Aigron has always been a man of action. Once he has made a decision, he will do everything possible to implement it.
Therefore, he planned to ask his agent in Paris, Edmond Dantès, to keep an eye on Duke Nordlien and do a good job of persuading him so that the Duke would appear where he needed him at the right time to wave his flag and act as a sign.
.
Of course, Aigron is not so naive as to believe that he will be able to convince the other party. Anyway, if the softness is not enough, he will be hard. Now the Duke has taken his money. In such frequent money exchanges, there is "criminal evidence" that he colluded with the Bonaparte family.
"It's already everywhere. Even if he wanted to jump ship, he probably wouldn't have a chance.
What's more, his eldest daughter Alice is now Aigron's loyal servant. With such a shrewd Alice as a check, Aigron doesn't believe that the Duke can escape from his grasp.
And if her sister and father are on her side and accept the glory and wealth from her, Agnes may not be able to get rid of herself. The ties to her family in her heart are enough to make her unable to extricate herself.
In this case, why not simply arrange a meeting with the Duke? It is better to have a heart-to-heart meeting directly in person than to exchange letters thousands of miles away. Aegron suddenly thought of an idea.
From what he knew, the Duke was nothing more than a mediocre person with a bit of a cunning. He believed that as long as the two of them met, he could easily overwhelm and suppress the other person, so that he would not dare to have any ulterior motives, and he could crawl at his feet with peace of mind in exchange for the family.
of glory and wealth.
However, having said that, it is difficult to realize this idea.
First of all, like Marshal Soult, Prince Talleyrand and others, the Duke can barely be regarded as a big shot. If such a person travels far away easily or does not appear in public for a long time, it will inevitably cause a lot of rumors.
, at least it will arouse suspicion - if by any chance it arouses the suspicion of someone who is interested, and then investigates the whereabouts of the Duke, I am afraid that some clues will be revealed.
Secondly, what would Teresa think? If it were someone else, she might not care, but Agnes's father... I'm afraid she would have some resentment. After all, she is quite sensitive about her interactions with Agnes, otherwise she wouldn't care.
He would specially send his own teachers to "cut off" Bianca.
At this moment, Aigron doesn't want any unexpected disturbances to affect the overall situation.
Aiglon thought carefully for a while, and finally came up with a compromise - not to entertain the Duke at his own place, but to receive the Duke at Queen Ortense's villa.
First of all, this can avoid Theresa's sight, and it is concealed enough that it will not affect his own safety; secondly, Queen Ortense being the host also gives the Duke enough face, so that he will not feel that she despises him.
value.
When he thought of this, Aigron suddenly made up his mind.
So he wrote another secret letter to Edmund and told him his decision.
He wanted to see the Duke himself. As for the reasons why the Duke wanted to avoid people's suspicion, let him think about it himself. Aiglon didn't think that he had any room to resist his wishes at this point.
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Soon after, Edmund received a series of replies from Aiglon to his previous reports.
In the letter, His Majesty first praised his "work achievements", especially Alice's wit and decisiveness; then, Aigron instructed Edmund to ensure Bianca's life and ensure that others
Without being able to contact her, he could only decide what to do with her when he returned to France.
Then, Aigron made his request. He hoped to see the Duke as soon as possible, and asked Edmund to find a way to take the Duke to Switzerland to meet him.
Although this request was a bit difficult to handle, for Edmund, it was an order that could not be disobeyed, so he could only carry it out.
After receiving the letter, he first found Captain Foresti and presented Aigron's decision on Bianca's disposition.
In the letter, Princess Teresa also expressed her approval, so the captain could only accept this decision and no longer worry about Bianca.
Then, Edmund ran to the Marquis of Treville's house and found Alice.
Maybe it’s because Agnes no longer visits, but Alice’s spirit has been low lately. (The next page will be more exciting!)
She was not in a good condition, but when a distinguished guest like the Count came to visit, Alice naturally cheered up to receive him.
After a brief greeting, Edmund got down to business. "Madam, I have just received a reply from your majesty. He is very satisfied with our capture of Bianca, and is especially full of praise for your achievements."
If she had never seen Agnes in despair, Alice would definitely be very happy with the news, but at this moment, she couldn't laugh at all, so she just nodded indifferently, "This is my duty.
That’s all, how can I deserve such praise from His Majesty?”
"There are not many people in the world who can do their job so well. At least among the women I have met, there is no one who can compare with you. First\./发\./Update\./新`.
"Mobile phone version" Edmund deliberately boasted to make Alice happy, and then he told Aigron's other plan, "In addition, His Majesty has another decision - he hopes to be able to communicate with you as soon as possible."
The father met to discuss the matter with the Duke and to work together for a great cause."
"What?!" Alice's eyes widened in surprise.
On the one hand, she doesn't want her father's status in His Majesty's mind to rise, because that may mean that she can't suppress her father, which will also make her previous hard work come to naught.
On the other hand, and more importantly, she was worried that this would harm her father - after all, she knew her father's quality better than anyone else, and it was okay for him to enjoy his dignity, and he was not material for big things at all. If she rashly "conspired"
If you want to achieve a great cause, it might be self-defeating, and instead cause your natal family to suddenly suffer a disaster.
For these two reasons, she was not surprised by this "honor". On the contrary, she immediately fell into worry.
"I think... Your Majesty's decision is a bit hasty. Now my father probably doesn't deserve too much trust."
"Whether you can trust the Duke or not is your Majesty's decision. We can only obey." Edmund was already prepared for Alice's reaction, so he immediately reminded her.
Then he asked, "What are you worried about? Do you think that in His Majesty's mind, the Duke will be more trustworthy than you? This is impossible, what you have done, and the achievements you have made in a short period of time
, Your Majesty has seen it, and he has never let down his meritorious ministers... Since you have received such praise and favor from His Majesty, then you don’t need to care about this little thing in your hand now, and take a longer view, Madam."
Alice was slightly embarrassed.
She could tell that although the count didn't say it explicitly, he was already hinting to herself that she should stop trying to suppress her father.
At this time, she did not know that the count and Bowen were secretly working together to force the duke to further flatter Aiglon, but the count's attitude seemed to her to be able to vaguely see Aigron's own attitude.
Since it is Aigron's own attitude, she cannot violate it - after all, the resources and some "authority" in her hands now only come from the authorization of Aigron himself. Since it is authorization, then she can do it at any time
She can also take it back, she cannot go against His Majesty's wishes.
In this case, there is nothing we can do but give in.
Anyway, based on Alice's understanding of Aigron, her performance during this period is enough to satisfy him, and she will definitely be indispensable in future rewards based on merit.
Looking back, although the result may not be perfect, I at least took an important step - from a person who can only accept fate to a person who can share a piece of the cake at the table.
Of course, whether you can get more cake in the future depends on your ability, at least take the first step.
"I didn't question your Majesty's intentions... I was just worried that my father would not be able to take on the important role and live up to your majesty's good intentions." She smiled reluctantly, "If my father can get your majesty's grace, then I will be honored."
"It would be best if you think so." The count smiled and nodded.
Previously, Aigron was moved by Alice's courage and wit, and gave her resources and opportunities, and Alice also handed over an answer sheet that he was "satisfied with."
But one moment after another, after the Duke bowed his head, between the father and daughter, Aigron leaned towards the Duke again.
This is definitely not a whim of Aigron. He is just assessing the situation and making choices based on the needs of a certain stage. Now. (The next page will be more exciting!)
The Duke was of greater "value" to him, so he would naturally jump to that side.
However, it is obvious who is the more powerful father and daughter. After the Duke's use value is exhausted, Alice will naturally have the upper hand. After all, it is she who has the final say - the Earl hinted that "take a long-term view."
",That's what I mean.
Because she figured this out, Alice quickly adjusted her mentality and drove away the frustration in her heart.
"Then I'll take you to see my father. I'm sure he will be surprised too."
"Thank you, madam." Edmund thanked Alice, and then reassured, "The efforts you have made before will never be unrewarded. In fact, so far, you still have
Those authorized by His Majesty, you can use that very huge amount of funds as you wish. Even if you don't guard and steal it, you still have many ways to get the remuneration you deserve."
Alice was in shock again.
The earl's meaning couldn't be more clear. He was persuading himself that while his father has not yet won His Majesty's favor, while he still has the control over the funds, he can use this time difference to quickly use Bowang's money to seek personal benefits for himself.
It doesn't matter how much it goes into, as long as it doesn't affect the overall situation.
If it was a hint before, the count has made it clear now.
This could never be what the count said. Alice made a judgment instantly.
It seems that this is the compensation - or reward - given by His Majesty to himself.
Suddenly, Alice's original frustration and helplessness were swept away. After all, her efforts were not in vain, and her intelligence also received the recognition it deserved... It's ridiculous. What she received from her mother's family and her husband's family was only contempt, deception, or indifference.
The supercilious look turned out to be what he got from outsiders.
Alice was both happy and sad, and was speechless for a moment.
Her surprise was not over yet. Just when her thoughts were racing, the count took out a small box from his pocket. This box was exquisite in shape and tied with a ribbon. It was worth a lot at first glance.
"In addition, His Majesty also sent a gift to Miss Xia Lu to celebrate her upcoming birthday."
Alice looked at the count blankly, not expecting such a thing to happen.
Soon, she came back to her senses, took the small box from the count, then untied the ribbon and opened it to look at.
She was immediately attracted by what was in the box - it was an exquisitely shaped hairpin with thin gold wire intertwined and woven into the shape of a butterfly, and in the middle of the butterfly's abdomen was a bright diamond.
Under the box, there is a small piece of paper with Aigron's smooth handwriting on it.
"To the most lovely Miss Xia Lu."
Alice was so moved that she almost cried.
For her, the expensive gifts her daughter received made her happier than what she herself received.
More importantly, the gift itself also represents a promise from Aigron - he will definitely support her daughter in the future to repay Alice's loyalty.
Although this can be regarded as His Majesty's compensation for herself, Alice is already satisfied. After all, His Majesty has never owed her anything. On the contrary, she has been asking for resources from His Majesty.
"It's rare that Your Majesty is so thoughtful that you even gave my daughter a birthday gift despite your busy schedule." After a moment of silence, Alice let out a sigh.
"What you said is true. Miss Xia Lu is so cute, who would forget it?" The Earl laughed, "Madam, I hope you will be satisfied with this gift."
"I'm very satisfied...really very satisfied. I really feel ashamed. How can I deserve your majesty's love?" Alice nodded, "Earl, please help me reply to your majesty. I am extremely grateful to him for his love for Xia."
I value Lu very much, and I would be extremely honored if I could do my best to repay this favor for His Majesty’s great cause.”
"There's no need for you to speak so seriously..." Edmund burst out laughing, easing the tense atmosphere at this moment. "Madam, the days are long and we may still have many opportunities to work together. I hope you can make more decisions."
I admire so many achievements and witness a legend."
"In this regard, I'm afraid no matter how hard I try, I can't compare with you. You are the real legend... It's a pity that you have many great achievements. (The next page is more exciting!)
I'm afraid the world will never know the results." Alice also sighed with a smile.\./hand\./machine\./version\./no\./wrong\./first\./issue~~" If
Whoever has the opportunity to record your life will probably become famous for a while."
After exchanging business blows, Alice was in a good mood and took the initiative to propose to the earl.