Chapter 42 The Bretonian Club (1)

　"About that." Amand spoke, "This play of ours is, in itself, strongly political, and I knew, when I created it, that performing it would, in itself, be politically risky."

　　Here, Amand paused again and said, "And the fact that we chose to stage it at such a period of time is in itself a politically charged approach. The risk of the political aspect is something we have long considered. Even if something does happen, it's just a matter of going into the Bastille and eating rats for a while."

　　When people talk about going to prison, they usually call it 'feeding rats', but Armand calls it 'eating rats', a difference of one word, but the meaning is completely different. And the general public to the Bastille is even more to talk about the Bastille, but Armand and Robespierre know, because the Bastille is often used to incarcerate the nobility, so on the conditions, I'm afraid that the whole of France, there is no other prison than the Bastille will be better than the Bastille.

　　"Moreover, I think that if our king was a little bit wiser, we shouldn't be in danger of feeding rats in the Bastille." St. Joust spoke up, "If our king decides to suppress the people, he should use decisive and forceful measures to swiftly arrest all the third class representatives and immediately guillotine them. This may lead to some confusion, but the rebels are so swarmed that they can be completely broken up one by one."

　　Saying this, a smile with a sneer appeared on the corners of St. Joust's handsome mouth, "Moreover, most of these representatives are people with money - Mr. Robespierre, you are almost the poorest among these representatives, but even for you, compared to the majority of the people in St. Antoine's District, you are still the 'rich man'. And there are people who are hundreds of times richer than you. If we just get rid of the delegates, and confiscate the assets, and use the money to bring in more troops, and nobles and poor people who are willing to follow the king, then our king, might even be able to get by. Of course, do that, and there might be a civil war in France. He would have to be prepared for a period of failure, and he would be guillotined just like Charles I. But considering that the other side is leaderless, I think he'd be in a much better position than Charles I was back then. If our king really intends to do this, then we would more than likely get our heads chopped off straight away, where it would still be our turn to feed the rats in the Bastille?"

　　Speaking here, St. Juste even gently stroked his slender neck, which was quite a bit of the flavor of "who would chop off the head of a good man".

　　"Do you think the king will do that?" Robespierre asked.

　　"No." A contemptuous smile crossed St. Joust's face, "If the king had such pluck, he wouldn't have been able to keep that Austrian twat under control. Nor would he have gained nothing from the 'Conferences of the Eminent'. All in all, this Majesty of ours lacks both the guts to be a tyrant and the mettle to be an enlightened monarch. It is simply not a king that needs to be feared. So, I don't really feel that we will be in any danger."

　　"Mr. St. Joust." Robespierre exclaimed, "You have a calmness and courage that doesn't match your age and looks. To be honest, I was a little surprised yesterday when I first saw that it was you in the role of Spartacus, but your performance yesterday was so brilliant and perfectly convincing that I was still amazed at how someone as young as you could have that kind of power. But this conversation with you today has made me realize that a man's mind and power can't really be measured by his years. Mr. St. Joust, it is true, as you say, that our king does not have that kind of vigor. And we are not fools to do nothing and wait for him to do whatever he wants. The country is broke because the privileged classes have been so extravagant over the years. The military is just as broke and full of discontent. What's more, it is the people of France who make up the army. The army is made up of people, not soulless tools. If the king really wanted to take a chance, all he could really count on were mercenaries. But there's money for the mercenaries, but not for the French army. The truth is, we're not completely unprepared, many nobles, and many officers have connections with us. If the King really intends to make any big moves, he can't hide it from us. So although there is a certain amount of risk involved in your performance, it's not an uncontrollable risk. After all, it was me who invited you guys, and even if you don't make demands, I still have to consider your safety. So you guys can rest assured that although there is some risk, the possibility of going into the Bastille is still very small."

　　"Not to mention the Bastille, even the guillotine, we are not afraid." Amand said.

　　After a few more talks about the show, Amand and St. Joust were ready to say goodbye. Robespierre sent them to the door, and suddenly added, "Ah, there is one thing I almost forgot. Well, we have a club which is full of good friends who wish to make reforms, and I think we are all rather close in our ideas, would you be interested in joining it?"

　　"What kind of club is it?" St. Joust asked.

　　"The Breton Club. Originally a club for delegates from the Breton region, more people joined after the Tertiary Conference was held. It's all friends who support constitutionalism, so we're now considering changing the club's name to 'Friends of Constitutionalism'. How about it, I can be your introducer if you are interested." Robespierre said.

　　"Yeah." Amand said, "I have another friend who is also very good. Maybe you've heard of him too, his last name is Bonaparte, well, Joseph Bonaparte, a scientific genius."

　　"I have heard of him." Robespierre nodded, "Though I can't read what he writes. Um, can you guys wait? I'll go right in and write him an invitation and ask you to bring it to him."

　　"At your service." Amand said.

　　Robespierre then went inside the study to write the letter, while Amand and St. Joust went into the living room by themselves and sat down on the couch to wait.

　　"Armand, do you think Mr. Bonaparte would like to join this club?" St. Joust asked.

　　"Don't worry, I know Joseph and his political views. In fact you know from his that ... you know that many of the ideas for the script of Spartacus came from him. He is definitely a progressive young man who supports constitutional government." Armand almost blurted out that the Slave War Song had been written for him by Joseph, and thinking about Joseph's attitude when he had given him the song, he felt vaguely as if he had done something foolish.

　　"That I know." St. Joust said, "But I've always felt that Mr. Bonaparte didn't really want to get too involved in politics. He seems to prefer to concentrate on those of his studies. Well, I have no doubt that Mr. Bonaparte loves constitutional government, but I think he probably loves science more."

　　"Hell! I hadn't thought of that till now." Armand shook his head. But he immediately added: "It's quite possible that the fellow does. It's just an invitation to a club, it shouldn't take much time to draw. If he's really busy, he can also not participate."

　　As the two were talking, they saw Robespierre walk out of the study and hand an envelope to Armand.

　　"I've already written the invitation. I'm looking forward to meeting this genius scientist at the club."

　　"Well, but Mr. Robespierre ...," Armand hesitated.

　　"What's the matter? Mr. Lavoisier?" Robespierre asked.

　　"Joseph has been busy with an important study lately. It involves a lot of his energy ..." Amand said, "He may, may not be able to fully participate in the club's activities ..." Amand stammered said.

　　Robespierre froze for a moment, then smiled, "Ah, Mr. Lavoisier, it's not a problem. It's just one club. In any club, all members are not required to be present at all times. After all, everyone has their own things to do, don't they? So, it's not a problem at all."

　　"If that's the case, then it shouldn't be a problem." Ah Mang said.

　　...

　　Coming out from Robespierre's place, Amand looked at the sky, and then said to St. Joust, "Louis, Joseph lives not far from here, and it's just a street away. I look at the time, should he happen to be due home. I'm going to go straight to his place and give him this invitation. Would you like to come with me?"

　　St. Joust thought for a moment and shook his head, "There's not much time left for the next performance, so I'd better go back and get ready first."

　　The two then parted at the street corner, and St. Joust got into a rented carriage and went back over to the troupe; while Amand went on foot towards Joseph's place.

　　When Armand knocked at the door of Joseph's room, Joseph was having supper with his two brothers. Generally speaking, if a traveler from a large Eastern eating country accidentally traveled to the West, he or she would generally make their own Chinese food to eat whenever they were in a position to do so, because most of the food from Western countries just didn't seem very tasty to the eaters from the large Eastern eating countries. This is especially true for those unfortunate travelers who have crossed over to a country that only has that kind of potatoes and eggs with forty-five-degree angles of stargazing and dead-eyed sardines. What Joseph did eat, however, was still authentic Western food - bread with grilled lamb chops. And it wasn't just because he was lucky enough to have traveled to the country of the Great Western Eaters. The French could eat, and were well known throughout the world as well. It was also because, in this era, the various ingredients needed for Chinese food were basically unavailable in France. Moreover, nowadays Joseph is also a person with a certain status, and it is a bit unseemly for a person of his status to do it himself. Plus, labor is cheap now, so Joseph hired a maid to help at home.

　　In the latter days of the Great Eating Country, hiring an aunty was not cheap. The income of a domestic aunt is to be significantly above the median income line. But in this era of France, hiring a maid to run the house really didn't cost much.

　　"It smells so good, it's grilled lamb chops, isn't it? Well, Joseph, your life has improved greatly." As soon as he entered the door, Amang shrugged his nose and took a few deep breaths before laughing.

　　"It's okay, what brings you here at this hour, Armand? Is something the matter?" Joseph asked.

　　"Ah, I came to deliver a letter, an invitation." Armand said.