A mansion in the main district of Lyon.
"You fool! Scared off by just a few words! Do you still call yourself a soldier? Where has your courage in Algeria and Paris gone!"
A voice, old yet full of vigor, shouted from a window on the second floor of the mansion, causing the two soldiers guarding the gate to involuntarily perk up their ears and listen to the commotion inside.
At this moment, Alfondo Beduo was standing straight by the side of a desk inside the mansion, facing an old man in a white military uniform adorned with medals on his chest, none other than Marshal Biron, hailed as the hero of Algeria.
[A hero of the French, a nightmare for the Arabs. During his tenure as Governor of Algeria, he completely eradicated the large guerrilla forces entrenched in Algeria, earning him the title of the terminator of Algerian guerrillas.]
"Marshal, you don’t know! The Prince, when enraged, is just like His Majesty the Emperor in the past..." Alfondo Beduo tried to defend himself to Biron.
As a confidant brought out of Algeria by Marshal Biron himself, Alfondo Beduo could still argue a bit in front of the rough Biron.
"Hmm?" Biron scrutinized Alfondo Beduo with a suspicious look and asked, "I remember you were born in 1804, right?"
"Yes!" Alfondo Beduo responded simply.
"You’ve seen His Majesty the Emperor?" Marshal Biron asked in astonishment, "Back then, I only met His Majesty a few times, and the last time almost got me dismissed!"
"Marshal, when I was very young, I only saw His Majesty from afar, unlike you, who could always receive His Majesty’s admonitions!" Alfondo Beduo explained to Marshal Biron.
"Bullshit admonitions!" Marshal Biron cursed, as Alfondo Beduo’s words stirred up his memories, "Every time I met the Emperor, it was always in groups, barely exchanging a few words! The only time I saw His Majesty alone, I got a good scolding!"
Seeing this, Alfondo Beduo no longer put on a serious face and instead showed a playful expression to Marshal Biron, "Marshal, weren’t you also afraid of His Majesty?"
"I..." Marshal Biron was momentarily at a loss for words, recalling the Emperor’s reprimands. Back then, he hadn’t slept well for days and nights until General Bertrand, the Emperor’s aide, told him that the Emperor wanted to see him. Trembling, he entered the Tuileries Palace, anxiously awaiting the Emperor’s judgment, and in the end, the Emperor chose to let him continue his role as Colonel.
That was his first experience of going from heaven to hell and back to heaven, so it’s etched in his memory.
"He... really like His Majesty?" Marshal Biron asked once more, now more amazed than doubtful.
"Marshal, I swear on my honor! The Prince, when not angry, only slightly resembles the Emperor, but when he gets angry, he is simply a mini version of His Majesty!" Alfondo Beduo assured Marshal Biron earnestly.
"If that’s the case..." Marshal Biron scratched his head, seeming upset, "It seems some people in the Order Party are miscalculating! Beduo, I dare to bet if your intelligence is accurate, many in Paris will favor our Prince!"
"Order Party? Marshal, are the Order Party planning something against the Prince?" Alfondo Beduo looked at Marshal Biron in surprise.
"How do you think I knew he would arrive in Lyon at this time!" Marshal Biron cast a glance at Alfondo Beduo, speaking with a tone of disappointed reproach, "When will you start using your brain more! Soldiers need to learn not only to fight but also to have political insight!"
Then he added with schadenfreude, "However, this was just a little test borrowing my hand! Those guys in the Order Party hope that young Italian (Jerome Bonaparte) can balance Cafenak yet don’t want his popularity to soar too high! I happened to owe those people a favor, so I let you make a trip! Now I’m done with it!"
"If the Prince attends the banquet, wouldn’t he be in danger?" Alfondo Beduo said to Marshal Biron, now astonished at how his previous impression of Marshal Biron had been overturned.
"Not necessarily!" Marshal Biron continued, "If that young Italian really steps into the game, he might be targeted by Cafenak! Then, he would have no choice but to turn to the Order Party for help! Ultimately, it’s because his voice is too strong in Paris!"
"What should we do now?" Alfondo Beduo asked Marshal Biron.
"I’ve done what the Order Party asked me to do! Now it’s no longer my concern!" Marshal Biron crossed his legs in an old rogue manner, "After all, it’s just internal strife in Paris, and I’m merely an army commander from one field!"
"But..." Alfondo Beduo hesitated for a moment and then voiced his concerns, "Will the Prince come after us once he knows the inside story?"
Marshal Biron hesitated before saying, "Probably not! No one knows it’s a trap!"
"What if those people in Paris sell us out?" Alfondo Beduo continued.
Marshal Biron recalled being abandoned by the King and the Order Party members during the suppression of the February riots; those folks were enjoying life in Paris while he was stuck in Lyon.
At this thought, anger welled up inside Marshal Biron, and he immediately took out a draft from the drawer and wrote "Beware of Thiers" on the white paper in French. Then he handed the note to Alfondo Beduo and said gruffly, "Take this and get out!"
Receiving the paper, Alfondo Beduo immediately understood Marshal Biron’s intentions. He saluted Marshal Biron and took his leave.
Afterward, Alfondo Beduo arrived at the hotel where Jerome Bonaparte was staying and handed him the note, also revealing the conspiracy regarding the banquet to Bonaparte.
After listening to Alfondo Beduo, Jerome Bonaparte felt his heart race like a roller coaster.
Ultimately, he still underestimated Thiers, this cunning politician, who showed no hesitation in targeting his "ally" despite their so-called "gentlemen’s agreement."
The name Thiers had already appeared on Jerome Bonaparte’s must-destroy list.
"I hope you won’t blame the Marshal; he had no choice either! Ultimately, we still need to follow Paris’s command!" Alfondo Beduo tried to justify Biron in front of Jerome Bonaparte.
"That Marshal Biron’s willingness to reveal this information to me already shows his utmost sincerity; I trust his character!"
Jerome Bonaparte displayed a ’magnanimous spirit,’ knowing that Marshal Biron wouldn’t live much longer; a cholera outbreak in Lyon next year would take his life. Why bother contending with a dying man?
His opponents were always in Paris.