Reincarnated as Napoleon II-Chapter 163: Drastic Measures
The message from Beijing arrived three days later.
The courier reached Canton before sunrise.
By mid-morning, the Viceroy of Liangguang had already summoned the French envoy to the same customs office near the harbor where they had spoken nearly a month earlier.
Outside the building, the port of Canton continued its usual rhythm.
Dockworkers carried cargo between warehouses. Small merchant vessels drifted slowly along the river. Fishermen shouted across the water as they guided their narrow boats between anchored ships.
But farther out in the Pearl River, the silhouettes of the French warships remained unchanged.
Their tall masts rose above the morning haze, and the dark hull of the flagship stood apart from the rest like a floating fortress.
Inside the customs office, the atmosphere was far quieter.
Villeneuve sat at the same wooden table as before.
Across from him sat the Viceroy.
Several Qing officials stood behind their superior, while two clerks remained near the wall holding scrolls and documents.
Remy stood beside Villeneuve, waiting to translate.
The Viceroy began speaking immediately.
The message from Beijing arrived three days later.
The courier reached Canton before sunrise.
By mid-morning, the Viceroy of Liangguang had already summoned the French envoy to the same customs office near the harbor where they had spoken nearly a month earlier.
Outside the building, the port of Canton continued its usual rhythm.
Dockworkers carried cargo between warehouses. Small merchant vessels drifted slowly along the river. Fishermen shouted across the water as they guided their narrow boats between anchored ships.
But farther out in the Pearl River, the silhouettes of the French warships remained unchanged.
Their tall masts rose above the morning haze, and the dark hull of the flagship stood apart from the rest like a floating fortress.
Inside the customs office, the atmosphere was far quieter.
Villeneuve sat at the same wooden table as before.
Across from him sat the Viceroy.
Several Qing officials stood behind their superior, while two clerks remained near the wall holding scrolls and documents.
Remy stood beside Villeneuve, waiting to translate.
The Viceroy began speaking immediately.
Remy listened carefully.
Then he spoke quietly in French.
"The court has reviewed the request of the French Emperor."
Villeneuve waited.
Remy finished translating.
"They have decided that the envoy will not be permitted to travel to Beijing."
For a moment Villeneuve did not react.
The words seemed to hang in the room.
Remy glanced at him cautiously.
Then Villeneuve leaned back slowly in his chair.
"Repeat that."
Remy turned toward the Viceroy again as the official spoke a second time.
The translation came again.
"The court refuses the request."
Villeneuve stared at the table for several seconds.
His hands rested calmly on the wood, but the tension in his posture had changed.
Nearly a month.
They had waited nearly a month for this answer.
He finally looked up.
"After everything," he said quietly.
Remy translated.
The Viceroy watched him calmly.
Villeneuve continued.
"We arrived peacefully."
Remy relayed the words in Chinese.
"We waited."
The Viceroy gave a slight nod.
Villeneuve’s voice hardened.
"We waited almost a month for a response from your Emperor."
Remy translated again.
One of the Qing officials shifted slightly behind the Viceroy.
Villeneuve leaned forward slightly.
"And this is the answer?"
Remy delivered the question.
The Viceroy answered without hesitation.
Remy listened and then translated.
"The imperial court does not grant audiences to foreign rulers."
Villeneuve gave a short laugh.
It was not a pleasant sound.
"I see."
Remy translated again.
The Viceroy continued speaking calmly.
Remy listened.
Then he turned toward Villeneuve.
"The court instructs that your message may be delivered to the Viceroy and forwarded through proper channels."
Villeneuve’s eyes narrowed.
"Through proper channels."
Remy repeated the phrase in Chinese.
The Viceroy nodded slightly.
"That is how the Empire conducts its relations with foreign states."
Villeneuve sat silently for a few seconds.
The sound of distant ship bells drifted faintly through the open windows from the harbor.
He finally spoke again.
"Our Emperor sent us here to speak directly with your Emperor."
Remy translated carefully.
"Not with provincial officials."
The Viceroy’s expression remained calm.
He spoke again.
Remy listened.
Then he translated.
"The court has spoken. The decision cannot be changed."
Villeneuve slowly exhaled.
He had expected resistance.
He had expected negotiation.
But a simple refusal after nearly a month of waiting was something else entirely.
He leaned forward again.
"Tell him this."
Remy looked toward him.
Villeneuve spoke slowly, each word controlled.
"The Emperor of France does not send envoys across the world to be ignored."
Remy hesitated only briefly before translating.
The Viceroy listened without visible reaction.
Villeneuve continued.
"Our Emperor showed patience."
Remy repeated the words.
"He tolerated the delay."
The Viceroy answered calmly.
Remy translated.
"The procedures of the Empire require time."
Villeneuve’s hand tapped once against the table.
"But the answer is still no."
Remy relayed the line.
The Viceroy nodded.
"Yes."
For several seconds neither man spoke.
Then Villeneuve rose from his chair.
Remy watched him carefully.
The Qing officials shifted slightly as the French envoy stood.
Villeneuve rested both hands on the table.
"If the court will not grant this meeting," he said, "then we will take another course."
Remy translated the sentence.
This time the officials behind the Viceroy exchanged uneasy looks.
The Viceroy asked something sharply.
Remy listened before answering.
"He asks what you mean."
Villeneuve did not hesitate.
"Our fleet did not cross half the world to deliver a letter to a clerk."
Remy translated.
Villeneuve continued.
"If your Emperor refuses to meet us here..."
He paused briefly.
"...then we will sail north."
Remy froze for a fraction of a second before repeating the sentence in Chinese.
The reaction in the room was immediate.
Several Qing officials began speaking at once.
The Viceroy raised his hand sharply and the room fell silent again.
He spoke directly to Villeneuve.
Remy listened carefully before translating.
"He says the northern waters are not open to foreign fleets."
Villeneuve shrugged slightly.
"We will see."
Remy translated.
The Viceroy’s expression hardened slightly for the first time since the meeting began.
He spoke again.
Remy turned toward Villeneuve.
"He warns that such an action would be considered a serious violation of the Empire’s laws."
Villeneuve met his gaze calmly.
"Your laws prevented this meeting."
Remy repeated the line.
Villeneuve gestured faintly toward the river outside.
"Our ships are already here."
The Viceroy said something quietly.
Remy listened.
Then he translated.
"He says this path would lead to consequences." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
"Okay," Villeneuve laughed.
