“God bless! God bless!”
The voice reached Louisa’s ears, but struck her like lightning; a thought suddenly burst from her heart: This is punishment, God’s punishment for my unfaithfulness!
She hastily made the sign of the cross and trembled as she said:
“Lord, please forgive my sins, I was wrong, forgive me…”
“He is still alive!” A nobleman stepped forward to check Godoy’s pulse, then turned back and called out loudly.
More than ten minutes later, the Court Physician arrived, instructed the servants to carefully lift Godoy onto a stretcher, and moved him back inside to administer aid.
Approaching midnight, the Palace of Versailles majordomo arrived at the Spanish Crown Prince’s residence, knocked and entered, only to find the Crown Prince was not there, so he could only bow to Louisa and say:
“Your Highness, the physician says your guard should no longer be in danger of losing his life, but he has broken his right arm, and there are some additional lacerations.”
But Louisa did not look at him, only muttering something under her breath with a tense expression. Find your next read at empire
The majordomo continued:
“It’s very regrettable that this accident occurred. I have already had a thorough investigation conducted. The balustrade of the music hall’s balcony had been hollowed out by termites. Due to the hidden position of the holes, they went unnoticed… You know, the Palace of Versailles is very old, and those little insects are always destroying the wood.
“Mr. Godoy collided with the termite-damaged wooden railing and unfortunately fell. At that time, there happened to be a male servant below who was carrying wine to the fountain, and Mr. Godoy landed on his tray, so…”
“That is, would you like to see him?”
Seeing no reaction from Louisa, he could only sigh, bow, and leave the room: “Please do not worry too much, Your Highness.”
…
The Spanish Crown Prince did not find out about Godoy’s fall from the balcony until the next morning, as he had drunk too much the night before.
He had been lying listlessly on the couch with a vacant stare, but upon hearing the last word from the Court Official, he suddenly sprang to life as if retrieving his soul, grabbed the official by the shoulders, and said excitedly:
“Are you speaking of the Duchess Consort’s guard Godoy? He broke his arm? His face is scratched?!”
“Yes, yes, Your Highness, please don’t be too saddened.”
“Saddened?” Antonio felt as if the discomfort of his hangover vanished in an instant, and he felt as light as if he could soar, “Thank you for the reminder, I will definitely not be sad! Ha ha!”
The Court Official looked at him worriedly, hesitating whether to call a physician, when Joseph showed up in time, signaling him to leave first.
Antonio grabbed hold of Joseph, beaming like a delighted child weighing a hundred and fifty pounds:
“My dear Joseph, did you know, the Palace of Versailles must be a place blessed by God! My wish actually came true!
“I love this place so much, I love France so much!”
Joseph made the sign of the cross at his chest:
“May God bless you, my friend.”
Antonio picked up a half glass of wine lying nearby, poured it into his mouth, and pulled Joseph towards the door:
“Let’s go see that damned bastard! Oh, right, where is he now?”
Joseph turned to Eman and said: “Please take His Highness to Mr. Godoy’s place.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As Antonio walked along the corridor, he shouted ecstatically:
“I love the Palace of Versailles! I love this place! I’m going to stay here for a while!”
Once he had calmed down a little, Joseph approached and whispered:
“My dear Crown Prince, you should return to Madrid as soon as possible.”
“Ah? Why?” Antonio asked with a wide smile.
“While Godoy is still injured, set out immediately and leave him in France,” Joseph said, “and after you return to Madrid, report the recent events to His Majesty the King.”
Joseph knew that even though he had helped Spain to remove one member of the “disastrous duo,” the other, Louisa, would be difficult to subdue with Antonio alone.
For now, he could only rely on Charles III to be still in charge and find a way to suppress Louisa. He believed that this most capable King of Spain in nearly a century would find a way to deal with this woman.
Antonio, whose mood had greatly improved and who had become astute, nodded immediately upon hearing this:
“You’re absolutely right; I’ll return at once!”
He glanced at Godoy, who was groaning in bed, and finally left with great satisfaction.
After seeing Godoy’s frightening wound on his face last night, Louisa had no desire to look at him one more time. She had also personally verified that the whole incident was indeed accidental—the broken railing, as well as the area around where Godoy fell, all had been hollowed out by termites, ready to break at the slightest touch, and last night certainly no one had touched him before he fell.
All she wanted now was to leave the Palace of Versailles as quickly as possible, so she agreed without a second thought when Antonio suggested returning to their country.
By noon that day, the Spanish Crown Prince’s carriage was already prepared to leave.
Before departing, Antonio embraced Joseph tightly, saying sincerely:
“I really wish I could continue to discuss mechanics with you in the Royal Workshop, Joseph; you will always be my best friend!”
Indeed, in his heart, if it weren’t for his kin Joseph, he might not have discovered his wife’s lasciviousness and vulgarity. He was filled with gratitude towards Joseph at this moment.
“Yes, we are the best of friends!” Joseph nodded and gave him a firm pat.
Antonio then whispered in his ear:
“Dear Joseph, I’ve left someone in Paris. Please send that fellow Godoy there when it’s convenient for you.”
Though he feared his wife and was engrossed in mechanics, he was still a crown prince with significant power. Once he calmed down, how could he let go of a “mistress” who had fallen out of favor?
Joseph pretended to be somewhat shocked, “Are you sure? This might be…”
“Please do me this favor!”
Only then did Joseph reluctantly respond, “Well, I’ll try my best…”
After the Spanish Crown Prince departed, Joseph immediately wrote a letter to Charles III, detailing how Antonio was cuckolded in his own bedroom and also assured he would keep the secret.
He handed the letter to a messenger, instructing him to deliver it to the King of Spain one day after Antonio’s arrival in Madrid.
This way, a family scandal turned into a national disgrace, and Charles III was sure to be incensed.
…
The celebration for Louis XVI’s birthday lasted until September before the fervor completely subsided.
Joseph, in a brand-new white tailored military uniform, rode a carriage to the Paris Police Academy to attend the entrance ceremony for the second-term students.
Today was not only the entrance ceremony for the second-term students but also the commencement of internships for the first-term students.
Yes, although the first-term students of the Police Academy had been enrolled for a total of only ten months, Joseph decided, based on their training, to engage them in a military operation in North Africa.
These students trained extremely hard and their military qualities were not weak; mixing them with the 3,000 men from Bertier’s Crown Prince’s Guard, they should be able to match the North African troops.
Only through the smoke and blood of the battlefield can one become a truly strong army!
According to Joseph’s plan, the first-term students of the Police Academy, 1,000 from the “Combat Police” class, plus 400 from the “Elite Class” and the 3,000 from Bertier’s two regiments, were mixed together, making a force of nearly 4,400 men in about three regiments, to be transported to North Africa by the French Navy for combat.
This force was absolutely obedient to him, and they could be mobilized without any hindrance.
If the situation in North Africa was intense, he would then consider deploying the Mulan Regiment of Duke Vilar—the troops trained by Andre—a total of three regiments.
Although the combat effectiveness of this force could not match the Crown Prince’s Guard composed of the Franche Garde, its loyalty was guaranteed and mobilization should not pose too much of a problem.
If the Mulan Regiment’s performance in combat proved satisfactory, Joseph would consider equipping them with better weapons and even evolving them into his own direct troops.
As for the possibility of a 9,000-man-strong force, coordinated with Joseph’s strategic planning, not managing to prevail in North Africa, it should be minuscule.