After all the dishes were served, John Brown appeared in the restaurant again, this time holding a tan bottle of unopened sherry in his hand.
"Would you like a glass of sherry?" Prince Albert asked Palmerston in a brisk tone.
Palmerston pretended to be flattered and agreed to Albert, but in his heart he kept warning himself that he must not make a drunken gaffe.
Compared to Queen Victoria, who had no "scheming", Palmerston was more "fearful" of Prince Albert.
This top student from Germany seemed to be born for the British system. Palmerston did not see a trace of the frivolity expected of an aristocrat in him. He was like a long-established politician who was good at keeping his cool.
A knife in your back.
Albert signaled John Brown to uncork the bottle, and with a pop, John Brown opened the wine from the small town of Jerez, Spain, which had been sealed for nearly 200 years.
Another servant appeared in the restaurant carrying a tray with four crystal cups. Each crystal cup contained two sugar cube-shaped ice cubes. The ice cubes exuded a white cold air and sealed the walls of the crystal cup.
There was a layer of hazy white frost. John Brown carefully held the sherry and poured it into the crystal cup. A burst of hot, dark yellow liquid like beer was poured into the crystal cup. The white liquid covering the wall of the cup poured into it.
The frost disappeared and the ice cubes floated on top of the crystal glass.
After four glasses of sherry on the rocks were made in the hands of John Brown, four servants entered the restaurant and placed the sherry in front of Prince Albert, Palmerston and others.
The four servants left, and John Brown also saluted everyone present and then carefully left the door of the restaurant ajar and stayed outside the restaurant to wait for Albert's summons.
"Cheers to Britain!" Albert raised his glass and turned his eyes to Palmerston, and Queen Victoria followed closely and turned to Palmerston's wife.
Palmerston immediately raised his glass and said with a flattered expression: "Cheers to the Queen and Prince!"
So does Lady Palmerston.
The warmth of the sherry combined with the coolness of the ice traveled down Palmerston's throat straight to his stomach, making him feel a little tipsy.
After finishing half the glass of wine, Prince Albert didn't say anything else. He gently picked up the aluminum-plated knife and cut off a piece of sirloin and stuffed it into his mouth.
Seeing that Albert didn't say anything, Palmerston also cut off the sirloin and chewed it carefully.
It wasn't until he took his second sip of sherry that Prince Albert got to the point: "Palmerston, what do you think of the recent series of events in Britain?"
Palmerston immediately put down the knife and fork in his hand, picked up the tablecloth and wiped his face. After thinking for a moment, he pushed and said: "Your Highness, Prime Minister Russell is responsible for Britain's internal affairs. I think he knows better than me!"
Seeing Palmerston playing football, Albert had no choice but to curse "Old Fox" in his heart. Albert didn't want to believe that Palmerston, who was committed to the position of Prime Minister, really didn't understand the rumors.
The "Chartist Movement" that was so popular was probably just unwilling to get involved in this matter.
Albert, who was angrily criticizing Palmerston in his heart, still had a kind smile on his face and said: "As the foreign minister, can you tell me what has happened in Europe recently? Understand what is happening in Europe, and properly deal with Britain and the British Empire.
Relations with the country should be your responsibility!"
"Your Highness, I don't know which part you want to hear!" Palmerston asked?
For some reason, Albert suddenly remembered what Dr. James said to him at noon today, and he immediately said: "Let's talk about our old neighbor France first! After all, the birthplace of this revolution comes from that country."
Palmerston thought for a moment, reorganized the words in his mind and said: "Under the February riots, the people of Paris drove their king out of the palace! The whole country showed its worst side, and the Republicans and the Montagnards were struggling to survive. With a republic."
"So, the riots in France will not affect Britain?" Albert then asked.
The fear during the Revolution had penetrated deeply into the bones of European monarchs. In order to make people fear the revolution, they even demonized everything about the Revolution.
Palmerston combined the British ambassador to France with the overall changes in Europe and replied: "Judging from the current situation, this riot is different from the one decades ago. There is no decisive force in the French political situation. Twist France together! The former dynastic deputies remain in their old positions."
"That's right!" Prince Albert nodded and asked again: "Which force in France do you think can win the final victory? Can the Bourbon dynasty return?"
Palmerston shook his head and responded worriedly: "From a British perspective, a dynasty is always better than a republic, but judging from the available intelligence, the future of France is likely to be in the hands of that group of republicans. .”
"Didn't you say that those congressmen are still in their original positions?" Albert, who lacked information about France, asked doubtfully.
"Your Highness, it has been 33 years since the Bourbon dynasty began in 1815. The people of Paris have already hated Bourbon! The Paris mob itself is a nation that likes the new and hates the old!" Palmerston added: "Although in our eyes, the two Generations of Bourbons originate from the same source, but in the eyes of the Paris mob, France’s power has simply shifted from one Bourbon to another!”
How could Palmerston in April not have imagined that the June Revolution two months later would push the Republicans, who had already secured victory, directly into the abyss of defeat.
"If it's...the Bonaparte family..." Prince Albert asked tentatively.
There was a hint of surprise in Palmerston's eyes. He had also heard some rumors about Prince Albert's contact with the Bonaparte family. Now it seems that some of the rumors are not groundless.
"Your Highness, with all due respect!" Palmerston said directly: "The Bonaparte family has been out of politics for more than 30 years, and its influence has long since disappeared with the disappearance of the empire. A party without influence can easily It’s hard to make a difference in French politics!”
Later, Palmerston changed the topic and said: "Of course, I am just saying that under normal circumstances, who knows that the French political scene is changing rapidly, and a miracle may happen! Proper investment is still necessary! An empire is far more valuable than an empire. The Republic is better!"