"Oh, it's courageous that someone would dare to openly write an article in Le Figaro attacking Garion. Or are these writers having no regard for face in order to become famous? Gallian is a figure in the Parisian literary and artistic circles. Oh, Leon Blois? What a small role, I haven't heard of it at all. ”

Mérimée sat down on the couch, closed the newspaper, and set it aside. Opening Le Figaro before going to work every day seems to have become a matter of convention. Mérimée has been following the trends in Russian literature lately. Twelve years earlier, he had translated and published "The Queen of Spades" for his friend Pushkin. Recently, I had a pleasant conversation with Turgenev, who was living in Paris, and was preparing to translate his collection of short stories.

As a rigorous scholar, he has always disdained opportunistic villains. Although he also became a French senator by virtue of nepotism, he is still quite different from the son of a rural farmer like Garion.

He advertised himself as a true aristocrat, an elegant upper-class. Instead of relying on a few works, a clown who appeared on the stage with a historical and political analysis. Every time Garion was mentioned in private, he would curse with disdain.

"This damn Loire wizard."

Newspapers were flooded with reports on Garrian's performance at the Palace of Industry, and debate revolved around the battle for art. The question of whether a conservative code of conduct should be the sole standard of mainstream art has become the focus of discussion.

However, this kind of discussion involving Bonaparte's party was generally the most taboo for the emperor.

Perhaps it had made Napoleon III wary, and Mérimée was also struggling with whether to enter the Tuileries Palace to meet Napoleon III at this time, and to remind him of the discussion of art.

This is a tiger brushing his beard in front of him, openly questioning the authority of the emperor.

"Wait, Mérimée, it's not the best chance yet. Wait until the Tuileries Palace starts to express its displeasure, and then you take action. ”

Mérimée doesn't dare to make mistakes casually now, he must wait for a suitable opportunity to press Garian to the bottom, and he will never be able to turn over again.

The joy of one morning was ruined on this day, and Garrian was originally fighting for a greater voice in the art of painting, but he did not expect that a fire began to break out in his backyard.

Everything comes from that Le Figaro.

And the humiliating and slanderous article was also published on the first page.

Blois is a damn mad dog, and if he doesn't take Gallian, he will become Zola's mortal enemy in the future. Moreover, the content of the criticism is also clichés, such as "filthy money villain" and "businessman engaged in dirty business in the literary and artistic circles". As if a writer is not impoverished, he is not worthy of being called a master of literature.

However, Garion believed that strength, justice, fame, and high status could all be measured and embodied in wealth.

However, this is a time of hypocrisy.

During Napoleon's Second Empire, writers were jealous of others if they were too wealthy. For example, Gautier, although he reached a high position, kept crying poor in order to incur the sarcasm of the Goncourt brothers. Although Proust inherited a large inheritance, he openly stated that he could not afford to maintain the daily expenses of a large apartment, and Flaubert lived a prosperous rentier life for the first half of his life, but at first he swore that his mistress, Madame Gallow, had little money on hand.

Only Garion expressed his opinion unabashedly, and he could make a fortune writing books. But it also made other unsuccessful writers jealous. Flaunting one's wealth is accused of megalomaniacs. The only one who dares to be as open and honest as Garion is Maupassant in the future.

"This article is really ironic, the writer should stick to the bottom line? What is the bottom line, hiding in a dark attic every day, nibbling on a few potatoes dipped in garlic, and writing with relish that it is destined to be rejected, is this the bottom line? I think these bastards are just jealous, jealous of other people's works that are better than them, jealous of those who are more talented! ”

Zola shook the newspaper in his hand and paced back and forth in front of Garion. Ardai and Balanchi went out shopping, leaving Garion sitting silently in front of the sofa with a solemn expression.

Every time I enter and leave the Tuileries Palace, Napoleon III blows the wind in his ears, and he works very hard to fight for freedom of speech and freedom of censorship on the part of the government, hoping that more excellent writers will emerge in Paris, and literature will truly be pushed to the mainstream of society and become an industry.

However, these stumbling bastards really made Gary feel at ease. These idiots just want to see themselves ruined, to see Parisian literature reappear in the dark Middle Ages?

"Garion? What's wrong with you, Galian? ”

Zola patted him on the shoulder, and Garion came back from his contemplation, shook his head with a smile, and said, "It's nothing, I just remembered something, and I felt a little emotional." ”

Zola brought the newspaper to him, pointed his finger at the news on it, and said word by word, "When others openly publish articles in the newspaper to slander you, do you still watch how others slander you?" ”

Garion sighed, got up from the couch, and said to Zola, "I see, maybe it's another down-and-out writer who wants to use my fame to get on stage." To be honest, I really admire the perseverance of this group of villains. If they want to nail me to the pillar of shame of the literati in Paris, I'll surprise them. ”

"Surprise?"

Zola did not react for a moment.

"Aren't you going to publish an article to refute it?"

"No, no, no, my dear friend,"

"Send a lawyer's letter to the literary critic named Léon Blois."

Garion said lightly, "Just sue him for malicious slander." ”

"Malicious slander?"

Zola was stunned, he looked at the contents of Le Figaro a few more times, and he really didn't see any mention of slander, except that the language was a little more radical. Zola hesitated and said, "But this is not malicious slander, is it?" ”

"My friend, you are so naïve. When dealing with red-eyed villains, you can't reason with them. ”

Garion glanced at Zola, sighed helplessly, patted Zola's shoulder, and said, "Only if they feel scared, they won't make small moves against you behind your back." Especially a despicable villain like Blois should be taught enough lessons to stop. If all the problems can be solved by articles, the government of Paris will not have to make a legal charge of defamation, and in the afternoon I will need to go to Barrister Gambit, and I hope that the accusers of the Reich will also make a complaint for the righteous innocent citizens. ”