While Lawrence was chatting quietly with the Duke of Choiseul, King Louis also organized his language, looked at Lawrence with a spring breeze on his face, and said:

"Hahaha, what an interesting answer, I understand exactly what you mean, Governor Bonaparte, I want to say that you are also a wise ruler in Corsica, especially... I've heard Schwarseul say that you have a special talent in finance and taxation. ”

When Lawrence heard this, he immediately made eye contact with the Duke of Choiseul, and knew that Louis XV should be mentioning his official position as a royal tax collector, so he nodded and said after Louis XV's words:

"It's not a talent, Your Majesty, it's just a little experienced."

"Oh, don't be modest, Governor Bonaparte, I trust Choiseul's vision."

Louis XV waved his hand and said happily:

"Speaking of which, the position of the tax official of the Wang family has been vacant for a long time, and I am looking for a suitable candidate."

The Duke of Richelieu and Justice Mopp at the table also frowned slightly when they heard this, and with their keen political sense, they almost immediately read the purpose of the Duke of Choiseul's arrangement of this identity for Lawrence.

"It seems that Bonaparte did not want to be limited to exerting influence at the king's side, but he also wanted to intervene directly in the political situation in Paris, which may be a bit tricky."

Justice Mopp quietly whispered to the Duke of Richelieu beside him.

The Duke of Richelieu's face was a little ugly, but he nodded in agreement, indicating that he agreed with Lord Mopp.

If that Bonaparte really achieved a certain amount of political power, then with his special status, he was likely to become a big problem for his side.

Lawrence, on the other side, put on a prevaricating expression, pretending to be very embarrassed and said:

"Your Majesty, this is really a great duty..."

Louis XV stroked his slightly upturned beard, waved his hand very heroically, and said:

"Don't shirk Governor La Bonaparte, I won't find another courtier who is both talented and loyal."

At this time, Justice Mopp, who was only listening to the side, suddenly interjected, and pointed the finger at Lawrence and said:

"Allow me to interject, Your Majesty. Governor Bonaparte was indeed a brilliant young man, but he was, after all, a foreigner, and it was not fitting for him to be entrusted with such an important post. ”

As the words fell, several nobles from Richelieu's faction nodded in agreement, writing their opposing positions on their faces.

Seeing this, Louis XV did not directly refute Justice Mopp, but only smiled and turned his gaze back to Lawrence, signaling that he would answer by himself.

Lawrence, on the other hand, said aloud with understanding:

"Your Excellency, first of all, I would like to say that His Majesty the King has appointed a royal office and not a government office, and it is not appropriate for you, as a government official, to interfere with the appointment of a royal office, right?"

Halfway through Lawrence's words, Louis XV nodded his head with satisfaction, as a king, he naturally did not want the royal power to be limited by the government and parliament, especially in the appointment of royal offices.

Therefore, these words also spoke to the heart of Louis XV.

And Lord Mopp, as a staunch supporter of royal power, naturally did not oppose Louis XV's decision too strongly.

"Secondly, I want to say, do you doubt my loyalty just because I am a Corsican?"

Lawrence went on to say:

"If, according to you, our esteemed Duke Choiseul was born in Lorraine, when Lorraine was still part of the Holy Roman Empire, would you like to say that Duke Choiseul was also a foreigner and therefore could not be used by His Majesty?"

"You..."

Justice Mopp's eyes widened, and he suddenly stopped talking, and after a long pause, he couldn't come up with a suitable statement.

Although it was well known that the Choiseul faction and the Richelieu faction were already incompatible, Louis XV did not like the struggle between the two.

Therefore, of course, Lord Mup could not follow Lawrence's words in front of Louis XV and make a personal attack on the Duke of Choiseul, which would only provoke Louis XV's disgust.

And to admit that the Duke of Choiseul deserves to be reused is to play into Lawrence's hands, after all, the Duke of Choiseul was not only born in the Holy Roman Empire, but also served in the Austrian court and army for decades.

Such a foreigner can become a French minister, so what is the problem of Lawrence, a foreigner, being a royal tax collector?

And the surrounding nobles couldn't help but smack their tongues after pondering Lawrence's words, it seems that it is not for nothing that this young man can be respected by the Duke of Choiseul and Louis XV.

The Duke of Richelieu, who was at the table, looked at Louis XV's flushed cheeks, and then tapped Lord Mopp twice on the thigh to signal him not to obstruct the matter, and King Louis seemed to have made up his mind.

Justice Mopp, who had received the Duke of Richelieu's signal, had no choice but to glance at Lawrence with a resentful glance, and after snorting softly, he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, indicating that he had nothing to say.

Louis XV could not help but be triumphant, and was very pleased to see that his will had been carried out, and he said in a loud voice to Lawrence:

"Very well, Viceroy Bonaparte, though not very formal, I hereby appoint you as the Inspector of the Crown, and in my name shall be responsible for the inspection of all lawful taxes in my land; Someone will come and explain your responsibilities to you. ”

"My pleasure, Your Majesty."

Lawrence replied with a bowed head.

As Louis XV's approving voice fell, the nobles in the Hall of Mirrors looked at Lawrence with more solemn eyes, and they whispered one after another:

"Does this not mean that the Governor of Bonaparte also has real power in Paris?"

"It's hard to say, the position of the royal tax officer has been vacant for a long time, although it nominally has the power to supervise the tax collection of the whole country, but this power has hardly been used, and it is basically a fictitious title."

"But this young man may really use this power, with the support of the Duke of Schuiseul, he is certainly not afraid of offending other forces."

"Hmm... It's hard to make a conclusion, anyway, the position of the royal tax collector is high enough in terms of status, and it can already be regarded as a minister of state, and the king is really generous. ”

"Hmph, I think this is just a consolation prize for that Bonaparte to surrender."

Whatever the aristocracy of the matter, they could not deny that this foreign young boy had gone from being a subordinate of the Duke of Choiseul to a political figure to be reckoned with in Paris.

...

After Louis XV announced his appointment, he still looked unsatisfied, staring at Lawrence with soft eyes, as if he still had something to say.

The Duke of Choiseul was also aware of this detail, laughed twice, and whispered to Lawrence:

"This should only be a reward for your obedience to him, and the credit for saving the crown prince will be counted separately."

Lawrence nodded slightly, he had also talked to the Duke of Choiseul beforehand, and knew that if nothing else, this reward would be a nominal earl title.

Lawrence reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the transfer agreement signed by Ambassador Betura.

For Lawrence, a dispensable knighthood was not the best reward, and it was the hardskin paper that smelled of ink that could change Louis XV's mind.

Louis XV also noticed Lawrence's move, and asked curiously:

"Oh? Doge Bonaparte, this is...? ”

I saw Lawrence slowly stand up under the gaze of everyone, knelt down on one knee before Louis XV, raised the agreement horizontally in front of him with both hands, and said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, since you have appointed me an official position, then I will officially become your courtier from now on. And I, as a courtier, am obviously not entitled to hold it, so I must present it to you. ”

The guests in the Hall of Mirrors immediately focused their eyes on the paper tube in Lawrence's hand, excitedly and suspiciously guessing the contents.

And in an inconspicuous corner, Baron Betula stared in disdain at the agreement in Lawrence's hand, which looked like the one he had given to Lawrence only a few hours earlier.

"Wait—" Baron Betula suddenly realized something, and the boy shrank and couldn't stop muttering to himself:

"I see, no wonder, no wonder that I was rushed to draw up a treaty at once, and specifically asked for the transfer of sovereignty over the island of St. Kitts to him personally and not to the Corsican government..."

...

Louis XV stood up with great interest, and he could tell that Lawrence meant to give him the scroll of paper in his hand as a gift.

Over the years, most of those who presented gifts to the king were gifted with rare treasures or delicate crafts, and it was rare for Lawrence to fall on one knee with a roll of paper in his hand.

Louis XV left his seat, walked up to Lawrence, picked up the transfer agreement himself, and looked at it with relish.

"Is this...?" Louis XV took a cursory look at it, and immediately showed a look of surprise and puzzlement.

Lawrence immediately explained:

"Your Majesty, as you can see, I am about to take over the sovereignty of a piece of land in the Kingdom of Britain, but I am not entitled to sovereignty as a courtier, and therefore I must dedicate to you all that this island of St. Kitts has. You will accept all the rights to it on my behalf! ”

"Shhhh You mean to give me an Englishman island? ”

Louis XV's eyes instantly lit up with fire, as a king, he really had never received such a gift.

Although Louis XV had no idea where the island of St. Kitts was located, how big it was, and how many people it contained, it was enough to surprise Louis XV by being able to deflate the hateful English and take an island from them openly.

And even if he was a sovereign who was fascinated by court life, he was still a king, and he had a natural inclination to expand his territory.

"Yes."

Lawrence bowed his head and emphasized:

"As long as you nod your head, St. Kitts will be the Bourbon royal family for generations to come."

It was only when Lawrence heard this that the audience reacted that he was going to present an entire island to the king as a gift.

"It's..."

Louis XV picked it up and looked at it a few times, then excitedly turned to the Duke of Choiseul and asked:

"By the way, Choiseul, where is St. Kitts, what kind of island is it?"

"Ah, Your Majesty"

The Duke of Choiseul smiled respectfully and said slowly:

"It's an island in the Pearl Islands of the Caribbean, you know, the rich Pearl Islands, where we have a couple of colonies, where most of the French eat their sugar. St. Kitts, like those islands, is a small island suitable for growing sugar cane. ”

"I see." Louis XV nodded in realization, and looked at the sugar-sprinkled desserts on the banquet table, as if the delicious white sugar on them came from St. Kitts.

The Duke of Richelieu sat in his place with a frown, without saying a word.

Although he knew that St. Kitts was a volcanic island with a population of less than a thousand, King Louis was obviously on the rise, and it was inappropriate to say such a bad thing at this time, especially since the Duke of Choiseul did not deceive King Louis, but only avoided the important and trivial.

"Get up, Governor Bonaparte."

Louis XV waved his hand to a waiter, handed the precious transfer agreement to the waiter, motioned for him to keep it safe, and then helped Lawrence up with a smile and said:

"What a complete surprise, tell me, how can I compensate you for your loss?"

"Your Majesty is serious, this is my obligation." Lawrence slowly stood up and said humbly.

The smile on Louis XV's face grew even stronger, and he patted Lawrence on the shoulder to return to his seat, and then sat back himself, his hands propped on the table, and watched Lawrence ponder.

There was silence in the Hall of Mirrors, and everyone wondered how King Louis would repay Lawrence's gift.

And Louis XV also knew that everyone was waiting for him to respond, and he wanted his reputation to be resounding inside and outside the court, so he specially prepared to canonize Lawrence as Count of France today, in recognition of his heroic act of sacrificing his life to save the crown prince some time ago.

But now it seems that a mere earldom cannot match Lawrence's contributions.

After a moment of silence, Louis XV suddenly beckoned to the Crown Prince Louis and whispered something in his ear.

Seeing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince immediately looked happy when he heard this, he turned his head to Lawrence's side, and then couldn't help nodding excitedly.

The Duke of Richelieu and Justice Mopp witnessed the scene, and they both looked at each other, both having a bad premonition.

As Crown Prince Louis returned to the throne, King Louis cleared his throat twice and said aloud:

"Well, Governor Bonaparte, let's put aside the matter of St. Kitts for a moment. But it was your heroic rescue a few days ago that moved me after listening to it, and I must express it for this alone. ”

With that, Louis XV nodded at the Crown Prince Louis, and then announced:

"I have decided to additionally appoint you as the crown prince's first attendant. I hope that your desperate efforts to save the crown prince that day will make you more dedicated to assisting him. ”

King Louis's resonant voice echoed in the Hall of Mirrors, and the eyes of the guests were focused in disbelief on Lawrence.

If the royal tax collector just now has no status but no power, then the official position of the crown prince's first attendant is low status and huge power, and the two complement each other perfectly.

Even the Duke of Schwarcel looked at Lawrence in admiration, and secretly said that this kid's exchange for St. Kitts Island was really a big deal.

Everyone knows that the present king, though he seems to be full of energy, is sixty years old; For more than ten years, the ruler of France was the young fat crown prince at the table.

As long as Louis XVI succeeded to the throne, no matter who the first chamberlain was, his political future would undoubtedly be bright, and even if the new king did not care about him, his treatment would not be much worse.

Therefore, in this case, being able to become the first attendant of the crown prince is something that many people dream of.

Lawrence, while calmly accepting the appointment of King Louis, thought with a wry smile in his heart:

"If I'm in my hometown, I'll be a prince."