News of the change of power in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spread overnight throughout the upper echelons of Paris and Versailles.

Before that, few could have predicted that the Count of Vergeg, who had been neglected and had been idle for months, would be able to replace the cousin of the Duke of Choiseul and take the Foreign Office into his pocket.

Of course, anyone with a little political vision can quickly react that the Count of Vergerg, who has no power and power in the homeland, can never get the post of foreign secretary by virtue of his own power, and there must be someone behind it.

Following this clue, someone in the aristocratic circle soon broke the news that he had witnessed the Count of Vergegaux going to the Champs-Élysées alone to meet with Corsican Prime Minister Lawrence Bonaparte before the royal meeting.

Combined with the performance of His Excellency Bonaparte at the Imperial Council that day, the nobles were already somewhat skeptical that Lawrence Bonaparte was the man behind the scenes.

And the performance of the Count of Vergegon after his official appointment convinced the nobles of their speculation:

It is said that the new foreign minister returned to Paris the day after his appointment to the king, and the first thing he did was not to go immediately to his department, but to meet Laurence Bonaparte again on the Champs-Élysées.

Within a few days of taking office, the new foreign minister carried out a thorough purge of the personnel of the entire department with a strong and thunderous approach.

Caesar Gabriel's cronies and officials who were clearly affiliated with the Choiseul faction were either expelled from the center of power by the ascension or relegated to some inconsequential and idle position, or simply dismissed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In just a few days, the Count of Vergegon was almost uprooted from the decades that the Duke of Choiseul had been operating in the Foreign Office.

Naturally, the political circles did not believe that this political amateur, who had just returned to his homeland, could have such courage and means, so rumors and speculations soon circulated in and around Paris, suspecting that the unwavering purge of the Comte de Vergee was at the behest of His Excellency Bonaparte and even His Majesty the King.

And in many versions of the rumours and the so-called inside information, it is claimed that the Count of Vergegue was in essence promoting a new group of officials to the upper echelons of the Foreign Office according to the list provided by His Excellency Bonaparte.

There are even rumors that a dozen Corsicans have already been urgently summoned from the south to Paris by Lawrence Bonaparte and have been given important positions in the French Foreign Office.

Combined with these rumors and their respective intelligence networks, many nobles and ministers already have a clear understanding in their hearts:

"Just as the Duke of Choiseul controlled the entire Foreign Office through Caesar Gabriel, now Laurence Bonaparte controls the new French Foreign Office through Charles Gravier."

His Excellency Bonaparte, who was already a royal favorite, now took de facto control of an entire cabinet department, which forced all the nobles to admit that the young Corsican had become one of the most formidable forces to be reckoned with in Paris and Versailles.

However, there are still very few visitors to the Champs-Élysées these days to congratulate them.

However, this is not because the petty aristocrats and bureaucrats have changed their tendency to become inflammatory, but because the whole upper class has already learned a piece of news:

The real original owner of the Foreign Office, the Duke of Choiseul, was already on his way back to Paris.

People were both curious and worried about how the Duke would react to the betrayal of Lawrence Bonaparte, whom he had once trusted.

...

May 22 was the third day of Count Vergeg's reign at the helm of the Foreign Office.

In the evening, just over two hundred miles from Paris, in a country palace near Orleans.

The manor house was originally intended for members of the royal family to rest on their travels, so it was abandoned for most of the time.

Today, the inside and outside of the manor are brightly lit and crowded.

However, it is not a prince or princess who lives here temporarily, but a prestige

The illustrious Duke of Choiseul and his lavish and large entourage.

As a minister at the pinnacle of power throughout France, the Duke of Choiseul received an early grant from Louis XV to use royal palaces throughout France for official purposes.

At this moment, the Duke is enjoying a simple but exquisite three-course dinner in the palace bedchambers.

But the Duke of Choiseul was clearly not preoccupied with the delicious dish, and he read the new report in his hand intently, while listening to a retinue of close confidants who reported to him the state of the Île-de-France.

"In general, the Duke of Orleans, as regent, has not made any notable moves during this time..."

The cronie gave a brief account of the recent political situation in Paris and Versailles, and then he was somewhat hesitant, and after a while of elaborating on the wording, he spoke again:

"Also, Lord Duke, I have just confirmed bad news about your cousins Caesar Gabriel and Lawrence Bonaparte."

Duke Choiseul's eyes were fixed on the report in his hand, and he slipped a piece of chilled sweet cheese into his mouth absent-mindedly, as if he hadn't heard it.

It was not until he had read the report in its entirety that the Duke of Choiseul moved his sore neck and suddenly said:

"Gabriel and Lawrence... It's the king who started to do it, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must have been taken back by them."

The cronie couldn't help but be surprised, and then glanced at the Duke of Choiseul with even more admiration, and secretly sighed that this was worthy of being the chief minister of the kingdom today, and that he almost knew what was going on in Versailles by these two names alone.

"I'm afraid that's true, according to the news from Paris..."

The cronies hurriedly informed the Duke of Choiseul of all the changes that had occurred in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the past few days, from the initial removal of Gabriel on the spot at the Imperial Council, to the uprooting of members of the Choiseul faction from the Foreign Ministry.

"Oh, that's right..."

The Duke of Choiseul listened quietly, without the slightest mood swing, but always smiling faintly, as if he were listening to a folk tale that happened in a foreign land and had nothing to do with him.

It wasn't until his cronies finished telling the story that the Duke of Choiseul shook his head lightly and commented with a smile:

"Lawrence Bonaparte, this young man really has the means."

"This..."

The cronies could not understand the reaction of the Duke of Choiseul, and after a long hesitation, they admonished:

"Lord Duke, Paris and Versailles are now discussing Lawrence Bonaparte's betrayal of you, and if we don't fight back against this traitor as soon as possible, I'm afraid it will have a serious impact on the prestige and stability of the entire faction."

"No need, it's not a betrayal, he and I have always cooperated for the sake of profit." Duke Choiseul smiled faintly:

"And he probably can't help himself this time, the pressure on His Majesty's side must be more than mine... Well, let me give him a favor this time, he did a good job in Malta, and I have to thank him for seizing the heart of the Mediterranean for France."

The cronie nodded understandingly, "Then what do you mean...?"

The Duke of Choiseul put down the silver fork, picked up the report in his hand and looked at it a few times, got up and said in a deep voice:

"His Majesty has openly revealed his vigilance against us, and it is not appropriate to make more enemies in this situation; Besides, Lawrence Bonaparte still has the value of use, and he will not and dare not tear his face with me for the time being... Let's keep this fragile friendship alive before we drain him completely, and as for Gabriel, I'll treat him as if he had never been involved."

"But!" Despite knowing that in this time and circumstance all forces that can be united, the cronies sighed with great reluctance:

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the result of your decades of operation, and you even let them give ... I'm really unwilling to do it."

"It's just a minor setback, and for a short time the kingdom's foreign policy will still be in my hands; And you

Remember, if our ambition lies in the whole Kingdom of France, in the whole continent, and in the whole world, then there is nothing to worry about in this one."

The Duke of Choiseul smiled open-mindedly and lightly, threw the report he had just loved to the retinue of his cronies, and smiled confidently as he walked out:

"Besides... It won't be long before our real chance comes, and by then, I'll have more than just the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to recapture."

As the Duke of Choiseul walked out of his bedroom, the cronie glanced suspiciously at the title of the report in his hand, "War Office Top Secret: Report on the Situation in Southern Italy and the Western Mediterranean and Analysis of the Possibility of a Civil War in the Kingdom of Naples"

...

Two days later, on 24 May, the Duke of Choiseul officially returned to Versailles with a large retinue of his large retinue in a very high-profile manner.

The duke's nominal reason for returning to Île-de-France was to attend the coronation of Louis XV as Grand Chancellor of France.

The coronation of Louis XV as King of Corsica, originally scheduled for late spring, was postponed several times due to His Majesty's ill health, and was finally scheduled to take place at the Palace of Versailles in early June.

Many outsiders have speculated that this coronation ceremony is likely to be the last large-scale event held by His Majesty the King in this life, and its scale will inevitably be unprecedentedly grand, and it is estimated that it will be several times more luxurious than the wedding ceremony between His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess.

The number of participants alone is enough to get a glimpse of the scale of the event.

In recent weeks, not only the gentlemen and celebrities from around Île-de-France have received invitations, but also the nobles and nobles from all over the world have been coming to Versailles one after another, and almost every day you can see luxury caravans winding from the distant roads into the heart of the kingdom.

And perhaps on the part of His Majesty the King, the Duke of Choiseul was the last nobleman to rush back to Versailles.

When the Duke's imposing entourage returned to the manor, His Majesty did not, as usual, personally greet the return of the open-minded right-hand man, not even a single envoy to greet him.

You know, even if an ordinary count came to Versailles, the king's court would follow the etiquette system and send a courtier to take charge.

This unusual abnormality, coupled with the dismissal and imprisonment of Caesar Gabriel a few days ago, suddenly sobered up the nobles who were immersed in the atmosphere of the celebration, and faintly smelled the faint smell of gunpowder that permeated the surroundings of Versailles.

...

On the night of May 24, as the top dignitaries of the entire kingdom gathered in Versailles, Louis XV also hosted a large dinner in the Hall of Mirrors.

At 7 o'clock in the evening, the high-ranking politicians of the kingdom, ladies and ladies of all shapes, famous scholars from the art and academic circles, and ambassadors of several important powers gathered in the brightly lit and day-bright Hall of Mirrors to enjoy the most lavish banquets and balls in the entire kingdom.

However, His Majesty the King, as the host, did not attend the banquet on the same grounds as if he were in good health.

The Crown Prince Louis remained at the Paris Military Academy, so he made up a random excuse to be absent from the banquet, and the whole dinner was still presided over by the Duke of Orleans, the regent, and a royal family member who received everyone on behalf of Louis XV.

Lawrence arrived at the Palace of Versailles in the afternoon, and discussed the details of the coronation with Lord Mope for a long time, and when the two of them rushed to the Hall of Mirrors for a banquet, the banquet had already begun for some time.

Amid the loud announcement of the celebrants, Lawrence walked into the Hall of Mirrors, grabbed a glass of champagne, and strolled and chatted with Justice Mopp while looking at the guests at tonight's banquet.

Many of the old faces in the Hall of Mirrors tonight were familiar to Lawrence, most of whom had appeared at the Imperial Council; But of course, there are also many newcomers like Count Vergeg, who are very excited to come to the Hall of Mirrors for the first time.

As the new Foreign Secretary, the Earl of Vergegon was also a rather fiery focus among the guests, and a crowd of people soon gathered around him trying to cling in

Acquaintances with aristocrats and bureaucrats.

However, when the foreign secretary saw Lawrence enter, he immediately shook off the crowd around him and greeted Lawrence respectfully and seriously.

After all, the Count of Vergeg, as the person concerned, knew all too well how he came to be the position of foreign secretary, and whose orders should be followed by the current French Foreign Office.

After meticulously greeting the guests and politely rebuffing Miss Elvie's invitation to dance the same song, Lawrence breathed a sigh of relief and silently observed the guests who were drunk in the bright light.

"Wait..."

Lawrence suddenly noticed something and asked casually:

"Didn't the Duke of Choiseul attend tonight's banquet?"

A court official next to him seemed to hear Lawrence's doubts, and stepped forward to explain very intimately:

"The Duke has only returned to Versailles in the afternoon, and is now meeting His Majesty in the King's Suite, and may come to the Hall of Mirrors in a moment."

"That's right..."

Lawrence nodded slightly, his gaze swept over the ladies and gentlemen dancing to the orchestral dance music in the hallway, and continued to ask:

"Duke Agilon and Baron Betula don't seem to be here either? In the afternoon I saw them at the Palace of Versailles and talked about something."

"Your Excellency, the Duke of Aguion was absent from tonight's banquet because he was unwell, and Baron Betula rushed back to the embassy early because he was busy with official business."

"Yes, thank you."

Lawrence nodded his head in thought, and then glanced at Lord Mopp, and gently shook the crystal clear champagne in the glass, feeling a little strange at the simultaneous absence of the Duke of Agilon and the Baron Betula.

Justice Mopp also frowned, although he had worked with the Richelieu faction for a period of time, and knew that there was some kind of conspiracy between the Duke of Richelieu and the British ambassador, but he only knew a little about the specific situation:

"The Duke of Richelieu has been in contact with Baron Betula for a long time, but since he was placed under house arrest, it is estimated that the Duke of Aguion has come into contact with Baron Betula on his behalf... It's just that these two people seem to have been in contact too much lately."

It was clear from Lord Mopp's intelligence network that the number of recent meetings between the Duke of Agilon and Baron Betula had been unusual.

Lawrence looked down in thought, he had heard all kinds of rumors about the current state of the Duke of Richelieu, that the legendary Duke was already dying, had lost all ambitions, and only wanted to spend the rest of his life in peace and quiet in his fertile hometown of Versailles.

Although the Duke of Richelieu is now evaluated in aristocratic circles, Lawrence had already confirmed from Madame du Barry before his death that the Duke's ambitions had definitely not died out, and his conspiracy with Baron Betula must have been real.

"Perhaps... Huh?!"

Just as Lawrence was trying to do some analysis with Lord Mopp, he heard a sudden commotion at the entrance to the Hall of Mirrors.

I saw that several royal guards were trying their best to prevent a strong man in a gray monk's robe from entering, and he shouted in unison:

"You can't enter, and we won't be able to report on any important matter until the banquet is over!"

But these elite royal guards combined could only barely block the strong man, as if the two sides were engaged in a wrestling, the strong man gritted his teeth and tried his best to break in, and roared in a deep voice:

"I want to see your majesty immediately! There's no time to lose!"

The guests in the vicinity were all taken aback, because the strong man really didn't look like he should appear in an elegant and gorgeous place like the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles.

He was unkempt, with a scruffy beard, as if he hadn't taken a shower for a long time, his eye sockets were deeply sunken, and there was a very obvious circle of dark circles around him, which looked like he hadn't slept for many days and nights, and there were even many conspicuous scars on his rough cheeks, which I don't know if they were from a sword or a sharp-shot shot.

The shabby gray monk's robes were even more shabby and stained with mud

There were also a few solidified, foul-smelling yellow mud blocks on it, which should be stains left by the long journey.

The only thing worthy of praise should be his strong body, even this loose groomed robe could not hide his strong muscles, even stronger than the elite royal guards in front of him.

The guests at the door turned pale with fright and retreated, assuming that it was a thug or assassin who had broken into the palace.

More and more royal guards also rushed to the scene, and by the time Lawrence and Justice Mopp arrived at the scene, the bull-like man had barely been controlled by five guards.

"Wait!"

And just as the guards were about to escort the rebellious man down, Lawrence suddenly stepped out of the crowd and drank the guards, and then looked at the emaciated man in front of him in great surprise.

Lawrence recognized the face of this strong man, but his extremely haggard demeanor made Lawrence almost unrecognizable for a while, but the octagonal cross on the other party's monk's robe still indisputably showed the identity of this person:

"You're... Grand Imam Giotto of the Knights of Malta?!"

Lawrence frowned and looked at this strong man, this person was undoubtedly the actual *** of the Knights of Malta today, the successor of Grand Master Erwin, a self-made warrior who was admired by Lawrence, Grand Imam Giotto.

It's just that Lawrence didn't react for a while, why Archimam Giotto of Malta appeared in Versailles thousands of miles away, and in such a depressed and haggard posture.

"Lord Bonaparte, Chief Bonaparte!"

Grand Imam Giotto also recognized Lawrence at once, and shouted anxiously:

"Knights, the Knights of Malta have been attacked!"

"Attack...? Damn—" Lawrence frowned, and didn't have time to think about anything more, and immediately commanded the left and right guards:

"Guard, let go of this man, Grand Imam, what the hell is going on on Malta?!"

The royal guards also carried out Lawrence's order immediately after a little hesitation, and they also knew very well that the Lord Bonaparte in front of them would be the future minister of the new king's court, their immediate superior.

Grand Imam Giotto stood up, not bothering to wipe the dust off his body or avoiding the questioning guests in front of him, so he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, and shouted in a deep voice full of blood and tears:

"The Navy of the Kingdom of Naples captured the island of Malta ten days ago, the headquarters of the Order fell, the knights were martyred on the island, and there were heavy casualties, and now the number of remnants of the whole regiment... There are less than a thousand."