I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 245

245. What on Earth Is Going On (245/355)

What on Earth Is Going On

Tuileries Palace, Paris.

My residence, a place where the world’s luminaries [famous or influential people] strive to gain entry, has become one of Paris’s premier landmarks.

In the ever-more-beautiful garden, I watched a young child frolicking in the flowerbeds with Marie.

“Wow, he’s grown so much already.”

“It’s only natural, considering our age.”

“True… the others are already grown.”

The eldest is excellently handling the duties of acting governor in New France [French colony in North America], and my eldest daughter is diligently taking lessons as the next successor to the Swedish throne.

Even the third child, whom I thought was still young, is gradually acquiring the dignity of the next Holy Roman Emperor [ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, a complex political entity in Central Europe], so it’s no wonder I’m feeling sentimental.

Even the youngest, Émmanuel, is now old enough to run around on his own.

I really can’t insist on being young anymore, can I?

My heart is still in its youthful prime, but I feel a bit sad.

“Still, I’m glad that none of our children have gone astray. This must be God’s blessing.”

“That’s true. That’s what I’m most grateful for.”

It’s a given, but the infant mortality rate in this era is incomparably higher than in modern times.

Even though it’s not as bad as in the Middle Ages, it wasn’t unusual for even royalty to lose young children early.

In that respect, my wife and I, who have raised all four children healthily, are envied by those around us for that alone.

Personally, I think the biggest reason is that smallpox, which is fatal to young children, has disappeared, and I’ve been obsessively concerned about hygiene.

After a while, Marie, who had been looking at Émmanuel with adoring eyes, turned her head back to me.

“By the way, is the Asian issue being handled well? You were so concerned about it before.”

“The plan is perfect, and the abilities of those executing it are not a problem, so I’m just waiting for the results with pleasure. I don’t think it will deviate much from expectations.”

“You certainly have a lot of faith in Commander Napoleon’s abilities. Sometimes, you look like… well, like our children admiring a soccer player.”

How perceptive.

It’s true that I have the heart of a fan looking at a star.

I was genuinely curious to see how much Napoleon could achieve when I set up the best conditions I could provide, and that’s a fact.

Above all, it’s not just Napoleon, but Napoleon whom I’ve been closely educating since he was young, supplementing his weaknesses.

Honestly, I can’t help but feel this way.

Any history student would understand my feelings.

“Robespierre is doing a much better job than I expected, too, right?”

“As I said before, that guy has clear strengths and weaknesses, so if you create an environment where his strengths are highlighted, he’ll do a good job.”

The events unfolding in Asia initially seemed to deviate far from my expectations, but now they are starting to come under control to some extent.

No matter how much the great powers fuss in Uyghur [region in Northwest China], the most important thing is who holds the suzerainty [supreme authority] over the region.

If we obtain the authority guaranteed by the Qing imperial family [ruling dynasty of China from 1644 to 1912], they will become mere bandits trying to seize land in someone else’s territory overnight.

If the opponent is the Qing, which has been judged as a paper tiger, they can just ignore it, but what if the opponent is France?

Of course, they won’t listen obediently just because of that, given what they’ve invested so far.

No matter how good the relationship has been so far, alliances in this era can change in an instant when it comes to their own national interests.

Even if they don’t openly declare war, a certain level of armed conflict may occur.

But even that is not a big problem.

The battlefield is land, and the ones fighting are the 2nd Corps, led by Napoleon and Davout, so what is there to worry about?

“By now, Napoleon might have annihilated the Qing’s large army. I hope there are few casualties on our side.”

“Didn’t they say that last time? This time, they even deployed the new firearms, so I think there will be even fewer sacrifices.”

“Let’s hope so.”

If I make a cold deduction, I doubt that the Qing dynasty in its current state can inflict triple-digit casualties on the 2nd Corps soldiers led by Napoleon.

But war is like a monster where all sorts of variables run rampant.

If you’re careless, you can be eaten by that monster in an instant.

That’s why I’ve prepared countermeasures for even the worst-case scenario, just in case.

With my France’s national power, I can recover from even that level of major failure up to twice.

After talking for a long time, Marie took the sleeping Émmanuel inside, and Grouchy entered the garden.

“You’ve finally arrived. So, it’s a message from Asia, right? But who’s next to you…”

The man next to Grouchy, who is my bodyguard and chief of staff, was someone I knew well.

It was Kondo, the envoy who had returned to Japan and received a formal title before returning to Paris.

Perhaps because the impression of the ninja performance this man showed was so strong, Kondo was regarded as a kind of entertainer among the French upper class.

Still, there’s no reason for him to come here, unless he heard news from the Qing dynasty.

As expected, Grouchy, who came closer, whispered in my ear.

“He said he waited for days to find out the news from Qing. And he seems to have spent a lot of money to hear just one result. He said he has something he wants to tell the Prime Minister, so I brought him.”

“Well… if he’s that sincere, I have to acknowledge it. Anyway, it’s a rumor that will spread immediately, so there’s no need to keep it a secret.”

I nodded nonchalantly as I looked at the telegram Grouchy handed me.

An overwhelming victory with no need to count our losses.

Fortunately, the result came out as expected and will be spread throughout France via telegram tomorrow.

Rather than hiding this, it’s necessary to use someone like Kondo to spread it in all directions.

I waved my hand with the warmest smile I could muster, pretending to be as welcoming as possible.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Kondo.”

“Hai! It is a great honor to see Prime Minister again!”

“Yes. But you said you had something you wanted to tell me?”

“Please wait a moment. Prime Minister, please look at all of this first…”

I received the stack of documents that Grouchy hurriedly handed over, nodded appropriately, and waved my hand.

“Then I’ll listen to the story while reading it. Let’s see… Napoleon defeated the Qing’s army and the Qing side requested a meeting. Well, why write such obvious things so long?”

The contents that we must insist on have already been conveyed through Robespierre, so they will take care of it.

If there’s a problem, it’s not a big deal to adjust it later.

Anyway, the most important thing is that we won a great victory in the battle.

“Prime Minister! I congratulate you on the brave and heroic victory! A victory that will go down in history!”

“Ah, yes. I appreciate you being as happy as if it were your own country’s affair.”

I’m sure he has some ulterior motive, but the Japanese reaction was an important indicator reflecting the atmosphere in Asia.

Seeing that they are now openly trying to get on the French line, other countries will soon react in some way.

But Grouchy’s reaction behind me seems strange today.

It looks like he wants me to finish reading the contents of the document in my hand quickly.

I wondered if there was an unexpected problem, so I was about to check the back when Kondo suddenly knelt down with a thud.

“…What are you doing?”

“I am a subject of the great Emperor, and we have regarded the Emperor of the Middle Kingdom [another name for the Emperor of China] as equal to the Emperor.”

“Ah… I see…”

In Asia, the Emperor is usually a higher being than the king.

In other cultures, it is not much different from Imperator [Latin for commander or emperor], Basileus [Greek for sovereign], or Shahanshah [Persian for King of Kings].

The common point is that they are rulers who reign at the pinnacle of their culture, beyond ordinary kings.

Japan is claiming that their ruler is the same as those beings.

It was a groundless confidence that people from East Asian countries would laugh at, but what can I do if they think so?

I have no choice but to say, “Yes, yes, that’s right.”

“But what does that have to do with Mr. Kondo kneeling before me?”

“I heard the news today that the brave generals who annihilated the outdated Qing army under Your Excellency’s command have entered into negotiations with the Qing. And one of the most important conditions they are putting forward is to recognize the great King and Prime Minister of France as equal to the Emperor of Qing and declare this to all nations…”

“…Huh?”

What nonsense is this?

What I instructed Robespierre was to grant the right to suppress and mediate in the disputed areas, to open all ports designated by us, to grant most-favored-nation status [equal trading rights], to recognize extraterritorial rights [exemption from local laws], and not to pressure countries such as Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom] and Vietnam to trade with France.

They were all moderate and practical matters.

No, when I think about it, I remember telling him to insert a clause that Louis XVI should be treated as equal to the Emperor and establish an equal relationship.

But since when did this turn into me being equal to the Emperor?

Was this the part that Grouchy was hinting at?

I reflexively pressed my temples with my index fingers to suppress the surging headache as I looked at Napoleon’s negotiation proposal on the back of the document.

-The great King and Prime Minister of France will be recognized as equal to the Emperor, and this will be declared to all countries in Asia.

The letters, which were no different from what Kondo had said, were right in front of my eyes.

No, there must be some mistake.

I calmly rubbed my eyes and read each letter again, but nothing changed.

Kondo, in front of me, who was bewildered, now bowed his head and prostrated himself.

“When we formally establish diplomatic relations, Your Excellency the Prime Minister… will be treated as equal to the Emperor, so I am trying to show my respects in advance. Ah, in that case, the title will be His Majesty instead of Your Excellency…”

“No, no, I understand Mr. Kondo’s intentions well enough, so please get up now.”

“If France, led by His Excellency the Prime Minister… no, His Majesty, emerges as the leader of Asia, I humbly ask you to accept us as a member of it! We will be a loyal ally of France and maximize the benefits of both countries…”

“Ah, I understand, so let’s talk about it later. Go back today and come again tomorrow. I will have a serious conversation with you then. I promise.”

I hurriedly made excuses to send Kondo back, and then I sat down almost falling into my seat.

“Grouchy.”

“Yes.”

“Tell Danton to summon the congressmen right now. I need to hear what they have to say.”

“I understand. I will do it right away.”

I took my eyes off Grouchy’s back as he ran out with all his might and read the documents containing Napoleon’s achievements again.

“…Ah, damn it, I’m going crazy.”

I sent him to win the war and help the national interest, but what the hell is this crazy bastard doing in Asia?

An ominous feeling began to rise that the day I had to make a tour of Asia myself was not far away.

What on Earth Is Going On End