The Fox of France

Chapter 7: Are you turning into a Freudian Devil?

　　 Joseph looked in and saw a man who was near his height but had a waist circumference at least two or three times as fat as him. In Joseph's opinion, if this person is to play the King of the Hill, he doesn't need makeup. Next to the fat man, there was a man dressed as a nanny, holding a candlestick in one hand. The other hand was covering the flame so as not to blow out the candle when the door was opened.

　 "Alfonso! Haha, you finally came. Um, how is the old man?" The fat man laughed loudly, and the sound frightened the sleeping birds on the tree next to them.

　 "Father Jean Jacques, the bishop is very good." Priest Alfonso said, "In addition, the bishop asked me to bring you Joseph this time, and also let me bring you a message."

"What did the old man say?" The fat man asked.

　 "The bishop asked me to tell you that gluttony is also one of the seven deadly sins," Priest Alfonso replied calmly.

　 "Old man..." The fat man's voice lowered, and the muttering behind seemed to be complaining, but Joseph couldn't hear him clearly at all.

"Okay. Don't complain. Well, let me introduce you. This is Joseph, the old man... the bishop's godson. The one who is going to study at Louis the Great School..." Priest Alfonso said to the fat man.

"Ah, well, you guys come on in. This damn door... Nahum (the man dressed as a nanny), you go move that cabinet over there and rely on that to block the door for tonight."

"Father, I know. But in that cabinet, it would be best if you would join me."

"Really, I told you to eat more. You need to eat more. How can you have strength if you don't eat? Even a cabinet."

This is where Joseph will live for the next few years.

......

　 It was not difficult for Joseph to pass the entrance examination of the Louis the Great School, so he was quickly invited to enroll and study. Joseph planned to study for a few years at the Louis the Great School, get to know a few more people by the way, prepare some contacts for the future, and then leave Paris before the outbreak of the Revolution (At that time, Paris was just too chaotic. Whether he lives or dies is, in many cases, it depends on luck rather than anything else.), go abroad, and then use the time Girondists on stage to do some speculative and hoarding things by "foretelling" some things.

Get the first barrel of gold for themselves, as well as the Bonaparte family. Then, he can hide behind his "stupid brother" and push his family to the position of Europe's first family. Of course, Joseph had to find a way to prevent this "stupid brother" from making a fool of himself later in Spain, especially in Russia. And to stop him, he must carry enough weight to be more than just the original historical loser Napoleon saw as totally dependent on him to become King of Spain.

"That stupid brother of mine has a very high self-esteem, very proud, out-of-sight guy, and it's not that easy to slam on his brakes"

　 The days passed slowly, according to Joseph's ideas. Joseph performed well in school, successfully received a full scholarship, and has a good reputation among some small circles of literature and natural science lovers. In addition, Joseph sometimes took on translations and a few other jobs so he could earn some francs. So now, in addition to guaranteeing his own expenses, he can even make some money. Everything seems to be going smoothly, but at this time, a letter was delivered to Joseph.

　 This letter brought very bad news to Joseph: his father is very sick. So the financial situation at home is now quite tense. Joseph has not spent his family's money on studies and life nowadays, but now it is not enough for him not to reach home. Napoleon's living expenses, as well as the living expenses and education expenses of several other siblings, have become burdens. The letter from the family means that they hope that he can find a job as soon as possible and bear the burden of his many younger siblings.

　　 It is obviously inappropriate to drop out of school immediately. This will have an adverse effect on Joseph's entire plan. Therefore, it is better to earn more money on the premise that he can maintain his studies.

　 "Ugh, how did I forget about the Bonaparte family's hereditary stomach cancer?" Joseph thought.

The Bonaparte family has long been threatened by a hereditary form of stomach cancer, especially among the men in the family. As far as Joseph was concerned, among the brothers, he was almost the only one who hadn't gotten into this problem himself. Of course Joseph knew that cancer was a roll of the dice, and just because Joseph didn't get this in the future in his present-day self. So he really needs to be more careful in the future. For example, in the original history, his father was supposed to have been found to have stomach cancer a year later. but in this alternate timeline, the matter was unexpectedly advanced.

All that remains is that it's time to think about things like how to carry the weight of the family. But what can he do to increase his income effectively? A part-time job was out of the question, not in this lifetime, and nowadays Joseph could barely make ends meet by getting a scholarship. And then there are going to be various salon parties. Going to the salon party is like going home. The feeling inside the establishment is better than at home. The participants are all talented, well-spoken, and good. So Joseph would have to look around at these salon parties to see if any money could be made.

"Joseph, what are you looking at? You don't seem to look well to me." A voice rang out.

Joseph whipped his around only to see a young man with some freckles on his face as he asked with a face full of concern.

This was Darcy Leonard de Laviosier, a schoolmate of Joseph's, who was a somewhat literary young man and had an uncle called Antoine Laviosier who had left his name on the whole history of mankind. Unlike his famous uncle, Darcy had almost no talent at all in the natural sciences. But when it came to literature, he was a good one, and he was even one of the pillars of the student theater troupe at the Louis the Great School.

"Oh, it's you, Darcy. Nothing much happened to me except I got a letter saying my father was sick. Well, that might be affecting my financial situation these days," Joseph said as he put away the letter in his hand.

"Joseph, your father must be seriously ill." Darcy walked over to the bench where Joseph was sitting and sat down side by side with him. The midday wind was rustling through the tops of the sycamore trees above their heads.

"I know you have a full scholarship, and it shouldn't cost you much to live in a church. You don't even need your family's money; therefore, it shouldn't be financial problems that make you look like that," Darcy said while taking out a small bottle. He unscrewed the bottle cap and carefully poured some liquid into it. Then he said to Joseph, "Would you like some?"