Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 948 008 His Majesty the Supreme Emperor will arrive in loyal Paris today.

The city of Paris was in complete chaos.

Of course, the jokes published in the newspapers were not the ones we were familiar with.

Even the content published in the Proverbs newspaper hasn't changed much.

However, with the help of tabloids founded by Napoleon's supporters and the embellishment of numerous literary figures, the charm of journalism eventually emerged, and things got really interesting.

At her residence on Mont Blanc Boulevard, Madame Récamier lay languidly, seemingly quite relaxed despite the doctor's prediction that her due date was in the next few days.

Apart from a maid serving her, only her daughter Clara stayed nestled in her arms.

However, Clara was also worried about one thing: whether it would be a boy or a girl this time.

Compared to the clever kids in the Solovyov family, this girl is a bit simple-minded, but not to the point of being unintelligent.

She was simply exhibiting the intellectual level expected of a child her age.

Perhaps it's because although the lady loved beauty, enjoyed organizing literary salons, and sponsored young writers and poets, she herself wasn't very good at these things.

"Clara, why do you want a younger sister?"

"Because my little sister is fun. Once she grows up a bit, she'll be my doll."

However, seeing the lady and young lady like this, the maid was somewhat worried.

Why are you like this? Are you worried about something?

"Madam, I'm just worried about what might happen if the Emperor returns."

"What's there to be afraid of? My salon will remain open as usual, and you can stay here as well, just don't associate with that frivolous college student. He seems to be just putting on an act with you. I can speak to this with great authority."

Mrs. Rycamir certainly understood men's issues; she knew that to maintain that feeling, the most important thing was always to keep a distance, except that a wicked little Russian fox had gotten his hands on her.

But the lady didn't know that, perhaps sometimes, misfortune is just like that, her servant had already been taken advantage of by that boy.

In Paris, there are always people like this; it's become commonplace.

She married a much older, wealthy banker when she was 15, and became famous in Paris before she was 20, a fact that has lasted for a long time.

Before the lady returned, she would inevitably make fun of Madame Staël, but that lady was over forty and had another child, something Madame Staël was probably far from being able to do.

But another point is indeed laughable: those who were afraid of Napoleon all ran away.

Those who went to the countryside, those who went abroad, those who stayed put and made a mess of things, those who were preparing to change their allegiance—all these ugly behaviors made the lady find them quite laughable.

Even if she hadn't had a lover who was Josephine's nephew in the past, she wouldn't have worried about it and would still open her front door as usual.

If she could hold salons instead of lounging in a small chair with her belly sticking out like this, she would probably still be organizing those joyful social events.

As for Madame Staël, she probably has reason to laugh at her this time, even though they are still best friends.

The lady hurriedly left Paris from her residence, making sure to come here to say goodbye before leaving.

“Julie, given the current situation, if it weren’t for your physical limitations, I would really suggest you leave Paris and go to the provinces to hide out. After all, your husband opposed Napoleon in the past, and although you won the heart of his Russian nephew, there’s still something to say. What can I say? Bonaparte’s return might not be as he says.”

“Louise, you don’t need to worry about that. At least I don’t. Go wherever you want. Switzerland or Weimar, it’s fine. My friendship with Grand Duchess Maria will ensure your protection there.”

“Seek refuge with the Tsar’s sister, Julie, that’s the only solution you can think of.”

"But the Tsar himself, when he was a handsome young man, had republican tendencies. It would be quite interesting if he were not the Tsar, but a member of the Jacobin Club. And I know that his friend Count Stroganov was once a Jacobin, but now that he has come to Russia, he is just an enlightened nobleman."

"The count's father was a friend of King Louis XVI and also a friend of Monsieur Voltaire."

Although Madame Staël didn't say it, she always thought of seeking refuge with an autocratic monarch.

At the same time, she supports constitutional monarchy, but she probably doesn't support Napoleon's constitutional monarchy, as she was exiled by Napoleon in the past.

As for Madame Récamier, if she hadn't refused to become Napoleon's lady-in-waiting, and if her husband hadn't been unfortunately implicated in General Moreau's case and ultimately beheaded, she probably wouldn't have first gone into exile in Prussia and then to Russia.

Making her Napoleon's lady-in-waiting suggests that the emperor also liked her; becoming a lady-in-waiting would soon lead to her becoming the emperor's mistress—that was probably the expected process.

However, she chose to go to Russia, and now she is in Paris.

Although she appears to be a wealthy single mother raising her daughter, she doesn't need to worry about any potential dangers.

“Julie, you are still so beautiful even when you are pregnant. God must have been very biased when He created you. I heard from Madame Le Brun that the Queen of Naples is so young, but she already looks a bit old.”

"But her sister Polina is still so radiant; women are different from one another. Louise, is there anything else you'd like to say?"

"I think that's all, but I'm leaving Paris. I wish you good luck, but leaving at this time is somewhat Julie's fault. I wish you good luck and happiness."

Madame Staël seemed to want to say something, but then remained silent.

As these Parisian socialites departed, the king was already being led away in his carriage.

Louis XVIII didn't stay here long, and now it's already like this.

He was going to run away, a long way, to Ghent.

Although he said he was very patient and could wait so long, the speed at which he lost his chance raises the question of whether there will be another opportunity.

Louis XVIII himself was unaware that he had left the Tuileries Palace in such a hurry, left the French capital Paris in a hurry, and left the site of the tombs of the Bourbon monarchs in a hurry.
As for what he was feeling at that moment, it's really hard to guess.

In short, the king fled. Escorted by his nephew, the Duke of Berry, and Marshal Marmont, who had completely betrayed Napoleon, he headed for Ghent in Belgium.

If Napoleon were to catch up there, there might be other troubles.

War is likely to break out, but Napoleon himself will ride a white horse, escorted by his guards, into Paris.

However, there were other situations. Octavia herself blushed with embarrassment and huddled in a corner of the bed.

The doctor's physical examination of her only proves one thing.

"Although this young lady is young, she has reached the age of a mature woman, so it's not surprising that something like this could happen, especially since..."

"Sir, you should keep your words brief."

Demid was quite concerned about his fiancée. But he hadn't expected things to happen so quickly.

“Demid, you know what I’m trying to say? Youth is wonderful. After we get to Paris, you should take good care of Octavia. I think her father has agreed to your relationship, so he shouldn’t be too angry. It’s just that if you take her to seek blessings, there might be some problems.”

Well, this isn't unprecedented in Russia.

Polina was unaware that her son was making her prepare to become a grandmother at the age of 35. Moreover, her son's eldest child wasn't much younger than her newborn daughter.

Solovyov, due to the delay in receiving the information, must have found out even later.

After arranging these matters, Napoleon was about to enter Paris.

Just a year ago, the people of Paris were cheering for the arrival of the Allied forces.

Now that the emperor has returned, they seem to have transformed overnight from royalists back into supporters of Bonaparte.

Even if it were Moro who came today, they would probably pretend to be republicans.

That's how people in Paris are.

If Napoleon had arrived a few days later, he probably would have been able to make it in time for the first anniversary of the "Great Allied Forces liberating Paris from the Corsican monster."

Moreover, he now controlled the communications system from Paris all the way to Marseille, and news from the south of France quickly informed him what Murat was up to.

“He actually did it, but we still need to restore order in France.”

Napoleon only expressed contempt for Murat.

"Your Majesty, is there anything else that needs to be done?"

Bertrand asked this question, and now Napoleon has made an unexpected move.

"The personal property of those who organized the Provisional Government in March 1814 will be confiscated. Only these people will be punished; we will not make any further comments on the others. Those who left Paris may return."

Apart from Bertrand, the accompanying generals were shocked.

"Your Majesty, are you sure you want to do this?"

Some people think to themselves that the emperor is no different from those of the past.

However, there is one point: he mentioned the participants, but surprisingly, Talleyrand was not included?
Although Talleyrand served as the head of the provisional government, he was soon dismissed by the Count of Artois and made a negotiator instead, thus becoming one of the few who escaped the net.

Although it's outrageous, given Talleyrand's chameleon-like nature, it could be said that he turned misfortune into a blessing in disguise.

Napoleon was not yet fully aware of the details of the deal between Solovyov and Talleyrand, but Talleyrand wouldn't care; he would take it all back by any means at his disposal.

But the emperor himself was not in the mood to deal with Talleyrand's affairs; his attention was focused on restoring order in Paris, reconvening the meetings, and so on.
In short, he still needs someone to help him.

He hadn't expected that Cano would come back.

"It's so good that you're back."

“My son mentioned that he saw the cheering crowds, and you are still welcomed by the people of Paris. It’s just that now you have to keep your promises and can’t do it the way it used to.”

"Lazar, how is your son Sadi?"

"He's fine, he's just been engrossed in theoretical research lately."

“Saadi is good material, but you always have to come here.”

"It's alright, everything's arranged at home. I'm just worried that you've broken too many promises in diplomatic settings in the past, which might be a problem with your political credibility. Also, Fouché has found out some information, probably from Talleyrand. I don't know if he did it intentionally, but these letters to the King were sent through some public channels, which is why Fouché found out about them so quickly."

What is Fouché going to do?

“I think that cooperating with Fouché at this time would only lead to his betrayal. But Talleyrand is surprisingly trustworthy because of his fickle nature. Perhaps it was the Russians, or someone else, who used some means or gave him assurances that he would betray Louis XVIII as well.”

Carnot has been a veteran of the French Revolution. Apart from a ten-year hiatus from politics, he has been involved in many things. Now, as a friend of Napoleon, he is willing to return to help the emperor.

It was merely a compromise; even if a constitutional monarchy was eventually established, it would still be better than the future reactionary rule of the Count of Artois.

Fouché was indeed unreliable, but his willingness to provide support meant that Napoleon was still willing to use him.

As for the marshals, many of them have returned.

The first to arrive was Bruno, who was unemployed and had no significant position among the marshals.

Next was Davu, which was not surprising, as he was the emperor's classmate and loyal subordinate.

In addition, he was Leclerc's brother-in-law and Demid's uncle, so he was practically family to the emperor.

Veteran Marcena was also willing to return, but his health has recently deteriorated, and he has not appeared in Paris.

Most of the marshals remained loyal, with only a few remaining neutral or following Louis XVIII.

"That's good, we need them here too."

Napoleon needed to reorganize his army; he couldn't just issue a peace declaration and then do nothing.

The information received was that an anti-French coalition would likely emerge soon.

Russia, Britain, Prussia, and Austria united once again, with some exceptions.

In cases like Spain, the king's return led to even greater chaos.

Besides the kings, there are other things to note, namely the need for the redeployment of the army.

"Now we need to expand the army, but not to prepare for an attack, but to establish a defensive posture. In the past, we sent our troops to the European continent, and our boots have trod many places. But now, we will use the sword in our hands to defend France."

Napoleon said this because the situation of the French army was indeed very bad.

In addition, he also had to do some diplomatic preparations.

Talleyrand's letters were very useful.

(End of this chapter)