"So, is there anyone who is particularly short of money right now?" With a youthful and high-spirited attitude, Charles raised his head and looked at all the people present, "If anyone is really in such an embarrassing situation, I will uphold the friendship of everyone in the past and generously support him with my own money, after all, I have married a good wife, and she has brought me a lot of dowry......"

The latter sentence was added by him, in order to explain, at least superficially, that he did not take money from the public funds of the state for his own use - after the re-establishment of the empire, Charles's net worth swelled rapidly, and he soon became one of the richest people in the empire, and of course he could not tell others that he was engaged in corruption, and he claimed that he had received a large dowry when he married the granddaughter of the Duke of Treville, and then used this dowry to earn his current fortune. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Except for the mansion where the two men now lived, all the affiliated businesses were the property of Charlotte, and even the estates scattered all over the place were nominally owned by Charlotte - as for whether others believed it or not, he didn't care at all, as long as there was a plausible reason in name.

None of the people present were interested in investigating the source of his huge fortune, and their mood was much lower.

Everyone is a discerning person, and they can see clearly, what Charles means by these words is that he does not want to share the resources at his disposal with everyone, and that he is at odds with His Royal Highness Prince Jérôme-Bonaparte, and he asks this question on purpose, no doubt to ask who wants to stand with His Royal Highness the Prince against him.

There is no doubt that his approach is a bit arrogant, which has aroused the disgust in the hearts of many people, but when they think of going directly against this young man, others can't help but hesitate a little.

Everyone knows that Charles de Treville is now powerful and has the trust of His Majesty the Emperor, and that every word he says is now superficially impeccable, and although everyone knows that he must only be singing in the air, at least this high-pitched tone is certainly not directly refuted, especially since he has mentioned His Majesty's own "earnest teachings" several times.

His Majesty was absolutely right, so pulling him out for endorsement would be even more convincing to the young man.

Because Charles was so clear, the room was now silent, and everyone looked at each other a little.

In the midst of this silence, His Royal Highness Prince Jérôme's face was slightly ugly, while Charles was smiling, as if he did not notice that the atmosphere had become somewhat unusual.

Prince Jérôme moved his mouth to say something, but he seemed a little upset.

In order to prevent everyone from quarreling on such an occasion, and finally breaking up unhappily, some people decided to come out to play a round.

"Hey, it's rare for everyone to get together today, and they're in a good mood, so why fight over such a trivial matter?" A middle-aged man wearing a bow tie and a well-trimmed beard spoke in a rather hoarse voice, "Actually, this is just a small matter, I think it is enough for everyone to discuss it calmly, there is no need to come to a result today." ”

Then, he laughed again and looked at Charles, "Also, Charles, today His Royal Highness the Prince has come to teach us as an elder, we should humbly listen to him, how embarrassing it is for us to be so suddenly impassioned!" ”

Although his laughter did not infect Charles, it also eased the atmosphere slightly, at least His Royal Highness's face was not so ugly.

He was Jean-Victor Fiallin, a veteran Bonapartist born in 1808 in Saint-Germain-les-spinas, Loire, originally of minor aristocratic origin. He joined the army as a hussar in his early years, but later became a Bonapartist and was expelled from the army for his involvement in numerous conspiracies. Later, he defected to His Majesty the Emperor, followed him for many years, served before and after the saddle, and participated in almost every major operation.

Because of his qualifications and loyalty, after the re-establishment of the empire, he was naturally one of the people who His Majesty the Emperor had to pay for his merits, and after His Majesty the Emperor rebuilt the Senate, he was installed in the Senate and became the spokesman of the Emperor and the government in the Senate, assisting His Majesty the Emperor in controlling this organ and turning the Senate into a handy tool in the hands of the Emperor.

At the same time, he also received many positions from His Majesty, both overt and covert, and received a large amount of salary every year from the government's budget, and his housing and transportation were reimbursed by the government, so that he had changed his previous embarrassing economic situation and became a huge rich. It was also rumored that His Majesty the Emperor intended to canonize him as a nobleman in order to reward him for his previous followers.

After many years of experience, his character has become very cautious and introverted, and he is usually very attentive to being kind to others, and has always been very popular among the Bonapartists, even if his current position is no longer what it used to be, this character has not changed, and he has not been like others, because of the flattery of his subordinates.

At the same time, perhaps because he was in charge of coordination in the Senate, he attached great importance to party unity, so that when he saw the faint quarrel between Charles and Prince Jérôme, he could not resist standing up for a round.

Because of the identities of the two people, ordinary people are not qualified to play this kind of round, but Jean-Fialin does have this qualification because of his qualifications.

"I didn't quarrel, sir. And I have great respect for His Royal Highness, who is our predecessor and the oldest member of the royal family, and I agree with what he has to say. Charles nodded at him very politely, "It's just that His Highness just said that some of us are forced by money, so I wonder who is still living in such a difficult situation now?" I talk about partisanship and affection as you do, and I can't bear this situation, so I want to ask who is in need of help from all of you right now, and then I can help him, right? Well, Mr. Earl has just said that he has no financial difficulties now, so do you have any? ”

Charles's question, though no longer as aggressive as it had just been, was still a little hard, at least making Jean-Fialin feel a little oppressed.

After a moment's hesitation, he shook his head. "What His Royal Highness said must be well-founded, but ...... I myself do not have any such suffering now, and thanks to Your Majesty's care, I now have enough income to meet my living expenses, and I only think about how to continue to serve the Empire, and I cannot ask for anything more. ”

Like the others, he didn't want to make it clear between the two of them, he just wanted to round out the scene so that the party wouldn't turn into a violent quarrel. It was clear that they were now deadlocked, and he had no interest in getting involved.

"I also believe that His Royal Highness must have a basis for saying this, so I am now asking who needs help."

After forcing a big man like Jean-Fialin to stay out of the matter with an unrelenting and tough attitude, Charles became more and more determined, he smiled again, and then looked at His Royal Highness Prince Jérôme, "I suppose that if I need help, then at least I should know who I am going to help, right?" ”

Still no one has taken a stand.

It's not that they are really afraid of Charles, but they know that Charles have the trust of His Majesty the Emperor, and they are not willing to break with Prince Jérôme for him. So they all choose to stay out of it.

In an attempt to make his victory a reality, Charles made a gentle gesture for one of his best friends to step up and settle the final word for him.

"Charles is right."

As Charles had expected, after receiving his request, Morni, the current Minister of the Interior and the half-brother of His Majesty the Emperor, immediately agreed with him. "We need to keep our ideals and thirst for success now, because there is still so much to do, and the time has not yet come for the empire to enjoy peace. Therefore, it is not wise to think about changing the previous plan at this time. And from what I know of Your Majesty, I'm afraid he won't like us people to decide such an important issue in private......"

Although his voice was soft and slow, it was the final word.

His Royal Highness, the old prince, his face has become more and more pale now.

Morni was a powerful man and had always been influential among the Bonapartists, and his refusal to support it meant that no one else dared to support it. And because he is His Majesty's brother, he has a closer relationship with His Majesty than the Prince, so his words obviously represent His Majesty's meaning more in the eyes of others.

His Royal Highness frowned slightly, and glanced at Morni, as if with some reproach, as if asking why he had to help Charles regardless of the interests of the family, but Morni just stared blankly at the vase on the table, confused.

Now Charles has completely put his mind at ease, because he knows that after a few first-class figures have made a statement, he will definitely not lose this time, and all that remains is how to give the old prince a step.

As he had guessed, the situation had begun to become clearer, and others began to speak, some of them speaking earnestly, and like Charles, they were a little mentally dull in their own vigilance; Some people said something innocuous and played a round, while others simply changed the subject and started joking.

And who among the dignitaries of these empires is not proficient in using the art of language to evade problems?

"Your Royal Highness, in fact, I also attach great importance to what you said, and I have always believed that the interests of our party are the interests of the country." After a moment of contemplation, Charles began to lower the steps to His Royal Highness, "So I am willing to give anything to strengthen our party. (To be continued.) )