Carlo finally met Prim.
The leader of the Spanish revolutionary army, who came from a military family and had gone through many wars, now looked like a gentleman, very friendly and approachable.
At the welcoming banquet hosted by his father, Victor Emmanuel II, for Prim, Carlo not only met Prim but also had a very brief but pleasant conversation with him.
"Your Highness Carlo, is the Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper your property?" Prim asked Carlo with great interest the first time he met him.
"Yes, Marquis Prim," Carlo nodded, not surprised by Prim's question.
The Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper and the content published in it were important means for Carlo to create more advantages for himself.
If he couldn't attract Prim's attention, Carlo would be surprised.
"I have read the content reported by the Il Sole 24 Ore. The editor-in-chief of the newspaper is very insightful. I heard that you have also reached cooperation with General Garibaldi?" Prim asked with a smile on his face, looking curious.
"Yes, Marquis Prim. General Garibaldi is an important contributor to the unification of Italy. It is our honor for the Il Sole 24 Ore to cooperate with him," Carlo also nodded with a smile; basic courtesy was still necessary.
Garibaldi was the first question Prim used to test Carlo. After all, Garibaldi had once sided with the republican system. If Carlo supported absolute monarchy, he certainly wouldn't have much goodwill towards such a republican.
The conversation ended so abruptly that Carlo was taken by surprise.
If Carlo had not been confident that his answers were correct, he might have suspected a flaw in them, which could have led Prim to stop supporting him.
After a brief meeting with the two Italian princes, Prim decided to personally investigate and understand them further.
Both Amadeus and Carlo had lived in Italy for over ten or even twenty years.
It was possible to investigate the experiences of the two princes from childhood to adulthood and their attitudes on certain matters, especially their attitudes towards Garibaldi and their ideas on reform.
What Prim was most concerned about was the two princes' desire for power and their attitude towards supporting reform.
To be honest, Prim did not want to welcome a king who would compete for power and profit. Military and political power were necessary conditions for Prim to carry out reforms, and he would not allow the new king to compete with him for military and political power as soon as he took office.
Reform goes without saying. If the new king did not support reform, Prim would not support the new king.
Regarding whether Spain could achieve revival in the future, Prim would not have any emotional factors outside of rationality when choosing the King of Spain.
Even if he had a better impression of Carlo, he couldn't decide on the candidate for the King of Spain before concluding his examination of the two princes.
Seeing Prim talk to his two sons one after another, but not saying a word to his crown prince Umberto, Victor Emmanuel II instantly understood Prim's true intention.
It turned out that Prim came to Spain not to examine a certain prince, but to examine his two sons and choose one of them to become the King of Spain.
Theoretically, this was a good thing for the House of Savoy, which was only based in Italy.
If they could establish a Savoy dynasty in Spain, the status of the House of Savoy among European royalty would be further enhanced, which was also a good thing for Victor Emmanuel II himself.
However, as a father, Victor Emmanuel II did not particularly want to see any of his children go to Spain.
Spain was too chaotic at the moment, and it wouldn't be easy to stabilize it without capability.
More importantly, although Spain was only separated from Italy by the Mediterranean Sea, it was like a natural chasm in the present era of extremely inconvenient transportation.
Although the distance from Madrid to Rome was just over 1000 kilometers, a round trip would take at least a week.
Whether traveling from Rome to Madrid or from Madrid to Rome, a single journey would take at least half a month.
And for Victor Emmanuel II and the child who was about to become the King of Spain, they might not even be able to spare a few half-month periods in a year.
Finally understanding all this, Victor Emmanuel II decided to talk with his two children.
The first person Victor Emmanuel II found was his youngest son, Carlo, who had just graduated from the Turin Military Academy and had happily received the rank of Captain in the Italian Royal Army.
Carlo had long anticipated Victor Emmanuel II's arrival and appeared very calm.
Looking at his son who had grown up, Victor Emmanuel II seemed to see his former ambitious self.
"Carlo, you have been prepared for a long time, haven't you?" Victor Emmanuel II didn't know how to start, and after a moment of silence, he finally said.
"When I founded the Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper, I thought of using it as a form of propaganda and waiting for an opportunity like Spain.
I am not content to be just a Duke of the Kingdom, but as you know, I cannot become the King of Italy, can I?" Carlo didn't know how to explain, so he could only try to express his ambition subtly.
Victor Emmanuel II nodded. Although Carlo was still the third in line to the Italian throne, that was only because the descendants of Crown Prince Umberto and Prince Amadeus had not yet been born.
When their descendants were born, Carlo's place in the line of succession would drop further. This also meant that being the third in line might be the closest Carlo would ever be to the Italian throne, and it was impossible for Carlo to become the King of Italy.
Victor Emmanuel II naturally understood this. He was not opposed to Carlo or Amadeus becoming the King of Spain.
Victor Emmanuel II was old, and he was hesitant to let his son travel to a distant place. Despite his reluctance, he understood that he should not stand in opposition to his son's wishes.
"I understand, Carlo." Victor Emmanuel II finally nodded after a long silence, looked at his son who was now taller than him, stroked Carlo's head, and then said with a hint of reluctance: "I will not interfere with your competition with Amadeus. I will show my support, no matter which of you becomes the King of Spain.
Even if you become the King of Spain and find that it is not easy to be a qualified king and want to give up, Italy will always welcome you.
My child, I am your father, and I can never oppose you. I also hope you can understand that whether you are the King of Spain or the Duke of Italy, the blood relationship between you, me, Umberto, and Amadeus will never change, and the glory of Savoy will always be with us!"
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