In December 1778, Benjamin, who had been away from America for nearly two years, returned to Philadelphia.
When he left France, the French government presented him with a portrait of the king, its frame adorned with 408 diamonds; Minister Vergennes personally bid him farewell, and a great number of French dignitaries and commoners came to the dock to see him off, offering the highest respect to this distinguished scientist and philosopher.
Upon his arrival in the United States, the entire city of Philadelphia turned out to welcome this hardworking and highly meritorious American elder, thanking him for his contributions to the American Revolutionary war on the diplomatic front.
The bells of Philadelphia rang and cannons roared, and the people cheered to greet this old hero.
President of the Continental Congress Hancock personally led all Continental Congress Representatives in Philadelphia, as well as foreign envoys from various countries and ordinary citizens, to the dock to welcome Franklin.
Franklin also gave a brief speech of thanks at the dock, mostly blessing the American people, praising the war of Independence, and looking forward to the impending peace.
He then, due to travel fatigue and his advanced age, had to return home to rest at the urging of his son William and grandson Temple.
Even Jefferson and others, who wanted to ask about the situation in Europe, could not do so.
Charles also originally had something to discuss with Franklin, but seeing the situation, he could only give up.
The next day, the Continental Congress held another full session to welcome Franklin back.
Although Franklin was very old, after a night's rest, he immediately became energetic and sat back in his seat in the Continental Congress with a smile on his face.
"Sirs! Let us once again pay tribute to Benjamin Franklin, the architect of the Franco-American Alliance!" Hancock proposed again.
Everyone stood up, doffed their hats, and saluted Franklin.
Franklin also smiled and returned the salute.
The meeting then officially began.
At this time, Franklin, like Washington, did not have the same achievements as he did in history before and after the victory of the war of Independence.
He merely participated in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and the conclusion of the Franco-American Alliance, which had greatly decreased in importance.
The American-British peace agreement, which should have been completed by him alone, had not yet been signed.
After paying their respects, these representatives immediately began to question him about his situation in France.
Franklin was well prepared for diplomatic matters and answered the representatives' questions one by one in an orderly manner.
He explained many people's questions regarding some strange actions by France within the Franco-American Alliance and shared his understanding of the European situation.
Although his main purpose in returning this time was to participate in negotiations with Britain in Philadelphia, he also intended to inquire about his diplomatic work in Europe.
Of course, there were no problems with France's diplomatic efforts; the representatives were quickly persuaded by Franklin and acknowledged that he had fulfilled his responsibilities as a diplomat in France, expressing their respect and gratitude to him once again.
"Respected Franklin, before you were recalled by the Continental Congress, did you have any latest news about the situation in Britain?
Our goodwill for peace talks has already been conveyed through the negotiators when General Cornwallis, the commander-in-chief of the British army, was released last time.
Why have they not responded for so long?" Jefferson, the current head of diplomatic affairs for the Continental Congress, frankly sought advice from the elder Franklin.
Although maritime trade with Europe had resumed, mail exchanges had not yet been fully established, and all kinds of information could only be transmitted by merchant ships.
Not only was the efficiency low, but the accuracy of the information also decreased significantly, which was very detrimental to diplomatic work.
Franklin was a true diplomatic master, and the information he understood was naturally incomparable to that of ordinary people; Jefferson's inquiry was indeed directed at the right person.
"Oh, before I returned this time, I had met with several secret envoys sent by Britain.
I will report the content of the negotiations to the Continental Congress later.
As for why they have not yet sent representatives, it is because the news of Cornwallis' release and Benedict's defeat, after reaching Britain, immediately caused the North cabinet to fall.
The new government has just been formed and has not had time to immediately send people to the United States for negotiations.
While in France, I met with Thomas Grenville, a secret envoy from the new British cabinet.
He indicated that the new cabinet is willing to engage in peace talks, but the talks should not begin until after the New Year," Franklin said, explaining the situation he understood.
"Franklin, what is Britain's sincerity?
Are they not again planning to use peace talks to delay, and then send more troops to America?" a Continental Congress Representative questioned.
"Hahaha!
That Grenville clearly stated that they no longer have the energy to continue the war.
However, in the newly formed cabinet, Shelburne serves as Secretary of State for the Colonies, and Fox serves as Foreign Secretary.
Their intention is that in future peace negotiations, the American-British talks will be under the jurisdiction of Shelburne's colonial department, while the American-French and American-Spanish negotiations will be led by Fox's foreign department.
The British side wants to separate us and treat us and our ally France differently.
Whether or not to accept such a demand is something the Continental Congress must decide as soon as possible, otherwise, it might offend both France and Britain," Franklin said with a laugh.
Unilateral negotiation was a sensitive topic.
Moreover, unilateral negotiations with Britain were not merely a matter of going behind France's back; it was even highly likely that due to the traditional relationship with Britain, some special benefits could be gained during the negotiations, which could then be used to curb the expansion of French influence.
Although betraying allies on other matters might raise questions about one's integrity, many representatives unhesitatingly stood up and expressed their willingness to agree to unilateral negotiations with Britain when it came to matters concerning national interests.
"Franklin, you are a seasoned diplomat.
What do you think about this matter?" Charles asked.
"Me?" Franklin smiled helplessly, "I personally do not agree with such an action, but everything should serve the greater national interest, and I respect the Continental Congress' decision."
His words were very difficult, as it was truly hard for someone who had always had friendly relations with France to speak of betraying that ally.
In actual history, when Adams and others proposed signing a peace agreement with Britain unilaterally, behind France's back, he also chose to agree and actively participated in the unilateral negotiations with Britain.
He constantly expressed shame and self-reproach for his actions.
The matter of unilateral negotiations was of great importance.
No immediate decision was made; Hancock merely mentioned the confidentiality requirements.
After Franklin further detailed his exchanges with the British secret envoys and the general peace terms he had disclosed to Britain, the meeting officially adjourned, with plans to vote on the peace talks issue later.
—
After the meeting, Charles followed Franklin to his home.
Many people wanted to visit Franklin, not only figures from the political arena but also many from academia, industry, and commerce.
Everyone wanted to see this great scientist and philosopher, who had finally returned home.
Franklin received all these guests with enthusiasm, regardless of their status.
He even told jokes to his guests:
"Europeans are now very enthusiastic about immigrating to the United States because many people with mistaken impressions of the United States want to emigrate there for the wrong reasons.
They believe Americans are rich and ignorant, waiting with open arms for European scholars and artists; they expect Europeans to occupy local offices because they feel the work there is beyond the capabilities of the locals; and the locals are willing to compensate immigrants with free transportation, land, slaves, tools, and livestock..."
"Hahahaha..."
The audience laughed cooperatively.
Americans at this time, having just defeated the powerful British army, indeed needed to hear jokes about Europeans, those 'upper-class' people, to build their national self-confidence.
It wasn't until most of the guests, who mainly came to make an appearance, had left that Charles had the opportunity to speak with Franklin alone.
"Franklin..."
"Charles! Haven't seen you in two years, have you become distant?" Franklin interrupted Charles' address, smiling as he looked at the increasingly mature Charles.
This young man, whom he had personally brought into politics, had, in just three years, made a name for himself in Philadelphia's political circles and achieved remarkable feats for the country, even surpassing his own influence in the Continental Congress.
If Franklin were still a young man, he might feel jealous, but now he was an old man in his seventies; for Charles' performance, his heart was filled only with joy, and he deeply hoped that Charles could inherit his ideals and achieve even better results.
He now regarded Charles as his successor.
Hearing Franklin's words, Charles was startled, remembering that he used to address the old man directly by his first name.
He then, with a sense of relief, addressed him as:
"Benjamin!"
"Yes! That's how it used to feel." Franklin nodded with a smile.
"Haha! Benjamin, Philadelphia has changed a lot these days."
"Indeed!" Franklin sighed, "When I heard the news of Philadelphia being besieged in France, I prayed for you every day.
Fortunately, you led everyone to defend Philadelphia.
Speaking of which, I really must thank you on behalf of my family!"
"There's nothing to thank for; that was my duty and obligation, just like your contributions to the United States in France." Charles rarely shrugged.
Being thanked by an elder he respected felt a bit awkward.
"Haha! Indeed, Charles, you stayed, not just to hear my thanks, did you?" Franklin looked at Charles meaningfully.
"Uh, indeed, I have some things to report to you, mainly about the changes in the situation in Philadelphia and the United States after you left.
And there are some things I'd like to hear your opinion on."
"Alright! Although I've heard a lot of news about Philadelphia and the Continental Congress before, my understanding was unclear.
You can tell me in detail."
Charles then explained to Franklin the political changes in Philadelphia over the past two years, mainly the formation of the three factional struggles, and the recent Constitutional Convention, the struggle between the Federalist Party and the Democratic-Republican Party, and other situations.
Finally, he did not forget to add:
"You are an old politician from Pennsylvania with immense influence, so our financial interest faction unconditionally supports you becoming one of Pennsylvania's representatives to this Constitutional Convention, hoping you can continue to serve Pennsylvania."
Franklin listened quietly all the while, without interrupting any of Charles' words.
Now, seeing that he had finished speaking, he smiled and asked Charles:
"Charles, do you also want me to join your financial interest faction?"
"Uh..." Charles felt a moment of awkwardness.
As expected of an old politician; he had never mentioned this idea to anyone, but he had indeed harbored such a thought internally.
It was just that he worried that an old politician like Franklin, similar to Hancock, might only want to act as a peacemaker and mediator, making it difficult to persuade them to join any one faction and contend with others.
Charles had always kept the idea of recruiting Franklin into his faction as an ideal, hidden in his heart, unwilling to state it directly.
He never expected Franklin to see right through him.
"Haha! I think your factions sound quite interesting, and they are different from the political parties and factions in Europe today.
However, I also feel that there isn't a major contradiction or conflict among your several factions; they can be completely resolved through negotiation.
Why then divide into so many factions and engage in internal strife?
Our United States has finally won the opportunity for independence; now, we should unite and build our beautiful homeland!"
As Charles had expected, Franklin indeed played the role of a mediator.
"Benjamin, James Madison of our faction once said something very good: power can only be prevented from harming the people if it is supervised and checked.
The mutual checks and balances among our three factions can prevent the emergence of a dictatorship, and that is my goal in promoting party politics."
Of course, checks and balances also meant wrangling, delays, and compromises, which implied inefficiency; these were the shortcomings Charles would not mention.
Franklin remained silent.