Shadow of great britain

Sunlight penetrates the French classical style building of the Paris Academy of Sciences, filling it with solemn and ancient cornices, pilasters, pediments, and reliefs, like golden strings playing the melody of time.

From the moment he entered the French Institute, which brought together the best talents in various fields in France, Arthur noticed the unique architectural style here. There is a bit of Baroque charm, but it strictly follows the five classical column layouts of ancient Rome, whether it is Doric, Roman Ionic, Roman Corinthian, Tuscan or mixed Model samples can be found here.

Its solemn form and grand scale demonstrate France's national strength, religious authority and social hierarchy as the hegemonic country on the European continent, and express the French people's social values ​​of pursuing rationality, order and unity.

Although Descartes has passed away, his rationalist thoughts still remind visitors here through the form of architecture - art should be rational and completely independent of experience, feeling, habits and tastes. What is important in art is that the structure should be as clear and logical as mathematics.

It is ironic to say that this philosophical master and scientific giant who initiated the trend of rationalism and proposed "I think, therefore I am" was never widely recognized by French society during his lifetime. Due to the church's obstruction, when he died, only a few friends attended his funeral.

His works were even included in the banned books list by the French government and the Vatican. It was not until 1740 that France announced the lifting of publishing restrictions on Descartes's works.

And the reason why they lifted the ban is even more ridiculous. The lifting of the restriction was not because the French government suddenly accepted Descartes's ideas, but to use Descartes' theory to counter the theory established by Isaac Newton that was popular in France at that time. world system.

The French government believes that rather than letting the people accept the British system passed from across the Channel, it is better to pick out the things of Descartes, a madman, from the pile of old papers.

Although Descartes is very unpopular with the government, he has been dead for almost 100 years after all, so at least he will not come up with something new that is not tolerated by the government.

Therefore, in the eyes of the government, the living Descartes was definitely an out-and-out rebel, but the dead Descartes was a great man of the entire French nation, ten thousand times better than the petty Isaac Newton across the channel.

Even if Newton's things are correct, they were inspired by Descartes. No matter which dimension you look at, the wisdom of the French nation is absolutely superior to the group of shadowy longbowmen on the other side of the strait who can only make sneak attacks with hidden arrows.

You ask me, why does Arthur know these things?

That's because on the way to the lecture hall, this shadowy longbowman from across the strait had already tried his best to ask questions in order to prevent Liouville from taking out the carefully prepared paper on transcendental functions.

For this reason, he was even willing to reluctantly admit the superiority of the French nation.

Or at least recognize their national superiority in mathematics.

However, although Liouville was flattered by Arthur, as if he was on the top of the clouds, he obviously did not understand what it meant to become the Assistant Commissioner of Police at Scotland Yard at the age of 23, let alone why this thief joined the army. He would suddenly be assigned to Hanover by Whitehall Street, and he didn't know what the second secretary in charge of cultural exchanges in the British Foreign Office's embassy abroad did.

Of course, the most important thing is that he obviously underestimated the sinister intentions and dark nature of the English longbowmen.

No matter how warm the sunshine in Paris was, it could not cure Sir Arthur Hastings from the 'old rheumatism' he contracted in London.

Liouville only thought that this British lord was a really interesting person. He was not only well-informed, but also had a wide range of interests. This lord's love for Paris and France seemed to come from his heart.

He almost had these three sentences tattooed on his body: 'I love France from the bottom of my heart, our France is so great, my France is great'.

It's always nice to hear someone compliment one's country, let alone one who is a Briton of some standing.

Liouville was flattered by the British Lord's praise. As for Arthur, he didn't gain anything.

Because he seems to have accidentally discovered some kind of secret code for quickly establishing a good relationship with foreigners. This wealth code is as useful as ever whether it was 200 years ago or 200 years later.

Liouville soon came to regard Arthur as a friend, and when he discovered that Arthur was curious about all kinds of interesting things about the French Society, he even talked about everything.

"Yes, that's right. Only the most outstanding scholars can be elected as academicians of the French Academy. But they are not the highest-status people in the entire French Academy. Among the five academies of the French Academy, the highest-status one is actually the Académie Française. Academicians and academicians of the Academy can enjoy the same treatment as members of the royal family. In France, the public believes that being elected as an academician of the French Academy is the highest honor a person can receive.

When they hold grand meetings and ceremonies, they must wear the famous "green uniform" and sleeveless robes, wear a two-cornered hat, and hold a unique sword of their own design to show the dignity and majesty of the academicians. This set of rules is It was established when Napoleon was the First Consul and has not changed until now.

What is the difference between members of the French Academy and the Academy of Sciences, you ask? Haha, first of all, the number of academicians is different. There are 40 academicians in the Academy. They are all lifelong. Only when one dies can a replacement be elected by the academicians of the academy. Because of this rule, many very famous figures were not awarded the title of academician in their lifetime. Because of this, all academicians have a special title - Immortals.

Secondly, academicians of the Academy of Sciences only need to make breakthroughs in natural philosophy research to be elected. Most people elected as academicians of the Academy of Sciences cannot be elected as academicians, but natural philosophers who are elected as academicians will definitely be elected. Academician of the Academy of Sciences.

Yes, you guessed it right, all the scientists elected as academicians of the Academy of Sciences are the most outstanding guys among the academicians of our Academy of Sciences, such as Laplace and Fourier. The same principle applies to the French Academy of Letters, the Academy of Arts and the Academy of Humanities. The guys who were elected as academicians of the French Academy are also the top ones, such as Corneille, Racine, Voltaire and Montesquieu.

The reason why the Academy is so special is that since Cardinal Richelieu established the Academy, he has given it a unique historical mission. The academicians of the Academy must work hard to standardize and clarify the French language and make it It becomes the common heritage of all French people and all people who speak French. So it is natural that only the most outstanding people in various fields in the current era can be elected as academicians.

Do you think I might be elected as an academician in the future? ah! Sir, I appreciate your kind wishes, but for me, this goal is just too far out of reach. You know, even Mr. Cauchy and Mr. Poisson have not been elected to the ranks of academicians of the Academy of Sciences, and after them, there are still more people lined up in the Academy of Sciences than can be counted on two hands.

This is only from the Academy of Sciences. If you include the geniuses from the Academy of Humanities, the Academy of Arts and the School of Liberal Arts, then this queue can literally stretch from the Pont des Arts to the Louvre. Where can I get my turn? By the way, I almost forgot about those politicians, there are quite a few among them who want to become ‘immortals’…”

At this point, Liouville suddenly stopped. He tugged Arthur's sleeve a little, and said in a low voice to him: "Sir, have you seen the short gentleman in a tuxedo in front of you?"

Arthur raised his head and soon spotted the guy Liouville described.

Although in the 19th century, due to nutrition, people were generally not very tall, but no matter how short the average height was, a man in his thirties who was only 1.5 meters still stood out in a crowd.

Moreover, anyone who knows France knows that most of the dwarves in France are not good people.

Arthur nodded slightly and said, "Is this gentleman a big shot?"

Liouville said in a deep voice: "I remember you said that you majored in history at the University of London, so you must have read "History of the French Revolution", right? This short gentleman is the author of "History of the French Revolution", He is also the current President of the Council of France - Mr. Louis-Adolphe Thiers. He is currently a very high-ranking candidate for academician of the French Academy."

As soon as Arthur heard the name, the corners of his eyes couldn't stop twitching.

Of course he had read "The History of the French Revolution", and he had read it long before studying at the University of London, so he also knew very well who Mr. Thiers was. However, compared to Thiers's ups and downs of life and "History of the French Revolution", Arthur was most impressed by Thiers's other book "History of the Consuls and the History of the French Empire".

In that book, Mr. Thiers vividly and vividly created the image of Napoleon as the God of War and the unstoppable French army.

However, perhaps because of Mr. Thiers' ordinary military knowledge and professional nature as a reporter, he also brought in the habit of exaggerating when writing history, so that he often confused cavalry squadrons and companies. The difference was so great that in the Battle of Eylau, there was even a famous scene in which Murat led thousands of cavalry to charge at a critical moment to save the entire army from danger.

But aside from these minor flaws, at least Mr. Thiers' writing is quite good and the story is very exciting. From the perspective of a historical writer, he can definitely be called a success.

Of course, the most valuable thing about Thiers is not his ability in literary creation, but that as the son of a merchant sailor, he was able to break into the political arena entirely on his own in the hierarchical French society. A piece of sky.

Although people like Victor Hugo once swore that they would become Chateaubriand or achieve nothing, but if they want to transform from a romantic scholar to a political figure like Chateaubriand, It's not that easy.

However, this is the goal that even Hugo failed to achieve, but Thiers achieved it.

Arthur was thinking about these things. Unexpectedly, before he could recover, he heard the sound of footsteps in his ears.

When he raised his head, the short Thiers was already in front of him. This versatile and lively little gentleman took off his hat and greeted him politely: "You must be Arthur Hastings." Jazz?"

Arthur said in surprise: "You know me?"

Seeing that Arthur did not deny it, Thiers replied with a rather proud smile: "I don't know you, but I guess you are."

As a detective, Arthur asked with great interest: "Why did you guess so accurately?"

"It's very simple."

Thiers said: "First of all, your Flacque dress is currently a popular style in London. You have pale skin, tall body, big eyes, but the color of your pupils is lighter, and your face shape is very different from that of the French. This Secondly, I received news from the Academy of Sciences that a knight from England is going to award Mr. Poisson the Copley Medal of the Royal Society. Finally, I heard from Lord Talleyrand’s niece that she. My uncle's old friend, Sir Arthur Hastings, who has a scar at the corner of his eye, has already left for Paris. His old friend is my friend, so I came here specially to wait for your visit today. "

"Ah..." Arthur's tone suddenly became playful: "So you are also a friend of Mr. Talleyrand?"

Thiers said modestly: "I dare not say that I am friends with Lord Talleyrand, but I am indeed one of the young people who was promoted by him. Are you available later today? Or are you available at any time these days? It doesn’t matter what time you have. As the host, I have to show my kindness as a landlord.”

Arthur nodded and said, "Of course, I am honored to be invited by you."

Thiers received a positive reply from Arthur, so he smiled and exchanged greetings with him before saying goodbye in a hurry.

"I still have to go to the dean's office of the college. So, I'll see you later when the awards are given. I hope you have a nice day."

Liouville was slightly relieved when he saw Thiers walking away.

Thiers' attention to Arthur also brought the assistant professor of the Academy of Sciences to a higher level of evaluation of Arthur. He exclaimed: "I didn't expect that you actually knew Talleyrand. No wonder Mr. Thiers wanted to give him a banquet." and you?"

When Arthur heard this, he took the opportunity to inquire: "Does Mr. Thiers have a close relationship with Talleyrand?"

Liouville nodded: "Before the Bourbon dynasty fell, Talleyrand couldn't bear to see Chateaubriand, a romantic poet, occupying his seat as foreign minister, and he was even more opposed to the attacks provoked by Chateaubriand. The Spanish Revolutionary Intervention War. At that time, there were many people like Talleyrand who opposed the intervention war, but Mr. Thiers was the only reporter who dared to cross the Pyrenees Mountains to visit Spain.

He wrote reports about what he saw and heard in Spain and sent them back to China. The appalling battlefield news and bloody war records made everyone understand the cruelty of intervening in the war. Mr. Thiers even increased the bombardment. The Bourbon government and Foreign Minister Chateaubriand thus fueled the opposition.

So Talleyrand naturally noticed Mr. Thiers, who was still a reporter at the time, and Talleyrand's niece... ahem, also very... um, admired Mr. Thiers. He is indeed a lucky man in every way. In addition, Mr. Thiers' "History of the French Revolution" became an instant hit in Paris, and public opinion for his election as an academician of the French Academy was also rampant, so his weight among Talleyrand's faction naturally became even greater. .

Not only that, General Lafayette also valued him very much and even paid for him to run a newspaper. After the July Revolution broke out, Mr. Thiers was the first person to find Louis Philippe, who was still the Duke of Orleans at the time. It was under his persuasion that Louis Philippe made up his mind to return to Paris, and finally The one who ascended the throne. Because of this, he became the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Finance immediately after the July Revolution, and now he is the President of the Council of Ministers. "

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but think of what Talleyrand had said to him. He couldn't help but smile: "I originally thought that what Mr. Talleyrand said was only directed at London, but now It seems that even Paris has been turned upside down. A Yorkshire swineherd is a diplomat and a sailor's son is president of the Council. It is indeed a new era."