The Fox of France

For some scientists, especially those from the Parisian High School, the temptation from Joseph Bonaparte and his group was something Napoleon disdainfully dismissed.

"You're all soft, afraid of Joseph to death. Not to offend anyone, but who among you can withstand Joseph's pressure? You propose something in the Academy, and Joseph immediately vetoes it. Honestly, people may say I'm tricky, but in the Academy, Joseph's trickery surpasses mine by far! My tricks go as far as the level of the Sun King, or rather, not even that far. But Joseph, within the Academy, his trickery is at least on the level of Nero or Sultan Muhammad II.

As soon as he gives you a stern look, your hearts tremble. If he says something is wrong, you immediately admit that we made a mistake. Sir Isaac Newton never played such tricks in the Royal Society. Similar proposals were made before, but what's the use? When Joseph vetoes, none of you has the courage to argue with him! Don't try to fool me with this anymore!"

"Ah, Your Majesty, you can't blame us entirely for this matter," Laplace spoke up first.

"Not blaming you, should I blame myself?" Napoleon retorted.

"Well..." Laplace hesitated to speak.

"In this matter, Your Majesty, you also bear some responsibility," Monty suddenly chimed in. "When facing your brother, you are too prone to back down. As for us, you should know, we are not weak individuals. But the pressure from Bonaparte, always correct, is indeed immense. Even Mr. Carnot, you see, isn't afraid of Bonaparte, he's Bonaparte's old superior, often the one to discipline him. But in matters related to the Academy, have you ever seen Mr. Carnot argue with Bonaparte? Your Majesty, if you can achieve what we have in science, I'm sure you can withstand it!"

"Your Majesty, it's not impossible," Laplace suddenly said.

"What? Do you plan to confront Joseph head-on? Ah, Mr. Laplace, I'm truly moved. Rest assured, we will all remember your contribution," Napoleon scoffed.

"What? Do you plan to confront Joseph head-on? Ah, Mr. Laplace, I'm truly moved. Rest assured, we will all remember your contribution," Napoleon scoffed.

"Your Majesty, you are a great military strategist. If a position is too strong and there's no hope of capturing it, we shouldn't foolishly attack. Moreover, defending this position is still the iron wall of France. Mr. Laplace means we should use a roundabout method."

"How roundabout?" Napoleon inquired.

"When Bonaparte was still exercising the powers of the director, our efforts were in vain. However, if we could find a reason for Bonaparte to temporarily leave the Academy... for example, inviting some members of the Royal Society in England to visit France. Then, of course, we would reciprocate. If they visit with the director, when we reciprocate, the director, Bonaparte, naturally has to go. Or, on the Rhine League's side, if they invite us to conduct scientific propaganda across Europe, for political reasons, we could also have Bonaparte lead the team. Then, when Bonaparte is not around, we can quickly convene a meeting and pass resolutions. By the time Bonaparte returns, Your Majesty will already be an academician."

"You're thinking beautifully. Joseph will push off such foreign affairs to Director Lavoisier. Director Lavoisier would be happy to oblige," Napoleon said. He knew Joseph well; Joseph wasn't interested in such matters, and Lavoisier, having mostly retired from active research, was now enthusiastic about these extracurricular activities.

"This is not a problem, Your Majesty," Monty said. "In fact, it's an area we can use. We can start coordinating with foreign contacts on these matters. To placate Director Bonaparte, we can arrange for Director Lavoisier to lead the team..."

Napoleon frowned, "Are you suggesting we agree with Mr. Lavoisier going first, then when the time is near, claim that Mr. Lavoisier is sick, and then switch to Joseph at the last moment? Well, as long as there's money, convincing Mr. Lavoisier won't be difficult. And within the Academy, Mr. Lavoisier is one of the few who isn't afraid of Joseph. That's a plan! Even if Joseph goes abroad, subsequent meetings can be chaired by Mr. Lavoisier. So, even if Joseph comes back, he'll have to accept the result for Mr. Lavoisier's sake."

At this point, Napoleon became excited. He stood up, rubbed his hands together, and said, "Gentlemen, this is a good idea. But let me remind you, the key to the success of this plan is confidentiality. Do not let any information leak. I warn you, Joseph is not only a scientific genius but also a military genius. He is adept at intelligence work. Many commercial intelligence judgments ultimately end up with him. Don't let him figure out anything. Well, if you're not good at these activities, I'll have Lucien come and talk to you..."

Early the next morning, Napoleon called Lucien and discussed with him for a long time. He bribed his younger brother with a considerable amount and then Lucien proposed this suggestion.

"As a prerequisite, let Director Lavoisier lead the team. Then, well, Napoleon, you know, this kind of thing is a kind of publicly funded trip. Big Sister is Lavoisier's niece, and Lavoisier has always liked our little Alice. Lavoisier proposed, by the way, to take little Alice out for fun. I think Joseph will certainly not object. He might even support it. Then, we help Big Sister prepare things for Alice to play with. When everything is ready, we announce that Lavoisier suddenly fell ill, and then, well, you know, Joseph treasures his precious daughter so much. If Alice insists on going, can he refuse? Then, as Lavoisier can't go, who can he trust to take Alice? Certainly not Pauline, right?"

"Pauline? Even I wouldn't trust her, let alone Big Brother," Napoleon said.

"Yeah, Big Brother would trust her even less, so he can only take her himself, right?" Lucien said triumphantly, "Doesn't it work out this way?"

"Not bad," Napoleon nodded and reached out to pat Lucien on the shoulder, "Lucien, you've made great progress! Really, much stronger than before."

"However, Mr. Lavoisier still needs some training to make sure nothing is revealed. You know, that Joseph guy is quite cunning," Lucien said.

"Right! Joseph is indeed very cunning," Napoleon agreed. At the same time, both brothers recalled the past incidents where they were fooled by the 'cunning Joseph' and couldn't help shivering.