Chapter 22: Inspiration

 "Arrogance! Such a cursed arrogance," Joseph exclaimed. It was evident that Armand understood Joseph's words.

"Perhaps it's not just arrogance," Joseph pondered, "but rather a disconnect—the divide between the upper and lower classes. The French people are filled with anger towards the upper class, but the upper class may not even be aware of it, or they simply don't feel it. The king and queen are surrounded by sycophantic courtiers, living in a world far removed from the lower classes, and any other voices cannot reach their ears. So, they continue as they wish. This is dangerous because it could lead to explosive consequences. If the accumulated anger is not channeled properly, once it erupts, it will inevitably have destructive consequences, just like a flood breaking a dam. Art should play two roles during this time: to warn the upper class, making them aware of the danger, as art is one of the few ways to get their attention. The other role is to pacify the lower class. For example, Monsieur Beaumarchais' 'The Marriage of Figaro' attempted to fulfill these tasks. His satire of Count Almaviva serves as a warning to the upper class, while letting Figaro find happiness in the play can be seen as a form of consolation to the lower class. However, it seems that his warning was insufficient, and its pacifying effect is still uncertain. So, the members of the comedy troupe have increased the satirical content further, but so far, after several months of performances, nothing significant has happened. It seems to have had little effect."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Only Fanny seemed not to understand and asked, "So, Monsieur Bonaparte, if something does happen with the comedy troupe, does it mean it has been effective?"

"No matter what happens, even if they were all arrested en masse and thrown into the Bastille or executed one by one, it would at least show that the upper class cares about these matters. However, after this long, with no sign of any action, it can only mean that those above simply don't care," Joseph replied.

"In that case, 'The Marriage of Figaro' may not have been sharp enough," Samuel remarked.

"Joseph, maybe we should write a more provocative script. Let me think about what we should write," Armand contemplated.

"Perhaps we should write the story of Charles I? The English king who was beheaded," Joseph suggested. He knew that if history didn't change significantly, the French king, Louis XVI, might meet a similar fate and be executed for treason.

"That would be too explicit," Samuel shook his head, "If we write that, you and Armand might end up in the Bastille, or worse. Not many theater troupes would dare to perform such a sharp piece. I think it's better to write about the American Revolution. That's a rebellion against tyranny."

"That sounds like a good idea," Armand agreed, "Samuel, you have personal experience, which can help us."

"But North America is so far away. And considering France's role in the American Revolution, if we write about it, the king might think we're just praising him," Joseph said.

"How is that possible? The king is not a fool," Samuel insisted.

"It's not impossible. The king is not, but some of those around him can mislead and confuse him. Even what the king sees as the script and the performance might not be accurate," Joseph explained. Such means to manipulate those in power were too simple in his view.

"God, how did you come up with this idea, Joseph? You have a chance to be a courtier," Armand teased him.

"You can't insult me like that. You should know someone like me could never be just a courtier. At the very least, I'd be a grand courtier," Joseph retorted, and everyone burst into laughter, even Fanny, who had been initially concerned due to Joseph's stern tone.

Armand, still chuckling, said, "Alright, enough laughter. Seriously, do you have any other suggestions for my new play?"

"What if we write about Spartacus?" Fanny suddenly spoke up. "Spartacus represents the lower class rebellion, and that can't be changed. Moreover, there are limited historical records about him, allowing for creative freedom."

Since Fanny had spoken, Armand immediately voiced his support. "I think that's a good idea. I've already thought of a series of exciting scenes. For instance, how Spartacus fought a tiger in the arena, or..."

"And we can show how Spartacus, despite earning his freedom through victory in the arena, refuses to be satisfied and dedicates himself to the struggle for the liberation of all slaves, believing that every person should be born free, and that it's every good person's duty to overthrow the system that oppresses and exploits others," Joseph added with a playful smile, just enjoying the lively discussion.

"Yes, and through Spartacus' voice, we can convey the words, 'All men are born equal, have the right to liberty, happiness, and the sacred, unalienable right to resist oppression,'" Samuel chimed in.

"Are you planning to have Spartacus recite the American Declaration of Independence from a few thousand years in the past? That seems a bit much," Fanny interjected.

"Then what's the alternative? Have him recite the Gospel?" Samuel retorted. "Although Spartacus lived thousands of years ago, our purpose in writing about him is to make him speak the words we need in the modern context."

"Félix is right," Joseph agreed. "Perhaps we can be even more daring. After the Battle of Appia, Crassus crucified over six thousand captured slaves. We could stage that scene, with slaves crucified like Christ on the cross. We could even prepare a choir to sing an anthem of resistance during this moment."

"Joseph, I remember your godfather is a bishop," Armand exclaimed in amazement.

"The bishop also believes that the Church has deviated from the spirit of Christ in many places today," Joseph replied calmly.

"I think Monsieur Bonaparte's idea is creative. If Voltaire were alive, he would surely love this concept. Well, Monsieur Bonaparte, are you skilled in music?" Fanny asked with a gleam in her eyes.

Joseph smiled and replied, "I'm nearly illiterate in music."

"I see," Fanny said with a hint of disappointment. "We're all a bunch of music illiterates here. So, who will compose this anthem of the resistance?"

"Fanny, that's not difficult. We just need to write the lyrics and then find a musician to compose the music. Of course, good lyrics and good music aren't easy to come by. Right now, I'm filled with the desire to create," Armand explained.

"Brother, your creative desire usually doesn't last even a week," Fanny teased with a smile.

"You're right, Fanny. If it weren't for this flaw of mine, I would have become the new Sophocles. But I'll do my best to control myself. Joseph, you'll help, won't you?" Armand said.

"If I have the time, I'll do my best," Joseph replied. "But at least for now, I'm afraid I won't be of much help. You know, I'm quite busy recently."

"Monsieur Bonaparte, what have you been busy with lately?" Samuel inquired.

"Joseph has an important experiment to conduct lately. It's related to measuring the speed of light. My uncle praised the ingenious design of this experiment. Additionally, he's preparing to become a mathematics teacher at the Paris Military Academy. Joseph, your younger brother is studying at the same academy, right? Does he know you're going to be his teacher? How did he react?" Armand asked.

"I haven't told him yet," Joseph replied. "I want to see his reaction when he suddenly discovers that his math teacher is me."

"I can imagine that it will be quite interesting," Fanny commented with a smile.

And so, the conversation turned to how to play tricks on Joseph's brother. Fanny offered some suggestions, many of which she claimed were tricks Joseph had used on her.

Everyone got into the spirit of things and began providing their ideas on how to tease Joseph's brother. If it hadn't been for the butler's reminder that dinner was ready, they might have continued brainstorming devious plans.

"All right, let's head to the dining room," Viscount Lavoisier stood up. "I managed to get a few bottles of excellent wine..."

Armand's household had different dining customs compared to Joseph's. There were no strict formalities, and even during the meal, everyone continued to chat and laugh. The conversation meandered from Lavoisier's red wine to various topics, such as Ceylon tea and Mediterranean tuna, and somehow ended up discussing Nile crocodiles and hippos. French people, it seemed, had a lot in common with Chinese when it came to their love for discussing food: Can we eat it? Is it tasty? How should it be prepared? In this aspect, they were quite alike.