Chapter 628 The Temptation of Macarons

Chapter 629 The temptation of macarons

Joseph was made dumbfounded by Charles.

But 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 said with a smile:

"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?"

"Uh-huh, 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 coughed dryly and comforted his brother: "The Grand Duchess of Russia should come to Paris after attending the funeral."

"But what if she doesn't come?"

Joseph had to help him argue: "Look, she still has to learn painting from Mr. Greuze, and Mrs. Garland's music class hasn't ended yet, she will come back."

Charles wiped away his tears and said with big eyes: "Are you sure?"

"Okay, I'm sure."

"Great!" Charles burst into laughter immediately. His brother is the person he admires most. Since his brother said so, there must be no problem.

The little prince put down his "worry" and bowed to his brother, turned to the tutor and said:

"I have to feed Walnut first, and then I will take Latin lessons with you right away."

Walnut is the Cape parrot that Joseph gave him.

When he passed Joseph's desk, he was attracted by the pile of beautifully packaged macarons there, and immediately slowed down his pace. Well, he perfectly inherited Queen Marie's obsession with sweets.

Seeing this, Joseph hurriedly said:

"Do you want to eat? If you want to eat, take it, and take as much as possible."

He was worried about this pile of desserts, which were brought to him by Sorel on Valentine's Day before. He referred to the model of later generations and designed the "custom" of giving macarons to his sweetheart for Valentine's Day to stimulate consumption. In fact, he originally wanted to refer to the later generations to give chocolates, but solid chocolate had not been invented in this era.

As a result, many noble ladies wanted to give him macarons, but they could not 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.

Sorrel has always taken helping others as his responsibility, so when he heard their begging, he agreed to everything - my goodness, she actually moved several boxes of macarons to ask to see Joseph, and then piled them all in the crown prince's bedroom.

Charles immediately filled his pockets with macarons happily, and suddenly noticed that there was a card in the package, so he curiously read the words on it:

"To the respected Crown Prince, your elegant demeanor impressed me deeply... Brother, how do you pronounce this word?"

"Ahem--" Joseph hurried forward to stop him, "Don't worry about these words, tear off the outer package first..."

After Charles left, Joseph went to the Petit Trianon Palace to discuss Potemkin's funeral with Queen Marie.

Potemkin was the number one powerful figure under the Russian Tsar, and he also had the attribute of "Russian Queen", so his funeral must be taken seriously.

Moreover, Britain has recently launched a diplomatic offensive in Russia, such as expanding the scope of Anglo-Russian trade and investing heavily in Donbass, which is obviously to neutralize France's influence.

Joseph also wanted to use this funeral to make some "investments" in diplomacy.

Soon, in the Petit Trianon, Talleyrand took the list of Russian officials and said to Queen Marie:

"Your Majesty, and Duke Zubov, you should probably mention him in your letter to the Tsar. He has a great influence in Petersburg, especially without Potemkin's constraints. The Tsar is likely to show him your letter."

Queen Marie nodded and signaled to the clerk beside her:

"When drafting the letter, please add greetings to him."

She looked at the gift list again and asked with some doubts: "Why send 8 sets of bookcases to the Tsar, and they are of the same style?"

Joseph smiled and said: "In this way, she can only reward other nobles."

In fact, not only bookcases, but also many ironware, cosmetics, carriages and the like on the gift list were also given in large quantities.

These things were distributed from Catherine II to Russian nobles, which was tantamount to a large-scale promotion of French goods.

Including the carriages used for Potemkin's funeral, they were all donated by the Gem Carriage Company.

After the funeral, Talleyrand can go and talk to Zubov about opening a department store in St. Petersburg.

Joseph knew very well that after Potemkin's death, this "young man" would dominate Russian politics for many years until the death of Catherine II.

Moreover, this man was far less capable than Potemkin, short-sighted, greedy for fame and money, and investing in him was very cost-effective.

At this moment, Alexandra, led by Countess de Berninac, walked into the tea room and knelt to Queen Marie and Joseph:

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, I will return to St. Petersburg tomorrow and come to say goodbye to you."

Joseph suddenly thought of something and whispered to Talleyrand:

"Follow the gift list for Prince Zubov, and prepare one for the Grand Duchess."

Little girls rarely get to use these gifts, so they are all 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, winked and said:

"Sister, this is for you! It's delicious, you can 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 again 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, then suddenly dropped the desserts on the ground as if he was stung by a scorpion.

Then, he started crying "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?"