Prince Monfort and Bulbaski ascended the horseshoe staircase and finally reached the highest point of the courtyard in front of Fontainebleau Palace.

Standing at the highest point, Prince Monfort turned around and looked down at the courtyard below the stairs, seeing a cross-shaped path paved with stone bricks and plane trees planted on either side, perfectly dividing the courtyard’s garden into four smaller gardens.

At this time, as it was still around early spring, the garden, having suffered from the previous year’s wind and snow, had not fully revived, leaving each part of the garden particularly desolate.

However, this desolation was not the kind of ruin left by decaying structures but more like an indescribable poetic ambiance.

If it were the time of blooming summer or early autumn, the garden would display a scene full of vigor and vitality.

Gazing at the picturesque scenery below the stairs, Prince Monfort couldn’t help but sigh, "Fontainebleau, poets have sung your praises, and how many monarchs have once been mad for you!"

After a brief moment of reflection, Prince Monfort turned to Bulbaski beside him and said casually, "Deputy Officer Bulbaski, where is your Emperor now? Please take me there!"

Bulbaski pushed open the large door of the building behind Prince Monfort, allowing Prince Monfort to enter the interior of Fontainebleau Palace.

Inside this magnificent building, under the guidance of Bulbaski, Prince Monfort walked through the hallways, adorned with various oil paintings and sculptures; some statues from the Renaissance era, some from the Baroque period, and some illustrations depicting typical oriental style landscape paintings.

In this long hallway stretching seemingly to infinity, Prince Monfort could see masterpieces representative of every world civilization and era he knew, as if the civilization of the entire world was encompassed here.

This abundant historical accumulation was by no means achieved overnight but was a remarkable accomplishment achieved through the joint efforts of successive monarchs of the House of Bourbon (except Louis XVIII and Orleans), the kings of the Orleans Kingdom, and two generations of Napoleon (Emperor Napoleon and Emperor Napoleon III).

Standing in front of the landscape ink painting, Prince Monfort could ascertain that this painting, with its strong oriental artistic style, definitely wasn’t here during his brother’s and the Orleans Dynasty’s rule, so it could only have been specially added during Jerome Bonaparte’s renovation of Fontainebleau Palace.

To verify his conjecture, Prince Monfort ordered Bulbaski to summon a palace staff member of Fontainebleau.

Receiving the order, Bulbaski quickly brought over a palace administrator, who anxiously inquired of Prince Monfort about his instructions.

"This painting should have been hung here only within the last decade, am I right?" Prince Monfort pointed at the ink painting encased in a golden frame on the wall and asked the administrator.

The administrator carefully observed the ink painting before him, his mind continuously recalling the artworks recently added to Fontainebleau Palace over the past few years.

After a while, the administrator responded to Prince Monfort, "Your Highness, this painting was indeed placed here three years ago!

I remember at that time, Chief Steward Mo Ka’er personally came to deliver His Majesty’s order and directed us to hang this painting here!"

"I understand! You may go about your business!" Prince Monfort waved at the administrator, urging him to depart.

Given permission to leave, the administrator turned and left as if relieved from a great burden. Prince Monfort continued to stroll the hallways of Fontainebleau Palace, admiring the paintings and sculptures along the way; if he encountered a piece he particularly liked, he would pause for a moment.

Prince Monfort walked and paused like this for about twenty minutes before finally reaching the Throne Hall of Fontainebleau Palace.

This was a council chamber converted from the sleeping chambers of the successive French monarchs.

Before the Great Revolution, this place once accommodated the monarchs of the Capet Dynasty.

When the revolution came, as it was relatively far from Paris and Louis XVI did not reside here at the beginning of the revolution, it luckily escaped the destruction by the people of Paris.

When Napoleon became the Governor of the Republic and then crowned Emperor of the Empire, this sleeping chamber was transformed by Napoleon into the Throne Hall.

Some affairs of the First Empire of France were convened here.

Upon entering the Throne Hall, Prince Monfort was immediately greeted by a throne crafted from walnut wood and gilded bronze, with steps below covered by a Turkish wool rug, and beneath the steps stood two massive gilded bronze candelabras.

Candelabras were placed on both sides of the throne, each with twelve candles.

Even though it was still daylight, the illumination from these twenty-four candles gave the area around the throne an air of opulent grandeur.

"My brother used to sit here to see his generals!" Prince Monfort mused, pointing at the throne to Bulbaski.

"His Majesty (Jerome Bonaparte) also once told us about it!" Bulbaski replied to Prince Monfort, then pointed to a painting on the wall of the Throne Hall, "That painting depicts the previous emperor (Emperor Napoleon) convening with the French ministers and generals!"

Only then did Prince Monfort realize that there was another oil painting near the window of the Throne Hall, and he slowly walked over to look up at it.

The painting’s content depicted Emperor Napoleon meeting with the marshals and ministers of the First Empire, with him seated on the throne and below the stairs gathering the essence of the Empire, including Talleyrand, Fouché, Surt, and Lucien Bonaparte.

Looking at the painting, Prince Monfort was certain that it was a fictional work.

Because, in his memory, Lucien Bonaparte had already broken ties with his brother after he became Emperor, so it’s impossible for him to participate in this meeting.

The owner of the oil painting only wanted to paint Napoleon and all the Empire’s elite, creating a scene of harmonious coexistence throughout the Empire.

Thus, Prince Monfort could confirm that this painting was either a masterpiece of Louis Philippe or his son Jerome Bonaparte.

Only they would unconsciously maintain the First Empire, hoping to share in some of its glory.

To help his son stabilize the Empire, Prince Monfort could only praise insincerely, "It’s truly a wonderful painting!"

The historically clueless Bulbaski was unaware that some figures in the painting appeared incongruous, so he echoed, "Your Highness, I feel the same!"

After appreciating it in the Throne Hall for a while, Prince Monfort again asked Bulbaski, "Bulbaski, we’ve toured half of Fontainebleau Palace, why haven’t we seen the Emperor?"

Bulbaski was silent for a moment, then replied to Prince Monfort, "Honored Highness, I’m not clear where His Majesty is either.

Before I went to the train station, His Majesty was still at Fontainebleau Palace!"

"What about Bashirio? Didn’t he accompany the Emperor?" Prince Monfort asked again.

As the Chief Steward of the entire Imperial Family, Bashirio must know the Emperor’s whereabouts.

"Bashirio did not accompany His Majesty. He was ordered to stay at the Tuileries Palace!" Bulbaski answered Prince Monfort, "The only person in all of Fontainebleau Palace likely aware of His Majesty’s whereabouts is Secretary André von Beichu!"

"André von Beichu?" Prince Monfort murmured, the name was unfamiliar to him.

However, given the "von" noble surname, it was highly likely he was a noble with German ancestry.

Could he be from Wurttemberg?

Prince Monfort immediately wondered if he might be from the "maternal" family.

After all, there weren’t many prominent nobles with the "von" surname in the Alsace-Lorraine region.

Thus, Prince Monfort searched his mind for any relation to the Wurttemberg Dynasty.

Yet, no matter how Prince Monfort searched, it seemed none of the nobility from Wurttemberg were related to that name.

Prince Monfort had no choice but to ask Bulbaski, "Where exactly is this André von Beichu from? I don’t seem to be familiar with him."

Bulbaski shook his head and replied, "Your Highness, I’m not very sure either!

I only know he seems to be from Vienna!"

"Vienna?" Prince Monfort murmured again, and suddenly his mind recalled Cardinal Angelo Beichu, who presided over Radetzky’s funeral.

Might André von Beichu be connected to that Cardinal?

Prince Monfort instinctively linked the two together.

"Where is that Secretary Beichu now?" Prince Monfort decided to have Bulbaski bring André von Beichu before him, to question him directly and understand better.

"Currently, I’m not sure either." Bulbaski shook his head to Prince Monfort, then added: "However, he should now still be in the office at Fontainebleau Palace!"

"Fontainebleau Palace office?" Prince Monfort was a bit stunned; he remembered clearly that Fontainebleau Palace didn’t have an office.

"His Majesty has transformed part of Fontainebleau Palace into offices, and transferred some matters related to Paris here!" Bulbaski tactfully replied to Prince Monfort.

"Lead me to that Secretary Beichu!"

At Prince Monfort’s request, Bulbaski escorted him to a room in the back of Fontainebleau Palace.

As Prince Monfort entered the room, the first thing he saw was a meticulously hand-drawn map of Sein Province. This map not only detailed the names of every street and building in Paris but also featured regimental-level military symbols around Paris.

This was clearly a military deployment map of the area surrounding Paris.