"Can you wait until he gives birth to a grandchild before exercising your rights?"
The Marquis Noirtier's eyes were full of prayer.
At this moment, he is not the all-powerful political trend-setter, nor is he the imperial minister whose hands were stained with blood, but has turned back into an old man over sixty years old.
This look made Edmond Dantès feel pity.
If he had a choice, how could he want to see a similar scene?
"Prosecutor Villefort was married before I entered the cell. Doesn't he have any children?" Edmund asked.
"There is only one daughter now, named Valentine." The Marquis of Noirtier replied sadly, "She is a very smart and very cute child. He originally married the daughter of the Marquis of Saint-Meran, but the lady has passed away.
, he recently married a second wife."
Edmund pondered for a moment. Personally speaking, there was nothing wrong with agreeing to this condition. He was not in a hurry to seek revenge now.
However, he also knew that he could not agree to this request broadly. After all, if the prosecutor never gave birth to a son, would he have to give up revenge on him?
"I can wait, sir, but I cannot wait indefinitely. Please understand." So he replied.
The Marquis of Noirtier also completely understood the count's concerns, so he nodded, "Okay, let's just wait quietly! If God still has mercy on me, then maybe he will let him have a child with his second wife.
Son, if God feels that justice is needed in the world and wants to let him perish, then what can I say? Let’s take three years, and we will know after three years. Please rest assured that I will remain tight-lipped during these three years.
, I will never reveal a word, I am waiting for fate to decide."
What the Marquis said was emotional and reasonable, and Edmund felt that he had nothing to dispute.
"Okay, then let's make an agreement like this." So he nodded and agreed, "Marquis, your son's actions have not undermined my respect for you. Your glorious resume in the past, and what you are doing in front of me now.
The demeanor you have shown makes me deeply admire you. You are an upright person. I hope you will always be in good health and dedicate your talents to His Majesty and the people in the future."
"You're flattering me. I'm just an old man in his dying years. What can I praise?" The Marquis smiled bitterly and seemed uninterested. "But I will do my best. I have experienced countless major events in my life.
There are very few things left behind, families are broken, husbands and wives are at odds, and the country is bleeding into rivers... I hope that when I pass away, I can see a better era coming."
Because of his son's incident, the Marquis of Noirtier was obviously depressed, and Edmond Dantès and the Marquis of Treville also understood it tacitly and did not provoke him anymore.
Then, the three people put aside the matter of Prosecutor Villefort, talked about some recent political topics, and figured out the next trends in the political arena. The most important thing was to figure out who could be used by the Bonaparte family.
When talking about this, the Marquis of Noirtier finally regained his energy and started talking eloquently. However, Edmond Dantès could hardly speak about these questions. He just listened quietly and memorized them.
, just like a student listening in class.
At the end, the Marquis of Noirtier summarized the current situation.
"In today's era, it is no longer appropriate to implement autocracy, especially in France after the awakening. A monarch cannot solely rely on swords and guns to impose his personal will on the people, or even ignore his government and parliament. He can only
There is no other way than to govern hand in hand with the existing political system and accept the harsh scrutiny and judgment of the people."
As if to prove his own argument, he continued to explain, “When the emperor was restored in 1815, he abandoned his arbitrary authority in the imperial era and declared that he would implement tolerant politics, because he knew that this was the only way.
Only then can they win the hearts and minds of the people; and after the return of the Bourbon royal family, although they always want to return to the old times, they also know that it is impossible. King Louis XVIII promulgated the "Charter" is a clear example.
He knew that if he did not make a gesture of tolerance, he would immediately be overthrown by the French people like his brother... It can be expected that today, when the people are generally dissatisfied with King Charles X's perverse behavior, if His Majesty wants to win the hearts and minds of the people, he will inevitably
We must also adopt a more tolerant stance than before.”
"But... His Majesty is not a tolerant person..." Marquis Treville sighed, "I have been with him for a while and I can see that he is a very open-minded person and is good at listening to other people's suggestions. But
He is also very stubborn. Once he makes a decision, he will not allow others to question it and must complete it... It is not easy for His Majesty to tolerate others violating his authority."
Logically speaking, these words must not be uttered by the Marquis de Treville. As a minister, he cannot speak ill of the monarch. However, the three people here at this moment are all core members of the Bonaparte party, so saying it in private does not matter.
No taboos were violated, and there was even a feeling of being "close enough to His Majesty".
Edmond Dantès also deeply agreed with this. He had stayed with His Majesty longer and naturally understood the young man better. "His Majesty is a very proud person at heart. He looks down on those who talk but achieve nothing."
He is a practical person, and he firmly believes that he must be right...I don't think this is a shortcoming. Without these qualities, he would not have achieved what he has today."
"You are right. For fools, stubbornness is very dangerous, but for smart people, this is by no means a shortcoming, because smart people often worry too much and look forward and backward. Little do they know that big things are done by those who are single-minded.
Did Robespierre have any training in running a country when he was pushed to power? He didn't, but he relied on his stubbornness to stabilize the situation of foreign invasion and domestic rebellion. No matter how many heads he lost, he was able to stabilize the situation.
It's his ability. Although I have been chased by him, I admit this ability." The Marquis of Noirtier replied with a smile, "However, different times have different practices. I have been silently observing this country for almost half of its history.
century, although I am now idle at home, I still pay attention to the pulse of the new era... So I think that your Majesty needs to stubbornly realize his ideals while having the skills to adapt to this era. Only in this way can he
Able to sit firmly."
"I would like to hear the details." Edmond Dantes suddenly became interested.
The Marquis of Noirtier knew that the Count of Monte Cristo was His Majesty's confidant, and everything he said in front of the Count today would definitely be heard by the young Majesty soon, so he also worked hard and tried his best to think
I need to make my "advice" more thorough so that His Majesty can listen to it.
“First of all, he must cooperate with Parliament and treat it as a legislative body that needs to be respected rather than a purely executive organ, but at the same time he must also find ways to tame it and make it cooperate with the monarch’s every action and make his intentions fair and just.
After all, our citizens still believe that the parliament represents them!”
"Then how to do it?" Edmond Dantès asked again.
"I have observed for more than ten years since the restoration of the Bourbon family that our Parliament is like a big inn, with various factions constantly changing their seats as public opinion fluctuates, and each time they bring unexpected guests to the monarch.
.For mediocre monarchs, this will make them at a loss. They do not know how to deal with the chaotic situation and the political trends that change every two or three years; but for smart monarchs, this happens to be a way for them to have both sides.
With the opportunity, he can hide himself behind the noise of the parliament, use the prime minister and ministers to face this chaotic quarrel, isolate himself from the endless quarrels, exert power aloofly, and win over those who are in the royal family.
Opposition." The Marquis of Noirtier replied in a low voice, "I personally participated in the great Constituent Assembly in 1789. Although some people there were boring mediocrities, there were many great people gathered together. It was really a
A scene where all the heroes gather together! In comparison, today’s parliament is just a bunch of eloquent but stubborn little losers. As long as you use your skills, you can easily control them.”
From the tone of the Marquis of Noirtier, Edmond Dantès suddenly realized the Marquis' position for himself, or the price he offered to His Majesty.
Does he want to be His Majesty's spokesman in Parliament in the future?
Edmond Dantès had no opinion on this, and neither supported nor opposed it. After all, this was a decision that could only be made by His Majesty, and he was just conveying it to the past.
He did not resent the Marquis's political ambition. After all, if there was no ambition, how could a person do great things?
"Of course, the so-called respect for Parliament also has risks. In order not to be hijacked by Parliament, I think the scope of electoral rights should be expanded, the imperial power should be appealed to all the people, and His Majesty should become the emperor of the referendum of the entire French people, just like his father." In Ed.
Under Mont's gaze, the Marquis of Noirtier continued, "The Bonaparte family has no history and long lineage, so it can be consolidated with a referendum. It will not only appear morally superior and shape the legitimacy of the royal family, but also
It also allows His Majesty to present the image of the 'Guardian of the People'. Whenever the noise in the Parliament begins to cross the line, he will denounce these scumbags in the name of the people, and then use new issues and referendums to disrupt the wind. After all, the people's
The emperor needs the people to protect him. People are willing to spend more money for the people they spend money on, but they are extremely stingy to the people who give them money. The more His Majesty the Emperor gets from them, the more it proves that the royal family and the people
The bond between them is unbreakable.”
The Marquis of Treville secretly laughed at the word "People's Emperor" and almost burst into laughter.
He had personally stayed with Bonaparte and his son, and naturally he had personally witnessed their father and son's domineering, self-centered and arrogant attitude. For these two people, the so-called "people" had always been just a whitewashed excuse.
However, since it is useful, then it might as well be used, so what's the problem? At least he didn't think there was any problem.
"If you refer power to a referendum, you can gain temporary support, but it also involves great risks." After pondering for a moment, Marquis Treville raised his own doubts, "After all, you have given others the right to support.
, that would allow others to assume that they have the right to object, and strictly speaking, this situation is very dangerous. I think your Majesty neither needs support nor opposition, but only natural obedience."
"So you have pure military thinking..." Marquis Noirtier shrugged, "It is very dangerous for you to bring the military habits to the national level. Today is no longer the Middle Ages. We are a country affected by the Great Revolution.
A reshaped country! All idols of authority have been shattered. Our people don’t even obey God. Think about how many priests they killed back then!? Regarding this current situation, we must acknowledge the reality and patiently build a future.
A reality-based model of power.”
Then, he smiled slyly and said, "Besides, you are still a soldier after all. You don't understand that a referendum does not mean that there are two options: support and opposition. It can also only have two options: support and more support! As long as the time and means are available,
It's appropriate, and the people will be at peace with it. Besides, whoever has the power to count votes will control the results of the vote. This has always been the case."
The Marquis of Noirtier's words were evasive, but the other two people who were speaking understood them clearly.
They couldn't help but smile at each other and secretly sighed that the Marquis was indeed a veteran who had been in politics for many years.
"Hey, you are so good at playing tricks..." The Marquis of Treville secretly sighed, "In my opinion, nothing is better than seizing the army. As long as you have half a million bayonets in your hands, you can say anything.
It’s a golden rule, so why bother thinking about it so much. The clamor in the Court of Five Hundred was dispersed by the late emperor with bayonets during the Wrigley Coup, and that’s why the empire was born.”
"Of course, for the empire, the army is everything. Your Majesty must control the army and never allow others to interfere. However... this must not be said publicly. Don't forget that the army ultimately comes from the people. If we cannot convince the people
, then there would be no troops loyal to the empire. Louis XVI also had hundreds of thousands of troops, so why didn’t he go to the guillotine?” The Marquis of Noirtier refuted the other party’s statement, “Yes, the emperor must be the biggest warlord, but
He must not let people see this. He will use parliament and laws, referendums and various circuses to decorate himself, making people forget that his power only comes from the most naked violence. Once people see through it, what else will happen?
Warlords who think they are qualified will also be ready to act, and the country will never have peace! Don't forget, after the former emperor seized the country with a bayonet, the first thing he did was to practice law. That was a truly wise move! I started from
At that time, I began to admire him wholeheartedly and was willing to do my best to serve him."
After saying this, the Marquis of Noirtier looked at Edmond Dantès sincerely, "Count, I said something inappropriate in front of you, but these are my life experiences. I implore you to do it for me."
I will tell your Majesty... I believe this will definitely be of use to him."