As for Madame du Barry, she stood there as if she had lost her soul, not knowing what she was thinking.

Wasn't this charity auction a means used by Lawrence Bonaparte to gain fame? No, Madame du Barry suddenly realized that Lawrence had indeed reaped the support and support of a large number of low-level citizens from this auction, but he wisely dedicated the lion's share to Crown Prince Louis.

In this way, Lawrence not only achieved his personal goals, but even the royal family praised his actions without complaint.

"Damn it! How could this be, did he plan it a long time ago?! Madame Dubarry held back her slightly trembling body, refraining herself from losing her temper on such an occasion.

But even so, Madame du Barry found it difficult to accept the contrast. That Corsican boy had obviously fallen to his knees, and His Majesty the King was obviously ready to punish him, so why did he let all his good fantasies come to naught at this time!

Madame du Barry felt dizzy and almost unable to stand, but it was her hands tightly supporting the back of her chair that she barely fainted.

However, before she could calm her mind, an even more terrible thought suddenly came to Madame du Barry's head: "Wait... If yesterday's auction was a success... What happened to Duke Agillon, didn't he stop the auction?! ”... In the King's Suite, Lawrence stood up with the support of Louis XV, glanced at Madame du Barry quietly out of the corner of his eye, and said in a sincere tone: "How can I accept your apology, it is my duty to serve you." ”

"What a terrible misunderstanding, and I almost made a great mistake by blaming such a distinguished and loyal courtier! I knew you wouldn't do those unfaithful folly, dear Lawrence. Louis XV laughed and patted Lawrence on the back, he hadn't been so happy in a long time.

Seeing Crown Prince Louis receiving the people's worship was even more delightful than Louis XV himself being cheered by the people.

And, after learning the truth of all this, Louis XV's suspicions and suspicions about Lawrence were also swept away, and the sorrow that had plagued him all night was relieved by this surprising news.

Louis XV looked at Lawrence in a good mood and said with a smile: "Tell me about that auction again, are there any other interesting things in between?" ”

"It's not funny, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's performance is simply amazing..."Lawrence smiled slightly, touting Crown Prince Louis as usual, and then said meaningfully: "On top of that, there were some unpleasant things that happened in the auction... But don't mention that. Hearing this, Madame Dubarry's heart suddenly tightened, and she subconsciously turned her eyes to Lawrence's side.

"Unpleasant things? What bastard is so unsightly? Louis XV couldn't help frowning slightly, he would not allow any bastard who did not have long eyes to almost ruin Auguste's good deed.

Lawrence opened his mouth, as if he wanted to speak, and then smiled and sighed and said, "I think it would be better for you, Your Majesty, to ask your own secretary, so as not to appear that you are maliciously slandering and smearing someone." ”

"You!" Madame Dubarry couldn't help but scream, and of course she could hear that Lawrence was talking about herself.

Louis XV's attention was not on Madame du Barry, however, and the king looked solemnly at the press secretary and motioned for him to continue.

The press secretary was also a little embarrassed, but after a moment of deliberation, he still reported truthfully: "Your Excellency Bonaparte is probably referring to the Duke of Aeguion, who also attended the charity auction of the Comédie de Paris yesterday... It's just that the Duke of Aegion seems to have clashed with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince at the auction. ”

"Conflict?" Louis XV's tone was already a little cold.

"Yes, Your Majesty, it is said that as soon as the Duke of Aeguion entered, he tried to send someone to rob His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's box, and during the auction, the Duke also threatened His Royal Highness the Crown Prince many times not to continue to increase the price..."The press secretary looked at Louis XV's gradually darkening expression, and his tone involuntarily became cautious: "At the end of the auction, the Duke of Aeguion accused this auction of nothing more than a joint play between His Excellency Bonaparte and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and even sent his own personal guards to drive His Royal Highness the Crown Prince out of the box... Perhaps this is also because the Duke of Agilon did not know the identity of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince at first. Although the press secretary had already given a small explanation for the Duke of Aeguion, Louis XV's grim expression showed the king's anger at this time: "You mean Emmanuel Armand?!" He didn't even go to that auction to join in the fun! Who gave him the guts?! Madame Dubarry listened to the king's roar, and almost fainted in the dark.

Just listening to the press secretary's account, Madame du Barry could already imagine what a catastrophe the Duke of Agilon had done at that time.

Although objectively this is indeed a misunderstanding, this statement does not dampen Louis XV's anger in the slightest.

"Perhaps for the sake of His Excellency Bonaparte, Your Majesty, there is some disagreement between the Duke of Agilon and His Excellency Bonaparte." The press secretary bowed his head and explained cautiously.

"Don't deal with it? Hum. Louis XV snorted, looked at Lawrence on the side and asked, "Dear Lawrence, what do you think should be done with this bastard?" Seeing that the king threw the words at himself, Lawrence did not speak rashly, but thought about it a little, after all, Lawrence believed that Louis XV must have an answer in his heart, and the reason why he asked himself was only a formality.

Moreover, although this was a good opportunity to chase after the Duke of Aeguion, it was not a fatal lever in any way, and Lawrence was also very clear about Louis XV's thoughts, and the king hated nothing more than partisanship among his courtiers.

Whether it was the rivalry between the Dukes of Choiseul and the Duke of Richelieu in the government, or the feud between Crown Princess Marie and Madame du Barry in the inner palace, Louis XV tried to reconcile the contradictions between the two sides, rather than taking sides.

Therefore, it is not likely to achieve good results at this time, and even if Lawrence's punishment is very different from what Louis XV himself thought, it will embarrass the king himself.

After considering this, Lawrence nodded slightly, and said with a generous smile: "I also regret that I have not established a good friendship with the Duke of Agelon, but since His Excellency the Duke does not like me very well, I think it is better for me not to meet him." Louis XV immediately cast an admiring look at Lawrence, and secretly sighed that this courtier was really smart enough to not propose a punishment plan that would make him unable to get off the stage.

After all, the Duke of Aguiillon was the man of the Richelieu family, and it was not so easy for Louis XV to act on him politically.

"Well, Lawrence, I don't think I can let him harass you anymore." With a wave of his hand, Louis XV directly summoned an envoy and instructed: "Go and tell the Duke of Aguion now, let him go directly back to Versailles, I don't want to see him again during my time in Paris!" Tell him what I said! Madame du Barry breathed a sigh of relief at the King's command, glad that the King had not punished her too severely, and that the Corsican boy had not taken the opportunity to bring the trouble upon her.

Lawrence, however, nodded with great satisfaction when he heard the king's order, and then glanced meaningfully at Madame du Barry.

He knew that as soon as the Duke of Aguion was expelled from Paris and left Madame du Barry. The woman was like a vulture with its wings cut off and falling into the mire, watching as she drowned in the endless muddy water.

... Despite the unpleasant episode of the Duke of Aguion, it did not affect the good mood of Louis XV on the whole.

The king warmly invited Lawrence to stay at the Tuileries Palace for a luncheon, and even Crown Prince Louis and Crown Princess Marie, who were visiting the art exhibition, were summoned back by Louis XV to accompany Lawrence to the luncheon.

And when Madame du Barry saw the sparkling diamond necklace around the neck of Crown Princess Mary, she almost fainted on the spot.

She couldn't accept that her favorite treasure should appear in the woman she hated the most.

Dauphin Marie also noticed Madame du Barry's jealous and crazy eyes, and from time to time she deliberately teased the necklace on her breast, and smiled and showed the gift given by Monsieur Bonaparte.

Under these multiple blows, Madame du Barry only drank two sips of broth before leaving the table early, citing ill health, and then locked herself in the palace room.

Louis XV, who was on the rise, did not pay much attention to this mistress at this time, after all, the king also felt that Madame du Barry had behaved a little too much these days, and almost wronged such a rare loyal servant as Laurence Bonaparte.

The bustling royal feast lasted more than two hours, and even the sixty-one-year-old Louis XV was drunk today, excited about the popularity of his grandson Auguste.

At the end of the feast, Lawrence also made a request to Louis XV to meet with his court treasurer, Director Jonah.

The reason is also simple and legitimate, Lawrence plans to distribute the seven million livres from the royal family's accounts to the citizens in the form of a winter allowance, and this process is naturally indispensable for the assistance of Director Jonah.

Louis XV's trust in Lawrence had risen to a new level, and he was of course relieved to agree to this reasonable request.

... Around 2 p.m., in a rotunda in the west wing of the Tuileries Palace.

"Your Excellency Bonaparte! Please come in, please come in. Director Jonah, who was still dressed in a blue robe, saw that Lawrence was outside the door, and his face immediately flashed with joy, and he took Lawrence's arm and led him into the room, solemnly and respectfully inviting Lawrence to sit down in the sofa chair by the fireplace.

Director Jonah probably got the news of the auction sooner than anyone else in the Tuileries Palace, after all, he was arguably the royal high-ranking who was most concerned about whether the winter subsidy would be paid.

When he learned that the charity auction had raised a full seven million livres for the Winter Grant, the treasurer wondered if he was hallucinating in his ears and eyes.

And when he was so excited that this was a beautiful reality, Director Jonah instantly felt infinite gratitude to His Excellency Bonaparte, and he felt that this Excellency was indeed a good man.

Director Jonah had expected that Lawrence would be able to raise two or three million livres for him at most, which would be used to barely alleviate the needs of the poor people of Paris.

Little did he know that he would end up with a whopping seven million livres, which was almost enough to pay for two years' winter allowance.

In the office, Lawrence was not humble, and sat directly in the sofa chair and asked with a smile: "You seem to have received the message?" ”

"Of course, I don't know how you did it." Director Jonah nodded with a smile, and hurriedly brought Lawrence a cup of hot coffee, and said, "In this way, I can finally survive this winter in peace, thank you so much, Your Excellency; To be honest, I was scared all day when I didn't hear from you the other day, after all, you know that the cold spell in mid-January is coming soon. Lawrence took a sip of his coffee and said slowly, "But... You haven't forgotten your agreement, right? ”

"Ahh

Then, with a solemn nod, Director Jonah walked over to his desk and pulled open the bottom drawer, which contained a small mezzanine with a small and delicate brass key.

Director Jonah took out the key, walked to a row of bookcases on the left side of the office, opened one of the already dusty windows, and pulled out a nondescript paper bag from the depths of the bookcase.

"Your Excellency Bonaparte, you have requested that all the records and vouchers of the misappropriation of royal property by Madame du Barry are in it." Director Jonah didn't dare to be sloppy at all, and solemnly handed the paper bag to Lawrence: "In this case, our deal is completed, right?" Lawrence took the paper bag and cautiously opened it, and inside it was a large stack of ledgers and accounting documents, all related to Madame du Barry, and bearing the seal of the royal family.

"Very well, Mr. Director." Lawrence nodded with satisfaction and said, "You will soon receive the check and deposit slip for the seven million livres." Hearing this, Director Jonah finally breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile regained on his face: "Great, I will immediately start distributing this money to those poor people in need, this year has come to this time, and there can be no more delay." However, Lawrence stuffed the paper bag full of incriminating evidence tightly into the inner pocket of his coat, and then shook his head and said in a deep voice: "No, Mr. Director, I would prefer that you do not immediately distribute this money." Director Jonah was stunned and asked in a puzzled voice, "Huh?" Why? Your Excellency Bonaparte, the eyes of all the citizens of Paris are now fixed on this sum of money, and if it is not distributed in time, it is inevitable that some gossip will arise. Lawrence smiled and asked, "What if the object of these gossips is a person that you and I hate the most?" ”

"You mean...? Countess du Barry?! Director Jonah asked, stunned, vaguely aware that he seemed to be involved in a larger conspiracy.

"I told you before, Mr. Director, that I might ask you to help me with something extra." Lawrence lowered his voice, there was no persecution in his tone, but it did not allow Director Jonah the slightest room for refusal: "Now is the time when I need you... It is your task to postpone the payment of the winter allowance and to put all the blame on Madame du Barry. ”