Old Cow and Tender Grass

"The Viscount Beauharnais," Lucien said, "I promised to do her a favor, so she is very grateful to me."

"Viscount Beauharnais? Wait, Viscount Beauharnais? I think I've heard that name before," Joseph said.

"You've forgotten the Viscount Beauharnais, who was beheaded in Belgium in 1994 for poor performance in battle," Lucien said.

"Oh." Joseph nodded. "What did she need your help with?"

"He hoped I could find a way to help her get her husband's sword back," Lucien said.

"Ah, yes, yes." Joseph nodded. "Well, after her husband died, who else was in her family?"

"I have a son who is over ten years old, and a daughter," Lucien replied.

"Well, Lucien, what do you think of that woman?" Joseph asked again.

Lucien said, "What do you mean, 'what'? She's just a pretty woman."

Hearing Lucien's nonchalant words, Joseph felt a little relieved. Actually, he didn't harbor much ill will towards Empress Josephine in history; having lived in France for so many years, he had been somewhat influenced by her. In the eyes of the France, being cuckolded didn't seem like a particularly big deal. And compared to Napoleon's later wife, at least Empress Josephine never caused any real trouble. To be honest, Joseph did have quite a few prejudices against Habsburg women.

However, this doesn't mean Joseph felt that Josephine should become his brother's wife in this timeline. Putting everything else aside, the fact that Joseph couldn't have children made it unsuitable for her to marry either of his brothers, as it would inevitably lead to various problems within the family.

In a family where several brothers have established their fortunes, the succession of wealth and power structures can remain relatively stable if all brothers have legitimate heirs. However, if one brother lacks a legal heir, he must adopt a child from one of his other brothers. Regardless of which brother's child he chooses, this effectively strengthens that brother's branch of the family. Consequently, various power struggles and infighting are likely to erupt among the brothers, cracking the previously harmonious family structure—this is almost inevitable, and often beyond anyone's control. Even if the first generation manages to maintain the family's stability through brotherly affection and a respected elder brother, these cracks will inevitably burst once the first generation passes away.

"Lucien, do you know how she survived after her husband's death?" Joseph asked.

"What does this have to do with me? No... wait a minute, Joseph, why are you suddenly so interested in her? Could it be... I should talk to Fanny, but..." Lucien began his counterattack.

"Damn it! I'm worried about you!" Joseph said. "I'm worried that you, this tender grass, might get eaten by some old cow! That woman's purpose in looking for you is all too obvious. Think about it, she was able to appear at Barras's banquet, she must know Barras. Getting her late husband's sword back isn't particularly difficult. Since she knows Barras, and even got invited to such a banquet, getting the sword back is just a small matter. Can't Barras do something like that? Isn't she more familiar with Barras? My foolish brother, it's all a scheme. Don't you understand?"

"So what? She knows how to use tricks, but do you think I don't? Armand taught me countless tricks back then. Hmm, you once said, 'True feelings are fleeting, only tricks win hearts.'" Lucien curled his lip. "Besides, we won't lose anything. Speaking of which, you've reached a position like yours and don't even have a mistress. You're too Corsica."

In reality, Corsica nobility weren't exactly conservative; having mistresses was common. Therefore, Lucien's description of someone as "too Corsica" can basically be understood as: too much of a country bumpkin!

"You've really drunk yourself silly!" Joseph exclaimed angrily, then laughed at Lucien, "Looks like you weren't really drunk. Perfect! Come to my study and help me budget these proposals!"

So Lucien didn't sleep all night.

The next morning, Joseph, still in his pajamas, took the budget from Lucien and waved to him, "Alright, you've worked hard. You can go to sleep now."

Before Lucien made his budget, Joseph had already estimated the approximate costs of several options and had basically made a decision in his mind. Now, looking at Lucien's figures and checking them slightly, Joseph found that they were indeed not far from his own estimates.

"It's just too expensive to widen the road myself," although for safety's sake, Joseph had made up his mind to stay where the Red Army could come to his rescue at any time.

"But it's not just research institutes; other factories and such can also be located here, right? Hmm, this could be called the Northern Paris Industrial Park, which could be considered a government achievement, right? In that case, shouldn't the government pay for the road widening?"

Joseph slapped his thigh and shouted, "Lucien, Lucien..."

Lucien had just washed his face and was about to go to bed to hug his beloved pillow when he suddenly heard Joseph's shout, which startled him. He rushed over, looking anxious, and asked, "What's wrong? Did I make a mistake? That's impossible, I checked every single number..."

"That's not it," Joseph said. "The data is correct. I just have something to remind you. There will be another election soon. You'll be entering Parliament. Once you're in Parliament, you can propose a bill like this..."

So another hour passed before Lucien finally went to bed.

Having arranged these matters, Joseph left Paris again and returned to Toulon —there were still many things to do there, and the affairs of Paris would have to be temporarily left to Lucien. Considering that Lucien had been performing well recently, and with Fouché also by his side, Joseph felt that he shouldn't cause any major trouble.

However, since Lucien had to deal with matters in Paris for the time being, some things that were originally his responsibility would have to be managed by Joseph himself for the time being, such as the Special Tactical Training Camp. This made Joseph sigh, "You only realize how few dogs you have when you need them."

Before leaving Paris, Joseph made time to visit Fanny once again. This time, Fanny's enthusiasm surprised him. Finally, as Joseph was about to leave, Fanny told him that the Viscount hoped they could set a wedding date as soon as possible.

Upon hearing this request, Joseph's heart skipped a beat.

Fanny could help me organize the math materials for educating my younger brother, and judging from our interactions recently, her math skills aren't bad at all—at least, much better than Armand's. If she really marries into the family, it seems that many simple but somewhat tedious and confidential matters can be entrusted to her. Wouldn't that be like gaining another capable confidential secretary?

Thinking of this, Joseph quickly told Fanny that he had been considering this matter for a while, but he hadn't been able to return to Paris, so he hadn't mentioned it to the Viscount. However, now that he was about to settle in Paris, he should indeed propose to the Viscount as soon as possible.

"I'll be in Toulon for about two more months. When I come back next time, I'll propose to the Viscount and marry you as soon as possible," Joseph said.

Fanny couldn't resist kissing Joseph. She probably never imagined that this man was already planning how to use her as a man.

After Joseph left, Lucien was given a break. He began to frequently participate in various political activities to prepare for the upcoming election. Of course, he also successfully retrieved his deceased husband's sword from the Viscount Beauharnais. This woman, who should have been Lucien's second sister-in-law in the original timeline, was now getting along very well with Lucien.

However, Lucien's claim that he had learned a lot of tricks from Armand was not entirely untrue. Joseph had only been back for a week when he learned from Fouché's letter that his younger brother already had three or four mistresses.

"Damn it, no wonder he's spending money so extravagantly these days," Joseph couldn't help but say.

However, Joseph did not try to cut Lucien's financial burden, because he knew that Lucien's approach was a tradition in France politics. If he, who was in charge of the front lines, was too different from everyone else, many things would become more difficult.

"Besides, it won't be long before he becomes a member of Congress, and then he'll be able to receive a government salary, which will be enough to cover his expenses in this area," Joseph thought.

A few days later, Joseph received news that Lucien had been successfully elected as a member of parliament and had become an important member of the new parliament's "Military Industry Production Committee." Of course, this was still a bit far from the speakership that Fouché and Barras had initially agreed upon, but this was not something that could be accomplished overnight. It was believed that as Lucien's abilities, especially his ability to spend money, gradually became apparent, becoming speaker would not take too long.

Around this time, a group of Poland arrived in Toulon.

These Poland were men of national restoration. The Poland uprising had recently failed, and the Russia, Prussia, and Austria had met and concluded that Poland, as an independent nation, should not exist. Consequently, the remaining Poland territory was partitioned. These men then returned to France seeking technical assistance.