November 2, 1855.
As dawn pierced the veil shrouding the waters of Rouen, a steam passenger ship slowly sailed into the port of Rouen from afar.
Once the passenger ship was steady, Jero Bonaparte and Augusta, dressed in casual attire, stepped down the stairs leading to the port, walking towards the Rouen dock below.
Soon, Jero Bonaparte and Augusta stood on the dock of Rouen port.
Seeing the bustling crowd at the dock, Jero Bonaparte and Augusta exchanged smiles.
After more than a month, they were finally back in their country.
"Finally returned!" Jero Bonaparte couldn’t help but exclaim.
"Yes!!" Augusta echoed.
Just as Jero Bonaparte and Empress Augusta were lanting the hardships of the journey, Mokar approached them and quietly asked if they were heading to Rouen City Hall to et with the officials.
"No need!" Jero Bonaparte decisively rejected Mokar, "I’m just passing through here; there’s no need to disturb Rouen’s officials!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Mokar replied, bowing.
Imdiately afterward, Jero Bonaparte and Augusta were accommodated in a luxurious hotel in Rouen city by Mokar, who personally went to Rouen train station to purchase train tickets to Paris for the couple.
After waiting quietly on the sofa for more than an hour, the door was knocked again. Jero Bonaparte stood up and went to the door to inquire: "Who is it?"
"Your Majesty, it’s , Mokar!" Mokar’s voice ca from outside the door.
This fellow, didn’t I tell him to call sir!
Jero Bonaparte grumbled inwardly, then opened the door.
Once the door was opened, Jero Bonaparte found that Mokar was not the only one standing at the door.
Behind Mokar stood a man who looked familiar, but Jero Bonaparte couldn’t quite recall who he was.
"Who are you?" Jero Bonaparte asked curiously, looking at the person following Mokar.
"Your Majesty, I am the Mayor of Rouen City, Adolphe Leclerc!" Mayor Leclerc behind Mokar promptly introduced himself.
After listening to Leclerc’s introduction, Jero Bonaparte glared fiercely at Mokar.
Seeing this, Mokar hurriedly explained to Jero Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, Mayor Leclerc and I just happened to et on the way! I didn’t specifically go to City Hall to find Leclerc!"
Standing by, Adolphe Leclerc also spoke up in agreent, "Your Majesty, Chief Steward Mokar is correct! We just encountered each other by chance on the street."
"Co in!" Jero Bonaparte said indifferently to Adolphe Leclerc and Mokar.
Adolphe Leclerc and Mokar entered the room, and Empress Augusta, seeing Mayor Leclerc co in, likewise stood up and greeted Leclerc: "Mr. Leclerc, hello!"
"Your Majesty Empress, hello!" Leclerc quickly bowed to Empress Augusta, "Please forgive for coming without an appointnt!"
"It’s nothing!" Empress Augusta shook her head and replied to Leclerc, "My husband and I were worried about causing you unnecessary trouble, so we did not notify you!
Mr. Leclerc being able to co, both my husband and I are very pleased!"
"Augusta is right! It’s delightful that you could co!!"
Since Leclerc had co, Jero Bonaparte had no reason to send him away. He extended his hand and invited Mayor Leclerc to sit down.
Subsequently, Leclerc reported to Jero Bonaparte on the developnt situation in the Rouen region, as well as the financial inco and expenditure.
From Leclerc, Jero Bonaparte learned that the developnt in the Rouen region had not stagnated or even regressed following the cessation of the war.
Rather, due to the war’s end, the developnt speed was faster than during the war.
The reason being, Rouen City relied on processing semi-finished textiles from overseas (mainly Britain and the United States) and then exporting them to earn processing profits.
During warti, Rouen had to make concessions for the war, leading the textile orders to favor low-cost orders, thus reducing profits for the Rouen region.
Now, after the war’s end, the Rouen region could again obtain semi-finished textiles from overseas for secondary processing, thus earning substantial profits.
"Your Majesty, our City Hall plans to leverage Rouen City’s geographical advantage to establish a steel industrial park in Rouen City! This way, Rouen City can not only et its steel demands but also simultaneously satisfy the steel needs of other cities and towns in Normandy Province!" Mayor Leclerc ambitiously reported to Jero Bonaparte.
"Very good! Your City Hall’s idea is excellent," Jero Bonaparte nodded approvingly to Leclerc, "Rouen region should not only consolidate and develop the textile industry but also boldly explore other fields!
I think you should not only expand in the steel industry but also make advancents in the chemical field!
The textile dyes you produce are closely related to the chemical industry!
You, as the mayor, should consider the issue of synthetic dyes more and strive to let the whole world use products from Rouen!"
"Your Majesty, please rest assured! I will certainly follow your guidance and make the chemical field bigger and stronger!" Leclerc assured Jero Bonaparte.
"However, rember that everything cannot be rushed! The more anxious you are, the more likely things will go wrong!" Jero Bonaparte advised Leclerc once again.
"Yes!" Leclerc nodded once more.
Leclerc then inquired if Jero Bonaparte would be willing to accompany him to Rouen City Hall to "guide" the officials there.
"I don’t think that’s necessary!" Jero Bonaparte shook his head and refused Leclerc, "The developnt of your Rouen City Hall is quite good, it doesn’t need my outsider’s guidance!
Just continue maintaining it!"
Although Leclerc felt a bit disappointed in his heart that Jero Bonaparte was unwilling to visit Rouen City Hall, he still assured Jero Bonaparte that he would definitely adhere to his teachings.
"Alright! That’s all I have to say!" Jero Bonaparte turned his attention to Mokar, "How about the train tickets I asked you to buy?"
"Your Majesty, the train will depart at 3 PM!" Mokar promptly replied to Jero Bonaparte.
"3 PM, huh!" Jero Bonaparte took out his pocket watch to glance at the ti.
It was already around 11 AM, with just over 4 hours to go before the train’s departure ti.
Jero Bonaparte looked up with a smile and said to Leclerc, "Mr. Leclerc! If you don’t mind, you can stay and have a al with us!"
A look of joy imdiately appeared on Leclerc’s face. Dining at the sa table as the emperor was sothing he never even dared to dream of.
"It’s my honor, Your Majesty!" Leclerc bowed to Jero Bonaparte once again.
At 11:30 in the morning, the owner of the inn, knowing that his establishnt had encountered an important guest, personally brought lunch to Jero Bonaparte’s room and then left.
[PS: The owner didn’t know that Jero Bonaparte was the emperor; he only guessed that the person who could have Mayor Leclerc accompany him was probably so prince from Paris.]
Sitting at the dining table, Jero Bonaparte raised his wine glass and offered a blessing to Leclerc, "I hope that under your leadership, Joseph Leclerc, the City of Rouen will beco more prosperous!
Rest assured, the Empire will not forget anyone who has contributed to it!"
After speaking, Jero Bonaparte and Joseph Leclerc clinked glasses and then drained the red wine in their glasses.
...
The lunch lasted for nearly an hour before it ended, and a well-fed Jero Bonaparte bid farewell to Adolphe Leclerc outside the inn. (Adolphe Leclerc originally wanted to personally see Jero Bonaparte off to the train, but he was politely refused.)
At 2:25 in the afternoon, Jero Bonaparte and Augusta boarded the train, this ti in a first-class cabin.
Compared to the chaos of the third-class cabin, the first-class cabin appeared especially tranquil, with only about 20 people in the entire carriage.
Throughout the journey, Jero Bonaparte and Augusta didn’t make any new acquaintances.
Because each guest in the first-class cabin appeared so unapproachable.
Around 10 AM the next day, the train arrived in Paris.
As they got off the train, Jero Bonaparte and Augusta encountered Jero Patterson and a group of soldiers on the platform.
Other passengers in the first-class cabin showed surprise on their faces when they saw Jero Patterson.
Standing before Jero Bonaparte, Jero Patterson shouted in a firm voice, "His Majesty Emperor Jero, Her Majesty Empress Augusta, welco back to Paris!"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the first-class cabin guests changed again, and many showed a hint of regret on their faces.
If they had managed to converse with the two Majesties on the train, perhaps their destinies would be quite different now.
"Thank you for your hard work!" Jero Bonaparte nodded to Jero Patterson and then followed him to leave the train station.
On the way to the carriage, Jero Bonaparte asked Jero Patterson how he knew that he and Augusta were on that train!
Jero Patterson told Jero Bonaparte that Paris received a telegram from Rouen last night, stating that the Emperor and Empress had already taken the train heading to Paris, which is why they were present here.
"That fellow Leclerc..."
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