From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

January 20, in Paris.

As the first batch of morning newspapers were distributed from the printing workshop to the citizens this morning, the entire city of Paris had learned of the shocking change that happened in the Palace of Justice yesterday - Countess Du Barry was indeed dead.

According to the oral accounts of witnesses quoted by major newspapers at the scene, Madame Du Barry was blindfolded and gagged, and she was led to the gallows by the executioner without even having time to change her dirty clothes.

Before her execution, Madame Du Barry struggled all the time, but this did not prevent the strong executioner from forcing the noose as thick as a bowl around her slender neck.

After everything was ready, the executioner opened the trapdoor at her feet without any hesitation. Madame Du Barry, who was in boundless fear, instantly fell from the high platform. She had no time to leave any last words, and was instantly freed by the noose. Broken neck.

Some newspapers reported that Madame Du Barry did not die immediately from breaking her cervical vertebrae.

It is said that because the height of the temporary gallows was not high enough, Madame Du Barry hung on the gallows in pain for more than 20 minutes, until her entire head turned purple due to lack of oxygen and ischemia. He passed away suffocated and in extreme pain.

Of course, the details of the scene cannot be verified now, but the public is more inclined to believe that Madame Du Barry died in unbearable pain. Most people feel that a clean hanging is completely cheap for that damn woman. .

After Madame du Barry was confirmed dead, Justice Maupe, in order not to offend Louis XV about Madame du Barry's death, immediately stopped the angry citizens from trying to destroy the body and secretly buried Jeanne's body. The body was moved to Notre Dame Cathedral opposite the Palace of Justice, awaiting disposal by Louis XV.

In order to bring an end to a just resistance, His Excellency Laurence Bonaparte, who was at the Palace of Justice, immediately made commitments and guarantees to the citizens.

He stated in the name of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that without the obstruction of the embezzler Madame Du Barry, the seven million livres of subsidy funds would be distributed immediately. Director Jonah had already made preparations, and at the latest it would be The first batch of funds and supplies will be delivered to the slums the day after tomorrow.

The citizens who received Lawrence's promise also achieved the greatest purpose of their rally. Most people did not stay on the Île de la Cité for too long and returned home happily to celebrate this great victory.

More than two hours after Madame Du Barry's death, the police force seemed to realize that a riot had occurred in Paris.

A police colonel, who took over the command from Colonel Giovanni, was sweating profusely and ordered the soldiers to rush into the Île de la Cité and arrest a group of demonstrators who were still stranded as if to remedy the situation. It seemed that he wanted to use this method for final remedies.

The belated clearing operation by the police force could be regarded as a complete end to the Paris riots on January 19. The people who participated in the protests returned home with hearts filled with joy, proud of their heroic resistance and sweet victory. Incomparable.

Even those citizens who did not personally participate in this revolt could not help but feel a sense of pride when they learned of the death of the noble Countess du Barry from newspapers or rumors.

For the first time, citizens of this generation realized that their united resistance was enough to bring the ruling class to its knees.

Compared with the inspired citizen class, the nobles' attitude towards this riot was much more ambiguous.

Many gentlemen sneered at the ridiculous act of brutal violence, and many nobles complained about the failure of the police and city defense forces to respond in time, causing them to tremble under the shadow of the riot yesterday.

But for the biggest victim of the riot, the Countess Du Barry, the nobles did not have the slightest sympathy.

After all, this woman's bold behavior of forging a noble birth has been completely proven in the public trial. The aristocracy is extremely hostile to any common people who want to achieve class crossing, let alone such a fraudulent way to join the nobility. Circled.

The vast majority of the nobles had a rather indifferent attitude towards this woman's tragic death. Only those members who were firmly attached to the Richelieu faction and Madame Du Barry's aristocratic circle still firmly believed that Madame Du Barry was framed and Innocent.

Of course, compared to the riot itself, the upper class was more curious about how the Tuileries Palace would deal with this unprecedented rebellion, and how the King in the palace would treat Madame Du Barry What does this woman's death mean to the political situation in France?

But no matter what, the answers to these questions can only be revealed after the imperial meeting tomorrow.

And those dignitaries who are qualified to participate in this imperial meeting are undoubtedly the most powerful answerers to these questions.

At the same time as the Duke Richelieu and the Duke Aiguillon met, Paris, No. 10, Champs Elysées.

Two simple unpainted carriages were waiting on the avenue in front of the mansion. It was obvious that these two low-key visitors did not want people to recognize his identity.

Only the close servants in the mansion knew that the people who came to visit the mansion today were none other than Justice De Mopp, who had attracted much attention yesterday, and Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe, who had disappeared without a trace for unknown reasons.

In view of the fact that yesterday's riot has not completely subsided, Justice Maupe and Lieutenant General Philip did not dare to visit Lawrence publicly, so as not to arouse the suspicion of His Majesty the King in the Tuileries Palace.

In order to deal with tomorrow's royal meeting, the three of them also had to prepare in advance, so Moppe and Jacques Philippe had to hide their identities and come to the Champs Elysées.

"Please use it, both of you."

In the living room, as the host, Lawrence enthusiastically served warm sherry to the two of them and invited them to sit down.

There was not much joy on Justice Maupe's face, but he was much more relaxed than in the past few days. With the death of Madame Du Barry, his lofty status as a justice disappeared in a short period of time. People can be shaken.

Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe was smiling all the time. For him and the Duke of Choiseul, being able to get rid of Madame Du Barry was definitely great news.

This not only caused the Richelieu faction, which was already in decline, to be hit hard again, but also gave Duke Choiseul an opportunity to implement a plan that he had been thinking about for a long time - to send his sister, the Duke of Gramont Madame was sent to the palace to serve as Louis XV's official mistress.

In fact, after the death of the Marquise de Pompadour seven years ago, the Duke of Choiseul had always wanted his sister to take over Madame Pompadour's position beside Louis XV.

It is a pity that the old and immortal Duke Richelieu found the enchanting Madame Du Barry from nowhere, and let this woman attract the heart of His Majesty the King, completely disrupting the arrangement of the Duke of Choiseul.

However, considering that Louis XV's syphilis had developed to an advanced stage, Lawrence doubted whether His Majesty the King still had the energy to find another official mistress.

"So, that woman is really dead."

Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe took a hearty sip of sherry and laughed:

"It's a pity that I didn't see her hanged with my own eyes. Alas, at that time yesterday, I was still playing cat and mouse with a group of bandits."

After saying that, Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe and Lawrence looked at each other tacitly, and both of them smiled and shook their heads.

The group of bandits that Lieutenant General Philippe chased was naturally the group sent by Oga Coomas under Lawrence's command. This was also to give Lieutenant General Philippe, the highest commander, a legitimate reason to leave the city of Paris, thus causing the entire city defense force to lose control of the city. The chain of command shut down.

Although Louis XV may still be dissatisfied with Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe's dereliction of duty, as long as there is this reasonable name, His Majesty the King will not be able to punish the younger brother of the Duke of Choiseul, and Jacques Philippe will soon He is about to serve as Governor of Lorraine.

Justice Mopp nodded steadily and looked at Lawrence gratefully:

"This is all thanks to you, Monsignor Bonaparte. To be honest, I didn't expect that Madame Du Barry could actually be put to death at first."

When the Marquis de Maupe first approached Lawrence for cooperation, all he wanted was to undermine Madame Du Barry's political status so that this woman could not pose any threat to his own status.

He had no idea that Lawrence would deliver a cold corpse in front of him.

Lawrence shook his head humbly and was not complacent. After all, this was just a transaction:

"Let's put this aside, is there any progress in the Tuileries Palace? You must have received news, right?"

Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe on the side also looked at Justice Maupp seriously. After all, among the three people present, Justice Maupp, as a member of the royal family, naturally has the most informants and cronies beside His Majesty the King. He must also The fastest way to get news from the Tuileries Palace.

Justice Maupp slightly nodded his head. Although he and Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe were not very good at dealing with each other, since the successful cooperation yesterday, he now shared his information about the Tuileries Palace without any concealment:

"His Majesty the King woke up around midnight, but his health condition after waking up was also very worrying. His Majesty's headache and dizziness did not subside all night, and the skin on his body was also aching. Even his doctor, Mr. Quesnay, was helpless. ”

Lieutenant General Philip sighed: "May God bless your Majesty."

Lawrence frowned and asked, "Has your Majesty learned of the death of Madame Du Barry?"

"Of course, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been by His Majesty's side, and not long after His Majesty woke up, he informed His Majesty of everything that happened next."

Justice Mopu nodded, feeling a little more relaxed:

"His Majesty was stunned for a long time after learning the news of Madame Du Barry's death, but he did not get angry because of it. Instead, he praised His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for making a decision that won the hearts of the people. After that, His Majesty seemed not to want to mention Madame Du Barry."

After receiving the news, Lawrence and Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe also breathed a sigh of relief, which meant that everything was as Lawrence expected. As long as Madame Du Barry died with the acquiescence of Crown Prince Louis, then His Majesty the King would Chances are we won't get to the bottom of it all.

"In this case, tomorrow's imperial meeting will be much easier." Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe said with a smile.

Although Lawrence agreed, he analyzed cautiously:

"That's true, but if His Majesty doesn't want to hold accountable what happened yesterday, there seems to be no need to urgently convene an imperial meeting."

According to common sense, the Tuileries Palace is now just a palace of the Bourbon royal family, and formal royal meetings are usually held in the Palace of Versailles.

If there was no emergency, Louis XV should have led the crowd back to the Palace of Versailles after his physical condition improved, and then held a meeting.

But now, Louis XV did not bother to rush back to Versailles and convened an emergency royal meeting. He even summoned the Duke of Aiguillon and other great nobles in Versailles to Paris.

To Lawrence, this seemed too hasty.

"Is Your Majesty going to announce something tomorrow?" Lawrence looked at Justice Maupe in confusion.

Justice Mopu frowned and carefully recalled the information he received, but he had no clue:

"I have not received any relevant reports."

The three of them looked at each other seriously, and Lawrence could only nod thoughtfully:

"There is no time to inquire about the news now. We can only improvise tomorrow."

Justice Maupe nodded his head in agreement, then drank all the sherry in his glass, prepared to stand up and say goodbye:

"That's all it can do. Then, Your Excellency Bonaparte, I have to take my leave first. Leaving the Palace of Justice for too long will inevitably arouse suspicion."

Just when Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe was about to stand up and leave, Lawrence suddenly stretched out his hand to stop Justice Maupe and said with a smile:

"Please don't worry, Lord Mopu, there is still a transaction between us that has not been concluded."

According to the previous agreement between the two, Lawrence would assist Justice Maupp against Madame Du Barry, and in return, Justice Maupp would help Lawrence integrate the Corsicans into the administrative system of the Province of Provence, and A vacant position of lieutenant-governor was left to Lawrence's appointment.

Now that Madame Du Barry's body is cold, Lawrence has to see some sincerity from Justice Maupe.

Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe also knew that this was a private matter between the two of them. Although he did not want Lawrence to get too close to Justice Maupe, he still wisely left first.

Justice Mopu sat back with a wry smile. He and Lawrence still had many opportunities to join forces, so naturally they would not go back on their word the first time they joined forces:

"Of course, Monsignor Bonaparte, I will not break my promise."

As he spoke, he rummaged around in his handbag for a while and placed a half-foot-thick stack of documents on the coffee table. It was a document drafted by the Duke of Choiseul and completed by the Marquis de Maupe. The diplomatic treaty concerning the surrender of the Kingdom of Corsica to the House of Bourbon.

He flipped the treaty to the middle page with familiarity, pointed to a large section of eloquent text on it and introduced it to Lawrence:

"I have added a new clause to this treaty. Simply put, this clause legally allows and encourages Corsicans to serve in the French government and public offices. Local governments and public offices are not allowed to use their origins. Refuse to hire Corsicans.”

Lawrence narrowed his eyes and nodded. He knew that with the means and status of Justice Maupp, as long as this clause was used as a legal basis, it would be easy to help Lawrence place the Corsicans into the province of Provence.

Whenever a government department in Provence rejected a Corsican, for whatever reason, Justice Maupp could invoke this provision and accuse the department of discriminating against a Corsican on the basis of his origin.

From administration to justice, from finance to trade, from security to coastal defense, as more and more Corsicans appear in the administrative system of Provence, Lawrence will be increasingly able to integrate this coastal province with prosperous trade and leading innovation. Hold it in your hand.

The province of Provence will also become Lawrence's most important political base in France.

However, to be on the safe side, Lawrence asked cautiously:

"His Majesty the King will not be dissatisfied or raise objections to this clause, right?"

Justice Maupp grinned, completely free of this worry. He held up the entire treaty document and showed Lawrence its thickness:

"This treaty has more than six hundred pages. His Majesty the King will not notice an obscure and insignificant clause in the corner."

Lawrence smiled and shook his head. He really felt that he was worrying too much. Even a diligent monarch would not have noticed this inconspicuous clause, let alone Louis XV who was completely indifferent to state affairs. , he would not even open the contract and take a look at it.

"As for the position of Lieutenant Governor, I will make it vacant as soon as possible." Justice Mopp said confidently:

"If it goes well, maybe it can be reached at the imperial meeting tomorrow, and you can prepare candidates in advance."

As for the candidate for the administrative deputy governor, Lawrence had already had a candidate in mind - Mayor Josip of the Marseille City Hall was an excellent candidate with outstanding abilities, even though he was from a civilian background.

However, Lawrence is not ready to directly grant this position to him now. Before that, Lawrence must first use his full value as the mayor of Marseille and continue to strengthen his control over the mayor. He has enough in his hands. The handle and restraint will do.

Therefore, Lawrence planned to temporarily fill the vacancy of the deputy governor with a well-behaved but trustworthy confidant, and the best candidate for this candidate was undoubtedly his brother, Count Carlo Bonaparte.

As a count of orthodox origin, coupled with the background support provided by Lawrence, it was not that difficult for Carlo Bonaparte to convince the public in Provence.

Moreover, Carlo Bonaparte was an excellent lawyer, so he had no problem being responsible for the daily governance of the province, and those important decisions would be made by Lawrence himself.

After considering this, Lawrence turned sideways with great satisfaction and shook hands with Justice Mopp:

"Then, I will wait for your good news."

"It's a pleasure to work with you, Your Excellency Bonaparte."

Justice Mopp also held Lawrence's right hand tightly and laughed softly:

"Then the province of Provence is yours."