From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

"you"

Jean Du Barry looked nervously at Lawrence and the two auditors behind him, swallowed, gritted his teeth and said:

"No problem, Mr. Tax Collector"

It was nothing new that Laurence had been appointed royal tax collector, and Jean Du Barry was well aware of it.

As for the position itself, it has been interpreted by countless people - the symbolic meaning is far greater than the actual meaning, and it is more like an honorary title that is close to the royal family.

In name, the royal tax collector has the power to audit and supervise all tax matters on the king's land, but this power is too huge and has not been used for many years.

"Damn it, does this kid want to"

Jean Dubarry twisted his hair, which was still dripping, and thought uneasily.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Du Barry."

Lawrence smiled and nodded, wandering around the hall minding his own business, and said:

"It's a really nice place, but unfortunately I heard through the grapevine that there seemed to be some tax issues with the bathhouse."

A trace of resentment flashed in Jean Dubarly's eyes. It seemed that this boy was really going to use his identity as a tax collector to attack him.

And he also knew very well that if Lawrence only used this power to deal with a little person like himself, it would not cause much backlash in the political circles.

However, what makes Jean Du Barry very uneasy is that he still doesn't know why Lawrence suddenly came here to attack him.

If there were just concealment and underpayment of taxes, Jean Du Barry would probably have to pay a large fine, and he vaguely felt that this was not the purpose of Lawrence coming here at all.

"Hahaha, I really don't know who would spread such boring rumors." Jean Du Barry said with a forced smile.

"Whether it is a rumor or not will only become clear after investigation."

Lawrence walked up to Jean Du Barry and said in a calm and undeniable tone:

"I need to check the books here, Monsieur Du Barry."

Jean Dubarry nodded extremely reluctantly and helplessly, and then ordered his men:

"Of course it's no problem, come here! Bring over the account books for the past few months and show them to the tax collector."

Laurence's request to inspect the account books was completely legitimate, and Jean Du Barry had no reason to refuse.

Moreover, Jean Du Barry himself knew that Lawrence had been here today, and just like all other tax collectors, he would not give up until he found something.

So he didn't want to hide it at all. He was going to pay a fine directly and treat it as a loss of money.

After a while, a tome half a finger thick was placed in front of Lawrence.

Lawrence winked directly at the two auditors behind him, signaling them to start checking, and at the same time whispered to them:

"You have to check carefully, you two."

The two nodded in understanding, took out their glasses, put them on the bridge of their noses, and began to look through them.

While the two of them were reviewing and inspecting, Lawrence seemed to casually test out Jean Du Barry:

"By the way, Mr. Du Barry, is the Duke of Richelieu in good health? I haven't seen him for some days."

While speaking, Lawrence was also closely observing Jean Du Barry's expression.

It was obvious that upon hearing the name of the Duke of Richelieu, his face showed a moment of irritation.

"Sorry, I don't know. I haven't seen him for a while."

Jean Dubarly took a breath and said as calmly as possible.

Lawrence nodded slightly and then said:

"I thought you could see Duke Richelieu every day by working for him like this."

"Occasionally," Jean Du Barry replied perfunctorily.

"Remember the last time we met, you were watching a play with the Duke of Richelieu?"

Lawrence asked next, continuing to observe Jean Du Barry's expression.

Jean Du Barry stopped talking and just nodded.

Lawrence seemed to be incomprehensible and ignored Jean Du Barry's bored expression and continued to ask:

"You should know very well what plays the Duke of Richelieu likes to watch, right?"

Finally, Jean Dubarry frowned, spread his hands unbearably and said:

"Your Excellency, Tax Inspector, you should ask someone else to ask these questions! I think these questions have nothing to do with taxation, right?!"

"Of course, of course, I'll ask the others."

Lawrence chuckled and nodded, basically confirming his guess:

"It seems that our M. Du Barry has not been having a good time with the Duke of Richelieu recently. He was still very attentive and respectful to the Duke of Richelieu when we last met."

As for the reason, Lawrence can completely guess it.

As a direct participant in this attack, Jean Dubarly was a minor figure. Of course, the Duke of Richelieu wanted to kill him and silence him, and then get rid of him quickly.

On the one hand, Jean Dubarry has to beware that Duke Richelieu may kill him at any time, but on the other hand, he has to rely on Duke Richelieu's political status. This contradiction will naturally make him attack Duke Richelieu. attitude changes.

This change in attitude also gave Lawrence some confidence in his plan.

While Lawrence was chatting with Jean Du Barry, the two auditors quickly discovered something fishy.

"Your Excellency Bonaparte, there is a problem in the ledger."

One of the auditors came over and said in front of Jean Du Barry:

"On March 15, a non-operating expenditure of up to 6,000 livres was recorded in the account. However, there was no explanation of the destination of this expenditure, and there were no vouchers or documents."

"oh?"

Lawrence narrowed his eyes and looked at Jean Du Barry, and said with a smile:

"An expenditure with an unknown destination? I seem to smell tax evasion."

For this type of operating industry, the amount of tax is determined based on the amount of book profits.

Therefore, the basic principle of tax evasion is to reduce the profits on the books, that is, to either undercount the income or overcount the expenses.

Jean Du Barry was too lazy to quibble. He knew that even if he explained clearly here, Lawrence would definitely find fault later, so he directly spread his hands and said:

"Well, maybe my accountant made an oversight. How much do I need to be fined?"

"No, Monsieur Du Barry."

Lawrence immediately stopped smiling, looked at him seriously and coldly, and said slowly:

"I have to ask you to explain what happened to this money. If this was stolen money, or a bribe, or payment to a foreign spy, this is not just a tax issue."

Jean Dubarry couldn't help but tighten his face, and subconsciously took two steps back, not even bothering to change his words and said:

"Your Excellency Bonaparte! What do you mean?!"

"I need you to come with me."

Lawrence demanded without changing his expression:

"I need you to give a reasonable explanation for your personal and property financial problems."

"What?!"

Jean Dubarry stood there without leaving, with no intention of leaving with Lawrence, and shouted:

"I can't possibly accept such an unreasonable request!"

"Unreasonable request?"

Lawrence took two steps forward and grabbed Jean Du Barry by the collar, looked him directly in the eyes and said:

"My power comes from the king, and my request is the representation of the king's will. Do you dare to call this an unreasonable request?! Or, Mr. Du Barry, was your behavior against the king ordered by someone? For example, Duke Richelieu.?”

"you!"

Jean Dubarly choked immediately and did not utter a word for a long time.

It’s not that he was shocked by Lawrence’s righteous moral kidnapping in the first half.

But in the second half, when Lawrence mentioned the Duke of Richelieu, Jean Du Barry suddenly realized that he must not have a conflict with Lawrence at this moment.

"The Duke of Richelieu is the person in Paris who wants me dead the most."

Jean Dubarry thought uneasily:

"If I make this matter bigger and involve him, he will definitely use this as a reason to attack me."

Thinking of this, Jean Du Barry glanced at Lawrence again, and his clenched fists gradually relaxed.

Lawrence slowly let go of Jean Du Barry's collar, took two steps back, and waited for Jean Du Barry to make his own decision.

Because Lawrence also knew in his heart that as long as Jean Du Barry was not stupid, he would never let him put the hat of opposing the king on him.

Once this hat is put on, Duke Richelieu will clean up the house more diligently and proactively than Lawrence.

"I understand! Your Excellency Bonaparte, I will go with you!"

Jean Dubarly shouted helplessly:

"But I also tell you in advance that I have the right to remain silent!"

Although he still didn’t know why Lawrence took him away specifically, Jean Du Barry was not particularly worried about it.

After all, in his opinion, both parties were considered respectable figures in Paris, and they would not resort to any dirty tricks.

"Please come with us, Monsieur Du Barry, and I recognize your right to remain silent."

A slight smile appeared on Lawrence's face again, he stepped forward and patted Jean Du Barry on the back and said softly:

"But I believe you will speak."

Then Lawrence and Jean Du Barry walked out and got into a carriage that had been waiting for a long time.

The two auditors did not go with Lawrence, but got into another carriage carrying the account books of Velvet Love.

Jean Du Barry was slightly uneasy when he noticed this detail, but he still comforted himself because the status of the two auditors was not high enough to ride in the same carriage as Lawrence.

After driving for a while, Jean Dubarry, who was sitting on pins and needles in the carriage, finally couldn't help but test it out:

"So, Monsignor Bonaparte, where are you going to take me? The police station? Or the tax office? You are not going to send me directly to the Paris City Defense Force, are you?"

The shadows of streetlights projected from the car window changed rapidly on Lawrence's face, making Jean Dubary unable to see clearly the face and expression of Lawrence.

Lawrence leaned back, his entire face completely hidden in darkness, and then said softly:

"Be patient, Monsieur Du Barry, you will know."

Jean Du Barry, who was too nervous, could no longer tell how fast time was passing. When the carriage slowly stopped at the roadside, he only felt that he had spent a long and torturous time.

After Lawrence got out of the carriage, Jean Dubarry nervously jumped out of the carriage, turned his head and looked around, widened his eyes and said:

"Wait. This is the Champs Elysées? What are you bringing me here for?!"

Countless thoughts flashed through Jean Du Barry's mind. He remembered that Lawrence's residence in Paris was located on the Champs Elysées.

Lawrence turned to glare at him and said calmly:

"Please be quiet, Monsieur du Barry, and follow me."

"No! Monsignor Bonaparte, you must state your intentions!"

Jean Dubarly opened his mouth and tried to shout:

"Otherwise you will be kidnapped! You will be imprisoned."

boom!

A short and dull sound came from the back of Jean Du Barry's head directly to his eardrums through bone conduction.

It sounded like someone's hard elbow had struck Jean Du Barry hard in the back of the head.

But he could no longer identify exactly what the sound was.

Because in the next moment, Jean Dubarry's eyes darkened and he fainted.

"Oh, this guy is quite heavy."

Grosso, who did not know when he appeared behind Jean Du Barry, grabbed Du Barry, who was about to fall, put him on his shoulders, smiled at Lawrence and said:

"Lawrence, is this your kid's plan? To kidnap this bastard back and then torture him into confessing to his attack on you? You're acting like a pirate."

Lawrence quickly glanced around to make sure no one noticed anything strange here, then shrugged and said:

"High-end political struggles often only require the simplest means. Okay, get him in quickly. What I want is not just for him to admit to the attack on me."

"This is."

Jean Dubarly woke up from a bout of dizziness and headache, and was shocked to find that his hands were tied to the chair beneath him.

Even his feet were tied together by an arm-thick iron chain. It was extremely difficult to move even an inch, and there would be a loud stabbing noise.

"You are awake, Monsieur Du Barry."

Hearing this voice, Jean Du Barry, who had not yet fully recovered from the dizziness in his head, raised his head dreamily.

Only then did he realize that the people standing in front of him were Laurence Bonaparte and a fierce and fierce man with a scar face.

"What the hell are you doing! Monsignor Bonaparte!"

Jean Dubary yelled in disbelief, struggling hard to untie the chains on his body.

Lawrence leaned down and glanced at Jean Du Barry, but did not answer his question. Instead, he said to Grosso next to him:

"You sailors should have a lot of interrogation methods, right? The kind that tortures people."

"Oh sure, I'm something of an expert."

Grosso looked down at Jean Du Barry, licked his lips, narrowed his eyes and said:

"A tender-skinned person like him will never be able to withstand the tortures at sea. In just one night, I can make him cry and take all the sins of the world on himself."

"You! Who are you and what do you want to do?!" Jean Du Barry's pupils shrank and he said tremblingly.

Neither of them answered Jean Dubarry's horrified question.

Lawrence stood up straight, nodded slowly and said:

"Very good, but let Mr. Du Barry have a peaceful sleep tonight. I will talk to you tomorrow, Mr. Du Barry. Maybe you will miss this last peaceful night of sleep for a while. ”

After saying that, Lawrence and Grosso ignored Du Barry's almost wailing roar and turned around directly to leave the basement where he was held.

"Lawrence, I have to warn you first."

Grosso walked out of the basement and said to Lawrence:

"I can indeed make him reveal everything he knows and doesn't know, but the confession you get in this way has no effect at all, right?"

Lawrence shook his head as expected and said:

"Indeed, but what I want is not a confession. I want him to accuse the Duke of Richelieu in person."

"Personally accuse?" Grosso touched his head in confusion, frowned and asked:

"No matter how you accuse him, you can't put a knife to his neck and force him when you get to court, right?"

Lawrence still shook his head, looked at the basement where Jean Du Barry was imprisoned, and said:

"There is no need for any coercion. Give me a few days and I will make him loyally stand on our side and accuse the Duke of Richelieu completely voluntarily."

"Okay, okay, I believe you." Grosso nodded, still worried and asked:

"But do we have enough time? I heard that this Du Barry is also a reputable person. He disappeared for several days after coming into contact with us. This cannot be justified."

"Oh, don't worry, Grosso."

Lawrence took out a roll of light yellow parchment from his arms and waved it in front of Grosso's eyes.

This was an order document just sent by the Duke of Choiseul and signed by Foreign Minister Caesar Gabriel himself in the afternoon.

"Everything is planned."