After getting permission from the emperor, Metternich was almost happy. He used "in order to contain the tsar must have good relations with France" as the reason to persuade the emperor to resolve to reconcile with his grandson; and then used "want to make peace"
"A good French emperor must have Sophie come forward" as the reason, so the old emperor endured his displeasure and chose to put Sophie in front of the stage to prepare for his "posthumous affairs".
Now he is making a lot of money both publicly and privately.
After bidding farewell to the emperor, he did not waste any time and immediately went to Sophie's residence.
Now that things have happened, since Sophie has restored her status, he no longer needs to "avoid suspicion" when contacting Sophie. Instead, he needs to strike while the iron is hot and "acquire credit" as soon as possible, reminding the newly turned princess who she is.
Her benefactor and her greatest help in the future.
Soon, Sophie met Prime Minister Metternich again in her reception room.
In front of the emperor just now, Sophie still looked timid and repentant. However, now, when she saw the Prime Minister alone again, the low-brow look she had just now was completely gone. Although she was sitting on the sofa at the moment.
, but her stretched eyebrows and her half-smiling expression reminded visitors that she was no longer as proud as before.
And Metternich was always good at showing off. He changed his past arrogance in front of Sophie and bowed respectfully.
"Your Highness, congratulations on your good fortune... God seems to have finally favored you, and I am really happy about this."
"I thank God, but I will also thank you. I know that you said a lot of good things for me in it, and I will remember this feeling." Sophie also knew the rules, so she immediately expressed it to the Prime Minister.
The determination to repay kindness.
Although even now, she still hates Metternich in her heart, but the setbacks in the past few years have taught her a lot, and she will no longer act on impulse - at least not easily.
Although she has begun to make fortunes, to put it bluntly, she has neither experience nor influence. Her only reliance is her title, which is far from enough to convince others.
No matter how annoying Metternich is, he is still an important minister who has been in office for many years. Both his influence and his party members are spread all over the country. If she really takes power in the future, at least during the transition period, she will need such a big man to serve as the leader.
Stabilize the situation by yourself and suppress the powerful royal princes and foreigners with different aspirations within the empire.
Only by cooperating with Metternich can they jointly control the inner court and the outer court so that others cannot take advantage of it.
"You're very flattering, Your Highness. I have to speak out for the sake of the safety of the country and the royal family..." Metternich smiled and pretended to be humble, and then immediately got back to the topic, "Also, please allow me to give you some advice.
A suggestion - you have just been restored to power by His Majesty the Emperor, and your trust is very weak. You need to make some achievements as soon as possible to reassure His Majesty. Therefore, you should take action immediately and let the two of them reconcile as soon as possible. This pair
You are also in the most advantageous situation..."
Of course Sophie knew that her biggest supporter now was actually the young emperor in Paris. Of course, she also hoped for reconciliation between the two parties more than anyone else.
However, she did not show any urgency because she knew that in politics, whoever is in a hurry is the one who wants something from others.
So she deliberately seemed a little hesitant.
"Logically speaking, shouldn't Theresa be the one to do this? She is the Queen of France and the Princess of Habsburg. Isn't it justifiable for her to come forward to mediate?"
"If she was willing to do it, we would have finished the matter long ago, so why would we need to invite you again?" Metternich sighed, "Princess Theresa is only willing to take care of palace affairs over there, and is not willing to interfere with the empire.
Diplomacy, I'm afraid she wants to avoid suspicion... She doesn't want the French to remember that she is an Austrian."
At this point, he changed the topic again, "Besides, even if she is really willing to come forward, it may not be good for us..."
Your Excellency the Prime Minister stopped here, but the meaning is profound.
Sophie understood immediately.
Theresa was the daughter of Archduke Karl, and what the old emperor resented most was that his brother was meddling in too many things, so he kept his brother idle at home. If Theresa was really leading the relationship between the two countries, then it would be equal to Grand Duke Karl's father.
The two women had the leverage to manipulate the emperor, so how could he be willing?
After thinking clearly about the connection, Sophie did not continue the topic, but casually asked about her sister's current situation.
"How is Maria doing over there now? I haven't heard from her -"
"She's doing well, even a little too well..." An indescribable smile appeared on Metternich's face.
"Huh? How do you say this?" Sophie asked quickly.
"According to the news from our embassy, she has been acting domineering since her public appearance in the French court. She even flirted with Queen Theresa in front of many people, and Queen Theresa seemed to be interested in it.
She got angry, isolated her in the court, and almost never interacted with her. There are rumors that the two people had a conflict...but I don't know whether it is true or not."
Regarding the recent incident in Maria, Egeron ordered a strict silence, so the outside world could only spread some specious rumors, and the Austrian Embassy's intelligence work could only go so far.
But even based on this little information, Metternich was able to see that Maria and Sophie were almost equally arrogant, conceited and domineering. They were really difficult people to deal with. No wonder they were twin sisters.
"Hmph, I think she will be severely repaired by Teresa... maybe she has already been repaired." After hearing this, Sophie sneered, "Ever since she was a child, she has always thought highly of herself.
She feels that she is smarter than others and always looks domineering, and she will definitely do the same in front of Theresa. After all, she has always been very unconvinced by Theresa——
But her intelligence is nothing more than a little cleverness. It’s only because everyone has given in to her since she was little that she feels that she can do whatever she wants. Once she meets someone who doesn’t give in to her, she will know how powerful she is... Theresa looks
She is humble and gentle, but she is not a good person at heart. If she is angered, it should be very simple to deal with Maria with her ability——"
As expected of sisters who grew up together, Sophie is the person who knows Maria best in the world. Even if Maria didn't reveal a word about her experience to the outside world (because it was too embarrassing), Sophie could still know it just by guessing.
My sister would definitely provoke Teresa and then be defeated.
Moreover, not only did she not sympathize with her sister, she actually felt a little gloating about her misfortune.
However, gloating over schadenfreude, she would certainly not be happy to see Theresa destroy Maria or even force her away. After all, she still needed Maria to stay in Paris to act as her "agent" and as an intermediary channel between herself and Aigron.
So naturally she also wanted to help Maria.
Therefore, she just smiled for a moment and then returned to seriousness, "Your Excellency Prime Minister, His Majesty the Emperor must have given you the task of monitoring me, so I would like to ask, to what extent can you facilitate me?"
"It depends on what you want to do..." Metternich spread his hands, "If it's a trivial matter, of course I'm happy to accommodate you."
He seemed to have a good attitude, but actually he didn't agree to anything. This old cunning guy... Sophie cursed secretly.
But she is not angry either, since she has time now anyway.
"Very good." Sophie no longer struggled with Metternich, but directly made her current request, "Then according to our agreement, I hope to see my daughter... Is this a reasonable request?"
"What a coincidence..." Metternich looked like he suddenly realized it, and then nodded with a smile, "Your Highness, I just discussed it with the emperor, and after my persuasion, he finally
I agree to let you see the little princess..."
"Really?!" Before Metternich finished speaking, Sophie almost cried with joy and looked at him almost in disbelief, "Did you really do it?"
At this moment, only her mother's instinct was left in her mind, and all trade-offs and calculations were left behind.
"Really... but only twice a month, that is to say, once every half month or so." Metternich replied softly, "I'm sorry, Sophie, but this is the biggest concession I can get.
"
This was like a basin of cold water, pouring Sophie out of her ecstasy.
Just as Metternich thought, this kind of half-hearted kindness did not make Sophie grateful, but made her want to strangle the old emperor to death for a moment.
However, she knew that she was now powerless to change the emperor's decision, so after being extremely angry for a few seconds, she finally regained her emotions.
"Get ready for me! I'm going there tomorrow!" Then, with a sharp voice, she loudly ordered to the Prime Minister.
================================
In the early morning of the next day, several unmarked carriages quietly drove out of the palace gate of Schonbrunn Palace, then passed through the country road and arrived silently outside a remote and quiet manor.
After the carriage stopped, a lady dressed simply but still elegantly got off the horse, and then looked at the almost isolated house hidden in the deep forest.
Hidden there were her closest relatives, the daughter she longed for day and night.
She was supposed to be the most noble princess, enjoying all the glory and wealth in the world. However, her fate caused her to lose the care of her parents since she was a child and was forced to grow up in seclusion in this isolated place... When she thought of this, Sophie immediately
It hurt my heart so much that I almost shed tears again.
After a while, she controlled her emotions, and then, under the guidance of the servant, she quietly walked through the fence and the forest path and walked into this inconspicuous house.
After walking in, Sophie carefully observed the surroundings, looking for every trace of her daughter's existence.
Although the house was not luxurious, it was very clean and seemed to be taken care of by dedicated personnel, which made Sophie feel quite relieved.
At this time, the maids and cooks in the house, after receiving the news, immediately gathered in front of the madam.
They all knew Sophie's identity, but they knew even more that talking nonsense would only make them die quickly, so they just lowered their heads and waited for the madam's instructions.
"Where is she?" Sophie was not in the mood to chat with anyone, so she asked directly.
"The lady is upstairs, taking a rest now..." A maid who seemed to be the person in charge answered in a low voice.
"Take me there." Sophie ordered immediately.
"yes."
Soon, the two of them walked upstairs together and came to the door of a bedroom.
Although the door is closed, it is not locked and can be easily opened from the outside - which is not surprising, as a three or four-year-old child needs someone to take care of him at all times.
In order not to make too much noise, the maid just turned the door handle gently and opened the door. Then Sophie couldn't wait to walk in, while the maid stood outside the door and carefully closed the door, but in a complicated way
My mood stayed at the door.
She was happy that the "young lady" had the opportunity to see her mother; but she also felt disappointed that the young lady she had taken care of had her own biological mother.
At this moment, Sophie's mood was a thousand times more exciting than that of the maid outside the door.
She looked at the small bed with the little dolls in front of her, and walked over step by step. Although she was very close, she felt as if her feet were heavy.
As the footsteps approached, she quickly saw clearly that a small child was lying on the bed and resting.
She has white and silver hair, and her eye color cannot be seen because her eyes are closed, but her slender eyelashes are beautiful enough, her nose is small and straight, and her skin is dazzlingly white. All these elements combined make her beautiful.
He must be like a person in a painting.
My daughter... Sophie cried out silently in her heart, and tears burst out of her eyes.
She was sad that she could only see her daughter now, but she was also proud and natural that her daughter was so beautiful.
Yes, this is my and his daughter, she should look like this...
At this time, because he heard the sound of the door opening and footsteps, the sleeping child slowly opened his eyes.
Her eyes were distracted at first, and then she gradually saw clearly the woman opposite who was slowly approaching.
Then, she was puzzled by the appearance of an adult she had never seen before, and looked at Sophie with blank eyes.
The light blue eyes like a deep lake, and the blank and alienated look in them broke Sophie's heart in an instant.
My daughter, she doesn’t know me…
"My daughter..." She finally couldn't bear it anymore and wailed.
Then, Sophie lost her sense and all the manners of a lady were thrown out of the window. She instinctively rushed to the bed, and then desperately hugged the young child on the bed. "Christelle, I
Daughter, don’t be afraid, it’s your mother, and your mother is here to see you..."
Crystal was still confused and surprised - this was normal, let alone a three or four-year-old child, even an adult would be confused when suddenly encountering such a scene.
However, the bond that comes from blood and the implicit mother-daughter affection made her instantly indulge in the warm embrace of the madam.
"Mom..." She couldn't help but shed tears, and then shouted out the oldest vocabulary of mankind.