Chapter 16: Queen Regent Christina

"Your Majesty, good news! This concerns the future of France, the future of the dynasty, and even the future of Europe and the world."

Unlike the mainstream monarchs of his era, Louis Philippe disliked wearing military uniforms and grand attire, preferring more down-to-earth casual clothing to maintain his image as the "Citizen King."

However, public opinion of him was far from favorable. High society dubbed him the "Barricade King," while the common people called him the "Pear King"—"pear" sounding similar to the French word for idiot. This moniker stemmed from the fact that, unlike previous French monarchs, Louis Philippe greatly admired the British political system and thus delegated power to his ministers.

Consequently, Louis Philippe fostered a group of colossal embezzlers, and the populace vented all their dissatisfaction with the French government onto this unfortunate king.

At this moment, Louis Philippe was dressed casually and wearing a smile. Although Thiers had already reported to him once, he still put on an attentive expression, as if he were a wise and benevolent monarch of antiquity.

"Monsieur Guizot, I feel that supporting Carlos and meddling in the Spanish Civil War is not in France's interest."

"Your Majesty, Carlos?" Guizot hastily waved his hands. "No, no, no... Please listen to me..."

However, Louis Philippe did not let Guizot continue.

"I am not Tsar Nicholas I, one of those ultra-conservative figures. I am loyal to France and the Charter."

Tsar Nicholas I was a staunch supporter of Carlos. He refused to recognize the Spanish government led by the Queen Regent, cut off diplomatic relations with it at the earliest opportunity, and even publicly declared, "Whores and sluts are not fit to lead Spain."

The personal life of Queen Regent Maria Cristina was immensely scandalous. No sooner had her husband, Ferdinand VII, died than she brought her lover straight into the palace and held a wedding ceremony witnessed by a priest.

On the very night Ferdinand VII passed away, she was still dallying with her lover, and thereafter she bore her lover a child every year, raising them right within the Royal Palace of Madrid.

This led the ultra-conservative Tsar Nicholas I to regard Queen Regent Maria Cristina as his irreconcilable enemy.

If Russia and Spain shared a border, no doubt the Cossack cavalry would have already charged into the Madrid Royal Palace to slaughter the Queen Regent, her lover, and those "abominations."

"Your Majesty, the letter is from Queen Regent Maria Cristina. She wishes to arrange a marriage for Spanish Queen Isabella II. For France, this..."

Before Guizot could finish, Louis Philippe, who always loved to put on airs, finally lost his composure and snatched the letter right out of Guizot's hand.

[Respected Lord Louis Philippe... I, Maria Cristina, Queen Regent of Spain, speaking on behalf of the Kingdom of Spain, sincerely hope that you will accept a marital alliance with our nation. This is for the friendship between Spain and France, for the future of both our countries, and above all, for the peace of Europe and the world.

We are duty-bound to do this, and we eagerly await your reply.

------ Maria Cristina, Queen Regent of Spain.]

Louis Philippe could feel his heart burning—a heart that had not experienced this sensation in a very long time. A single decision he made right now could very well determine the destiny of France, and indeed, all of Europe.

In his heart, Louis Philippe felt some sympathy for Carlos. Moreover, for Carlos to be willing to have his eldest son marry his daughter showed immense resolve, and such a marriage would undoubtedly benefit France.

Yet, compared to the prospect of Louis Philippe's own son marrying the Queen of Spain, that was utterly negligible.

In truth, there was someone even more astonished than Louis Philippe, and that was Thiers, whose jaw was practically touching the floor.

Thiers could never have imagined that within a single day, both contenders for the Spanish throne would throw an olive branch to France, and he fully understood the implications.

Furthermore, compared to Carlos, the rule of the Queen Regent was far less stable. Once the Carlist faction was crushed, toppling this scandal-ridden Queen Regent would be no difficult task for France.

When that time came, Louis Philippe could completely assume the role of Regent of Spain concurrently. That would simply be too wonderful for France!

Thiers could not help but exclaim, "God bless France! Long live France!"

Guizot echoed, "Long live France!"

Louis Philippe took a deep breath, calming his excited emotions.

"Gentlemen, fire the salute! One hundred and one guns."

Thiers and Guizot exchanged bewildered glances. Firing a salute... surely this wasn't the right time...

"Pardon me, gentlemen. I meant pop the champagne! Let us celebrate!"

An aide-de-camp immediately brought forward the champagne, filling the goblets for the three men.

"Long live France!" Three glasses clinked together.

Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.

To be honest, Franz was also astonished. What shocked him was that the Queen Regent's shamelessness had exceeded even his lowest expectations. He had believed that no matter how ruthless a woman might be, she would never use her own child as a bargaining chip; yet, he was wrong.

At this moment, Isabella II was not yet six years old, yet she was being sold off directly as a pawn by this Queen Regent.

That woman, the Queen Regent of Spain, was actually capable of such a deed just to secure her own power. She truly was a formidable figure; Franz had underestimated her before.

In Franz's original plan, he had intended for the Queen Regent to seek help from the British.

Although the plan had deviated somewhat, the objective had been achieved: both Britain and France would inevitably intervene in the Spanish Civil War.

Because the moment the French intervened, the British would be forced to step in as well. Britain would not sit idly by and watch France and Spain unite, as this would not only shatter the balance of power on the European continent but also potentially threaten the British mainland itself.

The reason Queen Regent Maria Cristina had reacted so swiftly was that Franz, wishing to prevent the Spanish government forces from being caught completely off guard, had also written a letter to her.

As long as the letter to the Queen Regent was signed with "Yours lovingly, XXX," the Queen Regent was guaranteed to receive it.

After all, not even the Queen Regent herself could keep track of how many lovers she had had, let alone her subordinates. If they were to bungle something important for the Queen Regent, they certainly wouldn't be able to bear the consequences.

Upon tearing open the letter, the Queen Regent flew into a towering rage, for the letter stated that Carlos had secretly contacted Louis Philippe and was willing to let his heir marry a princess of the House of Orléans in exchange for French support.

The Queen Regent's lover had also read the letter. The reason he managed to remain the Queen Regent's favorite was partly due to his striking good looks and partly because he was accommodating of the Queen Regent's peculiar habits; thus, correspondence between the Queen Regent and her lovers was always perused together.

Montell, the Queen Regent's lover, was merely a sergeant. Hearing that the French were going to support Carlos scared him nearly to the point of wetting himself.

"Your Majesty, my Queen, let us surrender! The French are coming, and a single Frenchman can fight ten Spaniards. We cannot win..."

The Napoleonic Wars had inflicted catastrophic devastation upon Spain, and according to folklore, the French were even more ferocious than man-eating demons...

Queen Regent Maria Cristina backhanded Montell, knocking him to the floor, and then squatted down to cup his face.

"What a waste of such a fine physique..."

Montell caught the chill in the Queen Regent's eyes, and the instinct for survival compelled him to lick her boots.

The Queen Regent looked at Sergeant Montell with a mixture of pity. "Rest assured, if Carlos has a son, I have a daughter!"

The ruthlessness and decisiveness in her eyes froze the surrounding air, and Montell licked her boots with even greater fervor.