From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

January 12, 7pm.

In the main restaurant of the Tuileries Palace, His Majesty the King was enjoying his luxurious private dinner amid melodious orchestral music.

There were not many people dining with him. Except for his mistress, Madame Du Barry, there were only a few attendants and secretaries who were standing by and ready to meet all Louis XV's needs.

"To be honest, Paris is not a bad place. Maybe it's because I stayed in Versailles for too long."

Louis XV forked a piece of tender steak into his mouth, immersed himself in the performance of the royal band, and said with relish.

It can be seen that the king is in a good mood these days.

Although the Palace of Versailles brings together the delicacies and treasures of France, it is still too solemn and solemn after all. Paris, a metropolis with a population of 600,000, will undoubtedly bring more fun and enjoyment to Louis XV, who has lived in the palace for a long time. .

In terms of theater viewing alone, the several old theaters in Paris with hundreds of years of history are much better than the Royal Opera House in Versailles.

This also made Louis XV decide to live in the Tuileries Palace for a while after watching Lawrence and Madame Du Barry's gambling game.

"Dear Jeanne, what should I do tomorrow?" Louis XV looked at Madame Du Barry beside him with a smile:

"How about a boat trip on the Seine? I've never been on a boat in the winter."

Madame Du Barry raised her head slightly, her eyes were as charming as silk, she nodded with a smile and said: "Excellent, Your Majesty, it's really exciting."

"Very good, you can also invite some old friends to come with you." Louis XV used a silver fork to scratch the matsutake sauce on the plate, and carefully planned:

"Oh, by the way, Lawrence needs to be called too. After all, he is August's first attendant. In addition."

At this time, Madame Du Barry suddenly interrupted. Her tone was very calm, completely different from her usual arrogant and aggressive tone. It was as if she was commenting on a person who had nothing to do with her:

"Your Majesty, there is no need to invite Mr. Bonaparte. He is very busy these days."

"Huh? What's wrong with him recently?" Louis XV frowned in confusion and turned to look at his press secretary.

Upon seeing this, the press secretary hurriedly stepped forward, leaned over and responded:

"His Excellency Laurence Bonaparte recently announced that he will hold a charity auction to raise funds for the poor in Paris. If nothing else, the auction has now been held at the Paris Comedy."

"Charity auction? Hmm" Louis XV didn't seem to be interested in the news. After all, as a king, he didn't care much about the affairs of these low-level untouchables:

"That's not bad. Lawrence is indeed doing good deeds. But since he is busy with something, there is no need to send him an invitation tomorrow."

Having said that, Louis XV raised his crystal glass and took a sip of white wine, while waving his hand to signal the press secretary to leave. He felt that there was no need to know more about this unremarkable charity auction.

But Madame Du Barry obviously didn't think so. After all, there was one of her favorite treasures at that auction, and also because she had received instructions from the Duke of Aiguillon, asking her to write something about Lawrence about this incident.

I saw Madame Du Barry secretly winking at the press secretary, hinting that he should not retreat yet, and then interjected:

"Your Majesty, did you just say that Mr. Bonaparte was doing good deeds?"

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong?" Louis XV wiped his mouth with silk silk, a little puzzled:

"It's a charity auction. Donate a sum of money to my people who need help. Is there anything wrong with that? I think Lawrence is really a noble person."

A smile of success flashed across the corner of Madame Du Barry's eyes. She put on a worried face without any flaw, and said hesitantly:

"Noble? Your use of this word to describe Mr. Bonaparte really puzzles me. Your Majesty, in my eyes, this auction is nothing more than a means for Mr. Bonaparte to gain fame and reputation."

"Buying fame and reputation?"

Madame Du Barry nodded seriously and said in a sincere tone:

"Yes, Your Majesty, think about it, Mr. Bonaparte holds a whole mountain of silver in his hands, and there is an unknown amount of wealth in the accounts of his Corsican National Silver Company. Why doesn't he donate directly to the poor? Why go out of your way to hold a huge auction?”

"This" Louis XV nodded hesitantly, and felt that what Madame Du Barry said made sense.

If Lawrence really wanted to help the poor in Paris, there was really no need to organize an auction, and it would be held in a highly anticipated place like the Paris Comedy.

"Okay Jeanne, everyone is greedy for fame and fortune."

Louis XV shook his head. Although he now felt that Lawrence was trying to gain fame, it was a good deed after all, so the king did not intend to pursue this matter any further:

"But after all, Lawrence did a good deed and it's normal for him to want to gain some fame. Just let him be."

However, Madame Du Barry did not obey the king's intention to change the subject. The secret smile on her lips grew wider, and she suddenly said:

"Your Majesty, what Mr. Bonaparte has done may be a good thing for the people at the bottom, and it may be a good thing for himself, but it is not a good thing for you."

Louis XV became even more puzzled after hearing this, so he put down his knife and fork with a smile and looked at Madame Du Barry, wondering what she was going to say.

"I heard that the citizens of Paris were very excited and happy about this auction, and they also praised M. Bonaparte." Madame Du Barry deliberately slowed down her tone and said with regret:

"But correspondingly, I have also heard some bad voices. Many people say that French ministers are simply useless. In the end, it is a Corsican foreigner who cares most about the French people. What's more, even Pointing the finger at the members of the royal family, including you.”

Louis XV was stunned for a brief moment in front of the dining table, and his face suddenly turned ugly. Even his powerful hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

The king turned to look at his press secretary again and asked in a deep voice: "Is this happening?"

The press secretary seemed very embarrassed, but as a loyal press officer directly subordinate to His Majesty the King, he still bravely reported the truth:

"There are indeed such comments from some citizens."

"What did you say?" Louis XV's tone was a little irritable.

"It is said that the royal family has been beating their bones and sucking their marrow for thousands of years, but they never stood up or even said a word of justice when they needed it. Instead, it was a Corsican who had just arrived and began to spread his enthusiasm and kindness to the land of France. ”

At this time, Louis XV completely understood what Madame Du Barry meant.

Originally, the government and the royal family had no plans to issue winter subsidies this year. Anyway, as long as this winter passes, the untouchables who protest and shout will gradually stop.

Even if the people are dissatisfied, it doesn't matter at all. The government and the royal family only need to turn a blind eye to the subsidy and ignore it. After the spring begins, the matter will be over. After all, the small citizens are a very forgetful class.

Except for those innocent souls who died in the wind and frost, no one will remember the winter subsidy of 1771 for a long time.

However, at this time, Laurence Bonaparte actually held a charity auction.

This almost makes it clear that he, a Corsican, is the one who really cares about the people of Paris.

Under such a backdrop and contrast, the deaf-mute city hall and the royal family appear so incompetent and indifferent, as if they have no regard for the poor who account for more than half of the population in Paris.

Although they are indeed not paying attention, no government in any country wants their disregard for the people at the bottom to be brought to the table.

In the eyes of Louis XV, after being reminded by Madame Du Barry, Lawrence's behavior this time can be summed up in one word - great achievements that shocked the master.

Lawrence held an auction to win over a large number of people's hearts, but correspondingly, Louis XV's status in the hearts of the people also dropped a lot:

The king of France did not care about his hungry and cold people, but a Corsican took the initiative to stand up. This is really sad.

Seeing the embarrassed look of Louis XV, Madame Du Barry became even more proud, but her expression was still worried, and she continued to add fuel to the fire:

"In my opinion, if Mr. Bonaparte really cares about your Majesty, he should transfer that wealth to your Majesty and distribute it to the people of Paris in your name. I think, with Mr. Bonaparte With his intelligence, it’s impossible that he didn’t think of doing this, right?”

Hearing this, Louis XV also showed a hint of anger on his face:

"This Lawrence, why is he so careless in doing things this time? It's really not his style."

"Your Majesty, philosophers all say that human nature is gradually exposed. You have known M. Bonaparte for less than a year." Madame Du Barry slandered.

"Anyway, I gotta give him a whack."

Louis XV ordered with a stern expression:

"Schedule Secretary! I have canceled the cruise schedule for tomorrow. I want to invite Laurence Bonaparte to the Tuileries Palace!"

After hearing the arrangements of Louis XV, Madame Du Barry puffed up her chest proudly, like a general returning from a victory.

"Stupid Corsican country bumpkin, the Duke of Aiguillon should have already arrived at the Paris Comédie. I really want to see with my own eyes how desolate that kid will be after he fails to please both the royal family and the people."

Madame Du Barry thought to herself, and drank the white wine in her glass triumphantly and energetically.

At about the same time, the Comédie-Paris.

This is a theater where paintings, marble and gold ornaments complement each other. Ancient Greek and Roman colonnades are perfectly integrated with Baroque and Rococo architectural styles. Both the interior decoration and the exterior architecture are extremely gorgeous.

Since the day it was built, it has been a place for the upper class to appreciate top-notch opera art.

But today, the packed house of guests was naturally not here for the art of opera. They were basically wealthy financiers or property owners from around Paris who were invited to attend this much-anticipated charity auction.

Since it was an invitation from His Excellency Bonaparte, the bourgeoisie who received the invitation had almost no reason to refuse. After all, this was also a good opportunity for them to be arty. I heard that many of the items in the auction were From the Choiseul family and royal collections.

Moreover, if you can deliberately buy a collection provided by a big noble at a high price, you might also have the opportunity to be appreciated by the other party.

There are not a few bourgeois who want to squeeze into the aristocratic circle like Mr. Montmartre. This is why they are all looking forward to this auction and have already prepared their wallets and checks.

At this time, outside the theater door.

"Invitation? Do I, Emmanuelle Armand de Venero du Plessis de Richelieu, need anything like that?"

I saw the Duke of Aiguillon looking down at a shivering guard and scolding in a cold voice:

"No one can stop me from entering the Palace of Versailles. How dare you stop me outside a theater?"

The guard couldn't express his pain, so he lowered his head and repeated over and over again:

"I'm very sorry, Your Majesty Duke, there is a charity auction to be held in the theater. If you don't have an invitation to the auction"

"That's enough, get out of here."

The Duke of Aiguillon didn't want to waste any more time and directly ordered his personal bodyguard to throw the blind guard aside.

At this time, a calm and indifferent voice was heard coming from the door:

"Your Excellency, you don't have to be so rude."

Lawrence, wearing a black tuxedo, slowly walked out of the door. It seemed that he had expected the Duke of Aiguillon to come and had been waiting here for a long time.

The Duke of Aiguillon looked at Lawrence's tuxedo and mocked playfully:

"Why, it seems that His Excellency Bonaparte is preparing to take the stage in person? I don't know how it would be appropriate for a kingdom's Prime Minister to stand on the stage as the host."

Lawrence smiled lightly and responded mercilessly:

"I heard that one of His Majesty's great interests is to hold masquerade balls. Do you also want to tell me how unbecoming it is for a king to be an actor?"

"Huh, glib." The Duke of Aiguillon snorted disdainfully, raised his chin and pointed at the Paris Comedy Theater behind Lawrence:

"But since you are holding a charity auction, your Excellency, if I want to express my kindness, I should be able to attend, right?"

Lawrence narrowed his eyes and stared at Duke Aiguillon, smiled and said nothing.

"What do you mean?" Duke Aiguillon said loudly and displeasedly, loud enough for the people around the theater to hear:

"Your Excellency, don't you want to shower kindness on the poor poor people? Are you depriving me of the opportunity to show kindness because you and I have different political opinions? If you are really wholeheartedly serving others, why do you stop me from participating in the auction to donate to the citizens? ?”

The people around him immediately cast concerned glances, and many of them were poor people from the lower classes who came specifically to watch the auction.

For these people, they don't know who Duke Aiguillon is. They only know that he is a rich lord.

Therefore, not only did they not exclude Duke Aiguillon from joining the auction, but they welcomed and looked forward to it. After all, the higher the auction turnover, the higher the subsidies the poor could receive.

However, in the face of this naked moral kidnapping, Lawrence nodded without changing his expression, followed the Duke of Aiguillon and stepped aside, smiled and extended his hand to welcome:

"No, Your Excellency Duke, I very much welcome your arrival. I'm really glad that you also want to do your part in kindness, so please come with me. The auction will start soon."

The Duke of Aiguillon was slightly startled and looked at Lawrence suspiciously.

However, he came here just to disturb the auction, so naturally he would not let this opportunity go.

The Duke of Aiguillon only allowed himself to participate in the auction if Lawrence had succumbed to the pressure of the crowd, so he followed Lawrence into the theater with his head held high, feeling complacent about his successful little trick.