In the golden afterglow of the setting sun, an ornately decorated open-top carriage shuttles leisurely through the old but rejuvenated city of Paris.

How would the two passengers in the car describe the city of Paris?

First and foremost, it is of course a large city, and there are 19 large cities in the world today with a population of more than 500,000, and only 5 of them are located in Europe: London, Constantinople, Naples, St. Petersburg and Paris.

The Luxembourg Palace, the Tuileries Palace, the Institut Française, the Paris Observatory and the famous Invalides are located here, and more importantly, it is also the cartographic center of the whole of France and even the whole of Europe.

At this moment, the two passengers have a map of Paris in their hands.

Of all the maps of Paris, it is neither the most up-to-date nor the most detailed, not the oldest, but the most historically monumental.

It was drawn in 1789, the time of the beginning of the French Revolution and the first year of the French Republic.

In that year, Louis XVI convened the Estates-General.

That year, the National Assembly issued a Tennis Court Declaration, in which all third-estate parliamentary deputies swore an oath in the pouring rain at the royal tennis court: "The Assembly will not be dissolved until a constitution is made." ”

In that year, when Louis XVI ordered the dissolution of the National Assembly at the Imperial Council, the Comte d'Honoré Mirabeau shouted at the master of ceremonies sent by the king: "Go back and tell your master that we have come here by command of the people, and that we will not leave the table unless the sword is combined!" ”

In that year, women outraged by the chronic lack of food and bread rang church bells in the market near Saint-Antoine, demanding the expulsion of 'foreign mercenaries led by the Flemish Legion and the Royal Swiss Guard, and the restoration of adequate food supplies', led by a procession of 6,000 women, led by Stanislaus Mayar, marched to Versailles.

In that year, the Marquis de Lafayette, commander of the garrison of Paris, said to Louis XVI: "Your Majesty, I am very fortunate to inform you that the soldiers of the National Guard have refused to suppress the Great March, and there is a high probability of mutiny in my army. ”

He carried me to the window of the Champs-Élysées and let me see the troops parade on the Place Carrouselle. Marshal Sirt was beside him at the time, and he said to Marshal Sirt: 'Hug this child, Marshal!' One day, he may be the hope of our family. ’

Because also in 1789, their uncle and father, Napoleon Bonaparte, an artillery lieutenant of the Raphael Artillery Regiment, saw an opportunity for him, and this second lieutenant from Corsica took advantage of the outbreak of the French Revolution to join the Corsican nationalist group, led by the Jacobins, in an attempt to free the Corsicans from French rule by starting a revolution.

As funny as it sounded, the 20-year-old was indeed a separatist he would later hate.

Later, his uncle's Hundred Days Dynasty failed, and he was defeated at Waterloo by the anti-French coalition led by Wellington. Before I was exiled to St. Helena, I met him again. He held me in his arms and asked me to condescend to see the whole of Paris, and told me that if Heaven gave him another twenty years of rule and a little leisure, people would search in vain for the old Paris, leaving nothing but ruins.

In that year, France passed the August Decree and the Declaration of the Rights of Man, which nationalized church property and abolished feudalism.

But for the two French gentlemen in the carriage, the year was not just special about the Revolution.

He wanted to build a great nation comparable to Greece or Rome. To this end, he has built many towering neoclassical arches, such as the Arc de Triomphe. He built a large number of public works, such as a new quay and canal on the Seine, as well as slaughterhouses, markets and warehouses. However, he had no more time left. ”

He suddenly pointed to the Champs-Élysées palace looming behind the complex in front of him and said, "I still remember that when my uncle had just returned to Paris from Elba, my mother took me and my brother to meet him. Although he blamed his mother for changing his court and defecting to the restored Bourbon dynasty when he fell, my uncle was still happy to see my brother and me.

At this, Louis turned his head to look at the cousin beside him, and saw the contours of his face, forehead, and mouth, which were eight points similar to Napoleon, and Louis couldn't help but feel some jealousy in his heart.

This is not only for the most ordinary Parisian commoner, but also for the much-anticipated Emperor of France.

In that year, Camille Desmoulins, a stuttering journalist, jumped on a café table with excitement after learning that the reformer, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jacques Necker, had been dismissed by the king: "This dismissal is a wake-up call for the Patriots to carry out the Saint Bartholomew massacre!" Citizens, the German soldiers hired by the King are heading for Paris, they are going to bring bloodshed and carnage, take up arms and prepare for battle, put on tricolor cockades so that they can identify each other, this is the only way for us to survive! ”

Perhaps it was the young man next to him who resembled his uncle that reminded him of something, and Louis couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

This year, "Take up arms!" Go to the Bastille! ”

As Voltaire said: human nature is so complex that a person can play many roles in life, sometimes a hero, sometimes a coward, sometimes a wise man, sometimes a fool.

In this year, Louis XVI asked the Duke of Lioncourt, who was beside him: "Is this a rebellion?" ”

The carriage swayed, and Louis Bonaparte looked up at the banks of the Seine, the plane trees lining the boulevard, the wind blowing and shaking the dappled shadows.

It has been a very special year for all Frenchmen.

This year, the Duke of Leoncourt replied: "No, Your Majesty, this is a revolution. ”

In that year, under the protection of the National Guard led by the Marquis de Lafayette, Louis XVI left Versailles and moved to the Tuileries Palace in a hurry.

However, it was only a small jealousy, because he knew that although the other party was Napoleon's biological son, he was only an illegitimate child after all, and Napoleon's original promise to him was only to establish him as the king of Poland, not the emperor of France.

Charles-Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte was the real Bonaparte, and Alexandre Kolona Valewski, although closer to Napoleon from a kinship point of view, could not be regarded as a member of the inner circle of the Bonaparte family after all.

Valewski also looked a little emotional, as Napoleon was only five years old when he was exiled, and his mother died the year after Napoleon's downfall.

Walewski was cared for by his stepfather and grew up in Belgium until he was 14 years old. The Zionists who had fled from Poland took him as their leader, and hoped that at the right time, Walewski, Napoleon's king of Poland, would take over the banner of Polish restoration.

Tsarist Russia, fearing Walewski's influence among the Poles, sent Polish citizen Walewski to serve in the Russian army when he was 14 years old.

Refusing to accept the Russian call-up, Valevsky fled to Paris from London with the help of his stepfather.

When the Polish uprising broke out two years earlier, Walewski was ordered by King Louis Philippe of France to leave for Warsaw and join the newly formed Polish rebellious government.

As soon as Walewski returned to Warsaw, he was warmly welcomed by the Poles, and the rebel government immediately appointed him as a diplomatic envoy to make a secret trip to London to ask for help.

Unfortunately, for various unexplained reasons, Walewski's trip to London did not go well, and he did not receive any substantial help from British Foreign Secretary Palmerston, not even a word of verbal encouragement.

To make matters worse, a Scottish Yard police officer, who was supposed to have nothing to do with the incident, was also assassinated in the streets of Liverpool because of this help trip, and since then he has had an extra phoenix eye.

Valewski took a deep breath: "Louie, my cousin, I know, you know, we have had a hard time all these years. Your own brother died in the charcoal revolt in Italy, the Roman king died of tuberculosis in Vienna's Schönbrunn Palace, and the fire that had just risen in Warsaw was extinguished by the bitter cold winds of St. Petersburg. But looking forward, our spine will never be bent by the difficulties of this moment. ”

Louis smiled and replied, "You're right, Alexander, that's why I returned to Paris." It's useless to run away, sooner or later I'll have to face it head-on. Why were the men of the Bonaparte family afraid to stand on the soil of Paris? This is clearly the land that grew and nurtured us. You woke up much earlier than I did, and if I'm not mistaken, you've been living in Paris for seven or eight years, right? ”

Valewski nodded: "This year is already the ninth year, but I didn't wake up earlier than you, but I had to do it." At that time, the Russians demanded my extradition from almost all the countries in which I lived, and only the French Government categorically rejected this impudent request. Neither the restored Bourbons nor the current Louis Philippe were willing to hand over my useful pawn to the Russians. Everyone knows that as long as you hold me in your hands, you are pinching the lower body of the Russian. ”

When Louis heard this, he said helplessly: "It seems that you have been in Paris all these years, and you have no choice but to do so. ”

Valewski smiled open-mindedly: "Louie, you can't make an egg cake without breaking the eggs, remember this sentence?" I remember Uncle Joseph often using this phrase on his lips. ”

Louis leaned on the carriage and replied with a smile: "It's the same now, if you go to the Regent Crescent in London to look for him, you can hear this sentence coming out of his mouth every once in a while." I wanted to be a policeman in Scotland Yard, but my mother didn't agree, and he used this sentence to persuade my mother: 'You can't make an egg cake without breaking the eggs, you want to make Louie a good young man, but you don't want him to go through the experience, how can this work?' ’”

Walewski wondered: "Did you work at Scotland Yard?" What kind of job do you do? ”

Louis quipped, "I'm mostly doing the paperwork. When you were in London last year, did you read the name Arthur Hastings in the newspapers? He's the Assistant Inspector General of Police for the Greater London Metropolitan Police, oh no, it's supposed to be the Royal Metropolitan Police now. ”

"Arthur Hastings ......" Walewski recalled: "It seems to be a bit of an impression, but I remember not seeing it in the newspapers, but on the sign at the entrance of the theater, there was a pianist named Arthur Hastings. ”

"That pianist is him."

Louis laughed and said, "My boss is usually very busy, he works on Whitehall Street during the day from Monday to Friday, and in the evening he goes to Martin's Tavern in Whitechapel to see the scene, or goes to Greenwich to find his old acquaintance, Mr. Wheatstone, to have a good relationship, and every once in a while he goes to the Royal Society for further study, on Saturdays he gives concerts at several theatres near Covent Garden, and on Sundays he goes to the editorial office of Fleet Street to review the British." ”

Valewski wondered: "Is this guy a workaholic?" Doesn't he usually go to clubs or banquet salons or something? ”

"Of course."

Louis said: "When there is no performance arrangement on the rest day, he is the guest of honor of the ladies of the Blue Sox Society, if the Blue Sox Club is not arranged, he will go to the forest outside the city with the young master of the Rothschild family to hunt foxes, or accompany Mr. Talleyrand to play golf, or call us friends together to save up a game, and we will go to play cricket or something."

The most interesting thing is when we play cricket, usually we get up early, start preparing meals in the morning, and then take the packed food to the cricket pitch when it is ready, and play a game from morning to afternoon, and when we are tired and hungry, we will spread a blanket on the grass for a picnic, and talk while eating. ”

Speaking of this, Louis turned to ask, "What about you?" Alexander, what do you usually do? ”

Valewski blinked: "I...... I'm actually pretty much the same. It's just that in the last two years, due to the problems in Poland, I haven't been able to rest quietly for a while. ”

Louis asked, "It's rude to ask that, but ...... How did you get back to Paris after the failure of the Polish uprising? ”

Walewski said: "After the fall of Warsaw, this side quickly helped me to get the paperwork for returning to France. In order to prevent Tsarist Russia from using my Polish citizenship to request extradition, Louis Philippe arranged for me to serve in the Foreign Legion in France. I was supposed to go to Algiers with the Foreign Legion at this time, but because you are coming to Paris, the government has put my trip on hold and asked me to entertain you as a host. ”

Louis was silent for a while when he heard this.

Valewski also knew what he was worried about, he pursed his lips and explained: "Louie, you can't make an egg cake without breaking the eggs." I know it's going to be difficult for you, but since you're already in Paris, go meet Louis Philippe. You have reason to dislike him, and so do I, but the situation is stronger than people, and if you want to live in France in the open, meeting him is a must. Despite all his faults, he was not a difficult person to get along with. What's more, at this time, he still has a request for you. ”

Louis frowned when he heard this, "What does he want from me?" ”

Valewski sighed: "You should know about the uprising in Paris last year, right?" Louis Philippe wanted to use your identity to show goodwill to the Bonapartist faction in the country. He has said many times in front of me, whether it is false or sincere, that he has great respect for Napoleon Bonaparte, and that he is considering moving Napoleon's coffin from his penal colony back to Paris for a glorious burial. ”

When Louis heard this, a chill suddenly felt in his heart, and he had already guessed the ultimate purpose of Louis Philippe's invitation to return to China.

"He wants to go to St. Helena to pick up his uncle's coffin on my behalf, on my behalf?"

Valewski neither said yes nor no, he just looked at Louis with a blank eye: "That's your uncle, and it's also my father." But, Louie, I can't force you, the final decision is yours. ”

Louis closed his eyes, tilted his head and took a deep breath, he didn't say anything, but it was already evident from his heaving chest that this proud Bonaparte was not lightly angry.

He didn't like such political deals, let alone the bargaining chips of his beloved uncle's corpse.

"Napoleon is dead, but even so, do they want to squeeze a few gold coins out of him!"

Louis had just finished saying this, when suddenly the carriage braked sharply, and the brothers were almost thrown out of the carriage.

Louis, who was angry, was about to rebuke the coachman, but before he could speak, he saw the two culprits who were blocking the carriage from advancing.

Arthur held his cane with one hand and raised slightly with the other, his white gloves spotless.

"Louie, is this your new friend? It may be inappropriate for me to say this, but if you're not busy, why don't you give me a hand? Mr Vidocq was paid well, at least significantly higher than our starting salary at Scotland Yard. ”

Seeing this familiar English gentleman, Wallewski turned to his cousin and asked, "Louie, do you know him?" ”

Louis saw Arthur's expression of 'making money is important', so he had to pout helplessly: "Come, Alexander, let me introduce you, this is the pianist in the theater, my former top boss - Sir Arthur Hastings." ”

(End of chapter)