Arrangements

The Bonaparte family was a very traditional Corsican clan. This meant that in their household, women did not involve themselves in matters of consequence. Letizia was a fine wife and a fine mother; even in the most difficult of times, she always bore her burdens in silence. Yet, she was also a very traditional Corsican woman, and when decisions needed to be made, she would not raise her voice.

Therefore, after the death of Carlo, almost every decision in the household fell to Joseph. Whenever the younger siblings had something to ask their mother, she would always say, "Go ask your brother and see what he says," just as she had told the children when Carlo was still alive, "Go ask your father."

Thus, Joseph suddenly found himself overwhelmed. First, he had to arrange his father's funeral, then handle the inheritance and debts. Fortunately, his uncle was there to assist, and the presence of Bishop Minier ensured that those who might have sought to take advantage of a household lacking an adult male were deterred. Consequently, these matters proceeded quite smoothly.

By the third day after the funeral, the various lingering affairs were essentially settled. That evening, Joseph gathered his mother, his uncle, and his younger siblings together.

"Mother, Uncle, and brothers and sisters," Joseph began, "Father's funeral and the related matters have, for the most part, come to an end today. Since losing Father, our family's situation has changed drastically. Our original way of life will undoubtedly undergo significant shifts as well. We must adapt to these changes and prepare in advance. Now, I will explain the changes that may occur in our family to you all."

Everyone listened to Joseph in silence.

"After Father's passing, his salary is naturally gone. As you all know, our family's landholdings are meager, and their output is very limited. Without the salary Father received from the Governor's office, relying solely on the produce from our remaining land, our income will shrink to one-third of what it was. This means our income will barely be enough to keep us fed. Younger siblings, your pocket money, and even your education expenses, will be in jeopardy.

Napoleon, you are attending military school, and upon graduation, you will naturally serve in the army. Attending military school does not require much money. However, I am afraid your pocket money will have to be canceled."

"That is no problem," Napoleon said.

"I have looked into your grades over the past few years," Joseph continued. "Your mathematics, geography, and history are all quite good. But your language grades have disappointed me."

"Mathematics, geography, and history are useful in war. Language..." Napoleon sounded somewhat unconvinced.

"My foolish brother, language is also a tool of war!" Joseph glanced at Napoleon and said, "Do you not know what Octavian relied upon to defeat Brutus? The ability to wield language has, since ancient times, been indispensable for a great general."

Hearing Joseph use Emperor Octavian as an example, Napoleon ceased his rebuttal.

However, Joseph was not willing to let Napoleon off so easily. He continued to stare at Napoleon, saying, "For instance, our family is currently facing difficulties. To earn more money to support the education of our younger brothers, someone must step forward to replace Father.

You know that I have one year left until graduation. But now, we have encountered difficulties. If I were to drop out now, I could find some work, though the income would be much lower than Father's. If we can persist for another year and I find a job after graduation, the income would likely double—though, of course, it would still not match what we had when Father was alive. But this amount would be enough to barely sustain the family.

Clearly, in the long run, dropping out now is not the best choice for me or for the family. But we cannot ignore our immediate survival. Therefore, I have a flexible plan. I have a classmate named Armand, who is the nephew of Monsieur Lavoisier. Napoleon, I mentioned this fellow in my letters to you. He has quite a few translation projects for plays and poetry that he can pass on to me. This way, while I continue my studies, I can also have some income. Plus, my classmate Lucien can lend me some money, so if the family is frugal, supporting us for a year should not be a problem.

Of course, if your language grades were better, Napoleon, perhaps you could also join in and do what you can to help the family, which would make things a little easier for me. However, with your current grades, I dare not entrust such tasks to you."

"I understand. I will work harder in that area in the future," Napoleon said, lowering his head.

Joseph then turned to his other younger brothers.

"Lucien, although you are still young, you must know that you are also a man of this house and must study hard. Although our family holds a noble title, we are not like those French nobles who can lie around and live off their status without doing anything. The men of our family must have skills. Lucien, do you know where the skills of outstanding individuals come from? They come from learning and from overcoming difficulties. You are now at the age where you should receive an education. I will do my best to ensure your education is not affected by our financial difficulties, but you must work hard yourself.

Louis, the same applies to you. Next year, once I graduate and find a good job, if possible, I will bring both you and Lucien to Paris for your education. In terms of the educational environment, Paris is, after all, far superior to Corsica."

"Joseph, I am graduating at the end of the year. However, I now have an opportunity to be sent to the Paris Military Academy. Graduating from there would allow me to obtain a higher rank and better prospects. I don't know..." Napoleon began.

"My foolish brother, what is there to hesitate about? Are you using your meager wisdom to doubt your brother's ability to provide for the family? Just go to the Paris Military Academy; leave the current matters to me," Joseph replied.

"Joseph, how am I foolish? I was just..." Napoleon protested against the label of "foolish" that Joseph had given him, a rare occurrence.

"Oh?" Joseph said immediately. "Napoleon, your geometry is the most outstanding of all your subjects. Do you need me to give you a problem so you can gain a proper understanding of yourself?"

Napoleon was stunned, and after a moment, he said sullenly, "Joseph, you are not a good person."

After spending a few days arranging the family affairs, Joseph set off to return to Paris. During these days, and throughout the journey, whenever he had a spare moment—even if it were only ten minutes—Joseph seized the time to translate the materials he had on hand. On the morning of his second day in Paris, Joseph first went to school to report his return, then found Armand and handed him a stack of manuscripts.

"This is the translation of Timon of Athens. Take a look and see if there is anything that needs changing, and I will revise it," Joseph said to Armand.

"Joseph, you actually finished this so quickly?" Armand said, surprised. "For me, this would be impossible in less than half a year."

"Your speed is slow because you are meticulous. I am fast, but my work is much cruder," Joseph said.

"Joseph, I like hearing you say that. But I know myself; the reason I am slow is not because I am meticulous, but because I am too lazy and unwilling to work, much like the 'Lazy Kings' in history. You, however, are a diligent person. Besides, translations of literary works are best completed in one go so that the emotion and momentum remain consistent. Well, I will take a look when I have time. As for the payment, I will give it to you in a few days."

Armand was always prone to procrastination, so when he said the payment would come in a few days, Joseph was prepared to wait half a month. Unexpectedly, after only three days, Armand handed the commission for the translation—a total of fifty francs—into Joseph's hands.

"Joseph, the quality of the manuscript is good. If you can maintain this quality and speed, you could earn six hundred francs a year. Plus your scholarship—by the way, how many younger brothers do you have?"

"Four, three of whom are of school age. However, the eldest is in military school, so he doesn't cost money, just like me," Joseph replied.

"Ah, then there are only two brothers you need to support..." Armand calculated in his head and said, "Oh my, this money is not nearly enough. With just this amount, Joseph, you can no longer drink beer. As for foie gras, you must bid them farewell. You cannot even spread butter on your bread. You can only eat one lamb chop a month, and you must eat that one chop over three days: the first day you eat the meat, the second day you eat the fat, and the third day you gnaw on the bone. When you work, you cannot smoke to refresh yourself, nor can you use black tea; you can only use the cheapest coffee, and the portion must be limited... Heavens, can't you have one fewer brother?"

Joseph replied, "In our Corsica, there is a saying: 'When it comes time to deal with a fox, one realizes there are too few hounds; when it comes time to deal with an enemy, one realizes there are too few brothers.' Therefore, we Corsicans never complain about having too many brothers, nor do we complain about having too many friends."

"That is a very interesting saying," Armand said. "It is just a bit wordy; it could actually be more concise. Ah, perhaps it lost its flavor when you translated it from the Corsican dialect into French. I feel your translation is just like that—very accurate, but a bit wordy in many places. If it were me, I would translate that sentence like this: 'When you need a dog, you realize you have too few.'"