From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

"Madame du Barry is here, grandfather."

At the entrance of the Throne Room, Crown Prince Louis held Crown Princess Mary's arm with a determined expression, and slowly walked into this magnificent hall under the escort of several halberd guards.

His Highness the Crown Prince's steps were steady and solemn. Although there was a slight trace of nervousness on his taut cheeks, the anger and cold expression were enough to completely cover up the tension in His Highness the Crown Prince's heart.

Behind the couple, closely followed a beautiful woman with dull eyes like a walking zombie.

She followed Prince Louis step by step, almost being dragged on the ground by the two guards beside her, as if her entire body was no longer controlled by her soul.

Even her mouth was tightly sealed with a piece of cloth, causing her to keep whimpering meaninglessly.

Although His Majesty the King and all the courtiers almost did not recognize this woman who looked like a madwoman, there is no doubt that this unkempt and dirty woman is exactly what His Majesty the King and all the courtiers around him are desperately looking for. Countess du Barry.

The courtiers, including Caesar Gabriel, stared at the woman on the ground who was as miserable as a prisoner.

They simply could not believe that the most beautiful rose in the court, the dazzling and alluring Countess Du Barry, would be reduced to this state. I am afraid that even a broad-waisted peasant woman would be worse than Madame Du Barry at this time. Be more charming.

"Auguste.? Antoinette, you. Jeanne!"

And Louis XV was stunned on the spot. No matter what, he never imagined that Jeanne Bequ, whom he loved most, would appear here together with his most beloved grandson.

Seeing the majestic and cold appearance of Crown Prince Louis, Louis XV almost didn't realize immediately that this was his introverted and timid grandson, the shy and timid Crown Prince in the public mind.

If in normal times, Louis XV would have drunk three glasses of champagne excitedly when he saw his grandson showing such a majestic and solemn side.

But at this moment, seeing the Crown Prince and his wife appear with disheveled Madame Du Barry, the thoughts that had been in chaos in His Majesty's heart turned into a complete mess.

He didn't understand when Madame Du Barry came to the Tuileries Palace, why he didn't receive any news at all, why Louis-Auguste appeared with Madame Du Barry, and his woman What on earth did he go through to end up in such a miserable state?

Countless questions penetrated Louis XV's brain like sharp swords. He clutched his forehead tightly with a splitting headache, looked at Prince Louis and asked:

"Auguste, Antoinette, why are you with Jeanne?"

Prince Louis took a step forward, bowed his head respectfully and solemnly, and said:

"Grandpa, I happened to meet Madame Du Barry when she came back, and I happened to have some questions I wanted to ask her, so I chatted with her for a while."

"Question?" Louis XV asked subconsciously.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince clenched his fists, and even his nails could not help but dig into his flesh. He turned his head and glared at Madame Du Barry with undisguised hatred, then took a deep breath to calm down his anger, lowered his head and said:

"Perhaps you have heard about Madame Du Barry's misappropriation of the second subsidy, the seven million livres that Laurence and I donated together at the Comédie-de-France."

Lawrence on the side nodded seriously in agreement, and in addition to his serious expression, when Lawrence saw the anger of Crown Prince Louis as expected, an imperceptible smile also appeared on the corner of his mouth.

As soon as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince finished speaking, Madame Du Barry on the ground immediately twisted her body desperately to attract Louis XV's attention.

She shook her head in horror, and while whimpering pitifully, she looked at His Majesty the King pitifully, trying to prove that she was innocent.

But Louis XV stood there as if struck by lightning, seemingly unable to recover from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's narration. He looked at Madame Du Barry blankly and asked slowly:

"You Jeanne, do you really have that seven million livres?"

Having said this, combined with the banners of the protesters he had just witnessed in the stands outside, Louis XV also vaguely guessed what the cause of this riot that surrounded the entire Tuileries Palace was.

And the old king knew even more clearly that if Madame Du Barry really misappropriated the seven million livres, it would be an extremely serious crime. Even if he wanted to protect Madame Du Barry, he would probably have to go through a process. A troublesome operation.

After all, this is not just as simple as seven million livres. Although this number is indeed not low, it is nothing to the king of France. It is nothing more than tilting the kingdom's financial revenue towards the royal family.

However, the political significance of these seven million is far more than that. This is a donation personally declared by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and will be used directly to relieve his future people.

If Madame Du Barry really misappropriated the money, her crime would be more than just corruption. This would be a slap in the face of the entire royal family and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

The citizens of Paris, and even the people of the entire kingdom and even foreign countries will question whether this so-called 7 million high-priced donation is a scam. Could it be that the wealth within the royal family is actually transferred from left hand to right hand.

No wonder His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had such a rare outburst of anger. Even though His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is young and cowardly, he is still the crown prince of the entire French Kingdom. He will never tolerate a woman whom he regards as a moth in the country but dares to slap him in the face. face.

At this moment, Dean Edmund on the side also added in a timely manner:

"Your Majesty, as I just said, the reason why the High Court was forced to try Madame Du Barry was also related to this matter."

Louis XV turned his head slowly and mechanically to glance at Dean Edmund, suddenly waved his hand, pointed weakly at Lawrence and said:

"No, I don't want to hear what you said, Lawrence, you said you happened to be in the Palace of Justice at that time? I want to hear you tell the whole story."

Lawrence also knew that this was because Louis XV did not trust Dean Edmund, so he added seriously:

"Yes, Your Majesty, I was with Justice Maupp to discuss the upcoming coronation ceremony of the Crown of Corsica; by the time Justice Maupp and I noticed the commotion outside, a large mob had already gathered on the Ile de la Cité. , they all seemed to believe the rumors that Mrs. Du Barry had misappropriated funds, and asked the High Court to try this behavior.”

Louis XV listened carefully and said nothing, while Lawrence continued to say while observing His Majesty the King's face:

"The guards in the Palace of Justice were not enough to resist the mob. The police and soldiers did not come for some reason. Justice Maupp and Dean Edmund were worried that the mob would force their way into the Palace of Justice and take over the court, so they were forced to agree. the mob’s request.”

"Bang!" Louis XV snorted dissatisfiedly, glared at Dean Edmund, and cursed mercilessly:

"Damn Edmund, you spineless wimp!"

Dean Edmund's expression did not change, and he still leaned over and explained with great humility:

"Your Majesty, the situation at that time was forced. If we did not agree, those mobs would forcibly take over the court and conduct trials independently. Justice Mopu and I considered that instead of letting those mobs do whatever they want, it would be better to accept their demands. This way We can still retain some initiative; in addition, the Palace of Justice Prison also contains important prisoners, and Justice Mopu and I cannot let the mob take over the prison."

After listening to this explanation, although he was still extremely unhappy, Louis XV's reason still told him that what Dean Edmund said was indeed correct.

If those indignant mobs were really allowed to conduct a public trial on their own, they would definitely skip all the procedures, fast forward directly to sentence Madame Du Barry to death, and then execute her on the spot. In that case, Louis XV would now not even be able to see Madame Du Barry's death. I haven't seen him for the last time.

In addition, the Palace of Justice Prison is indeed an extremely important place. Like the Tower of London in the United Kingdom, most of the prisoners are political prisoners with high status. For example, Count Falcone, the grandson of the Duke of Richelieu, is imprisoned. here.

Louis XV could not tolerate any trouble in a political prison such as the Palace of Justice, so from a rational point of view, he felt that Justice Maupe and Dean Edmond did not handle it inappropriately.

After His Majesty the King's anger subsided a bit, Lawrence continued to add:

"Afterwards, it seems that the mob in the street found Madame Du Barry who was out and forcibly took her to the Palace of Justice to face trial."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"

Madame Du Barry sobbed louder, her resentful and hateful eyes stared straight at Lawrence, and a series of low sounds like curses came out of her throat.

Louis XV glanced at Madame Du Barry unbearably and ordered:

"Auguste, take the strip of cloth out of Jeanne's mouth. I also want to listen to her explanation."

Prince Louis nodded and pulled off the drool-stained strip of cloth from Madame Dubarli's mouth.

"His Majesty!"

Madame Du Barry's voice was obviously hoarse, and her sharp and crying voice penetrated the entire throne room:

"He is lying! Laurence Bonaparte, it was him! He sent people to kidnap me to the Palace of Justice, it was him!"

This accusation instantly shocked everyone, and the courtiers subconsciously turned their heads to look at Lawrence.

Louis XV also followed everyone's gaze and looked at Lawrence, but didn't say anything immediately.

Lawrence, whose eyes were focused on the center, frowned slightly, looked around pretending to be helpless and puzzled, bit his lip, spread out his hands and said:

"Well, madam, there may be some grudges between you and me, but it's not like you're slandering me like this, right?"

"Stop pretending! It's your subordinate, the big Italian, the one with the scar on his face!"

Madame du Barry screamed:

"And Jean Dubarly, Count Falcone was right, you kidnapped and controlled him, and he is also with you!"

"Uh the big Italian guy with the scar on his face?"

Lawrence grinned speechlessly and thought for a while, then clapped his hands and said:

"Ah, you mean my personal attendant, Mr. Grosso Bruno?"

"Yes, yes! It's him! Your Majesty!" Madame Du Barry screamed and nodded repeatedly.

Lawrence sighed helplessly, spread his hands and said:

"Well, madam, although I have no knowledge of strategy, I am not stupid enough to send a close confidant you know to kidnap you, right? And, Your Majesty, if you have any impressions, please turn it in to Justice Mopu In the list of ministers of the Kingdom of Corsica given to you, Mr. Grosso Bruno will undoubtedly serve as the Minister of the Navy of Corsica.”

As he spoke, Lawrence shrugged even more helplessly:

"Madam, you want to say that the Minister of the Navy of a kingdom personally kidnapped you to the Palace of Justice like a gangster? Oh my God, can you imagine it? The noble Duke of Choiseul, dressed in sackcloth, personally kidnapped Du Barry The scene where the lady was carried to the Palace of Justice.”

Since the Duke of Choiseul also served as the French Admiralty Minister, when the courtiers followed Lawrence's words and imagined such a funny scene, they shook their heads one after another, and even Louis XV followed suit. Shaked his head twice.

Almost no courtiers believed that this loyal and good man, Sir Laurence Bonaparte, would have anything to do with this sudden riot. The court's comments about Sir Laurence Bonaparte, except for some against the Corsicans, Apart from the regional discrimination, the rest are all praises. After all, His Majesty the King is very fond of this young man.

As for Monsignor Bonaparte sending his Lord of the Admiralty as a thug to kidnap Madame Du Barry? This kind of thing sounds like a fantasy, and it is not even written like this in second-rate novels.

"Your Majesty! Not only Laurence Bonaparte, but also De Mope! And Edmund! They are all in the same group!"

Madame Du Barry shouted hysterically:

"And Choiseul! Jacques Philippe and Caesar Gabriel over there must be related to them! And His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and Marie Antoinette, they all misunderstood and misunderstood me! Your Majesty! You need to be careful!"

However, this hysterical shouting did not bring any sympathy or pity, especially from Louis XV. He closed his eyes and did not want to see and hear Madame Du Barry's crazy appearance.

The only Richelieu faction in the court who was on her side, and its representative, the Duke of Aiguillon, had already been driven back to Versailles by Lawrence's plan. At this moment, no one in the court would take the initiative to side with Madame Du Barry.

People looked at Madame Du Barry indifferently, not taking her accusation seriously at all, as if the water ghost was trying its best to pull people into the water before drowning.

Madame Du Barry looked desperately at the way everyone shook their heads in denial, especially His Majesty the King's slightly shaking head, which was like a heart-piercing arrow, completely piercing Madame Du Barry's heart.

At this moment, she only felt extremely wronged and resentful.

He obviously had nothing to do with the seven million livres, but everyone pointed out that he had embezzled the funds.

He was obviously kidnapped by Laurence Bonaparte's men, but everyone scoffed at this accusation and regarded it as nonsense.

The truth is regarded as a lie by people, and the lie is regarded as the truth by them.

Madame Du Barry felt desperate. She vaguely realized that all of this was inseparable from the Corsican, but it was too late.