The Fox of France - Chapter 120 (Patreon)

A few days later marked the start of the "Ten-Day Holiday." Ever since the French Republic adopted the "Republican Calendar," this holiday system seemed to align with the ancient customs of the East, where officials would enjoy one day off every ten days. This system was humorously praised in "Tengwang Pavilion Ode" with the line "ten-day holidays, friends aplenty." Meanwhile, in the Western territories, the tradition of resting one day every seven days, influenced by Jewish customs, was changed to one day every ten days after the introduction of the "Republican Calendar" to distinguish it from Christian practices.

Joseph had never been a fan of this quirky holiday system.

Today marked the second ten-day holiday for Joseph since arriving in Toulon. During the previous one, he had been too engrossed in work and ended up spending it in overtime. But this time, with some free time and a few other reasons, Joseph decided to take this holiday to relax with his family. For this purpose, he had prepared by getting a good night's sleep a few days in advance.

Early in the morning, before the sun had even risen, Joseph hopped into a carriage, accompanied by a cavalry escort, and left the "Naval Research Institute" headed for Marseille. The distance between Toulon and Marseille was quite significant, and ideally, they should have departed in the evening, slept in the carriage, and arrived in the morning. But due to safety concerns, Joseph opted for a daytime journey. After all, they had half a day to spare, and it was ample time to reunite with his brothers.

After a hasty journey, they reached Marseille around noon, just in time for a family meal.

Joseph's arrival was greeted with genuine enthusiasm by the entire family. After lunch, he addressed everyone, "You all know that I have only one day for this holiday, so I'll have to return in the evening. It's ridiculous that most of my time is spent on the road."

The family members echoed their agreement, but Joseph noticed a glint of satisfaction in Lucien's eyes.

"Lucien, last time I visited, I wanted to check on your schoolwork. Unfortunately, I spent too much time with Mr. Fouché, and when I returned, you were already asleep. I didn't want to wake you, and I had to rush off early the next morning. Is there anything you don't understand?" Joseph inquired.

"Nothing, Napoleon explained everything to me," Lucien replied.

"Good, let's go to the study together. Bring your exercise book," Joseph said as he stood up.

"Joseph, if Lucien hasn't performed well, don't be too harsh, and don't beat him," Lætitia suddenly interjected.

"Mother, am I such a rough person? Lucien, tell your mother, when have I ever beaten you? I'm not a violent man like Napoleon," Joseph replied nonchalantly.

"Joseph rarely resorts to violence," Lucien obediently added, while thinking to himself, "But he has more tricks up his sleeve than violence..."

With that, Lucien accompanied Joseph to the study, and Napoleon followed. It was unclear if he intended to support his brother or watch Lucien's antics.

Since Napoleon followed, Pauline and the others followed suit.

Joseph took a seat at the desk and examined Lucien's exercises. Lucien had performed well this time, and he had indeed completed many questions. In the past, Lucien had been less diligent.

"It seems he's trying to cover his tracks," Joseph thought to himself, but he put on a friendly smile and said, "Lucien, this time you've done well. Your self-discipline has improved significantly. And, when you solved this particular question, the knowledge you used was something I hadn't taught you yet. Did Carnot teach you before?"

"No, no," Lucien said, "Napoleon taught me."

"Napoleon, you've done quite well," Joseph smiled. "I know you're busy just like me, always in a rush. In such circumstances, finding time to teach Lucien is commendable. I assume it was quite challenging for you. Lucien isn't as efficient as you in learning mathematics."

Napoleon nodded and continued, "Yes, indeed, it's just a limit problem, but it took me several days to explain it to him. Even Pauline understood it while listening, and she doesn't even study math."

Joseph nodded and continued, "However, Napoleon, there's actually a simpler solution for this question. You don't need to do it the way you did; it's too complicated. Look, all we need to do is... Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes, I understand!" Napoleon quickly nodded, while Lucien remained baffled.

"Alright, let's finish the assessment here," Joseph said.

Lucien immediately breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly put his exercise book away.

"Lucien, your performance is commendable," Joseph said, "You can also relax a bit. When you have time, you can go nearby and enjoy yourself. But I heard from Mr. Fouché that the suppression of counter-revolutionaries in Coudon was not successful, and while many were killed, many rebels evaded capture. Even the place we currently live was their estate. They must hold a deep grudge against our family, so if you go out, be cautious and visit safe places. There's a beautiful and secure place near Toulon, the Marguerite Fort..."

Lucien and Pauline's faces changed.

"When Napoleon and I first came to France, we took a boat trip near there; the scenery was truly breathtaking. Besides, this is where Napoleon achieved a decisive victory. He's quite the show-off, and I assume he's already taken you there, right?" Joseph continued, as if he were simply recommending a nice tourist spot.

"No, no," Lucien hurriedly replied, "I've been busy with math, I didn't have time."

"In that case, Napoleon, since you've been there, take him to enjoy," Joseph said with a smile. "Pauline, you can also take him to raise the flag. After all, you are the Saint of Toulon."

"Ah..." Lucien sat down abruptly, and Pauline turned pale. However, Pauline had only heard about Joseph's terrifying reputation from others and hadn't personally experienced it. Although she was startled, she didn't lose her composure like Lucien.

"Joseph, I...," Pauline began.

"Pauline, to be honest, you are not at fault in this matter. You are also a victim," Joseph said. "These two troublemakers are to blame for this nonsense, even threatening my sister. I have no intention of blaming you for this."

"I knew it, Joseph, you're the best! You've always been so kind to me," Pauline quickly responded.

"But I'm saddened," Joseph said. "Pauline, I've always been good to you, haven't I? So why did you assist these two rascals in deceiving me?"

"They... they frightened me," Pauline burst into tears. She saw an opportunity to get herself out of a tight spot, and she wasn't about to let it slip. "They threatened that if you found out about this, you'd punish me and make me do math problems non-stop. Then Lucien told me that if I didn't help, you'd drown him in math problems. So I..."

"Napoleon, you're quite a character!" Joseph gritted his teeth. "You even threatened your own sister. Today, I must teach you a lesson."

Joseph stood up as if searching for a riding crop or some other substitute.

"Joseph, spare Lucien. In reality, it's not entirely his fault. If not for that storm, if not for the heavy fog..." Pauline continued.

"Lucien, look at Pauline. You threatened her, and she's still trying to defend you. Aren't you ashamed? It's infuriating! Lucien, tell me, how should I punish you?" Joseph inquired.

"I... I'll do another set of practice exercises..." Lucien quickly replied.

"No, that's not enough!" Joseph said firmly. "First, you must write a reflection."

"Alright, alright, I'll write it," Lucien replied promptly.

"This reflection must touch your soul. It must explore the root causes of your mistake and trigger a genuine transformation from within. It must be sincere, with a minimum of five thousand words, no spelling errors, no misuse of words, no repetitive sentences, and no attempts to pad the word count with redundant phrases. It must be submitted to me before dinner tonight. Do you understand?"

Lucien stared blankly, nearly on the verge of collapsing.

As Joseph mentioned the "Saint of Toulon," Napoleon knew something terrible was about to happen. While Joseph was scolding Lucien, Napoleon saw an opportunity to escape. Sneaking out of the room, he intended to go inspect the troops, staying away until Joseph returned to Toulon. However, just as he was about to cross the threshold, Joseph's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Where are you going, Napoleon?" Joseph asked.

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