Three Hundred and Eighteen, the Beginning of Turmoil

The quiet departure of the two Alice sisters did not cause any ripples in the royal capital. In fact, everyone in the city, no matter rich or poor, their energy has been completely absorbed by the recent turbulent situation. Involved.

Some people are afraid of turmoil, for fear that their property will suffer any loss; some people love trouble and hope to make a small fortune during the turmoil; and some people simply hide behind the scenes, fanning the wind and igniting the fire, for fear that If the turmoil is not big enough, what they want most is to change the dynasty in order to maximize their personal interests.

And the actions of all living beings, the various desires and fears intertwined in the hearts of people, have also gathered into the torrent of history, which will pour down at a certain point in time, destroying all existing social buildings in front of them.

Now, most people have a vague premonition in their hearts - perhaps, the time will come when the superstructure is torn down and rebuilt again.

It is not that the French have never seen this kind of scene. Those who are a little older can easily witness four or five changes of government. Even those who are younger still have fresh memories of the overthrow of Napoleon's empire fifteen years ago. .

Precisely because they have seen the "big world", the Parisians are nervous but also a little uncertain. Except for a very small number of the most die-hard orthodoxists, no one feels for the crisis that the Bourbon dynasty is facing now. Worry and indignation——

After all, even a demigod like Emperor Napoleon can fall, so what can't you, a mediocre King Charles X, fail to do?

Therefore, in addition to carefully ensuring their own safety, the vast majority of people even watched this great fun with an indifferent attitude. Whether the Bourbon dynasty continued to rule or suddenly collapsed, it seemed that it had nothing to do with them. It will never inspire their sympathy.

On the contrary, people who are bankrupt and unemployed due to the recent economic crisis want to vent their accumulated grievances on these unpopular rulers - as for what will happen after venting, they don't know and don't care.

Of course, outsiders can be indifferent, but insiders cannot be so calm.

Since the end of 1829, Charles X and his prime minister, Prince Polignac, have been trying every means to maintain order and repair the crumbling dynasty. While they promulgated what they saw as speech control laws, they also tried to pass laws in parliament. win a stable majority support.

However,

Two or three months have passed, and it is now the beginning of 1830. The efforts of the king and the prime minister have not seen any results. Even the official report, which has always only said good things, has to admit that the situation is getting worse.

In the public opinion field where news is flying, there are already many rumors that the restless parliament has decided to propose a bill of no confidence in the current government - and judging from the current situation, this bill is likely to be passed easily, that is to say His Majesty the King will lose his most trusted Prime Minister and Cabinet.

In an atmosphere of exhaustion and frustration, the patience of the palace and the government finally ran out, so after the last discussion, the king and the prime minister decided to launch a series of "heavy measures" they had discussed.

These measures include: dissolving parliament before it raises an eucalyptus of no confidence; amending the electoral law to exclude the majority of voters from the dynasty's opponents, and even imposing military control if necessary.

Even His Majesty the King himself knows how important this decision is. Once implemented, he will have no way out. He will either forcefully subdue all the opponents or arouse their resistance, which may lead to more serious consequences. of turmoil.

Depriving some voters of their right to vote means depriving them of their most cherished political rights, and it also means depriving a group of people of their political careers. You don’t have to think about what these people will do.

So he had been hesitant before, not wanting to test how loyal the French people were to him.

However, now at this urgent juncture, he no longer wants to delay it. He can only take a gamble, because if he doesn't gamble, he will soon lose his prime minister and be replaced by a cabinet that is no longer tame. , and will lose his throne.

This was a desperate fight, and he himself didn't know what would happen next.

On January 21, on this unlucky day, Prime Minister Prince Polignac came to the Bourbon Palace, where the House of Commons is located, with the King's order to dissolve Parliament. At this time, the seats were full of MPs.

After the Prime Minister entered the Parliament, he walked along the corridor between the seats and walked to the podium. He was surrounded by gloomy and indifferent faces, as if he knew in advance what he would bring.

The weather was very cold at this time, and it was still snowing outside the window, but Mr. Prime Minister was sweating on his forehead because of nervousness, and he didn't even feel the chill at all.

He did not want to waste time and create extraneous matters, so as soon as he stepped onto the podium, he immediately read out the decree of His Majesty the King dissolving Parliament.

"His Majesty the King is deeply saddened by the recent chaos in the Parliament and the repeated delays in discussions and legislation. In accordance with the powers granted by the Constitution, he has ordered the dissolution of this Parliament today. He has also set a date to hold a new election of members in order to win the approval of the people as soon as possible. , a legislative body that looks forward to both inside and outside!"

After he finished reading, according to the original procedure, the members would applaud to confirm the formal dissolution of the current parliament, and then return to their respective constituencies to prepare for the new election.

However, at this moment, except for the group of conservative members who were the most staunch defenders of the king, no one applauded. The sparse applause echoed in the spacious chamber. Not only was there no enthusiasm, but it seemed a bit ironic.

The Prime Minister was naturally furious that the MPs were so openly defying His Majesty the King's decree. However, according to the law, even without the explicit support of the MPs, the Parliament was automatically dissolved after the King's decree of dissolution was issued.

So according to the law, the parliament was temporarily dormant at this moment, and he no longer had to worry about the faces of these annoying people.

Because of this "too lazy to talk to you anymore" mentality, the Prime Minister did not scold the MPs, but prepared to step off the podium and leave this chaotic place.

However, just as he stepped off the podium, the originally silent assembly hall suddenly erupted into thunderous commotion.

"Oppose dissolution!"

"Oppose dissolution!"

At first, only a few people were shouting, but soon, as if it was an infectious disease, the MPs present started making noises, refusing to leave, and even more so, rejecting the edict just issued by His Majesty the King.

Seeing this scene, the Prime Minister suddenly turned pale.

Although he and His Majesty the King had considered in advance that this sudden edict would encounter opposition, they did not expect that the opposition would come so quickly and openly——

It seemed that they had been ventilated beforehand and had been connected in series! A bad premonition flashed through the Prime Minister's mind.

His years of political acumen told him that this was a signal for the opposition to gather and openly commit rebellion.

When was the last time the National Assembly defied the King's will to dissolve it? This terrible thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Unable to think too much, he and his entourage quickly called for the bailiffs from the parliament chamber to come out to maintain order.

However, no one came to help him maintain order, and his actions seemed to anger the MPs. They left the seats one after another and crowded towards the podium, shouting slogans against the prime minister and the king.

This is a coup! The Prime Minister understood immediately.

He looked at the excitement of the crowd and knew that what he encountered today was by no means an ordinary parliamentary confrontation.

At this time, he no longer cared about maintaining order. Under the cover of a group of bailiffs who could barely move, he and his followers finally walked out of the meeting hall amid the pushing and shoving of the crowd.

At this time, no one in the noisy meeting hall took the king's order seriously.

Listening to the incessant noise from behind, the Prime Minister felt that his breathing had become faster. He knew very well what this meant.

Again! Here we go again!

The warning of the crisis made him fearful and nervous, and he didn't know what his next fate would be.

He hurried out of the parliament in the midst of this chaos, and then, surrounded by his own guards, hurried to the palace, and faced with His Majesty the King what was going to happen next.

Behind him, the Bourbon Palace - a magnificent imitation Romanesque building - quietly watched him leave. The cold wind blew mercilessly on the banks of the Seine in front of the Bourbon Palace, seeming to announce the iris in an icy way. The flag of flowers will once again be lowered over the land of France.

The prime minister's hasty departure did not dampen the enthusiasm of the members present.

Some of these congressmen have long been attracted and want to take the opportunity to overthrow the dynasty; some are already dissatisfied with the royal family's recent perverse behavior and jumped out when they saw someone taking the lead; and some people, because of the government's next move They will deprive their supporters of the right to vote. Therefore, the political life is also resentful of the dynasty under the crisis and is happy to see the king and prime minister collapse.

Several people had different thoughts, making noises while venting their hatred accumulated over the years against the Bourbon royal family.

"Fifteen years, fifteen years!" A congressman stepped onto the podium and loudly mobilized the surrounding congressmen. "With such a long time, a baby can grow into a teenager and learn complex arithmetic and language. ;A writer can write a masterpiece, but our King, he has learned nothing and forgotten nothing!

He ruled the country in the most arrogant and despicable way. He extorted a billion francs from the treasury to compensate his treasonous lackeys; he banned newspapers and exiled the most loyal patriots; he also wanted to rob Our voters’ most precious votes! Who was it that encouraged him to feel that he could do whatever he wanted? What merit has he done to the country that he can behave so unscrupulously?

He didn't! He is just a mediocre man who ascended to the throne by luck, but he feels that he can rule our fearless nation like a tyrant! We have endured him for so many years with great tolerance. Is he satisfied? Did he stop there? No, he did not! He is pushing every inch of his life to exploit the people, and he will continue to do the opposite and use up all the money in the treasury to satisfy his endless greed! How long should we tolerate such a king? How much cowardice and cowardice must be required for people to continue to be willing to tolerate him and crawl at his feet! ? ”

"Yes!"

The congressman's instigation triggered thunderous applause from the audience.

Every sentence of this long-prepared statement was deliberately arousing emotions, but every sentence was true to the point, making it difficult to refute - and because of this, he received the heartfelt support of all the opposition MPs. resonance.

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“The constitution stipulates that the king has the right to rule this country, but it also stipulates that the king must abide by the laws of the people. However, since he ascended the throne, he has violated all promises and creeds, and now he wants to deprive legal voters of their right to vote, He betrayed the people once again! Please tell me, after he has proven that he will not abide by the Constitution, should we continue to tolerate him?!"

the MP asked loudly.

"No!"

"Reject!"

He almost immediately got the buzz he wanted.

"We want to depose him!" a congressman next to him shouted what people were thinking at this time.

Some people were already connected in the conspiracy, so they immediately agreed with the proposal.

Although some people did not participate in the conspiracy, under the excitement of the crowd at this moment, their emotions and hatred were aroused, and they also loudly echoed and supported this dangerous and terrifying proposal.

In out-of-control parliamentary politics, there are often such sudden and dramatic turns - it was also in this atmosphere that Robespierre was suddenly recognized as an enemy of the people.

Compared to Robespierre, King Charles X was nothing.

At this time, amidst the excitement of the crowd, a gray-haired congressman stepped onto the podium with a serious expression.

"Gentlemen, in view of His Majesty the King's serious unconstitutional behavior at this time and his unmistakable and arrogant tendency to suppress people's rights, we have determined that he is no longer fit to be in charge of this country."

"Marquis de Lafayette!" Almost everyone knows this famous "revolutionary pioneer" and today's opposition member of parliament.

From his demeanor, we can only see the solemnity and solemnity of dedicating himself to the country at this moment.

And this sense of solemnity seemed to bring him endless persuasion at this moment.

"However, our freedom is not defended by speeches in Parliament, but by the arms and enthusiasm of the people - the people must be armed to defend themselves!" the Marquis de Lafayette shouted in a high tone His own motion, "I suggest that the Assembly immediately pass a decree to allow the people of Paris to arm themselves, form a National Guard, drive away the tyrants, and defend our country."

"Agree!"

"Down with the king and defend the motherland!"

At this moment, his motion naturally received enthusiastic support from almost all MPs.

"Let the Marquis de Lafayette be in charge of the National Guard!

”

In these few minutes, the patron saint of the revolution seemed to have returned, and he was once again confident that he would bring a better future to this country, at least he believed so.