Make France Great Again
Chapter 220 The Last Attempt to Co-opt

Chapter 220: Chapter 220 The Last Attempt to Co-opt

After returning to Vosges Square from the National Assembly, Victor Hugo devoted himself to writing, unaware of everything happening outside.

It wasn’t until Victor Hugo’s two sons burst into the room and reported the outside situation to him.

Initially, Victor Hugo was somewhat unwilling to believe that his speech in the National Assembly a few days ago would have such a significant impact.

It was not until François Hugo and Charles Hugo handed him several newspapers containing Victor Hugo’s speech content, that after reading them, Victor Hugo believed François Hugo and Charles Hugo’s words.

Looking at the speech published in the "Bonaparte Newspaper," Victor Hugo tapped his desk lightly with his index finger and muttered to himself, "What exactly does Jerome Bonaparte want to do?"

In Victor Hugo’s heart, he had long since broken ties with Jerome Bonaparte, so why would Jerome Bonaparte support him at this time?

"Maybe he wants to reconcile with father!" François Hugo blurted out.

"I think he might be using father’s name to carry out his unspeakable secrets!" remarked Charles Hugo, who always had a poor impression of Jerome Bonaparte.

"What secrets could those be?" Victor Hugo put down the newspaper and asked Charles Hugo seriously, not wanting his son to become a conspiracy theorist.

Charles Hugo, realizing his situation, replied awkwardly, "I... I don’t know either!"

Victor Hugo frowned deeply and said sternly, "Charles, I don’t want you to become someone who lives in conspiracy theories all day!"

"I understand, father!" Charles Hugo nodded in response.

Just as Victor Hugo was educating Charles Hugo, a knock came at Victor Hugo’s study door.

Feeling reprieved, Charles Hugo quickly said, "Father, I’ll get the door!"

With that, Charles Hugo swiftly ran to open the door.

François Hugo, seeing his father’s attention shift to him, quickly ran to assist Charles Hugo to avoid being scolded.

"Father, it’s Lady Fortuna’s servant!" Charles Hugo’s voice came from the living room.

Hearing it was Lady Fortuna’s servant, Victor Hugo quickly put down the newspaper and headed to the living room.

"Mr. Hugo, good morning!" Lady Fortuna Amorlan’s maid courteously greeted Victor Hugo according to imperial etiquette.

"Hello!" Victor Hugo also nodded, then asked, "What does Lady Fortuna instruct?"

"My mistress wishes to invite you to her mansion as a guest!" The maid humbly handed over a large red invitation card with golden patterns.

Victor Hugo took the invitation and opened it; the time was three o’clock tomorrow afternoon.

It seemed Artuna Amorlan was inviting him for afternoon tea.

"Please convey to Madam that I will certainly arrive on time!" Victor Hugo replied with a smile.

"Thank you very much!" The maid smiled joyfully and turned to leave.

Victor Hugo instructed his sons to see off the maid and then returned to his study.

Sitting in the large chair, Victor Hugo carefully examined the invitation in his hand; he could not understand why Artuna Amorlan was inviting him at this time.

Since he had promised, he must go; there was no reason to break the appointment.

Time quickly moved to the following afternoon.

With a hint of fatigue on his face, Victor Hugo left his study, where he had been for two days but wrote less than 500 words, heading to Artuna Amorlan’s residence.

Walking alone on the street, Victor Hugo suddenly realized his fame had reached the level where everyone knew him; on the way to Lady Artuna’s, many people greeted him, most of whom Victor Hugo wasn’t familiar with.

"Mr. Hugo, good afternoon!"

"Hmm! Good afternoon!"

"Mr. Hugo, your speech at the assembly was fantastic!"

"Thank you!"

In response to the warm greetings of strangers, Victor Hugo always stopped for a moment to talk with them with a smile, so what should have been a 10-minute journey took Victor Hugo an hour.

When Victor Hugo came to Lady Fortuna Amorlan’s door, the maid from yesterday reappeared in front of Victor Hugo.

"Mr. Hugo, you’ve arrived!" the maid said to Victor Hugo.

"I’m really sorry! I encountered some things on the way!" Victor Hugo apologized to the maid, "Lady Fortuna must be anxious from waiting!"

"The lady has just woken up too!" To ease Victor Hugo’s embarrassment from being late, the maid told a small lie out of kindness.

"That’s good to hear!" Victor Hugo breathed a sigh of relief.

Under the maid’s introduction, Victor Hugo met Artuna Amorlan.

This close friend of the Emperor (Napoleon), a famous socialite of the Republic period, hurriedly invited Victor Hugo to sit down upon seeing him, placing a long-necked porcelain coffee cup in front of him.

Victor Hugo stared at the patterns on the coffee cup and was momentarily lost in thought.

"This was a gift from the Emperor back then!" Artuna Amorlan said to Victor Hugo with pride.

"That’s indeed an extraordinary piece!" Victor Hugo responded to Artuna, then picked up the coffee pot to pour himself a cup.

The steaming coffee emitted white vapor, and while Victor Hugo used a spoon to stir the coffee, Artuna Amorlan spoke warmly, "I’ll be straightforward! I am entrusted by the President, who wishes to meet you, but he fears..."

Victor Hugo took a sip of coffee, and after a moment’s hesitation, Artuna Amorlan continued, "He fears being rejected! I promised him I’d persuade you!"

Victor Hugo held the coffee cup to his lips and asked Artuna in a slightly hoarse voice, "Why does the President want to see me?"

"I believe he wants to clear up some misunderstandings!" Artuna Amorlan attempted to dissuade Victor Hugo from distancing himself from the President, "And inform you of arrangements afterward! Don’t you feel regret? Victor? You should have your place in the Cabinet!"

Victor Hugo put down the coffee cup and replied, "I think this might not be a misunderstanding! Reality is always more difficult to accept than imagined!"

After speaking, Victor Hugo picked up a pastry from the platter and began to chew.

"Please allow me to be frank with you! Victor!" Artuna’s tone carried a hint of reproach, "You should return to the right path! You still have a way out! Those Mountain Faction people are a bunch of irrational individuals; they will make you lose your reason and reverence for God as well!"

Although Artuna sincerely regarded Victor Hugo’s interests, Victor Hugo still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"Believe me! I am very clear-minded now! And will remain so in the future!" Victor Hugo sipped his coffee.

"And Leonie! What will you let Leonie do?" Artuna asked Victor Hugo.

A trace of pain flashed across Victor Hugo’s face; he knew joining the Mountain Faction could likely bring some torment to him and the women around him. His wife, Adèle Hugo, and his lover Leonie were both members of the Royalist Party, not to mention Leonie had divorced for him.

[Victor Hugo had two lovers in his life, one was Juliet, and the other was Leonie, both known to his wife.]

"The Mountain Faction has always been in danger, they can’t even guarantee their own safety!" Fortuna earnestly advised, "Are you really willing to let Leonie constantly worry and fear? Are you going to betray Leonie’s love for you?"

Fortuna Amorlan used Leonie to morally coerce, and after much thought, Victor Hugo agreed to meet with Jerome Bonaparte.

The meeting was set for May 5th, four days later.

On the afternoon of the 5th, Victor Hugo took a carriage to the long-abandoned Elysee Palace.

Wearing a black suit, Alexander Valerovsky greeted Victor Hugo with a slightly portly figure.

"Mr. Hugo, the President has been waiting for a long time!" Alexander Valerovsky said to Victor Hugo.

Under Alexander Valerovsky’s guidance, Victor Hugo once again arrived at Jerome Bonaparte’s study.

Jerome Bonaparte sat upright, waiting for Victor Hugo’s arrival.

"Please!" Jerome Bonaparte invited Victor Hugo to sit down, and Valerovsky left the study.

Sitting across from Jerome Bonaparte, Victor Hugo leaned slightly against the back of the chair, clasping his hands together between his legs, and silently watched Jerome Bonaparte without saying a word.

With a smile on his face, Jerome Bonaparte cleared his throat and spoke carefully, "I wish to appoint you as the ambassador of France to Britain! England is the most advanced country in Europe, and we should strengthen our interactions to learn from their progress! Our railways, trains, and even production need to learn from them in order to develop a road that is uniquely ours!"

Jerome Bonaparte’s aim was to get Victor Hugo to step out and try to draw him into his camp.

"Mr. President, I have said before that I do not wish to have any connection with your government!" Victor Hugo’s words carried a hint of distance.

"There are many disagreements between us, but that does not hinder our consensus!" Jerome Bonaparte continued to draw closer to Victor Hugo, "Merge all factions into one whole, and then support each other! Isn’t that your wish?"