"Your Highness..." Duke Aiguillon felt as if his brain was being torn apart by some kind of sharp claws, and even the vision in front of him was as blurry as a hypoglycemic patient.
He tried everything possible, but he never thought that Crown Prince Louis and Crown Princess Mary would hide their identities and attend this charity auction. This kind of behavior has always been considered to be detrimental to the dignity of the royal family.
However, the two people standing at the door of the box on the second floor at this moment are undoubtedly Crown Prince Louis of France and Crown Princess Mary of Austria, the future king and queen.
And when he thought about what he had just done, Duke Aiguillon felt even more frightened. It is true that as a powerful Duke of the Richelieu family, he does not need to be too afraid of the two young crown princes and crown princesses politically; both the Duke of Richelieu and the Duke of Choiseul take it for granted that He is on an equal footing with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
However, this does not mean that Duke Aiguillon can threaten to throw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince out of his box, let alone actually take action.
Once the old king of the Tuileries Palace learned of this ridiculous offense, the Duke of Aiguillon could not imagine the furious look on his majesty's face at that time.
Thinking of this, the arrogant Duke also felt that his legs were slightly weak. Lawrence still looked helpless, sighed and patted Duke Aiguillon on the shoulder: "Your Excellency, don't blame me for not reminding you."
"You despicable person!" Duke Aiguillon's brows knitted into a mess, and he gritted his teeth and cursed: "You did this on purpose, didn't you! Laurence Bonaparte!" Aiguillon was frightened. The Duke did not lose his mind. He vaguely realized that his offense against Prince Louis this time was definitely not a coincidence.
"On purpose? I really don't know what you are talking about. I didn't even invite you to this auction." Lawrence spread his hands innocently and said: "Besides, instead of arguing with me, you'd better think about how to argue with me. Your Highness, please explain."
"You...! Let's see." Duke Aiguillon clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles crackled, but he also understood very well that now was not the time to talk nonsense with the Corsican boy in front of him. .
At this moment, it is necessary to immediately explain to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that this is a misunderstanding. Regardless of whether Crown Prince Louis accepts it or not, the Duke of Aiguillon must at least make the hundreds of witnesses present understand that this is a complete misunderstanding.
The Duke was sweating profusely and looked at Prince Louis on the second floor. Feeling humiliated, he knelt down on one knee in front of hundreds of guests and hundreds of untouchables in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and said: "Please believe me, Your Highness, this is Everything is a joke of fate, a complete misunderstanding..."
"Misunderstanding?" Crown Prince Louis' face was cold. This young and kind-hearted Crown Prince rarely showed such a stern expression: "You sent people to drive me away several times, and even sent out guards. Is this also a misunderstanding?" Although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said He was known for being friendly and easy-going, but he also felt that he could not bear the repeated provocations of the Duke of Aiguillon.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince does not have a good impression of the nobles of the Richelieu family. They insist that they were born in a purple house and rely on the ancestral glory of Cardinal Richelieu. They can be said to be the most arrogant group in the Palace of Versailles. people.
Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess on the side also frowned slightly, pouted and complained in German: "It's so barbaric." The Duke of Aiguillon opened his mouth and wanted to say something with his brilliant eloquence, but Crown Prince Louis was extremely impatient. He waved his hand and interrupted: "That's enough, Armand, I will tell my grandfather everything about today. If you want to say anything else, just go to the Tuileries Palace and talk to him in person." Listening to the indifference of Crown Prince Louis The extremely loud voice made Duke Aiguillon tremble all over. He immediately lowered his head and responded unwillingly but helplessly: "Yes... Your Highness, I only comply with your wishes. I dare not disturb Your Highness anymore, so I took my leave first." Then, under the surprised gaze of everyone, Duke Aiguillon stood up with difficulty, turned his head slightly and glared at Lawrence, and then without daring to stay for a moment, he fled Paris with more than a dozen of his personal guards. Comedy House.
Seeing that the confrontation between the Duke of Aiguillon and His Excellency Bonaparte ended in this way, even the guests at the scene could not recover for a while.
And when they reacted, everyone suddenly realized that the mysterious buyer who spent seven million livres at tonight's charity auction was actually the Crown Prince of the royal family?
!
"That makes sense, the owner of that box is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
"No wonder I didn't leave any favors for Duke Aiguillon before. I really didn't expect that the crown prince and his wife would attend an auction. This seems to be the first time for members of the royal family, right?"
"Everything is reasonable, and only members of the royal family can afford the seven million livres."
"Wait a minute, does this mean that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince deliberately bought all the competing products at high prices just to donate more to the poor?!"
"That must be it, my God, what a kind person your highness is."
"Seven million livres is not a small amount of money. Even for His Highness, he is really...oh God, I am almost moved to tears by it."
"It is a great honor for us to have such a kind and kind monarch in the future." After a lively and noisy discussion, people finally understood that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and those drowsy and decadent people in the Palace of Versailles who were drunk and dreaming at the top of the pyramid The noble ministers are different.
Even during his trip to Paris, his kind-hearted Highness still cared about those who were suffering, and His Highness's concern was not just a false influence, but he actually showed his concern. A total of seven million livres came.
Even the richest bankers will gasp when they hear this figure, and if they learn that this money is going to be thrown into the slum sewers, these smart rich people will definitely scold the decision-maker as a bastard. An absolute fool.
And His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did this fool. He donated all this coveted, fascinating and crazy wealth to the poor and to those scum that were not worth mentioning in the eyes of the nobles. .
In the eyes of these bourgeoisie, money is their life, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's actions simply divided part of his soul and life to support those who should be supporting him.
Even if they, the wealthy citizens, do not get any direct benefits from this donation, when they see that the future king turns out to be such a saint worthy of admiration, any French citizen will involuntarily feel joy in his heart. .
For a moment, people's eyes looking at Crown Prince Louis were filled with overflowing praise and admiration. The most exquisite words cannot describe the respect and support for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince by the guests present at this moment.
A middle-aged investor even burst into tears over this. He excitedly waved his tricorn hat with feathers and made an exaggerated bow: "Your Highness! I greet you, your merciful Highness!" Prince Louis paused for a moment. He was stunned for a moment, and a blush of shyness appeared on his young cheeks. Then he scratched his head in embarrassment. After living in the palace for a long time, he had never experienced the feeling of being supported by people at such a close distance: "You said Passed, sir." His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's shyness and humility actually made the guests love this noble monarch even more. They rushed to imitate the original investor, waving their hats in an exaggerated manner, and then greeted them in unison. Crown Prince Louis bowed in greeting and expressed their support for His Royal Highness with actions.
"Oh God..." Crown Princess Mary looked at the people who were bending down in unison, and couldn't help covering her mouth in surprise.
She did not expect that her somewhat weak and incompetent husband could receive such enthusiastic support from the people.
"But... it's all thanks to His Excellency Bonaparte." Crown Princess Mary subconsciously looked at the smiling Lawrence on the stage, and couldn't help but blink twice. She knew that the driving force behind all this must still be this amazing person. Dear Monsignor Bonaparte.
The cheers of the guests lasted for more than ten minutes, and Prince Louis was immersed in it and enjoyed it. He even lowered himself to shake hands and chat with some of the guests around him.
It was not until Lawrence announced that the auction was over for the second time that the guests reluctantly left the Paris Comedy Theater and began to relay the wonderful process of the auction to the reporters and onlookers waiting outside the theater. .
And backstage at the theater.
"How does it feel to be so well supported, Your Highness?" Lawrence smiled and looked at Prince Louis, who was still a little elated.
Crown Prince Louis still had the excitement just now in his expression, and he nodded repeatedly: "I can only say it's great, Lawrence, I didn't expect these people to love me so much, maybe I can really become a great king. "
"That Duke of Aiguillon is too annoying. I also want to experience what a civilian auction is like." While excited, Prince Louis did not forget the Duke who dared to offend him.
Crown Princess Mary rolled her eyes habitually: "Don't be narcissistic Auguste, you have to thank His Excellency Bonaparte. He organized this auction, and the seven million livres should be He also raised it, right?"
"You can't say that, Your Highness Mary. Your Highness Louis also contributed a lot to this auction, and this is also the fruit of his victory." Lawrence flattered him appropriately: "In any case, despite the Duke of Aiguillon's command, Despite the annoying bastard's troubles, this auction was still very successful. By the way, since you took the photo of this diamond necklace in front of everyone, I will hand it over to you directly." With that, Lawrence casually handed over the diamond necklace. The priceless and sparkling diamond necklace was taken out of his pocket and handed directly to Prince Louis.
Prince Louis hesitated for a moment, but did not reach out to take it. He hesitated and said: "This is too expensive, and it is also your trophy. You should keep it for yourself, Lawrence."
"But I have promised the public that I will donate the necklace for auction, so naturally it is difficult to keep it... But if you don't mind?" Lawrence shook his head with a smile and turned to Princess Mary aside.
The Austrian little princess was already fascinated by this extremely exquisite diamond necklace, and she didn't even respond to Lawrence's inquiry immediately.
If she and Madame du Barry had anything in common, it was that both women had a penchant for lavish jewelry and residences.
This is why Queen Marie in history was called the Deficit Queen. Her spending on maintaining her luxurious life was not much inferior to Madame Du Barry at this time.
However, the current Crown Princess Marie is not the French Queen who holds financial power and has seen countless rare and exotic treasures. As a girl of only fifteen years old, she only feels that the diamond necklace in front of her is already A rare treasure.
"I think I can give it to Her Royal Highness Mary?" Lawrence handed the necklace to Crown Princess Mary: "As long as Your Highness doesn't mind that this was once Madame Du Barry's jewelry." As soon as he finished speaking, Crown Princess Marie immediately answered in surprise. Passing the necklace, the girl's joyful smile was unreservedly displayed on her elegant chin: "Are you serious? Mr. Bonaparte, of course I won't dislike it. It's so beautiful that that woman can't possibly tarnish it." A string of pure and bright gems, she is not worthy of this necklace at all." As she said that, Crown Princess Mary quickly tied the necklace around her neck. The twenty-two diamonds reflecting the soft halo were in harmony with the necklace on Her Royal Highness Mary's chest. The creamy white snow is as natural as if it was tailor-made.
Crown Princess Mary walked briskly to a floor-length mirror used by actors, admiring her own appearance in the mirror against the dazzling jewels: "I don't know what to say, you really want to give such a A precious gift for me? I am so happy, I owe you a great favor, M. Bonaparte."
"It's not so much a gift as it is a return to the original owner. You are the natural owner of this necklace." Lawrence praised without being humble or arrogant.
Lawrence didn't have much interest in these so-called luxury goods. In his eyes, the diamonds and colorful gems on them were nothing more than a pile of carbon elements and mineral salts.
Moreover, the current financial situation is very comfortable, and Lawrence does not need to sell this necklace for cash. So instead of putting this necklace in the safe to gather dust, it is better to take this opportunity to present it to Crown Princess Mary as a favor.
After all, Crown Princess Marie's influence is not limited to her role as the future Queen of France.
As the youngest daughter of this generation of the Habsburg dynasty, Crown Princess Mary was doted on by her brothers and sisters during her childhood, and she maintained a very close family relationship with them.
As time goes by, the new generation of children of the Habsburg family is gradually emerging in Europe: Crown Princess Mary's brother Joseph II was crowned the new emperor of the Holy Roman Empire six years ago. Lisa ruled the empire with the assistance of Lisa; her sister Carolina also married the Spanish Bourbon royal family two years ago and became the Queen of the King of Naples.
In addition, Crown Princess Mary's brothers and sisters can also be seen frequently in the royal families of Germany and Italy.
Therefore, if he can establish a good personal relationship with Crown Princess Mary, relying on her family ties with family members, it can provide Lawrence with many diplomatic conveniences.
Of course, the matter that Lawrence is focusing on right now is naturally not his personal relationship with Crown Princess Mary. Getting rid of Madame Du Barry, and obtaining the assistance of Chancellor Maupe to control the entire province of Provence, and then control the entire southern France, this is the issue that Lawrence is most concerned about at the moment.
With the successful conclusion of this charity auction, Madame Du Barry's life countdown also moved forward in Lawrence's heart.
Next, we only need to wait for the supporting actors to be in place, and this final drama can be shown throughout Paris.
