The entanglement in the heart of Prince Condé cannot be explained to outsiders. After all, if Condé showed third-level sympathy in front of Louis XVI and his wife, there is no doubt that he will be hostile to the king and his wife.
However, although he sympathizes with the third estate, this does not mean that Prince Condé has a good impression of the Duke of Orleans. For more than a hundred years, the overt and covert fighting between the lineage of Prince Condé and the lineage of Duke of Orleans has filled the entire upper class of France. The two sides have fought to the death and even fought with each other.
The pattern of conflicts also occurred occasionally, so in terms of personal feelings, Condé still preferred the royal family to eliminate the lineage of the Duke of Orleans.
But after all, Prince Conde is not just himself. Behind him is a huge chain of interests. This chain of interests occupies a decisive position in the upper class of France, including his younger brother Prince Conti, who are all his loyal supporters.
.
After Mary arrived in Paris, the first place she rushed to was not the Paris Security Headquarters or the Parliament. The first place Mary rushed to was the residence of Prince Condé. Mary believed that it was necessary for her to have a good relationship with the old prince. Communicate, even if Prince Kong Dai has stood on her opposite side, she still needs to try her best to fight for it. After all, one less enemy is worse than one more friend.
When he learned the news that Mary had arrived, Condé was shocked. The whole of Paris was now in a turbulent situation, and Mary was able to visit the mansion of an enemy or a friend under such circumstances. This made Condé's
I felt a surge of admiration for Mary in my heart.
"Prince Kong Dai, I'm very sorry for rushing to see you in such a hurry."
The first time he saw Condé, Mary bent down and knelt down to salute, which surprised Condé. He quickly stepped forward to hold Mary's arm.
"Your Highness the Queen, I don't dare to ask you to salute. I am so rude. You are really trying to kill me."
Condé, who had always been calm when speaking, stuttered a little. After all, since the Austrian princess married into the French court, her arrogance has been known to everyone, but it has changed a lot in recent years. But even so, can
It is estimated that only a few people were allowed to bow to the queen of the most powerful king in Europe.
After seeing the attitude of Prince Condé, Mary was obviously very satisfied. Of course, on the surface, Mary still smiled and said:
"Prince Condé, you have dedicated your life to France for so many years. As your junior, it is my duty to pay tribute to you."
With the support of Condai, Mary stood up. The behavior just now was just a test for her. If Prince Condai really relied on his old man to accept her courtesy, this attitude could already indicate many problems.
. But it was obvious that Prince Condé's performance was still very good, which also made Mary feel a little relieved.
Amidst the pleasantries, Condai introduced Mary into his living room
This generation of Prince Condé is already the eighth generation of the entire Condé genealogy. His name is Louis Joseph de Bourbon (Louis V). He was born in 1736 and was the only son of the Duke of Bourbon. In 1740
After the death of his father, he inherited the title of prince and became one of the few people who stood at the top of the Kingdom of France. In other words, this generation of Prince Condé inherited the important task of carrying forward the family when he was four years old.
"Your Highness, I didn't know you were coming. I'm really sorry for the poor reception."
After Mary stood in the living room and sat down, Prince Condé quickly asked the servants to bring tea and snacks.
"His Royal Highness is really irritating. As far as I know, the desserts in the Prince's residence are famous throughout Paris."
"Her Royal Highness the Queen is truly honored."
While talking, the two looked at each other and then laughed.
"Haha, Your Highness the Queen, you must be in such a hurry to see me, you must have something important, please tell me."
"Well, since His Highness the Prince is so forthright, let me tell you directly. You must know more about the financial situation of the Kingdom than I, a woman. If taxes are not increased, the Kingdom's finances will be on the verge of bankruptcy.
At that time, the turmoil in France as a whole and the eager eyes of foreign forces can be expected. But if taxes are increased, the domestic pressure now is beyond everyone's expectation. Originally, the resistance of the third level has made His Majesty the King very uncomfortable, and now Orleans
What the Duke has done is simply shaking the foundation of the entire kingdom. As the prince with the closest ties to the royal family since the founding of France, doesn’t His Highness the Prince think you should do something for France...?
"
As soon as Mary said this, Prince Condé's heart could be described as turbulent. It was obvious that she came here to seek help, and what he didn't expect was that Mary had ignored the unspoken rules of the upper class and directly pointed the finger at Orleans.
Duke.
"Your Royal Highness, to be honest, you are really making it difficult for me. Indeed, the Condé lineage and the Orléans lineage, as the two pillar families of France, have been assisting the royal rulers throughout France, but this is no longer the case hundreds of years ago.
, now that the people have the concept of freedom and equality, if taxes are forcibly increased at this time regardless of the people's wishes, the anger of the people will overturn the entire France!..."
Mary looked at Prince Condé who was talking eloquently, feeling uncertain in her heart. From what Condé said, it was obvious that the old prince was opposed to increasing taxes, and he sympathized with the people of the third estate.
Mary didn’t have an accurate answer as to whether she was right or wrong to come here this time.
"Prince Conde, of course I know these things. His Majesty the King's proposal to increase taxes this time is also a last resort. The kingdom's financial director Necker has submitted a report. If the kingdom cannot get a sum of money to balance the finances of the national treasury,
If there is a deficit, the entire French treasury will be exhausted in one year. By that time, it will be a fatal blow to France..."
As soon as Mary finished speaking, the person with uncertainty in his heart became Prince Condé. Before, he only knew that the kingdom's financial situation was extremely deteriorating, but he did not expect it to deteriorate to this point. What does financial depletion mean to a government?
, of course he knows.
Financial depletion will cause French soldiers stationed in France and in colonies around the world to no longer receive a penny of military pay, and officials throughout France will not receive a penny of salary. By that time,
It is not an exaggeration to say that the world is in chaos.
In the past, France's financial situation was completely covered up by Louis XVI. Except for a few people, others only knew that France's financial situation was bad, but they did not expect that it would reach this point!