Chapter 294: Chapter 291 Coup d’état (6)
"Hmph!"
Victor Hugo snorted coldly, his sideways glance and demeanor already conveyed his own attitude towards Jerome Bonaparte’s conspiratorial coup.
"Senator Hugo, is this the way you would treat your friends?" Valerovsky was not deterred by Victor Hugo’s poor attitude, refusing to cease communication with him.
In Valerovsky’s view, if Victor Hugo could switch from being a Royalist Faction member to the Mountain Faction, then he could certainly switch from the Mountain Faction to the Royalist Party.
The political views of the 19th century were not a life-and-death struggle; Victor Hugo could even join them as a Republican.
As long as Victor Hugo could raise a banner for the Bonaparte Faction, that would be enough.
But Valerovsky had miscalculated. Ever since Victor Hugo joined the Mountain Faction, he had never considered rejoining any other faction.
His attitude towards the Royalist Party had also undergone a fundamental change. Now, Victor Hugo despised Jerome Bonaparte for strangling the newly born Republic and turning what was once a beautiful and prosperous Republic into his private property!
Along with this, he also grew to hate Valerovsky, Jerome Bonaparte’s subordinate!
"I refuse to have any exchange with an ambitious schemer!" Victor Hugo continued to maintain an aloof attitude, keeping others at a distance.
"An ambitious schemer?" Valerovsky sneered, crossing his arms and then smiling meaningfully: "We’re merely executing the mission entrusted to us by the entire French people!"
"You claim this is a mission entrusted by the entire French people!" Victor Hugo’s eyes widened as he breathed heavily, revealing his anger: "Jerome Bonaparte, since when could you make decisions on behalf of the entire French people!"
"Senator Hugo, submitting a petition to the Legislative Assembly is already the response of the entire French people!" Valerovsky said unhurriedly.
"Nonsense!" Victor Hugo uncharacteristically swore, "You’ve connived to make French civil servants grovel at your feet, using lies to make the French people believe in your deceitful façade! And now you tell me you represent the people!"
"If the President cannot represent the people, then who can!" Valerovsky retorted without hesitation: "Could the Bourbon represent the French people? Wake up! Mr. Victor Hugo, put away your illusory romantic style, and open your eyes to this real, blood-stained world! 750 deputies, 750 heads, how do you ensure they march in perfect harmony! In these two years, hasn’t the Legislative Assembly had enough cases of mutual veto over budget issues?
Did the people elect them just to have them engage in purposeless infighting here? You claim to speak for the French people, what have you done to benefit the French citizens? Nothing, you’ve done nothing! You only bark like dogs from the Bourbon Palace, arrogantly proclaiming you’re the representatives chosen by the people! Can you represent the people? No, you only represent yourselves!"
Valerovsky, like a fully firing machine gun, "rat-tat-tat" launched an attack on Victor Hugo, and Victor Hugo’s emotions settled into calm with the heart-piercing verbal assault from Valerovsky.
After a moment, Victor Hugo spoke again: "What has the President done in these two years?"
"The President has developed railways, constructed agricultural schools..." Valerovsky recounted the developments Jerome Bonaparte achieved over the past two years to Victor Hugo.
Victor Hugo spoke again: "The achievements you mention were already initiated during the Orleans Kingdom!"
"Mr. Hugo, can I interpret your meaning as any policy of the President’s is one that anyone else would choose to carry out?" Valerovsky replied to Victor Hugo.
"That’s right!" Victor Hugo still looked down somewhat on Jerome Bonaparte, believing that the hero uncle’s statue in Wagram Square would inevitably be toppled by the mediocrity of his nephew.
"Then did you do it?" Valerovsky once again questioned Victor Hugo: "Did the Legislative Assembly do it?"
And then Valerovsky shook his head to himself: "No, you did not! Apart from engaging in squabbles over trivial matters, what else do you do? You only veto for the sake of vetoing. Senator Hugo, the world won’t stop moving forward due to your mutual conflicts. On the contrary, the world is advancing at an incredibly fast pace! If France cannot strive to catch up, then all our institutional and cultural advantages will be surpassed by others!
France’s innate cultural advantages will be trampled upon by our opponents, so we must overcome all obstacles and concentrate power; only then can France develop and grow at the fastest rate!"
Victor Hugo clearly did not believe Valerovsky’s rhetoric, for those enjoying the shelter of Bourbon and Napoleon could not possibly understand this transformative industrial era.
If Valerovsky were not serving as Jerome Bonaparte’s secretary, he too would not believe this set of rhetoric.
It was only when Jerome Bonaparte explained the technological advancements arising from Europe’s rapid development after the Napoleonic Wars to Valerovsky that he felt the progress of this ever-changing society.
Society is developing rapidly at every moment. If people born into society do not look back and carefully sort out the trajectory of development, they will not feel the creeping of society. They will only believe the world should be as it is.
"In the end, it’s just your deceitful rhetoric! You disguise yourselves as the saviors of France, enjoying France’s adulation while trying to steal what should not belong to you from her! I tell you, France will not fall for your tricks! You will sooner or later be overthrown by Paris!" Victor Hugo laughed loudly as he said to Valerovsky, "Now you want me to bow down to you scoundrels? I tell you, never! Even if my life is threatened, I will not submit!"
"Alas!" Valerovsky sighed, looking at the stubborn Victor Hugo, "Mr. Hugo, your life will not be threatened! However, you may suffer some hardships! If you refuse the President’s good intentions, you will soon be exiled!"
For people like Victor Hugo, who have fame but lack any political ability, imprisonment or execution is not a good choice; exile abroad can best demonstrate the "merciful heart" of Jerome Bonaparte and others.
"I will watch from abroad as you scoundrels fall into the mire, watch everything you have turn to ashes!" Victor Hugo replied to Valerovsky.
Valerovsky sighed again and turned his gaze to Vercini, "Senator Vercini, I suppose your choice is the same as Victor Hugo’s!"
Vercini nodded firmly. Victor Hugo and Vercini stood bravely and defiantly, waiting for Valerovsky to capture them.
"Alas!" Valerovsky shook his head and gave an order to the officer beside him, "Arrest them!"
"Yes!" The officer quickly escorted Victor Hugo and Vercini out the door.
When Victor Hugo walked out of the public office’s gate, he saw Juliet and Artuna, and his passionate expression turned to anger in an instant.
"Valerovsky, what do you mean by this?" Victor Hugo shouted at Valerovsky.
Valerovsky wore the standard gentleman’s smile and said, "I just did a little work!"
"Let go of me! Let go!" Victor Hugo shouted loudly to the two soldiers beside him.
Juliet, with tearful eyes, looked at Victor Hugo. She sobbed lightly and, in a choked voice, spoke to the two soldiers escorting Victor Hugo, "Can I say a few words to him?"
The soldiers turned their gaze to the officer, who then glanced at Valerovsky, and Valerovsky turned his gaze to Artuna.
Artuna nodded to both Juliet and Valerovsky, and Valerovsky ordered the soldiers to release Victor Hugo.
Juliet threw herself into Victor Hugo’s arms, and they embraced tightly.
This kind of warm embrace is something no iron-hearted man could withstand, and Victor Hugo was certainly no exception.
"I’m sorry! Truly sorry!" Victor Hugo softly expressed his apology to Juliet.
Juliet said nothing, she lifted her head, gently caressing Victor Hugo’s cheek, and said affectionately, "No matter where you are, I will wait for you!"
With that, Juliet pulled away from Victor Hugo’s side, then reluctantly returned to Artuna, her eyes still filled with love for her lover.
Victor Hugo really couldn’t bear to look at Juliet again.
"Let’s go!" Valerovsky said faintly, and once more, two soldiers took Victor Hugo into custody.
The prison carriage transporting Victor Hugo slowly arrived. Due to the plan only including Victor Hugo, the unexpected Vercini became an additional "product," squeezing into the same carriage with Victor Hugo.
Watching as Victor Hugo and Vercini gradually departed, Valerovsky glanced at the time on his pocket watch.
It was already 5 AM, during the time of year when the nights are long and the days are short, the stars continued to twinkle incessantly in the sky.
Valerovsky had to carry out a task assigned to him by Jerome Bonaparte, which was to send Achille Thiers to his end.
"Next stop, Pulvati Street!" Valerovsky gave orders to the officer and soldiers, then rode his horse towards Pulvati.