With the passage of time, the rule of His Majesty Emperor Napoleon II has gradually changed from a "shattering news" to a reality that everyone is gradually getting used to.
Although there were occasional riots at home and abroad, they generally maintained an astonishing calm. The French people accepted the Bonaparte family's second (or should I say third) coming to power with a majority of people cheering and a small number of people being indifferent.
, and outside France, although there are still people who hate the Bonaparte family and still remember the previous wars, they do not want to cause more trouble, but accept it all with a mixture of surprise and indifference.
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For the French people, the terrible turmoil and civil war of 1830 have become a thing of the past, everything has returned to calm, and the era of peace and prosperity seems to be quietly coming.
The calming of the situation has also allowed exchanges between France and other countries to resume, and has also allowed foreign tourists to travel to France through official channels again.
For those foreigners, the end of the annoying turmoil also means that France, a beautiful, rich and culturally prosperous country, has become an ideal tourist destination again, and the lively Paris will warmly welcome it again, but in the blink of an eye, it will be forgotten.
Every guest.
Among the tourists flocking to France, there was now a young aristocratic couple from Russia.
This couple is naturally the great poet Pushkin and his wife Natalia Pushkina.
Not long ago, when Pushkin was chatting with his good friends, he had an idea to go to Paris to enjoy the cultural scenery there and meet his former friend the King of Rome.
With the encouragement of his friends, he turned this whim into action. After less than a month of preparation, he took care of his and his wife's household affairs, and then took his wife on the journey to France.
His actions did not attract any attention, because Russian nobles have always liked to wander around Europe, and Paris is especially a spiritual holy place in their hearts. Therefore, in the eyes of people in the Russian social circle, it is normal for the poet to want to visit Paris.
- It would be better to say that he is planning to go now, which is a bit abnormal.
In this way, the couple took a passenger ship from St. Petersburg, then passed the Baltic-North Sea route, landed at a French port, and then arrived in France with their wife in a grand manner through their own passports, and then all the way to Paris.
There was no red carpet, no warm welcome from the crowd, and no invitations from major salons - nothing happened on the first day Pushkin came to Paris. The country and the city did not notice his existence, let alone
He said that he had prepared some special and warm treatment for him.
Obviously, in the eyes of the French at this time, this young aristocratic couple was no different from other Russian celebrities, they just came for sightseeing and "education". Although he is now well-known in the Russian literary world, but in
In France, where literature is prosperous, no one has heard of his name yet.
For Parisians of this era, "foreigners" and "provincials" were the same concept, similar to country bumpkins. Naturally, no salon was interested in a so-called Russian poet, and no one believed that there would be such a thing in Russia.
literature.
Although he knew in advance that this would definitely be the result, when he actually faced all this, Pushkin couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
However, this little disappointment did not affect his mood. After arriving in Paris, the Pushkin couple found a high-end hotel to stay in, and then visited the scenic spots and museums they were already familiar with, while chatting with Russian celebrities and dignitaries living here.
They greet each other and have a few drinks together when they meet people they know.
This kind of life is enough to be called "comfortable" for most people, but for his wife Natalia, it seems particularly insufficient - after all, her social circle here is still limited.
For Russians, what's the difference between that and staying in Petersburg?
When she left Petersburg, she dreamed of becoming a distinguished guest at banquets hosted by the French court and wealthy dignitaries, thereby becoming the "top class" envied by all the ladies of the Russian Empire.
"My dear, didn't you say that you have a relationship with the French Emperor? Why hasn't the palace invited you yet?" On this day, when the two of them were having breakfast at their residence, she couldn't help but question her husband.
This question made Pushkin smile bitterly.
Before leaving Russia, in order to keep the secret that he had "been to Greece and met with the King of Rome", he deliberately kept a low profile and did not seek help from the French Embassy, and no one knew that he had any friendship with the King of Rome.
After arriving in France, he could try to contact the King of Rome, but he found that he seemed unable to do this——
How should he prove that he was the emperor's friend?
Although he was a nobleman, a Russian nobleman was not that great in France. He could not find a channel to meet the King of Rome or pass on information. After all, the emperor of a country was not that easy to meet.
If it were a normal time period, he could definitely find the Russian Embassy, then use his aristocratic status and Petersburg social network to find a Russian diplomat, and then pass the information to the French court through diplomat channels.
However, these are not "normal" times.
At present, because of the turmoil in Poland, France and Russia are involved in diplomatic disputes. Not only are the governments engaged in a war of words with each other, but the emperor himself even publicly made extremely unfriendly remarks towards the tsar, which aroused the tsar's anger and retorted through official newspapers.
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Although the two countries have not completely broken up, and there is no possibility of direct war, the two emperors' fight in the air still means that the relationship is extremely tense. At this sensitive time, I am afraid that no Russian diplomat dares to stand in for
He went to establish friendship with the French Emperor. Even if he was willing, he was not willing to cause such a big trouble to other people's career.
As a result, Pushkin was in trouble for a while.
After pondering hard, he finally came up with an idea: through contacts with Russian expatriates, he found out that His Majesty the Emperor now has a favorite, the Count of Monte Cristo, and that Count of Monte Cristo is His Majesty the Emperor in Greece.
At that time, he was surrounded by heroes who repeatedly performed extraordinary feats.
During the time when Pushkin was visiting Greece and the Roman King, he also met the Count of Monte Cristo. Although there was no direct friendship between the two parties, the other party at least knew of his existence.
So, he spent some time to find out the address of the Count of Monte Cristo in Paris, and then wrote a passionate letter and sent it to the other party, indicating his intention to come.
Next, all he could do was wait.
If the earl forgets him, or his majesty forgets him, or his majesty doesn't want to reply to him at all, then he has no choice but to pretend that it didn't happen.
However, even so, his visit was not in vain - after all, being able to come to Paris and walk around was considered a trip and it was already worthwhile.
Although he was open-minded, he couldn't answer his wife's question truthfully, so he had to reply perfunctorily, "I have already sent the message to my friend, and your Majesty will know about it soon..."
"But how long will it take?" Natalia couldn't help complaining, "We have been here for several days... Could it be that His Majesty forgot about you?"
"If he forgets, it's his loss." Pushkin replied calmly, "Then we can just play here for a while and then go home."
The huge psychological gap immediately made Natalia's mood fall to the bottom. She couldn't help but look around with disappointment.
Are those magnificent halls in fantasy dreams really just a dream?
At this moment, there was a gentle knock on the door of the two people's room.
The couple looked at each other, and suddenly saw anticipation and hope in each other's eyes, but neither seemed to believe it.
"Did you call the waiter?" Pushkin asked.
The lady immediately shook her head.
Pushkin immediately felt energetic. He quickly tidied up his appearance, then left the dining table and went directly to the door, opening it.
Sure enough, the person standing at the door was not a hotel waiter, but a tall man wearing black clothes.
"Mr. Count! Long time no see!" Pushkin showed a pleasant smile after a moment of surprise, and then calmly greeted the other party.
"Good morning, sir, we meet again -" Edmund also greeted, "I'm sorry to keep you waiting, sir. The letter only arrived at my home yesterday, and I contacted His Majesty yesterday,
So it took a little time..."
"So, your Majesty has already known about my arrival, right?" After listening to the count's explanation, Pushkin relaxed even more.
"Yes." Edmund nodded solemnly, and then looked at the other person seriously, "In fact, I came here to welcome you and your wife to the Palace of Fontainebleau today at your Majesty's order... He is already waiting for you.
.And he also asked me to tell you that he is very happy for you to come to visit at this time——"
"I understand." Although he was very happy in his heart, Pushkin still had a look of indifference on his face.
At this time, Mrs. Natalia, who heard the noise, had also arrived at the door.
"Natalia, this is the Count of Monte Cristo, His Majesty the Emperor's favorite." Pushkin turned his head and introduced to his wife in a proud tone, "And he came here today to invite us to Maple Leaf."
Danbailu's... It seems that my friend has not forgotten me."
"Oh God! You really didn't lie!" The lady exclaimed, almost crying with joy. Then, her depression was swept away and she immediately became energetic, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's pack it up quickly...
…”
So, the couple packed their luggage as quickly as possible, and then followed the count on their journey to the Palace of Fontainebleau.
For them, this will naturally be the beginning of the most dreamlike experience in their lives.
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Under the care of the Count of Monte Cristo, the carriage in which the Pushkin couple was riding passed the blockade composed of the Guards and the Royal Guards without any hindrance, passed through the square of the Fontainebleau Palace, and then arrived at its palace.
Along the way, Pushkin was amazed by the exquisite architecture and beautiful natural scenery here, and secretly sighed that his trip was well worth it.
And when the couple was brought to Aiglon's audience hall, Aiglon and his wife were already waiting here.
Although it had only been three years since they separated, when he walked in and the two of them looked at each other, they both felt like they were worlds apart.
Indeed, in the past three years, Aiglon became the emperor, and the bohemian poet also became a husband, and both of them came to a new stage in their lives - and also came to their new and unfamiliar lives.
But even so, the mutual sympathy between them that is unique to poets will not be changed by time or environment.
"My friend, your sudden arrival gave me a big surprise." Aigron walked up to Pushkin and said to him with a smile.
"I am also very happy to see you again, Your Majesty." Pushkin replied with a smile, "But, Your Majesty, your pomp is many times bigger than that time. It was not easy for me to see you..."
"Well, there is nothing we can do about it. Being the king of a country is like locking yourself in a golden cage, isn't it?" Aigron sighed pretending to be humble, "I envy you that you can still be so free!
"
"That's what I say, but you definitely won't be willing to change." Pushkin joked.
His character has always been so casual. Even in front of a king, he will speak his mind directly. He did this to the Tsar at the beginning, and he will naturally do the same to Aiglon. "I hope I didn't cause you any trouble."
"No... you have not caused me any trouble. In fact, I am very happy to have an old friend visiting me at this time..." Aigron smiled, and then changed the topic, "I am worried about you, my
Friend, when our relationship is so bad, you come to me and call yourself my friend, will nothing happen to you?"
"Of course nothing will happen! If the people in Petersburg know that I have been cordially received by you, I'm sure they will only envy me." Pushkin replied with a smile, "And, after all, what is there between our two countries now?
What's the problem? It's just some boring quarrels. In what year has Europe not had this kind of quarrel? Anyway, it won't take long to subside. We can't let this kind of quarrel affect our own lives - "
But then, his face became serious again, "But if all this quarrel turns into a terrible war, then I will say goodbye to you immediately, and then return to my great motherland and defend it with all my strength.
But I believe that you will definitely not do this. You love your country and nation, and you will not put it into an unpredictable adventure. I am convinced."
"That's natural. I will always do things that are beneficial to myself." Aigron patted his shoulder friendlyly, "Enjoy the hospitality here - at least for now, we have to enjoy the beauty of peace, you and yours
My ladies will all be my honored guests."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Pushkin also bowed and solemnly saluted Aigron, "Natalia and I are honored to receive your hospitality——"