Descending On France 1780
Chapter 90 - 084 In the Tavern

Chapter 90: 084 In the Tavern

While the gentlemen in the old Royal Equestrian Arena were passionately discussing which direction to steer the nation, the people of Paris were also fervently discussing politics.

Three months ago, the hottest topic in the Parisian taverns generally revolved around the newest merchandise from the * House or the latest enchanting Cambodian woman seen on the streets.

Once, the Parisian drunkards were obsessed with debating whether the Cambodian women had struck a deal with the devil, which caused them to fixate their eyes firmly on the women’s pectorals the moment they appeared.

But now, the Cambodian women have fallen out of favor, and the drunkards no longer discuss their tricks of teaching goats to read, nor their figures.

The trendiest topic in the taverns now is which gentleman has made another impassioned speech.

Quite a disproportionately large number of the inebriates are illiterate, unable to comprehend the speeches printed in various newspapers, yet they can vividly imitate every move of the gentlemen on the platform, mimicking their tone remarkably well.

The Parisians flock to the Parliament and various clubs to watch the speeches, and it has become fashionable. Not only do the drunkards love to watch; the long-trousered commoners love it, the gentlemen in suits love it even more, and even the noble young ladies of the city love it.

During this period, as long as you can win applause and cheers at the Parliament’s podium, the next day you will become a household name in Paris.

Today, the Wild Rose Tavern, as usual, was discussing the gentlemen who gave speeches.

The drunkards were animatedly discussing when someone suddenly sighed, "Ah, have you all noticed that ever since the King moved into Paris City, Mr. Frost has rarely made an appearance on the podium?"

The drunkards looked at each other with puzzled faces.

"Indeed, ever since the King moved into the city, we haven’t seen him step forward."

"Last time I watched the Parliament in session, I saw him napping in the back row of seats."

"Has Mr. Frost lost his influence?"

Just then, a bearded old man spoke with an air of serenity: "Humph, what do you lot know. Mr. Frost is keeping a low profile. Now that things in the Parliament are going smoothly, he’s lying low, given that the Storming of the Bastille and the rescue of His Majesty in Versailles have already given him plenty of prestige.

"Now, whenever he speaks, everyone will stop to listen carefully. If he talks too much under these circumstances, it’s easy to make enemies, you understand?"

Immediately, an oafish guy interjected, "Why does it make him prone to making enemies?"

"Didn’t you see? Recently, Parliament sessions are so heated they almost come to blows. Just yesterday morning, a member of Parliament got so infuriated he took off his shoe and threw it on the table!" The old man narrowed his eyes, putting on an air of inscrutable wisdom, "Mr. Frost is seeing this kind of situation and simply chooses not to speak. You guys go ahead and quarrel; when the Parliament is at a critical juncture, he’ll stand out again!"

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded repeatedly: "So that’s how it is; Mr. Frost really has far-sighted plans."

At this moment, a young man who worked in a dye workshop asked doubtfully: "Is it possible that he’s simply lazy?"

The moment those words came out, the young man was immediately glared at by everyone.

He immediately backed down halfway: "I... just meant that it’s a possibility."

"You think he’s like you, huh? Slacking off every other day! Just yesterday, I saw it—Mr. Mueller from the dye shop poking your spine and cursing, calling you a lazybones." Somebody said so.

The young lad was about to retort when the enigmatic old man spoke again: "Mr. Frost is an ambitious man, not one to muddle along in a job like the rest of us. He just prefers to achieve the greatest gain with the least investment."

"He wouldn’t waste time on debating those useless bills.

"Just think about it, the Declaration of Human Rights has been signed for months now, has your life changed at all? Aside from tavern topics shifting from girls to the gentlemen’s speeches, has there been any change?"

The crowd thought back and then nodded in agreement.

The old man continued: "Mr. Frost must be waiting for an opportunity that can change the situation in an instant!"

After he finished, the old man stroked his beard with a smug look and took a sip from his glass.

Then a middle-aged man spoke up: "But, according to what you say, if Mr. Frost is an ambitious man, did he gain too little from the previous revolutions?

"It was him who stormed the Bastille, and he was the first to arrive in Versailles to rescue the carriage, but now the National Guard Commander is Lafayette, and the Chairman of the Parliament is Munier, and after Munier retired it was Mirabeau, nothing for him.

"Tell me, after all his efforts, what benefits has he gained?"

The old man laughed heartily: "You don’t understand, do you? Mr. Frost was originally just the son of a leatherworker, at most known by a few regular customers and neighbors. But now, look, even unrelated folks like us know him and discuss his circumstances enthusiastically. That’s the benefit he’s gained!"

No sooner had the old man’s words fallen, than another robust man joined in: "I’ve heard that his reputation in the army is also very high. He established a system of voting for sergeants in his own Artillery unit, and now the whole National Guard is in an uproar, wanting to follow the Artillery’s standards.

"I passed the barracks the other day and saw Lafayette angrily whipping a soldier who made a mistake, who apparently had asked to imitate the Artillery in setting up a Soldier Committee to elect sergeants."

"Is that so? Anyway, I think the sergeants elected that way aren’t reliable. Think about it, other sergeants are all trained from the age of ten at military academies like Briena’s. Do the sergeants elected by the soldiers themselves have the ability to lead in battle?"

This statement was met with widespread approval.

At that point, the old man spoke up: "Whether they can fight or not, just take them out for a drill and you will know. Right now, the Church in Conte seems to disagree with Parliament’s decision to recover sovereignty, inciting the parishioners to rebel.

"Lately, the issue is under Parliament’s discussion, and it looks like the intention is to suppress the rebellion with the National Guard, not relying on the old military forces of the Kingdom.

"It’s said that the local Self-Defense Army went to suppress the rebellion and was directly driven away by the Rebel Army. The local autonomy council sent a rushed express to request Parliament to send troops."

At once, the patrons started discussing:

"Is that really happening?"

"Conte, isn’t that the Pope’s place? It’s not even in the same country as us, what does it have to do with us?"

"Weren’t we just talking about Parliament wanting to reclaim Conte from the Pope’s hands! Just like confiscating church properties and seizing the Pope’s land!"

"I heard that Parliament plans to send people to attack Rome and confiscate the Pope’s land properties too because it was Pepin the Great who gave them the land, and it belongs to the territory of France!"

While everyone was talking at once, the old man coughed, and when everyone’s gaze focused on him, he spoke deliberately: "In short, Parliament should act soon. Mr. Lafayette must have long been uneasy about Mr. Frost’s popularity, and he would find ways to assign this task to Mr. Frost, to make him look bad, to undermine his reputation.

"Watch, it’s these next few days!"