After considering Lawrence as his own, the Duke of Choiseul also breathed a sigh of relief, and got up himself, found two silver goblets, and poured two glasses of crystal clear brandy.

"Cheers, Lord Bonaparte, I hope you and I will have all the best in our careers."

The Duke of Choiseul turned around and handed Lawrence the glass, and took the initiative to touch his glass, smiling.

Lawrence also pursed his lips and smiled, exchanging glances with the Duke of Choiseul, but only took a brief taste of the spirits in the glass, and then placed the sprinkling glass on the small table beside him.

After all, he and the Duke of Choiseul had a lot to discuss, and Lawrence didn't want to get drunk with alcohol.

"Oh, yes. @精华\/Shuge Error-free Debut~~"

After the Duke of Choiseul poured a large mouthful of brandy, his face was also much more ruddy, and he was already a little drunk and leaned back in his chair and said:

"You should know about me and the Duke of Richelieu, that old bastard should have told you that day."

Lawrence nodded slightly, although the Duke of Richelieu did not mention the Duke of Choisell at the Paris Comédie that day, Lawrence still knew a lot about the struggle between the two with the memory in his head.

The Duke of Choiseul's wine glass was empty, but he did not pour it again, but asked as he played with it:

"Governor Bonaparte, what do you think, me and the Duke of Richelieu, who will be kicked back to the fiefdom by King Louis in the end."

Hearing this question, Lawrence frowned at first, and after hesitating for a few seconds, he replied directly:

"Truth be told, unless the Duke of Richelieu dies suddenly, you will first return to your fiefdom to enjoy your old age."

The room was enveloped by a sudden silence, but the Duke of Choiseul continued to play with the silver sprinkling cup in his hand as if he had not heard, and carefully stroked the intricate lines on it.

After a long time, the Duke of Choiseul said in a deep voice:

That's an interesting answer. I am the minister who is in charge of half of France, and the Duke of Richelieu, although he has been reinstated by the High Court, has no real power, and Madame du Barry is a lowly ***. Why do you think so? ”

Lawrence looked at the Duke of Choiseul, knowing very well that this was just a temptation, and that it was impossible for the Duke of Choiseul not to know his current situation, so he replied calmly:

"Since you have welcomed me to your side so much, it means that you have actually discovered that the key to this struggle is not in power at all, but only in one person..."

The Duke of Choiseul smiled, and as if he had heard a satisfactory answer from Lawrence's mouth, he nodded and said in unison:

"King Louis."

After that, the Duke of Choiseul couldn't help but look at Lawrence with a little more approval, but he really didn't expect that this young man, who had just arrived in Paris for a few days, had already seen through the core of his struggle with the Duke of Richelieu.

Although the current Duke of Choiseul did hold a lot of power in his own hands, and could even dominate and threaten Louis XV to a certain extent, he himself knew that once he crossed the line, Louis XV would never tolerate it anymore.

In addition, during the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King, he established France as a highly authoritarian centralized state and strengthened the royal power to a new level, as the successor, although Louis XV was not as eloquent as his grandfather, Louis XV, who benefited from this political legacy, was able to dismiss the Duke of Choiseul directly and drive him back to the fiefdom.

Lawrence and the Duke of Choiseul, who were present, both knew very well that compared to the Duke of Choiseul, the Duke of Richelieu himself had no real power, and it was completely pointless to suppress him politically.

Therefore, if you want to bring down the Duke of Richelieu and Madame du Barry, you have to start with Louis XV himself.

The Duke of Richelieu and Madame du Barry were undoubtedly aware of this, and knew that they could not compete with the Duke of Choiseul in the political arena, so they would inevitably look for an opportunity to attack the Duke of Choiseul at court.

"I know you want to use Corsica to restore King Louis's trust in you."

Lawrence knew that it was impossible for a shrewd man like the Duke of Schwarcel not to be aware of these truths, so he went on to say:

"Only, me. (This chapter is not finished!) )

Chapter 152: The Generous Choiseul

Felt like I could do more. ”

As soon as the words fell, the Duke of Choiseul asked with great interest:

"Yes, tell me, Governor Bonaparte."

Lawrence sat more upright, and glanced meaningfully at Duke Choiseul, and then it was time to make a condition.

"I don't think it's appropriate to blindly defend against the Duke of Richelieu's attacks on you, and although he doesn't have a few years to live, he can still pose a great threat to you."

Lawrence picked up the sprinkler cup on the table, took a sip, and said slowly:

"It is a good choice to take the initiative to suppress the forces of the Duke of Richelieu and Madame du Barry, and I think I can play a role. As you know, I am a foreigner after all, and I am directly accountable to King Louis after the establishment of the Kingdom of Corsica, so many of the rules in Paris cannot bind me, which will provide me with a lot of convenience in the future. ”

"Hmm... That's true. Duke Choiseul smiled and nodded and said, Lawrence's current status is still the governor of Corsican, and he is still a foreign ruler de jure in law, so he will naturally enjoy a series of privileges, including diplomatic immunity.

Even after the establishment of the Kingdom of Corsica, Lawrence was legally isolated from the French political system, and he was the Prime Minister of Corsica directly under the orders of Louis XV.

Although in reality Lawrence could not be completely cut off from French politics, these legal grounds already provided him with many privileges.

"It's just..."

Lawrence changed his words and then said:

"This status also has its limitations, and as a foreigner, I certainly cannot participate in the political affairs of France in an open and honest manner."

"So, you want to...?" The Duke of Choiseul still looked at Lawrence with a smile, already knowing what he wanted.

"A position. Initial Update @ "Lawrence said directly:

"Positions that allow me to participate legally and legitimately in French politics."

"Since you say that, it means that you already have a plan, right?"

The Duke of Choiseul was also worthy of being an old man, and said with a clear expression.

Lawrence nodded, and said:

"I think a tax inspector position is the most suitable. After all, no rich person can withstand a meticulous tax clearance, and if he wants to, he can find out a lot of black material at any time, and it is only fitting that he can use it to suppress the Duke of Richelieu's men. ”

"Tax Audit..."

The Duke of Choiseul licked his lips, not paying attention to what specific position Lawrence wanted, and in his opinion, it was important to give Lawrence this position in order to draw him to his side completely, so after thinking for a moment, he said:

"In that case, the government position is not suitable, after all, you are a foreigner, so you still have to arrange a royal position... I think the tax collector is a good choice. ”

"The royal tax collector..."Lawrence nodded and asked:

"With your ability, it should be possible, right?"

The Duke of Choiseul shrugged and said:

"Of course, King Louis is still very pleased with your actions, and if I go to you at such a time, he will not refuse such a small request."

"You are so kind, Lord Duke."

Lawrence raised his glass in satisfaction, greeted the Duke of Choiseul, took another sip, and said:

"However, I have a small request, which of course will be quite beneficial to you."

"Oh?" The Duke of Choiseul frowned slightly, a little displeasure appeared on his face, he didn't want Lawrence to take advantage of the opportunity of the political team to open his mouth to his lion.

Lawrence also noticed the expression of the Duke of Choiseul, and then said:

"You should know that the Duke of Richelieu is a member of the French Academy of Sciences."

"Oh... He does still have this identity, hmph, but he just pretends to be literate by putting gold on himself. Duke Choiseul said in disgust.

"But in any case, the Duke of Richelieu is also well-known in academic circles, although his fame does not come from his academic ability."

。 (This chapter is not finished!) )

Chapter 152: The Generous Choiseul

Lawrence analyzes it in detail:

"In order to debunk this, I wanted to go deep into the academic world, and for that I wanted to join the Royal Academy of Sciences. The previous process can be done, that is, the final vote of the Academy of Sciences Committee..."

The Duke of Choiseul glanced at Lawrence and said:

"Governor Bonaparte, this is a small matter for me, but I would like to see your results."

"You'll see it soon."

Lawrence said with a smile that was neither humble nor arrogant. Initial Update@

"Good, good, I'm sure you won't let me down."

After receiving Lawrence's assurance, the Duke of Schwarcel nodded with satisfaction, drank all the brandy from his glass, let out a hearty breath, and then stood up and said:

"Then I won't disturb your rest, please don't forget the hunt tomorrow morning, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess will be coming, you also know that this is a great opportunity."

"Of course."

Lawrence stood up and bowed to Duke Choiseul.

For the Duke of Choiseul and Lawrence, the two future kings and queens were undoubtedly the ones to be wooed.

......

In the early morning of June 2, it was only dawn, and the manor house of the Duke of Choiseul was already bustling.

The nobles who participated in the hunt got up from their beds early, then took their beloved hunting horses from the stables and rode them in groups to a royal forest farm in the northwest corner of Versailles.

Versailles was a great place to hunt, and hunters often brought back strong stags from here, and even the Palace of Versailles was originally built by Louis XIII as a hunting palace to facilitate hunting here.

Grosso, who was riding in the middle of the group, suddenly turned his head to look at the woods on the left side of the road, only to hear a faint sound of Suoso, and then a deer-like animal noticed the people moving and jumped into the depths of the woods.

"Hey, dare I say it's definitely a roe deer."

Grosso barely looked closely at the animal before he said to Lawrence with almost certainty.

Lawrence asked, somewhat surprised:

"Aren't you a sailor, and you know this?"

Grosso raised his head proudly and said:

"That's all later, when I was young I was a first-class hunter in my hometown, and the local landlords often asked me to be their guide, and they were paid at least a florin. Don't look at me, I haven't been in the woods for more than ten years, but I dare to say that nine out of ten of these noble lords present are inferior to me in hunting. ”

"That's right..."

Lawrence nodded thoughtfully, suddenly remembered something, and hurriedly beckoned Grosso to come over, and then whispered something in his ear.

"It's... Will this work? ”

Grosso shook his head hesitantly after listening to Lawrence's instructions, and said:

"I can't guarantee that I can do it, and if it does, it will be dangerous for you kid."

Lawrence just patted Grosso on the shoulder and said with a smile:

"Didn't you say you're a first-class hunter, it shouldn't be that hard, right?"

Grosso pursed his lips and pointed to the twenty precision shooters behind Lawrence and said:

"Okay, but I'm going to bring some helpers and bring me ten men, with only knives and no guns."

"No problem." Lawrence pointed his chin at the shooters behind him, motioning for Grosso to pick someone himself and get into action immediately.

Soon, the team led by Grosso slowed down and gradually came to the end of the group, and then burrowed into the woods without attracting anyone's attention.

......

After nearly two hours of marching, the hunting party, led by the Duke of Choiseul, arrived at the wooded farm in the northwest corner.

There is a small castle built in the 13th century in the woodland, which is a good place for many nobles who came to hunt in this woodland, despite its many vicissitudes.

Most of the nobles chose to take a rest here with their retinue, but they were a little impatient and eager to express themselves. (This chapter is not finished!) )

Chapter 152: The Generous Choiseul

The young nobleman was already rushing into the forest with his longbow, ready to prove his bravery to the crowd.

Where there were men, there were women, and this kind of hunting was a practical social activity, and many nobles also chose to bring their wives or mistresses or daughters with them.

It's just that for these young ladies, of course, they don't go into the woods with bows and arrows and get covered in mud and dust, for them, this is actually a tea party in the wilderness.

The ladies' retinue carried elaborate picnic boxes and a full set of porcelain tea sets, and by the time the men began to caress the hounds and adjust their hunting bows, they had already brewed black tea on the grass in front of the castle.

As for the much-anticipated Crown Prince Louis, he does not seem to have arrived yet, but there are many small nobles who are eager to be promoted have already put on a flattering posture and are waiting for the arrival of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

And Lawrence himself is also a small focus among the nobles in the castle, and people have speculated about his relationship with the Duke of Schwarcel behind his back, and even the outrageous rumor that Lawrence is the illegitimate son of the Duke of Schwarcel has spread from the mouth of a good dore.

But I have to say that the French are obsessed with illegitimate children is also deep enough, and Napoleon's political enemies at the time made up many rumors about Napoleon's origin in order to attack him, such as Napoleon is the illegitimate son of Pauli, and Napoleon is the illegitimate son of the Count of Marbeouf. @精华\/Shuge Error-free Debut~~

Although Lawrence did not bother to pay attention to these unscrupulous rumors, he walked out of the castle with an attitude of not being out of sight and out of mind, and went to the grass outside to pass the time, and waited for the arrival of Prince Louis and the official start of the hunt.

Outside, dozens of picnic cloths had been laid on the grass, and Mademoiselle and her wife sat elegantly cross-legged on the ground, chatting and laughing about the gossip news in Paris and at the court of Versailles.

Lawrence also found an open space to sit cross-legged, basking in the bright sun and casually listening to the women's conversations, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

However, it didn't take long for Lawrence's ears to detect a hint of discord:

"Oh my God, I've had enough! What the hell are you eating? ”

Listening to the voice, this is a certain girl who is angrily scolding her subordinate.

To Lawrence's surprise, the girl did not speak French, but spoke fluent German.

Lawrence turned his head to see that the girl looked no more than fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed in a long-sleeved dress trimmed with silver trim, and the blue of the Danube River in both children.

The face is also very delicate, as if Michelangelo carved it out of marble, and the skin is so white and smooth as if it was soaked in milk, and it has never experienced any hard work, and even the blue veins on the wrists can be faintly seen.

Lawrence stared at the girl with a frown, and although he was a little surprised, he guessed her identity from her various characteristics:

"Fourteen or fifteen years old, speaks German, has a typical court temperament, does not wear a wig or hat... You can't be wrong, this must be Marie Antoinette from the Habsburgs, the Dauphin of France, who only came to Paris in April. ”。

Chapter 152: The Generous Choiseul