Chapter 41: The First Fateful Meeting

 The day after their successful debut, Armand, Long, and the Rose Theater Company received several new performance invitations. Among them, one invitation stood out, not originating from a theater but from a member of the "National Convention" - Mr. Robespierre.

If Joseph had seen this invitation, he might have been taken aback, for Mr. Robespierre would later be infamous as the "Mad Killer." According to some accounts, during his rule in France, guillotines stood tall in every city square, and lampposts had "enemies of the people" hanging from them. Future generations even fabricated an epitaph for him: "I, Robespierre, rest here, passersby, do not mourn me, for if I were alive, none of you would be."

Joseph believed that after Robespierre's downfall, hardly anyone, from the Jacobins to Napoleon, would like this "Incorruptible, Defender of the People, Creator of the Nation's motto: 'Liberty, Equality, Fraternity'." So, it was almost certain that there would be mudslinging at him. Just as during the Bourbon Restoration, various entertaining stories were fabricated about Napoleon, portraying him as a blend of "Tartuffe" (the main character in Molière's comedy) and "Don Juan" (a byword for a libertine in Europe). Therefore, most of the tales about Robespierre's erratic behavior and pleasure in killing were unreliable. However, one thing remained true: Robespierre did kill quite a number of people, many of whom had been comrades in the trenches with him. If he enjoyed killing, it was probably an exaggeration, but if he had a habit of "getting rid of people causing problems," that was likely not false. In summary, becoming Robespierre's enemy was extremely dangerous, but becoming his friend might not be much safer.

Armand, on the other hand, was unaware of these complexities, and at the time, Robespierre's reputation was at its peak. He had spoken over two hundred times during the Estates-General and the National Convention, ranking twentieth among the representatives. In his speeches, he supported universal male suffrage, opposed the king's veto, advocated for Jewish rights, called for the abolition of slavery and the death penalty, and opposed censorship. Yes, you read that correctly; "Mad Killer" Robespierre was once an advocate for abolishing the death penalty. Odd, isn't it? Well, it's not that strange; it's just an example of how one's position can influence their stance. When Robespierre was a proponent of abolishing the death penalty, the executioner's tool was still under the control of King Louis XVI, posing a threat to "troublemakers" like Robespierre. So, as a "troublemaker" himself, Robespierre naturally opposed it. But when that tool fell into Robespierre's hands, the situation naturally changed. At this time, King Louis XVI had just completed his one and only technical innovation in his lifetime - an improved design for the guillotine, making it more efficient. The ironic twist was that Louis XVI became the first user of this upgraded guillotine. As the poet Ronsard put it, "A wide face turns thin, heads roll more. Suddenly down, may he rest in peace."

Robespierre's suggestions were mostly not passed, but they earned him the moniker "Incorruptible." Now that Armand had received his invitation, he was delighted. Furthermore, the location Robespierre suggested was quite unique - the Royal Palace.

The Royal Palace was initially built for Cardinal Richelieu, the Prime Minister of Louis XIII, and was known as the "Palais-Cardinal." Later, it became the residence of the Duke of Orleans. In an attempt to win over the Parisian populace, the Orleans family opened it to the public in 1780. Since then, this private garden palace gradually transformed into a public square for the people of Paris. Orleans's political ambitions were well-known at the time.

During the 1789 French Revolution, there were two political centers in Paris: Versailles, where the Estates-General was deciding France's fate, and the Royal Palace in the city center. During this time, it served as a barometer of Parisian political fervor. These were two seats of power, and after July 14, 1789, it was the Royal Palace that led France, as Versailles had no influence over it; on the contrary, the Royal Palace could control Versailles.

The Royal Palace was a grand palace that could accommodate tens of thousands of people. It was a place brimming with various political pamphlets, orators, audiences, and rumors. Since the Estates-General, people exchanged all kinds of information here, including news from Versailles, and spread it further. If Armand's play could be performed here, even just once, it would certainly make his name resound.

After a brief consideration, Armand accepted the invitation. That evening, he took the lead role, Louis, to visit Robespierre.

At that time, Robespierre was staying in an inn near the City Hall. He could have had a better residence; many members of the National Convention had accepted the generosity of the Duke of Orleans or the Marquis de Lafayette for safety reasons and moved into their properties. But the "Incorruptible" paid for a room in a regular inn. Nevertheless, his financial situation was good due to his past success as a lawyer, and the inn was decent. In addition to the bedroom, it had a small living room with a sofa.

Armand, along with Louis, was led to the third floor by a waiter. This was the top floor of the inn, relatively quieter than the first and second floors, likely one reason for Robespierre's choice.

The waiter brought Armand and Louis to a door and knocked gently.

"The door is open. Please come in," came a cheerful voice from inside.

The waiter opened the door and said, "Mr. Robespierre, Mr. Lavache and Mr. Saint-Just are here to visit."

Yes, Louis's last name was Saint-Just. If Joseph had known his last name when he met him earlier, he would have surely looked at this reticent, strikingly handsome young man in a different light. Though Joseph, a former engineering student, wasn't particularly well-versed in the history of the French Revolution, he had at least read Victor Hugo's "Ninety-Three" and learned from its footnotes about Saint-Just, the most loyal comrade of Robespierre, known as the "Great Angel of the Revolution" or the "Terrifying Angel."

"Please come in, gentlemen," Robespierre's voice sounded, but there was no one in the living room.

"I'm sorry, I'm in the middle of drafting a document, just a few more sentences to finish. Please wait on the couch for a moment. Henry, could you offer them some tea, please? Thank you," the voice came from the study.

The waiter ushered the two men into the living room, where they sat on the couch, and tea was poured. The tea was Indian black tea, although its quality was mediocre. Joseph knew that this era's low-grade tea leaves were often adulterated with copper to mask spoilage. Drinking this stuff had no health benefits.

Armand and Saint-Just, however, had no such concerns. They sat on the couch, picked up their tea, and sipped it.

After two minutes, the voice from the study said, "Finally done! I apologize for keeping you waiting."

With that voice, a young man stepped out. His face was slightly pale, perhaps due to consecutive sleepless nights, but he appeared serious. His lips were thin, and his gaze was calm. His cheeks twitched nervously at times, making his smile appear somewhat unnatural. Following the custom of lawyers, he had powdered his face, wore gloves, and his clothing was impeccable. His jacket had no wrinkles, and his buttons were neatly fastened. He wore pale blue upper attire with a decorative crisscross pattern on the front. Below, he had on beige trousers, white stockings, silver-buckled shoes, a high-necked tie, and a crotch decoration on the front.

"I'm sorry; I didn't expect you to be so patient," Robespierre extended his hand to shake hands with them. "I attended your premiere yesterday, and I couldn't sleep all night afterward. Your war song and Spadaccini's exhilarating speeches were in my ears the entire night. I even forgot about my work until not long ago when I remembered I have a speech to deliver in the assembly tomorrow. I checked the time and realized you might be an hour or two away, so I went ahead to draft my speech. I have a habit that once I start writing, I can't break it in the middle. So, I had to ask you to wait here. I hope you don't think I deliberately snubbed you."

"I understand," Saint-Just replied, almost instinctively. "I don't like to interrupt my tasks either when I'm working."

"Do you know the purpose behind inviting you to perform at the Royal Palace?" Robespierre asked directly.

"You hope to exert pressure on the king through this play," Saint-Just responded almost without hesitation.

Saint-Just's rapid response clearly caught Robespierre off guard. He hesitated for a moment and then said, "You're right; that is indeed one of our goals with this play. Obviously, there are political considerations behind our invitation, and if you accept, it may involve some political risks. I don't want to involve you in the political whirlwind without your knowledge. You know, the current situation is quite tense and dangerous."