"On the contrary, he and the Duchess of Botford worked together to make up for the pain caused by decades of civil war to the country, and jointly created a new glorious era for France..."
Although Edgar was flustered in his heart, he pretended to be calm on the surface, and then looked at Aigron with a passionate gaze, "Your Majesty, you also know that I hate risks the most, and I never want to be disliked by you, so logically speaking, I I should choose silence and agree with all your decisions... But if I do this, my conscience will not go away. Our Treville family is your loyal supporter, so we should tell you everything we know, and we are even more obliged to give you suggestions. , these are what I say from the bottom of my heart, if you think it makes sense, then you can listen; if you think I am just talking nonsense, then you can just pretend you didn’t hear it, and it doesn’t even matter if you punish me!”
Listening to Edgar's impassioned words, the anger that originally surged in Aigron's heart gradually extinguished.
He just looked at Edgar coldly, "What you just said, I don't want to see you say it to anyone else. Since Theresa came to us, she has devoted all her enthusiasm to us. How disappointed she would be if she heard these words, having never considered issues as an Austrian in her career!"
"I have never doubted Her Majesty Theresa's sincerity towards you. If she is a vulgar person, then she can just stay at home and enjoy her happiness quietly. Why come here to endure hardship? I have nothing but respect for her. , I definitely don’t want to hurt her feelings.” Edgar quickly promised, “But Your Majesty, the French people are different from me. They have no chance to contact you and Your Highness Theresa, and they have no way to witness everything you have done. , they can only make the simplest judgments based on stereotypes and historical prejudices... What can they do? The hostility towards the Austrians is deeply rooted in our history."
Aigron was speechless.
Although he knew that Edgar definitely had ulterior motives when he said these words, he also knew that there was some truth to them.
"Even so, so what? I want to marry Teresa, not the people. They can think whatever they want." After a moment of silence, he replied impatiently. "As long as I can ascend the throne, Teresa will become the queen. By then she will have enough time and opportunity to benevolence to the people. She can make the people forget her origin - at least in my opinion, this is not an obstacle. .”
"Having said that, if you don't comply with and accommodate public opinion to a certain extent, how can you make them sincerely support you as the emperor?" Edgar asked, "With all due respect, if you were the crown prince back then, As a Roman king who is bound to inherit the empire, no matter what you do, the people will cheer you - but you are not now. You are a pretender to the throne who was forcibly taken away from your homeland. You are walking on a road full of thorns. , the people will not naturally support you, so in this case, it is very, very necessary to accommodate public opinion, do you think I am right?"
These rhetorics were all made up by Edgar after hard thinking over the past few days. They were so precise and comprehensive, and coupled with his serious expression management, even Aigron couldn't help but agree with them after listening to them.
Because, he is indeed on the side of truth - it's just that he will mix some personal things into the "reason" when others are not prepared.
Aigron has always been a calm and pragmatic realist, so even though he was furious just now, after careful consideration, he had to nod slightly.
"That's true. I will consider how to win people's hearts. However, there are enough troubles surrounding us now. It is not too late to talk about this in the future."
Seeing Aigron nodding, Edgar suddenly felt elated.
In his opinion, this young man's ability to never act impulsively is truly admirable. If he were a mediocre person, nothing he could say would be of any use.
Now that a breakthrough has been opened, the next step will be easier. He said leisurely, "We can talk about everything else later, but this matter is actually your top priority - you are now leading a group of French and Greek people. It is certainly good and glorious for the Austrians to accomplish a great cause. The French people will definitely be excited about it, but accordingly you have to let them see something beyond the glory and see that you are more like It is the mortal side - although it is contradictory to say this, the French do worship glory and like to dust it. In order to belittle the great figures among themselves, they even go to the extent of making rumors and slanders, as if they can share a few things with great figures when they see them lose face. It’s so noble and can add a bit of brilliance to life..."
Having said this, he looked at Aiglon again, "In this case, instead of waiting to be fabricated by them, why don't you depreciate yourself so that you can get closer to their pitiful intelligence and let them know that you are indeed one of them - —You can make them feel like they are, even if you never are.”
Edgar's sarcastic tirade sounded so inexplicably reasonable that Egron was stunned for a moment - he didn't expect such insightful words to come from the mouth of a playboy like Edgar. from.
It seems that, after all, he was born in the Treville family. No matter how frivolous and dissolute he is, he still has some vision and eloquence.
"I didn't expect that in addition to painting, you also have the talent of an orator." He couldn't help but praise Edgar, "Edgar, if one day we also have our Brumaire Coup, maybe you will consider going to the parliament for me in the future. The podium is like that of Prince Lucien back then?”
"You are joking, Your Majesty... In your eyes, I am afraid that I am just a swinger who indulges in eating, drinking and having fun. And I admit that you are right. I am indeed such an insignificant person, and I never dream that I can Become a great big shot..."
Edgar said, laughing to himself. "But even so, I am my father's only son after all. I have the obligation to serve my father and our family. My father will never be willing to see our family decline after his generation. He has worked hard for his old age. Even if my ability is limited, I have to do my best - now it is very obvious that the life and death of our family depends on it. For you alone, your success is our success, so I will do my best to add glory to you and advise you. Your Majesty, you can doubt my ability, but please never doubt my heart! Because everything I say is based on your interests!"
Edgar said these words loudly and forcefully, and his eyes were full of enthusiasm. The reason why his performance reached this level was mainly because most of them were indeed true.
He feared and respected his father, and his father was the only person he would truly consider in the world. He did not even have a place in his heart for his wife and children; and at present, the hope for the revival of the Treville family indeed lies in this young man.
Otherwise, why would he try so hard to please this young man?
Because of his true feelings, Aigron couldn't help but be infected by him.
He nodded movedly, "I will always keep your loyalty in mind."
"So Your Majesty, please think carefully. You need to get closer to the French people and let them know that you are not an Austrian prince far away, but a real Frenchman, a gorgeous and magnificent French king. , you will, like the kings before you, let people talk about every anecdote about you..."
"How to do it?" Aigron asked subconsciously.
Hehe... It seems that this young His Majesty is not so unshakable...
Edgar smiled to himself, knowing that now was the time to show off.
"It's very appropriate for you to look at Agnes. She is the pride of our country, a being who is loved and respected by everyone... If you can have any anecdotes with her, I think the people will be envious and appreciate it, right? "A slight smile finally appeared on his serious face, "Similarly, if you win her heart, you can also win the recognition of a large group of people in an instant. After all, you have proven with your actual actions that you will never Being an enemy of the French aristocracy..."
Aigron's eyes widened. He didn't expect that Edgar Yunshanwu had talked a lot and finally turned the topic back to this.
"Edgar, why do you want me to get close to Agnes so persistently? Don't forget that she is your sister-in-law. Don't you feel guilty inside?"
"Of course I feel bad about treating Agnes like this, but for the sake of the nation, for the empire... it is my duty to sacrifice my personal conscience." Edgar was already prepared for this question, so he immediately answered without any shame. , "Your Majesty, I am thinking about you - no matter from practical considerations or personal considerations, Agnes is worthy of being your best candidate. Her family background, her beauty, and her Prestige, nothing can not provide you with practical benefits, and wouldn't it be very pleasant to get along with her? I think if it can be realized, then everyone will talk about the insignificant things between you and her - Hi, The French people don’t know anything about moral preaching. A hundred sermons in the church can’t compare to this. Their superficial eyes can only see the rags under the bed curtains!”
This statement made Aigron's expression become extremely strange, he was both angry and a little bit amused.
Whether it makes sense or not, Edgar's words all sound reasonable, but whether to follow them is another matter.
He is definitely not an idealist or a moral paranoid. No matter how unreasonable it is, he will do it if necessary.
It's just... Teresa is still worrying about herself at the rear, and the reinforcements she invited are also by her side. Is it really okay for her to do this?
His doubts were quickly observed by the keen Edgar.
"Your Majesty, these are just suggestions. I don't mean that you do it right away... To be honest, with Agnes's temper, if you act rashly before her heart is moved, then she won't care about your identity, and I'm afraid she will attack you directly. Take action... it would be too ugly to spread the word."
Seeing that he had coaxed the young man onto the road, Edgar continued to push diligently behind him, "I'm afraid I can't be your advisor on other matters, but on this matter, I'm more than enough to be your teacher. ——With me by your side, you don’t have to do anything, I will naturally help you. Besides, even if everything fails, it will be of great help to you just to become a good friend with her. A silly child like Agnes is a Genji, if she decides to work for you, she will stay with you until the end..."
Aigron actually believed this.
He lowered his head slightly and considered it for a moment, and then finally made a decision.
"As I said before, I have more important things to do now, and let's not mention any nonsense. However, I also admit that your words are partially reasonable, Edgar. I will make those comments. The most beneficial decision for us, I don’t need you to worry about me..."
Although his words sounded ambiguous, they were meaningful enough to Edgar's ears.
"Then I wish your Majesty all the best." He replied with a smile. "I want to stay by your side and witness your heroic deeds. Even someone like Agnes will probably admire you——"
"Edgar, you are really a smart man, but it's a pity... you are really not enterprising." As soon as Aigron said this, he couldn't help but shook his head, "Everyone has his own ambitions, and I don't want to force you. Whatever you like to have fun is your freedom...but if you want, you can leave a clearer name in the history books."
"My ancestors have left their names clearly enough, so this drudgery should not fall on my generation anymore... I am not that material, Your Majesty. If my children and grandchildren are willing to bear it, then I I'm even more relieved." Edgar shrugged freely, "Fame and wealth don't bring much happiness to me. I'd rather indulge in sex and use my brush to record the thrilling beauty."
After a pause, he added, "Of course, I owe my father a lot in this life, so within the scope of my ability, I want to add glory to my father, and for this I am willing to do anything - even No matter how inhumane things are, I am very happy with it."
When he said these words, his attitude was extremely serious. Perhaps this was also the most true confession in his life.
The pressure his father brought to him didn't make him distressed...
Now that he has talked about this, Edgar feels that his purpose today has been achieved.
Of course he knows how to do things step by step. For him, today's progress is enough to satisfy him.
He learned how to grasp the subtle realm of people's hearts in the Paris social scene, and now he seems to be able to apply it to foreign countries with ease.
However, after completing the task assigned by his father, he didn't want to do anything more for it.
"Goodbye, Your Majesty."
He bowed respectfully to Aiglon, then quietly turned around and left.
