From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

"Your Highness."

The Duke of Aiguillon felt as if his brain was being torn apart by some kind of sharp claws, and even the vision in front of him was as blurry as a hypoglycemic patient.

He tried everything possible, but he never thought that Crown Prince Louis and Crown Princess Mary would hide their identities and attend this charity auction. This kind of behavior has always been considered to be detrimental to the dignity of the royal family.

However, the two people standing at the door of the box on the second floor at this moment are undoubtedly Crown Prince Louis of France and Crown Princess Mary of Austria, the future king and queen.

And when he thought about what he had just done, Duke Aiguillon felt even more frightened.

It is true that as a powerful Duke of the Richelieu family, he does not need to be too afraid of the two young crown princes and crown princesses politically; both the Duke of Richelieu and the Duke of Choiseul take it for granted that He is on an equal footing with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

However, this does not mean that Duke Aiguillon can threaten to throw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince out of his box, let alone actually take action.

Once the old king of the Tuileries Palace learned of this ridiculous offense, the Duke of Aiguillon could not imagine the furious look on his majesty's face at that time.

Thinking of this, the arrogant Duke also felt that his legs were slightly weak.

Lawrence still looked helpless, sighed and patted Duke Aiguillon on the shoulder:

"Your Majesty the Duke, don't blame me for not reminding you."

"You despicable person!" Duke Aiguillon's brows were knitted into a mess, and he gritted his teeth and cursed:

"You did this on purpose, didn't you! Laurence Bonaparte!"

The frightened Duke Aiguillon did not lose his mind. He vaguely realized that his offense against Prince Louis this time was definitely not a coincidence.

"On purpose? I really don't know what you are talking about. I didn't even invite you to this auction." Lawrence spread his hands innocently and said:

"Besides, instead of arguing with me, you should think about how to explain it to His Highness."

"You! Let's see."

The Duke of Aiguillon clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles crackled, but he also knew very well that now was not the time to talk nonsense with the Corsican boy in front of him.

At this moment, it is necessary to immediately explain to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that this is a misunderstanding. Regardless of whether Crown Prince Louis accepts it or not, the Duke of Aiguillon must at least make the hundreds of witnesses present understand that this is a complete misunderstanding.

The Duke, sweating profusely, looked at Crown Prince Louis on the second floor. Feeling humiliated, he knelt down on one knee in front of hundreds of guests and hundreds of untouchables in his eyes, and gritted his teeth and said:

"Please believe me, Your Highness, this is all a joke of fate and a complete misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?" Crown Prince Louis' face was cold. This young and kind-hearted Crown Prince rarely showed such a stern expression:

"You sent people to drive me away several times, and even sent out guards. Is this a misunderstanding?"

Although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is known for his friendly and easy-going nature, he has become intolerable to the repeated provocations of the Duke of Aiguillon.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince does not have a good impression of the nobles of the Richelieu family. They insist that they were born in a purple house and rely on the ancestral glory of Cardinal Richelieu. They can be said to be the most arrogant group in the Palace of Versailles. people.

Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess on the side also frowned slightly, pouted and complained in German: "It's really barbaric."

The Duke of Aiguillon opened his mouth and wanted to say something with his eloquent eloquence, but Crown Prince Louis interrupted with an extremely impatient wave of his hand:

"That's enough, Armand. I will tell my grandfather everything about today. If you want to say anything else, just go to the Tuileries Palace and tell him in person."

Listening to the extremely cold voice of Crown Prince Louis, Duke Aiguillon trembled all over, lowered his head immediately, and responded unwillingly but helplessly:

"It's Your Highness. I would like to comply with your wishes. I don't dare to disturb Your Highness anymore, so I will take my leave first."

After that, under the surprised gaze of everyone, Duke Aiguillon stood up with difficulty, turned his head slightly and glared at Lawrence, and then he did not dare to stay for a moment, and fled with more than a dozen of his personal guards. Paris Comedy.

Seeing that the confrontation between the Duke of Aiguillon and His Excellency Bonaparte ended in this way, even the guests at the scene could not recover for a while.

And when they reacted, everyone suddenly realized that the mysterious buyer who spent seven million livres at tonight's charity auction was actually the Crown Prince of the royal family? !

"That makes sense, the owner of that box is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"No wonder I didn't leave any favors for Duke Aiguillon before. I really didn't expect that the crown prince and his wife would attend an auction. This seems to be the first time for members of the royal family, right?"

"Everything is reasonable, and only members of the royal family can afford the seven million livres."

"Wait a minute, does this mean that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince deliberately bought all the competing products at high prices just to donate more to the poor?!"

"That must be it, my God, what a kind person your highness is."

"Seven million livres is not a small amount. Even for His Highness, he is so oh my God, I am almost moved to tears by it."

"It is a great honor for us to have such a kind and kind monarch in the future."

After a heated and noisy discussion, people finally understood that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was different from those dim and decadent aristocratic ministers in the Palace of Versailles who were drunk and dreaming at the top of the pyramid.

Even during his trip to Paris, his kind-hearted Highness still cared about those who were suffering, and His Highness's concern was not just a false influence, but he actually showed his concern. A total of seven million livres came.

Even the richest bankers will gasp when they hear this figure, and if they learn that this money is going to be thrown into the slum sewers, these smart rich people will definitely scold the decision-maker as a bastard. An absolute fool.

And His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did this fool. He donated all this coveted, fascinating and crazy wealth to the poor and to those scum that were not worth mentioning in the eyes of the nobles. .

In the eyes of these bourgeoisie, money is their life, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's actions simply divided part of his soul and life to support those who should be supporting him.

Even if they, the wealthy citizens, do not get any direct benefits from this donation, when they see that the future king turns out to be such a saint worthy of admiration, any French citizen will involuntarily feel joy in his heart. .

For a moment, people's eyes looking at Crown Prince Louis were filled with overflowing praise and admiration. The most exquisite words cannot describe the respect and support for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince by the guests present at this moment.

One middle-aged investor even burst into tears over this. He excitedly waved his feathered tricorn hat and made an exaggerated bow:

"Your Highness! I greet you, my gracious Highness!"

Crown Prince Louis was stunned for a moment, and a blush of shyness appeared on his young cheeks. Then he scratched his head in embarrassment. After living in the palace for a long time, he had never experienced the feeling of being supported by people at such a close distance:

"You said so, sir."

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's shyness and humility actually made the guests love this noble monarch even more. They rushed to imitate the original investor, waving their hats in an exaggerated manner, and then bowed to Crown Prince Louis in unison, using Their actions express their support for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

"Oh God!" Crown Princess Mary looked at the people who were all leaning down and couldn't help covering her mouth in surprise.

She did not expect that her somewhat weak and incompetent husband could receive such enthusiastic support from the people.

"But it's all thanks to His Excellency Bonaparte."

Crown Princess Mary subconsciously looked at the smiling Lawrence on the stage, and couldn't help blinking twice. She knew that the driving force behind all this must still be this beloved His Excellency Bonaparte.

The cheers of the guests lasted for more than ten minutes, and Prince Louis was immersed in it and enjoyed it. He even lowered himself to shake hands and chat with some of the guests around him.

It was not until Lawrence announced that the auction was over for the second time that the guests reluctantly left the Paris Comedy Theater and began to relay the wonderful process of the auction to the reporters and onlookers waiting outside the theater. .

And backstage at the theater.

"How does it feel to be so well supported, Your Highness?" Lawrence smiled and looked at Prince Louis, who was still a little elated.

Crown Prince Louis still had the excitement just now in his expression, and he nodded repeatedly: "I can only say it's great, Lawrence, I didn't expect these people to love me so much, maybe I can really become a great king. "

"That Duke of Aiguillon is too annoying. I also want to experience what a civilian auction is like." While excited, Prince Louis did not forget the Duke who dared to offend him.

Crown Princess Mary rolled her eyes habitually: "Don't be narcissistic Auguste, you have to thank His Excellency Bonaparte. He organized this auction, and the seven million livres should be He also raised it, right?"

"You can't say that, Your Highness Mary, Your Highness Louis also contributed a lot to this auction, and this is also the fruit of his victory."

Lawrence flattered him appropriately:

"Anyway, despite the annoying bastard Duke Aiguillon's troubles, this auction was still a great success. By the way, since you took the photo of this diamond necklace in front of everyone, I will hand it over to you directly. "

With that said, Lawrence casually took out the priceless and sparkling diamond necklace from his pocket and handed it directly to Prince Louis.

Prince Louis hesitated for a moment, but did not reach out to pick it up. He said hesitantly:

"This is too valuable, and it's also your trophy. You'd better keep it for yourself, Lawrence."

"But I have promised the public to donate the necklace for auction, so naturally it will be difficult to keep it. However, if you don't mind?"

Lawrence smiled and shook his head, turning his eyes to Crown Princess Mary aside.

The Austrian little princess was already fascinated by this extremely exquisite diamond necklace, and she didn't even respond to Lawrence's inquiry immediately.

If she and Madame du Barry had anything in common, it was that both women had a penchant for lavish jewelry and residences.

This is why Queen Marie in history was called the Deficit Queen. Her spending on maintaining her luxurious life was not much inferior to Madame Du Barry at this time.

However, the current Crown Princess Marie is not the French Queen who holds financial power and has seen countless rare and exotic treasures. As a girl of only fifteen years old, she only feels that the diamond necklace in front of her is already A rare treasure.

"I think I can give it to Her Royal Highness Mary?" Lawrence handed the necklace to Crown Princess Mary:

"As long as your Highness does not dislike this ornament that once belonged to Madame Du Barry."

As soon as she finished speaking, Crown Princess Mary immediately took the necklace in surprise, and the girl's joyful smile was unreservedly displayed on her elegant chin:

"Are you serious? Mr. Bonaparte, of course I won't dislike it. It's too beautiful. That woman can't possibly tarnish such a pure and bright gem, and she doesn't deserve this necklace at all."

With that said, Crown Princess Mary quickly tied the necklace around her neck. The twenty-two diamonds reflecting the soft halo and the creamy white of Her Royal Highness Mary's chest were completely natural, as if they were tailor-made. .

Crown Princess Mary walked briskly to a floor-length mirror used by actors and admired her own appearance in the mirror against the dazzling jewels:

"I really don't know what to say. Do you really want to give me such a precious gift? I'm so happy. I owe you a big favor, M. Bonaparte."

"It's not so much a gift as it is a return to the original owner. You are the natural owner of this necklace." Lawrence praised without being humble or arrogant.

Lawrence didn't have much interest in these so-called luxury goods. In his eyes, the diamonds and colorful gems on them were nothing more than a pile of carbon elements and mineral salts.

Moreover, the current financial situation is very comfortable, and Lawrence does not need to sell this necklace for cash. So instead of putting this necklace in the safe to collect dust, it is better to take this opportunity to present it to Crown Princess Mary as a favor.

After all, Crown Princess Marie's influence is not limited to her role as the future Queen of France.

As the youngest daughter of this generation of the Habsburg dynasty, Crown Princess Mary was doted on by her brothers and sisters during her childhood, and she maintained a very close family relationship with them.

As time goes by, the new generation of children of the Habsburg family gradually emerges in Europe:

Crown Princess Mary's brother Joseph II had been crowned the new emperor of the Holy Roman Empire six years ago and ruled the empire with the assistance of his mother Maria Theresa; her sister Carolina also married Spanish Bourbon two years ago Royal marriage, becoming the King and Queen of Naples.

In addition, Crown Princess Mary's brothers and sisters can also be seen frequently in the royal families of Germany and Italy.

Therefore, if he can establish a good personal relationship with Crown Princess Mary, relying on her family ties with family members, it can provide Lawrence with many diplomatic conveniences.

Of course, the matter that Lawrence is focusing on right now is naturally not his personal relationship with Crown Princess Mary.

Getting rid of Madame Du Barry, and obtaining the assistance of Chancellor Maupe to control the entire province of Provence, and then control the entire southern France, this is the issue that Lawrence is most concerned about at the moment.

With the successful conclusion of this charity auction, Madame Du Barry's life countdown also moved forward in Lawrence's heart.

Next, we only need to wait for the supporting actors to be in place, and this final drama can be shown throughout Paris.