Chapter 1128: Chapter 1117: Blossoms Beneath the Empire’s Tower
The servant who received Cavour’s letter did not hesitate in the slightest, promptly using the telegraph to send the message to Fontainebleau Town, more than a hundred kilometers away from Paris.
At that moment, Princess Mathilde was accompanying her close male friend, Mr. Flaubert, a renowned literary creator from France, as they walked together on the road to Fontainebleau Palace.
While leisurely walking, they exchanged playful banter and soon arrived at the main entrance of Fontainebleau Palace.
The guards stationed at Fontainebleau promptly opened the door upon seeing Princess Mathilde and Mr. Flaubert.
Following this, under the guidance of the palace steward, Princess Mathilde and Flaubert were invited into a guest room.
Because every reception room in Fontainebleau Palace is equipped with a fireplace, and each fireplace burns uninterruptedly for 24 hours, the temperature inside the room is significantly higher than the outside temperature.
Upon entering, Princess Mathilde and Flaubert immediately felt an unprecedented heat, prompting them to unconsciously remove their heavy coats surrounding their bodies.
The considerate steward standing by took their coats and placed them on a drying rack near the fireplace.
After completing this task, the steward reappeared before Princess Mathilde and Mr. Flaubert, replying to Princess Mathilde, "Your Highness, please wait a moment!
Your Majesty is still processing a batch of urgent documents, which may take some time!"
Princess Mathilde nodded and gently replied to the steward, "Certainly!"
Once the steward left, Princess Mathilde seemed to transform into the hostess of Fontainebleau Palace, warmly inviting Flaubert to sit on the couch, vividly recounting the past of Fontainebleau Palace.
Especially anecdotes from the imperial era, many of which are unknown to others.
Princess Mathilde owes her knowledge of these things to Prince Louis Napoleon, who has been deceased for nearly 11 years (Napoleon III).
Among all the second generation of the Bonaparte Clan, only Prince Louis Napoleon truly experienced the imperial era.
Even Emperor Napoleon’s biological son, the King of Rome, probably has memories of intervention by foreign armies and exile from the imperial era.
Back then, Prince Louis Napoleon sought to attract Princess Mathilde’s attention and win her trust.
Specifically, he shared stories from the imperial era at Fontainebleau Palace with Princess Mathilde, while intentionally creating the persona of Emperor Napoleon’s successor in front of her (Prince Louis Napoleon indeed served as a successor to Napoleon for some time, but was automatically stripped of the role due to the appearance of the King of Rome).
Princess Mathilde’s memory of the imperial era deepened with Prince Louis Napoleon’s repeated descriptions.
However, as Princess Mathilde narrated these events to Flaubert from a third-party perspective, the linguistically astute Flaubert not only detected underlying emotions from Princess Mathilde’s words but also sensed her longing for someone.
Having recounted the mundane affairs of Fontainebleau Palace, Princess Mathilde thought of Louis Napoleon, who had been deceased for a long time, and a wave of inexplicable sadness welled up in her.
After a brief period of sadness, Princess Mathilde openly told Flaubert that her intention in sharing these stories was to inspire Flaubert to write a short story set in Fontainebleau.
"Mr. Flaubert, the empire needs not only cannon for defense but also flowers for embellishment!
Literature is undoubtedly the most splendid flower among them!" Princess Mathilde implored Flaubert.
Faced with Princess Mathilde’s plea, Flaubert found it hard to refuse.
After all, Flaubert’s steadfast presence in the French literary world was not only due to his own efforts but also thanks to Princess Mathilde’s assistance.
Without Princess Mathilde’s protection, Flaubert’s pessimistic rhetoric alone would have landed him a "tour" at the police station.
Under Princess Mathilde’s protection, Flaubert created without concern, freed from the tangled politics of the literary world.
No scholar dared to challenge Princess Mathilde’s authority!
However, in Flaubert’s mind, his attitude towards the empire was still divided.
Flaubert acknowledged the accomplishments of the Second Empire’s establishment but was disgusted by the ostentatious extravagance of the empire’s wealthy.
In short, Flaubert had no desire to excessively praise the empire, nor did he wish to overly criticize it.
Flaubert maintained a stance of moderate critique towards the empire.
"Your Highness!" After a moment of silence, Flaubert replied to Princess Mathilde, "If I am truly fortunate enough to create a drama about the imperial era, I can assure you that I am willing to depict it from a relatively impartial perspective!
I will illustrate its greatness, while also revealing the shadows lurking beneath that greatness!
If you only wish for a piece that extols the empire, I am very sorry!"
With that, Flaubert bowed deeply to Princess Mathilde, "Thank you for your protection over the years!"
Looking at Flaubert, who appeared as though about to sever ties with her, Princess Mathilde sighed to herself and said, "Mr. Flaubert, your character really is as stubborn as ever!"
"Your Highness, that is me, a conflicted individual!" Flaubert replied to Princess Mathilde.
"Indeed!" Princess Mathilde remarked with emotion upon seeing Flaubert in front of her, "If your character wasn’t like this, then your writing wouldn’t burst with such strong emotions!
Fine! I agree with you, but I also have a condition!"
Flaubert felt relieved as Princess Mathilde did not choose to make things difficult for him.
To be honest, if Princess Mathilde had continually pleaded with Flaubert by exploiting their emotions, Flaubert might not have known whether he could continue to stick to his convictions.
However, after Flaubert agreed with Princess Mathilde, in his heart, he knew that their feelings for each other would end as he betrayed his inner principles in creation.
"Your Highness, you speak!" Flaubert said to Princess Mathilde.
"Your manuscript must pass through my review before its official release!
Also, you must join the French Academy!" Princess Mathilde demanded of Flaubert.
"Your Highness, that’s two demands!" Flaubert responded to Princess Mathilde.
"When I say one, it is one!" Princess Mathilde answered Flaubert assertively.
Flaubert remained silent for a moment before he spoke to Princess Mathilde, "Your Highness, I can agree to your first demand!
As for joining the French Academy, I hope you will consider it carefully!"
"Gustave Flaubert!" Princess Mathilde directly called out Flaubert’s full name, excitedly saying to him, "Do you know how many people throughout France flock to join the French Academy?
Now an opportunity is before you, and you still want to consider it carefully!
Who do you think you are? Is your achievement greater than that of Hugo!"
After listening to Princess Mathilde’s words, Flaubert deliberate responded, "Your Highness, I consider myself not to match the talent of Victor Hugo!
But joining the French Academy shouldn’t it require the person’s own consent!
For a writer like me with quite cynical sentiments, it’s probably better not to join the Academy!"
With that, a helpless smile appeared on Flaubert’s lips, and he exuded an isolated sense of solitude.
As Flaubert’s confidante, Princess Mathilde naturally understood the conflicting psychology Flaubert hid beneath the surface.
He was a Romantic, yet attempted to transform himself into a realist; a pessimist, yet still harbored a love for France in his heart.
It was precisely this conflicting character in Flaubert that made the characters in his writings possess a unique charm and also captivated Princess Mathilde.
If history followed its proper course, then after witnessing the Franco-Prussian War, Flaubert would have turned into a thorough nihilist.
At present, although Flaubert was a pessimist, he still maintained a love for his homeland.
It was this love that made his attitude towards the Emperor of France not entirely negative.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to Princess Mathilde’s request to meet Emperor Napoleon.
"Flaubert, just do it for me!" Princess Mathilde once again pleaded with Flaubert, "You only need to have a name in the French Academy!"
Looking at the pitiable Princess Mathilde before him, Flaubert’s heart softened for a moment, and he understood the benefits of joining the French Academy.
"I..."
Just as Flaubert was about to respond to Princess Mathilde, the door opened, and Jerome Bonaparte appeared before Princess Mathilde and Flaubert.
Jerome Bonaparte entered the room, saw the two nearly leaning on each other, and awkwardly smiled, slowly asking, "Did I... come at the wrong time?"
Under Jerome Bonaparte’s gaze, Flaubert and Princess Mathilde quickly separated and then rose to bow in greeting to Jerome Bonaparte.
"No need for formalities!"
Jerome Bonaparte waved his hand and invited Princess Mathilde and Flaubert to sit down.
Subsequently, Jerome Bonaparte informed Princess Mathilde and Flaubert that his purpose in inviting them to visit the Fontainebleau Palace was to use Princess Mathilde to invite Flaubert to join the French Academy.
