Cooperation

"What is it?" Berdon asked, opening his eyes.

"You need to propose to me as soon as possible. Well, I'll pretend to disagree first; then you propose again, and then I'll reluctantly agree," Pauline said seriously.

"What?" Berdon was taken aback. Of course, theoretically, marrying a Bonaparte would be an absolute windfall in France today, both politically and economically. Especially Pauline. Berdon knew that Pauline was different from the other Bonaparte daughters. Politically speaking, Pauline possessed considerable political resources. This didn't just mean she was the most favored daughter of the Bonaparte family; it meant she genuinely controlled a portion of political power.

Pauline controlled several fashion and art publications, and in a sense, she controlled the direction of avant-garde fashion. Moreover, through her art magazines, she played a significant role in shaping France ideology.

In addition, these magazines, as well as the fashion and cosmetics she owns, bring her considerable income. In terms of income alone, she is one of the wealthiest women in Europe. Marrying a wife like Pauline is, from an economic perspective alone, like bringing home a gold mine. Not to mention the various political advantages she receives.

Of course, some of Pauline's habits weren't exactly admirable, and marrying such a woman would undoubtedly mean a life of unrequited love. But in France, isn't that quite normal? Even King Louis XVI was cuckolded. This could even be considered a glorious tradition of France, no, of the entire Rome. Because the Roman Empire was in no way inferior to France in this respect. This fully proves one point: Rome legitimacy resides in France.

So, this habit is really nothing. It's really nothing.

Besides, Pauline was very beautiful and knew how to dress. Moreover, her beauty was quite different from the common kind of female beauty. If some queens or princesses were said to be as beautiful as dolls, then Pauline —well, it's said that one of her admirers once described her like this:

Princess Pauline possessed a unique beauty, as beautiful as a colorful tiger from the India jungle, as beautiful as leaping flames...

Another of her admirers described her this way:

Princess Pauline was as beautiful as a poppy, and as captivating as poppy products.

Considering Pauline's charm alone, the whole Green Green Grassland thing is utterly insignificant.

Pauline's real problem is that she is often too androgynous, even masculine, which leads to the fact that her partners often appear somewhat androgynous as well, at least in other people's eyes.

Generally speaking, a girl who is somewhat androgynous is simply called a tomboy, or even a "tomboy" if things get a bit more serious. While these terms carry some negative connotations, the degree of stigma is relatively limited. Sometimes, this characteristic can even become a kind of halo around her. Take Cynisca, the princess of ancient Greece, for example. She was a free-spirited tomboy, yet statues of her still stand in her honor.

However, it's not so good for a man to be somewhat androgynous. At best, he's called effeminate; at worst, he's called a "sissy." In an era before the "pretty boy" trend, society's contempt for men with this kind of behavior far exceeded its contempt for tomboys or "manly women." For some, this situation is almost intolerable. It's said that Davout fell off his horse because he worried that marrying Pauline would damage his image in the army.

However, Berdon doesn't seem to have this problem, or even if he did, compared to Pauline's beauty, it's not a big issue. And if you take Pauline's wealth and political influence into account, what problem is there at all!

So, Berdon quickly said, "Pauline, I..."

"Hahahaha..." Pauline covered his mouth and said, "Silly boy, I was just kidding, I was just teasing you!"

Then she pushed Berdon aside, put on her bathrobe, stood up, walked to the dressing table, picked up the tortoiseshell comb in front of the mirror, turned her head, and began to comb her hair.

Berdon lay on the bed, his light blue eyes wide open, watching Pauline comb her hair.

Pauline combed her hair a couple of times, noticing that Berdon was looking at her, and laughed, "Silly girl, do you know what I just lied to you about?"

Berdon shook his head dumbfounded.

Pauline put down her comb, walked over, bent down, and stroked Berdon's face, saying, "I love seeing you like this, haha. Let me tell you, I don't need you to propose to me a second time. I'm not that pretentious Napoleon, who was practically sleepless with desire for 'Imperado' but still pretended to be something he wasn't. So, just propose to me already, and I'll say yes the moment you open your mouth."

"Pauline, are you... are you serious?" Berdon asked doubtfully.

"What? You don't believe me?" Pauline said.

"I don't quite believe it. Why don't you pinch me? I feel like I'm dreaming," Berdon said. "Besides, this doesn't seem like your style."

"Oh, I see!" Pauline blinked her big eyes.

"That's certainly not like me," Pauline said, then straightened up and said seriously, "So, Miss Berdon, will you marry me?"

Berdon had absolutely no idea what to say.

Pauline burst into laughter, laughing so hard she was shaking and couldn't stand up straight. Then she collapsed onto the bed, pinning Berdon down on top of her.

Pauline laughed for a while before stopping. She rested her head on Berdon's lower abdomen and reached out to stroke Berdon face. "Berdon, you're so adorable."

Then she raised her head, twisted her body, and lay down next to Berdon, looking into Berdon eyes and saying, "Okay, enough joking, let's get serious. Um, I need your help with something."

As she spoke, Pauline reached out and patted Berdon on the shoulder.

"Hmm, that's much more normal," Berdon said. "So, what is it?"

"I want to participate in the Olympic Games," Pauline said. "I think I can go down in history as Princess Cynisca at the first modern Olympic Games. Well, I plan to compete in equestrian and shooting, but there's a little obstacle. Those two bastards, Napoleon and Joseph, won't let me register. Well, you have to help me."

"How can I possibly help with this?" Berdon asked, puzzled.

"That Joseph guy, well, in our family, even Napoleon wouldn't dare disobey him. He said that unless I get married before the Olympic Games, he won't allow me to compete. I think..." Pauline leaned closer to Berdon, "We're brothers, who else can help me with this besides you? After all, that Joseph guy said my husband has to be a man. Hmm, what do you say?"

"This, this is..." Berdon suddenly understood how a brat like Pauline was made. Sure enough, behind every brat is a brat's parent.

"Don't worry, if you agree, I can promise you a few things. First, I won't interfere with how you go out and have fun, and I won't object to you bringing your mistress home. Of course, you shouldn't interfere with how I have fun either. Also, I can compromise a bit and only bring my mistress home, since I don't think you'll have a lover. Then, I promise that if I have a child, it will definitely be yours. Hmm, how about that? But we need to make it clear beforehand that Joseph won't allow me to get a divorce."

"Pauline ..." Berdon said hesitantly.

"What? You don't want to help?" Pauline raised her eyebrows.

"How could that be?" Berdon said. "How could I not help you with your matter? Besides, I haven't lost anything. But, but it's a bit sudden, I'm a little..."

"Sure!" Pauline said happily. "Yeah, you're a true bro! Okay, now let's discuss the next issue."

"What's the problem?" Berdon asked.

"Of course, it's a question of who proposes to whom. Hmm, how about I do it?" Pauline said.

Berdon slowly got out of bed. "I'll do this. After all, I'm the husband, aren't I?"

Pauline got out of bed and stood next to the dressing table.

"My dearest Miss Bonaparte," Berdon said, stepping down on one knee, "Will you marry me?"

"Darling, of course I'd love to," Pauline said. "Come on, let's talk about something else. I need to introduce you to my brother and my mother. I'm telling you, my mother is easy to deal with, but my brothers are not..."

In Istanbul, Selim III and Saint-Mélan had reached a basic agreement on preparations for war. According to their agreement, after the Olympic Games, Selim III would issue an order to the Pashas of the Barbary States, commanding them to come to Istanbul for an audience.

Everyone knows that these Pashas would never leave their land to go to Istanbul to die. Therefore, they certainly wouldn't obey Selim III's orders. Naturally, the Sultan was furious and ordered a punitive expedition against the rebels. At the same time, France also declared war on the Barbary States, citing the piracy that had harmed France interests.

Then the two countries formed a de facto alliance. The French Navy was initially tasked with destroying the Barbary States fleet and their port defenses to cover the Turkey landing. Because of the issue of the spoils' division and Turkey's prestige, Selim III hoped that the Turkey army would gain some honor.

Of course, such a victory had to be won by Selim III's most trusted men. Therefore, Grand Vizier Alandar Mustafa Pasha was to lead an expeditionary force of 30,000 to quell the rebellion.

Of course, this operation also requires the cooperation of other countries. First and foremost, it needs the cooperation of Russia. Otherwise, Selim III would not dare to casually deploy his elite troops to fight thousands of kilometers away. If the Russians took advantage of this opportunity and launched a reckless attack, wouldn't that be a case of losing more than one gains? Therefore, to carry out such a plan, it is essential to first stabilize Russia.

Therefore, Alandar Mustafa Pasha proposed that the France must publicly state their position and not allow Russia to take advantage of the situation to launch an aggressive war against Turkey. Saint-Mélan, however, believed that such an initial public reaction was excessive and unnecessary given that the Russia had not yet taken any action. Instead, they could convey this message to the Russia privately.

Alandar Mustafa Pasha knew that the France didn't want to have an unpleasant falling out with the Russia. But how effective "private" advice would be was hard to say, because the "private" approach itself carried a hint of weakness, implying "I don't want to offend you." It was far less intimidating.

Therefore, both Selim III and Arundar Mustafa Pasha insisted that France must publicly state that it would guarantee Turkey's security.

However, Saint-Mélan had instructed Saint- Napoleon before his trip not to easily get involved in Turkey and the conflict. So, of course, he was unwilling to agree to such a request.

"Actually, you don't need to deploy your most elite troops. From a security perspective, no amount of declarations or guarantees can compare to the security provided by a real army. And the Barbary rebels' land forces are actually quite limited. A regular army should be sufficient to deal with them. If all else fails, you can hire France troops for help. As long as you pay them wages and compensation, it's not a problem. There are also Italy mercenaries; although their combat effectiveness is slightly lower, they will be cheaper than the France."

Moreover, for a vast empire like Turkey, Your Majesty cannot afford to have only one capable and reliable army to deal with such a complex situation. Otherwise, if any conflict arises between your country and Russia, certain individuals within your country will have an opportunity to exploit the situation. In fact, I personally prefer to suggest that your country first send a reliable army, although its France receive our training.

"Your Majesty, Your Excellency Grand Vizier, the illustrious achievements of the French Army over the years have demonstrated that our French Army is the best in the world. Your country also sent personnel to observe our army's last military exercise, and I believe they have already reported on our army's performance to you both." Saint-Mélan offered this counter-suggestion.

This suggestion surprised Selim III and Alandar Mustafa Pasha. After discussing it, they also felt it seemed feasible. Thus, they reached an agreement on the matter. As for the specific details—such as who to send, the cost of equipping them with France weaponry, the training fees the France would charge, and the preferential interest rates for loans from France banks—these were left for the person in charge to negotiate.