He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 543

Became the Genius Son of Napoleon – Episode 543 (544/547)

Side Story (21) Goethe and Beethoven’s Scandal Overcomes the Revolution

In the New Century, some believe that information governs all things.

-Bang, screech, bang!

The sound of a massive roller turning is deafening.

When the noise stops, paper emerges, covered in fresh, black letters.

The paper is lightly folded and quickly takes the form of a [Newspaper].

It is much faster, more efficient, and produces in greater quantities than anything made by hand.

A gray-haired gentleman, watching the scene, exclaimed in admiration.

“Is that a rotary press? My, how the world has improved.”

Seeing the rotary press, which in the original timeline would appear in the mid to late 19th century, a young man shouted.

“Indeed, Monsieur Desmoulins! This is the revolution of the new era! The secret weapon of the newspaper that will lead the information revolution!”

“Monsieur Girardin, that’s a bit much. In the end, information resides in people’s minds. Revolution happens in reality.”

“What you just said *is* the key to the information revolution!”

The owner of the newspaper company that introduced the rotary press, Émile Girardin, shone with excitement.

“We change people’s thoughts with information, and then transform the era! That is what journalists must do!”

In the original timeline, Girardin would become the king of newspapers in the 19th century.

However, he is still a young man, and Desmoulins, a prominent figure, dominates the press.

Desmoulins, after staring at Girardin for a moment, clicked his tongue.

“You’re certainly young. Wasn’t your father a general?”

“Haha! General Alexandre Girardin is indeed my father. But I am illegitimate.”

“Such things don’t matter these days, as long as you’re acknowledged. Everyone is having children outside of marriage these days. The famous Madame Récamier and Chateaubriand, for example?”

Girardin exclaimed to Desmoulins, who lightly recited the scandals of famous figures from the past.

“But in the end, an illegitimate child is just that. I want to be recognized by my father and the world!”

Usually, illegitimate children have difficulty growing up without parental support.

However, illegitimate children of the upper class generally receive financial support.

But not having full recognition from his father means there is a deficiency.

Desmoulins shrugged, looking at the very ambitious young journalist.

He wondered if investing in Girardin’s newspaper company was a good idea.

“So, why did you call me here?”

“I told you that information governs the world, right? I have some amazing information. Metternich is planning a revolution. So I brought you here to get your permission!”

“What? Wait, are you joking? He is the epitome of counter-revolution!”

Desmoulins opened his mouth wide, and Girardin chuckled.

“This is the era of the French Empire. The target of the revolution is France, and the French establishment, including Monsieur Desmoulins! Congratulations on becoming the target of the revolution. Hahaha!”

The main figure of the old Great Revolution, the [Stutterer] Desmoulins, frowned.

It felt like only yesterday that he led the citizen uprising from a coffee house during the Great Revolution.

But now, he has become the enemy of the revolutionaries, an [Imperialist].

“Incredible. Then I should contact the public security, why tell me?”

“We can stop it.”

“How? We are just newspaper people.”

Girardin said firmly to Desmoulins, who lamented the powerlessness of the press.

“We just need to bring even more amazing news to the people who will start the revolution, the German citizens.”

Deutschland is a country that does not exist [Germany as a unified nation did not exist at this time].

There was only a German king in the old Holy Roman Empire.

Also, the languages of the southern and northern Germans are quite different.

In a situation where language unification should have been progressing, France intervened, causing them to diverge even further.

So, what common interest would surprise the citizens of a non-existent Deutschland?

“What is it? The corruption of the Habsburg family? Or Metternich’s moral depravity? He is quite the womanizer.”

“Do you think the public cares about such things?”

“What are you trying to say?”

Girardin’s eyes gleamed.

“All the public cares about are celebrities. Not politicians!”

Desmoulins tilted his head, thinking it was somewhat true.

“So?”

“We need to create a scandal using names that everyone knows when the citizens hear them.”

“Who is there? Which opera singer is popular these days?”

While briefly recalling old stars, Girardin urged Desmoulins.

“That’s not enough. It has to be Goethe and Beethoven!”

Desmoulins’ mouth dropped open.

Certainly, they are names that everyone in Europe, not just Germans, would know.

But what scandal could they possibly have?

Could they be having a homosexual affair?

“What relationship do those two have to cause a scandal? Don’t tell me…?”

Then Girardin smiled slyly and leaked some [Information].

“There is a woman. A woman loved by both the great writer and the great musician.”

Even Desmoulins, a gentleman of the press, couldn’t miss this story.

***

Disasters sometimes befall even great writers.

-〈Goethe, is that you? The one who revealed this sordid rumor to the world? If so, I cannot forgive you!〉

Goethe looked at the poorly written letter from [Vienna] and placed it elegantly on the table.

The sunny meadows of Bavaria were visible outside the window.

It seemed that even in this place he had come to for rest, he could not escape the noise of the world.

Of course, Goethe was quite used to such noisy affairs.

Goethe turned to the boy watching him.

“Unfortunately, Beethoven is a great musician, but he doesn’t pay enough attention to his surroundings.”

“Who on earth started this scandal? To think that you, sir, are in love with a woman 40 years younger than you, and a married woman at that! This is excessive defamation!”

“It’s true, [Monsieur] Mendelssohn.”

Goethe replied in elegant French.

“I once had a passionate love affair with Bettina. It was already ten years ago.”

Bettina von Arnim.

A woman who persistently courted Goethe ten years ago.

Goethe, already an old man at the time, eventually rejected Bettina’s advances.

But Bettina later fell in love with Beethoven and began a relationship.

Eventually, even Beethoven broke up with Bettina, and Bettina went on to marry Arnim.

If you ignore the age difference, it’s just a normal story of love and separation.

But the problem is the age.

The boy, Felix Mendelssohn, looked at Goethe in astonishment.

“S, s, sir?”

“Why are you so surprised? It’s not strange for an artist to love. And love is noble. Even an old man can fall in love.”

“Um, isn’t that usually called an old man’s lecherous desire?”

Goethe laughed heartily.

“Hahaha! You’re too young to understand. Even old men want to feel their hearts beat. Of course, you must never force a young woman.”

Mendelssohn is still in his teens.

In the original timeline, he lived a normal family life with a wife three years younger than him before dying young.

He is completely different from Goethe, who lived a life of repeated romances, not distinguishing between older and younger women.

Mendelssohn nodded with a look of complete incomprehension.

“Yes, sir.”

“Anyway, we need to clear up this misunderstanding. Beethoven’s health has been getting worse lately. Would you like to go to Vienna with me?”

“Can I meet the maestro? I’d love to!”

Goethe smiled wryly, watching the boy genius musician brighten up.

“Well, Beethoven isn’t as nice a friend as you think. Besides, he won’t be able to hear your music.”

In an era without a mass entertainment industry.

Stars are artists.

So, writers and musicians who surprise the world are also stars who attract public attention.

In other words, Mendelssohn feels like he is going to meet a superstar.

Unfortunately, Beethoven is not a very nice [Star].

His fan management is terrible.

Most of all, his hearing is so bad that he can’t hear Mendelssohn play the piano at all.

Mendelssohn was flustered.

“E, even so.”

“First, let’s practice in case he can hear with a hearing aid.”

“What music is it?”

Goethe approached his study.

“This one.”

In fact, Goethe is not only a famous writer of novels and plays.

His original field of fame was poetry.

In this era, poetry is accompanied by song, so it can be considered a type of lyricist.

In short, the reason why Mendelssohn, a genius musician who is slowly gaining fame, came to Goethe is simple: to learn how to write lyrics.

But there was a score that a musician sent to Goethe to have his lyrics evaluated.

Mendelssohn smacked his lips as he looked at the score Goethe handed him.

“Oh, the handwriting is terrible.”

“It’s Beethoven’s score. His autograph.”

“What!”

Just as Mendelssohn was about to be shocked, Goethe asked with a smile.

“Joy of Sorrow. One of the few art songs composed by Beethoven. Would you like to play it?”

With a very difficult-to-read score, Mendelssohn began to play desperately.

-Ddan, ddanddan, ddanddandan.

It is by no means easy music.

But Mendelssohn played a little awkwardly at first, and then began to play the piano skillfully.

Goethe closed his eyes for a moment and muttered leisurely.

“It’s always good to hear. As befits a song by a great musician that cannot be covered up by scandals.”

Art is eternal.

So much that it cannot be covered up by scandals.

No matter how much the press talks about it.

That’s why Goethe is so calm.

***

Vienna is the most important city where this scandal is being talked about.

“I declare to the German people! As Mr. Fichte said, the German people are!”

Just as the speaker, Karl Laningen, was shouting.

-Doo doo doo!

The citizens of Vienna ran around, chattering among themselves.

“Did you hear? Goethe and Beethoven are in a love triangle scandal!”

“With a married woman 40 years younger?”

“Amazing. The old man has a lot of energy. But then, did Beethoven get his lover stolen?”

A love triangle scandal involving a great writer and a great musician.

And the target is said to be a married woman.

But Bettina, the married woman, caused the incident.

She started publishing her autobiography.

In the very noisy square in Vienna, Laningen shouted.

“T, these fools! At a time when we must overcome the hardships of the nation!”

However, no one listened to the cry of the revolutionary who started the German revolution in the original timeline.

“C, c, come on! Line up! Goethe and Beethoven, the scandal of the two great artists, part 3! It turns out they shared the same bed!”

Rather, there are far more people buying newspapers with scandals that are clearly fake news.

No one thinks about the greatness of Germany, the necessity of revolution, or the curse on France.

Scandal—this is the only topic that heats up the citizens of Vienna.

Laningen screamed in Vienna Square.

“It can’t be like this!”

It was the autumn of 1825, when the heat of the revolution was trampled on again today.