"Hugo? What’s he doing here?"
Jerome Bonaparte, in the middle of preparing his next step, had a gloomy look on his face, feeling quite displeased.
"Your Majesty, I don’t know either!" Percy said helplessly. "But from Mr. Victor Hugo’s expression, it seems he has something urgent to discuss with you!"
"What a bother!" Jerome Bonaparte complained.
For this celebrated literary figure throughout Paris, he could neither scold nor beat him, and yet he had to deal with him.
"Should I tell Mr. Hugo, Your Majesty, that you are in the middle of an important meeting?" Percy offered a solution.
Jerome Bonaparte glanced at the rather large object on Lady Marchioness Aile’s lap and subconsciously responded, "Hmm! It is indeed quite heavy!"
Realizing he’d misspoken, Jerome Bonaparte quickly added, "Never mind! Let Mr. Victor Hugo come upstairs!"
"Yes!" Percy replied and closed the door as he left.
"Madam, it seems I can’t have an in-depth exchange with you!" Jerome Bonaparte expressed regret in a flirtatious tone.
"Your Majesty, I’m always at your service!" Marchioness Aile teased, running her fingers through her golden curls and batting her eyelashes at Jerome Bonaparte.
Jerome Bonaparte released his arms wrapped around Marchioness Aile.
The arrival of Victor Hugo signaled Marchioness Aile’s departure.
Just as Marchioness Aile was about to leave the parlor, she heard Jerome Bonaparte say, "Madam, please have your husband pay attention to the bonds soon to be issued by the Ministry of Public Works. Trust me, it’s a surefire win!"
After "taking advantage" of someone else’s wife for so long, he had to give a little something back.
To live well in Paris, unless you wear a bit of green on your head.
Of course, this rule didn’t apply to Jerome Bonaparte himself.
Because he was about to become the one to set the rules of the game in Paris.
Understanding Jerome Bonaparte’s subtext, Marchioness Aile turned and gave a slight bow to Jerome Bonaparte, saying, "I will convey it to my husband!"
Under the guide of a servant, Marchioness Aile left the Elysee Palace through the back door.
Not long after, the door to the parlor opened again, and Percy and Victor Hugo entered.
Jerome Bonaparte quickly stood to greet this great 19th-century literary figure, "Mr. Hugo, welcome to the Elysee Palace!"
Jerome Bonaparte extended his hand to shake Victor Hugo’s, and Victor Hugo quickly replied, "Mr. President!"
"Mr. Hugo, please don’t address me that way! I’d prefer if you called me by my name, or Prince!" Jerome Bonaparte tried to draw closer to Victor Hugo.
"Your Highness!" Faced with Jerome Bonaparte’s insistence, Victor Hugo reluctantly settled on the title "Prince."
Under Jerome Bonaparte’s guidance, Victor Hugo took the seat where Marchioness Aile had been sitting.
As Jerome Bonaparte sat back down, he inquired of Victor Hugo, "Mr. Hugo, what brings you here today?"
Victor Hugo immediately stated that he had been commissioned by the Republican Faction to persuade Jerome Bonaparte to abandon the parade plan.
"Your Highness, only you can stop them!" Victor Hugo sincerely said to Jerome Bonaparte.
Feigning discouragement, Jerome Bonaparte stood with his back to Victor Hugo, then sighed, "Mr. Hugo, you overestimate me, I have to honor the majority’s opinion!"
"The Republican Faction is also part of that majority!" Victor Hugo tried to change Jerome Bonaparte’s mind.
"Mr. Hugo, you don’t understand!" Jerome Bonaparte shook his head, "They control the Cabinet and the army! I am merely a titular President! The decision for the parade isn’t mine to make, it’s theirs!"
Jerome Bonaparte attempted to downplay his presidential power to make the Order Party a clear enemy of the Republican Faction.
"But..." Victor Hugo still wanted to argue.
"Mr. Hugo, I have to stand with them to ensure they won’t launch a coup! If they do, the Republic is doomed!" Jerome Bonaparte continued a fearmongering tone.
"As long as you don’t agree, they can’t proceed!" Victor Hugo kept persuading.
"No... it’s not possible!" The "cowardly" Jerome Bonaparte replied.
No matter how Victor Hugo persuaded, Jerome Bonaparte stubbornly refused to oppose the Order Party.
Victor Hugo could only announce his surrender.
Before leaving, Victor Hugo once more hoped Jerome Bonaparte would reconsider.
The "cowardly" Jerome Bonaparte, after a "mental struggle," once again chose to support the Order Party.
Afterward, Victor Hugo left the Elysee Palace with a sense of loss.
At Lamartine’s home, Victor Hugo relayed the events at the Elysee Palace to all the members of the Republican Faction.
"We misjudged Mr. President!" Cafenak said dejectedly. "I thought the Emperor’s nephew would be a heroic figure! But it turns out he’s just a coward!"
Contrary to Cafenak’s written disdain, Bastide displayed the calm demeanor of a diplomat, analyzing the enemy and allies’ situation seriously, "We can only show weakness to the enemy now, hoping they won’t strike us!"
"Relying on their mercy is not a wise choice!" Lamartine responded.
"Gentlemen, what can we do now?" Bastide scanned everyone present with a stern gaze, raising his voice, "We’ve lost the government, the army, we can do nothing now!"
"We still have the Special Team!" Lamartine wanted to make one last effort.
"Mr. Lamartine, do you want the Special Team to become the next sacrifices?" Bastide coldly replied, "All we can do now is wait!"
"How long do we have to wait?"
"Until they’re despised across France!"
On the afternoon of January 27, after intense discussions, the Republicans, understanding their situation, completely abandoned resistance. They did not know that their nonresistance policy would completely sweep them out of the parliament.
On the night of January 28, with the signing of the parade order by Minister of War Lulie, Changarnier, commander of the Paris National Guard and concurrent regular army commander, quickly assembled the troops.
Among them, 45,000 from the Paris National Guard, about 20,000 from the Capital Corps stationed in Paris, and 30,000 from the suburban corps.
The Capital Corps quickly assembled and was stationed in the area centered around Paris City Hall, with the Bourbon Palace again "protected," and two regiments of soldiers stationed near the Bourbon Palace once more.