"Are you coveting the territory of southern Italy?" Duke Choiseul asked with a frown.

"It doesn't matter what I want to do, after all, I am a lowly courtier who will only carry out the will of His Majesty."

Lawrence smiled and shook his head, as if humbly, saying:

"And His Majesty would be happy to see us expand our influence in southern Italy, right?"

The Duke of Choiseul smiled meaningfully, narrowed his eyes and said:

Indeed, France will benefit from it. But... Governor Bonaparte, I'm afraid you'll be the biggest winner then, right? Corsica is also part of the Italian heritage, and if the king needs a capable, loyal minister who is well versed in Italian customs and culture, to govern our power in Italy... Your name will definitely appear on the King's runoff list. ”

Lawrence shrugged, looked away and said:

"I didn't think that far ahead, we don't even know what happened in the Kingdom of Naples right now."

"Oh come on, dear Lawrence, don't play this with me."

The Duke of Choiseul said with a smile, he obviously didn't believe that a shrewd person like Lawrence hadn't thought so far, maybe Lawrence was already planning how to interfere in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Naples at this moment.

"But... Governor Bonaparte, in view of the close cooperation we have always had..."

The Duke of Choiseul restrained his smile and said kindly:

"As long as your name appears on the King's run-off list, I will surely make you the representative of the French in Italy."

Lawrence first glanced at the Duke of Choiseul quietly, and understood that the Duke was repaying him for his work against the Duke of Richelieu.

However, Lawrence did not rush to accept it, but asked cautiously first:

"Thank you for your kindness, but the Spaniards wouldn't be happy to see us strengthen our presence in southern Italy, right? They were allies of France in turn. ”

"Don't care about that, Governor Bonaparte, an ally doesn't mean a complete alignment of interests. There is a conflict of interest within even one country, let alone between two countries, and the Spaniards have at best lodged some painless protests against us. ”

The Duke of Choiseul waved his hand absently and said:

"At the end of the day, allies are meant to be used and betrayed, and friends today can become enemies tomorrow."

Lawrence smiled and listened, then nodded happily and accepted:

"Then I have no reason to refuse your kindness, Lord Duke, and I hope that our cooperation will always be so close."

"Hahaha, I'm sure it will." The Duke of Choiseul pinched his beard and laughed and said:

"I really want to drink a glass of champagne that symbolizes friendship at a time like this."

"Why not, it's almost time for dinner." Lawrence smiled and invited:

"There's also a lot of fine champagne in this mansion, and we can have a few drinks at the table together."

"Oh sure, then I'm not going to say no." The Duke of Choiseul was in a good mood and said:

"Think of tonight as a celebration of a great victory over the Duke of Richelieu."

......

The evening feast lasted until late at night.

Although the Duke of Richelieu had not yet completely fallen, Lawrence's calculations had dealt him a fatal blow, which allowed the Duke of Choiseul to wield his power as he pleased for a long time.

Although the Duke of Richelieu fought back, saying that King Louis had temporarily transferred both Lawrence and the Duke of Choiseul out of Paris, it was still a complete victory.

For this reason, the Duke of Choiseul also had a lot of high regard for Lawrence, a young man, but he did not expect that he had solved half of his serious problems in only a few months after he came to Paris.

The Duke of Schwarcel drank a full half barrel of champagne alone, and even the Duke of Schwarseul, who was drunk in the end, put his arm around Lawrence's shoulders and shouted how good it would be if he were his own son.

Lawrence could only smile awkwardly at this, and hurriedly sent someone to find the Duke of Choiseul's retinue and ask them to bring back the drunken and unconscious Duke.

At the same time, Lawrence could only pray that the Duke of Choiseul's drunken remarks had not been spread, after all, the French were most fond of telling about the origin of someone when slandering and spreading rumors.

If the drunken rumors of the Duke of Schwarcel spread, I am afraid that the next day there will be rumors that Lawrence is the illegitimate son of the Duke of Schwartle.

However, Lawrence, who had been drinking with the Duke of Choisel all night, could also see that the Duke had more than ninety percent trust in him at this time.

"It's always good to be trusted."

After sending off the Duke of Choiseul, Lawrence, whose cheeks were slightly red under the influence of alcohol, covered his forehead and whispered:

"Trust this kind of thing... It can be used as a cornerstone of cooperation... It can also be used as a capital for betrayal. ”

......

The next day, July 5

After a hangover, Lawrence got up early in the morning and wrote a letter to Crown Prince Louis to inform him that he was leaving Paris for a while.

Since arriving in Paris, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has behaved quite decently, taking two or three hours a day to read and study the statements of the Corsican National Silver Company.

Although most of the crown prince's time was spent on locksmithing, after all, the number of locksmiths in Paris was much higher than that of Versailles, but the fact that Crown Prince Louis was able to continue to study finance for a while every day was already very gratifying to Lawrence.

At least on King Louis's side, Lawrence could have dealt with it, and he had indeed brought the crown prince into contact with the emerging bourgeois workings.

Drying the ink on the letterhead, Lawrence called the old butler and commanded:

"Send this letter to the Palazzo Douinlery, prepare the carriage of the mansion, and inform the Lord Chancellor of the Palais de Justice in advance, and I would like to meet him in the afternoon."

Now that the Duke of Choiseul had reminded himself to complete the treaty as soon as possible, Lawrence had decided that negotiations with Lord Mope would be concluded in the next few days.

Since the last time Louis XV ordered the preservation of all the results of the negotiations between the Duke of Choiseul, there was little and no matter what needed to be negotiated between Lawrence and Lord Mopp.

After all, those core clauses in the treaty were agreed upon by Lawrence and the Duke of Choiseul as early as the first meeting in Toulon.

But despite this, there is still a process to follow, and Lawrence does not want to give up even the smallest interests to the French.

If you talk about it at the negotiation table, you may be able to affect the core interests of a certain group in Corsica, so Lawrence still attaches great importance to the whole negotiation.

...

At about 1 p.m., Lawrence drove to the gates of the Palais de Justice on the Île de la Cité.

As a result of the advance notification, there was already a bureaucrat in a purple silk robe and long leather boots waiting for Lawrence in front of the gate at this time.

"Your Excellency Bonaparte, it is an honour to meet you!"

When the purple-robed bureaucracy, who had been waiting for a long time, saw Lawrence get out of the carriage, he immediately trotted over, and said with a flattering smile:

"Your presence has really added a touch of luster to the entire Palais de Justice and the High Court of Paris."

Lawrence glanced at the bureaucrat indifferently.

His purple robe means that he is an assistant judge of the Paris High Court, although his status is much lower than that of the trial judge, but he is also considered to be in the middle and upper echelons of the high court.

Moreover, the position of assistant judge can also be hereditary, which shows that the purple-robed bureaucrat in front of him is also a bureaucratic aristocrat.

Despite the power of the High Court and the loyal ally of Duke Choiseul, Lawrence had little affection for the men and the bureaucratic aristocracy.

As later historians summed it up:

"Although the Paris High Court is, in fact, nothing more than a small, selfish, arrogant, corrupt oligarchy, it sees itself as and is seen by the public as the guardian of the freedoms of the French constitution."

The High Court is synonymous with old-fashionedness and decadence, and if it weren't for their resolute resistance to fiscal reform, France's finances might have survived for decades longer than they have historically been.

And if it weren't for his political stance, Lawrence even supported Justice Mopp's suppression of the High Court.

"Are you...?" Lawrence asked with a frown.

"Ah, sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet, my name is Jackie Hadrera de Roel."

The purple-robed bureaucrat still said flatteringly:

"I'm an associate judge at the Paris High Court, and you can just call me Associate Judge Jackie. I heard that you are coming to the Palace of Justice, and I have come to receive you. ”

"Alright, Judge Jackie, I'm sorry for you." Lawrence nodded, expressionless.

"Oh! Where, Lord Bonaparte. ”

Judge Jackie said cheerfully, as if he had been pleased to hear Lawrence omit the word "assistant" from the title.

Lawrence looked at the courteous and flattering appearance of the purple-robed bureaucrat in front of him, and could basically guess why he was so enthusiastic.

He was already close to the Duke of Choiseul, and he also had a lot of political energy in Paris by virtue of his close relationship with the royal family.

In addition, the story of the Duke of Richelieu had long been spread throughout Paris, and for people of higher status like Judge Jackie, they would not feel that the Duke of Richelieu was simply cheated by the Count of Falcone like ordinary citizens, and they knew very well that this was a trap set by Lawrence for the Duke of Richelieu.

When Judge Jackie and the others heard that Lawrence had sent an earl to a dungeon and a powerful duke to house arrest without blood, they couldn't help but feel a little more jealous and admiration for this newcomer.

With the blessing of these multiple factors, Judge Jackie completely regarded Lawrence as a target to be treated.

After all, the task of receiving Lawrence is normally a small official who is competent, and it is not necessary for an assistant judge from the upper echelons of the court to receive him personally.

"Come with me, Lord Bonaparte."

Judge Jackie bowed deeply and comically and respectfully, then led Lawrence through the door, adding:

"I've heard that you're going to meet with Marquis Mopp, but he's out of business, and he should be back at two o'clock in the afternoon."

Judge Jackie did not address Mopp as a Justice, and it seems that Justice Mopp was indeed very unpopular with the forces of the Paris High Court in the Palais de Justice.

"Three o'clock in the afternoon? Is there still more than an hour. Lawrence took out his pocket watch and looked at it, frowning.

"Yes, that's right."

Judge Jackie suddenly lowered his voice and said mysteriously:

"If you don't mind, I can show you around the Palace of Justice, especially the Judicial Palace Ancient Prison, I think you will be interested there."

"Justice Miyako Prison...?"

Lawrence was slightly stunned, and then immediately reacted and said:

"You mean that Count Falcone is inside?"

As the Duke of Choiseul informed Lawrence yesterday, he mentioned that the Count of Falcone had been sentenced to life imprisonment by King Louis and immediately returned to the Palazzo Palazzo de Justice in Paris.

Before the royal palace of the French king was moved from Paris to Versailles, the ancient prison of the Palace of Justice was a veritable royal prison, similar to the Tower of London in England, where prisoners were generally held with high status or special status, and there were also prisoners who had not had time to be transferred to other prisons after the judgment of the Paris High Court.

"Oh my God, you're so smart."

Judge Jackie pretended to exclaim in surprise, then explained with a smile:

"That's right, the guilty Earl was sent to the ancient prison only last night, and he will be here for the rest of his life. I've heard that you have some ties to him, so I'm wondering if you'll want to meet him. ”

"Okay, take me to the ancient prison." Lawrence said casually.

Although Lawrence didn't care much about the little pawn of Count Falcone, and he was not interested in doing anything to this already crazy man, since Justice Mapp still had more than an hour to return, Lawrence should go sightseeing in the ancient prison to pass the time.

"Okay, come with me."

Judge Jackie said excitedly, and led Lawrence towards the depths of the Palace of Justice.

Unhindered, the two entered a heavily defended masonry fortress.

The inside of the fortress is clean and bright, not as dark and foul as a normal prison, after all, it is not an ordinary prisoner.

Judge Jackie led Lawrence through the rows of cells and expertly walked towards the cell where Count Falcone was being held.

At this moment, I heard a sonorous and powerful cry suddenly come from a cell on the left side of the corridor:

"Wait, you're the judge? Your Excellency, I dispute my charges, I should not be held here! ”

Both Lawrence and Judge Jackie stopped and turned to look at the cell.

Inside was a man with a scruffy beard and gray temples, who looked to be nearly sixty years old.

He grasped the cell door in front of him with both hands, but did not shake it violently; Despite the power of his voice, he stood calmly and calmly, just staring at Judge Jackie.

The man's old-fashioned gown was also shabby, covered with wrinkles and imperceptible dark patches, and it looked like the man's standard of living was not wealthy.

However, the clothes are very clean, so there is a different kind of spirit when worn on a man.

Lawrence stared at the calm man for a moment, and couldn't help but be a little fascinated.

He did not show any overwhelming courage or earth-shattering strength, but his temperament revealed an unparalleled willpower and wisdom, like a poor philosopher who traveled the world.

Lawrence has read countless people since he was a human being, but this man's temperament still attracted Lawrence's attention for the first time.

Judge Jackie was first startled by the man's shouting, looked at the man in the cell and thought for a moment before recognizing who he was, and then walked to the cell door and kicked him, and said loudly:

"Shout what to shout! Your eucalyptus has long been filed with a verdict, and the fact that you violated the ban is irrefutable! Just stay here. I see you're getting old, don't make a fuss and not get out of here alive in the end! ”

There was no reaction on the man's weathered face, as if he had long been accustomed to such words, and he replied calmly and calmly, neither humbly nor arrogantly:

"Your Excellency, I have the right to raise an objection and ask the Paris High Court to re-examine whether I have violated the injunction."

Judge Jackie didn't pay any attention to him, but turned to the side and smiled at Lawrence and said:

"Hehehehehe Let's keep walking, Count Falcone's cell is in front of us. ”

Lawrence turned his head to look at the man, but instead of moving forward, he asked Judge Jackie:

"Who is he? Why are you locked up here? ”

"He...?" Judge Jackie looked embarrassed and stammered:

"His name is Jean Jacques... Whatever, I remember that he was a book writer, and he had written two banned books, and this time he was arrested for violating the ban against him by the Paris High Court. ”

"Your Excellency, strictly speaking, I am not a 'writer', I am a scholar, and I have an objection to whether the prohibition has been violated."

The man in the cell said calmly:

"Also, my name is Jean-Jacques Rousseau."