In the middle of the night, Aigron said goodbye to Edgar and returned to his home to rest, hastily ending this meaningful and unexpected day.
When he woke up again, it was already the next morning.
He washed up hastily, then walked out of the barn and came to Lieutenant Favre's farmhouse to prepare for breakfast.
Now that he had met the Trevilles, there was no need for him to continue to hide himself. He came to the dining table in a swagger. At this time, the Trevilles and Agnes happened to come over, so Agron smiled. Nod to them in greeting.
Edgar de Treville was smiling and waved to Aiglon in a smart way, while his wife Alice saluted and said hello to the young man gracefully.
"Good morning, Mr. Memmingen."
"Good morning, Mrs. Treville." Aiglon also smiled and said to Alice.
As for Agnes, who was sitting next to Alice, her expression was completely different. She was obviously embarrassed, but she still nodded gently to the young man.
"Good morning... Mr. Memmingen..." she greeted reluctantly.
"Good morning, Miss Agnes." Agron still maintained a decent smile and comforted the other party, "I have forgotten what happened last night, so now is the first time we meet, and I hope you will be the same."
"Thank you for your magnanimity." Seeing that the young man was so easy to talk to, Agnes obviously cheered up.
"Agnes, what is past is past. Since Mr. Memmingen won't pursue it, you are lucky, but you must learn from it and never do such a reckless thing again." Alice said seriously Di said to his sister, "We are now in a foreign country, isolated and helpless. We cannot easily make grudges with others or get into trouble. If we rely on force to cause trouble everywhere, it will only make us more dangerous."
After listening to her sister's lesson, Agnes didn't dare to talk back. She lowered her head and didn't dare to speak. Compared with the awe-inspiring look in Midnight, she seemed to be a completely different person now.
Although she drew her sword against him when they first met, but looking at it now, Agnes just overreacted due to a misunderstanding. In daily life, she still understands etiquette and is not a arrogant and willful young lady.
"Well, yesterday's topic is over. Now is a new day. Let's drink to the good weather given by God." Aigron came to Agnes' rescue.
Then he picked up the glass full of milk, saluted Edgar in a decent manner, and drank it in one gulp.
"Cheers." Edgar also picked up the cup and drank it in one gulp.
The breakfast on the table is very simple, just bread and milk, plus a few pickled vegetables.
However, Aigron didn't care and swallowed to satisfy his hunger.
Alice didn't eat much, she just kept glancing at the young man, paying attention to his every move, thinking deeply in her heart.
"Mr. Memmingen, are you a local?" She suddenly asked Aiglon when he was halfway through the meal.
"Why do you ask that?" Aigron asked.
"By foreign standards, you speak French very well, and your accent is completely different from the locals here. It seems like you have been taught by a private tutor." Alice explained her reasons, "And you Your manners and words show that you are extremely well-educated... I don't think that, at least, it can be cultivated in the environment here."
Smart, it seems that she was already suspicious when she met him last night.
A trace of curiosity suddenly flashed in Aigron's heart - how far had Alice guessed?
However, he had already discussed Alice's matter with Edgar, and even if she completely guessed it, it would be an affordable price, so he did not panic.
After all, can she send her husband to prison?
"You are right, I am not a resident here. I have been living abroad before. I just came to Switzerland recently for some things." Aigron replied with a smile.
"Then you must have heard of the recent big news that shocked Europe?" Alice asked.
"What news?" Aigron asked.
Alice glanced at her sister, and after hesitating for a moment, she still asked,
"There is news about Duke Leichstadt." She tried to make her words more obscure. "As far as I know, he seems to be... much the same age as you."
"Oh! This is indeed a surprising coincidence." Aigron nodded cordially.
Seeing Aiglon's reaction, Alice knew that all her guesses had come true.
She felt dizzy for a moment, but quickly gained control of herself.
She knew that without permission, she could only ask so far.
If you continue to ask questions, you will make things difficult for everyone.
"Yes, it seems that the world is really full of coincidences. Of course you have nothing to do with him. You are just a relative of the owner of the farm." Alice forced herself to smile, "But, you With your graceful demeanor and extraordinary demeanor, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone said you have the bearing of a prince.”
"You think too highly of me." Aigron replied with a smile, "Mrs. Treville, if someone said that you are the smartest lady in Paris, I would agree with my hands right now."
Alice's face turned slightly red. She was not sure whether this "Your Majesty" was sincerely complimenting her or joking.
But she clearly felt that her husband and her father-in-law, General Treville, had sincerely joined the young man's service, so she must maintain proper respect for him in every aspect.
"You are flattering me. I am not smart at all. I am just a poor person who hopes that my family will be safe." She lowered her head slightly and answered him in a very soft voice, "I am the daughter-in-law of the Treville family. My husband Wherever you go, I will follow you.”
Of course Aiglon could hear it. Her words were tantamount to a promise to herself that she would never report her.
"Smart people always recognize themselves correctly." He nodded and gave Alice his compliment. "I wish you a lifetime of happiness."
"Thank you!" Alice sighed, feeling melancholy and uneasy, but also helpless recognition.
After finishing breakfast, Aigron called Edgar to his side again.
The two of them walked together and came to the woods again.
Walking by the forest during the day brings a different view. What comes into view is a lush green area, full of the vitality of spring.
"Edgar, when do you plan to leave?" Aigron asked.
"I'll leave after staying here for a few days. After all, I'm nominally on a wedding trip with my wife, and I'm going to Italy next." Edgar replied with a smile, "Your Majesty, do you have any orders?"
"I have an idea, and I hope you can cooperate with me next." Aigron looked at Edgar, "Edgar, I need to borrow your talent."
"Huh?" Edgar was obviously surprised, "You...what do you want me to do?"
"You are good at painting, so I hope you can help me create a set of simple albums." Aigron expressed his thoughts. "After the paintings are completed, I will prepare to print them on a large scale and then distribute them throughout France, especially in the countryside—— The painting must be concise but contagious, so that even illiterate people can understand it.”
Although the conversation last night had proved that Edgar was indeed not an ambitious person suitable for big things, in line with the principle of making the best use of everything, Aigron would not let him go.
"Why did you suddenly think of this?" Edgar was obviously still confused. "Is there any point in giving the album to the farmers?"
"I need to create a god." Aiglon answered simply. "Farmers need a god, so I will help them establish one. Although these farmers are scattered and powerless, they are huge in number. As long as someone can gather them and use their human and material resources, they will be able to achieve great things. Now I am ready to start gathering them.”
"...Is this really okay?" Edgar was obviously in a dilemma.
Huh, what do you know? Aiglon smiled disdainfully in his heart.
The peasants would of course support the Bonaparte family.
Although in the ruling system of the Napoleonic Empire, farmers were the class that suffered the most oppression.
The empire's successive wars have brought about endless military service for more than ten years. While the aristocracy and the urban bourgeoisie can rely on spending money to buy people to serve on their sons' behalf, farmers have no capital to evade military service. They are the most conscripted. Groups - By the end of the empire, many peasants even committed suicide to avoid military service.
The question arises, why did the peasant class, which endured the most exploitation and military service during the Empire, miss the Empire the most and loyally support the Bonaparte family after the fall of the Empire?
Various historical coincidences often lead to ridiculous phenomena.
Before considering this issue, we must first understand a premise - this was the beginning of the 19th century, and French society had just emerged from a static agricultural society. Most farmers were not even literate, let alone had any political consciousness. The slogans of "liberty, equality, and fraternity" during the Revolution were so far away to them that they could not even feel their meaning.
Most of these "country bumpkins" whom Parisians look down upon have never had the opportunity to go to neighboring provinces a few times in their lives, nor have they had the time to read a few books in their lives. France's splendid culture and art are all luxuries enjoyed by city dwellers. , almost insulated from them.
Among such a group of people, spiritual life can only be described as "poor".
The more spiritually poor people are, the more they need spiritual support to get rid of the fear of living in poverty, the fear of death and illness. Before the Revolution, the Catholic Church assumed the responsibility for the spiritual life of French peasants. Church priests who went deep into the countryside guided the peasants' lives and witnessed their births, marriages and deaths.
However, the Great Revolution destroyed this entire model of life. The Republic was full of hostility to the church from the beginning. In order to alleviate the financial crisis, the government confiscated a large number of church assets and massacred priests, temporarily driving the two ruling classes of nobility and priests away from France. soil of.
The Republic divided and sold off a large amount of land owned by the nobility and the church. As a result, the peasants obtained land during the revolution, but they lost the lifestyle they had followed for generations, leaving a vacuum of faith.
The violent revolution destroyed the old life, but ended before it had time to establish a new life model, leaving a group of confused farmers standing in the vast wilderness of France.
The church suffered heavy losses during the Revolution and had not yet had time to rebuild its original strict church system. However, the peasants did not wait for the spiritual vacuum, but found other ways to fill it on their own.
What they used to fill the spiritual vacuum was the name "Napoleon".
The Republic could not touch the peasants, and the restored Bourbons were just the kings of Paris, too far away from them. Only Napoleon, the great emperor, existed in each of them orally, and was a rare spirit in their poor lives. adjust.
After a hard day's work, one of the few forms of entertainment that farmers have left is to gather around the veterans of the Napoleonic era, listen to them tell about their glorious expeditions following His Majesty the Emperor, and experience a world they have never had the opportunity to The world I have come into contact with is a world full of brilliance.
As a result, "Napoleon" was given a sacred aura from the abdicated emperor and the Corsicans who died in a foreign land, and became the belief in their poor life and a real idol.
The old society that had been shattered into pieces and the new society that had not had time to be built were fiercely torn over France, and they created this Napoleonic belief in the cracks in the countryside.
At this time, who Napoleon himself was, and whether his rule did more good than bad for France, or whether it did more harm than good, are already trivial questions. His death just made him greater - because a dead idol will never be destroyed again. own nobility.
It is precisely because of this belief of the farmers that in original history, in 1848 (that is, 27 years after Napoleon's death), Napoleon III participated in the first directly elected presidential election in French history, with 5.5 million votes to 1.5 million votes. Won an overwhelming victory by 10,000 votes and became president.
During the election, Napoleon III traveled to various places to canvass for votes, and wherever he went, the farmers cheered.
Napoleon III had been abroad for decades and was penniless at the time. Why could he receive such enthusiastic support?
There is no doubt that there is only one reason - he has the name of an idol.
He only has this kind of capital, but as long as he has this capital, he will be unbeatable in the election.
Later, Napoleon III finally launched a coup and became the emperor of the Second Empire, realizing the restoration of the Bonaparte family. In 1852, he launched a referendum again and held a referendum across France on whether to restore the monarchy. The results showed that , the result was 7.824 million votes in favor and 253,000 votes against. The French once again cheered the return of their idol with an overwhelming vote.
——What happened in history also gave Aigron guidance with great accuracy.
For Aiglon, his greatest reliance is also the name he inherited. His legitimacy is even higher than that of his cousin, because he was originally the only heir to the empire.
He needs to use the idol fanaticism among the countryside to help him restore his empire.
If foolish fanaticism serves him, then he will embrace foolish fanaticism.
"I want to make up myths. No matter how outrageous the myth is, it will be useful to me." Looking at the woods in the distance, Aigron said calmly, "For farmers, the most direct means of publicity is picture albums, and you are said to be a genius. Painter - Edgar, I hope you will not live up to my expectations."
