Make France Great Again

October 30, 1850.

There are less than two days until the opening of the Legislative Assembly.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

With a soft call, Jerome Bonaparte slowly opened his hazy eyes. Feeling a strange sensation in his hands, Jerome Bonaparte first glanced at the beauty beneath him, then turned his gaze to the sky outside the window.

At this moment, the sky outside the window was still sparsely starry, the crows flew south... Sorry, wrong words, the sky outside was still pitch black, with a mysterious full moon hanging high, casting the light borrowed from the sun, and the stars adorned it, indicating a clear day.

Jerome Bonaparte withdrew his gaze and looked again at the beauty sleeping in his arms, the bright moonlight streaming through like a curtain onto her ivory-like smooth back and her plump white bottom.

For a moment, Jerome Bonaparte was entranced. He gently withdrew his right hand, exploring down her back...

"Dong dong dong"

The muffled sound of chimes came from outside the room, and Jerome Bonaparte stopped his hand, reaching under the pink embroidered pillow.

When Jerome Bonaparte pulled his hand out from under the pillow, a silver pocket watch appeared in his hand. Using the moonlight, he saw the time on the watch face.

Although the stars still twinkled outside, it was already five o'clock.

There were still a few hours until the beauty's husband returned.

At this thought, Jerome Bonaparte's face flushed and his heart raced. Despite having only slept a few hours, he couldn't suppress the excitement...

Just as Jerome Bonaparte was about to continue, a hurried knocking came from outside the door.

The sleeping beauty was awakened by the knock. Looking seductively at Jerome Bonaparte, she said discontentedly towards the door, "What's the matter?"

"Madam..." The maid outside, hearing her mistress's displeasure, trembled as she explained, "Count Alet is returning early!"

"What!" The beauty turned pale upon hearing the maid's response and looked to Jerome Bonaparte as if seeking a solution.

An affair between men and women in France was not a major issue, but it shouldn't be caught by the involved parties, nor should it be at home.

Otherwise, it would be awkward for both sides.

"Calm down! Don't panic!" Jerome Bonaparte said calmly to the Marchioness Aile, casually tossing the clothes scattered on the floor to her.

Then he dressed himself. Infected by Jerome Bonaparte's calmness, the Marchioness Aile also put on the black fitted gown he handed to her.

Wrapped in the fitted gown, the Marchioness Aile's curves stood out, like a budding black rose.

Jerome Bonaparte couldn't resist kissing the Marchioness, who shyly dodged.

"What are you going to do now?" asked the still anxious Marchioness Aile after dressing.

"What else can be done?" Jerome Bonaparte nonchalantly replied to the Marchioness, "Of course, we boldly go downstairs!"

"But..." The Marchioness hesitantly looked at Jerome Bonaparte.

"Do you know why the Marquis Alet hasn't stirred for so long?" Jerome Bonaparte smiled at the Marchioness.

"Ah! He..." The Marchioness understood Jerome Bonaparte's point.

"Let's go!" Jerome Bonaparte gestured for the Marchioness Aile to come downstairs with him.

The Marchioness was reluctant to go downstairs, feeling it was a shameful act.

Jerome Bonaparte had no choice but to go downstairs alone. In the living room on the first floor, he encountered the furious Marquis Alet, pretending to be surprised and asked the Marquis, "Mr. Marquis, why are you so angry?"

"I want to..." The fuming Marquis Alet turned upon hearing the voice, and his once furious face instantly displayed a flattering smile, "Mr. President, what brings you here!"

"Cough... cough..." Jerome Bonaparte casually concocted a reason, "Yesterday, I had such an engaging conversation about literature with your wife that I accidentally fell asleep. I hope you don't mind, Mr. Marquis!"

"Not at all! Not at all!" The Marquis Alet still replied with a sycophantic smile to Jerome Bonaparte, "It's truly an honor for me to have Mr. President visit!"

For Marquis Alet, a wife can always be found again, but as long as he clings to the president's favor, why worry about not prospering.

In the past, Marquis Alet only heard rumors that his wife had some connections with the President. Now, he completely believes these rumors.

As long as the President can promote him, he's willing to give anything.

"Yawn!" Jerome Bonaparte couldn't help but yawn.

Getting up at five o'clock was indeed too early for him, not to mention working so late last night.

"Mr. President, do you want to take a break? You are dealing with so many affairs every day; it is truly exhausting!" Marquis Alet looked at Jerome Bonaparte with concern, resembling a sycophant who cares only about others' welfare.

"Not at all! Not at all!" Even Jerome Bonaparte, with his thick skin, was embarrassed by Marquis Alet's overwhelming concern. Though he was always busy with state affairs, most of his energy was spent on his wife.

Jerome Bonaparte pointed to the couch in the living room and said to Marquis Alet, "Mr. Marquis, can we...!"

"Of course! Of course!" Marquis Alet immediately invited Jerome Bonaparte to sit on the couch and ordered the maid to prepare pastries and drinks.

The maid, who had never seen the lover and the wronged husband in one room, was stunned for a few seconds before she got into action.

Sitting on the couch, Jerome Bonaparte looked at the wronged husband in front of him, Marquis Alet, and asked, "How is Mr. Marquis's business?"

"Alas!" Marquis Alet sighed, showing a bitter smile, and said, "To be honest, I'm not cut out for business at all! Many businesses are facing losses. If it weren't for your previous recommendation for my wife and me to invest in railway bonds, we would probably have to return to our hometown in Loire Province."

Having never heard the Marchioness tell the history of Marquis Alet, Jerome Bonaparte asked with great interest about the history of the Marquis Alet family.

Marquis Alet told Jerome Bonaparte that his family was wealthy since the time of Louis XII and was once favored by Louis XIII. The family almost went bankrupt due to the Great Revolution.

Although the Restoration Dynasty granted some favors to these old Royalist Party members, the old production system was completely destroyed, and the nobles could never return to the era they once knew.

Even the generous acts of the Restoration Dynasty could only temporarily delay the signs of family decline, and families with noble bloodlines can only survive on the meager land rents they have.

Many families that were unwilling to rely solely on land rents aimed to invest in substantial industries or seek agency rights, leading most of these noble families to face bankruptcy.

Only a few managed to survive stubbornly.

During the Orleans Kingdom, the advantages enjoyed by the nobles of the Restoration Dynasty disappeared. Even the very few who did not go bankrupt during the Restoration faced bankruptcy during the Orleans period, depending solely on the King's support for survival. Due to the pragmatic approach of the Marquis Alet family, they were not relegated to the countryside but became famous through river trade leveraging their positions.

Just as the Marquis Alet family was thriving, the Revolution of '48 destroyed everything, and Marquis Alet's father passed away due to the subsequent bankruptcy, leaving Count Alet to take over the bankrupt business, having to abandon many operations.

When his wife got the news from the Elysee Palace, the near-desperate Marquis Alet immediately chose to purchase railway bonds.

Many businesses were revitalized due to the high interest rates of the railway bonds.

"By the way! Mr. Marquis, what was your field of expertise before?" Jerome Bonaparte asked Marquis Alet.

After hesitating for a moment, Count Alet responded, "Your Excellency, I was once part of the navy!"

"Why didn't you continue with the navy?" Jerome Bonaparte asked Marquis Alet.

"Because of my identity..." Count Alet recounted to Jerome Bonaparte his past in the navy.

Due to the Orleans Kingdom's policy of prioritizing the navy over the army, a large number of officers chose to join the navy.

The navy inevitably bore the imprint of the Orleans Kingdom.

After the fall of the Orleans Kingdom, the Republic expelled Prince Juaneville and simultaneously dismissed a large number of naval officers to prevent problems within the navy, as they were mostly confidants of Prince Juaneville.

Unluckily, Marquis Alet was among them.

Having been expelled from the military, Marquis Alet had no choice but to return home and take on the family responsibilities.

"Mr. Marquis, since you come from a naval background, I have a question I would like to ask you!" Jerome Bonaparte said to Marquis Alet, "What kind of navy do you think France should build?"

Touching upon his area of expertise, Count Alet promptly shared his thoughts with Jerome Bonaparte, "Mr. President, I believe France should establish an oceangoing fleet!"

"An oceangoing fleet?" Jerome Bonaparte asked Marquis Alet with curiosity, "What is your reasoning?"

"Mr. President, there are still many places in the world worth exploring! France must build a globalized fleet comparable to that of Britain to safeguard our interests!

To tell you the truth, I once had the privilege to follow a fleet to the East, where there is immense wealth waiting for us to uncover. If it weren't for our fleet being too small at the time, we could have occupied that area. If France could establish an oceangoing fleet, we wouldn't have to worry about such situations."