After Louis Feldbu left, Jero Bonaparte also left the room and went to Friedrich’s study.
When Jero Bonaparte opened the door and entered, he saw Friedrich sitting at the table with a troubled expression, while Augusta was also sitting next to Friedrich, looking equally worried.
"What’s wrong with you two?" Jero Bonaparte asked as he strolled to Friedrich’s side.
Seeing Jero Bonaparte arrive, Augusta imdiately stood up and said in German, "Your son, you take care of him! I’m at my wit’s end!"
With that, Augusta sat angrily on the sofa, silent.
Looking at Augusta, who didn’t say a word, Jero Bonaparte instantly understood that Augusta must be upset about Friedrich’s study issues.
So, Jero Bonaparte walked slowly to Friedrich’s side and gently asked Friedrich what had upset his mother.
Friedrich softly told Jero Bonaparte that he couldn’t learn German, which made his mother angry.
"Which word do you not know? I’ll teach you!" Jero Bonaparte thought using study as a way to strengthen the father-son bond with Friedrich.
After all, this was one of his rare free monts.
Ti quickly passed over an hour, and suddenly Jero Bonaparte’s roar echoed in the room, "Friedrich, I’ve taught you how many tis!
How could you still get it wrong!"
With that, Jero Bonaparte raised his hand to hit Friedrich. Friedrich, sitting in the chair, curled up, looking extrely helpless.
Seeing this, Augusta, sitting on the sofa, hurriedly stepped in front of Friedrich, shouting at Jero Bonaparte, "Jero, what are you doing!!"
Looking at Augusta, like a mother tiger, Jero Bonaparte had to lower his hand and awkwardly smiled at Augusta, "I was just trying to scare Friedrich!"
"The child isn’t very bright to begin with, if you scare him silly, won’t he be even less bright!" Augusta said to Jero Bonaparte with a frown.
Friedrich, sitting behind Augusta, heard his mother say he wasn’t smart and imdiately protested softly, "Mom, I’m not dumb!"
"Shut up!" Augusta glared at Friedrich fiercely and said through gritted teeth, "Ungrateful child, aren’t you afraid of angering enough!"
Hearing Augusta’s words, Friedrich imdiately covered his mouth with both hands, his eyes full of innocent expression.
Jero Bonaparte first glanced at Friedrich, then looked at Augusta blocking in front of Friedrich, and blandly expressed that he was going out for a smoke.
After Jero Bonaparte left, Friedrich continued to receive hands-on teaching from Augusta.
Walking in the corridors of Fontainebleau Palace, Jero Bonaparte soon encountered Bulbaski and reached out for a cigarette.
Seeing the lancholy on Jero Bonaparte’s face, Bulbaski imdiately handed over the cigarette he had brought.
Jero Bonaparte opened the cigarette box, took one out, and returned it to Bulbaski, then asked Bulbaski for a matchbox.
Bulbaski held the matchbox and lit Jero Bonaparte’s cigarette.
As a wisp of white smoke drifted from the window of Fontainebleau Palace, Jero Bonaparte’s lancholy expression slightly eased.
Placing his hands on the window, Jero Bonaparte first looked at the flowing Seine River outside Fontainebleau Palace, then gazed at the lush forest in the distance, finally addressing Bulbaski, "Bulbaski, why don’t you join for a smoke! There’s no one else here!"
"Yes!"
Bulbaski adeptly took a cigarette from the pack and lit it.
When the cigarette burned to the middle, Jero Bonaparte spoke again, "I think Friedrich seems quite smart usually! Why does he beco like this when it cos to studying?"
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is still young! When he gets older, it won’t be like this!" Bulbaski hurriedly reassured Jero Bonaparte.
"He’s not that young anymore!" Jero Bonaparte sighed, "He’s already 5 years old, how many five-year periods can one squander in a lifeti!
If he doesn’t learn now, how can I entrust the Empire to him later?"
"Your Majesty, you’re in the pri of life now! By the ti the Crown Prince handles state affairs, it will be a hundred years later!" Bulbaski said again to reassure Jero Bonaparte.
"Alas!" Jero Bonaparte sighed again, as the idea of constitutional monarchy began to surface in his mind.
The premise of implenting an absolute monarchy in France is that a monarch can, by his will, suppress all opposing factions.
If a monarch cannot effectively suppress the opposition, then a constitutional monarchy is not a bad choice.
By re-establishing the authority of the parliant and placing it in front of the monarch, the people of France will direct all their anger at the parliant, thereby ignoring the monarch hidden behind it.
Once the parliant is opposed by all the people of France, the monarch can take the opportunity to dismiss the parliant and replace its mbers with those relatively trusted by the people of Paris.
However, once France implents constitutional monarchy, the monarch’s rights, while protected by parliant, will inevitably be suppressed by it.
For Friedrich to ignore the opposition of the Legislative Corps and act willfully is simply impossible to achieve.
Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, Jero Bonaparte is still unwilling to shackle Friedrich with this "constraint."
If Friedrich truly fails to et his expectations, then a constitutional monarchy would not be a "shackle" for Friedrich, but an effective form of protection, shielding him from overwhelming public sentint.
Seeing Jero Bonaparte so forlorn, Bulbaski again comforted Jero Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, forgive my bluntness!
You only see the Crown Prince’s shortcomings in terms of learning, but you overlook his excellent abilities in handling things!"
"Handling things?" Jero Bonaparte was taken aback, then recalled what Friedrich had said to Bulbaski earlier, "Yes, he indeed has so talent in this aspect!
But his studies..."
"So abilities can be compensated for through acquired effort, while others cannot be," Bulbaski responded to Jero Bonaparte, "In the Crown Prince, I feel a different kind of affinity compared to you, Your Majesty!
I believe the Crown Prince will certainly beco a kind and approachable Emperor in the future!"
Bulbaski paused, then Jero Bonaparte said, "As for his studies, as long as he perseveres! I believe the Crown Prince will certainly catch up!"
"I hope so!"
Jero Bonaparte recalled his past life of studying with imnse determination, believing that only if Friedrich studies as diligently as he did, he will catch up.
A cigarette burned down to the butt in Jero Bonaparte’s hand, and with a firm flick, the butt traced a graceful arc in the air, landing in the courtyard of the Fontainebleau Palace.
The rest would be left to the servants in the courtyard!
"Thank you, Bulbaski!" Jero Bonaparte said with a smile to Bulbaski.
"It’s the least I can do!" Bulbaski humbly responded to Jero Bonaparte.
Afterward, Jero Bonaparte returned to the room, where Friedrich instinctively shifted upon seeing his father.
Seeing the slightly fearful expression of his son, Jero Bonaparte showed a trace of regret in his eyes. He walked slowly to Friedrich’s side, gently stroked his head, and softly apologized, "I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have lost my temper with you earlier!"
Facing the apology from Jero Bonaparte, Friedrich magnanimously expressed his forgiveness.
Imdiately after, Jero Bonaparte inford Friedrich.
In the coming period, he would spend so ti each day accompanying Friedrich in his studies.
"No! That’s not necessary! I have Mother with , that’s enough!" Friedrich wanted to refuse Jero Bonaparte imdiately, afraid that a situation like earlier might happen again.
"But that’s not right!" Jero Bonaparte shook his head and responded to Friedrich, "As your father, I naturally can’t be absent during your most important monts!"
In the following months, Jero Bonaparte did not return to the Tuileries Palace. Instead, he publicly announced that renovations would be made to the Tuileries Palace.
During the renovation period, he would remain at the Fontainebleau Palace throughout.
Since Fontainebleau Palace is about 100 kiloters from Paris, it’s clearly impossible to consolidate all of Paris’s affairs at Fontainebleau Palace, so Jero Bonaparte delegated many non-essential governntal tasks to the departnt heads, keeping only those that required monarchical intervention.
However, even though Jero Bonaparte had devolved the vast majority of authority to the departnts, many tasks still required ministers to personally report to Fontainebleau Palace.
Ministers based in Paris had to travel to Fontainebleau Palace by train every two or three days to report to Jero Bonaparte in person.
Although each train journey took only two or three hours, over ti, the ministers inevitably felt so grievances.
During this period, many ministers suggested that Jero Bonaparte move back to the Tuileries Palace.
Jero Bonaparte ignored these suggestions, focusing solely on perfecting his plan to suppress Paris and personally organizing a "Grand Tournant" among the Guard Army stationed near Paris.
This move further intimidated the Republican Faction in Paris, who feared the Emperor might inadvertently enter Paris for the "Grand Tournant."
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