I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1451 "Fire Brigade"

"I think……"

Before Queen Marie Antoinette could figure out how to respond, the nurse beside the bed took the thermometer out of Louis XVI's mouth and handed it to the royal physician.

The nobles in the room immediately gathered around, and the Earl of Artois, who was closest, read out the thermometer reading: "Forty degrees Celsius... God! What... what are we going to do?"

Queen Marie Antoinette had initially intended to say, "His Majesty will surely hold out until Brittany," but she was now somewhat dumbfounded, realizing that the arrangements had gone a bit too far.

She had only thought that the nobles would prevent the king from leaving Paris, so she tried to make her husband "seriously ill," but obviously no one with a fever of 40 degrees Celsius should travel six or seven hundred kilometers...

Sure enough, the ward fell silent for a moment, and then Duke Broy turned to the side and whispered, "I think we should convene a special meeting of the Senate as soon as possible to discuss how to deal with the current situation."

Archbishop Talleyrand glanced at him and strode to the middle of the ward: "The most urgent matter now is to immediately inform His Highness the Crown Prince and have him return to Versailles to take charge of the situation."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Duke Richelieu added, "Furthermore, we must temporarily keep His Majesty's condition a secret from the public."

Count Artois looked at his elder brother: "We must gather more renowned doctors for a consultation. We must ensure His Majesty holds on until His Highness the Crown Prince returns."

Queen Mary was stunned. How could this be considered a discussion of the king's funeral arrangements?
She hurriedly waved her hand and said, "No, it shouldn't be that serious. Don't let Joseph come back yet..."

The most crucial part of her plan was choosing the opportunity of Joseph's visit to Marseille to inspect the new site of the European Central Bank, in order to avoid him discovering any flaws—she had no confidence that she could hide it from her eldest son.

Then, by taking advantage of this time difference, the Senate and the High Court quickly passed the "Regent's Charter," so that when Joseph returned, even if he found something was wrong, he would have no choice but to accept it passively.

Count Artois sighed, walked to her side, and comforted her, "Your Majesty, I understand your feelings and believe that God will protect my brother, but we must also be prepared for any eventuality in matters of state."

Queen Mary began frantically signaling to Dr. Petit that he should say something like, "The King's condition is under control."

But the latter thought she was urging him to continue according to the established script, so he said helplessly, "Well, I'm confident I can cure His Majesty in Brittany..."

You'd better know what you're talking about!

Duke Richelieu glared at him: "The king is crowned at Versailles, and he should also pass away here; that is the proper way for the dynasty to rule!"

The Duke of Montmorency chimed in, "His Majesty certainly doesn't want to leave Versailles at this time either."

Dr. Petit was sweating profusely after being reprimanded by the group of powerful figures, and had no choice but to turn to the Queen for help.

Yes, according to the rules of the French monarchy, the king must be born in Versailles and die in Versailles, and the handover of power between the old and new kings must be completed in the presence of all the nobles. This is the most orthodox and sacred order.

France has a very important ceremony in which all the nobles shout "The King is dead! Long live the King!" in the King's bedroom as a symbol of the legitimate succession of royal power.

Queen Mary was sweating more coldly than the royal physician.

She subconsciously knew her husband was alright, so when she made the plan, she didn't consider that what the ministers were most concerned about was actually the king's death.

She is already considering whether to suddenly announce tomorrow that "the king has recovered" to end this chaos.

Just then, Duke Levis squeezed through the crowd and came to the bedside. He bowed to Queen Mary and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that His Majesty the King has suddenly fallen seriously ill, so I brought Dr. Kovisat and the others with me."

He gestured behind him, and saw the director of the health bureau and several of France's top doctors standing at the door.

Queen Mary paused, glancing guiltily at the royal physicians, including Petit and Bisha. She had only arranged for these few physicians in her plan; if Kovisat and the others discovered the king was feigning illness, she would suffer a terrible loss of face…

“Your Majesty, you need not worry. Dr. Kovisat is here to help.”

Queen Mary heard a whisper in her ear. She turned around in surprise and saw her maid, Duchess Levis, had appeared behind her at some point.

Under the tense gaze of the royal physicians, including Petit, Kovisat and Du Mangran carefully examined the king. Afterward, they addressed the people in the room, saying, "Based on my experience, His Majesty's condition is still under control. With meticulous treatment, there is a high probability that he can recover."

Count Artois and the others looked at Dr. Petit with suspicion.

The royal physician looked at the queen with a pained expression.

Queen Mary glanced at Duchess Levis and nodded slightly to them.

Dr. Petit was immediately relieved, saying, "Yes, yes, Mr. Kovisat is right. Although His Majesty has typhus, the bacteria seem to be under control. This...this is simply a miracle..."

Prince Kongdai frowned and asked, "But His Majesty's fever has reached forty degrees Celsius?"

Kovisat immediately added, "This is just a common reaction in the early stages of typhus. In some cases, the higher the fever, the faster the recovery."

After he finished speaking, he silently prayed: "Please, I hope none of the doctors present will quote these words in their papers..."

Yes, he was just someone Duke Levis brought in to save the day.

Queen Mary secretly breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "So, what do you think should be done?"

Baron Breteau, standing at the edge of the ward, raised his hand and announced, “The Fontainebleau Sanatorium. It has the finest medical examination facilities and a comfortable environment, making it ideal for rehabilitation treatment.”

Although he held the high position of Prime Minister of the Empire, he was not among the most eligible nobles and was only barely qualified to enter the King's ward.

Duke Levis immediately agreed: "This is indeed the best way. Fontainebleau is very close to Paris, so even if there are any unexpected circumstances, His Majesty can quickly return to Versailles."

Today, a steam railcar connects Fontainebleau and Paris, making the journey less than three hours each way.

Queen Mary, seeing her maidservant frantically gesturing to her, quickly nodded in agreement: "Alright, then let's go to Fontainebleau."

The Count of Artois, the Duke of Richelieu, and the others exchanged glances, unable to find any reason to object. After all, if the king could be saved, they should try their best to do so; it wasn't like they were going to Brittany, such a far place.

Soon, Louis XVI was carried onto a carriage by his servants, and then transferred to a steam railcar.

The railcar started moving, and Duke Levis and Baron Brett came to the Queen's carriage to request an audience.

Queen Mary had nothing but praise for Duke Levis; if he hadn't suddenly brought people from the Health and Medical Bureau today, she really wouldn't know how to handle the situation.

"This is simply what I should do."

Duke Levis bowed humbly and continued:

"Your Majesty, there is another very important matter. His Majesty the King may need a considerable amount of time to recover, which will leave Versailles Palace temporarily without someone to oversee the affairs of the court."

(End of this chapter)