He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 370

(370) How the Emperor Governs the Empire

So, did the Emperor spend his days indulging in pleasure and luxury?

“Your Majesty, you’re already up? I’ve only been in the bedroom with you for three hours!”

In the evening, Giuseppina Grassini, breathing heavily, woke up and frowned.

Having spent a passionate time in the afternoon, Giuseppina remained with her voluptuous body exposed.

On the other hand, Napoleon was already dressed, sitting at the desk next to the bed, deeply engrossed in writing something.

Even for an emperor, wasn’t it rude to suddenly start working before even savoring the afterglow of love?

Of course, Emperor Napoleon merely raised an eyebrow, continuing to scribble away as he retorted,

“We’ve already been intimate three times, Giuseppina.”

“No, you don’t even come to me often these days. You should at least spend the night.”

“Don’t be presumptuous. My body is not just yours.”

Napoleon suddenly stopped writing, asserting with an arrogant expression,

“It belongs to my wife, this country, and all my lovers.”

It was an absurd statement, but Giuseppina stared at Napoleon, momentarily stunned.

She briefly wondered what she saw in this arrogant man that made her so attached.

Of course, if it were the Napoleon of the original history, notorious for his premature climax, Giuseppina wouldn’t have been so attached.

Perhaps it was thanks to his improved skills due to his good relationship with Josephine.

Giuseppina, unaware that Napoleon was originally a premature ejaculator, was angry about something else.

“My goodness, you don’t have to mention your lovers in front of me, even if I concede your wife!”

“I’m just letting you know that you can’t dare to monopolize me.”

“I heard you’re enjoying a new actress these days? Was her name Georges Weimer Georgina?”

This time, Napoleon couldn’t ignore Giuseppina any longer.

“Really, Giuseppina. I didn’t expect even you to be spying on my bedroom?”

“Heavens, I don’t really know about lovers like Pauline Fourès, Eléonore Denuelle, or Albine de Montholon. But Georgina is an actress.”

“It seems you know everything. A jealous woman is unattractive to me, Giuseppina.”

He had only mentioned the ‘major’ figures among Napoleon’s recent lovers.

Pauline Fourès, in the original history, was a married woman he met during the Egyptian expedition.

Eléonore Denuelle was a friend of Napoleon’s sister, Caroline.

Albine de Montholon was a noblewoman, and in the original history, the wife of a subordinate who accompanied him to Saint Helena.

It seemed there were many married women, but this was due to the cultural background of France.

Defiling a virgin who had not yet married was considered ruining her life.

However, having an affair with a noblewoman was adultery, but it didn’t ruin the woman’s life.

Then what about Giuseppina, who was still unmarried?

Opera singers were a bit different.

Having a [patron: a wealthy supporter, often providing financial assistance] with whom they shared a bed was an unspoken rule among the upper class.

But Giuseppina stood up, placed her hands on her hips, and retorted with her chin raised,

“It’s not jealousy! Georgina is my rival. I heard our Emperor is pushing the opera directors to make Georgina a prima donna [leading female singer in an opera]?”

So, she could tolerate the other married lovers, but not an opera singer.

Giuseppina might be pushed out of the leading role.

Napoleon seemed a little taken aback by this, waving his hands and saying,

“That’s a misunderstanding. I’m too busy to worry about such things. Look at me now. Working in my lover’s bedroom!”

However, he never said that he didn’t share a bed with Georgina.

Giuseppina pouted and approached, glancing at the desk.

After all, this was Giuseppina’s room, and she was familiar with the desk.

“Hmph, you’re too much. Is that a letter?”

“For an emperor, receiving and sending letters is all work.”

“Who are you writing to so diligently?”

Napoleon replied pompously,

“Well, to officials in various parts of the empire, ambassadors stationed abroad, and informants. War might break out soon.”

Men showing off that they are doing important work in front of their lovers is universal.

Of course, it’s also the same that lovers are not very interested in that work.

However, Giuseppina’s eyes widened in surprise at just one word.

“Your Majesty, now you’re making your enemies work and staying in Paris.”

“Giuseppina, you’ve been saying too many presumptuous things since earlier. Your expertise is opera, not war.”

“But surely I have some stake in Your Majesty’s body?”

Giuseppina gently hugged Napoleon’s neck, pointing below her abdomen.

“It would be troublesome if you got hurt. Especially here.”

Napoleon shuddered slightly at the curves where Giuseppina’s voluptuous body touched him.

Suddenly, the heat he thought he had already released surged up.

In an instant, Napoleon threw down the pen and lifted Giuseppina up.

“It seems I’ll have to stop writing letters here today.”

“Eek, Your Majesty?”

“Let’s make love for the fourth time, Giuseppina.”

Napoleon, still slender and not yet obese, threw Giuseppina onto the bed and said commandingly,

“Of course, I can’t sleep here. Remember that.”

Giuseppina blinked, then climbed on top of Napoleon and smiled.

“Don’t talk as if you’re talking to a subordinate, Your Majesty.”

The emperor and the singer began to sing a grand and lofty song on the bed.

***

So, the Emperor was blinking purely because he had sung four songs.

“Chairman Robespierre of the Senate, so what’s the problem?”

The Emperor asked with a slightly hoarse voice, having used his baritone voice a lot.

Then the Chairman of the Senate, as if about to have his head cut off by the guillotine [a device used for executions during the French Revolution], bowed his head.

The Chairman of the Senate’s first name was Augustin, usually called Auguste as a nickname.

The chairman, who sometimes invoked his last name whenever the senators didn’t listen, respectfully informed the Emperor,

“The biggest problem is that there are elections soon, Your Majesty.”

“The Council of Five Hundred is a national election, but the Senate is conducted through indirect elections.”

“Anxiety among local influential figures is growing about the deteriorating relationship with England again.”

Senate Chairman Auguste calmly pointed to a spot on the map on the Emperor’s desk in his office.

“In particular, the Vendée region and the Bordeaux area, which are prospering due to New World immigration and trade, are filled with petitions, Your Majesty.”

Emperor Napoleon frowned as he looked at the map of France.

Like all dictators, Napoleon disliked the parliament.

However, unlike other dictators, Napoleon respected elections, parliament, and the people quite a bit.

Originally, in the original history, he would have abolished the electoral system, but now, due to the characteristics of the constitutional monarchy, parliamentary elections remained.

Napoleon tapped the desk and grumbled,

“At this rate, we should just change all local governance to a governor system. And change the Senate to an appointment and lifetime system! Even if profits are important, should we overturn national diplomacy because of local petitions?”

“The Bordeaux area is where Your Imperial Majesty’s most important supporters are.”

“Who doesn’t know that? And if we go by that logic, what about Toulon? What about Marseille? There are countless regions that I have to worry about!”

Napoleon, who was furious, cursed.

“Sigh, I shouldn’t be saying this to the Chairman! Damned democracy! May Jesus curse it!”

However, Auguste calmly shook his head in the face of the Emperor’s wrath.

“Do not forget that Your Majesty ascended to the throne through democracy.”

“Who said I forgot?”

“Moreover, in order to enthrone Prince Charles Napoleon as Crown Prince, it is important to secure the Senate, which corresponds to the Senate.”

The moment the Emperor was startled, Auguste wore a meaningful smile.

“If you want to pass the Heir Designation Act this time.”

Auguste, once a believer in the revolution and a follower of his brother Maximillian, had long since become a devotee of the Emperor.

In fact, he was originally a huge fan of Napoleon, so it wasn’t that strange.

However, the purpose of the constitutional monarchy, that is, changing the Emperor’s election system to a hereditary system, is a great political burden.

It is not an issue to be carried out without any incidents just four years after the empire’s launch.

And there is one more problem that Napoleon and Auguste are aware of.

“Eugene will be back soon, Auguste.”

“I know.”

“War with England will be inevitable. Eugene is essential.”

For a moment, Napoleon stared intently at the bill on his office desk and shook his head.

“We will postpone this bill.”

Auguste nodded and stepped back.

Of course, the Chairman of the Senate did not come solely to pass this bill.

Rather, he came to find out what Napoleon’s intentions were regarding the heir issue.

Knowing that, Napoleon couldn’t be cold-hearted when it came to Eugene.

Napoleon, looking at the Atlantic Ocean on the globe instead of the map of France, shouted outside,

“So, Brienne? Who’s next?”

Then Brienne, now the Emperor’s Chief Secretary, poked his head in and said,

“Yes, it’s Chief of Staff Berthier. He will report on the military clashes that occurred in Hungary.”

Instantly, Napoleon took out his pocket watch and frowned.

“I’ll give you 10 minutes, Goose. I must meet Josephine this evening.”

For Marshal Berthier, it was truly an extremely difficult mission.

***

The Palais-Royal, the former Duke of Orléans’ mansion, is now also the best opera house in Paris.

“Do you even intend to come home? Your Great Imperial Majesty?”

For example, Empress Josephine had arrived in advance in the highest balcony seat, a place where she could nag the Emperor.

It was as if the guests could get a glimpse of a scene that could only be seen in the Imperial Palace.

Of course, since the intermission had started, only Josephine’s unpleasant expression could be seen.

Also, one could catch a glimpse of the Emperor being flustered.

While commanders of the Imperial Guard, including Lannes and Murat, quickly controlled the surroundings, the Emperor hurriedly grabbed the Empress’s hand.

“I will definitely go in tonight, Empress. More importantly, shouldn’t we focus on the performance?”

“I don’t really want to see it. I heard the lead is your new lover.”

“Where did you hear such lies! That is absolutely not true. I only have the Empress.”

The Empress frowned and snorted.

“Really? You’re saying that without batting an eye. A personification of [lust: strong sexual desire] like Your Majesty spends the night without a woman?”

At that moment, the Emperor, eyeing the Empress’s figure, suddenly hugged her waist.

It seemed that jealousy had ignited the Emperor’s lust.

When the Empress’s arm strength weakened as she tried to push him away, the Emperor smiled slyly and whispered,

“It seems I’ll have to give the Empress a fifth child today.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“By the way, where is Charles? Where are our Hortense and Florence?”

Then a little girl ran into the balcony seat.

“Daddy!”

She was now 10 years old, and her splendid girl’s dress was dazzling.

Florence Bonaparte, the Emperor and Empress’s official third child, and in reality, their first child.

After that, Hortense entered with Charles, smiling.

Emperor Napoleon lifted Florence up and smiled, then glared.

“Oh, our princess! You’re quite the young lady now. Wait, Hortense?”

“What is it, Father Emperor?”

“What is this outfit! It’s all see-through! How can a grown woman wear such clothes!”

Hugging Florence, Napoleon was horrified as he looked at Hortense.

Of course, just listening to it, it seemed like Napoleon was being his usual꼰대[Kkondae: a Korean slang term for an older person who is condescending or preachy] self.

But even if Eugene had been here, he would have said the same thing.

The clothes Hortense was wearing were truly [see-through: transparent] itself.

Showing off a white dress that was clearly visible inside, the 23-year-old Hortense smiled brightly.

“Oh my, you don’t know the latest trends! This is the latest [Bonaparte] style.”

“What? What style?”

“Bonaparte Empire style. The transparent visibility is like the bright future of our empire, isn’t it?”

Empire, that is, the French word for empire.

In this era, Empress Josephine herself had a fashion style that was popular.

In later original history, it was a style of dress named Empire style by the British, and the characteristic of this dress was, in a word, [see-through: transparent].

However, what a man drools over when his wife wears it, he is appalled when his daughter wears it.

Napoleon jumped up and shouted,

“Nonsense! I must ban it by imperial decree. Why is the custom so lewd!”

Then a four-year-old little boy approached and stammered,

“D, Daddy. Don’t be angry.”

Then, quickly putting Florence down, the Emperor stroked his son [Charles Napoleon: Napoleon’s son].

“Oh, yes! Our King of Rome. Now, let’s watch the performance? Florence, sit still in your seat.”

“No, I want to go out and watch!”

“Good girl, listen well!”

Talleyrand, the Minister of State and Grand Chamberlain, sighed slightly and entered the chaotic balcony seat, elegantly announcing,

“The performance will begin soon, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor’s family sat down in their respective seats.