"To my brother and Your Majesty?" Fran was slightly stunned. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

This request was indeed very abrupt, at least beyond her original psychological preparation.

It stands to reason that her portrait of His Majesty the Tsar was a very personal matter, and it could even be said that she had received his favor, but if she took the portrait back and gave it to His Majesty the Emperor of France, it would not be a private matter, and it would inevitably have a political connotation.

And this is clearly an intentional arrangement.

Since Louis Bonaparte ascended the throne, because he was Napoleon's nephew, and because the surname Bonaparte was really not able to be used on the table, the monarchs of European countries did not like to deal with the French emperor, and the court was full of contempt for him.

However, as Louis Bonaparte's position became more secure, the English first changed their attitude, and the countries of Europe, led by England, voluntarily or reluctantly, began to change course and recognize the usurped king.

However, until now, the Russian Tsar still clings to his original cold attitude and has always been unapologetic to the French Emperor, so Franco-Russian relations have been very stiff. Whatever the reason, Louis Bonaparte must have been annoyed by Louis Bonaparte, who had already hated Russia as Napoleon's nephew, and who was now even more annoyed by the Russian Tsar's apparent contempt for him.

However, if His Majesty the Tsar of the Russian Empire had given his portrait to His Majesty the Emperor of the French Empire, the situation would have been very different, and it might not have been possible to directly change the relations between the two countries, but at least it would have been possible to express some goodwill on the part of His Majesty the Tsar, and it would have shown His Majesty's enthusiasm for reopening relations with France.

In other words, it was already a diplomatic move, and Fran herself became one of the main players in the diplomatic move between the two countries, although she never expected such an opportunity.

Perhaps sensing the sudden wavering of the young woman in front of him, His Majesty the Tsar paused slightly to look at her.

"What's wrong with you? Miss? ”

"Your Majesty......," Fran finally settled, "I am more than happy to serve you, and I have done my best to paint your portrait with all my talents, but as you can see, I am not an official of the Empire, nor do I intend to get involved in political and foreign affairs, and if you have any gift to give to our Emperor Majesty, I would ...... I think it's best if you could ask our embassy staff in Petersburg for help. ”

His Majesty's face sank slightly, and it was clear that he did not like to be rejected, even if it was polite and reserved.

At this time, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander, who had been standing by silently observing his words, hurriedly came out to explain his father's actions. "Miss Treville, as you must have seen, there are now some regrettable and unpleasant clouds between our two countries, which have made the atmosphere between the two countries tense, and the other countries unsettled, and the people at large in danger...... I've always believed that this cloud should be removed as soon as possible, otherwise sooner or later it will get us into huge trouble. ”

"So......" Fran finally understood something.

"Therefore, we want to dispel the clouds and make efforts, His Majesty the Tsar wishes to let the French know that he has no ill will towards France, and also hopes that His Majesty the Emperor of your country will join us on the path of goodwill and harmony between the two countries." Crown Prince Alexander went on to explain to her, "But this cannot be resolved by formal diplomatic means, at least for now, and we must let your Emperor know our sincerity, but we must also understand the opinion of His Majesty the Emperor of your country, so at least for now, it is better for the two Emperors to establish a personal friendship than anything else-"

After talking, he repeated it again. "Private."

Through Crown Prince Alexander's explanation, Fran probably understood the intention of the father and son.

There is no doubt that, as His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander bluntly declared in front of Fran, His Majesty the Tsar and his Crown Prince both wanted to expand the territory and sphere of influence of Russia, but they were also concerned about the resistance and opposition of the European powers, and they wanted to expand without encountering too fierce resistance, and in such a situation, good relations with the European powers were already imperative, and France was naturally an important part of it.

However, the tsar was not sure of France's attitude, he did not want to be directly rejected by France when he took the initiative to communicate with France, so that he would become the laughing stock of the world, and he did not like to leave his impression of flattering France in front of the world, so he chose to use this way to test first, so that if he succeeded, it would be the best, and if he failed, it would not damage his prestige.

Sending portraits of Louis Bonaparte and Charles de Treville was a real achievement! Do you think these two people would be honored by this?

Even though he did not know much about foreign affairs, Fran felt that His Majesty the Russian Tsar was indeed a little too arrogant, and he seemed to regard his efforts to reconcile relations with France as a handout to a group of inferior people.

You will regret it, Your Majesty. Fran couldn't help but think to herself.

Of course, she didn't dare to show this mentality, she just silently lowered her head.

"So, you should be able to see the significance of your job, right? I ask you to bring all your talents to this task for the sake of the diplomatic relations between the two countries. Crown Prince Alexander smiled, then owed a slight debt to Fran, "Alright, without further ado, please start as soon as possible." ”

At this moment, the court attendants also brought all the painting tools, both the canvas and the paint were naturally very high-quality.

Fran complied with His Royal Highness's request and sat silently in a position not too far from His Majesty the Tsar, and at this time His Majesty sat considerately behind his desk, looking at Fran motionlessly with his head held up, so as to provide her with the most convenient angle.

Fran carefully opened the canvas and adjusted the paint, and her eyes wandered between His Majesty the Tsar and the canvas to observe the distribution of light, while her mind was secretly beating.

In this way, the tall Tsar, dressed in a military uniform and bearded, stood arrogantly in the midst of a golden hall, as if the whole time had stopped. In this tranquil atmosphere, Fran carefully uses her brush to sway slowly across the canvas, trying to capture any hint of inspiration.

Although she had understood that this was just a diplomatic and political move, and that the Tsar and his son did not care whether she could paint well or not, Fran had her own pride in painting, and she could not tolerate a careless attitude towards painting, even for her own sake, she had to do the work with the utmost seriousness.

However, she was reluctant to portray His Majesty the Tsar as a wise and indisobedient monarch, as the Tsar father and son had hoped, and she wanted to show something else in the painting, even if it did not show any traces on the surface.

Soon, her paintings began to take shape.

At the lower end of the painting, the magnificent hall is displayed in great detail, the Tsar sitting on the throne, dressed as an officer, is heroic, and at the top of the painting, the ceiling of the hall is nihilized, mixed with the cloudy sky, and in the upper left corner of the painting, the archangel Michael floats among the clouds with a golden light, and the sword in his hand pierces straight ahead, as if to split the sky in one breath.

The magnificence of the hall and the sky, the majesty of His Majesty the Tsar sitting on the throne, as if under the protection of angels and God, the visual impact of the picture is indeed impressive.

While she painted, Crown Prince Alexander stood by so as not to disturb the young lady, but he was soon attracted by the painting and slowly walked to the canvas.

"How pretty!" When the painting gradually took shape, he couldn't help but admire, "You painted so well!" ”

Compared with the previous compliments out of politeness, his praise this time was a little more sincere. Originally, although he had heard that this Miss Tréville was skilled in painting, he also knew that the people of high society were especially fond of courting those beautiful women, and liked to exaggerate their talents and abilities, so he felt that this Miss Trevier's painting skills might not be worthy of the name.

But when he really saw her paintings, he realized that she was indeed very skilled and talented, and God knows how a woman like her would be willing to put so much effort into honing her painting skills instead of spending her time in leisure socializing.

"Thank you for the compliment." At this time, Fran also came out of the distraction of the creation, and she smiled a little embarrassedly. "I ...... I was afraid that I would not be able to meet His Majesty's requirements. ”

At this time, His Majesty the Tsar also stood up from his seat, and then read the painting with an indifferent scrutiny, and his brow gradually relaxed, obviously not expecting that the painting should be so good. It is lifelike, full of spirit, and very much in line with the desire for power of His Majesty the Tsar.

"No, it's beautiful, it's exactly the kind of painting I like." He interrupted Fran, "It's a pity that it can't be given as a gift, it's full of ...... imaginary creation, and too aggressive. ”

"I'm sorry......" Fran felt a little embarrassed, "I forgot ...... all of a sudden"

"It's okay, you can repaint, we were going to let you paint a few anyway." His Majesty the Tsar smiled a rare slightly. "And now, I have confidence in your skill and talent. I want to keep this painting as part of my collection, and I believe that as long as you continue to paint, then your work will never be anonymous. ”

"Thank you for your compliment, Your Majesty!" Seeing the father and son praise themselves so much, Fran was naturally very happy. "I'm here to help."

"Alright, that's all for today, after all, I don't have much time to spare, and when the dinner party is about to begin, I have to take care of all the business before the dinner. Tomorrow we'll find time to continue drawing, and it's better to change places. His Majesty the Tsar made a gesture to suggest that Fran could leave first, "Go and rest for a while, you can stay here as a guest for a few days anyway, and we will entertain you with the greatest hospitality." ”

Immediately afterward, a court attendant walked in and began to pack up Fran's paintings and the painting utensils.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Fran said goodbye to His Majesty the Tsar with great interest.

Under the leadership of Crown Prince Alexander, Fran returned to the corridors of the palace, and along the way, Crown Prince Alexander praised Fran's painting skills, even knowing that the other party was deliberately complimenting her, Fran still felt very happy.

"Miss Treville, we regret that we have delayed a few days of your precious time, and that you have spent such a huge amount of time on your letter." And just as they were about to descend the stairs around a corner, Crown Prince Alexander suddenly took a box from one of the guards next to him and handed it to Fran. "So, to compensate you for your efforts, this is your salary."

Fran took the little box in a daze, and then opened it casually.

At this moment, she was overwhelmed by the jewels. As far as the eye could see, pieces of jewelry and jewelry, necklaces and rings encrusted with diamonds, as well as gemstones of various colors, and boxes full of jewelry were almost dizzying, and Fran could barely take her eyes off herself.

"Oh God!" She couldn't help but shout. (To be continued.) )