His Excellency the Count of Grandet

But no matter what, it's not a day or two since the city of Paris is full of turmoil and chaos, and it's time to do what you want.Especially after Charles knew that the last moment was coming, he carefully checked the small pistol he was carrying.He hasn't used this thing on people, and he doesn't want to use it on people; but when someone raises a knife at him, it is of course a powerful weapon to fight back.

Touching the gun, Charles couldn't help but think of when he and Victor first met.Regardless of whether he was pressed against the wall or not, Victor's attitude was never polite; but in fact, Victor's idea at that time was probably to have one last fun before he died-a gamble that put his family and life on it!

There's literally no one who pulls aggro better than this guy, especially when it wasn't intended to be that way.

But it turns out that Victor took a gamble and made the right bet.He made the right bet, whether in career or love.High risk is accompanied by high return, and the current situation well confirms this sentence.

Thinking of the shit luck of Victor being able to step on diamonds in the river valley when he was in the United States, the corners of Charles' mouth twitched, but he didn't even notice it.If it weren't for these things that Victor didn't want to make public, I'm afraid the Parisians would be able to add another layer of mystery to the magical calculation of the surname Laffitte?

But whether it was the blank bill or the Diamond Valley, it was all over.Now faced with the third and greatest danger, the two of them together.If you succeed, you will exchange three years of hard work for at least 20 years of excitement; if you fail...no, there is no failure, only success!

Charles held the heavy gun in his hand because it was fully loaded, and put it back in his waist solemnly.Even Adams has already considered the issue of his life for him, and of course he is even less likely to neglect.Although they have the chance to win, but now is the critical moment, let alone take it lightly!

Compared with the steady advancement strategies of Shire, Victor and others, the current royalists can be described as ants on a hot pot.Of course, the former is easier to detect; the republican style has always been the former, but now it has become the latter.This was too unexpected for them, so that when they noticed it, it became a prairie fire.

"If this goes on, we're all going to be finished."

When Count Artois said that, he was in the living room of his mansion.There were not many people present, but old faces such as Earl of Villers and Prince Condé were there, which showed the nature of the meeting.

"Your Majesty has made a big move in the cabinet." Earl de Villers said, frowning, "You know, that Charles Grandet became the Minister of Finance. If it's just that, it's fine, and he solved it smoothly. The thing about the United States; not to mention the British. This will definitely make His Majesty feel that they are more reliable than us."

This one is more reliable, and the meaning is obvious-it will not overthrow the king's rule, and at the same time ensure that the king is comfortably supported; even if some powers are decentralized, it is within the king's tolerance.

Count Artois snorted, very disdainful.Louis XVIII's best countermeasures based on situational and physical considerations were, in his eyes, signs of weakness.

Since you are a king, you don't have to bow your head to anyone!

This insistence, he has never changed.

"The point is that the attitude of the British has affected the situation," he said angrily. "If the British hadn't intervened, I don't believe that Metternich would not have forced his brother to make concessions!" Obviously, it can't compare to the joint pressure from foreign countries!

From the point of knowing the foreign pressure, Count Artois is not a complete idiot.But his starting point has deviated from the general trend, and he is destined to be abandoned by the times; no matter what he does, it will be irreparable——

But he still didn't realize it; it sealed his tragic fate.

"That's right. They want to support Philip?" Prince Condé said coldly, "If it wasn't...how could it be their turn?" His tone was resentful, and it was obvious that he had never gotten rid of the hatred of losing his son.

Count Artois nodded slightly, agreeing.But what he didn't say was that even if his son survived, it would be useless in the worst case; because at that time, he would definitely be removed by people who would never put his son on the throne .

In this way, it may be a good thing to have one left, at least there will be no infighting and fewer worries.

But this kind of self-mockery, or the idea of ​​having fun in bitterness, only survived in Count Artois's head for less than a second before being killed.He didn't allow himself to think that way, which was a weakness in a way.And he doesn't need to be weak.

"We can't let them go on like this," Count Artois said again, his tone returning to his usual toughness, "We have to do something." He said, his eyes swept across several faces with different expressions.

This time, Count Villers did not express his opinion immediately.After a while of silence, he whispered: "It's another hot moon."

The words were simple, but several people immediately became alert.Because that is the period they least want to recall, and it is the beginning of their tragic life falling from the clouds.

"Leave Jacobin, and Napoleon." Prince Condé said word by word.This time he was not only resentful, but hated to such an extent that they could die together.

Count Artois ignored Napoleon's words.Napoleon was dead, he rejoiced in that, and didn't want to waste time on dead people; Napoleon had descendants in exile, which he had to deal with, of course, but that was for later. "It is enough to have the previous sample."

Count Villers looked at his master sharply.Speaking of the Jacobins, Robespierre and others were sent to the guillotine only one year after they came to power.Judging from the current situation, it is impossible for them to do the same; because the methods of Victor and others are not radical, and it is considered balanced to take into account the interests of all parties.

"Only Marat." He squirmed his lips and said in a voice that only a few people could hear, "Only Marat."

Marat's fate was to be assassinated, and everyone here knows it.Not to mention whether being stabbed in the heart by a knife in the medicinal bath can be replicated, they can at least use their last strength to kill the leader of the opponent.In this way, the group of dragons will have no leader, and other people will fall into the shadow of fear and panic...

This is not a means of glory; but, in the face of the danger of being completely overthrown, there is no regard for glory.

"This is our last chance." Count Artois' expression did not change at all, as if what he just said was not a murder order, but just talking about the weather. "It's not a discussion, or a solicitation."

The audience was silent, and for a moment a needle could be heard.Everyone was thinking about it, and trying not to let the expressions on their faces show what was going on in the gears of their minds.

This is by no means a grandiose method, let alone success, what if it fails?That would push him two more steps into the abyss of death, and they are very close now!

Thinking about it from the other side, because they are very close to the abyss of death, if they don't fight back, they can only watch themselves fall...

"The point is, who?" Count Villers asked everyone for their opinions in a low voice.His face changed for a while, and now he has made up his mind.

Several people looked at each other in blank dismay.Capture the thief first, capture the king, they also hit the same idea.But the middle-class republicans have learned to be smart. Not only are their methods relatively moderate, but their actions are also relatively low-key.It is not easy to determine which is the leader.

Just like Shire, he became the chancellor of the exchequer with a high profile, but he also knew that he was not the one who took the lead-Shire was usually busy making money, but this time it was an exception.Another example is Gouvion-Saint-Cyr Marquis Marshal, this is a thorny head, it is not easy to succeed in a sneak attack, and you have to think about the large number of troops under him...

"Among those people, they spend more than half of the time in Paris every year and hold high positions. There are many people who meet this condition?" Count Artois didn't say it directly, but asked rhetorically.

Several people's eyes fell on the newspaper spread out on the table, which made them angry, and they immediately realized——

Isn't that the person?

Having said that, Victor's news has always been accurate and well-informed, because within a few days, Charles heard Louis XVIII's confession in the Tuileries Palace.

"You know, I didn't want Avery to go to London in the first place," said the king, stirring his coffee, sniffing intoxicated at the charred aroma, "that would destroy our system and point to the Doom. Luckily," he looked at Charles with loving eyes, "we can still get it back."

Charles nodded. "You're right."

Even he has to admit that Louis XVIII is not only the one who sees the situation most clearly among the nobles, but also ranks high among all the people!Even if there is no son to inherit the throne, Louis XVIII can still enjoy the best old age for himself!

The king put down the coffee spoon and handed Charles the decree on the table that the Duke de Caze was transferred back to Paris and appointed Minister of the Interior. "Take this to Armand (the name of the Duke of Richelieu) when you leave later, so that my herald will not have to go."

"It's my pleasure, Your Majesty." Charles took over.Then they chatted a little more, and he left the palace.

From the Tuileries Palace, walk a short distance to the south, turn around and pass the bridge over the Seine River, and you will arrive at the Bourbon Palace where the Parliament is located.There is no doubt that after Shire came up with the appointment, a group of people were boiling.But Charles didn't participate in their discussion, turned around and went out, intending to confirm the next move with Victor.

The official decree has been issued, and it is only a few days before Duke Decaz takes office.The basic deployment is almost complete, and before Christmas at the latest, Louis XVIII will be able to issue an edict to change to the heir to the throne.Of course, they can't mention this matter. It is safer to raise it through other people's mouths.I don't know who Victor arranged for in this regard, could it be Thiers...

Just as Charles was sitting in the carriage thinking about this, there was a bang not far away.The horse was startled, hooved and neighed, and the entire carriage shook violently.

"Excuse me, sir," Antoine said loudly, "it was just an accident, I have already grasped the rein; probably some store's goods have fallen..."

Xia Er kowtowed his head in this movement, and managed to stabilize his body—the voice rang out again during this period—and when he reacted, he was shocked.Where is the cargo falling to the ground, it is clearly——

"Gunshots?" He quickly lifted the curtain of the car, got into the front seat, snatched the bridle and whip from his servant's hand, and pulled them down vigorously, "Go! Go!"

He heard the direction, and the source of the sound was Friliere Road.There's the central bank on it, which is—

Victor!

The horse was startled first, then hurt, and rushed forward with its head down.The cheese, vegetables and fruits on the street were taken into chaos all over the place. Pedestrians screamed and dodged. Antoine, who was squeezed behind by his young master, yelled at everyone to get out of the way (although he didn't know what Charles was doing.) , but he knew that what the young master did must be reasonable)——

But Charles couldn't care less about watching or thinking.He had a bad premonition in his heart, and he hoped that that premonition wouldn't come true, and he hoped that he still had time—

They had almost arrived at their destination just now, only a short distance away.At this moment, he was rushing all the way, not to mention that he would arrive soon, and a few patrolling soldiers followed behind.Charles couldn't control the back, threw the rein with one hand, touched the gun at his waist, and at the same time quickly looked around the central bank——

Almost instantly, he saw someone collapsed on the stone steps outside the bank.The man was so familiar that he didn't even take the time to identify it...

No, it can't be!

Charles thought frantically.Victor can't really be...

Before he could think about it, he noticed the suspicious person across the street.The man was not masked, and Charles didn't know him before, but the gun smoking in his hand explained everything.The man seemed about to take another shot, but the sudden commotion diverted his attention—

Almost without thinking, Charles immediately pulled the safety catch and aimed to pull the trigger in one go.The opponent stood there, but he was still on the galloping carriage, and it was not easy to shoot.So he fired a single shot, without giving the opponent a chance to react, and shot it all out with a bang bang bang, then grabbed Antoine with his backhand and jumped off the carriage together.

This series of actions happened in a flash, and Antoine hadn't recovered when he rolled behind the half-human high billboard.While the people around were startled by the galloping carriage and the continuous gunshots and ran around screaming, Charles had already found out the spare bullets he had prepared, reloaded them, and leaned over behind the barrier. Ready to shoot again.

However, the patrolmen chasing the carriage finally caught up.They were obviously more likely to notice the dense gunfire than the carriage that was getting wider and wider.Charles rolled down the side of the street before, they didn't see it and didn't expect it (jumping the car in that situation is almost the rhythm of half-life), and their attention was drawn away by the person lying on the ground.

"Let's go and see," one patrolman said to the other, "what's the matter with these two people?"

"He's dead!" Someone screamed, and the crowd that had already dispersed retreated in a big circle.

Charles' heart sank, and he poked out half of his head carefully.Then he saw that even if there were several people around, he could still see a lifeless body through the gap between his feet.Because the man had been turned over, and his chest was covered with wet blood.

"I'm still breathing, but I'm sure it can't be saved." The patrolman who seemed to be the leader squatted down and tried the man's nose, so he came to a conclusion. "Look at another..."

"Thanks for your speed, it's a miracle I'm not dead."

Hearing the familiar, slightly harsh voice, Charles immediately jumped up—of course he didn't forget to put the gun back into his pocket. "Victor!"

Victor was half lying on the stone steps, but now he sat up with his hands on his shoulders.He didn't realize it when he just went out, and was shot in the right shoulder.It wasn't fatal, but he immediately reacted and threw himself down, successfully dodging the second shot.

But at this moment, the situation was already very bad. Just as he was thinking about the success probability of counterattacking with his left hand, he heard the noise coming from far and approaching, and he wanted to help me.When he recognized the owner of the carriage that caused the accident, he was already sure that he was fine——

"I should thank you," Victor pressed the blood from the fingers on his shoulder, and even smiled brightly, "If you hadn't been merciful at the beginning, I wouldn't have had the chance to see you now!"

Charles now just wanted to gag this annoying guy, in a very unusual way.But he took a deep breath, and only loudly said to the frightened servant: "What are you waiting for? Get a doctor!"

**

Two years later.

Guangzhou, which has enjoyed one-port trade since the Qianlong period, has a busy port.As the only place in the Qing Dynasty that had six external routes and handed over one million taels of silver to the national treasury every year, it was known as the "Nanku of the Son of Heaven", so it was crowded and prosperous.

In the distance, several official sedan chairs came in a file, and pedestrians gave way one after another.

"My lord, we are here, please get off the sedan chair."

The leading official slowly stepped on the stepping stones and walked down.From his golden pheasant mending suit and red nirvana glass top, it is easy to see his grade.

"Your Excellency Governor is here!" The people watching on the side suddenly felt awe. "What's the big deal?"

Ruan Yuan, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi they spoke of, ignored this argument.He took a few steps and took the lead on the wooden platform that had been prepared.The wooden platform faces the sea and faces the river. If there is a ship entering the port, you can see it immediately.

The accompanying officials climbed up after him.At this time, except for the ships moored in the port, the rest of the water surface is empty.After Ruan Yuan looked over, he didn't say a word.

"My lord..." Looking at the situation, Chen Zhongfu, the governor of Guangdong, took a step forward and said, "It's only been a month since the letter from Beijing and China, how can foreigners really be so fast?"

"Their new ships can be three times or even five times that of our ships. This has been widely spread in the court, and everyone is very curious." Ruan Yuan's voice was not loud, but very calm, "Scholar of the Hall of Martial Arts, Prince Grand Tutor Cao is my old friend, so you need to be careful when you say this."

Chen Zhongfu was silent for a while, and when he spoke again, his voice was also low. "I heard that foreigner can speak Chinese?" He said, "That letter of credentials is so good that today's minister nods and agrees to it? The country of England, which I travel most frequently, has not received such kind treatment."

"It's kind of sincere. Nothing has happened in the past and present, and what happens to the Sacred Heart today, we naturally don't know yet." Ruan Yuan pondered.

"My subordinates have heard that recently there are opium smoking boats cruising outside Xiamen Port." Chen Zhongfu made it clear when he heard that his boss was unwilling to express his position directly.

Ruan Yuan returned a stern look. "This matter has been decided by the two ministries of officials and soldiers for neglecting the opium smoking regulations. How can the letter of credence handed over be compared to a private operation? Now that he landed from Guangzhou, we can perform our duties."

Chen Zhongfu shut up.

In fact, he is not the only one who is so worried—the poisoning of Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian has been discovered—and he has accumulated a lot of bad feelings towards foreigners under the state of isolation.

But he thought again, Master Ruan was right, those who transported opium were sneaky, and those who dared to greet the emperor before coming would never dare to do it.As long as they are ordered to send the mission to Beijing, the adults in Beijing should worry about the rest of the matter.In fact, it is natural for the Holy Majesty to be interested, because strong ships and sharp guns should be the most important weapon of the country...

Maybe they got the timing just right, but after a while, a row of small black spots faintly appeared in the distance.

"It's really here!" Ruan Yuan was shocked, "Let's go down!"

In the distance, the people on the boat have also seen the lighthouse of the port.

"Your Excellency, we are almost there." The sentinel on the watchtower quickly came down to report to Charles on the deck.

Charles nodded, subconsciously turning the ring on his hand.

After the attempted assassination, their faction took advantage of this and made a big fuss.Because it doesn't take much to figure out who benefits Victor's death.The king favored them, and the hearts of the people also favored them. When this incident became serious, the royalists would naturally have to bear the consequences—they gave up the position of crown prince and saw themselves under house arrest—

The planned assassination did not bring the royalists back to life as expected, but it became their own reminder!The epitaph of the autocratic monarchy was written the moment the assassination failed!

With domestic resistance gone and international relations relatively mild, he was finally free to focus on factory expansion and the development of international routes.

To the north, the cooperative relationship with the United Kingdom has been confirmed, and the other direction is extended to St. Petersburg; to the south, the waterway connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea is being planned; to the west, the ships on the Atlantic Ocean are getting denser and faster; and now, he is on board To the east, the land full of gold in the impression of Europeans, is his eternal hometown...

Charles was contemplating, when he turned his head and saw Victor also went up to the deck. "What?" He raised his eyebrows slightly, "Have you finished reading the book?"

When Victor heard this, his face suddenly turned bitter.Tell him to learn English and Latin, that's all. What kind of language system is the square character? It's too difficult, okay?But these words must not be said, he said to him from left to right: "I heard they said that they were about to dock, so I came out to have a look."

"Be careful with your shoulders." Charles didn't bother with this issue, and reminded him gently.The current medical skills are not as good as the future, and the gunshot wound really needs to be taken care of.

Victor observed Charles' expression, convinced that his lover was in a good mood, and couldn't help but feel happy too.Especially when he found out that Shire had finally put on the ring. "Don't you think it's too big and too flashy?" He walked over and grabbed Charles' hand under the cover of his cloak.

"Who told you to make it such a big crown?" Charles almost stared at him, but he didn't take his hand away. "Even if His Majesty saw it, he would be suspicious?" There are a total of 120 diamonds that are exquisitely polished. Who are you going to blind?

"So it can be worn when it comes out." Victor nodded, expressing his satisfaction - who made his Shire's business spread all over the world?Of course it must be a crown, symbolizing the business empire on which the sun never sets! "Maybe it can give the Eastern Emperor a lot of insight?" He joked, "Anyway, didn't you say that he would never leave his country? That would definitely not be passed back to the country."

If it weren't for being surrounded by his own people, Charles must have told Victor to be careful in his words and deeds.But as a warning, he squeezed Viktor's fingers hard.

But this was probably understood by Victor as another meaning.He squeezed back harder, tight enough to feel each other's heartbeats.The sea breeze picked up a trace of clothes, and the brilliant light of diamonds refracted from the hands of the two of them, a moment surpassed eternity.