Chapter 1,117 Flowers under the Empire State Building
The servant who received Cavour's letter did not hesitate at all and immediately used a telegraph to send the message to the town of Fontainebleau, more than 100 kilometers away from Paris.
At this time, Princess Mathilde accompanied her close male friend, Mr. Flaubert, the famous French literary creator, walking together on the street to the Fontainebleau Palace.
The two of them walked forward leisurely while talking playful words of love, and soon arrived at the main entrance of the Fontainebleau Palace.
The guard responsible for guarding Fontainebleau immediately opened the door for Princess Mathilde and Flaubert after seeing them.
Later, under the leadership of the housekeeper of Fontainebleau Palace, Princess Mathilde and Flaubert were invited to a guest room.
Since every living room in the Palace of Fontainebleau is equipped with a fireplace, and every fireplace is burning 24 hours a day, the overall temperature in the room is much higher than the outdoor temperature.
Princess Mathilde and Flaubert, who entered the room for the first time, immediately felt an unprecedented hot feeling after entering the room. They consciously took off the heavy coats that wrapped their bodies.
Upon seeing this, the butler at the side took the coats of Princess Mathilde and Mr. Flaubert and placed them on the clothes drying near the fireplace.
After doing all this, the butler appeared in front of Princess Mathilde and Flaubert again and responded to Princess Mathilde, "Your Highness, please wait a moment!
Your Majesty is still processing a batch of urgent documents, it may take some time!"
After hearing this, Princess Mathilde nodded and said pleasantly to the housekeeper, "Okay!"
After the housekeeper left, Princess Mathilde seemed to have become the mistress of Fontainebleau Palace. She warmly invited Flaubert to sit on the sofa and vividly told Flaubert about the past of Fontainebleau Palace.
Especially some small things during the imperial period, many people don't know about these things.
The reason why Princess Mathilde knows this is also thanks to Prince Louis Napoleon, who has been dead for nearly 11 years. (Napoleon III)
Among all the second generation of the Bonaparte family, only Louis Napoleon truly experienced the imperial period.
Even if he was the King of Rome, the biological son of Emperor Napoleon, his experience during the imperial period would probably include foreign intervention and fleeing.
I think back then, Prince Louis Napoleon wanted to attract Princess Mathilde's attention and gain her confidence.
He deliberately told Princess Mathilde what happened at the Palace of Fontainebleau during the imperial period, and at the same time deliberately created the persona of Emperor Napoleon's successor in front of Princess Mathilde (Louis Napoleon did serve as Emperor Napoleon's successor for a period of time).
Napoleon's heir, but due to the emergence of the King of Rome, Louis Napoleon's heir was automatically stripped).
Princess Mathilde was also described over and over again by Louis Napoleon, which deepened the memory of the imperial period.
However, since Princess Mathilde herself described it to Flaubert as a third party, Flaubert was extremely sensitive to language and could not only hear Princess Mathilde's longing for someone in her words.
After Princess Mathilde finished recounting the trivial matters at the Palace of Fontainebleau, she thought of Louis Napoleon, who had been deceased for a long time, and the longing in her heart immediately turned into an inexplicable sadness.
After a brief period of sadness, Princess Mathilde told Flaubert frankly that the reason why she wanted to tell Flaubert these things was that she hoped that Flaubert could create a short story with Fontainebleau as the background.
"Mr. Flaubert, an empire not only needs guns as a shield, but also flowers as an embellishment!
Literature is undoubtedly the most beautiful of all flowers!" Mathilde begged Flaubert.
Faced with Princess Mathilde who begged him, Flaubert was really embarrassed to refuse.
After all, the reason why Flaubert was able to stand firm in the French literary world was not only his own efforts, but also the help of Princess Mathilde.
If it were not for the protection of Princess Mathilde, Flaubert's pessimistic remarks alone would be enough to make Flaubert visit the police station.
Under the protection of Mathilde, Flaubert could create with peace of mind, without any need for the twists and turns of the literary world.
No scholar dares to challenge Princess Mathilde’s authority!
However, in Flaubert's mind, his attitude towards the Empire was still half and half.
Flaubert recognized the merits of establishing the Second Empire, but was disgusted by the extravagant and lustful attitude of the bourgeoisie of the Second Empire.
All in all, Flaubert himself did not want to praise the empire too much, but he also did not want to belittle the empire too much.
Flaubert had always been a moderate critic of Empire.
"Your Highness!" Flaubert replied to Princess Mathilde after a moment of silence, "If I am really lucky enough to write a play about the imperial period, I can assure you that I am willing to write it in a relatively fair way.
Describe it from perspective!
I will describe its greatness, and I will also tell the shadow lurking beneath its greatness!
If you just wanted an article praising the Empire, then I'm very sorry about that!"
After that, Flaubert bowed deeply to Princess Mathilde and said, "Thank you for protecting me all these years!"
Looking at Flaubert who seemed to be about to break with her, Princess Mathilde sighed to herself and said, "Mr. Flaubert, your character is still as stubborn as ever!"
"Your Highness, this is me, a contradictory individual!" Flaubert replied to Princess Mathilde.
"Yes!" Princess Mathilde looked at Flaubert in front of her and sighed with emotion, "If your character were not like this, then the words you wrote would not burst out with such powerful emotions!
Okay! I promise you, but I also have a condition!"
When Flaubert met Princess Mathilde, she didn't choose to embarrass him. He couldn't help but feel relieved.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! To be honest, if Princess Mathilde uses their emotions to continuously plead with Flaubert, Flaubert may not know whether he can continue to persist.
Original intention.
However, when Flaubert promised Princess Mathilde, in his heart, the relationship between him and Princess Mathilde would also end with his creation that went against his own heart.
"Your Highness, tell me!" Flaubert said to Princess Mathilde.
"Your manuscript must be reviewed by me before it is officially published!
And, you must join the French Academy of Literature!" Princess Mathilde requested Flaubert.
"Your Highness, these are two demands!" Flaubert said to Princess Mathilde.
"I say one means one!" Princess Mathilde confidently replied to Flaubert.
Flaubert was silent for a while again, and then he said to Princess Mathilde, "Your Highness, I can grant your first request!
As for joining the French Academy of Literature, I hope you will consider it carefully!"
"Gustave Flaubert!" Princess Mathilde directly called out Flaubert's full name. She said to Flaubert excitedly, "Do you know how many people in France are eager to join France?
Academy!
Now an opportunity has appeared in front of you, and you still want to consider it carefully!
Who do you think you are, that your achievements are greater than Victor Hugo!"
After listening to Princess Mathilde's remarks, Flaubert replied carefully, "Your Highness, I think that my talents cannot be compared with Victor Hugo!
But to join the French Academy of Literature, you should not ask for my consent!
For a writer like me who has a strong sense of world-weariness, it would be better not to join a liberal arts academy!"
After saying that, Flaubert showed a helpless smile, and his whole body also exuded a sense of isolation and loneliness.
As Flaubert's confidant, Princess Mathilde naturally understood Flaubert's ambivalent psychology hidden beneath the surface.
He is a romantic, but he tries to turn himself into a realist; he is a pessimist, but he still carries his love for France in his heart.
It is precisely because of Flaubert's contradictory character that the characters in his works have a unique charm, and at the same time, Mathilde fell in love with them.
If history develops in the right direction, then Flaubert will completely become a nihilist after witnessing the Franco-Prussian War.
Although Flaubert is a pessimist nowadays, he still maintains a love for his motherland in his heart.
It was this love that made his attitude towards the French Emperor not entirely negative.
Otherwise, he would not agree to Princess Mathilde's request to meet Emperor Napoleon.
"Just think that Flaubert is doing it for me!" Princess Mathilde begged Flaubert again, "You just need to have a name in the French Academy of Literature!"
Looking at the pitiful Princess Mathilde in front of him, Flaubert felt a little soft-hearted for a moment, and he also understood the benefits of joining the French Academy of Literature.
"I……"
Just when Flaubert was about to respond to Princess Mathilde, the door opened and Jérôme Bonaparte appeared in front of Princess Mathilde and Flaubert.
Jérôme Bonaparte, who entered the room, looked at the two people who were about to touch each other in the room. An awkward smile appeared on his face, and he asked slowly and leisurely, "Am I...did I come at the wrong time?"
Under the gaze of Jerome Bonaparte, Flaubert and Princess Mathilde hurriedly separated, then stood up and bowed to Jerome Bonaparte.
"No need to be polite!"
Jérôme Bonaparte waved his hand and immediately invited Princess Mathilde and Flaubert to sit down.
Later, Jérôme Bonaparte told Princess Mathilde and Flaubert that the reason why he invited Flaubert and Princess Mathilde to visit the Palace of Fontainebleau was because he wanted to invite Flaubert through Princess Mathilde.
