Although he had already made up his mind to win over Prince Talleyrand, Aiglon still pretended to be indifferent on the surface.
This is what negotiation is like. The more impatient you are, the more the other party will ask for a price. Therefore, even if both parties are interested, they have to keep their own space to show that they are not bound to cooperate.
Aigron deliberately made a "seven-three-open" argument to remind the other party that he had never forgotten the events of those years, and that Prince Talleyrand needed to show sincerity before he could cooperate.
Earl Telewin has been a diplomat for a long time, and of course he is already familiar with similar negotiations. He can easily understand Aigron's true intentions from his words.
He was not angry at Aigron's secretiveness. On the contrary, it was in line with his expectations. If Aiglon behaved like a frizzy boy who didn't understand anything, then he would be very disappointed.
Although he is nominally the French ambassador to Istanbul, the count's loyalty to the royal family is minimal. He cares more about his personal power and position.
At the beginning of the Restoration, when he returned to France with the royal family, in order to gain the favor of the royal family, he redoubled his efforts to suppress those rebellious party members, and then gained his own promotion; however, although he often served as ambassador abroad,
Through his domestic network, he was also very keen on the changes in the domestic situation in France. Now, he could feel that the Restoration Dynasty was in trouble. The king was unpopular and it was difficult to restrain the opposition forces.
Under such circumstances, in order to preserve his personal reputation, he began to look for another way out, and Prince Talleyrand, as his former "teacher", naturally became an important backer for him. He secretly talked to his teacher
They work together and hope to find their place among other forces.
Of course, in his heart, he prefers the orthodox royal family, so now he is just leaving a way out, just in case.
Prince Talleyrand is different. This prince has been idle for more than ten years since he was driven out by King Louis XVIII. As a long-established politician, being away from the highest stage for ten years is simply a severe torture.
, so Prince Talleyrand was impatient, and even wished that the royal family would fall soon.
Therefore, after Count Telewin carefully tested him, the two hit it off immediately. Prince Talleyrand entrusted the count to visit Duke Lechstadt on his way to his post, and also prepared a heavy gift for this purpose in order to win Princess Theresa's favor.
good impression.
Talleyrand knew that the things he had done back then had severely offended the Bonaparte family, so he did not expect the two sides to put aside their past grudges and cooperate sincerely in just one negotiation. As long as he could open up channels for both parties first, he would be able to do so in the future.
Take a look at it slowly
After all, Talleyrand knew that the Bonaparte family needed a diplomatic talent to help them return to the stage, and Talleyrand believed that he was the most suitable candidate. This confidence came from the reputation he had accumulated over decades, and it was not that easy.
replaced.
Lord Telewin knew this very well, and he also knew that as a broker, he would definitely be able to get rewards from both parties.
"Your Highness, after all, Prince Talleyrand is old, and it is difficult to come to Ioannina from France. He can only look forward to the day when you return to France. When the time comes, he will definitely
I come to see you with the greatest respect..." Earl Telewin said with a smile, "And during this period, if you want to send him any news, you can just go through me. I naturally have secret channels and my
Teacher correspondence will never be leaked."
"Thank you, Earl, I will never forget your contribution." Aigron thanked him calmly. "No matter what happens in the future, your kindness to us will be engraved in my heart."
Thank you, thank you, but his life still needs to be taken. These are two different things.
"I have worked so hard not only for myself, but also for France and her people." The Count replied seriously, "Since the revolution, every change of power in our country has brought about terrifying bloodshed, and said
I am ashamed that I was forced to become the creator and follower of the bloody storm... Every time I think of those poor people who died directly or indirectly because of me, I feel guilty and just want to cry. Alas, but there are
What can we do? Who has a choice at that time? Everyone has no choice but to do what they want.
And now, I am tired of those repeated killings, and I am afraid of them happening again, so if one day the rule of the Bourbon family in France needs to be ended, then I want to do my best to make this change gentler,
Let the number of victims be as small as possible, and only in this way can I comfort my conscience..."
He had already thought about these words in his mind, so he said them with great emotion and moved people to tears.
He had presided over the liquidation of imperial supporters in the south and had a blood feud with the Bonapartists, so even if he wanted to change his family, he had to come up with a good excuse, and this was the best excuse.
He believed that Duke Lechstadt was a pragmatist and would not care too much about past grudges. As long as he showed such an attitude of repentance and repentance, the Duke would forgive him for his previous mistakes.
How many people are there who are not stained with blood? If they have to be liquidated one by one, it will be impossible for the Bonaparte family to secure the throne.
If Chanel hadn't existed, there would have been no problem with the Count's idea at all. Aigron didn't care about such "trivial matters" to begin with, but with Chanel, the situation would have been completely different.
How could a high-ranking earl know that fate had dug such a big hole for him? What if he knew that the young maid next to him who had been silent and had a low eyebrow was actually his life-and-death enemy?
, and if he wants his own life every moment, I'm afraid he will never laugh, but will try his best to escape.
Agron and Teresa both knew this fact, so they felt a little sad when they watched the count's coy performance.
Theresa was originally in low spirits due to her pregnancy. Due to the etiquette, she had to accept Count Telewin for so long, and she was already feeling tired. At this moment, she didn’t want to continue acting with the Count anymore, so she continued
He bowed slightly to the count.
"Mr. Count, I can completely understand your painstaking efforts. In fact, I hate bloodshed even more than you do. If our couple really has the opportunity to govern France, we will definitely treat everyone with tolerance and kindness. We will not treat everyone because of what they did before.
Why should we deliberately seek revenge and liquidation... As you said, France has shed enough blood, and there is no need to continue to shed more blood for us. I only hope that we can bring better things to every citizen.
future, this is the purpose of our entire career.”
It seems that this gift was not given in vain! The count was secretly happy, as this was a clear guarantee that he would not settle the past.
Of course he believed Theresa's words. After all, Princess Theresa was a princess of the Habsburg family and had no grievances against him. She certainly didn't care about the lives of those who had died before.
In his secret joy, he did not notice at all that Princess Teresa only said she hated bloodshed, but did not mean that there would be no bloodshed, and she did not specifically promise that she would never be held accountable.
Although Teresa didn't like killing people, she didn't mind taking the count's life to relieve Chanel's anger. After all, the waves of people who killed each other in France back then were not very innocent. Who should be executed?
It won't be a burden on your conscience.
"Sir, I'm a little tired and want to rest. Can you allow me to leave rudely?" Teresa looked at the count calmly and spoke again.
Of course, Earl Telewin would not stop her. He stood up again and saluted Princess Theresa, "Your Highness, I wish you a sweet dream tonight."
Then, with the support of Chanel, Teresa slowly left the reception room and went to the bedroom to rest.
As Aigron watched Teresa leave, he felt a little funny in his heart. Destiny is so mysterious and unpredictable. Who would have thought that a person who seems to have a clever trick to get both sides of the situation is actually ringing his own death knell step by step?
He looked at the count gently, his eyes full of tolerance and kindness towards a dying person.
But the count was flattered, "Your Highness, you have a happy family. Princess Teresa is both talented and beautiful. If she can become the queen of France, she will definitely benefit all people and make every one of our citizens praise and love her...
"
"Thank you, I also believe she will be able to do this." Aigron nodded politely.
Then, he changed the topic again, "Earl, thank you for your hard work for making this trip. No matter how long you stay with us, I guarantee that you will enjoy the highest courtesy. It's a pity that I can't let you appear in public, because I'm afraid that
It will cause you trouble."
"Indeed, thank you for being considerate of my difficulties." Count Telewin replied with a smile, "I am very grateful for your regard for me, but unfortunately, I have to leave tomorrow and go to Istanbul. I must follow the scheduled time as soon as possible.
Take the post so as not to arouse the suspicion of the government."
"It's my fault for making your trip so hasty. Then I'll send you off tomorrow." Aigron became more and more friendly, "I can ask my guards to escort you all the way to the port to ensure that you are here."
The trip was safe and sound.”
Earl Telewin knew that Duke Lechstadt's statement was obviously showing his goodwill and wooing him, and this kind of goodwill meant that he valued his role. Furthermore, it meant that he was following this line.
I found the right path.
He was full of luck and joy in his heart, but on the surface he still pretended to be calm and saluted Agron gracefully to thank him.
However, at this moment, Aigron suddenly seemed to think of something, and suddenly asked another question.
"Count, I want to ask you one more thing, about Prince Talleyrand."
"You feel free to ask, and I will answer everything I know," the count said diligently.
"Has Prince Talleyrand made similar suggestions to mine to the Duke of Orleans?" Aigron asked with a smile.
He soon noticed that Lord Telewin's smile immediately froze, but he quickly covered it up.
"I don't know much about the prince's other arrangements. He just invited me to come and visit you..."
From his reaction, Aiglon understood that Prince Talleyrand must have had secret contact with the Orleans family.
But this is not surprising at all. The so-called shopping around, it is completely normal for Talleyrand to want to make multiple bets to find the highest bid for himself. If his reputation was not so bad that he was completely disliked by the Republicans, he might even recommend himself.
Become a republican revolutionary again...
Egron is not angry at all about this. If he were in the same position, he would definitely do the same thing.
In the original history, Talleyrand came out to support the Orleans family. In the current timeline, it is normal for him to conspire with the Orleans family.
"It doesn't matter, it wouldn't be surprising if there is." So he calmly said to the earl, "I don't mind the prince interacting with anyone. He is not my subject now, and he is free to do whatever he wants. However, I would like to remind you
He noticed what the Orleans family was like back then. They were a group of conspirators, but not a group of courageous and determined gamblers. Historically, conspirators always lost to gamblers because gamblers dared to risk their lives. Can the Duke of Orleans
I can do everything I do; and there are many things I do that he would never dare to do or be unable to do in his life. As an experienced elder, he should be able to see who the Duke of Orleans and I are.
Who is strong and who is weak, and who deserves his help..."
Aigron rarely expressed toughness. There is no doubt that his words were boastful, but he must now show the pride and confidence that he is determined to win.
But he also knew that Talleyrand had seen many strong winds and waves in his life. Emperor Napoleon's roar did not frighten him, and his few words certainly did not frighten him either.
Now he is far away, while the Duke of Orleans is close to Paris. From the perspective of information communication, Talleyrand and the Duke of Orleans' conspiracy is much easier than him.
This means that he must give a higher price and a greater hope of success, so that Talleyrand can choose him after careful consideration.
"I don't know what the prince is thinking, but I believe that he will make the right choice." Earl Telewin replied calmly, "History has proven that he can always choose the right winner."
"Wrong, he can always let the winner choose him!" Aigron retorted loudly, "You can tell the prince that no matter how he chooses, it will not change my opinion of him. He is a person worthy of my respect.
I admire the elder, it would be best if he is on my side, but if he accidentally becomes my enemy, I will also pay him a respectful visit. Please let him wait."
Aigron's arrogant declaration made the earl stunned for a moment.
Then, Aigron stated his bid.
"Finally, you tell him that if he chooses to help me, I am very willing to let him be my foreign minister for as long as he wants. He will always have a place in my government."