"Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Mayor."

Under the solemn gaze of the dozens of people in the entire greeting procession, Lawrence stepped forward and greeted the smiling Mayor Josip with a smile.

The bureaucrats and the guards of honor who were waiting on either side of the road looked at Lawrence curiously and cautiously to see what kind of figure deserved the Marseille mayor's waiting all morning.

Marseille is also more than a thousand miles away from Paris, and apart from the crowd like the mayor of Josip, who keeps a close eye on the political situation in France, the people and the middle and lower officials are not too interested in the political affairs of Paris, after all, it is too far away from their lives.

A small number of Marseille citizens may not even know who the current Prime Minister of France is.

Coupled with the lag in the transmission of news, most of the officials and soldiers present did not understand why the self-patriarchal officials would have such respect for the ordinary-looking young man in front of them.

Naturally, the mayor of Johip would not have the same knowledge as his men, and it would take only twenty days for what was happening in Paris to reach the ears of the mayor of Josip by expedited mail.

When he learned that the governor of Corsica, who was younger than he had imagined, had overthrown the Duke of Richelieu, the mayor of Johip thought he had received false news.

And after confirming the accuracy of the information, the mayor of Joshipp could not help but feel a sense of admiration and admiration for the Lord Bonaparte, whom he had not yet met.

In his eyes, although Lawrence was born into a family of down-and-out Italian counts, Lawrence, who did not inherit the title, still belonged to the third class in French society, and the French would not classify Lawrence as a noble class because of his small Italian knighthood.

Especially after Lawrence's brother Carlo succeeded to the Count of Bonaparte, from the perspective of family law, Lawrence's line became a branch of the Bonaparte family, and it could not be called an aristocratic class.

The fact that such a person, who belonged to the third estate, was able to call the tide in Paris and defeat the almost invincible House of Richelieu made the mayor of Johip feel a wave of excitement and fanaticism, as if he saw a way out for himself.

Of course, Lawrence would only laugh and cry if he knew the thoughts of the mayor of Josip, after all, he was able to be a non-aristocratic in Paris and Versailles without being discriminated against by most people, relying on the status of the governor of the Republic of Corsica, a foreign ruler.

"Oh—Lord Bonaparte, it is a great honour for me to compliment you."

The mayor of Joshp shrieked in an exaggerated tone, a voice that reminded Lawrence of the tenor singers in the opera house.

With that, the mayor of Johip took off his tricorn hat and made a standard bow.

Lawrence stepped forward to help the mayor of Joshipp and politely said:

"It is also my honour, Mr. City Councillor, to be the most pompous welcome I have ever received."

"All I can say is that this is what you deserve, Your Excellency Bonaparte."

The mayor of Joshipp clasped Lawrence's hand, took the initiative to lower his posture, and greeted with concern:

"By the way, I don't know how long you're going to be in Marseille."

"It's only two or three days, and we need to get back to Corsica as soon as possible."

Lawrence replied that the situation in the Kingdom of Naples and the Western Mediterranean had also been of great concern to Lawrence, and that he had to return to Corsica as soon as possible to get ready, so Lawrence had hardly made any additional stops along the way.

"It's a shame, if only you had more time,"

The mayor of Johip said without hiding his regret.

"Maybe we'll see each other more often, Mr. City Councillor." Lawrence shrugged and said:

"It's less than a day's flight from Corsica to Marseille."

Although he knew that Lawrence was only polite when he said this, the mayor of Josip couldn't help but light up his eyes, nodded again and again, and said:

"Hahaha, that's what you said. Oh, I almost forgot, you're probably exhausted after running on the road for so long, and if you don't mind, I'd like to invite you to the town hall for lunch, everything has already been arranged for you. ”

Faced with the invitation of the mayor of Joshit, Lawrence also nodded without hesitation to accept.

If the two of them wanted to talk about something really important, they naturally couldn't conspire loudly in front of dozens of people like this.

......

The mayor of Josip had indeed arranged everything in an orderly manner, finding a country estate in advance for the retinue and miscellaneous staff of the convoy to rest, and the remaining carriages were to go with the city magistrate's procession to the town hall of Marseille.

The Hôtel de Marseille is located on a hill on a high hill, some distance from the most prosperous port area, so the entire town hall is almost as large as the town halls of Paris and Lyon.

In a city as rich as Marseille, the public finances are also abundant, and the square of the town hall is paved with neat marble slabs decorated with lapis lazuli and eucalyptus, and the buildings around the square are beautifully repaired, as if they had just been built.

Even at noon, the kerosene lamps in most of the buildings are not extinguished, as if kerosene does not cost money.

The bureaucrats who often come and go here are also white and pure, with bright and beautiful clothes and accessories, and their spiritual outlook can be seen from their wealthy family background.

After Lawrence and his party arrived at City Hall, Grosso and Rousseau were taken to the large dining room on the right side of the main building to wait for the luncheon to begin, while Lawrence and Mayor Johip went to the mayor's private office for a formal and intimate interview.

"You may be seated, Lord Bonaparte."

The mayor of Joshp led Lawrence into the office, brought him a cushioned wooden chair in four corners, and then quickly found two goblets, and poured himself and Lawrence half a glass of sherry.

After handing Lawrence the glass, the mayor of Josip sat back in his seat, raised the glass and said respectfully:

"Greetings once again, Your Excellency Bonaparte, and welcome to Marseille, although you will not be here for long, you are still a rare guest of honor in the entire town hall."

Lawrence didn't say anything, but also raised his glass and touched it with Mayor Josip, then smiled and took a sip of this special wine from Spain.

"Ahh

The mayor of Joshipp raised his glass in a happy mood and took a large sip, exhaled comfortably, and said:

"Seriously, Sir Bonaparte, I am so thrilled to see you, and I have specially excerpted all the news about you from Paris. There may be people who are more intelligent and resourceful than you, but I bet they don't have the means and accomplishments you have at your age. ”

Hearing that the mayor of Johip came up and first complimented him, Lawrence also smiled without wavering, and responded:

"Mr. Mayor, I can't afford your assessment. I think you are a very good ruler, and you owe it to the prosperity of Marseille today. ”

Lawrence's response was not all polite compliments, and Lawrence also carefully observed the neighborhoods and pedestrians of Marseille in the carriage just now, and could see that Marseille was not much worse than Paris in terms of infrastructure and living standards of citizens.

Although this is due in part to the historical wealth of Marseille, the mayor of Johip was able to manage it in an orderly and untroubled manner, and was a good and competent mayor.

"Hahaha, where, you're talking about it."

The mayor of Joshipp, listening to the praise of a superior person, could not help but feel a burst of joy even though he knew that there was an element of politeness, and said with a laugh:

"It's also because I've lived in Marseille since I was a kid and know the city too well. My father was a trial judge at the High Court of Toulouse, but as the second son, I could not succeed him, so I had to work my way up the bureaucracy, and I am very fortunate to have come to this point and to put my hometown in order. ”

Lawrence nodded, he was not surprised by such a prominent family background as the mayor of Josip, after all, although the mayor of Johope belonged to the third estate, Lawrence did not believe that with the degree of class solidification in France in this era, a lowest-level commoner could climb to the position of the mayor of Marseille.

You must know that the High Court of Toulouse is the high court of the Languedoc province, and Marseille is also affiliated with the Languedoc province, so it seems that the family of the mayor of Johip is still quite influential in the Languedoc province.

And the slow climb up as the mayor of Joshipp speaks may have been without the help of his father or brother, who was a trial judge of the High Court.

It's just that if Mayor Johip were to be promoted, the background of a trial judge in a local high court would be somewhat unreliable, which is why he was so eager to curry favor with Lawrence.

The Duke of Choiseul, who was also the Minister of War, had no direct control over personnel appointments, but with his influence over the king, he was able to persuade the king to promote a local magistrate.

But the mayor of Josip thought about it, and the best way to get in touch with the Duke of Choiseul was the Lord Bonaparte in front of him.

If this opportunity is missed, it will be difficult for the mayor of Josip, who is already in his forties and in the prime of life, to be promoted.

Lawrence is also well aware of this, knowing that those who want him basically want to establish contact with the Duke of Choiseul through himself, after all, although Lawrence has a prominent position in Paris, he still does not have much real power in his hands.

So, after a little compliment to the mayor of Josip, Lawrence suddenly pretended to be unintentional and said:

"It's rare to find a city magistrate like you, and I think you're good enough to be a governor of a province."

Lawrence's joking words reached the ears of the mayor of Joshit, but they were extremely loud and heavy, and he couldn't help but swallow his spit, and glanced at Lawrence quietly.

In spite of the excitement in his heart, the mayor of Joshipp pretended to smile calmly and said:

"Haha, don't be kidding, I still know my weight very well, and I'm very content to be a city magistrate of Marseille from a background like me."

This may sound like a modest excuse, but it is actually a temptation of the mayor of Joshpp to Lawrence: "Is there a way for you to get me promoted despite my origins?" ”

Lawrence, of course, could hear the meaning of this, chuckled and shook his head, and said:

"It's not all a joke, Mr. Mayor. You should know that although the Duke of Choiseul was a nobleman who paid attention to tradition in life, he was still very open-minded in his mind. ”

Mayor Johip frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then nodded approvingly.

The Duke of Choisel was still deeply influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment, and he had a good relationship with Voltaire, and even personally supported Voltaire's plan to build the emerging city of Volshuis; In return, Voltaire also sent samples of delicate stockings produced in the uptown to the Duchess of Choiseul, which was also highly praised by the Duke himself.

In addition, the Duke of Choiseul supported the compilation and publication of the Encyclopédie or Detailed Dictionary of Science, Arts and Crafts, which was strongly supported by the Encyclopaedists, in which Diderot praised the Duke of Choissell:

"Great Choiseul, you have not slept guarding the riches of France."

In terms of political dynamics, the Duke of Choiseul was also always radical and open-minded, making drastic reforms to both the military and the diplomatic system.

None of this is a secret in France, and it is only natural that someone like the mayor of Josip, who is extremely interested in politics, will know about it.

"Thinking so... It is true that an enlightened man like the Duke of Choiseul might have promoted the bureaucrats of the plebeian class. ”

Under Lawrence's guidance, the mayor of Johip also nodded and accepted Lawrence's statement, but he still said tentatively:

"I believe that the Duke of Choiseul is synonymous with enlightenment, but all over France are waiting for a lot of nobles waiting to be promoted, and there is no reason for His Excellency Duke to promote me as a commoner, right?"

"Of course."

Lawrence nodded without hesitation, but then added:

"But... Unless you can prove that you are better than the nobles who were born in the golden cradle. ”

The heart of the mayor of Joshipp had already risen to his throat, and he suppressed his excitement and asked:

"Proof? How to prove it? ”

"As a municipal officer, you naturally have to rely on the results of governance to prove it." Lawrence said with a smile, gradually guiding the mayor of Johip to the results he wanted:

"That is, political achievements."

"Achievements..."

The mayor of Joshpp frowned unconsciously, sighed, and said:

"You're right, if I can make Marseille a city paved with gold, of course I'll get promoted. But it's impossible to make any qualitative leaps forward in the city, and just keeping the world's ports running in order is exhausting. ”

"You don't necessarily have to be a great performer, Mr. City Councillor."

Lawrence spreads his hands and says:

"You just need to give the Duke of Choiseul a reason to promote you, so that he can ask for it in front of the king. In that case, it will only take someone who appreciates your talent to recommend you to the Duke of Choiseul. ”

"Appreciate my talent... Recommend... You, you mean...? ”

The mayor of Johip froze for a moment, then reacted, looked at Lawrence incoherently, and said:

"You're saying you're willing to be the sponsor?"