Text Volume Until after walking out of Talleyrand's mansion, the Duke of Orleans was still angry.
"This old bastard!" He cursed through gritted teeth, "Sooner or later I will make him pay the price!"
However, after being scolded, he could only endure it for the time being. After all, the current situation did not allow him to do unnecessary things anymore.
He has more important things to worry about.
After returning to his mansion, he summoned his trusted advisor, Mr. Gaudan.
As soon as he saw the Duke's face, Gaudin knew that something might not be good.
"Sir, how was your conversation with Prince Talleyrand?" he asked.
"We broke down." The Duke's face was extremely gloomy, and then he replied coldly, "Talleyrand didn't want to cooperate at all, and he even said a lot of ridiculous things to entertain me..."
"That's ridiculous?" Gao Dan immediately asked.
The Duke endured his anger, and then conveyed to Gaudin all the "legitimate parliament" and "popular mandate" that Prince Talleyrand said.
Gao Dan was shocked when he heard this, and immediately felt dumbfounded.
"Is this really what Talleyrand said?"
"Yes, I can't believe it, but this is indeed what he said." The Duke smiled bitterly, and then sighed, "So it makes me furious."
"Although no one will believe this old fox's sincerity, at this point in time, if he makes such a proposal, I am afraid that many people will respond..." Gao Dan frowned, "This will make us lose weight in public opinion.
Falling into a passive position - Whatever Talleyrand does, his starting point must be for his personal benefit, so since he is uncharacteristically different this time, it means that he has chosen to be your enemy. Therefore, those high-sounding rhetoric are just for his own benefit.
It’s just a trick to hide one’s position and gain support from the outside world!”
To be fair, as a moderate reformist, Gaudin himself agreed with this theory of "popular authorization". If the circumstances were different, he might still advocate and applaud it.
But now the situation is different. The Duke of Orleans has already revealed his true colors in order to seize the throne and offended too many people. Even the Duke himself feels that he has no chance of winning if there is any "universal mandate". Of course Gaudin can see this.
Understand the situation.
But even if he could see the situation clearly, Gaudin was still at a loss to deal with the Duke's predicament at this time.
Just when they launched a rebellion to overthrow the king, Prince Talleyrand was also working secretly and attracted a large number of supporters. At this time, relying on these supporters, he had become a force that should not be underestimated, and even dared to challenge his own side.
.
These people are nothing to worry about, but outside Paris, there is still a more troublesome figure... Presumably at this time, this young man is leisurely waiting for everyone to be exhausted physically and mentally in the chaotic situation, and then
Come out and pick the fruits of victory yourself.
While Gaudin was deep in thought, the Duke of Orleans gave him even more unexpected and bad news.
"Before I left, Talleyrand also told me that the kid had captured Ms. Bianca and was planning to use the opportunity to accuse me."
"What!" Gao Dan couldn't hold himself any longer. He stood up from his seat and looked at his benefactor with wide eyes, "Is this true?"
The prince nodded wordlessly.
Gao Dan was stunned, then slumped back on his chair, "Fate has made us endure too many disasters!"
The reason why he was so rude was that, on the one hand, he had been friends with Bianca for many years, and when he learned that she had fallen into the hands of the King of Rome, he must be in trouble, and he was sad that he had to lose his friend again; on the other hand,
He also knew that at this critical time, if people knew that the Duke of Orleans bribed assassins to kill the King of Rome, it would be another heavy blow to public opinion.
However, he had seen too many storms after all. After being depressed for a moment, he picked himself up again.
"Your Excellency, no matter what accusations he makes, we must not admit it, otherwise it will put you in a disadvantageous position."
"Yes, of course I know this, so in front of Talleyrand, I immediately denied it and claimed that it was slander." The Duke replied with a wry smile, "It's just... now that the witness is in their hands, even if we
Even if I try my best to deny it, I’m afraid it will be difficult for people to believe my innocence.”
A painful expression appeared on Gao Dan's face, "Sir, I'm very sorry that my proposal has brought you so much trouble... I didn't expect that the lady would actually make a mistake when she was fully prepared.
, and later he was actually captured."
To be honest, when he couldn't contact Bianca for many days, he actually had suspicions. It was just out of luck and his trust in Bianca for many years, so he never dared to guess that Bianca had been
Captured—unexpectedly, at this moment, reality would give him such a cruel result.
At this time, the two of them had no idea that although Bianca was now in jail, she was receiving good treatment and not a word was revealed about their conspiracy. Therefore, they must have fallen into deep anxiety.
.
"It's not your fault. After all, I agreed to your proposal, so I should take the risk at my own risk." The Duke of Orleans did not get angry at his think tank, but reached out and patted his arm to comfort him, "Besides, these things
It has already happened, so what’s the point of worrying about it anymore? We should find ways to get through the current difficulties."
Although he was in extreme pain and depression, Gao Dan did not forget his responsibilities and still managed to cheer up and try to find a way out for his benefactor.
"Now we know nothing except that Ms. Bianca was captured. In this case, it is difficult for us to formulate countermeasures... So the most important thing now is to find out the situation." After a moment, he found an idea,
"At present, the territory actually controlled by the King of Rome is limited, and he will definitely not trust someone as important as the lady out of sight, so she must be imprisoned in the Fontainebleau Palace! Therefore, we should send someone to inquire about the situation.
"
"Who should be sent there?" asked the Duke.
"If it is clear that he is one of ours, he will definitely not let him in, but we can bribe spies." Gaudin replied, "As far as I know, after the Roman prince and his wife occupied Fontainebleau, they began to rebuild the palace there.
A large number of people have been hired, and now that the king has been deposed, many of the attendants and courtiers in the palace have nowhere to go, and many of them will definitely go to Fontainebleau to find jobs..."
When he said this, the Duke finally understood. "Yes! We can make full use of everything again!"
In order to carry out his conspiracy before, the Duke of Orleans deliberately developed his own power in the palace and bought many informants. Now he can let these hidden supporters go to Fontainebleau to find jobs and let them start their work again, starting from Rome.
The king collects information.
"Yes, as long as we can establish a news channel from the Fontainebleau Palace, we won't be so passive." Gao Dan nodded, "If they can find out where the lady is being held, then we can at least find a way to save the situation.
…”
"You mean to kill her?" the Duke took the words.
The Duke spoke so straightforwardly, which made Gaudan feel annoyed and painful. He originally didn't want to speak so bluntly.
However, now is not the time to play word games. In the end, he nodded slowly.
"If we have no choice, we can only do this. Fortunately, there was only a single line of communication between me and the lady about the whole incident, and no written evidence was left. As long as this line can be cut off, they will not have any actual evidence to testify against you.
——You are still innocent. Their slanderous words will not only fail to sway you, but will make themselves the laughing stock."
The prince fell into deep thought.
Obviously, what Gaudan said was the best choice before him. As long as Bianca could be killed, everything would be dead without any evidence. This was also his first thought.
"Since Fontainebleau has become that brat's lair, it must be heavily guarded. Moreover, Ms. Bianca herself is quite skilled. It's not that easy to kill her." The Duke expressed his last concern.
.
"Yes, it is indeed difficult, but you have to give it a try no matter what." At this time, Gao Dan no longer had any hesitation, "If the situation is allowed to deteriorate like this, it will only become more detrimental to you. For this reason, we can only exclude
extremely difficult."
Although he spoke categorically, the corners of Gao Dan's mouth were trembling slightly, and it was obvious that he was not so calm in his heart.
Of course the Duke understood Gaudin's pain and shame at the moment, so he comforted him in a low voice, "Don't blame yourself, we are doing such a big thing, and it is natural to make some unexpected sacrifices... Besides, she failed in the mission, and she herself
She was captured by mistake, and she can only blame herself for falling into this situation! If she wasn't so proud at the time and refused our offer of assistants, why would she have allowed herself and us to fall into this situation?!"
"Your Excellency, you don't need to comfort me... I know that I am just a despicable person who has committed all kinds of evil deeds for my own selfishness. The so-called guilt is just hypocrisy." Gao Dan just smiled bitterly and shook his head, "All sins are just
Let me bear it myself."
Seeing that Gao Dan's mood was not right, the Duke was a little surprised. "Why do you say that? We did all these things together. If you want to bear responsibility, as your benefactor, I should bear more.
That’s right.”
"No, Your Excellency. A king must have clean hands. No matter what crime you commit, you must be unaware of it. All bad things are done by our subordinates, and my obligation is to bear the responsibility for these crimes when necessary.
——I have already embraced this consciousness since the first day I took refuge under your command." Gao Dan replied with a wry smile, "It is precisely because I know this that I treated those people after you left.
I gave the order to open fire on the palace, and I knew it had to be me... It's the same this time, the assassination, the silence, all these things were done by me, and you had no idea about it, and you can't be responsible for it."
"You..." The Duke of Orleans wanted to say something more, but Gaudan stopped him with a gesture.
"Your Excellency, if you succeed next, I will take the responsibility of ordering the shooting of the palace. If you still have some nostalgia for me, exile me. If you think the situation requires it, then kill me for you.
Opponents can also vent their anger. Since I dare to shoulder this responsibility, what does it mean to have another guilt? Please leave this matter to me and I will handle it. Since I betrayed her
, then at least when she faces death, I should also have the courage to be there, and I will take all responsibility for what I do!"
Seeing Gaudin's straightforward statement, the Duke was so moved that he almost burst into tears.
"What an admirable loyalty..." He couldn't help but sigh, "I even doubt whether I am worthy of this loyalty."
"I always pay attention to the beginning and end of my work. Since I support you, I should support you to the end." Gao Dan replied decisively, "And you don't have to doubt that you definitely have the potential to become a good king. You can lead this country to say goodbye."
Let the whole nation recuperate and bid farewell to the endless bloody storms of the past... I have been observing this country for decades. Please believe in my vision and show your courage to go.
Take on your destined obligations! You will definitely be able to sit on the throne!" Si
Encouraged by his confidant's enthusiastic attitude, the Duke of Orleans, who was originally depressed, also cheered up.
Yes, in order to get to this point, I have paid so much and wasted so much effort, how could I stop at the last step? No matter how difficult and dangerous the road ahead is, I must grit my teeth and endure it, and try my best to realize my long-cherished wish.
This is not only for the throne and power, but also for his entire life. He cannot imagine what the meaning of his life in this world would be if this goal cannot be achieved.
When he thought of this, the tears in his eyes couldn't help but fall down.
Then, he gently patted Gaudan on the shoulder and hugged him.
"I have always relied on your help, and I trust you more than anyone else, because I know that you are not the kind of person who just wants personal glory and wealth. You have your own ideals...
Only those with ideals can accomplish great things and are worthy of working with me.
Don't worry, I never intended to throw you out as a scapegoat to appease public anger. What a joke! I just drove away an unpopular tyrant. There's nothing I dare not admit! My father even personally gave it to Louis XVI.
One journey, so what? I openly admit everything I have done, and I will use my actual results to prove that I did the right thing! I am thousands of times better than that incompetent mediocre man, as long as I will
The country will prosper and the people will cheer for the crimes I have committed! And you are indispensable for all of this. I need you to continue to serve me, now and in the future..."
These words made Gao Dan burst into tears. He held his hand tightly and vowed to complete his dream career for his benefactor.
Even if these hands want to break the heart of my former friend, I will not hesitate.