"There's nothing yet," said Prosper with a troubled expression, "As you know, we haven't really been in contact with the military before. Just yesterday, my people managed to establish a connection with an officer of the French Guards..."Fouche spoke coldly, "I'll give you five more days. If you can't find anything of value, the position of the action team leader can be replaced.""Yes, sir! I will do my utmost," Prosper could only accept the command with a bitter face.Seeing his expression, Fouche knew the difficulty of this mission was extreme—the army had its own intelligence system, even the secret police hardly dared to stretch their tentacles into military affairs, let alone the Police Affairs Department that had been established for only a few months."Remember, where there's contact, there must be a trace!" he encouraged his subordinate, "As long as you pay attention to all the details, I believe, you will find what you're looking for."...In the office of the Commander of

Queen Mary was momentarily stunned upon hearing the words, her heart starting to race. Could it be that her son was so enthusiastic because he was harboring thoughts about the princess of the Two Sicilies?"Oh, that's right," she recalled, "Maria is a very intelligent girl, skilled in astronomy and mathematics. Perhaps it's these qualities that have attracted Joseph."With some reluctance, she nodded: "That would be nice, dear, to show the Princess of the Two Sicilies our warmth and courtesy."She then quickly added, "By the way, Clementine will also be arriving in Paris soon. Are you planning to go...?"Joseph immediately smiled and bowed: "Of course, Mother, how could I not welcome a cousin who has come from afar?"He certainly didn't mind welcoming more princesses, and it also served to cover up his intent to set a trap for Besanval while greeting Maria.The Queen finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her son was only being courteous, not more interested in the princess from the Two S

Over forty minutes later, the leading painter looked at the freshly adorned farmhouse, nodded in satisfaction, and beckoned his subordinates to leave.The soldiers guarding the house had not noticed that he was holding one more paint bucket than before, and his long-handled brush had disappeared.Naturally, that paint bucket contained the military uniforms of Audric's two "younger brothers" and the work clothes of the three men, while the "long-handled brush" was left in the attic.When the painters left the area, an officer of the French guards stopped them, checked their identification, and counted the number of people.There were eight people coming, and still eight people leaving; everything was in order.The officer nodded for his subordinates to let them pass. Even if he searched them exhaustively, he would not likely check with the soldiers guarding each farmhouse about the specifics of the painters.The next morning, the sun cast slanted rays on the spacious avenues outside of

"Ah, Holy Mary! Why has such a terrible thing happened..."The Sicilian princess covered her mouth in shock, wanting to look out the window but too afraid to even lift her head, huddling in the corner of her seat, incessantly crying, "His Highness the Crown Prince was attacked because he came to pick me up; it's all my fault... Wuu... It's all because of me..."Next to her, Ambassador Timothy warily glanced outside, swiftly drew the curtains, and then handed a handkerchief to the princess, admonishing her in a somewhat agitated, low voice, "Your Highness, please stay calm, this has nothing to do with you."Having a handkerchief to wipe away her tears made Maria cry even more fiercely, "What will I do if His Highness the Crown Prince has an accident?""No, that won't happen," Timothy said hurriedly, trying to reassure her, "Listening to those gunshots, they should've been fired from a long distance. Even if the Crown Prince was hit, it shouldn't be fatal.""Really?" Maria recalled the

Queen Mary stared at the sketch in front of her, her face taut with extreme dissatisfaction, "Is the punishment that light?"Justice Minister Breti nodded somewhat helplessly, "Your Majesty, according to the relevant decrees, this is the heaviest punishment for General Besanval. Unless there is evidence to prove that he deliberately allowed the bandits to get close to Your Highness."That's how the laws of France were at the time, very lenient towards the nobility. More than a decade ago, Countess Jeanne de la Motte, claiming to be Queen Mary's maid, found another woman to impersonate the Queen and tricked the Archbishop of Rouen into buying a necklace worth 2 million livres for the "Queen." Jeanne then handed the necklace to Count de la Motte, who sold it in England.It was only when the jewelers complained to the Queen about the installment payments not being received that the matter was revealed. The Archbishop of Rouen publicly presented "the Queen's" personal letters to clear his