On the second floor of the Pce of Versailles, Joseph was nning the tasks for the next few days—this time, numerous royal families and political figures from various countries came to celebrate Louis XVI''s birthday, which was essentially a major European political and diplomatic gathering.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Thus, he must seize the opportunity to finagle and maneuver, seeking favorable international political situations for France.
He had just weed the Spanish Crown Prince Carlos Antonio earlier that morning, who wouldter be Charles IV. ording to the schedule, the Russian Crown Prince, the Crown Prince of Sardinia, and the Prince of Pnd would also arrive consecutively tomorrow.
Nearly every European country had sent members of their Royal Family or special envoys. Naturally, those with good rtions with France were there to offer congrattions, while those with poorer rtions were keen to see whether they could exploit any opportunities arising from the aftermath of the great disaster that had befallen France.
As Joseph was deep in thought, he kept hearing cheers for "Madame Gan"ing from the Marble Courtyard.
He looked towards Eman with a hint of confusion:
"May I ask why this Madame Gan is so popr?"
The close attendant was just as puzzled, but a maid nearby came over and whispered a few words in his ear.
Eman, suddenly enlightened, exined to Joseph:
"Your Highness, there''s a song and dancepetition going on outside, and Madame Gan is widely recognized as the most likely to win the championship. Ariel says she used to study with Mr. Haydn."
"Haydn?"
"Yes, Franz Joseph Haydn, sir."
After asking more about him, Joseph learned that this man was indeed a very famous music master, especially known for two remarkably talented students—Mozart and Beethoven.
If Madame Gan was Mozart''s junior, then winning the championship was almost a sure thing.
With that in mind, Joseph quickly asked Eman to inquire with the manager of the internal court about the status of the external betting for the song and dancepetition—the King''s Birthday Preparatory Committee had set up "prize quizzes" for both contests, where anyone could bet on the winners, with a correct guess yielding a double return.
Soon enough, Eman returned and reported:
"Your Highness, it seems that more than half of the people have bet on Madame Gan to win the championship."
This was trouble! They shouldn''t have offered fixed odds! No wonder those nobles were so excited. Joseph couldn''t help but rub his forehead—he had been too careless. It seemed likely that he would lose money on the song and dancepetition. He could only hope to make some gain from the fencingpetition, otherwise, he might not even cover the costs of the birthday celebration.
Just then, a dainty figure in a puff-skirted dress ofvender, her hairbed into a birdlike style, knocked and entered the room, greeting Joseph with a curtsy and a cheerful smile:
"Cousin, the swordsmanshippetition has started. Would you take me to see the fencing?"
Joseph replied with a smile, "Aren''t you going to watch the song and dance? I hear that Madame Gan is very talented."
Clementine pouted and said in a whiny voice:
"I''m tired of seeing song and dance every day in the court. Fencing is so much more interesting, I want to watch fencing."
The little girl usually followed Queen Mary around, but today, since the Queen was a judge for the contest, she hade to pester her cousin instead.
Joseph, overwhelmed by her insistence, finally gave in to her wishes.
No sooner had the two stepped out the main entrance of the Pce of Versailles than they saw Spanish Crown Prince Antonio, who bore a resemnce to Louis XVI, approaching.
Although Antonio was nearly forty, his expression carried the innocence and forthrightness of someone much younger.
He too noticed Joseph and, stopping in his tracks, performed a standard chest-grip salute, somewhat sheepishly:
"It''s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
The slightly round-faced, yellow-toothed noblewoman beside him also gathered her skirt and curtsied.
Joseph hurriedly returned their greetings. His gaze swept over the woman''s face, and he immediately recalled some ounts concerning the wife of the Spanish Crown Prince.
Maria Luisa, promiscuous by nature, had provided her husband with countless green hats of environmental friendliness.
This included servants, guards, Spanish officials, and even the French ambassador to Spain who had at one time been her lovers.
The most notorious among them was Manuel de Godoy, who rose from a guard to the Chief Minister of Spain, ultimately secured in his position by her favor.
Once Antonio assumed the throne, his preference for hunting and machinery meant that Spain''s government was firmly in the grip of Maria Luisa and her paramour Godoy. Their inept rule filled with disastrous decrees pushed Spain to the brink.
Ultimately, they efficiently depleted Spain''s national and military strength, leading directly to Napoleon''s dethronement of the Spanish Bourbon monarchy.
Looking past Luisa, Joseph indeed spotted a ruddy-faced guard obediently following with his head bowed—almost certainly Godoy.
In reality, during these days,moners were only allowed on Versailles Pce Square to partake in the celebrations, and the area near the Pce of Versailles had no need for guards. Therefore, it was highly likely that this man was indeed Godoy.
Clementine, always the social butterfly, stepped forward to greet the Spanish Crown Prince and his wife formally before warmly inviting:
"Your Highness, my cousin and I are going to watch the fencing. Why don''t you both join us? It will surely be interesting!"
Antonio hesitated, looking towards his wife, who nodded slightly, after which he said to Joseph:
"Thank you for the invitation, we will join you to watch the swordsmanshippetition."
Luisa by his side offered an apologetic smile:
"Your Highness, I would rather watch the song and dance. Please, you go with the Crown Prince."
Joseph nodded without betraying any emotion, "As you wish."
Joseph parted ways with Luisa along with the others, which actually aligned with his hopes.