Just as Franz Joseph and Princess Sisi set off for Milan, Jerome Bonaparte likewise welcomed a heavyweight guest.

On this day, Ambassador Victor of France to Sardinia received a telegram from France. After reading the telegram, he urgently took a carriage to the Turin Royal Palace.

Ambassador Victor did not find Emperor Jerome Bonaparte in the Turin Royal Palace. After some careful inquiry, Ambassador Victor learned from Victor Emmanuel II that Jerome Bonaparte had gone fishing at the pond near the Royal Palace.

After bidding farewell to Victor Emmanuel II, Ambassador Victor quickly headed to the pond where Jerome Bonaparte was.

Soon, Ambassador Victor found Jerome Bonaparte near the pond.

At that moment, Jerome Bonaparte was dressed casually, sitting on the ground without regard for his image, holding a slender fishing rod. Beside him were an iron bucket and a small iron box.

Seeing Jerome Bonaparte’s appearance, Ambassador Victor couldn’t help displaying a look of astonishment.

If it weren’t for repeated confirmation, Ambassador Victor truly couldn’t believe the man sitting on the ground fishing was Emperor Jerome Bonaparte.

Subsequently, Ambassador Victor slowly approached Jerome Bonaparte and softly greeted him, "Your Majesty!"

"What’s the matter? Is there something?" Jerome Bonaparte raised his head to glance at Ambassador Victor, then continued watching the river.

"I just received a telegram from France!" Ambassador Victor crouched down as he took out the telegram.

"What’s the content of the telegram?" Jerome Bonaparte asked indifferently.

"Empress Augusta will arrive in Turin tomorrow afternoon!" Ambassador Victor responded to Jerome Bonaparte.

"What!" Jerome Bonaparte’s fishing rod shook slightly. He turned his gaze again to Ambassador Victor, asking, "Augusta, what’s she coming for? Did the telegram say anything?"

Ambassador Victor shook his head and answered, "Your Majesty, the telegram does not specify the reason for Her Majesty the Empress’s visit!"

"Ah!" Jerome Bonaparte sighed, then turned his gaze back to the lake. "Alright, I got it! Now you can go back!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Ambassador Victor stood up and left.

Before he could take more than a couple of steps, Jerome Bonaparte called out to Ambassador Victor, "Wait!"

Ambassador Victor turned around again, respectfully asking Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, do you have any other instructions?"

Jerome Bonaparte pointed to the iron bucket beside him, "There are some fish in the bucket, take them back with you!"

Ambassador Victor glanced at the carp in the iron bucket, and a hint of hesitation appeared in his eyes, unsure of what tools to use to carry the fish.

Jerome Bonaparte naturally noticed Ambassador Victor’s concern and added, "You can use transportation to take them together! However, when you return to the Royal Palace, make sure to tell the palace steward to send another iron bucket over!"

"Yes!" Ambassador Victor left Jerome Bonaparte, carrying the iron bucket weighing approximately 20 pounds.

Half an hour passed, and the palace steward appeared before Jerome Bonaparte holding a brand-new iron bucket, "Your Majesty, here’s the iron bucket you needed!"

Jerome Bonaparte glanced at the iron bucket, lifted his head, and smiled slightly, "Thank you!"

The steward immediately showed a startled expression, quickly waving his hand in response, "Your Majesty, it’s my duty!"

Afterward, the steward stood by Jerome Bonaparte for a while.

Until Jerome Bonaparte caught another carp, the steward praised Jerome Bonaparte’s fishing skills while asking when he planned to return to the Turin Royal Palace.

"It’ll probably be around..." Jerome Bonaparte took out his pocket watch and checked the time—it was already 2 PM, "Around 4 o’clock!"

"Alright!" The steward nodded, then turned away.

...

Two hours passed by in a flash, and the sunlight of early summer at four o’clock shone on Jerome Bonaparte, making him feel particularly hot.

He first looked at the float that showed no signs of movement and then at the fish in the iron bucket, muttering to himself, "We’ll call it a day."

Saying this, Jerome Bonaparte packed up the fishing rod and brushed off the dust on his pants.

As Jerome Bonaparte was about to lift the iron bucket and leave, he suddenly found himself lacking the strength to lift it.

Thus, Jerome Bonaparte had no choice but to release half of the fish in the bucket back home and slowly return to the Turin Royal Palace with the other half.

When Jerome Bonaparte was halfway through his journey, the steward who helped him carry the iron bucket appeared in front of him, hurriedly saying, "Your Majesty, let me help you with that!"

"Hmm!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded and handed the iron bucket and fishing rod to him.

The steward glanced at the fish in the bucket, showing a surprised expression, and said, "Your Majesty, did you catch all these in just two hours?"

"Hmm!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded, then added, "This is only half of them; I released the other half already!"

The steward’s face was even more surprised, and Jerome Bonaparte also showed a self-satisfied smile.

Jerome Bonaparte and the steward chatted about fishing insights as they walked, and soon they returned to the Turin Royal Palace.

Upon entering the Turin Royal Palace, Jerome Bonaparte promptly ordered the steward to hand over all the carp in the iron bucket to the kitchen for preparation, while he returned to his room to rest for a while.

Thus, Jerome Bonaparte and the steward parted ways in the hall, and he returned to his bedroom alone, quickly changing into a brand new outfit, then sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, seemingly waiting for something.

After a while, a knock on the door came from outside the room.

Jerome Bonaparte lightly asked the "guest" outside the room, "Who is it?"

"Jerome, it’s me!" The loud voice of Victor Emmanuel II reached Jerome Bonaparte’s ears.

"Come in!" Jerome Bonaparte’s face showed a knowing expression as he spoke again to the person outside, as if he already knew Victor Emmanuel II would come over.

The door opened, and Victor Emmanuel II appeared in Jerome Bonaparte’s room, then slowly walked over to sit in front of Jerome Bonaparte.

"How was today’s catch?" Victor Emmanuel II asked Jerome Bonaparte in a cheerful tone.

"Not bad!" Jerome Bonaparte smiled slightly and replied to Victor Emmanuel II.

"I told you that place is good; I often go there to fish too..." Victor Emmanuel II said to Jerome Bonaparte, pretending to be a seasoned fisherman.

Jerome Bonaparte quietly listened to Victor Emmanuel II’s boasting, understanding that Victor Emmanuel II’s real purpose was not to discuss fishing, but to find out when the negotiations would start.

After all, the Sardinian Kingdom was also wasting a lot of money each day confronting the Austrian Empire.

The sooner this situation ends, the sooner the Sardinian Kingdom’s economy can be relieved.

After talking about fishing for most of the day, Victor Emmanuel II suddenly changed the subject and asked Jerome Bonaparte, "By the way, Jerome, when will the peace talks with the Austrian Empire begin?"

This abrupt shift made Jerome Bonaparte’s mouth twitch slightly, and then he smiled again, saying, "Victor, we can’t rush the peace talks!

The talks will naturally happen when it’s time."

"We can’t afford to wait!" Victor Emmanuel II responded to Jerome Bonaparte with a concerned expression, "The Sardinian Kingdom’s finances cannot sustain the high military expenses, and at this rate, our government will go bankrupt!!"

"That’s simple!" Jerome Bonaparte placed his hands on his knees and said calmly, "You just need to reduce the number of troops at the border!"

"Reduce the border troops?" Victor Emmanuel II’s expression stiffened, "Wouldn’t that risk an invasion by the Austrian Empire?"

"It won’t happen! The French Army is your strong backing!" Jerome Bonaparte assured Victor Emmanuel II, "If the Austrian Empire dares to attack, our troops will undoubtedly cross the Alps!"

"Well then..." Victor Emmanuel II was not satisfied with Jerome Bonaparte’s solution, but out of consideration for Jerome Bonaparte, he did not express his disagreement, "Then I’ll try it!"

"That’s the spirit!" Jerome Bonaparte clapped and said to Victor Emmanuel II, "And one more thing, the Emperor of the Austrian Empire, Franz Joseph, may arrive in Milan soon!

By then, it should facilitate the smooth progress of the peace talks."

"Really?" Victor Emmanuel II was overjoyed upon hearing this news.

However, Jerome Bonaparte’s next words halved Victor Emmanuel II’s joy, "But, Franz Joseph said he won’t have direct talks with you!

This means that I can only represent you in negotiations with Franz Joseph!"

Victor Emmanuel II understood that he was excluded by Franz Joseph from equal communication.

But, at this point, Victor Emmanuel II had little choice.