After learning of Aigron's request, Prince Charlie's original excitement at being entrusted with an important task by Aigron suddenly disappeared, and was replaced by a mixed mood.
After all, Aiglon suddenly gave him an "ally", which caught him off guard.
On the bright side, he has always been at odds with Teresa. Teresa is the Queen and has a great say in the family, so in the face of Teresa's usual alienation and suppression, he will inevitably
There will be a sense of desolation of being "alone". In this case, if you have an ally who has the right to speak beside His Majesty, your position will naturally be much more stable.
But looking at the bad side, Princess Maria has always been arrogant and willful, and now she has already become incompatible with Teresa just after she arrived. If she causes any "big things" in the future and involves herself, wouldn't she be blameless?
Suffered an unexpected disaster?
Moreover, his cousin had just banned him from participating in the conspiracy against Teresa, which put him in an even more difficult position.
However, no matter how much resistance and uneasiness he felt in his heart, he could only bite the bullet and accept it. After all, it is hard to disobey your orders. Besides, he had just received a "big gift package" from his cousin. If he dared to disobey His Majesty's orders,
, this gift bag will definitely fly away again.
Alas, at this point, he has no choice. He can only take one step at a time and hope that he will have better luck in the future... In the end, under the entanglement, he could only comfort himself in this way.
In this way, in his state of mind, Aigron ended the pleasant conversation between the three of them, and he resigned to Aigron at the right time.
When he just left, Princess Maria also resigned to Aigron, then quietly quickened her pace and caught up with Prince Charles in the corridor.
"Your Highness, for the sake of the friendship we have just established, would it be convenient for us to have a private conversation?" she requested with a smile.
Although it was a request, it seemed that no refusal was allowed.
Prince Charlie nodded slightly. Now that the two of them are on the same side, they really need to understand each other's positions and needs so that there is room for cooperation.
Besides, he was still under Aigron's nose, so he didn't dare not give his cousin face.
So, the two people walked slowly into a hall and sat down on the chairs by the window.
Seeing the two nobles sitting down, the attendants who were on standby attentively served them coffee and juice.
After placing the cups, the prince made a gesture, and the attendant understood and stood in another corner far away. He could not hear the conversation between the two people, but he could come and serve again at any time according to his gesture.
Sitting by the window, admiring the clear water and sky outside, Prince Charlie waited for Princess Maria to speak.
He didn't wait too long. Maria took a sip of the drink gracefully, and then looked at the young prince opposite.
"Your Highness, although we have only officially met today, I still admire your grace and talent. I am very happy to have a friend like you - I will ask you to take care of me in the future."
Of course, this kind of scene would not make the prince excited, but he also put on a calm look, "I have also admired you for a long time, and it is really an honor for me to be able to appreciate your style up close...
…”
Although these were just polite words, Prince Charlie was secretly sighing in his heart. After all, just a few years ago, he was just a down-and-out royal family. He had the name of prince but no one cared about him. How could he be with a Bavarian?
How about the princess of the kingdom sitting face to face and talking on equal terms? I'm afraid even her servants are not qualified to see her.
If it weren't for his cousin's great achievements, he didn't know how many more years he would have to struggle to get such an opportunity.
Therefore, no matter how dissatisfied he was with his cousin for alienating him, in his heart, he still felt grateful to his cousin.
Of course, Maria was unaware of the prince's sadness at this moment. After the formulaic politeness, she quickly entered the real topic.
"Your Highness, I think we need to discuss your marriage in detail."
"Please tell me."
"Undoubtedly, your eagerness to start a family is quite reasonable; and, with your royal status, you should indeed find a princess whose status matches yours... However, in reality, not everything will go as people wish, and there will often be
All kinds of difficulties.
There are only two of us here, so let me tell you the truth, although the Bonaparte family has ascended to the throne twice and has been married to Habsburg princesses both times, in the eyes of the world, it is still a rising star after all.
, family history, family status is not that secure...Any prince who considers marrying his daughter to you will definitely feel this concern."
Although Maria spoke very cryptically, Prince Charles naturally understood what she meant.
On the one hand, the Bonaparte family is still a "nouveau riche", and the princes and nobles still feel a little contempt;
On the one hand, the Bonaparte family has not proven that it can hold the throne "for a long time" and its position is not yet solid. The old princes feel that it may be overthrown by a new revolution at any time, and the attempt will be in vain.
Prince Charles cannot refute these two concerns, because this is the reality.
But in his heart, he was extremely dissatisfied with this.
Humph, these old people dare to look down on our family at this time! It seems that my uncle didn't slap them enough, and sooner or later, my cousins will give them another look.
Of course, he cursed in his heart, but on the surface he nodded calmly, "You are right, I can understand these concerns, but I believe we can get rid of these concerns."
"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't waste your precious time." Maria smiled slightly again, "To be honest, times are changing after all, and many people are not so stubborn anymore. They can adapt to the new era and new trends.
, don’t you think our family is very happy to associate with the Bonaparte family?
Moreover, in Germany now, many ancient princes are facing the embarrassing situation of declining family fortunes. As long as you are willing to show enough sincerity to dispel their concerns, they will be happy to fulfill your good deeds. Besides, there is also my mother.
Serving as a witness will never harm everyone's dignity... What do you think?"
Prince Charlie sneered secretly.
After thousands of years of reproduction, the various royal families in Germany have numerous branches. Correspondingly, their territories and wealth are naturally shrinking, making it increasingly difficult to maintain the dignity that a prince should have.
In particular, since modern times, the extravagance brought by the French has become more and more popular day by day. The expenses of the princes are getting bigger and bigger. It is natural that they cannot make ends meet and run up debts, especially those on the fringes of the peripheral branches.
The days are getting more and more embarrassing.
Under such circumstances, some people will naturally have the idea of marrying their children.
According to the tradition of European aristocrats, when their daughter gets married, her parents must prepare a generous dowry. But now, how can these princes, whose income is meager and unable to make ends meet, afford this huge expense?
Therefore, some people simply came up with the idea to marry their daughters to nobles with slightly inferior family backgrounds who were eager to raise their own status. Not only did they not have to pay a large dowry, but they could receive a certain amount of "compensation."
Of course, a prince must behave like a prince. Even if he asks for money, he must not be degrading. Therefore, there will be no bargaining at all in this kind of thing. They will only be tacitly happy with each other and do it inadvertently.
Very appropriate and everything is explained without saying anything.
And in France, which has "collapsed etiquette" after the baptism of the Great Revolution, this kind of thing is even more common. The newly rising bourgeoisie is willing to pay large sums of money to marry aristocrats, while aristocratic families whose property has greatly shrunk often
They also wanted to use their daughters to alleviate the family's financial crisis, so this kind of marriage between aristocrats and civilian bourgeois became a common phenomenon, of which banker Bowen was a typical representative.
After all, in this era, especially among the upper class, marriage is a transaction. Both parties to the transaction will decide whether the relationship between them is strong or weak based on their property status at any time.
Prince Charles was not surprised by this. As a member of this circle, he certainly understood these unspoken rules.
Moreover, he had already been mentally prepared for the fact that these days even the tsar was paying large sums of money to marry a German princess (of course the tsar was not because of insufficient family status, but because the person to be married had to convert to Orthodox Christianity and go to "
"Wild Land"), it is natural to pay for it yourself.
"I understand, I understand very well." He nodded repeatedly, "After all, a bride marries us and is far away from her parents and relatives. The parents also lose their family love. It is really sad... For this reason, I
It is also appropriate to make some compensation.”
Then, he asked in a low voice, "Then what do you think is an appropriate amount of compensation for me?"
"Well... how can there be a clearly marked price on the market? Everyone wants to be decent..." Maria couldn't help laughing, "But, generally speaking, you should at least buy some land or a castle for your in-laws' family to show your respect.
Are you sincere, right? Moreover, you also need to buy a dowry and jewelry for the bride that is worthy of the title of Prince’s Wife. After all, I think it’s three to four million, right?”
Although this number is indeed huge, it is not beyond Prince Charles's psychological tolerance.
After all, he also knew that the price for buying a marriage worthy of his status was fair and reasonable, and the other party was not bluffing him.
The only small problem is...he doesn't have that much money now.
He has been wandering around before, and now he has just returned to France. Even though he has the title of prince, he has no family property in his hands.
Moreover, although his father, Prince Louis, had been the king of the Netherlands before, he refused to implement Emperor Napoleon's continental blockade policy, so the angry emperor directly ousted him from the throne. Even if he could leave some property, his father could not leave it to him.
Give them all to yourself.
Therefore, he really couldn't raise such a huge amount of money in a hurry.
"Do you think I said too much?" Maria asked, seeing the hesitation on his face.
"No... no! I don't think the number you mentioned is too high, it's just... I'm really short of money right now." After hesitating for a moment, the prince told him frankly.
Maria was not surprised by his answer.
"Well...that's understandable. After all, you have been in exile..."
Then, Maria frowned slightly, as if giving him advice, "Then you can try to ask for grace from His Majesty? Although this is indeed a huge sum of money, as long as Your Majesty is willing to give it, there is always a way to raise it.
."
Although this proposal was indeed very attractive, after thinking about it for a moment, the prince immediately shook his head and refused.
"This won't work. I've already caused too much trouble to His Majesty. I can't let him spend so much anymore. Besides, the outside world will also question it."
Putting aside whether His Majesty and Queen Theresa are willing to give it, even if they are willing to give it, he is now committed to creating the character of a "good king", but as soon as he returns to the country, he has to use a huge sum of money from the treasury to marry a foreign princess.
Although this is considered "excusable", how do people view themselves? How can they respect their families?
So, let’s find a way to raise money by ourselves…
While he was pondering, he vaguely noticed Maria looking at him with a look that was half-smiling but full of amusement.
It dawned on him immediately.
This woman has already thought about it, and now she is testing me!
Well, let's see what you have in mind.
"Your Highness Princess, you are knowledgeable, so what do you think I should do at this time?"
Seeing this kid being so smart, Maria's smile grew even stronger.
This was the question she was waiting for.
"Your Highness, the problem before you is very simple. If you want to fulfill your wish, you need a huge sum of money, and you need to get it as soon as possible. Not only that, you are also afraid of tarnishing your reputation and affecting your future career, so you
I hope this money can fall into my hands secretly and quietly - right?"
"That's it." The prince could only lower his head honestly.
"This is indeed a difficult condition to achieve...but it is not impossible." Maria picked up the cup and took a leisurely sip of juice, "After all, the person sitting in front of you is me, and I am very willing to help you.
My friend - I have a way for you to get a huge sum of money in a short time, and it is completely legal, as long as you do what I want..."
In the name of "helping Prince Charlie", she took him into her hands, and then used him to make money for herself. This was Maria's plan.
Although Maria was arrogant and arrogant, she had a smart mind after all. After suffering the biggest humiliation in her life, she had to learn from the experience and draw lessons from her failure, so as not to stumble on similar issues in the future and let Teresa slaughter her again.
She concluded that she mainly lost on two points. On the one hand, she was indeed too high-profile and made people around her hate her, which allowed Teresa to isolate herself; on the other hand, she personally participated in the "business" of selling information, so that
This gave Teresa the opportunity to directly take advantage of the stolen goods.
Therefore, she came to the conclusion that she should continue to act as an "intermediary" for the palace's information and resources, and hide behind the scenes to collect benefits, instead of taking the consequences herself and giving others the thumbs up.
And this requires an ally at the front desk.
In this sense, Prince Charlie, who is a prince and is shrewd and capable, is indeed the best candidate.
Therefore, after figuring out the way out, Maria looked at the prince expectantly, waiting for his reply.
She is full of confidence in this because she knows that this is also the best choice for the other party.
However, Maria, who was full of confidence, still underestimated Prince Charles.
Undoubtedly, he was indeed very moved by Maria's proposal, and he did have a need for money, but with his character, he was never willing to be led by others.
He hopes to take the initiative.
He was afraid of his cousin, and a little afraid of Theresa, but he was not afraid of the arrogant and domineering Princess Maria at all. In front of Aigron, he had to act like a submissive yes-man, but now facing Maria alone
When he is young, he can be neither humble nor arrogant.
Therefore, even if he is actually tempted, on the surface he still pretends to be calm.
"But, Your Highness, I heard recently that you seem to have been severely repaired by Princess Teresa..." The prince smiled slyly, and then silently watched Maria's reaction. "If this is true.
, so what can you do to help me when I can’t protect myself?”