The day after the premiere, Amand and the Dragon and Rose troupe received several new performance invitations. Among these invitations, there is one exceptionally different invitation. Because it did not come from a theater, but a member of the "National Constituent Assembly" - Mr. Robespierre.

If the person who saw the invitation was Joseph, he might have been taken aback, because Monsieur Robespierre was later known as a "killer," and according to some accounts, during his reign in France, Paris A high guillotine was erected in the center of every square in the city; an "enemy of the people" who was sentenced to death hangs on every street lamp pole. Later generations even made up such an epitaph for him: "I, Robespierre, rest here forever, passers-by, don't mourn for me, if I live, none of you will live!"

Joseph believed that, after the fall of Robespierre, few of his enemies, from the Thermidor to the later Emperor Napoleon to the restored Louis XVIII, would like this "incorruptible, the people's Defender, the guy who created the national motto: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" {Robespierre's real epitaph}. So throwing sewage on his head is almost certain to happen. Just like in the period of the Bourbon Restoration in history, they made up all kinds of delightful stories for Napoleon, portraying him vividly as a "Daltuffe" {the protagonist of Moliere's comedy "The Hypocrite"} and "Don Juan" "{In Europe, the name is synonymous with a womanizer}. Therefore, those legends about Robespierre's moodiness and his pleasure in the killing are mostly unreliable. However, even considering these, one thing is still certain, that is, the "incorruptible, the defender of the people" killed a lot of people, and many of them were once in the same trenches with him. people. If it is said that Robespierre enjoys killing people, it is likely to slander him; but if Robespierre is accustomed to solving problems by "solving those who cause problems", it is probably not false. of. In general, that is: it is very dangerous to be Robespierre's enemy, but it is not necessarily safe to be Robespierre's friend.

But Amand doesn't know this, and at this time, Robespierre's reputation is just right. He spoke more than 200 times during the three-level conference and the Constitutional Convention, ranking 20th among the delegates. In his speeches, he supported universal suffrage for male citizens, opposed the king's veto, supported the granting of Jewish civil rights, called for the abolition of slavery and the death penalty, and opposed press censorship. {Yes, you read that right, Robespierre was an abolitionist at that time. Strange? It's not surprising, it's just one piece of evidence that the butt decides the head. When Robespierre was an abolitionist, the tool of the death penalty was controlled by King Louis XVI, and it threatened "tricksters" like Robespierre. So Robespierre, as a "trickster", naturally opposed it. And when this tool fell into the hands of Robespierre, the situation was naturally different. Speaking of which, Louis XVI has just completed the only technical invention in his life-improving the design of the guillotine and increasing its efficiency. Ironically, the first user of this improved guillotine was Louis XVI himself. Master Lu's poem said: "As soon as the face is wide, it changes, and more and more heads are beheaded. Suddenly he goes into the field, and there is no Amitabha in the south." It can be a portrayal of these people. }

Most of Robespierre's proposals were not adopted, but they brought him the reputation of "the incorruptible". Now that he has received his invitation, Amand is naturally overjoyed. And the location provided by Robespierre is extraordinarily special, this place is the Royal Palace.

The Royal Palace was originally built for the Prime Minister of Louis XIII, Richelieu. To win over the people of Paris, the Orleans family opened it to the public in 1780. Since then, this private garden palace has gradually become a public square for the people of Paris. Of course, there must be the Duke of Orleans behind this. Now his political ambitions can be said to be well known to all.

During the French Revolution of 1789, Paris had two political centers. One is Versailles outside Paris, where the sānjí conference that will decide the fate of France is taking place. The other is the Royal Palace in central Paris. During that time, it was the thermometer of the political frenzy of the Parisian populace. These are the two political authorities, and if you compare them, after July 14, 1789, it was not Versailles but Royal that led France. Because Versailles cannot influence Royal; in turn, Royal can dominate Versailles.

The Royal Palace is a large palace that can accommodate tens of thousands of people. It is a place rich in various political pamphlets and speakers. Of course, there is no shortage of audiences and audiences. Since the sānjí meeting, people have exchanged various information here, including from Versailles; at the same time, it has been turned into various rumors and spread out. If Amand's drama can be staged here, even if it is only staged, it will make Amand famous.

Amand thought for a moment and accepted the invitation. In the evening he also took the starring Louis, to visit Robespierre.

Robespierre was staying in a hotel near the town hall at this time. He would have had better accommodation—many members of the Constituent Assembly had accepted the kindness of the Duke of Orleans or the Marquis of Farayette to live in their estates because of safety concerns. But the "incorruptible" still pays for himself and lives in an ordinary hotel. However, when Robespierre was a lawyer, he won a lot of lawsuits, so his financial situation is good, and the conditions of the hotel where he lives are also good. In addition to the bedroom, he also has a small living room with a sofa.

Amand took Louis to the third floor under the guidance of a waiter. This is the top floor of the hotel, which is quieter than the first and second floors, which may be one of the reasons why Robespierre chose to live here.

The waiter led Amand and Louis to a door and knocked softly.

"The door is open. Please come in." A hearty voice came from inside.

The waiter opened the door and said, "Mr. Robespierre, M. Lavoisier, and M. Saint-Just come to visit by appointment."

Yes, Louis' last name is St. Just. If Joseph had known his surname the last time he met him, he would have looked at this handsome young man who didn't speak much. Because although Joseph, who was an engineering dog in his last life, was not particularly familiar with the history of the French Revolution, he had read Victor Hugo's "93 Years", and from the notes on that novel, he knew that Robespierre's subordinates were the best. Hard-core little brother, known as "Archangel of Revolution" or "Archangel of Terror" Saint-Just.

But even if Amand didn't mention his surname when he introduced St. Just to Joseph, Joseph should have thought he was the "terrible archangel" because of his unparalleled beauty.

"Come in, gentlemen." A voice came from inside the room, but there was no one in the living room.

"Sorry, I'm writing a manuscript, and I have a few sentences left to finish, please wait on the sofa for a while. Hey, Henry, please help me greet them and bring them a cup of tea, thank you. "The voice came from the study on the other side of the living room.

The waiter took the two into the living room, let them sit down on the sofa, and poured them tea. The tea is a black tea from India, but the quality is very average. If you change it to Joseph, it is estimated that he will not drink it, because he knows that the low-grade tea leaves of this era are often added with patina to cover up mildew. Drinking this thing is not good for your health. No benefit at all.

But Amand and St. Just didn't have these concerns, they sat down on the sofa and drank their tea.

After another two minutes, these words came from the study: "Finally finished! I'm sorry for making you wait for a long time."

With this voice, a young man walked out, perhaps because he stayed up late, his face was a little pale, but his expression was serious. His lips were thin and his eyes were calm. His cheeks twitched nervously, which made his smile look unnatural. Following the lawyers' habit, his face was covered with powder, he was wearing gloves, his clothes were neatly brushed, his buttons were neatly buttoned, and there were no creases on his light blue jacket. The lower body is beige trousers, white stockings, shoes with silver buckles, a high tie, and crotch decoration on the front.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to be so quick." Robespierre stretched out his hand and shook hands with them, "I went to see your premiere yesterday, and after coming back, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep all night, full of My ears are full of that battle song of yours, and those rousing speeches of our Spartacus. I even forgot about my work, and it wasn't until a while ago that I remembered that I was going to give a speech in parliament tomorrow Speaking, I checked the time. I guess you will be there in an hour or two, so I will go to draft the manuscript. I have a problem. Once the manuscript is written, it cannot be interrupted in the middle. I have to let you wait here. Wait a minute. I hope you don't think I'm deliberately trying to snub you."

"I understand that," Saint-Just said. "When I'm doing something, I don't like to stop halfway through."

"Do you know the purpose of my invitation to perform at the Royal Palace this time?" Robespierre sat down on the sofa and asked very directly.

"You want to put pressure on the king through this play," Saint-Just replied almost without thinking.

The swiftness of the young Saint-Just's response exceeded Robespierre's expectations. He was stunned for a moment and then said: "You are right, this is indeed one of our goals. Our invitation, there are political considerations behind it. If you accept our invitation, you may also get involved in some political risks. I don't want to drag you into politics when you don't know anything about it. In the whirlpool. Well, you know, the current situation is quite tense and dangerous."