From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

The nightlong singing, dancing and dinner continued, and colorful fireworks continued to rise into the sky, rendering the clear and windless night sky into a rainbow of colors that was far more brilliant than the day.

Naturally, few people in the lively banquet noticed Lawrence and Jacques Philippe walking out of the corner.

The ministers, nobles and ladies were all getting better at the banquet. Their white powdered cheeks showed a drunken flush under the influence of alcohol, and their conversations and movements were no longer as restrained and cautious as they were at the beginning of the banquet.

The single men, under the influence of alcohol, bravely extended an invitation to dance with the ladies they were attracted to; the ladies gathered together in groups of three and three, chatting excitedly about scandals and interesting things about the Ile-de-France.

Even Grosso, who was originally incompatible with palace life, integrated into the happy atmosphere. People were full of curiosity about this scar-faced man from Italy, and came to listen to his stories with glasses of wine in hand.

After all, in the palace, it is almost impossible to see a figure like Grosso who climbed from serf to minister of the navy step by step.

Lawrence also found his old acquaintance, Justice Maupe, after finishing the polite conversation with several nobles who came to chat.

He didn't seem to have much interest in fashion. Even in this bustling banquet, he still wore his judge's robe, but only wore some more gold and silver jewelry that symbolized his status.

Seeing the justice coming forward, the nobles who wanted to climb onto Lawrence's high branches quickly walked away knowingly.

However, they were also very curious about how the Lord Chancellor, who was still in a state of hostility with Lawrence, could come forward to say hello so kindly.

Soon, many pairs of eyes focused on the old and the young. After all, the two people in front of them are core figures in the French political circle. Any interaction between them will arouse the imagination and speculation of countless people. .

Those quick-thinking guests even thought of the news that Justice Maupp went to the Champs Elysées a few days ago, and they couldn't help but murmur in their hearts.

"Lord Mopu, I'm so glad we meet again."

Lawrence also knew that Justice Maupe wanted to use this banquet occasion to announce his alliance with himself to the aristocratic circle, so he greeted him enthusiastically:

"Has it been a smooth journey?"

Justice Mopp also took a step forward and held Lawrence's hand tightly, as sincerely and warmly as if he had met a close friend he had not seen for many years:

"Thank you for your concern, everything is fine."

The two people's right hands were firmly clasped together, and this sincere and hypocritical handshake lasted for almost a full minute before it ended.

The nobles who were spying on the two people could not help but express surprise. Some of them did not expect that the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Corsica would be so close to the French Chancellor.

There was even a whisper of discussion on the scene:

"It's strange how His Excellency Bonaparte could be so close to the Marquis de Maupe. The Duke of Choiseul clearly hates the Chancellor."

"However, there are indeed many common interests between the two of them. They are both favorites who are deeply trusted by His Majesty the King. It would be really great if these two people get together."

"Laurence Bonaparte. If the Marquis de Maupe is on his side, then this Corsican's power may be much higher than I imagined."

Although he couldn't hear what everyone was talking about, a satisfied smile still appeared on Justice Mopu's face.

He knew that he and Lawrence had attracted enough attention, and their cordial greetings were enough to send a rather ambiguous signal to the outside world. At least Madame Du Barry would be panicked and worried for a while after learning the news. .

Lawrence gently let go of Mopu's right hand and whispered:

"By the way, Lord Mopu, I have some good news or bad news to tell you."

Justice Mopp was stunned for a moment, frowned and motioned for Lawrence to continue.

"The men of Choiseul will join us."

"Choiseul.?"

After being slightly surprised, Marquis Mopu immediately reacted and guessed what had just happened in the marble courtyard:

"It must be that guy Jacques Philippe. Have you met him just now? Well, to a certain extent, this is good news."

A politician as sharp and witty as Justice Maupp naturally quickly understood Jacques Philippe's intentions. The German did not want to get too close to Lawrence, so he deliberately intervened in order to solve the problem together. Mrs. Barry is a thorn in her side.

And just as Lawrence expected, after expressing a moment of disappointment, Justice Maupe did not show too much resistance to Jacques Philippe's joining.

After all, his biggest goal is to defeat Madame Du Barry and maintain his lofty position in front of the throne; although the joining of Choiseul's group will affect his ability to win over Lawrence's support through this joint effort, it can indeed defeat them. Madame Du Barry added a lot of confidence.

"But then again." Justice Mopp glanced at Lawrence with a meaningful look:

"Monsieur Bonaparte, how did General Philippe know that we were going to attack Madame du Barry?"

Marquis Maupe's question was not too aggressive, and Lawrence smiled easily, knowing that his intentions were still seen through:

"You can't hide your trip to the Champs Elysées from General Philippe, and I can't lie to him. After all, he is the younger brother of the Duke of Choiseul."

"Why do I think you can hide it from General Philip easily? Well, I'm not blaming you." Justice Mopp slowly shook his head and said with a smile:

"But I still want to give you a piece of advice. Let it be my life experience as an elder - you can't go far with two boats. Your Excellency Bonaparte, if you want to break away from the Duke of Choiseul, You have to do it early.”

Lawrence shook his head pretending to be confused: "I don't understand what you are talking about. I have no reason to leave Duke Choiseul."

But Justice Mopu chuckled and said meaningfully:

"You will have it soon, Monsignor Bonaparte."

"Yeah."

Just when Lawrence frowned slightly and wanted to ask the other party what the meaning of these words was, he heard the royal band in the marble courtyard suddenly change its tune.

The band played just now was a relaxed and melodious waltz played by violins and orchestral instruments. In an instant, it was transformed into a magnificent epic music mainly composed of horns and snare drums. It sounded majestic and exciting.

As the drumbeats of the music gradually intensified, the nobles who were frequent guests at royal banquets had skillfully ended their conversations with their companions and began to line up in two long lines in an orderly manner, waiting on both sides of the road in the center of the courtyard.

Lawrence had also attended a royal dinner in the Hall of Mirrors and knew what the change in music meant - His Majesty the King was about to arrive.

Sure enough, the door to the main hall of the Palace of Versailles was solemnly opened by two royal guards. The elegant and luxurious royal family members walked out of the splendid hall and stepped onto the six-foot-wide golden red carpet gracefully and confidently.

At the forefront was naturally Louis XV, the ruler of all France, and his favorite mistress, the Countess du Barry.

The old king took the young girl's arm and slowly walked towards the center of the courtyard under the attention and welcome of the nobles on both sides. The kind and kind smile on the king's face also showed that he was very addicted to this luxurious palace life. middle.

However, Lawrence didn't know if it was his own imagination. Although Louis XV's face was still full of red, his figure was thinner than a few months ago, and there would be a look from the corner of his eyes from time to time. A moment of haggard and exhaustion.

"Your Majesty's health seems not to be as good as before." Lawrence said softly to Marquis Maupe beside him.

Justice Maupe's eyes were also fixed on King Louis. He nodded slowly, but he didn't particularly care:

"This is normal. His Majesty contracted some incurable diseases due to his romantic affairs in his early years. In addition, he is already sixty years old, but his face still looks very healthy."

Lawrence nodded slightly. Louis XV suffered from several serious illnesses when he was young and almost died from them. Later, he contracted venereal diseases because he frequently doted on his mistresses. It is not known whether His Majesty the King's physical condition will change with age. increases and deteriorates rapidly.

Following the King and Madame Du Barry were Crown Prince Louis and his wife.

Although Crown Princess Mary looked at Crown Prince Louis with a bit of disgust, the two at least looked like a harmonious and loving couple on the surface. After all, on this occasion, their marriage was a symbol of France. Alliance with Austria.

Crown Prince Louis held Crown Princess Mary's hand, but his eyes were eagerly searching for something in the crowd on both sides.

When His Royal Highness the Crown Prince finally saw the face of his closest friend in the queue, he even more excitedly threw away Crown Princess Mary and waved his arms to greet Lawrence, who was fifty yards away.

When the nobles on both sides saw this, they couldn't help but cast envious glances at Lawrence in the crowd. I really don't know how this Corsican was appreciated by the royal family, the Duke of Choiseul and Justice Maupe at the same time.

"God, can't you be more reserved?" Crown Princess Mary glanced at the Crown Prince with resentment, quickly pulled off the waving arm of the conspicuous bag, and whispered helplessly:

"Can't you just walk over and say hello to Monsignor Bonaparte? You see, the nobles on both sides are laughing at you!"

After listening to his wife's scolding and looking at the guests on both sides who couldn't help laughing, Crown Prince Louis angrily took Crown Princess Mary's right hand again and murmured in a low voice:

"This is a friendship between men, what do you know?"

Next in line were some ordinary members of the royal family, including Prince Louis's two younger brothers, as well as Louis XV's several princess daughters who were still unmarried in their thirties and forties.

These royal family members Lawrence all looked very familiar. They had all attended the previous banquet held in the Hall of Mirrors.

"Huh? That is?"

At this time, a gorgeous young man at the end of the team suddenly caught Lawrence's attention.

He was not very old and looked to be about the same age as Lawrence, but his gorgeous clothes were not inferior to any of the ministers or dukes at this banquet.

Moreover, although he appeared on stage with members of the royal family, his clothes were not embroidered with the iconic fleur-de-lis of the Bourbon royal family like other princes and princesses. Instead, he had a family crest that seemed familiar to Lawrence.

"Is he also a member of the royal family?"

Lawrence looked at the noble young man and asked Justice Mopp next to him with some doubts.

"You mean that young man? Ah, that's Duke Charles. Strictly speaking, he is also a member of the royal family." Justice Maupe saw clearly the noble young man Lawrence was referring to, and nodded in affirmation.

"strictly speaking?"

"Yes, because he is the heir to the Orleans family and the future Duke of Orleans."

"That's no wonder about the Orleans family." After learning the identity of the young man, Lawrence nodded in understanding.

The Orleans family is a branch of the Bourbon royal family. When their legitimate sons reach adulthood, they will receive a baptism ceremony in the church and become "blood princes." This means that the church recognizes that the Orleans family has the same royal blood flowing through them.

"The heir to the Orleans family and he is only in his early twenties. It is unmistakable. He should be Louis Philippe II in history."

Lawrence's eyes focused closely on the young man at the end of the team, and he deduced his true identity.

"What? Are you interested in this Duke Charles?" Justice Maupe glanced at Lawrence and reminded softly:

"But I'm afraid you and him don't have much in common, because Duke Charles and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince are quite difficult to deal with. The relationship between the two is very tense. For this reason, Duke Charlie does not even live in the Palace of Versailles, but lives in a manor in Paris. , It’s really strange to say that the two of them are cousins ​​in terms of seniority. I really don’t know why their relationship is so bad. "

Lawrence nodded slightly. Of course he knew the reason why the future Duke of Orleans and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince were quite at odds with each other.

The Duke Charles in front of him, although he was born in a prominent ducal family with royal blood in his blood, he was a loyal supporter of Enlightenment thought; after he came into contact with the works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, he became Rousseau. A true believer in me.

Historically, on the eve of the outbreak of the French Revolution, he stood at the forefront of the fight against the royal power as a representative of the nobility in the Estates-General.

After the revolution broke out, he even voluntarily gave up his aristocratic status as Duke of Orleans, which had been inherited for five generations, restored his civilian status, and changed his name to "Philippe Equality"

After being elected as a member of the National Assembly, the former Duke of Orleans also voted in favor of "whether to execute King Louis XVI" in the assembly, and personally sent his cousin to the guillotine.

It is a pity that this duke who was passionate about enlightenment and republic did not escape the horrific purge during Robespierre's administration. He was pushed to the guillotine soon after the Jacobins came to power.

What is very dramatic is that this duke who pursued republicanism, voluntarily gave up his aristocratic status, and personally voted in favor of the execution of the French king. His son became the future king of France, Louis Philippe I of the July Dynasty.

Of course, these are just things for later. The Duke Charles in front of him is just a 23-year-old young aristocratic young man who has just been exposed to enlightenment ideas.