Friends of the Friends of Youth Club

Shortly after this conversation, Armand handed two scripts—Shakespeare's Timon of Athens and Milton's Samson Agonistes—along with a fair amount of poetry and other works, to Joseph.

"These are things that have been piling up here for the past two years; they've been sitting for nearly half a year now... You know, where would I find the time to deal with all this? Since it's already been delayed, there's no need for you to rush. Take your time; it's not urgent on that end either." After handing these materials to Joseph, who had just secured his leave and was preparing to return to Corsica, Armand said this to him.

"Joseph, I hope your father is alright, and that you can return as soon as possible," another classmate named Lafa added. "In our discussions, you always provide us with so much inspiration. With you gone, our club meetings will become dull and lifeless."

"Lafa is right; our club cannot do without you," another small fellow named Honoré said. Like Joseph, he lived entirely on scholarships, which made him feel emotionally closer to Joseph.

The club Lafa spoke of was a small group called the "Friends of Youth Club." It was composed of young people with vastly different lifestyles and attitudes, yet all were dissatisfied with reality and filled with various naive fantasies about the future. In fact, in the various schools of France today, there were quite a few such youths.

Joseph knew that many of these youths, who currently seemed so immature and whose ideas were laughably naive, would later become key figures in the Great Revolution. Their little circles, which to people today seemed like nothing more than children gathering to amuse themselves, would eventually transform into political parties. For instance, the famous Jacobins started out as nothing more than a club.

The "Friends of Youth Club" was, in fact, the prototype of such a party. Although its members were diverse—including nobles living comfortably like Armand, nobles living hand-to-mouth like Joseph, sons of well-off merchants like Lafa, and children of poor families like Oreno—and despite their varying personalities (Armand was extroverted and flamboyant; Lafa was sophisticated and easygoing; Oreno was usually quiet but decisive in action), they all held a consistent view on one matter: the current system in France was deeply unfair and had to be reformed. However, they had not yet reached a complete consensus on exactly how that reform should be carried out.

One could clearly see the influence of Voltaire in Armand. Like Voltaire, he enjoyed using biting language to satirize the Church, but in terms of government, he preferred the British-style constitutional monarchy, often bringing up the "Glorious Revolution" and the Bill of Rights during political discussions.

Oreno, on the other hand, opposed any form of monarchy. One of his uncles had followed General Lafayette to fight the British in North America. From him, Oreno had heard countless stories about the United States. Consequently, he had become a staunch supporter of a republican system. He opposed all monarchs and firmly believed that France should become a republic.

As for Lafa, he felt that, in theory, a republic was certainly the best system and most consistent with the principle of equality for all. This, in fact, was also consistent with the teachings of Christ. "Even the prophet Moses once opposed the monarchy," Lucien—as he was called—would say. But on the other hand, he also believed: "Monarchy is a French tradition, and the common people are accustomed to being ruled by a king, so we cannot completely disregard French tradition and the habits of the people. Therefore, a constitutional monarchy is not an unacceptable compromise."

As for Joseph, he did not appear particularly concerned with the form of government; he was more interested in individual rights:

"I don't care who rules the country, whether it's a king or a president. What I care about most is that their power must be constrained and cannot arbitrarily interfere with my freedom and rights. There is a viewpoint in the United States Declaration of Independence that I strongly agree with: that the people have the right to overthrow tyranny. Only power recognized by all the people is legitimate power. From this perspective, I respect any choice made by the French people."

This statement was actually quite slick, especially the last sentence. However, the youth of this era, having not been tempered by the "diplomatic jargon" of a certain future foreign ministry, actually felt that what Joseph said made a lot of sense. They overlooked the most critical part of that sentence: who exactly are "the people," and who represents them?

Joseph was, after all, a transmigrator. He had seen plenty of practical applications of various political systems in the future and had the experience of being a "keyboard warrior" on forums, pointing out the flaws of the world. Thus, he could speak eloquently about the pros and cons of various systems, making others feel that he was quite insightful.

In reality, compared to the well-informed folks of the future, the young members of the "Friends of Youth Club" were much simpler and easier to deceive. So, even though these people still had some political disagreements, Joseph had successfully turned his own views into the common platform of the entire club. And he himself, as a result, had become the spiritual leader of the club. Now that he was temporarily leaving Paris, several classmates had taken leave to see him off at the station.

"Joseph, don't worry too much about your financial problems," Lafa said again. "In Paris, it is much easier to find an opportunity to make money than in the provinces. Return to Paris as soon as you finish your family affairs. We will always find a way if we are together. Um, Joseph, if you are very short on money right now, I can still get some from my father for you. It won't be much, but two or three hundred francs shouldn't be a problem. And it will be interest-free."

"Lafa, didn't you say your father was very stingy?" Oreno asked.

"That's true. But my father is very generous when it comes to spending money where it's truly needed," Lafa said, shaking his head. "You don't know; he strictly controls every copper I have. Beyond filling my stomach, I can't even buy an extra beer. Because according to the old man, the efficiency of beer for filling one's stomach is not as good as black bread.

"But on the other hand, when that old man sent me to school, he told me: 'Lafa, you know that Lycée Louis-le-Grand is one of the best schools. There are only two types of people who can study there: those from very wealthy or high-status families, and those who are extremely talented. Lafa, you know I am frugal, and I believe frugality is a virtue. But do you really think I became wealthy because I was more frugal than others? No, it's because I know where money is spent most efficiently. I spent money to pull strings to get you into Lycée Louis-le-Grand for two reasons.

"First, you can learn many skills there, skills I cannot teach you; second, you can meet many capable people there and become friends with them, which will make things much easier for you in the future. So, in matters like this, I am never stingy.'"

"Lafa," Armand shouted, "your father is truly an amazing guy! Perhaps I should introduce my uncle to your father. They would surely become friends."

"Ah, Armand, if you could arrange for my father to meet Monsieur Lavoisier, he would certainly be willing to pay for us all to drink champagne. But you had better consider it, because my father would likely use that opportunity to make even more money," Lucien replied. "Besides, my father would certainly not become friends with your uncle; his only friends are gold louis."

"Lafa, are you sure your father would consider me a talented person worth investing in?" Joseph asked again.

"Of course, because I think so, and my father believes: First, my loyalty to him is unquestionable. Second, among the people he knows, there are only a few who are both loyal and capable of identifying whether someone has talent and a future, and I am certainly one of them. Besides, my father said: 'There is no such thing as a business that is guaranteed to make money or guaranteed to lose. Taking risks is inherently part of doing business,'" Lafa replied. "I believe, although it's not certain, that you, Joseph, might be someone who goes down in history."

"Ah, Lafa, I will also go down in history. Give me some investment too," Armand shouted with a laugh.

Lucien looked at Armand and laughed heartily: "Classmate Armand, I believe you might also go down in history one day. But my father said: 'A poet, even a poet who goes down in history, is not a good investment. At least, not while he is still alive.'"

"Damn it, that sounds so much like what my uncle says," Armand said, putting on an annoyed expression.

"Joseph, you must come back," Oreno said, gripping his hand.

"If possible, I will return as soon as I can," Joseph replied.

After saying this, he tipped his hat to the group, then turned and boarded the stagecoach.

Carlo's condition deteriorated rapidly. By the time Joseph returned to Corsica, he had already entered a terminal state. For most of the day, he remained in a coma, and the time he was able to stay awake did not exceed two hours a day. By this time, the doctors were completely helpless.

In this era, European doctors had essentially only one method for serious illnesses: bloodletting. And stomach cancer, even in the future, was fatal if not detected early. In this era, there was neither the technical capability to detect it early nor the ability to treat it once discovered. So, at this point, the doctor simply told the family: "What Monsieur Carlo needs now is not a doctor, but a priest."

Napoleon had also returned; he had arrived a day earlier than Joseph. By the time Joseph returned, the whole family was gathered. By the evening of that day, Carlo regained consciousness for a brief moment. The priest began to perform the final prayers by his side, his wife held his hand, and the children surrounded him. His gaze shifted from his wife to his children, and finally rested on Joseph.

"Joseph..." Carlo said in a weak voice.

"Father, I am here," Joseph said.

"Take care of the family..." This was the last sentence Carlo said to Joseph.