From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

"I, Neo Joseph-Diane, in the name of the Austrian Ambassador Plenipotentiary to France, lodge a solemn protest against the treasonous behavior of your Minister of Foreign Affairs, Caesar Gabriel!"

Prince Neo's voice was not loud, just enough to reach everyone's ears.

But the expressions of everyone who heard the sound were full of astonishment, as if what Prince Neo was speaking was not French, but an obscure and foreign language.

What exactly is going on?

The Austrian ambassador actually impeached the Duke of Choiseul's cousin, Foreign Minister Caesar Gabriel? Isn't he a good friend of the Duke of Choiseul?

You must know that the current alliance agreement between France and Austria, including the marriage of the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, are all diplomatic achievements jointly created by the two, and there was almost no dispute between the two during the cooperation and negotiation process.

What's more, the Choiseul family was originally from Germany. The Duke's father was once an advisor to the last Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Theresa's husband, Franz I, including Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe, who also served in the Austrian court. Everyone thinks that Prince Neo should be one of Duke Choiseul's strongest allies.

This sudden betrayal completely caught everyone present, including Caesar Gabriel himself.

"What?!"

Gabriel didn't understand what happened for a moment, and still stood there without making any movement, allowing the ministers in the hall to look at him in shock and confusion.

Although he did not have a close personal relationship with Prince Neo, they had always maintained a good friendship. This also made Gabriel suddenly feel like a dream, and he could not accept that such a friend had no relationship at all. Signs of betrayal.

"Why on earth is this?! Is it an instruction from Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna? No, if that's the case, there's no way I didn't receive the message."

Gabriel struggled to use the part of his brain that had not shut down to think, racking his brains to think about Prince Neo's motive for standing in the Apollo Hall at this time.

He immediately denied that this was an instruction from Austria.

After all, the Choiseul family also has many friends and former subordinates in the Austrian court. Such a major diplomatic decision cannot be completely kept secret in advance, and some news will inevitably leak out. However, Gabriel did not receive any information at all. .

"Does this mean that Prince Neo made his own decision? What on earth was he thinking? Is he conspiring with someone? Damn it, who is it?"

Gabriel gritted his teeth and stared at Prince Neo. The anger caused by Lawrence just now surged into his heart again, turning his entire face into a reddish color.

In the center of the Apollo Hall, Prince Neo stood calmly on the red velvet aisle. He did not explain too much, nor did he pay attention to the incredible whispers of the ministers on both sides. He just waited quietly for the Duke of Orleans to speak. .

Prince Neo naturally understood the doubts of the French ministers, but he also knew very well that Duke Choiseul was a powerful ally during the Louis XV period, but after the new king came to the throne, the Duke would inevitably has become a huge threat.

The reason why he agreed to cooperate with Lawrence against the Duke of Choiseul was that, in addition to the long-term purpose of helping Princess Marie Antoinette control the French court, he also had an important purpose, which was to prevent Choiseul's fanatical war. The traffickers once again dragged Austria into a major war.

Duke Choiseul's bellicosity is almost universally known. He has been carrying out military reforms and military expansion to prepare for war, and he has tried his best to advocate war to Louis XV. He hopes that before the British can digest the overseas colonies and recover their strength, he can conquer the country as soon as possible before the British recover their overseas colonies. The humiliation of defeat and the Seven Years' War is reflected on the battlefield.

Louis XV was not the only one who was disgusted with Duke Choiseul's active war-seeking behavior. Maria Theresa of Austria and her son, the new emperor Joseph II of the empire, were both disgusted with a new continental war. There is no interest in war.

Both mother and son wanted to focus their energy on the country. Austria had already been defeated by Prussia in the last two wars. They did not want to be dragged into the quagmire of war by the French again after a truce period of less than ten years. Facing Frederick the Great and his Prussian Iron Army.

Queen Theresa regarded the future alliance with France as a mutual defense agreement. She hoped that this alliance would be an umbrella for Austria's development and respite, rather than a source of disaster that would once again involve the country in war.

Although Prince Neo did not receive direct instructions from the mainland, he still understood Queen Teresa's will very clearly.

And he also very much recognized the judgment of that young man Laurence Bonaparte - the maintenance of the Franco-Austrian Alliance did not depend on the Duke of Choiseul, but on the marriage of the crown prince and the crown princess. This also meant getting rid of Choiseul. Duke Er will not damage the relationship between the two countries, which allows Prince Neo to act boldly with confidence.

"Are you going to file an impeachment against our foreign minister?"

Although the Duke of Orleans was also a little dazed, he quickly came to his senses and calmly presided over the proper process of the royal meeting:

"You also mentioned treason, what exactly is this...?"

Prince Neo nodded and said something shocking:

"That's right, Your Excellency Duke, I have obtained evidence that your foreign minister is having an affair with a British guy!"

This sentence once again caused an uproar among the ministers. The ministers looked at each other with shocked expressions that had not dissipated from just now.

An affair with the British, or in his capacity as Foreign Secretary? If this charge is proven, it will be an out-and-out felony. Even if Gabriel is the cousin of the Duke of Choiseul, he will probably be held responsible.

"This." The Duke of Orleans couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead. He didn't expect that this routine meeting, which was supposed to be ordinary, would turn into such a stir.

Now he had no choice but to look at Gabriel in embarrassment and asked according to the procedure:

"Gabriel, what are your accusations against Prince Neo."

"That's nonsense!"

Before the Duke of Orleans could finish asking, Caesar Gabriel growled impatiently:

"Am I having an affair with the British? I have never heard a joke more ridiculous than this. Your Highness, I have never had any enmity with you. Please don't openly slander me like this, otherwise I will also file a complaint with your Ministry of Foreign Affairs." We solemnly protest and request a new ambassador to France.”

"Hmph, let your country investigate whether it is slander or not."

Prince Neo did not look at the angry Gabriel, but directly took out a stack of documents and handed them to an attendant beside him. The attendant stepped forward and handed the evidence to the Duke of Orleans, and explained:

"I have conducted investigations through my own private network and am now convinced that your country's Foreign Secretary accepted bribes from the British to proactively make concessions to the British in many diplomatic negotiations. Several of these negotiations seriously damaged our country's interests. Of course, the losses suffered are even greater. The biggest one should be your country.”

The Duke of Orleans bit the bullet and accepted the evidence documents presented by Prince Neo, many of which were private letters.

The theme of the above content is also very concise and clear, nakedly recording the instructions issued by the British Embassy to Caesar Gabriel, as well as the amount of each bribe. Each letter is also vividly printed with Gabriel's personal seal. It's just that the naked eye cannot tell whether the seal is authentic or fake.

"this"

The Duke of Orleans frowned and read several letters. To be honest, his first instinct told him that these letters were forgeries.

After all, no matter how powerful an Austrian ambassador is, it is impossible to obtain the original letters of the French Foreign Minister and the British. What's more, the contents of these letters are too explicit, as if they were written by Gabriel himself on the letter paper. Just like saying "I am a corrupt traitor".

"let me see!"

Gabriel jumped up to the throne angrily, took the letter from the Duke of Orleans, and as soon as he read one, he couldn't help but sneered and shouted:

"Your Highness, are you sure this is the so-called evidence? The handwriting on it is not even remotely similar to my handwriting, and this seal, I can tell that it is a forgery without any identification. My personal seal is actually One corner is missing, didn’t you notice?”

The ministers were even more puzzled and looked at the prince one after another, wondering what he wanted to do.

"I have submitted the evidence, and it is up to your country to determine whether it is true or false."

Prince Neo said calmly:

"In addition, in addition to these letters, I also have a piece of evidence here, which is from the Paris Stock Exchange. I happened to find that you have a large number of securities assets of unknown origin in your name, and they are completely consistent with the bribe amounts in these letters. "

With that said, Prince Neo presented a document again, looked at the frowning Gabriel with a smile, and said with a smile:

"You said those letters were forged, but this property declaration certificate came from an official agency in your country. How do you explain it?"

"What?! What securities assets? I have never touched anything like that."

Before the Duke of Orleans could check it, Gabriel took the lead and grabbed the property certificate. He looked at the assets listed on it with a pale face, and his voice became lower and lower:

"How can this be"

The Duke of Orleans on the side sighed worriedly. His intuition once again told him that this certification document might be true, but Caesar Gabriel would never have these so-called securities assets in his name.

After all, the Duke of Orleans also knew the Choiseul family very well and knew that traditional nobles like them, especially the big nobles, basically had no interest in the financial industry, let alone purchasing so many securities assets under their names.

What's more, even if Gabriel did accept these bribes, he wouldn't be stupid enough to put all these securities in his own name.

Of course, there are only a handful of people who are as keen as the Duke of Orleans. Most of the ministers still looked at the official certificate in Gabriel's hand in shock, secretly wondering whether the cousin of the Duke of Choiseul was really a embezzler? !

"It's a false accusation full of mistakes, but why would Prince Neo do this? Could it be!"

The Duke of Orleans was deep in thought, his pupils suddenly trembled, and he whispered to himself:

"Isn't the Austrian ambassador the only one involved in this conspiracy? The only minister who has been close to them recently is the Paris Stock Exchange!"

Almost at the same time, the Duke of Orleans and Caesar Gabriel thought of going together.

The foreign minister suddenly turned his head after a very brief daze, staring closely at Lawrence in the crowd as if it had nothing to do with him, his voice was low and filled with anger:

"Laurence Bonaparte. I remember that you are very familiar with the chairman of the Paris Stock Exchange. If I remember correctly, it was my brother who introduced you to meet. How did you have the courage to use such a little trick to frame me?! "

As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was shocked again.

Did His Excellency Bonaparte also take part in this impeachment incident? ! Shouldn't he also be a retainer of the Duke of Choiseul? !

Lawrence just shook his head pretending to be confused:

"What on earth are you talking about? This seems to be an internal matter of your Ministry of Foreign Affairs. How can it have anything to do with me?"

Although Lawrence's performance was flawless, after Gabriel's reminder, all the ministers also woke up. Since His Excellency Bonaparte is very familiar with the Paris Stock Exchange, he may be involved in today's incident. Participation.

At least, the property certificate submitted by Prince Neo is very likely to have something to do with His Excellency Bonaparte. After all, it is almost impossible for an Austrian ambassador to obtain a forged certificate issued by the official.

"Is Monsignor Bonaparte about to start showing his fangs on the French political stage?"

This is also the first thought in the minds of many ministers:

"It's just that there seems to be a problem with Your Excellency Bonaparte's target selection. Caesar Gabriel is the Duke's cousin. What threat can such a little trick pose to him?"

On the throne, Gabriel pointed at Lawrence angrily and shouted:

"Stop pretending to me, you"

"Enough! Gabriel!" The Duke of Orleans frowned, interrupting his roar, and placed the imperial scepter in his hand across Gabriel's chest:

"This is a royal meeting. You must not be rude in front of His Majesty!"

Gabriel reluctantly glanced at the scepter that symbolized the king's authority, gritted his teeth and threw down the certification documents in his hand, and returned to the team without saying a word.

Upon seeing this, Prince Neo also returned to his position, leaving everything to the Duke of Orleans as regent to handle, and at the same time said silently in his heart:

"Okay, Your Excellency Bonaparte, my mission has been completed. Let me see how you fight against the cousin of Duke Choiseul."

There was a brief silence in the Apollo Hall. The Duke of Orleans stared at the pieces of evidence that could be called a joke in his hand, thinking about the next countermeasures.

Although these evidences are ridiculous, after all, this is a formal impeachment made by Prince Neo in the name of the Austrian Ambassador. Even if the status of the prince himself is not considered, the Duke of Orleans cannot ignore it just thinking about the close relationship between the two countries.

Of course, he could not convict Caesar Gabriel based on these documents alone. Although he was the regent, he did not have the power to resign a cabinet minister with a word.

After thinking for a moment, the Duke of Orleans had no choice but to make a compromise choice and announced loudly:

"His Royal Highness the Prince has filed an impeachment application and submitted the corresponding evidence. Ministers, you will now vote in front of the emperor to decide whether to investigate the crimes of Foreign Minister Caesar Gabriel."

After hearing the regent's decision, Caesar Gabriel sneered proudly. Since there was going to be a vote, this playful impeachment would not have any impact on him. After all, many of the ministers standing here were Shu. A member of the Vasser faction.

Prince Neo didn't care after hearing this and just nodded lightly.

He can also understand the Duke of Orleans' decision not to offend anyone. This is equivalent to telling himself:

"I have received your impeachment application and handled it in accordance with standard procedures. However, if our ministers vote not to investigate, it has nothing to do with me as the regent."

After symbolically confirming that there was no objection, the Duke of Orleans said loudly:

"So, please raise your hands if you agree with an investigation into the foreign secretary."

After the words fell, the Duke of Orleans' echo continued to vibrate and refract in the Apollo Hall, gradually becoming calmer.

However, the ministers below acted as if they were indifferent and did not hear this order. They did not take any action at all. Even the members of Richelieu's faction chose to stand still in suspicion and did not make any statement.

There were also a few ministers in the middle who tried to raise their right hands obediently, but within three seconds of raising their arms in the air, they were glared down by Caesar Gabriel's furious gaze.

Caesar Gabriel turned his head and glared at Lawrence even more proudly, declaring his victory with a contemptuous look, as if to say:

"Boy, your methods are so immature that they are worth mentioning."

The Duke of Orleans was relieved when he saw this. In this way, at least the royal meeting could be concluded here.

Prince Neo's face remained unchanged, and he still smiled lightly, but looked at Lawrence with more interest, and thought to himself:

"What is your back-up plan, Your Excellency Bonaparte? This meeting is about to end."

"Ahem."

The Duke of Orleans cleared his throat, still symbolically assigned the attendants in the throne room to tally the voting results, and then solemnly announced word by word in front of everyone:

"Thus, after a public vote by the Ministers of State, I declare in the name of the Prince Regent that we have decided not to accept the impeachment request of Prince Neo, Caesar Gabriel, the Minister of Foreign Affairs."

Caesar Gabriel's smile grew wider, Prince Neo's eyes almost narrowed to a straight line, and Lawrence remained like a bystander, looking at the Duke of Orleans expressionlessly, only using the corners of his eyes from time to time. Look towards the door of the throne room.

And at this critical moment, a loud shout from the gate suddenly interrupted the Duke of Orleans' announcement:

"Please slow down!"

The ministers were startled again and quickly turned their heads to look, only to see a royal envoy appearing at the gate at some unknown time.

The envoy was followed closely by four royal guards holding halberds and swords. Before anyone could react, the four guards rushed straight into the throne room and directly killed the bewildered Gabriel. You pushed him to the ground and tied him up instantly.

"Damn bastards, do you know who I am!" Caesar Gabriel was stunned for a moment, and then yelled in disbelief. He could not imagine that a cabinet minister of his would be treated so roughly in the Palace of Versailles. :

"I'm here for a meeting, what are you going to do!"

The royal envoy met the gazes of the ministers, slowly walked across the aisle, stood in front of the empty silver throne, held up the heavy parchment in his hand, and read aloud:

"His Majesty the King decrees that Foreign Minister Cesare Gabriel is immediately relieved of all duties, and a joint investigative committee is formed by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Paris Stock Exchange, and the Paris High Court to conduct a thorough investigation into his charges of corruption and treason. During the investigation, Cesare Gabriel was imprisoned in the Bastille under the highest standards, and he was not allowed to leave; the custody was handled by the Royal Guards, and all orders were carried out immediately. "

After the edict was announced, not only the ministers in the throne room, but also Gabriel himself and the Duke of Orleans were stunned and did not recover for a long time.

Even the unfathomable Prince Neo couldn't help but have a moment of surprise on his face. He looked at Lawrence even more intensely and recited excitedly:

"So that's it. The king of France is already planning to attack Choiseul. No wonder, no wonder. Lawrence Bonaparte is really a mastermind of killing people with a borrowed knife."

As for other ministers, they also sorted out the situation at the scene after a brief shock:

Is it true that His Majesty the King's eyes are still fixed on the Palace of Versailles? !

Everything that just happened in the throne room must not have escaped the eyes of Louis XV, and after His Majesty the King learned of Prince Neo's impeachment, he directly dismissed a cabinet minister and imprisoned him. This is completely unexpected. It exceeded the expectations of the ministers.

Is His Majesty the King's move to maintain friendly relations with Austria and appease Prince Neo, or does this edict actually have a deeper meaning?

When they thought of this, the ministers instantly felt a chill on their backs, and their backs could not help but shiver.

They vaguely anticipated that France's political situation, which had been peaceful for several months, would finally change, and those undercurrents might soon surface.

Caesar Gabriel, who fell to the ground, obviously had no time to think about this. At this moment, he still did not accept this cruel reality. He just stared blankly at Lawrence Poe, who was looking down at him in disbelief. Nabal.

Lawrence calmly lowered his head and looked at Gabriel, and then looked away from his former ally without any emotion.

The political stage is so cruel. Although Gabriel gave Lawrence a lot of help in the establishment of the Corsican embassy and the Paris riots, Lawrence must let him end from this ruthless stage.

The limp Gabriel was dragged out of the throne room by four guards. His face was pale and he had not yet realized how could Laurence Bonaparte, a Corsican, be able to kill himself. The foreign secretary was brought down.

When the foreign minister suddenly came to his senses, he was already in a prison van being taken to the Bastille:

Laurence Bonaparte was indeed incapable of dealing with himself. All he did was hand a knife to His Majesty the King.

No matter how inferior the forged evidence and documents are, no matter how absurd Prince Neo's impeachment seems, it doesn't matter. What His Majesty the King needs is just a legitimate reason to kill someone with a knife, and just a way to eliminate the Choiseul faction from the cabinet. A reasonable excuse for the member.

The person who really sentenced him to political death was not this damn Corsican, but his Majesty the King who lived deep in his palace and was bedridden, but he kept a close eye on the palace and government affairs.

Gabriel's face was pale in the prison car, he looked up to the sky and sighed:

"Has the king started to take action, Laurence Bonaparte? The king is using this Corsican. Or is it the Corsican who is using the king?"

These thoughts were irrelevant at this moment, and Gabriel could only place all his hopes on his brother, the powerful Duke of Choiseul.

Regardless of the final outcome of the struggle between the Duke and the King, the former Foreign Minister must temporarily leave the French political stage.

In the Apollo Hall, Lawrence watched closely as Gabriel was taken away from the throne room by four guards. Watching their figures disappear into the corridor of the Venus Hall, Lawrence was slightly relieved.

It seems that His Majesty the King on the sick bed also tacitly understood his intention and directly took advantage of the situation to get rid of the most important chess piece placed by Choiseul in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Through this tacit cooperation, Lawrence believed that he had revealed to His Majesty the King his intention to confront the Duke of Choiseul.

And then, it’s up to Lawrence to collect his reward.

"Your Excellency the Duke!"

Lawrence took the initiative to stand out of the queue and proposed to the Duke of Orleans on the stage:

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' responsibilities are of paramount importance. Such a large department cannot be left without an owner for a day. Now that Caesar Gabriel has been relieved of his duties, we now urgently need a new Foreign Secretary."

The Duke of Orleans seemed to have not yet reacted to the sudden order. He was stunned for a moment before nodding his head and looking at Lawrence with a complicated expression:

"That's true, but there are not many talents who can take on this important task. Do you have a suitable candidate?"

At this point, the Duke of Orleans also figured out the true intention of Lawrence and Louis XV - to take back the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from Choiseul.

Lawrence did not pretend to be mysterious, and directly stated the only candidate in front of everyone, and he was also the only candidate in His Majesty's heart:

"Charles Gravier, Count Vergenin."

Hearing this name, the ministers couldn't help but burst into discussion:

"Gravier? Choiseul's bitter enemy in the diplomatic community?"

"Hiss, is that so?"

"His qualifications are indeed consistent. No, it should be said that he is the only qualified candidate in this situation."

The Duke of Orleans also understood the name instantly. After all, he was qualified to see the shadow cabinet list.

The Duke nodded solemnly, did not vote on the ministers, looked directly at the royal envoy just now and said:

"I would like to ask you to inform Your Majesty that for the vacant post of Foreign Minister, we and my ministers recommend Count Vergenin to fill it."

The royal envoy nodded slightly with a solemn expression, then left the Apollo Hall and walked quickly to the king's suite.

Half an hour later, there was an ordinary reception room in the side hall of the Palace of Versailles.

"Hoo ho, relax, Ciel"

Although he kept saying to relax, Count Vergenin still stayed in this small small room nervously. Every few dozen seconds he would take out his pocket watch to look at the time and mutter a few words worriedly:

"The imperial meeting should have ended early. What is going on in the Apollo Hall?"

Early this morning, Count Vergenin rushed to the Palace of Versailles along with the ministers of state attending the meeting.

However, his former ambassador, who had been dismissed long ago, was not qualified to participate in the meeting.

Even because he had been abroad all year round since he was twenty years old, the servants and courtiers in the Palace of Versailles did not quite recognize this diplomat's name, and they reluctantly placed him there because of his title of earl. This is a cramped, remote and dusty waiting room.

Of course, as a "foreigner" in the mouth of the nobles, Count Vergenin has long been accustomed to these cold looks and discrimination.

The only issue he is concerned about now is whether the promise that Bonaparte made to himself three days ago can be fulfilled.

Foreign Minister, this position is undoubtedly a powerful one even in the cabinet. Count Vergenin has doubted more than once that he, a former ambassador who is almost at the end of his rope, really has a chance to touch the supreme scepter. .

You know, even Monsignor Bonaparte's own status is probably about the same as that of the Foreign Minister. Can he really make it to the top in one step?

And as time passed by, Count Vergenin's suspicions deepened step by step, and his hopes were gradually dashed.

After a long while, he put away his pocket watch dejectedly and smiled bitterly to himself:

"Well, the meeting is probably over long ago, and I should go back."

Bang bang bang!

Just as Count Vergenin was tasting the disappointment with a bitter look on his face, someone suddenly knocked hard on the door of the reception room.

Before he could say the word "please come in", the people outside pushed the door open impatiently.

The visitor was a palace official, and judging from his clothing, Count Vergenin could be sure that he was a senior courtier at the executive level.

Behind the palace director were several servants who had just been responsible for receiving Count Vergenin.

These servants had used their small power to give Count Vergenin a lot of cold looks and expressions just now, but at this moment, their expressions were very subtle, mixed with a bit of obvious fear.

"Oh my God! I finally found you."

The palace director was panting and seemed to have been running all the way to find the Count of Vergenin.

He frowned and looked at the reception room where Count Vergenin was, and immediately said angrily to the servants:

"You idiots, you actually put Mr. Gravier in a place like this utility room! I really can't wait to...!"

As he said that, the supervisor clenched his fists and was about to wave to the head of the leading servant.

Count Vergenin stepped forward in panic to stop the other party, and repeatedly tried to dissuade him:

"It doesn't have to be like this, Your Excellency. I'm fine here, and I'm not an adult. Just call me Mr. Gravier."

The palace manager quickly bowed with utmost respect and said quickly and respectfully:

"No, I have to call you sir. This is etiquette. There is no time for nonsense. Please come with me immediately. His Majesty the King can't wait any longer."

Count Vergenin was stunned and subconsciously asked: "Your Majesty the King?"

"The former Foreign Minister Caesar Gabriel has been dismissed. After the recommendation of the minister and the appointment of His Majesty, you are now the new Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of France."

The palace supervisor ignored Count Vergenin's jaw that could not close up for a long time and said seriously:

"Please follow me immediately to see His Majesty for a briefing unless you intend to refuse this appointment."

"The new foreign minister?"

A strong sense of dizziness made Count Vergenin almost unable to think for a while, as if he had drank five glasses of whiskey in one breath, making him feel as if he was in a dreamlike trance.

Monsignor Bonaparte, did he really do it? !

"In other words, I" Count Vergenin's voice couldn't stop trembling, and he spoke incoherently to confirm to the palace supervisor that this was not an empty dream of joy:

"I'm going to be in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs now?"

The palace manager looked solemn and gave him the final confirmation in the most serious tone:

"Yes, Minister."