CHAPTER 1064: CHAPTER 82 DYNASTY’S TWO WINGS_3

Arthur couldn’t help but curse, "A good detective must be an asshole."

"My friend," Victor wiped the blood from his nose and chuckled, "That’s a bit too much, don’t you think?"

"I’m not cursing you, I’m cursing myself."

Victor laughed, "That’s precisely the issue. My mistake, curse me all you want, but you don’t have to be so fair to yourself."

Arthur took out a cigar box and handed it over again, "Alright, so now, what is true and what is false? You don’t want to tell me that Gervais, Clara, those criminal groups, and the idea of scamming the bank, are all fabrications to fool me, do you?"

"Oh, that?" Victor began, "Not all of it is false. Gervais, Clara, and even the forger Francois, all of that is real. You need seven parts truth and three parts fiction in a play; if it were all fake, you’d never fool a clever person."

"So Francois really is dead?"

"I don’t know if he’s dead or alive," Victor said as he took the cigar and lit it, "but Barthelemy did indeed ship him out early this morning. The warden of St. Pelagie Prison is an old friend of mine; he told me all this. Perhaps just as you suspected, someone from the Great Paris Police Hall got a lead from Director Jusco that Francois was involved in the assassination, so they took him out of the prison overnight. That fool is an idiot; interrogating Francois like that won’t get a single truth from his mouth."

"Haven’t you contacted the Great Paris Police Hall? After all, Jusco gave you a high level of authority in the assassination case. If you went to ask for the man, they couldn’t refuse to let you see him, right?"

Victor rubbed his neck, which was still sore from being punched by Arthur, "Yes, that’s the most frustrating part. That bastard Barthelemy actually refused my request directly. I can’t see Francois, nor can I even see Barthelemy himself."

"That’s unusual," Arthur said, "According to what you say, someone like Barthelemy should wet his pants just at the mention of ministers, Your Excellency, or such. Where did he get the courage to defy you?"

Victor, with the cigar in his mouth, grabbed the carriage handrail and jumped into the compartment, motioning for Arthur to join him, "That’s my oversight. I forgot to tell you that in a specific circumstance, this group of cowards can grow a backbone in front of ministerial titles."

Arthur got into the carriage and closed the door as it started wobbling down the narrow alley again.

"What circumstance?"

"That circumstance is when they have a document adorned with ministerial titles backing them up."

Arthur frowned, "What do you mean by that? The French Government is showing mercy and doesn’t plan to pursue the assassination further? Does Louis Philippe regard his life so lightly? If so, I’d have to reevaluate him."

Victor didn’t directly answer Arthur’s question; instead, he began telling him another story.

"Although the King is mild-mannered, that’s in personal matters. Politically, at least the Orleans Party, which reveres him, isn’t so mild. After the July Revolution, the Orleans Party hadn’t been in power long before conducting a large-scale purge of the Orthodox Party in legislation, administration, judiciary, and the military.

In just a few months, the new regime not only revoked the qualifications of 68 Orthodox Party members of parliament but also declared the invalidity of 175 Orthodox Party House of Lords members’ qualifications. All publicly Orthodox Party members were expelled from both houses. The Orthodox Party officials in local places fared worse; 76 governors, 196 district chiefs, and over 400 municipal chiefs were removed, 65 generals had their military ranks revoked, privileges canceled, and a large number of diplomats and judges became unemployed.

Most Orthodox Party members left the capital afterward, with land nobles mostly returning to their estates in the South and West, moving back into their ancient castles which have been passed down through countless generations. Although these Orthodox noblemen lost influence in Paris, they remained quite influential in local areas, especially in rural regions.

Though these Orthodox members aren’t allowed to reminisce about the old system in Paris, they stubbornly maintain the lifestyles and social etiquette of past times on their estates, adhering to former norms for religious events and commemorating days of special significance to the Bourbon Family, like January 21st when Louis XVI faced the Guillotine and February 14th when the Duke of Berry was assassinated.

Since the most obstinate Royalists basically followed the Bourbon Royal Family into exile abroad, the government didn’t want to provoke the sensibilities of these generally typical Royalists and turned a blind eye to their actions. However, this assassination case seems to have stirred up a storm among them, suspecting the King and Government of plotting against them to strip them of their last bit of power and property.

Additionally, given that last year some staunch Royalists had just risen in rebellion led by the Duchess of Berry in Vendee, these Royalist nobles feared that the Government might be preparing to settle accounts with them. I haven’t received intelligence about them possibly staging a revolt, but whether the Government sensed anything, I’m not sure.

Moreover, concerning the assassination, there seem to be some new developments. Though it’s unclear from where the news originated, there’s speculation that the assassination might also involve the republican faction. Coincidentally, the republican faction had an uprising in Paris last year too, and some republicans are concerned the Government might take the chance to deal with them as well."

Arthur sensed a whiff of unease in these words, "Is there any basis for what you’re saying?"

"Basis? I don’t know what qualifies as a basis, but not long ago both the Royalist newspaper ’Constitutional Newspaper’ and the republican ’Le Globe’ were banned, and furthermore..."

"Furthermore?"

Victor gazed out of the window, "I’ve heard the Government is drafting a new piece of legislation. This new law will simplify the procedures for political rebellion charges and convictions. Any act that offends the King or attacks the Government’s principles and form will be severely punished. It also includes a list of prohibited words, and unfortunately, Alexander’s pet phrase ’Republicanism’ seems to be on it. If the rumors are true, as long as he declares himself a republican, he’ll be thrown into prison..."