Shadow of great britain

Chapter 431 Louis Bonaparte’s Ambition

When the sun shines gently on the water of the English Channel, a steam ferry decorated with gorgeous flags slowly leaves the port of Dover and heads to the other end of the English Channel - Calais, France.

Some of the passengers on the ship were there for business, some for adventure, and some were pursuing a romantic trip. They embarked on a voyage to a foreign country with their own stories and expectations.

The bright sunshine and blue sky inevitably paint people's mood with a layer of joy.

On the deck, several young ladies held hands, chatting and laughing softly, their skirts swaying gently in the breeze.

A gentleman took out his drawing board and tried to capture the tranquil sea and the sailboats in the distance.

Under the supervision of their parents, the children curiously observed the flight of seagulls on the side of the ship. From time to time, they would follow the birds running quickly on the deck and make exclamations of surprise.

Compared with modern ferries, the ferry in 1832 had simpler facilities, but its cabins were still divided into different classes according to the fare.

First-class cabins are usually equipped with more comfortable beds and basic food and beverage services, while conditions in second- and third-class cabins are relatively simple. The public areas on the ship include a small restaurant and lounge for passengers to dine and socialize.

Although Britain had set off the climax of the Industrial Revolution at this time, for ordinary families, this kind of cross-channel travel was still an extremely luxurious consumption.

Therefore, most of the guys you can see on this ferry are businessmen, scholars or officials with official duties like Sir Arthur Hastings. As for the remaining passengers, they are young people who have just completed their college education and are planning to embark on a traditional European study tour.

Needless to say, if the family has such financial resources for them to go to various European countries to eat and drink and buy art, most of these young men are either Oxford or Cambridge graduates. Of course, I occasionally meet a few people who graduated from Glasgow or Edinburgh.

In the restaurant in the cabin, businessmen sat around a round table and discussed their business. The cigars in their hands were filled with smoke, intertwined with the sea breeze outside the window. A taciturn traveler was sipping tea alone in the corner, holding a yellowed map of Europe in his hand, with a desire for the unknown world flashing in his eyes.

As time went by, the sun gradually became hotter, and the sea surface glowed with golden light. Passengers began to feel the heat and sought shade to escape the heat. Some people choose to stay in the cabin's lounge, where a fan blows gently to bring a bit of coolness.

The bookshelves in the lounge are filled with various books for travelers to read. A young poet is immersed in his creation, his pen tip flying on the paper, recording his praise of the sea.

Among the tourists, there were a few gentlemen who looked very difficult to mess with. One was a fat man with a shaggy hair and a cigar in his mouth, and the other was a gloomy-looking man with a seal beard. A young man with a Western sword hanging from his waist.

As for the remaining one, although he does not look as dangerous as the other two guests, anyone with a discerning eye can tell at a glance that among the three people, the young man with a kind smile on his face and a handful of poker hands is the one. The highest status.

Arthur threw out a pair of threes, raised his eyebrows and gestured to his friend: "Louis, it's your turn. You don't feel right today. Is it because you are getting closer to France, so you are timid about being close to home?"

Alexandre Dumas took a puff of his cigar and puffed out thick smoke: "Louis, don't worry, based on my understanding of Louis Philippe, he won't do anything to you. He has always been very good at this kind of superficiality."

Louis glanced at his two friends, raised his glass and took a sip of wine and said, "Alexander, are you familiar with Louis Philippe?"

Alexandre Dumas nodded and said: "Of course, I am extremely familiar with him. When he was the Duke of Orleans, I worked as a scribe in his secretariat for several years. Later, I wrote the play I quit that job because of my reputation. Louis Philippe even sent someone to congratulate me and gave me some small gifts to express his congratulations.”

Hearing this, Louis raised his eyebrows and asked: "Listen to you, Louis Philippe seems to be pretty good? Then why do you scold him every day?"

"This is different."

Alexandre Dumas replied: "If you are talking about how people get along with each other, then Louis Philippe is undoubtedly an excellent choice for a friend. He is generous and understands the difficulties of tolerating others in most situations. But This does not mean that his nature is like this. To put it bluntly, he knows how to win people's hearts with small favors and manipulate people's movements to stabilize his position and gain a good reputation. "Rather than saying he is a French political conspirator, this guy looks more like a British politician."

Having said this, Alexandre Dumas couldn't help but tease Arthur: "What did our Sir Arthur Hastings say? Seek balance in compromise, and then put his butt on two different heights. Sitting comfortably on the chair, Louis Philippe knows this traditional British art very well. "

Arthur ignored Dumas's cynicism, gathered the playing cards in his hand, and said.

"Louis, just like Alexander said, you don't have to worry about any adverse actions the French government will take against you. Before you told Alexander that you wanted to go out with me to relax, I had already sent someone to Talleyrand. I asked my husband, and the answer they gave me was no problem.

If you still have concerns about safety, after we arrive in Calais, I can escort you to leave the French border and go to Brussels, Belgium. Anyway, Calais is not far from the border and we can leave in half a day.

You could spend some time in Brussels and visit your mother at her estate in Switzerland. When you get tired of staying in Switzerland, you can come to the Kingdom of Hanover to find me at any time. "

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Louis immediately refused: "Arthur, what do you think of me? A man from the Bonaparte family will not leave the motherland because of fear of death. No matter what Louis Philippe wants to do to me , I won’t even take him seriously.”

"Really?" Arthur joked: "That's good, Louis, after we arrive in Paris, would you mind accompanying me to the Tuileries Palace?"

"Tuileries Palace?" When Louis heard the name of this place, he immediately became alert and said, "Arthur, did you sell me?"

Arthur smiled and replied: "Louis, don't think of me so badly. I have no habit of betraying my friends. What's more, what good will it do to me if I sell you? I didn't even take Lionel's 5,500 pounds. Am I going to take you to the Tuileries Palace for fifty thousand francs from the French government?”

"Well..." Louis just felt relieved, but suddenly he realized something was wrong: "Fifty thousand francs? Where did you get this number?"

Alexandre Dumas couldn't help laughing when he heard the conversation between the two. He asked Arthur: "Did the French government really give you money?"

Arthur curled his lips and shook his head slightly: "Money? Alexander, Mr. Talleyrand will not like this statement. He told me that this money is just a trivial thank you, to consolidate the relationship between France and Britain." An unbreakable friendship. Of course, the French government originally prepared one hundred thousand francs, but Mr. Talleyrand told me that as the middleman, he planned to take half of the commission. "

Louis stood up and said: "Get the hell out of here! How many times has that old cripple betrayed the Bonaparte family? Arthur, how can you be in cahoots with him?"

Arthur waved his hand and said: "Louis, don't be angry. I didn't say I promised Talleyrand. If I really agreed to him, I wouldn't have suggested sending you to Belgium. I'll give you the fifty thousand francs Confiscated, so the friendship of one hundred thousand francs is now in Mr. Talleyrand's pocket. I told him that I will ask your opinion. If you are not willing, then there is nothing I can do. According to Mr. Lérand's words, he has no intention of returning the one hundred thousand francs. If you don't go to the Tuileries Palace in the end, he will probably report to Louis Philippe that I, the second secretary, take the money and do nothing, and I have no credibility. ”

Alexandre Dumas raised his eyebrows and sneered: "Arthur, now you finally understand what it's like to be friends with that old cripple, right? If you're bitten by a snake, you can't defend yourself!"

Arthur didn't care much about this: "What the hell, what is Louis Philippe's attitude towards me, and what does it have to do with me? I am the second secretary of the Legation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the Kingdom of Hanover, and I am not the Kingdom of France. Secretary of the Cabinet Secretariat.”

Arthur and Alexandre Dumas were chatting so hard that they both found that dark clouds had gradually gathered on the horizon over the sea, and the sun was blocked by thick clouds. The sea wind became stronger and stronger, and the waves began to surge.

Louis looked up at the turbulent window and suddenly said: "If Louis Philippe really wants to see me so much, then I will accompany you to meet him."

"Huh?" When Arthur heard this, he suddenly raised his eyebrows and looked at Louis.

He told Louis this to scare the boy away and make him go back to Switzerland to visit his mother. But he didn't expect that the arrogant French emperor would actually agree.

No matter how different the looks of Louis are from his uncle Napoleon Bonaparte, at least the courage he showed today is somewhat of the courage Bonaparte should have.

But having said that, if Louis insisted on meeting Louis Philippe, there would probably not be much problem.

Because Arthur had already informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of his itinerary and entourage in advance, and Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was now not only a member of the Bonaparte family, but also a British citizen.

The superposition of these dual identities means that if Louis Philippe orders the detention of Louis, it will cause a serious diplomatic incident between Britain and France.

Britain and France, two enemies and brothers separated by a strait, had just experienced a considerable degree of social turmoil in June 1832, so no one was willing to cause trouble at this time.

Louis-Philippe must have had his own intentions in meeting Louis at the Tuileries Palace, but it was definitely not to imprison him.

I have to say that the world is so funny sometimes.

Who would have thought that more than ten years after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the people supporting the Bonaparte family would actually be the British who personally ruined the hegemony of the Napoleonic Empire?

Seeing that Arthur didn't speak, Louis finally couldn't help but said after holding it in for a long time: "Arthur, Alexander, I am very grateful for your concern. But I am in a bad mood recently, not because I am afraid that Louis Philippe will chop me down." Head. But...Austria, I received a message from Vienna. I didn't want to tell you, but even if I didn't tell you, you would probably know it when you get to Paris. "

Arthur asked: "What happened to Austria?"

Alexandre Dumas recalled Heine's sour words to Austrian Prime Minister Metternich: "Is it possible that Metternich's German hemorrhoids have occurred again? And he also has urinary incontinence?"

But Louis obviously had no intention of joking. He put his hand on his forehead and shook his head slightly: "My brother, the biological son of Napoleon, the King of Rome in the French Empire, the Prince of Parma and the Duke of Lechstadt in the Austrian Empire, Francois ·Joseph Charles Bonaparte died in Vienna of tuberculosis.”

Outside the cabin, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. As soon as Louis finished speaking, the cabin immediately fell into dead silence.

The other passengers in the restaurant were afraid of the rough waves and lightning and thunder on the sea, while Arthur and Alexander were keenly aware of certain changes currently taking place within the Bonaparte family.

Napoleon died, and so did his only legitimate heir.

According to the law of succession, the leadership of the Bonaparte family naturally fell into the hands of Louis' uncle, Joseph Bonaparte, the former King of Spain and now living in the Regency Crescent House in London.

The subtle point is that Joseph Bonaparte had no legal heir. And due to the disintegration of Napoleon's empire, it is currently impossible for any royal family in Europe to choose to marry the Bonaparte family again.

This also means that Joseph Bonaparte's line must also be extinct.

When Louis' uncle dies, the leadership of the Napoleon family will be handed over to Louis' father.

Louis's father had two legitimate heirs, but unfortunately, Louis' eldest brother had died in the Carbonari uprising in Rome last year, so...

Arthur and Alexandre Dumas looked at each other, and then their eyes fell on Louis' face that was slightly pale under the lightning.

His hair was wet from the rain that seeped in from the window. I don't know whether it was because of fear or sadness, but his body and his eyes were trembling together.

The red devil put his arm around Arthur's shoulders. Agares smiled and whispered in Arthur's ear: "Arthur, look at that look, is it sadness? Maybe there is sadness, but I think it contains the most Emotional and exciting.”

Formerly the Police Secretary of the Police Intelligence Bureau of the Royal London Constabulary, he is currently the personal assistant to Sir Arthur Hastings, the Second Secretary at the Legation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Hanover, and the second in line of the Bonaparte family. The heir, and the highest-ranking heir among the second generation of the Bonaparte family - Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, was a young man with wet hair sitting in front of Arthur and Alexandre Dumas.

Arthur stared at Louis, suddenly shook his head, took out the towel at hand and handed it over: "Louis, this is really unfortunate news."

Louis was stunned for a moment, then took the towel, and there seemed to be gunfire burning in his eyes: "Yes, this is really unfortunate."