Under the witness of the Agrons, the small turmoil surrounding Chopin and Pushkin finally ended in a "violent but not out of control" way.
After Chopin left, the two of them walked back to Pushkin from a distance.
"My friends, you just had a heated argument." Eggron said to Pushkin with a smile, "I hope this did not affect your mood next."
"Yes, it's a heated argument..." Pushkin frowned, seeming a little melancholy, "but it's also a worthless argument."
Yes, both people have their own positions, and neither of them can betray the sacred motherland in their hearts. Therefore, no matter how fierce this argument is, it is impossible to communicate. In the end, it is just a catharsis of emotions.
Are the two nations destined to bleed and not stop until the blood flows into a river?
Pushkin didn't know the answer, but if he had a choice, he still hoped that in the distant future, two peoples who were both members of the Slavic ethnic group could live in harmony with brotherly friendship.
But, I may not be able to do it in my lifetime.
Aigron also saw the frustration and helplessness in his friend's heart at this moment, so he winked at Teresa, hinting her to change the topic to divert her attention.
Of course Teresa understood it.
"Mr. Pushkin, where is Mrs. Natalia? Why are you alone now?"
As expected, Pushkin's attention was attracted by Teresa, and he quickly replied, "After Natalia entered the palace, she was taken by Duchess Abrontes to rest and chat with the other ladies... I came alone.
To see His Majesty."
"I see, she is more accustomed to being with the ladies..." Teresa nodded, "Then now I suggest that everyone should meet together. After all, the banquet will officially start in a while... By the way, today
The activities are slightly different from your previous experience here, we have prepared a brand new activity.”
"What activity?" Pushkin asked with doubts.
"According to His Highness's opinion, we formed a small band in Fontainebleau, specifically recruiting some famous ladies who like vocal music, and today is the time for them to officially debut and perform..." Teresa explained.
"Oh? That's quite interesting." This new thing immediately made Pushkin interested.
However, he was not too surprised. After all, it was normal for the palace to have a band or choir. This time, the identities of the band members were just a little bit special - but considering Theresa's own hobbies, it was
There’s nothing wrong with being a bit more advanced.
"They are not very old, and music is not their means of livelihood, it is just a way to cultivate their sentiments. Therefore, I also ask you not to be too demanding on their level. It is best to give them some tolerant encouragement..."
Teresa continued to emphasize, "I also hope that through these children, I can improve the atmosphere of the next generation."
"Of course, I will never embarrass the children!" Pushkin couldn't help laughing, "I will not only applaud them, but if possible, I will also write poems to praise them..."
He laughed, but Pushkin also disagreed in his heart. The French people's frivolous and dissolute culture has been around for a long time and has become part of the national character. It is true that Theresa wanted to reverse this culture through her own efforts in the court.
The feeling of "a worm shaking a tree".
However, since this is Queen Theresa's wish, he is naturally happy to support it.
So, Aigron and his wife took him, and the young child Xia Lu in Aigron's arms, to the banquet hall.
It was already approaching dusk, and the guests had gathered in twos and threes, including the ladies who had gathered to chat before. Pushkin found his wife Natalia among the crowd, while the Agrons were among the attendants.
Surrounded by people, they walked to the center of the hall and sat on the throne that belonged to the couple.
When they sat down, others also stood upright, waiting for the banquet to officially begin.
Normally, when there are a lot of guests, Aigron, as the emperor and host, would always give a toast, but today was not a special and solemn moment, so he restrained his desire to express himself and only said a few polite words.
Then, he put his focus on small start-up bands.
He first made a gesture, and then the guards in the distance opened the curtain. Then, several little girls holding various musical instruments walked into the hall under the astonished gaze of everyone.
Precisely because it was a harmless-looking little girl and not a swordsman, the surprise did not turn into panic. Everyone was just curious about what tricks the emperor and his wife wanted to play today.
"Everyone, I would like to introduce to you, this is a band that Theresa and I formed in Fontainebleau. Different from ordinary bands, they all come from famous families in our country. The families they came from were some before the Great Revolution.
They are already Xuanhe families; some became famous during the revolution and the imperial era, but no matter which type they are, these families have made outstanding contributions to the country and the nation, and they are the essence of the empire..."
Having said this, Aigron pointed to Valentine who was standing in the middle, "For example, this Miss Valentine, you must all know that she is the granddaughter of the Marquis of Noirtier. The Marquis not only comes from a
From a prominent aristocratic family, he was also a representative of the Constituent Assembly who made great contributions to the revolution. He was also a minister that the late emperor relied on, and he is now a senior minister whom I regard as a great supporter! The same is true for other people in the orchestra.
"
Hearing His Majesty praising her grandfather in public, Valentine was filled with pride and faced the people present with an expression of pride.
After setting an example, Aigron also changed the subject at the right time, "In the past few decades, unfortunately, France has suffered a long misfortune. Many of us have suffered due to the unpredictable current situation.
And the victims, even among those present, may have had unfortunate arguments and conflicts with each other in the past.
However, all this has passed. We will not forget what happened in the past, but we will forget the hatred. Now we will join hands and enter a new era. In my empire, there are no revolutionary parties or royal loyalists.
In the Party, there are no Parisians or Bretons, no bourgeois or sans-culottes, everyone has only one name, and that is French!
These cutest children will forget the conflicts of the past, trust each other and help each other, and play the same music harmoniously. This is our orchestra, this is the empire and the new era, let us cheer for them together -!
"
Eggron's praise is actually using the band to once again promote his political rhetoric - that is, everyone puts aside the conflicts of the past, unites around the empire, and creates a beautiful new era.
In the official narrative of the empire, not so long ago, the French fell into the passion of the revolution and the repetition of counter-revolution after the Great Revolution.
, I have walked all the roads, and every road is full of people. When the nation was at its lowest point, the country was engaged in foreign wars and civil wars at the same time. It was not until Emperor Napoleon came to power that the nation completely ended the war against itself.
nightmare.
The empire can always use the disasters that have occurred on various roads to give legitimacy to its current situation - after all, so many years have passed, no matter how many people hate the Bonaparte family, only the Bonaparte family can, at least on the surface, achieve
In order to achieve "tolerance and reconciliation", no matter which other faction comes to the stage, they will face desperate resistance from their sworn enemies.
Because of this, this mentality of "let's just make do with the mud together" has become Bonaparte's most reliable ideological foundation.
It does not need to output any strong ideology, as long as it is barely acceptable (or more annoying to others), that is enough.
Since it was His Majesty's golden words, no one dared not buy it. So, as soon as he finished his words, people applauded and gave their best wishes to this fledgling orchestra.
Such high-level courtesy also made the band members more and more nervous. Everyone turned pale, and some even started to tremble.
Fortunately, at this time, Valentine did not disappoint Teresa's expectations after all. She showed the spirit of a captain, and while comforting the other members with her eyes, she walked slowly in front of the Agrons and said respectfully.
present.
"Valentina, good child!" Seeing that the child she had raised carefully was going to shine today, Teresa was very happy. She took the initiative to stand up from the throne, then walked to Valentine and caressed her.
He touched her head.
"In order to allow you to perform to your fullest, I will accompany you today!" Then she made a decision that surprised others.
"You...?" Valentine was also very surprised, and then she hesitated, "Isn't this inappropriate...?"
"There's nothing inappropriate. As the hostess here, I'm here to cheer you on and entertain the guests today. Isn't it natural?" Teresa retorted with a smile.
Then, under people's surprised eyes, she quickly walked to the piano and sat down.
He could see that Teresa usually had to act like a queen, and she was really depressed. Today she wanted to take advantage of her good mood to vent, so of course she should be happy.
How can mere etiquette restrain the master of the palace?
"It is said that Frederick the Great of Prussia liked to play the flute, and sometimes he would even play it himself when entertaining guests. Today, Teresa is commemorating the sage." So, Aigron laughed and made a joke.
His words were the final word, and naturally others agreed, expressing that they had long wanted to see Her Majesty the Queen perform.
It has to be said that after Teresa "personally participated in the battle", the serious atmosphere in the hall was diluted a lot, and most of the original tension of the band members was eliminated.
So, in this joyful and relaxed atmosphere, this small orchestra began to play according to the predetermined repertoire.
Because of Teresa's preference, most of the songs they practiced were Schubert's pieces, which was certainly the case for their first public performance. But now, under the guidance of Teresa herself, the whole band began to follow the instructions they had played countless times.
Practice the process and play Schubert's classic symphony.
Soon, the sound of music from various musical instruments gradually filled the entire spacious hall. This also announced that this special orchestra was officially born from this moment on.
The people present fell into silence and listened carefully to the music they played.
Most of them have been to many concerts and enjoyed more professional performances. Of course, they can also notice that the orchestra's performance is still a bit raw at the moment, and its level can only be described as average.
However, who would spoil the fun of the emperor and his wife? Who would use their professional skills to embarrass a group of little girls? Rather, it is not easy for these little girls to work hard to learn some music.
Just a little bit is worth encouraging.
How many people can usually see the granddaughter of a senior official of the empire playing for them? Let alone Her Majesty the Queen of the empire.
Because they had a similar mentality, no one mocked or ridiculed their performance. Everyone listened carefully to the music they played with the most tolerant attitude, and feasted their eyes on it.
In this way, under people's gaze, the band played one piece after another according to the predetermined repertoire, constantly winning applause from the full house.
Among the cheering crowd, naturally there was Pushkin.
As a poet, he was extremely interested in the idea of the Aiglons selecting talents from among aristocratic girls to form an orchestra. Its public relations value obviously far exceeded its artistic value - and for the court, public relations was obviously more important.
Value, didn’t Louis XIV also go to the ballet himself and play the role of the Sun God at that time?
"This is a really good idea! It would be great if we in Russia could have a similar one..." he thought to himself.
At this moment, the beautiful faces of women suddenly flashed through his mind. They were all women who had had in-depth communication with him.
He found that forming a band among his former romantic partners might be more than enough.
He soon laughed out loud at his own random and naughty thoughts.
While laughing silently, he glanced guiltily at his wife Natalia next to him. Fortunately, the other party was watching the performance seriously and did not notice his gaffe.
Pushkin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then he set his sights on Aiglon, who was still sitting on the throne. At this moment, he seemed to be listening to the performance carefully, with a focused expression, and therefore looked extraordinarily handsome.
"So, what kind of person can touch his heart?" For a moment, the curiosity in his heart suddenly surged out.