When the sunlight quietly filtered through the window and fell on his face, Aigron quietly opened his eyes.
At this time, he was lying on a large bed, the velvet mattress was extremely soft, and, of course, he was not alone.
The girl in his arms was hugging him tightly, and the messy traces proved what happened last night.
"Well... um..."
In the unconscious murmur, Agnes's face turned slightly red. Under the sunlight, she looked both elegant and holy, and also had a touch of irresistible charm.
He looked at Agnes in his arms, and then couldn't help but kiss her forehead.
With his kiss, Agnes also woke up. At this time, she had already become accustomed to the presence of the young man when she opened her eyes. Not only did she not panic, but she also looked at Chi Chi in front of her with obsession.
The young man then also offered a sweet kiss.
She knew in her heart that this kind of "couple" life was just a fleeting bubble. In the end, she would return everything to the person who should have him. But the more she knew this, the more she devoted herself to it and enjoyed it eagerly.
The tenderness between each other.
After being cozy for a while, the two of them got up lazily, washed up, and started a new day's schedule.
As usual, during the breaks between breakfasts, Aigron had been processing documents and letters sent from Paris, from which he obtained vital information.
During this period of time, the two of them often stayed together and flew together without anyone disturbing them. Although Aigron felt that it was too high-profile and inappropriate, which would cause any objection to Theresa who was far away in Paris, he was reluctant to do this.
It was hard-won enjoyment, so he continued to let himself go amidst the vague uneasiness - anyway, except Theresa, no one else could blame him.
In the almost daily correspondence between him and Teresa, Teresa never mentioned Agnes, let alone showed any dissatisfaction about it, so in a fluke mentality, he had even more reason to think that something was wrong.
None of it happened anymore.
In Teresa's letter today, she mentioned that her biological brother Albrecht and Princess Auguste, the legacy of Prince Eugène, all rushed to Paris one after another to congratulate him on his victory and prepare to attend the meeting between him and Tereza.
Lessa's coronation.
Teresa left them all in Paris and settled them properly. It is expected that these relatives will stay in Paris to wait for her in the next few months.
Aigron had no intention of changing his schedule for them, but of course he was very happy to see these relatives coming.
Although he is about to reach the top now, he is still alone after all, and he needs more cronies to help him defend the throne.
As the heir of Archduke Karl, Prince Albrecht will definitely not stay in France for a long time, but Prince Eugene's two sons can be used by him when they grow up - and because Prince Eugene's reputation is very good, so
When he activated these two "nephews", neither the supporters of the Bonaparte family nor the French nationalists would have any objections.
So in his reply to Theresa, he asked Theresa to entertain these relatives well for him, and at the same time, he answered other questions that Theresa discussed with him in the letter.
Of course, he did not forget that Theresa was still pregnant at this time, so at the end of the letter, he took the trouble to tell Theresa to take more rest and take care of her body, and he also wrote many affectionate words,
He told about the interesting things he encountered during the trip, how he missed his wife and children after traveling far away, and how he looked forward to returning home as soon as possible to witness the birth of the couple's second child.
For Agron, who has been "trained for a long time", such sweet words are naturally easy to grasp, and he does not feel any sense of violation at all - and this is not entirely a lie. He does miss his wife and children far away in Paris.
But it's not that exaggerated.
After writing the reply, Aigron stuffed the letter into the envelope leisurely and sealed it with wax clay. He then handed it over to the attendant beside him. The attendant left the room immediately after taking the letter. His reply will be sent as soon as possible.
The speed was sent to Paris for Theresa's reading.
While he was writing a reply, Agnes sat next to him and enjoyed breakfast silently, with a trace of imperceptible embarrassment and nervousness on her face. Although Theresa herself did not appear here, but on this occasion she
It made her feel a little on pins and needles, as if the position she was sitting on was stolen.
Fortunately, this embarrassment did not last long. After breakfast, the two of them could start their scheduled schedule for today.
Today, accompanied by the mayor, they will visit the residents of the city.
Lille is the core city in northeastern France, and its economic strength is naturally very strong. Not only does the city have developed textile factories and metallurgical factories, but it also has a well-known local university.
From north to west, surrounding the city center square and avenues, is the wealthy area of Lille, where Agron and Agnes stayed. Although those carefully built mansions are not as luxurious as Paris, they are still
Equally expensive and beautiful, they are the pride and essence of the entire city.
However, in the slums of Chengdong District, which is only a few streets away from the wealthy areas in the city, the scene is completely different.
There are no luxurious high-rise mansions, no wide streets, no various sculptures and artistic creations, and no well-dressed aristocrats and wealthy businessmen. All it has are crowded houses with no features, and small and crowded
, alleys and dead ends with sewage flowing across them. Dirty traces and moss-covered brick walls are everywhere.
The residents here are either working as hard labor in various factories or wandering the streets doing nothing. Their faces only have a dead gray color of indifference after suffering, and their foreheads appear red due to long-term hunger and malnutrition.
It stands out and shows a strange appearance.
Even judging from the situation of this era, the quality of life of these destitute people was very poor - according to statistics, around 1830, among the 100,000 residents of Lyon, there were thousands of households in abject poverty and low-class citizens who had no housing.
They can only live in cellars, and these cellars are cold, damp, and poorly ventilated, so they have no protection against the cold in the cold winter and early spring. Therefore, many people freeze to death every winter.
Even if there is a job, you can buy fuel to escape the fate of freezing to death, it is just to slow down the death a little. These workers work in textile workshops as stoppers, weavers and spinners. They do not have unions.
Protection and no labor bargaining rights, they can only receive a meager salary that can sustain the life of a family. And in order to get these salaries, the price they pay is to work fifteen to sixteen hours a day, and at most they can only earn
Can take a day or two to rest.
In this kind of "wear and tear", the lives of these workers are surprisingly short, often ending their lives around the age of thirty.
Heavy labor, poverty and desperate conditions are like a swamp, swallowing up lives without any hope of escape. In contrast, even in the most dangerous period of war, the death rate may not be as high as in this peaceful and poor period.
Of course, this is by no means a local problem in Lyon, nor is it a problem in France alone. When the entire Europe entered the early stage of industrialization, the problem of "a large number of extremely poor people crowded into cities" appeared.
Faced with this tragic scene, politicians in Western Europe are deeply worried about it. However, the focus of politicians is not on how to save their miserable lives, but on worrying that these working classes trapped in extreme poverty will rebel and overthrow the current system.
order.
In order to solve this problem, politicians finally formed two plans: the first plan was to impose severe penalties, passing extremely strict laws to intimidate the bottom class. The poor would be sentenced to heavy or hard labor for the slightest crime; the British also in 1834
The "New Poor Law" was passed, which put poor people seeking social relief into labor camps for isolation and used heavy labor to prevent them from "harming society."
The second option is to vigorously expand the colonies, and then directly exile the "superfluous" poor people in their eyes to the colonies. The "pioneering colonization" of this era is by no means as good as imagined, because the climate and soil are not suitable, coupled with the government's neglect of management
, so the mortality rate of this kind of forced immigration is extremely high, but for the government, it is the same anyway, as long as the pressure it faces is reduced.
Compared with ruthless politicians, some social activists are much more compassionate. Many people have spent all their wealth to build communities, hoping to use their own methods to mobilize the poorest people and help them get rid of poverty and become rich. However, most of their efforts have failed.
It was regarded as a "utopian socialist experiment"; another British man, Malthus, was much more direct. He believed that excessive population reproduction would occupy social resources and cause famine. His supporters went further and believed that the infinite reproduction of the poor class
It will bring about "surplus population" and destroy social order, so we should find ways to help the bottom class get birth control.
In short, in this era when productivity has begun to leap forward and modern morality has not yet taken shape, social culture is ruthless to the bottom class. Even if a person dies of freezing and starvation due to poverty, it will be regarded as a matter of course; because of this, in order to seek spiritual comfort and social
Relief, among the working class who have fallen into extreme poverty, religious enthusiasm has increased again, because the church still has some grassroots organizational power and can provide minimum relief to the believers.
Therefore, Christianity, which was ridiculed and despised in the Age of Enlightenment, has quietly reoccupied people's hearts at this time, and conservatism has made a resurgence. For these people who have been abandoned and squeezed by society, this is their only spiritual support.
.
The ruling classes in various European countries are also very happy to see this trend of thought, because religion is naturally a collaborator of the rulers and a powerful tool to ease social conflicts. Therefore, the relationship between governments and churches in various countries has become closer again. Even France
In the 19th century, laws were enacted many times to allow church members to undertake public education. It was not until the Third Republic at the end of the 19th century that the separation of church and state was finally realized.
When Aigron proposed to inspect Dongcheng District, the mayor initially objected because he did not want His Majesty to see the negative image of the city under his rule, and was also worried that someone would take the opportunity to "smear" him in front of His Majesty.
Own.
However, due to Aigron's insistence, he had no choice but to comply with His Majesty's wish, so accompanied by him, Aigron and his group walked through the streets together and arrived in the Dongcheng District.
In order to worry about someone causing trouble, the mayor also issued a notice in advance. During His Majesty's inspection, all factories in the entire city will have a day off. After that, free bread and pastries will be given to the residents. This reward is more valuable than the King of Rome himself.
It can arouse the joy of residents.
Although they are already lightly dressed, surrounded by guards, police and officials, this inspection team is still very grand. Compared with the warm welcome received in the city hall and wealthy areas, the group that is being welcomed at this moment is Aigron.
Although there were many residents, they all just watched from afar with the mentality of watching the excitement, and did not show enthusiastic expectations for the young people.
For them, no matter who sits on the throne, it will not bring any change to their hard life, so it is just for the sake of bread and pastries to watch the excitement.
Agron and Agnes shuttled through the alley. Because it was too narrow, they could not take a carriage and had to walk. Although the road they passed had been cleaned urgently before their inspection, Agnes
My shoes and skirt were inevitably stained with a lot of mud and dust.
However, compared to the dirt and dust, Agnes was more shocked by the sights she saw in front of her.
She was not a young lady who lived in a vacuum. Of course she had seen the poverty of the lower classes and working class in Paris, but the scene of abject poverty here still shocked her greatly.
And this kind of shock formed an astonishing contrast and irony with the luxurious life she had been living recently.
"God, the piece of jewelry I accepted is enough to provide enough food and clothing for many people, but so many people are still suffering... This is really unfair." She leaned against Aigron and murmured.
Muttering to himself.
Agnes's shock and pity were not beyond Egron's expectations. He just gently held Agnes's hand and helped her regain her composure. "It's indeed unfair, but it's not your fault. Don't feel guilty.
Agnes."
"Your Majesty, shouldn't we do something about this?" After walking for a while, Agnes finally couldn't help but ask him again.
"Of course I have to do something." Aigron replied in a low voice. "The poverty and pain in the past have nothing to do with me, but from now on, I must be responsible for all poverty and pain. If I don't do something, then
Sooner or later, I will be burned by fire. Since the people have revolutionized once, they will not be afraid of doing it a second time or a third time."
Then, he changed the topic again, "Of course, it's not enough for me alone. This requires the efforts of all of us, and that's why I'm here."
"I hope you can succeed!" Agnes looked at him with both uneasiness and expectation. "If you can do it, you will be the greatest king."