Make France Great Again-Chapter 96 Gluttonous Feast (3000-word Mega - )
Chapter 96: Chapter 96 Gluttonous Feast (3000-word Mega Chapter)
"Congratulations! Prime Minister Barro!"
Thiers smiled and congratulated Audion Barrot, not surprised by this outcome at all, as everything had been arranged beforehand.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Audion Barrot excitedly shook Thiers’ hand to express his gratitude.
"Don’t forget, we stand on the same side!" Mr. Thiers reminded, fearing that the new Prime Minister before him might do something foolish due to his inclination toward the Left Wing.
As for why Thiers didn’t want to be Prime Minister, it was because Thiers didn’t want to expose himself to the public so soon.
Everything Thiers did was in preparation for his presidential election in 1852; he wanted to disappear for four years, let France get to know him again, and then become France’s second president through indirect parliamentary election.
During this period, he would still occasionally pay attention to Barrot’s actions to prevent any accidents.
"Of course, I understand! I understand!" Audion Barrot responded excitedly.
Jerome Bonaparte on the stage waited for the disturbance below to settle before continuing: "Everyone, I believe that under our joint leadership, France will undoubtedly prosper!"
Jerome Bonaparte once again bowed deeply to the audience and then turned and left the podium, with the lawmakers below giving Jerome Bonaparte warm applause while shouting: "Long live the Republic!"
The meeting was nearing its end, and Speaker Marast delivered the closing speech, marking the official end of the presidential inauguration speech.
Jerome Bonaparte, located in the left corridor, was about to turn and leave after hearing Marast announce the end of the National Assembly when a voice called out from behind: "Mr. President, please wait!"
No one knew the owner of this voice better than he did. Jerome Bonaparte turned to look behind him and said: "Mr. Thiers!"
It was Thiers who called out to Jerome Bonaparte, accompanied by Audion Barrot as they approached Jerome Bonaparte.
With a smile, Thiers said to Jerome Bonaparte: "Mr. President, on this joyous day of your presidency, I wonder if I have the honor to attend your banquet along with Mr. Barrot, Count Morel, and General Shang Jia’nie!"
"Of course, you can," Jerome Bonaparte replied without hesitation: "Please tell Count Morel and General Shang Jia’nie that I will be waiting for them at the Elysee Palace!"
"Thank you for your great kindness, Mr. President. Prime Minister Barrot and I will certainly arrive on time!" Thiers left with Barrot.
Watching the backs of Thiers and Barrot as they left, Jerome Bonaparte shook his head slightly and moved to the entrance of the Bourbon Palace.
As night fell, kerosene lamps hung from the branches on both sides of the Bourbon Palace, and the ground was filled with torches, illuminating the entire perimeter of the Bourbon Palace.
Thousands of soldiers stationed at the Bourbon Palace stood in a unified formation under Changarnier’s command.
Riding a white horse, Changarnier donned his uniform again, drew the command saber from his waist, and shouted vigorously: "Long live the Republic, long live the President!"
Thousands of soldiers followed Changarnier’s voice, shouting: "Long live the Republic, long live the President!"
Jerome Bonaparte nodded slightly, and any resentment toward Changarnier vanished at that moment.
Under the soldiers’ salute, Jerome Bonaparte and the Director of General Affairs of the National Assembly, Lakos, boarded a carriage.
The "loyal" Changarnier detached a team of cavalry to follow on both sides of the convoy, with Percy leading at the front, and Fleury and Edgar Ney on either side of Jerome Bonaparte’s carriage.
The convoy set off grandly from the Bourbon Palace and arrived at the Elysee Palace.
Getting off the carriage was President Jerome Bonaparte, who, accompanied by Lakos and Fleury, toured the entire layout of the Elysee Palace.
One must admit, the decoration and layout of the Elysee Palace were far grander than the Rhine Inn where he previously resided.
More importantly, this was where his uncle, Emperor Napoleon, abdicated. Uncle abdicated, nephew succeeded; such a fate was so ingenious that it inevitably sparked one’s imagination.
After touring the Elysee Palace, Jerome Bonaparte warmly shook Lakos’s hand and said: "Mr. Lakos, thank you for your support! I hope you can attend my banquet!"
"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. President!" Lakos, eager to connect with President Jerome Bonaparte, immediately accepted Jerome Bonaparte’s invitation.
However, he needed to go home and prepare first.
After Lakos left, Jerome Bonaparte called Percy and Letty over to inquire about the invitation situation.
Both Percy and Letty assured Jerome Bonaparte that there were no issues.
Subsequently, Jerome Bonaparte also inquired with Chief Steward Talan of the Elysee Palace about dinner preparations.
Talan also confidently assured Jerome that he would complete the task Jerome assigned.
At 7 PM, the chosen Bonaparte Party members arrived with a devout attitude.
At 8:00, Dumur arrived with the veterans of the First Empire.
8:30, Fuld and Eugène Roué arrived.
8:50, Thiers, Barrot, Changarnier, and Molay arrived.
The dinner officially started at 9 o’clock, with dish after dish being brought to a corner of the hall under Talan’s command. Whether one could get full in this buffet-style dinner depended entirely on oneself.
However, most people present were not here for a full meal.
They approached Jerome Bonaparte and spoke words of praise to him, to which Jerome Bonaparte also smiled and expressed his thanks.
With each round of toasts, Jerome Bonaparte gradually began to feel a little overwhelmed.
At that moment, Thiers quietly approached Jerome Bonaparte and whispered, "I wonder if, Mr. President, you could find a room for us!"
Jerome Bonaparte nodded with a smile, and under his guidance, Thiers and others left the main hall of the Elysee Palace to enter one of its rooms. Jerome Bonaparte’s sister Mathilde became the new hostess of the main hall.
Inside the room, Jerome Bonaparte sat on a single sofa, and Thiers and others sat on the sofas beside him.
"Mr. President, thank you very much for appointing me as Prime Minister!" Odilon Barrot, who had just taken a seat, responded to Jerome Bonaparte.
"Mr. Prime Minister, I mentioned before my election that my original intention is to serve all of France. You are all the pillars of France!" Jerome Bonaparte replied.
"Mr. President, I wonder what plans you have for the other members of the Cabinet!" Thiers responded further.
"The other members can be nominated by Mr. Barrot!" Jerome Bonaparte expressed his respect for Barrot’s authority as Prime Minister, then added, "However, I hope the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Justice can see some young blood!"
It seems he’s taking a liking to these two departments!
"Of course! We respect Mr. President’s opinion!" Thiers tentatively asked, "How about having Eugène Roué as the Minister of Justice? He is the most excellent lawyer in all of Paris!"
"I agree as well!" Barrot chimed in.
"I think so too!" Jerome Bonaparte responded.
"The Ministry of Public Works..." Thiers hesitated for a moment, then looked at Jerome Bonaparte, waiting for his response.
"How about Mr. Mornay?" Jerome Bonaparte suggested, "I believe, having been an industrialist, he will become an excellent Minister of Public Works!"
If Jerome Bonaparte’s faction was not in such dire need of talent in this area, he would have certainly tested Mornay before appointing him as Minister of Public Works.
At present, with a shortage of talent at hand, he could only let Mornay take on the heavy responsibility for now.
Power is something that will not wait once it expires.
A flash of surprise crossed Thiers’ expression, thinking he would recommend Bly, yet Jerome Bonaparte recommended Mornay instead.
[Note: Bly, born in Muir Province, was Louis Napoleon’s childhood playmate and also Jerome Bonaparte’s teacher and friend.]
As far as Thiers knew, Mornay had only recently started moving closer to him.
"Alright!" Considering Mornay’s Orléans faction tag, Thiers agreed to Jerome Bonaparte’s request.
Having gained control over the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Justice, Jerome Bonaparte was temporarily satisfied and needed to digest his current strength.
"For the remaining positions, I believe Mr. Barrot will find suitable candidates!" Jerome Bonaparte withdrew appropriately at this moment.
Odilon Barrot mentioned the people he intended, among them Count Falu as Minister of Public Education, Percy as Minister of Finance, and Edward Du as Minister of Foreign Affairs...
Satisfied, Jerome Bonaparte agreed to Odilon Barrot’s nominations one by one and told Barrot, "Mr. Barrot, after the banquet, you can draft a list of cabinet members!"
"Of course, the list will soon be on your desk, Mr. President!" Odilon Barrot responded.
"Alright! Gentlemen, we have finished discussing the Cabinet issue! Now it’s time to talk about our His Holiness the Pope! His Holiness is still visiting in Lyon, and it seems he might not be planning to return to Rome. If His Holiness is absent from Rome for a long time, it will lead to big problems!" Thiers glanced at Jerome Bonaparte, seeming to indicate that he already understood Jerome Bonaparte’s proposal to Pope Pius IX.
"The Pope is indeed a major issue!" Jerome Bonaparte said with a frown.
Since Jerome Bonaparte left the Pope State, Pope Pius IX’s reforms have once again entered "deep waters," as the arrival of rural priests disrupted the ratio of city councilors, preserving the Pope’s diminishing power.
However, despite the success in political reforms, the Pope did not carry out military reform, and the original scattered farmers did not form Pope faction armed forces like those during the Great Revolution in Brittany.
As the power within the cities waned, restless elite classes began to take risks, and on November 25, they assassinated Perellino Rossi. Poor Rossi only lived 10 days longer than he would have otherwise.
The death of Perellino Rossi plunged Rome into chaos, and the conflicts among various factions resurfaced. Feeling unable to control the political situation in Rome, the Pope declared on December 9 that he would rigorously pursue the murderers of Perellino Rossi. Later that night, he fled Rome under the escort of the French diplomatic envoy.
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