did not wear down the passion in his heart, and the time spent with that young man gave him a lot of confidence. He believed that God once again favored the Bonaparte family this time, and his political choice could ultimately serve him, himself, and his family. And their children and grandchildren will bring thousands of times in return.

In this quiet morning, the Marquis de Treville sat leisurely in the armchair of his study, but he was not reading or writing a letter, but was concentrating on teasing the child on the desk.

To be precise, it was his eldest granddaughter Charlene de Treville.

Looking at the granddaughter crawling around on the desk, the Marquis' sharp and cold eyes had given way to Ci Ai. He kept staring at the moving little guy, and stretched out his hand to caress it from time to time.

He used to wield a saber and a pistol with his hands, harvesting the life of the enemy mercilessly, but now he was extremely gentle, lest he hurt his granddaughter.

The warm touch from his hand made him feel the bond of blood.

Just like himself, his granddaughter has fine blond hair, blue eyes, and milky white skin that he doesn't have. The contours of her face and delicate facial features make people feel cute at first glance ——At least the Marquis de Treville has regarded her as his pride.

Just by taking a look at it, no one will doubt that Xia Lu will be an extremely outstanding beauty in the future.

Of course, in the ups and downs of his life, the Marquis de Treville has seen countless beauties, and he has even seen them when they are no longer young or even died. He knows that appearance is not only an asset to a woman, but sometimes It can also bring tragedy.

The society treats her politely, but hides murderous intentions, always trying to drag her into the profligate sex. As long as they don't pay attention, they will degenerate and sink, and when they grow old, they will be completely forgotten by the world.

Power... yes, power, only power can prevent beauty from becoming an embellishment or even a burden, and only power can make beauty more radiant.

And this is what he wants to do - he wants the Treville family to go to the core of national power, use power to decorate his granddaughter, so that she can freely choose her own life.

This is the best gift he can give his granddaughter as a grandfather.

He could see that he was getting closer and closer to this goal.

Just as he was teasing his granddaughter and meditating, the door of the study opened quietly, and his son Edgar and daughter-in-law Alice walked in together, and then greeted him at the same time.

"dad."

The Marquis reluctantly looked away from his granddaughter, and then hugged her into his arms.

He ignored his granddaughter's cry of protest and struggle, and looked at his son and daughter-in-law.

His son is still well-groomed today, and he looks very energetic; while his daughter-in-law is not only beautiful, but also has a lot of charming charm of a little woman because she has just given birth. right.

Alas, it would be great if everything in this world was as it seems... The Marquis sighed in his heart.

Then, he focused his attention back to the topic, "Did anything unusual happen at home recently?"

"No, Dad." Alice spoke first, "Recently, I have been paying attention to the situation at home. There is nothing unusual, and there are no adverse rumors about your illness."

"It seems that I've been forgotten by the social world..." The Marquis smiled wryly and sighed, feeling both fortunate and sad.

But he quickly put this emotion aside, "Very good... Thank you for your hard work, Alice. Fortunately, you are here. If only Edgar was there, I'm afraid I would have been wanted long ago."

Embarrassment flashed across Edgar's face, but it quickly disappeared. After all, he had been scolded countless times by his father since he was a child, and he had already developed his immunity.

"Compared to you, what I have done is nothing worth mentioning." Alice replied with a smile, trying to ease the tension between father and son, "Your Majesty will definitely appreciate your loyalty and bravery."

"Yes, he is indeed very grateful to me." The Marquis nodded calmly, "He has said more than once in front of other people that when his career succeeds, he will reward our family, not just me... but us family."

When he said this, he stroked Xia Lu's hair lightly, "He also said that he would give Xia Lu a generous gift to congratulate her on her birthday. I guess the gift will arrive after a while."

"This is really great." Alice looked at her daughter in surprise. "I have long thought that His Majesty is a man of strength, and he will know how to reward meritorious deeds."

"Don't be too happy, the emperors will always say the best things, especially when they ask for something-but whether they can be fulfilled depends on the future." The Marquis de Treville still insisted Calm down, then he looked at Alice again, "Alice, I'm afraid I'll trouble you again next time."

"Huh?" Alice was a little puzzled.

"In order to prevent what happens next, I must make the rumors come true." The Marquis de Treville's eyes lit up, then he picked up a cup from the desk and opened the lid on it.

Immediately, Edgar and Alice found that there was an abnormal dark green juice in the cup, and if they got close, they could smell a very unpleasant smell inside.

Xia Lu, who was sitting in the arms of the Marquis, was the first to smell the strong smell. She immediately wrinkled her face and burst into tears.

The originally serious Marquis was a little stunned by the crying, and then hurriedly put her on the ground. Alice hurried forward and hugged her daughter in her arms again, trying her best to stop her crying.

"Oh, it seems that I'm getting old and my heart is softening..." the Marquis sighed, "Hearing my granddaughter cry, my heart hurts."

"Then you can spend more time with her, I think she likes you very much too." Alice replied with a smile.

Then she asked again, "What's in the glass? Poison?"

"It's poison, but it's not very poisonous. This is one of the things I've learned in many years of fighting in the north and south—" The Marquis de Treville looked relaxed, but the words in his mouth were quite dangerous, "Just drink Get off it, and for a while I'll be limp and weak like a consumptive ghost."

"Father!" Edgar and Alice were shocked when they heard this, and hurriedly tried to stop their father.

Although they didn't know how poisonous this bottle of liquid was, at the Marquis's current age, even if he was usually in good health, the risk of drinking it was still too great.

The Marquis de Treville waved his hand, signaling his son and daughter-in-law not to speak too much.

"Since you want to act, you must act to the end. I can feel that the puppet king has become extremely frustrated. The recent public complaints in the country have worn down his sanity. If he is stimulated by this incident again, he must be close to going crazy. So he will definitely do his best to retaliate, and his lackeys will try their best to find clues to the conspiracy in order to claim credit. As a former imperial general who has publicly stated that he still supports the Bonaparte family, I am sure There is no escape from cross-examination. If they find out that I am not as seriously ill as we announced to the outside world, it will be a disaster for us."

Edgar and Alice looked at each other, intellectually speaking, they agreed with their father.

But emotionally, they were still unwilling to let their father make such a dangerous move.

"Father!" Edgar tried to persuade, "As long as we deal with it carefully, nothing will go wrong. You don't need to hurt yourself so much."

Although he was usually indifferent to others, he was full of respect and love for his father who had doted on him since he was a child, and it was hard for him to bear to see his father suffer this kind of suffering.

"Hmph, what is this bit of torture compared to going through life and death on the battlefield?" The Marquis de Treville replied disdainfully, "Don't worry, I won't die, and I won't let you go."

"But..." Edgar wanted to persuade him again, but his wife stopped him by holding her hand.

"Just do what father says," whispered Alice, "and I'll take care of the rest."

"Very good." The Marquis de Treville nodded in satisfaction, "Alice... I'm glad you're on our side. By my side, there's no one as trustworthy as you."

When he had finished speaking, he picked up the glass and drank it down with no fear.

As soon as he drank it, the Marquis was so stimulated by the liquid that he wanted to vomit, but he forcibly restrained himself and half-lyed on the armchair.

Then, he covered his chest and began to sweat all over his body, but his consciousness was still barely awake.

"It's really strong." He smiled weakly.

Edgar couldn't bear it anymore, he walked up to his father, held his father's hand, and began to cry. "Father...don't let anything happen to you."

[To tell the truth, I have been using Mimi to read and read books recently, change sources, and read aloud with many timbres. www.mimiread.com can be used for both Android and Apple. 】

Alice was also quite pained and terrified in her heart. She barely maintained her composure, picked up the cup from the side of the Marquis, carefully wiped it clean with a silk cloth, and put it in its original position.

She doesn't know what will happen next, but she knows that she must live up to the trust, because this is also her home, and she absolutely does not want to see her family become a victim of political changes.

The lovely daughter in her arms had stopped crying just now. She looked at her mother and grandfather in a daze, as if she didn't quite understand what happened.

"Xia Lu, nothing will happen." Alice comforted her daughter in a low voice, but it was more like comforting herself, "Everything we have done today is worthwhile..."

At this moment, there was a hasty knock on the door of the study.

"What's the matter?" Alice immediately became alert. After all, when the masters got together, the servants would not dare to break the rules and disturb them easily.

"Ma'am, some police detectives came to visit, and they said they wanted to see the general..." There was a hasty answer from outside the door.

Alice was startled, and couldn't help but look back at her father-in-law.

At this time, Gongzheng was lying on the chair with his eyes squinted, as if he was exhaling too much and not inhaling, anyone who looked at him would be a sick person.

Just in time... she thought.

Her father-in-law is indeed a remarkable person, and a person worthy of emulation and respect.

"I'll deal with them," she then said to her husband. "You take father to the bedroom to rest."

Then she opened the door and followed the servants downstairs to the living room.

Upon seeing the beautiful lady, the detectives immediately tipped their hats to her.

"Excuse me, what is the purpose of your visit?" Alice asked seriously.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry for interrupting us. I was ordered to interrogate your master." The chief sheriff replied.

"Are you looking for the general? What's the matter?" Alice shook her head. "He is seriously ill now, and it is really inconvenient to meet guests. If you have anything to do, just tell me—"

"Madame, I'm afraid I can't tell you—I have been ordered to interrogate General Treville about the Bonapartist plot, and I shall not have fulfilled my mission until I see him face to face."

"So are you planning to treat a general who once died for France like this? Even when he was seriously ill, he was not allowed to rest!" Alice reprimanded them angrily, "My father-in-law is getting old, and recently He is recuperating from his illness, how can he spare any energy to participate in any conspiracy?"

"I have no malice towards the general, but an order is an order." The sheriff still insisted, "Madam, out of respect for the general and you, we have been quite polite, but I must regret to remind you that if you are still It would be defiance of the authority of the king and the government if it interferes with the execution of my duties."

"Your Majesty the King?! That's just right!" Alice also did not budge. "You should know that my father is a favorite in the court. It is very easy for him to see the king. If you are so rude today, then I will go." His Majesty the King has spoken before us!"

Although she was petite, she was so aggressive at this moment that the sheriff hesitated.

Of course he knew the origin of this lady, and it was because of this that he was so polite—of course, if he further knew that after the lady got married, the two in-laws despised each other and almost never communicated with each other, then the situation might be different. It's not the same anymore.

"I must carry out my mission—" After a moment's hesitation, he repeated, but his tone had softened.

"Okay, then I'll take you to meet him, but I will never allow you to do any disrespectful behavior, don't forget his surname is Treville!" Alice gave the sheriff a look, and then replied firmly To the other party, "You must be responsible for everything you do."

After speaking, she led the sheriff and his party upstairs to the bedroom of the Marquis de Treville, and at this time, they saw the general lying unconscious on the bed.

The sheriff put his hand on the general's neck vigilantly to feel his pulse, and then looked at his face.

Quite ill indeed, as rumored.

"Sorry, ma'am," he turned his head to look at Alice, "Maybe the general is really not suitable for questioning right now - please let me know when he recovers, we need to ask about the situation."

"I don't think there is anything else that needs to be explained. His merits and dignity will not allow him to be treated as a criminal." Alice looked at the other party coldly, and then replied proudly, "Now, please leave immediately! "　　

56, father and son

"Now, please leave immediately!"

Alice was uncharacteristically gentle and treated these uninvited guests very severely, partly because of her guilty conscience, but more importantly, she hoped to deter them in this way.

Her approach worked—and soon the sheriff made a decision.

Since the Marquis of Treville is indeed seriously ill now, it is pointless to take any measures against him. Although the Marquis openly opposed the government, he came from a famous family after all, and his brother, the Duke of Treville, had a great reputation. He is also a famous general himself, so he really cannot offend easily.