Descending On France 1780
Chapter 252 - 245 Frenzied Paris and the Chameleons’ Instinct for Avoiding Harm

Chapter 252: 245 Frenzied Paris and the Chameleons’ Instinct for Avoiding Harm

This morning, Robespierre was presiding over the National Convention.

Suddenly, a tall and thin citizen wearing a Liberty Cap burst into the assembly hall, shouting loudly, "Marat has been assassinated!"

Robespierre sternly rebuked, "Do not spread rumors, who are you?"

"I apologize, Mr. Chairman, but I am not spreading rumors. I live next door to Mr. Marat, and I saw with my own eyes the guard sent to Mr. Marat by General Frost run to the fortifications headquarters like a lost soul to report!"

Danton stood up: "Speaking of which, Marat indeed did not come to observe the Parliament."

Robespierre: "Calm down, Danton. Marat has the guards sent by Frost. Let’s wait for the formal report from the fortifications headquarters. With such a big incident, they will certainly report."

Just as the words fell, the door was opened again, and entering was the Minister of War Lazar Kano.

Cano, with a serious expression and after sweeping his gaze over Danton and Robespierre, finally spoke: "According to the information we’ve just received, Friend of the People, Revolutionary Jean Paul Marat has just been assassinated. The perpetrator is a woman."

As soon as Cano finished speaking, Talleyrand stood up and asked loudly, "What, it’s a woman? So our Friend of the People died because of an amorous debt?"

Talleyrand’s words immediately stirred up a wave of discussion.

Because Marat was ugly, his death over an amorous debt would surely become a bizarre tale in Paris.

Someone murmured softly, "Amorous debt? That Marat?"

"Playing quite a game."

Robespierre banged the table forcefully: "Silence! Quiet down! I believe in my friend’s noble character; he wouldn’t die over an amorous debt! There must be some misunderstanding!"

Lazar Kano nodded, "Mr. Marat made many enemies. General Frost had long been worried about his personal safety, hence he assigned guards to him.

"According to the guard’s statement, this woman claimed to report the remnants of the Girondists to Marat.

"Mr. Marat was unsuspecting and allowed her into his room. The assassination took place while he was bathing."

Cano’s words caused another uproar: "Bathing!"

"Still saying it’s not an amorous debt?"

Robespierre: "Silence! So Cano, are you sure that he’s beyond saving?"

"Yes, he’s no longer breathing, and I fear even the best doctor would be helpless. We’ve captured the assassin; she stayed at the scene without fleeing."

Robespierre: "Then bring her to the Parliament immediately, we shall judge her!"

Robespierre looked exceptionally angry; his entire face was flushed red. The Incorruptible had never been so enraged in the assembly.

Lazar Kano nodded and then gave a signal to the soldiers behind him.

Thus, a woman dressed in a blue and white striped long skirt was brought into the meeting room of the Parliament.

As the woman entered, it caused another flurry of discussions: "Truly beautiful."

"Marat was quite fortunate."

Robespierre forcefully slammed the table, interrupting the whispers, then he stared at the woman and demanded, "What’s your name? Who instructed you to assassinate Marat?"

The woman raised her head proudly: "My name is Charlotte de Corday, from Normandy. No one instructed me; I just felt that Mr. Marat’s radical measures were a bit too much, so I used this method to persuade him!"

Immediately, there were murmurs among the seats of the legislators: "Corday? Could it be that Lord of Normandy’s daughter?"

Robespierre listened intently and immediately pointed at Charlotte Corday’s face, questioning, "Are you a member of the old Nobility?"

Corday held her head high: "Yes! But I am also a republican! I have always been a loyal reader of the Friend of the People, but the blood that has recently been spilled is far too much, many innocent people have been sent to the guillotine!"

Robespierre slammed down the gavel, interrupting Corday: "No! In my view, we haven’t killed enough, there are still fish that slipped through the net like you struggling for breath! We must take more decisive measures, to purge all of you!"

Speaking thus, Robespierre surveyed the entire meeting place, and loudly proposed: "A blood debt must be repaid with blood, starting with Miss Corday, we must capture all the enemies of the Republic hiding among the people, their only destination is the guillotine!"

Previously, Robespierre had always been cautious and restrained, exactly for this reason, the effect of the eruption of his anger now was many times stronger than that of ordinary people.

For a moment, no one in the entire meeting place dared to retort, even the always adroit Bishop Talleyrand tightly closed his mouth.

Robespierre: "Now, let us begin the vote, the fate of Miss Corday is—the guillotine!"

**

It was not only Robespierre who was angry.

The Parisians who learned of the assassination of the Friend of the People Marat, expressed their stance with actions.

In front of Marat’s apartment, was piled high with flowers sent from people of all walks of life.

The murderer Charlotte Corday was sentenced to death by the Parliament on the same day and was escorted to Revolution Square—where stood the largest guillotine in all of Paris.

En route to the execution site, the crowd of onlookers was immense, each one spitting on her as the prisoner’s cart passed.

And even children hurled feces at Corday, lobbing a ball of dung directly onto her chest.

The crowd angrily chanted: "Execute her!"

When the prisoner’s cart arrived at Revolution Square, the entire square was packed with people, with tricolor flags and red Phrygian caps everywhere.

According to usual procedure, before the condemned placed their necks into the guillotine, they were allowed a brief speech, this step was to highlight the principle of fairness after the Revolution: even criminals have the right to voice their opinions.

Corday, facing the angry crowd, shouted: "What I did, was to stop the madness! You all have gone mad!"

However, the crowd countered with even louder voices: "She’s talking nonsense!"

"We won’t listen to the slander from the enemies of the Republic!"

"Shut her mouth!"

The executioner stepped forward, forcefully pulled Corday, who was still trying to speak, in front of the guillotine, and pushed her body down, locking her neck into the machine’s groove.

The band began to play music.

In the last moments of her life, Corday cried out: "I curse you! I curse all the sins committed in the name of liberty!"

The executioner released the guillotine’s lever, the blade descended from above, and Corday’s head rolled into the basket, already stained with fresh blood.

The people below erupted into cheers.

Talleyrand, from the viewing stand, watched the frenzied crowd and shook his head slightly, saying to Fouché beside him: "It’s over, I feel that Paris will fall into utter fanaticism. Wouldn’t you like to hide somewhere else for a while?"

Fouché nodded: "I was thinking the same thing, so I’m preparing to go back to my hometown, Lyon."

Talleyrand raised an eyebrow: "Lyon, huh... Do send my regards to General Frost’s father."

Fouché looked at Talleyrand: "Aren’t you leaving, Your Excellency the Bishop? People of our backgrounds, no—people even with clean backgrounds can’t guarantee safety in the Paris to come."

Talleyrand smiled: "I plan to head to London to carry out a diplomatic mission."

Fouché laughed heartily: "Hahahaha, that is so like you."