Lawrence and Crown Prince Louis chatted in the room for a while.

It has to be said that although Crown Prince Louis was obsessed with hunting and locksmithing, he was still very knowledgeable, not only proficient in Latin and English, but also quite familiar with geography and history.

This is not much higher than his wife, Crown Princess Mary.

The two had a long and pleasant conversation that lasted until late afternoon.

"Oh, it's already two o'clock in the afternoon."

Crown Prince Louis took out his gold and diamond-encrusted pocket watch, looked at it, and said with a dry mouth:

"The time of pleasure is short-lived, alas, and it is time to receive the nobles who are in the heat of the world."

"Work is always boring, even for people like you. I didn't get so tired after that." Lawrence also smiled and relieved.

It also happened that at this time, a servant knocked on the door and entered the room, and respectfully reported aloud:

"Your Highness, a guest has arrived."

Crown Prince Louis rolled his eyes slightly, stood up and stretched, and asked:

"Okay, who's here again?"

The servant replied:

"Duke Etienne François de Choisele, and his brother, General Jacques Philippe."

"Schoiseul? It's an acquaintance."

Hearing that it was the Duke of Choiseul and his younger brother who had come to visit, Crown Prince Louis's dissatisfaction dissipated a little.

For this important minister, Crown Prince Louis still has a lot of good feelings.

The crown prince had the impression that Choiseul was like his uncle, who had been cared for since he was born.

This is why, after Louis XVI succeeded to the throne, he specially recalled the fallen Duke of Choiseul from his fiefdom to Paris, although he did not restore his power, but also gave him very preferential treatment.

Lawrence, when he heard that the Duke of Choiseul was coming, also took the initiative to request:

"I'll go with you, Your Highness."

Lawrence has not been in contact with the Duke of Choiseul since the last time they parted at the Île de la Cité.

A lot of things have happened in the past few days, and Lawrence has taken advantage of this occasion to arrange the next plan with the Duke of Choiseul.

"Oh of course, you can change your clothes and come with me."

Crown Prince Louis gladly accepted that it was better to have Lawrence by his side than to sit there all afternoon.

...

After a few moments, Lawrence changed into a red dress for his chamberlain, and together with Crown Prince Louis, met the Duke of Choiseul and his brother Jacques Philippe in the main hall of the palace.

The Duke of Choiseul has not changed much from the usual, he is still majestic and deceitful, and even in the presence of the Crown Prince Louis, he is completely an elder.

It was the middle-aged man next to him who made Lawrence a little curious.

His face was thin and cold, his eyes were piercing, and although he was not athletic, anyone who looked at him would feel that he was full of strength.

And his indigo general uniform also indicates his identity - an experienced and battle-experienced general.

Apparently he was the younger brother of the Duke of Choiseul, General Jacques Philippe.

"Jacques Philippe... He should be a French lieutenant general at this point, and then he will soon be given the post of governor of Lorraine."

Lawrence smiled and saluted the two of them, while silently recalling the message of the Duke of Choiseul's younger brother in his mind.

Choiseul had two younger brothers, one of whom was sent to the Church at an early age and is now Archbishop of Cambrai; The other is Jacques Philippe, who was sent to serve in the Austrian army at a young age.

This practice was also common among the great nobles, who were usually sent to the church or the army in order to secure the inheritance of the eldest sons.

Historically, Jacques Philippe was also remarkably capable, reaching the rank of Field Marshal of Austria and Holy Roman Emperor

Attendant of Emperor Franz I.

Ten years earlier, in 1760, he had left Austria for France, where he served as lieutenant general until now.

He then served as Governor of Lorraine and then of Alsace, and was promoted to Marshal of France, where he succeeded to the title after the death of the Duke of Choiseul and became the second Duke of Choiseul.

It can be said that with the support of the Duke of Choiseul in political circles, Jacques Philippe also had a strong influence in the army.

Even after the fall of the Duke of Choiseul, Jacques Philippe remained active in the army for fifteen years.

While Lawrence was thinking, the Duke of Choiseul and Jacques Philippe had already finished saluting Crown Prince Louis.

"Your Highness, I really didn't expect you to suddenly come to Paris."

Duke Choiseul said with a smile, glancing at Lawrence with a slightly meaningful glance.

He really didn't expect Lawrence to bring Crown Prince Louis to Paris.

"Paris is much more fun than Versailles."

Crown Prince Louis was visibly much more relaxed in front of the Duke of Choiseul, and said with a smile:

"But I'm not here to have fun, and there's still a lot to learn."

"Learning? I think Versailles has the best court teachers in all of Europe." Duke Choisell asked, puzzled.

"Of course, but as Lawrence told me, there are many things that can only be learned by doing."

Crown Prince Louis glanced at Lawrence, nodded and said:

"He said that only practice is the only criterion for testing truth."

Duke Choiseul smiled and nodded, making eye contact with Lawrence.

Of course, he didn't care how Lawrence brought Crown Prince Louis to Paris, after all, this result was quite favorable to his side.

Crown Prince Louis turned his head to look at Jacques Philippe again, and said with the same kindness:

"And General Philip, I haven't seen you in a long time, you're in... Where do you hold office?"

"Île-de-France garrison." Jacques Philippe said in a sonorous voice.

Île-de-France is a general term for a large area centered on Paris, including Versailles, Fontainebleau and other cities, commonly known as the Greater Paris region.

Jacques Philippe was able to serve in such an important army, and it seems that the king also placed deep trust in him.

"But..."

Jacques Philippe then shook his head and added:

"I have received an order from the king to go to Lorraine to serve as governor at the end of the year."

The Lorraine region is located on the border between France and Germany, so it has been changing hands back and forth between the two countries.

From the Holy Roman Empire to Prussia and then to the German Empire, the French fought for the Lorraine region until after World War II.

It was only in this era that France had taken Lorraine from the Holy Roman Empire six years earlier, in 1764.

In this turbulent border region, it is only natural that a governor who is well versed in the cultural traditions of both Germany and France will be needed to govern it.

As a result, Jacques Philippe, who had served in the Holy Roman Empire for decades, was an excellent candidate.

"Ah, it's a shame I haven't seen you for a long time."

Crown Prince Louis said with some pity that he still liked this resolute general.

At least compared to the women in the Palace of Versailles, the crown prince Louis still admired a man like Jacques Philippe more.

After another round of pleasantries, the Duke of Choiseul gave Lawrence a look, and then said to Crown Prince Louis:

"Your Highness, if you don't mind, I'd like to say a few words to Governor Bonaparte."

Although such a request was a bit rude, the few people present were also very familiar with each other, and Crown Prince Louis was not

Waving his hand in concern, he agreed to Duke Choiseul's request.

...

Lawrence and the Duke of Choiseul left the main hall and went to the gardens of the Tuinleries Palace.

The garden is staggered in the style of Italian Renaissance architecture, and even today it is planted with lemons and citrus from Italy, which exude a fresh fragrance.

This style also derives from the identity of the garden's first owner, Marie de' Medici.

She came from the Medici family, a wealthy Italian family, and was also the queen of Henry IV, the first king of the Bourbon dynasty of France.

This is why the overall architectural style of the Palazzo Douinlery is full of Italian style.

The two sat down in a small pavilion in the garden.

"You're astonishing me, Lawrence."

As soon as the Duke of Choiseul sat down, he smiled and said:

"I didn't expect you to kidnap His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to Paris."

Lawrence couldn't help but pout:

"I'm not a human trafficker, Your Excellency, it's His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's own wishes, and I'm just offering a small idea."

"Oh, it's all the same anyway, young people must think Paris is much more fun than Versailles." The Duke of Choiseul said indifferently, just that Crown Prince Louis was here to have fun.

"It's hard to say, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince seems to be determined to make great efforts." Lawrence chuckled and shook his head.

"Okay, let's hope he's not three minutes hot."

The Duke of Choiseul shrugged and said that although he had a good relationship with Crown Prince Louis, he clearly did not think that the crown prince could make a good king.

And the current Lawrence is honestly uncertain whether Crown Prince Louis will always maintain such enthusiasm for governing the country.

After all, in the early years of his reign, Louis XVI also had a period of hard work and enthusiasm for reform.

However, when he found that the reform was at every turn and the political constraints were everywhere, Louis XVI gradually became passive.

"Anyway, it's good news to bring His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to our side."

The Duke of Choiseul said triumphantly:

"I'd love to see that old fellow Richelieu's face when he heard the news, it must have been wonderful."

Lawrence was not so excited, but frowned and reminded:

"But the king certainly doesn't want to see the crown prince personally involved in this political maelstrom, so the crown prince is not as important to us as he imagined."

"Hmm... That's true, but even without the help of the Crown Prince, the old fellow Richelieu has given us a great deal."

Duke Choiseul narrowed his eyes and said in a very happy mood:

"I really don't know what he thinks, he actually sent so many people to attack and kill you."

The Duke of Choiseul, like Lord Mup, had obtained a prisoner's confession from the royal guard at Versailles, and thus saw the connection between the beggars and the Duke of Richelieu.

However, it is completely impossible to accuse the Duke of Richelieu on the basis of this subtle connection alone.

After all, there are still several layers of relationship between the King of the Thunes and the Duke of Richelieu.

In the worst-case scenario, the Duke of Richelieu could abandon the chariot and put all the blame on Jean Dubarry, who was in any case the direct patron of the King of the Thieves.

Even if it worked properly, the Duke of Richelieu's mere handing over the king of beggars would be enough to calm the situation.

Therefore, Lawrence and the Duke of Schwarseul could not afford to squander this precious opportunity.

"If I'm not mistaken, it's not the Duke of Richelieu who gave the order, he hasn't gotten to this point."

Lawrence said with a serious expression:

"The mastermind should be Count Falcone, who probably hates me to the core."

"Count Falcone? Well... It makes sense."

Shuva

Duke Cel nodded understandingly, but it didn't matter who the mastermind was, anyway, he and Lawrence would definitely try their best to pull Duke Richelieu on.

"So there's any progress on the Royal Guard's side?" Lawrence asked.

The Duke of Choiseul then became serious, nodded and said:

"That's what I'm here for today. The Duke of Richelieu reacted quickly and began pressuring the Royal Guard almost the day after you were attacked. After the interrogation of the guards made a confession, they were forced to secretly execute all the prisoners, claiming that they had died of their injuries."

Lawrence was dying when he brought the surviving bandits to Versailles, so the Royal Guard's argument was perfect.

With that, the Duke of Choiseul touched his chin and added:

"Even that confession did not point the finger at Jean Dubarry, or even at the so-called king of the beggars, but at a petty leader who did not matter at all."

"What about the follow-up investigation?" Lawrence then asked.

"Basically nothing, the Duke of Richelieu has a lot of dogs in Versailles, and they are secretly obstructing the investigation."

The Duke of Choiseul shrugged and said:

"Coupled with the fact that Richelieu himself has cleared the evidence cleanly, there is no progress on the Royal Guard's side. When the king's mood is settled, they may be able to hand over the king of beggars to the king."

Lawrence bowed slightly, and this situation was also expected by him.

It is impossible for an official survey to point to any one of the top political figures, and this has become the norm in political circles, unless specifically instructed by the king.

So, Lawrence still had to collect the evidence himself, or rather, make the evidence.

"Do you have any ideas?" Duke Choiseul asked in a deep voice.

Lawrence pondered for a moment, knocked on the table, and said:

"We'll have to do the investigation ourselves. Start with Jean Dubarry, then push from the bottom up to Richelieu. It doesn't matter if you can't find evidence, as long as you produce credible evidence."

"It really has to be."

The Duke of Schwarcel nodded in approval:

"But what about the king of beggars, let him go first?"

"He's of no use, but I want him dead."

Lawrence said coldly without hesitation.

In that night's attack, although Lawrence and his party suffered no casualties, there were still many precision shooters who spilled blood to protect themselves.

These shooters were the most loyal soldiers handpicked from Ajaccio, and Lawrence naturally didn't let their blood go to waste.

"Governor Bonaparte, I'll be happy to do you a favor."

The Duke of Choiseul smiled and said:

"I'll send you the head of that rat, if you're too savage."

"Thank you very much for your help, Lord Duke."

Lawrence said with a smile and a nod.

With the power of the Duke of Choiseul, it was easy to pluck off the head of the king of beggars.

After all, he was currently the Minister of War, Jacques Philippe was also serving in the Île-de-France garrison, and the Duke of Choiseul could even bring in an army to crush the rats in the gutter.

However, Lawrence also knew very well that the Duke of Choiseul was so generous and willing to help him, and he probably still valued his relationship with Crown Prince Louis.

Lawrence's ability to bring Crown Prince Louis from Versailles to Paris has fully proved his worth.

This undoubtedly made the Duke of Choiseul value his relationship with Lawrence even more.