The Palace of Versailles, the Apollo Room, is also known as the Helios Room.

Because Louis XIV claimed to be the Sun King, the main halls of the Palace of Versailles were named after the planets that orbited the Sun and their corresponding gods.

The Apollo Room is naturally the center of the entire Palace of Versailles, the seat room of King Louis.

Anyone who comes here can't help but sigh at this extremely luxurious and beautiful setting.

The ceiling is shallow relief with gilded withered flowers, and the walls are velvet trimmed with crimson filigree; In the center, a nearly three-metre-high throne cast in sterling silver stands on a crimson Ottoman carpet.

On weekdays, King Louis would receive envoys and other dignitaries from all over the world.

But today's Apollo Room is not such a serious diplomatic occasion.

At this moment, there were only Louis XV and Crown Prince Louis in the huge hall, and the rest were deliberately dismissed by Louis XV, he didn't want his rare time with his grandson to be disturbed by others.

Louis XV did not sit on his tall sterling silver throne, but lay on the sofa next to the crown prince Louis.

"Tell me what you think, my dear August."

Louis XV looked at his grandson dotingly and said slowly.

"Yes, grandfather." Crown Prince Louis nodded solemnly, an expression that had only appeared before when he had clicked on the lock:

"I wanted to go to Paris with Lawrence and be personally involved in running that company. There's so much I don't know about business and finance, and if I become king in such a situation... Ah sorry, grandfather, I..."

Halfway through his words, Crown Prince Louis suddenly realized that his wording was inappropriate, after all, Louis XV was still sitting firmly on the throne, but he was already planning for the succession.

And King Louis on the side didn't care at all, but the doting color in his eyes became even more intense.

He knew very well that he would be able to sit on this throne for ten years at most, and that the heir to the crown would undoubtedly be the young eldest grandson in front of him.

Louis XV was not only not worried about the Crown Prince's ambitions, but was more than happy to see the weak and cowardly eldest grandson come out of that damned locksmith's workshop and devote his energies to governing the country.

This is very similar to the emperor in the east who started with a bowl.

"You're right, August."

Louis XV reached out and stroked a few strands of messy hair from the crown prince's head, and said with a smile:

"Still, that's what Lawrence taught you, right?"

The news that Lawrence had gone to the palace in the afternoon to meet the crown prince could not be concealed from Louis XV.

As soon as Lawrence had left, the Crown Prince Louis came to see him, and Louis XV knew without thinking that the young man must have said something to his grandson.

The unsociable Crown Prince Louis scratched his head in a little embarrassment, smiled awkwardly, and then nodded and admitted:

"It's... Yes, grandfather. But it was my own decision to take Lawrence's advice. ”

Louis XV smiled and nodded, and at the same time his expression became a little more serious.

After closing his eyes and thinking for a moment, Louis XV sat up slightly, patted the crown prince on the shoulder, and said:

"I support your decision, August, keep your sincere heart and you will become a great king."

Although Louis XV himself was a shamble in governing the country, this did not prevent him from pinning his hopes on his eldest grandson.

As the so-called people are about to die, their words are also good; Even the tyrannical Louis XIV, before his death, sent a message to Louis XV, hoping that the future king would become a peace-loving ruler who treated his people well.

Although Louis XV is not yet at the end of the day, his political life will not turn around, so he can only give hope to the future of Crown Prince Louis.

"Thank you grandfather, I will!"

Crown Prince Louis said excitedly that this means that he can finally get out of the big birdcage of Versailles and go to the bustling city of Paris for a while.

"Go back and get some rest, I've heard that Lawrence is leaving early tomorrow morning."

Louis XV touched the crown prince's hair again and said with a smile.

After Crown Prince Louis left the Apollo Room excitedly, only Louis XV was left in the huge Apollo Room.

However, he did not rush to leave, but was alone and thought about it for a while.

"Lawrence... He can also be regarded as a great achievement, and he can lead August on the right path, and it is indeed the right choice to put him next to August. ”

Louis XV's eyes closed slightly, and he whispered to himself:

"But... Hopefully, staying with August during this time will make it clear to him which side he should be on. ”

......

Early the next morning.

The avenue leading from Versailles to Paris was much more noisy than usual, and even from 800 yards away, you could hear the rolling of wheels and the trampling of horses' hooves.

Nearly five hundred armored and banner-clad cavalry marched in unison on the road, silver-white cuirasses and pure black war horses gathered together, like a huge wave of silver and black sweeping across the avenue.

When the farmers on both sides of the road saw this formation, they couldn't help but retreat into the distance, and at the same time wondered who was traveling to have such a battle.

And the only person who can be escorted by such a number of cavalry, except for King Louis, is the current Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

In the center of the cavalry array was a long line of wagons, estimated to be forty or fifty, loaded with the servants of the Crown Prince Louis and the furnishings to be brought to Paris.

"I can't believe my grandfather agreed to let me go to Paris so easily."

In the middle of the convoy, in a troika painted with blue-bottomed irises, Crown Prince Louis said excitedly to Lawrence in front of him.

"Your Majesty is also touched by your determination."

Lawrence was not surprised by this result, so he casually coped with it, while looking out the window at the blackened cavalry.

Louis XV probably also took into account that Lawrence had been attacked here only the day before yesterday, and directly sent one-sixth of the royal cavalry in the Palace of Versailles as an escort.

"That's right."

Crown Prince Louis nodded a little nervously and said that although part of the reason for this trip to Paris was to be playful, the main goal was to understand the business operations that Lawrence said.

For this completely unfamiliar field, Crown Prince Louis, who has always been a give-and-demand and has no concept of money, can't help but feel a little nervous.

"By the way, in what capacity did you come to Paris this time?"

Lawrence asked after observing the cavalry outside for a while, then turned to look at Crown Prince Louis.

"Identity..."Crown Prince Louis rubbed his head and thought for a while, and said:

"What kind of royal financial director, I don't seem to have this position before, it was specially granted to me by my grandfather, but the authority is limited to handling the affairs of that company."

"That's normal, too, because you still need a proper name to come to Paris."

Lawrence smiled and said:

"If you're just here for the National Silver Company, you'd be exalting me and belittling yourself."

"We're friends, Lawrence." Crown Prince Louis waved his hand and laughed and said:

"There is nothing to exalt and belittle among friends."

"You have the final say, Your Highness." Lawrence smiled and nodded.

...

The convoy arrived in Paris at about noon.

The townspeople, who had not seen such a grand spectacle for many years, gathered on both sides of the street to watch the motortrip drive down the streets of Paris.

Although the decision to leave Versailles was only made yesterday afternoon, the news had not yet reached Paris.

But the townspeople probably guessed from the carriage painted with irises that it must have been a distinguished member of the royal family.

The convoy slowly drove into the Douinleries Palace on the right bank of the Seine.

Before Louis XIV moved to Versailles, the Bourbon kings of France lived between the Château des Doinleries and the Louvre.

From Louis XIV onwards, the Douilleri Palace was abandoned, and only occasionally was the theater used by the king.

The Louvre became a gathering place for scholars, the headquarters of several academies, including the Royal Academy of Sciences, and other artists who were enshrined by the royal family.

Although the palace has been idle for more than 100 years, the royal family spends a lot of money every year to repair and maintain it, and the palace rooms and gardens are still clean and tidy.

When the Crown Prince Louis got out of the carriage, he and Lawrence went into the Douilleur Palace, looked around curiously, and said:

"I thought it would be more fun to live in an old castle full of cobwebs and dust."

Lawrence shrugged his shoulders and said:

"If you do live in a place like that, the maids downstairs will be whipped, a proper dereliction of duty."

"Oh... Forget it. ”

Crown Prince Louis glanced at the female workers in the garden who were cleaning the fallen leaves with pity and sympathy, and quickly shook his head and said.

Of all the Bourbon kings of France, Louis XVI was probably the most soft-hearted and benevolent.

Although the architectural styles of the Douinleries Palace and the Palace of Versailles are very different, they are just the same splendid in the eyes of the Crown Prince Louis, so they are not of much interest.

The two of them only walked around for a short time before returning to the banquet hall, where they waited for lunch.

Lawrence also accepted the invitation of Crown Prince Louis and decided to stay in the Tuinlery Palace for the next few days.

...

While Lawrence and Crown Prince Louis were enjoying their cosy lunch, the political scene in Paris had already exploded.

There was only one reason, and that was the huge motorcade that came to Paris at noon.

Due to the suddenness of the incident, no citizen of Paris knew what was going on, but the carriage with fleur-de-lis already indicated that the identity of the comer must be that of a member of the royal family.

Combined with the fact that the convoy finally drove into the palace of Du Yinleli, the royal palace of the past, and people with a little political acumen have already guessed the identity of the owner of the carriage.

And the people who are most sensitive to this news are undoubtedly those who stand at the top of the political circles.

At this moment, the palace of the Dukes of Richelieu.

The Duke of Richelieu was sitting motionless on a bench in the middle of the garden of the mansion.

Facing the summer scenery of the garden, his face was iron-blue.

His face was a little better than when he had learned the other day that Count Falcone had attacked Lawrence.

At this time, I saw a man in a black robe angrily break into the garden, go straight to the Duke of Richelieu and sit down, but he was silent and did not say a word.

The Duke of Richelieu glanced at the man, closed his eyes and said:

"You're here in person, Marquis Mopp, it's rare."

The man ripped off his hood, revealing his face inside, and there was no doubt that it was indeed Lord Mopp.

It's just that his face is even more ugly than that of the Duke of Richelieu, and even mixed with a bit of anger.

In order to avoid being criticized for collusion, Lord Mup rarely visited the Duke of Richelieu in person, and exchanged letters on weekdays.

It's just that today, the news of Crown Prince Louis's arrival in Paris made Justice Mope really unable to sit still, so he put on a black robe and came directly to find the Duke of Richelieu in a carriage.

"You've heard about it, it's not a good time for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to come down."

The Duke of Richelieu tried his best to remain calm and said:

"You're still in Versailles by that Bonaparte's calculations, and the situation is a little less optimistic."

"Huh, I've been calculated? Let's not talk about the crown prince. ”

Lord Mopp snorted coldly, obviously with resentment in his stomach, and said completely unconvinced:

"I would like to know why you sent someone to attack Bonaparte?! It was because of this that the king sympathized with that Bonaparte, and that is why I fell behind! ”

Lord Mopp had in his hands the confessions and other evidence of the prisoners provided by the Royal Guard to the Palace of Justice, so he knew the identities of the beggars who attacked Lawrence, and knew that they were inextricably linked to the Duke of Richelieu, so he thought that the Duke of Richelieu had personally ordered the attack.

The Duke of Richelieu glanced at Justice Mopp quietly, and without saying a word, he took the black cauldron on behalf of his grandson.

"I don't know what you think, Your Excellency, the King is furious about this. He even privately demanded that I be beheaded by a judicial verdict for the masterminds of the attack. ”

Justice Mopp waved his hand angrily and said incoherently.

The Duke of Richelieu sighed quietly, shook his head and said:

"I've written to the Royal Guard to suggest that they don't pursue it to the end, and you can cover for me at the Palace of Justice, and find a few more scapegoats for this matter, and it will be over."

"Nothing? It's a brisk thing to say. ”

Justice Mopp shook his head again and again, and said angrily:

"Will Choiseul's side be gone? He's going to take a hit, and maybe I'll be implicated when the time comes! You've gone beyond the bottom line of politics in doing so! ”

"What do you mean...?" The Duke of Richelieu did not argue with him, but closed his eyes completely, leaned back in his chair and asked.

"The Palace of Justice will not give you any help in the event of an attack that could put me in danger."

Lord Mopp said coldly, and there was no room for maneuver in his tone.

"I see."

The Duke of Richelieu nodded unashamedly and accepted Justice Mopp's terms, even though he knew that Mope meant to get out of the matter altogether.

For this justice, the Duke of Richelieu still needed him as his political ally.

However, how much Justice Mope himself was willing to maintain an alliance with the Duke of Richelieu, no one but himself could say.