Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 9: The Source of Confidence (Please continue reading!)

Everyone at the school gate was stunned by Lionel's words, and then burst into a tsunami of laughter.

This irony, which is not new in the 21st century, had the effect of throwing a bomb into a crowd in the 19th century, making almost everyone who heard it laugh hysterically.

Even the coachmen, disregarding their masters' dignity, couldn't help but burst into laughter, resulting in several horses stumbling and nearly colliding.

It wasn't until a loud voice rang out that everyone stopped laughing: "This is the Sorbonne! What kind of behavior is this!"

Because the speaker was none other than Henri Patan, the director of the Sorbonne, a renowned scholar of classical literature, and an expert in Latin and Greek literature.

He was a stern old man with a high, shiny forehead and bright white temples, standing beside his carriage and reprimanding the crowd.

As the dean and scholar, his annual income exceeded 5 francs, not including the output of his farm and wine cellar. Therefore, he traveled in a four-seat Berlin-style carriage pulled by two horses, with a black walnut wood carriage, leather seats, and all the brass parts on the carriage were shiny, while the bells were simply plated with gold.

The crowd quickly scattered like birds and beasts, rushing into the classroom as the school bell rang.

Lionel and Albert also wanted to leave, but Henry Patan stopped them: "Albert, Lionel, you two, come to my office after class." Henry Patan was not only the dean, but also in charge of the classical literature course in the Faculty of Arts, so he recognized the two.

Upon hearing this, the two could only sheepishly lower their heads and reply, "Yes, Dean!"

Upon arriving in the classroom, neither of them had any interest in listening to the lesson—especially Albert, who would sometimes lower his head and shake it, and sometimes look at Lionel.

His expression was unpredictable, sometimes fierce, sometimes dejected.

Lionel ignored Albert but couldn't concentrate on anything either, so much so that the professor reminded him twice not to daydream: "Leon, you country bumpkin from the Alps, you have no right to daydream in this sacred classroom!"

Well, in a 19th-century university, this hardly qualifies as a "personal attack," and no student would complain about a teacher for it.

In the past two days, Lionel has resolutely fought back against Albert's bullying—not only because he can't stand this kind of treatment, but also because after carefully sorting through the original owner's memories, he discovered a crucial point:
Albert de Rohan, though a nobleman, was all bark and no bite; he was not as powerful as he appeared.

His father, Viscount Edmond de Rohan, was a staunch royalist and once held the important position of Deputy Secretary of the Treasury in the McMahon government.

But with the Republican Party's landslide victory in the new Senate elections last January, President McMahon resigned, the French republic was firmly established, and the royalists subsequently stepped down.

In other words, the Rohan family had lost political power, and Viscount Edmond had even left Paris to lie low at his estate in Burgundy to avoid being targeted by the newly rich who were eager for wealth.

Albert was not the eldest son in the family; he had two older brothers and two older sisters. Not only did he not receive a title (of course, these titles were not recognized under the republic), but the amount of property he could inherit was also extremely limited.

Therefore, he could only ride in a cheaper light carriage like the "Baggi" instead of a more luxurious and respectable carriage like the "Cooper" or "Capriore".

His ostentatious behavior stemmed not only from his family's past arrogance when they were in power, but also, to some extent, from a sense of self-preservation—after all, there were many people at the Sorbonne with stronger backgrounds and greater prestige than him. He needed to demonstrate to everyone that even though his family was far removed from the center of power, they still possessed considerable strength.

This can be seen from his choice of his primary target for bullying—the Alpine country bumpkin and nerd Lionel.

He lacks confidence in bullying others!
Moreover, the timing of his bullying of Lionel is also very intriguing—precisely after his father was kicked out of the Ministry of Finance, Albert suddenly shifted from criticizing everyone and everything he disliked to targeting Lionel and other poor students.

It's obvious they're using these "vulnerable groups" to establish their authority!
The original owner of Lionel's body was a proud, cowardly, self-pitying, ambitious but incompetent person who was bullied by him in the Sorbonne for more than a year.

Who is Zhang Chaohua, who is now replacing him? He is a seasoned literary youth who has read the famous writer Zhang Chao's masterpiece "Youth Like You" since childhood. How could he not understand the true nature of this bully who is tough on the outside but weak on the inside?

Even Albert's viscount father is keeping a low profile now, so he doesn't believe Albert can really do anything to him.

After all, although he came from a family of low-level employees in the provinces, being able to study at the Sorbonne meant that he had one foot in the door of the French "quasi-elite class".

If anything were to happen to Lionel, the Roon family would likely be thoroughly thwarted by the newly rich republicans who would be drawn by the scent of trouble.

This is where Lionel's confidence comes from.

Albert's behavior confirmed his suspicions—he should be even more terrified than he was now.

If the parents of the child are called in, Lionel's biological father, who lives far away in the Alps, will at most send an apology letter; Albert's biological father will probably cut back on his youngest son's expenses.

What if you can't even get a "bucky" ride then...

While Lionel and Albert were each harboring their own secrets, Lionel's letter of submission had already been delivered to Gabriel Marel, the owner of Les Rois de la Bois, via Paris's efficient "city postal" system.

As the newspaper owner, editor-in-chief, and lead writer, he used his keen market intuition, unscrupulous writing style, and ruthless marketing tactics to make Le Bourgeois the best among all cheap tabloids, selling 12 copies per issue in Paris alone.

Le Bourgeois is a thorn in the side of all upright people in France, and has been repeatedly petitioned by the church to be banned from sale. According to a priest who is keen on updating his "black book list," "taking a look at it is equivalent to signing a contract with Satan to sell your soul!"

However, thanks to Gabriel's extraordinary abilities and skillful maneuvering, Le Bourgeois always managed to escape danger.

Usually, it's just a matter of "suspending publication for rectification" for a few days, and then it quickly "gets back on track"!
Gabriel reads hundreds of submissions every day, most of which he only glances at before throwing them into the wastebasket next to him.

He roughly tore open the envelope, which was signed "An Honest Parisian," and pulled out two pages of manuscript paper. Gabriel glanced at them casually at first, then his eyes widened as if he had discovered a great treasure.

After reading the two pages of the letter, Gabriel slumped into his office chair and, after a long while, shouted, "Pierre, you damn lazybones, get your ass in here!"

(End of this chapter)