Chapter 629 The temptation of macarons
Joseph was made dumbfounded by Charles.
However, he could also understand that his younger brother really didn't have many friends in the Palace of Versailles. After Alexandra came to Paris, she became one of the few peers who could play with him.
What's more, what worries his younger brother is that he often loses to the little girl in swordsmanship and has never been able to win back once - Alexandra is a head taller than him and has a good understanding of swordsmanship. So although Ciel practiced very hard, he was always being held down and beaten by her.
Joseph touched Charles' head and smiled:
"You are also a Bourbon, why don't you propose to her in person?"
Unexpectedly, when the little guy heard this, he cried even harder: "I proposed to her."
"Oh? Did she agree?"
"Woo, she said she didn't want to marry a brat..."
Joseph almost couldn't hold back his laughter this time. A kid who was less than 9 years old called a 6-year-old kid a kid. Well, that makes sense.
He hurriedly coughed and comforted his brother: "The Russian Grand Duchess will probably come to Paris again after attending the funeral."
"But what if she doesn't come?"
Joseph had no choice but to help him argue: "Look, she still wants to learn painting from Mr. Greuze, and Mrs. Garland's music class is not over yet. She will be back."
Charles wiped away his tears and said with wide eyes: "Are you sure?"
"Okay, I'm sure."
"Great!" Charles immediately burst into tears and smiled. His elder brother is the person he admires the most. Since his elder brother has said so, there must be no problem.
The little prince put aside his "worry" and bowed to his elder brother, then turned to the tutor and said:
"I have to feed the walnuts first, and then I'll have Latin lessons with you right away."
The walnut was the cape parrot given to him by Joseph.
When he passed Joseph's desk, he was attracted by the large piles of beautifully packaged macarons and immediately slowed down. Well, he inherited Queen Mary's sweet tooth perfectly.
Joseph saw this and said hurriedly:
"Do you want to eat? If you want to eat, take it and get as much as you can."
He was worrying about the large number of desserts, which Sorel had brought to him on Valentine's Day. He referred to the models of later generations and designed the "custom" of giving macarons to his sweetheart for Valentine's Day. This is used to stimulate consumption. In fact, he originally wanted to give chocolate as a reference to later generations, but unfortunately solid chocolate had not yet been invented in this era.
As a result, many aristocratic ladies wanted to send him macarons, but were unable to see him due to their status. Later, they heard from somewhere that Sorel could contact the crown prince, so they entrusted her to convey their feelings.
Sorel has always taken it as her duty to help others, so as soon as she heard their request, she agreed to them all - good guy, she actually brought several large boxes of macarons to see Joseph, and then piled them all in the crown prince's palace. .
Charles immediately filled his pockets with macarons happily, and suddenly noticed that there was a card in the package, and curiously read the words on it:
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, your elegant demeanor impresses me...Brother, what do you pronounce this word?"
"Ahem -" Joseph quickly stepped forward to stop him, "Don't worry about these words, just tear off the outer packaging first..."
After Charles left, Joseph went to the Little Trianon Palace to discuss Potemkin's funeral with Queen Mary.
Potemkin was the most powerful person under the Russian Tsar, and he also had the attributes of the "Russian Empress", so his funeral must be paid attention to.
Moreover, the UK has recently launched a diplomatic offensive in Russia, such as expanding the scope of UK-Russia trade and investing heavily in Donbas, which is obviously to neutralize France's influence.
Joseph also wanted to use this funeral to make some "investments" in diplomacy. Not long after, in the Little Trianon Palace, Talleyrand took the list of Russian officials and said to Queen Mary:
"Your Majesty, and Prince Zubov, perhaps you should mention him in your letter to the Tsar. His influence in Petersburg is very great, especially without the restriction of Potemkin. The Tsar will probably refer to your letter Show him.”
Queen Mary nodded and signaled to the clerk beside her:
"When drafting your letter, please add a greeting to him."
She looked at the gift list again and asked with some confusion: "Why should we send 8 sets of bookcases to the Tsar, all of the same style?"
Joseph smiled and said: "In this way she can only reward other nobles."
In fact, it's not just bookcases. There are also a lot of ironware, cosmetics, carriages, etc. on the gift list, and many gifts were given.
These things were distributed from Catherine II to the Russian nobles, which was tantamount to a large-scale publicity for French goods.
Including the carriage used for Potemkin's funeral, it was also donated by the Gem Carriage Company.
After the funeral, Talleyrand could go and talk to Zubov about opening a department store in Petersburg.
Joseph knew very well that after Potemkin's death, this "little fresh meat" would dominate Russian politics for many years until the death of Catherine II.
Moreover, this person is far less capable than Potemkin. He is short-sighted, greedy for merit and money, so investing in him is very cost-effective.
At this moment, Alexandra, led by Countess de Boninac, walked into the tea room and curtsied to Queen Mary and Joseph:
"Your Majesty the Queen, Your Majesty the Crown Prince, I will return to Petersburg tomorrow and come to say goodbye to you."
Joseph suddenly thought of something and whispered to Talleyrand:
"According to the gift list for Prince Zubov, prepare one for the Grand Duchess."
Little girls rarely use these gifts, so they are used to promote themselves when they change hands.
At this moment, Charles ran in excitedly, apparently having just finished Latin class.
When the little guy saw his mother's figure, he quickly slowed down his pace, straightened his back, and stepped forward to salute while maintaining court etiquette.
Then, he noticed the little Russian princess, immediately took out a handful of macarons from his pocket and gave it to her, blinked and said:
"Sister, this is for you! It's delicious, try it."
In fact, these desserts are not as good as those made by the palace pastry chef, but that's how children are - other people's meals always taste different.
Alexandra declined politely: "Thank you, Your Highness, but I rarely eat desserts."
Then, she looked mature and whispered: "And I suggest you not to eat so many sweets. This will cause all your teeth to fall out, and it is said that it will also cause ulcers on your feet."
Charles stared blankly at the macarons in his hand, and suddenly dropped the desserts on the ground as if he was stung by a scorpion.
Then, he cried "Wow"...
Joseph thought to himself that this little girl is really self-disciplined - it stands to reason that it is usually difficult for children to resist the temptation of sweets.
He glanced at his mother again, hoping she would listen.
However, Queen Mary held Charles in her arms, took out a macaron from his pocket, took a bite, and said with a smile:
"Honey, Sasha is kidding you. These sweet foods are gifts from God, how can they be harmful to people?"
(End of chapter)