The day after the reply to the Frankfurt proposals was sent, Napoleon summoned Caulaincourt again and ordered him to negotiate Talleyrand’s return to the ministry. He laid down two stipulations: Talleyrand should separate not only from his shady entourage, but also from his wife. Mme de Talleyrand was a woman of flexible virtue, whose scandalous past had embarrassed the diplomatic corps when her husband had previously been foreign minister. However, repudiating her in this way would be a deep personal humiliation for Talleyrand, and he firmly refused to do so. When Caulaincourt reported this, Napoleon’s response was terse: "Between her and me, France and a whore, the choice shouldn’t be difficult!"

Price, Munro (2014-08-04). Napoleon: The End of Glory (Kindle Locations 3538-3543). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition.