CHAPTER 581: CHAPTER 572: DIPLOMACY UNDER BRIEF PEACE

"Your Excellency, Ambassador, surely you didn’t summon me here just to discuss these matters!"

The Wurttemberg Envoy looked at the Saxon Envoy before him with a slight smile.

If he (the Wurttemberg Envoy) wasn’t mistaken, the Saxon Envoy had most likely approached him regarding the matter of the Russian Empire.

As for why the Wurttemberg Envoy was convinced that the Saxon Envoy had come for issues related to Russia, it was, of course, because this Saxon Envoy had a special identity: he was the son-in-law of the current Russian Empire’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nesselrode.

Besides, Saxony and Württemberg themselves had no intersecting interests, and their respective countries’ "big brothers" were on the verge of forming an alliance, eliminating the need for them to act as intermediaries for mutual contact.

So, it was unlikely that the Saxon Envoy had come for official Saxon Kingdom business; the only possibility was that he was entrusted by Nesselrode to establish communication with the French Empire to probe France’s peace stance.

Of course, Nesselrode’s actions, during this time, were quite normal in such an era.

After all, the realm of diplomacy was still dominated by the nobility, and nobles intermarried, making diplomacy through marital relations an important facet.

"Of course, that’s just one aspect!" The Saxon Envoy, exposed by the Wurttemberg Envoy’s words, showed no sign of embarrassment, maintaining a calm demeanor as he said to the Wurttemberg Envoy, "Actually, I am here on my father-in-law’s orders to present a gift for Crown Prince soon to be born to Empress Augusta."

"Then you should present it directly to His Majesty the Emperor!" The Wurttemberg Envoy replied with a composed expression to the Saxon Envoy, "I’m just an ordinary Wurttemberg Envoy; I don’t have the power to assist you! You’d better seek help elsewhere!"

With that, the Wurttemberg Envoy raised his hand to signal the end of the discussion.

"Mr. Envoy, please wait a moment!" The Saxon Envoy, disregarding diplomatic etiquette, grasped the sleeve of the Wurttemberg Envoy to prevent him from leaving, saying flatteringly, "Mr. Envoy, if not for your support in the past for the Empress’s marriage to His Majesty, the Empress might not have become one of the most distinguished people in all of Europe! Your rapport with their Majesties far surpasses that of ordinary people!"

"Even with my good personal relations with Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress, I am always the Envoy of the Kingdom of Württemberg, not the Envoy of the French Empire!" The Wurttemberg Envoy emphasized, then shrugged his shoulders, revealing some information to the Saxon Envoy, "Moreover, His Majesty Bonaparte himself is not willing to commence peace talks at the moment!"

"What do you mean by that?" The Saxon Envoy asked softly.

Next, the Wurttemberg Envoy shared with the Saxon Envoy about a recent conversation he had by the fireplace with Jerome Bonaparte while visiting Empress Augusta on behalf of the King of Württemberg.

At that time, the Wurttemberg Envoy had tactfully inquired if Jerome Bonaparte was willing to end the Crimean War.

If Jerome Bonaparte was willing to conclude the Crimean War, then the Kingdom of Württemberg would act as a peace envoy to convey the Emperor’s thoughts to St. Petersburg.

If not, then so be it.

Jerome Bonaparte told the Wurttemberg Envoy that he was willing to initiate negotiations with the Russian Empire when the time was right, but not now.

Now, the Saxon Envoy’s attempt to leverage him for a diplomatic connection between France and Russia through marital relations was unlikely to succeed.

"Sir, my father-in-law is also aware that the possibility of engaging in peace talks with the French Empire now is slim!" The Saxon Envoy responded in kind, "I only hope you can convey a message to His Majesty for me!"

"What message?" the Wurttemberg Kingdom Envoy inquired.

"My father-in-law says: Although France and Russia are at war, there is no hatred between the two countries!" the Saxon Envoy said to the Wurttemberg Envoy, while discreetly placing a gemstone the size of a duck egg into the Wurttemberg Envoy’s pocket, "This is a gift prepared by my father-in-law for the soon-to-be-born Crown Prince; please hand it over to Her Majesty the Empress for me."

The Saxon Envoy paused, then continued meticulously, "We will never forget our friendship and your enthusiasm!"

Upon hearing the Saxon Envoy mention "friendship and enthusiasm," the Wurttemberg Envoy’s previously indifferent expression softened immediately.

[PS: "Friendship and enthusiasm" implies a payment or gratuity.]

"I can only say, I’ll do my best!" the Wurttemberg Envoy replied to the Saxon Envoy, "I can’t guarantee whether this matter will succeed!"

"Rest assured! Even if it fails, we are very grateful for your help!" The Saxon Envoy hastily replied.

"Very well then!" The Wurttemberg Envoy nodded, agreeing with the Saxon Envoy, "I will relay your message to Empress Augusta!"

"Thank you for the trouble!"

...

While the Saxon Envoy and the Wurttemberg Envoy were engaged in a political transaction, the Prussian Envoy, who had departed by carriage from the Paris City Hall Square, had just arrived near Ossai Pier.

The Kingdom of Prussia Envoy, upon entering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was led by the Secretary of State to the reception room on the second floor.

"Minister Luis is currently in a meeting and will be able to speak with you shortly! Please wait a moment!" the Secretary of State said politely to the Kingdom of Prussia Envoy.

"When will the meeting that Minister Luis is currently in be over?" the Prussian Envoy promptly inquired.

"It will probably take about 10-20 minutes!" the Secretary of State replied, "As for the exact time, I’m not quite sure!"

"I understand!" The Prussian Envoy nodded and added, "Please ensure you inform Minister De Luy when the meeting concludes that I’m waiting here for his message!"

"Rest assured!" The Secretary of State assured the Prussian Envoy that he would definitely convey the Kingdom of Prussia’s envoy’s message to him.

Leaving the lounge, the Secretary of State climbed the stairs and stopped at the Minister’s office on the top floor, pushing open the door to find Minister of Foreign Affairs De Luy inside.

At this moment, he was not in a meeting as the Secretary of State had said, but was sitting on the sofa, going through the archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"What’s going on?" De Luy looked up upon hearing the noise at the door and saw the Secretary of State walking toward him.

"Your Excellency, Minister, I’ve followed your instructions to leave the Kingdom of Prussia’s envoy in the lounge, informing him that you are in a meeting and it will take 10-20 minutes to finish!" The Secretary of State recited what he had told the Prussian envoy.

"He has indeed come!" De Luy muttered to himself with a hint of a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

Judging from the current time, the Prussian envoy had evidently left partway through to come directly here.

This meant that the Prussian envoy was even more agitated by the Franco-Austrian Alliance than he had anticipated.

As a diplomatic envoy of a country, the most taboo is impulsiveness, as every impulsive act can bring a certain degree of impact on the nation behind them.

Now, De Luy merely needed to make the Prussian envoy wait for a while, and the envoy would naturally become flustered.

By then, De Luy could converse with the Prussian envoy, undoubtedly achieving twice the result with half the effort!

"Then call me in twenty-five minutes, I will take a nap!" De Luy put down the files and ordered the Secretary of State.

"Understood!" The Secretary of State quickly responded and then left the Minister’s office.

...

Time quickly passed, and after 25 minutes, De Luy, in a light sleep, was awakened by the Secretary of State on the sofa.

Under the guidance of the Secretary of State, De Luy arrived in front of a room.

"The Prussian envoy is inside!" The Secretary of State said to De Luy.

De Luy nodded, then pushed open the door and entered the room.

Seeing the door open and De Luy appear at the entrance, the Prussian envoy waiting in the lounge quickly stood up to greet him.

"Envoy, apologies for keeping you waiting!" De Luy feigned fatigue while shaking hands with the Prussian envoy.

"You are the one who truly worked hard!" The Prussian envoy complimented, "I am very sorry to have called you over as soon as you ended your routine meeting!"

"It’s nothing!" De Luy waved his hand indifferently, saying, "This is my official duty, after all!"

De Luy and the Prussian envoy sat together on the sofa, and De Luy asked the Prussian envoy, "Is there something you need from me?"

"Not really!" The Prussian envoy initially denied, then deflected by asking why Minister De Luy hadn’t gone to the Paris City Hall to attend the meeting of the two monarchs.

De Luy told the Prussian envoy that he was too busy and had no time to attend the ceremony.

"You work too hard!" The Prussian envoy complimented De Luy once more.

"It’s nothing!" Minister De Luy shook his head and continued, "Your Excellency, Ambassador, if there’s truly nothing else, I must excuse myself as there are many matters awaiting my attention!"

Seeing Minister De Luy was about to leave, the Prussian envoy reluctantly said to De Luy, "Actually, there are indeed some issues I’d like to discuss with you!"

"Please, Envoy, go ahead!" De Luy stopped, smiling as he responded to the Prussian envoy.

"Your Excellency, Minister, there are all kinds of people in the world, some are upright ministers like you who uphold peace, others are miscreants with ulterior motives seeking to incite greater chaos for their own benefit..." the Prussian envoy vaguely responded to De Luy with diplomatic language.

"Envoy, stop beating around the bush with me! What exactly do you want to say!" De Luy pretended to be impatiently speaking to the Prussian envoy.

"If the Kingdom of Prussia also wished to, like Austria, fight alongside the French Empire, would the French Empire be willing to accept the Kingdom of Prussia?"