In January, France always had longer nights and shorter days. At six o’clock, the sky was still adorned with countless stars. The gray-black sky and the howling cold wind shrouded all of Paris, instilling a vague sense of oppression and shivering, much like the current state of Paris.
Under the gray-black sky, the study room in the Elysee Palace was unusually lit. Through the candlelight emanating from the study, a silhouette could faintly be seen by the window; it was Jerome Bonaparte.
Wearing Napoleon’s triangular hat, a blue-black Lev’s formal suit, the Legion of Honor on his chest, and cowhide long boots, Jerome Bonaparte stood by the window, gazing at the sky that was about to break, then glanced at the gilded clock pendulum beside him.
The military parade was still more than four hours away. It was the earliest Jerome Bonaparte had woken up since becoming president, and it was also the first military parade in his presidential career.
Every man, deep down, wishes to become a great general commanding thousands of soldiers. Jerome Bonaparte was no exception. Unable to contain his excitement, he went to bed early the previous day to avoid missing the parade. But while lying in bed, he couldn’t sleep at all, his mind filled with thoughts of commanding his troops to victory. It wasn’t until 2 a.m. on the 29th that he finally fell asleep, under strong psychological suggestion, and slept for only 3 hours and 30 minutes before being woken up by his biological clock.
After waking up, he carefully dressed in the clothes prepared the day before and made his way alone to the study, holding a candelabrum with four candles, waiting for the parade to begin.
Cautiously arriving at the study, he didn’t disturb anyone in the Elysee Palace. Even the four soldiers responsible for night patrol and guarding the Elysee Palace only noticed the light in the study afterward.
Inside the study, Jerome Bonaparte paced back and forth with his head down, occasionally going to the mirror to tidy up his uniform or adjust Napoleon’s triangular hat on his head.
In short, President Jerome Bonaparte was very anxious.
As time passed, the stars quietly disappeared, and the sky was no longer gray-black. The blazing sun slowly rose from the horizon, and the howling cold wind gradually weakened with the arrival of dawn.
At 7:30 a.m., Percy woke up early, yawning as he headed to the president’s bedroom to wake Jerome Bonaparte.
Since Colonel Fleury, the head of the police station, was appointed by Jerome Bonaparte to the National Guard Staff as a full colonel, the task of waking Jerome Bonaparte fell to Percy.
Upon entering the president’s bedroom, Percy did not find Jerome Bonaparte’s figure. Exhausted as he was, he instantly became alert.
Logically, His Majesty should be sleeping in the bedroom at this moment! How could he suddenly disappear!
The "disappearance" of the president threw Percy into disarray, and he rushed out of the bedroom, preparing to inform others about the president’s disappearance.
At that moment, the door to the study opened slowly, and Jerome Bonaparte emerged.
"Your Majesty, you..." Percy, wide-eyed, stared in surprise at Jerome Bonaparte, who had already dressed and groomed.
"What is it, Secretary Percy?" Jerome Bonaparte looked at Percy, confused, and then glanced at his own attire, curiously asking, "Is there something dirty on my clothes?"
"No! It’s not that!" A startled Percy denied quickly, saying, "I just feel... feel..."
Percy hesitated, wondering which words would both avoid offending the president and explain the situation.
"You feel my routine is a bit unusual, don’t you!" Jerome Bonaparte voiced what Percy hesitated to say and then explained, "It’s my first parade, it’s hard not to be excited!"
"Yes!" Percy nodded to show understanding.
At 8:30 a.m., a squadron of cavalry, mounted on chestnut-red warhorses, arrived at the gates of the Elysee Palace. The residents on the street, coming and going, stared in amazement at the soldiers’ outfits. Some elderly residents had eyes filled with a mix of three parts pride and seven parts emotion. They were dressed in the green Dragoon uniforms of the First Empire, with high military hats adorned with plumes, as if they had crossed over thirty years to return to France; the Empire seemed to have returned.
Colonel Flerri of the National Guard Staff, the leader of this cavalry, and his deputy, Edgar Ney, wore red Dragoon uniforms with command sabers tied to their thighs, reminiscent of the cavalry officers under the Emperor in those days.
The troop halted in front of the Elysee Palace residence. As the temporary commander of the army, Colonel Flerri straightened his chest and issued a resounding command: "Dismount!"
All the Dragoons dismounted in unison, leading their horses to stand on either side of the entrance to the Elysee Palace residence. A gilded open-top double-bridge carriage, adorned with a Golden Bee emblem, with white gauze curtains as thin as cicada wings hooked to the sides of the windows, allowing a clear view of the interior, was slowly driven by a coachman along the cement-paved road into the courtyard of the Elysee Palace, and stopped at the main gate.
Inside the Elysee Palace.
"Your Majesty, we should get in the carriage!" Percy said to Jerome Bonaparte.
Originally eager to ride over on horseback, Jerome Bonaparte’s spirits waned instantly, and his expression turned slightly somber: "Secretary Percy, can’t I ride my horse myself?"
"Your Majesty, I’ve heard there are many rebels in the city! We must prioritize your safety!" Percy explained to Jerome Bonaparte.
"What nonsense!" Jerome Bonaparte laughed in anger, pointing to the carriage outside the door, he emphasized, "Just a few obscure rats make you so afraid! In my uncle’s time, his marshals and generals were never !"
Unwilling to leave the army with an impression of being "disconnected from the people," Jerome Bonaparte stubbornly refused to ride in the double-bridge carriage.
Unable to counter Jerome Bonaparte’s attitude, Percy had to back down, allowing Jerome Bonaparte to ride a horse, provided he remained within the protective circle of Dragoons until the formal military parade commenced.
Jerome Bonaparte agreed to Percy’s terms. Under Percy’s arrangement, Talan led a white horse and a chestnut-red warhorse to the main gate of the Elysee Palace, with brand new tack on the horses.
Jerome Bonaparte and Percy mounted their horses, with the white horse carrying Jerome Bonaparte in front and Percy following behind.
They circled around the courtyard outside the Elysee Palace and reached its main gate.
Fleury and Edgar Ney were anxiously awaiting the arrival of Jerome Bonaparte.
It was now already 8:30, an hour to go before the start.