It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

Should we just sit idly by and do nothing?

Both parties have special statuses. If it were just an unintentional little exercise, that would probably be the case, but pregnancy is a completely different matter.

Li Cheng wasn't one of those heartless scoundrels who would run away as soon as they had a child; his conscience was truly troubled. And what if, due to pressure from the arranged marriage, the premarital pregnancy couldn't be kept secret and Veronica conveniently exposed him...?

Offer assistance?

This is not something that can be solved simply by taking responsibility for supporting the mother and child. Li Cheng finds it hard to accept taking on a life-threatening risk for an embryo that is purely an accident for both of them.

Li Cheng is no longer alone. He has nothing to lose and many people rely on him. Taking such a risk would be irresponsible to those who depend on him.

Moreover, the few methods he could think of were probably less successful than Veronique's "delaying tactic"...

"Ugh......"

Li Cheng sighed deeply and reached out to rub Agnes's little head.

He really didn't dare to talk about this with anyone else, not even Lavoisier, which is why he let Lavoisier go and take over the territory first, so that he could calmly think about his decision alone in Lincoln.

"If I have a child, will I have to marry someone else?"

Agnes clicked her tongue: "I've never heard such a boring question before. Is this what's bothering you?"

Talking about this with Agnes, who was still a child, felt rather strange to Li Cheng, but fortunately, people these days are quite precocious.

Li Cheng paused in rubbing her head, then glanced at her and said, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"No, why bother with such a trivial question?"

Agnes rolled her eyes and dodged Li Cheng's large hand: "You're just as boring as Xiao Ming, who keeps pouring water into and out of the pool at the same time. You'd be better off going for a walk."

Through Li Cheng's Olympiad problems, the 17th-century little girl also learns about the most boring person in human history—Xiao Ming, whose English name is xiaoming.

"You have to choose one from multiple-choice questions, right?"

"Then just flip a coin," Agnes said disdainfully. "If you don't know how to do a question, just flip a coin."

Under that look that seemed to regard him as mentally challenged, Li Cheng's eyebrows twitched involuntarily—he was asking random questions out of curiosity, then not answering, and was actually starting to look down on him for getting caught up in such trivial matters.

I need to find a way to beat this brat up; he's infuriating.

He coughed twice, changing the subject: "Have you finished your afternoon classes? Bring them here for me to check."

"..."

Agnes's expression froze instantly; she had clearly forgotten about this matter, completely absorbed in her new companion.

She turned and tried to run towards the door, but Li Cheng, who was on guard, caught up with her in two steps, easily tucked her under his arm, and headed towards the bedroom.

"I want to go home! You just promised I could go home!"

"Hehe, it's too late now."

------

Beating a child is indeed a good way to vent depression. In his relaxed mood, Li Cheng couldn't help but recall a family conversation he had with his father after he went to college, about going to internet cafes when he was a child.

Li: "Do you know that when I was a kid, if I said I was going to a classmate's house to play, I actually meant I was going to an internet cafe?"

Father: "I know."

Li: "Then why didn't you stop me then, but instead went to the internet cafe afterwards and beat me up again? Was it to teach me a lesson when I was a child, so that I would never lie to go to the internet cafe again?"

Father: "Oh, don't overthink it. I just wanted to find an excuse to beat you up to vent my anger."

Dispelling the past, Li Cheng reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver pocket watch. From the inner pocket, he took out a replica Roman gold coin and examined it closely in his palm.

He planned to flip a coin.

But it wasn't, as Agnes suggested, that he entrusted his fate to some vague notion of luck; rather, it was because Li Cheng had just heard a similar saying.

If the result of a coin toss makes you hesitate and want to toss again, it means you don't really agree with that option.

"Alas, the price of the gifts that fate bestows is already secretly indicated."

Li Cheng murmured the famous line from Zweig's work, placed the gold coin in the ejection mechanism formed by his index finger and thumb, and then, with a forceful push of his joints, sent the gold coin spinning upwards, seeking its own freedom.

It struggles upward, trying to break free from the pull of gravity.

It spun and danced, reflecting dazzling light in the air.

The gold coin tried its best, but all its efforts were in vain. It continued to fall towards the ground, emitting a buzzing sound as the air vibrated in frustration.

Finally, with a thud, everything fell silent. Octavian's face was facing upwards, the slightly upturned corners of his mouth seeming to mock his previous meaningless action, or perhaps to offer him an encouraging smile.

At the same time, Li Cheng showed a relieved smile, then looked up at the ceiling, as if confiding in someone somewhere, or as if talking to himself:

"France will welcome a special guest."

"This is fun, isn't it? I know you like this."

★ Act IV ★

Chapter 254 The Fashion Capital

Written before the start of the fourth act.

1. This story is set in an alternate history, and some settings are for the needs of the plot and have been significantly altered from actual history.

2. As a novice author, I often try different narrative styles and plot development methods to find the one that works best for me and accumulate experience. So please don't be surprised if you occasionally find something that seems like a bad thing to do; it may just be a small experiment.

3. Reading novels is just for fun, please don't take it too seriously.

------

A month later.

Da da da da...

The horses' hooves clattered as they trod across the wide, open street.

Li Cheng, dressed in a shortened black and white trench coat and wearing a silk hat, sat in the back seat of the carriage.

In his hand was a copy of the latest issue of the "Elegant Mercury News"—a newspaper similar to a fashion magazine, featuring the latest trends and recommended print shops.

"Emmm, if you can't afford fashionable new clothes, just buy a print of men and women wearing fashionable clothes."

Li Cheng revealed a rather subtle expression: "Although I understand that this is out of a passion for fashion, why do I always feel like I'm seeing a paper doll... Oh well, it's better than wasting half a year's income on a luxury item."

He put down the newspaper and looked out the car window. He saw busy construction workers everywhere on both sides of the street, sweating profusely as they used their youth to build this fashion capital renowned throughout Europe.

This is Paris.

Fashion capital, prosperous capital, commercial capital.

Located in the center of the Paris Basin in northern France, straddling both banks of the Seine River, it has a population of approximately 70.

If China is the infrastructure powerhouse of the 21st century, then Paris undoubtedly reigns supreme in infrastructure development during the 17th century.

Between approximately 1597 and 1700, Paris, a city that had been ravaged by disaster, began to be rebuilt with great effort.

The absolute monarch and the equally determined municipal authorities worked together, bringing in experts from various fields, from architects to engineers, to study the city's layout. This collaborative effort resulted in revolutionary public works projects, and the environment that accommodated these projects gave Paris a reputation for technological leadership, making its urban planning and modern architecture a trendsetter in Europe. It also created the first capital city in modern history that did not expand naturally from villages.

Paris's appearance, characterized by straight, right-angled, and diagonally radiating boulevards, influenced many later cities, from the earliest parts of Europe to other regions. In 1698, an English traveler remarked, "The streets of Paris are so regular and orderly that you feel as if you are in an Italian opera house... rather than a city."

Henry IV was undoubtedly the most enthusiastic of them all, and his ambitious public works projects completely transformed Paris. In the decade or so before his assassination in 1610, he had put Paris on the road to becoming the "capital of the universe."

According to statistics, throughout the 17th century, Paris underwent at least two major infrastructure projects, with countless minor repairs and renovations.

What supports such a large-scale infrastructure project is France's economic and military strength, which dominates the entire European continent. This is inseparable from the combined efforts of mercantilist policies and centralized power.

We've gone off on a tangent...

In conclusion, 17th-century France was not to be trifled with.

Anyone who wants to insult France should think carefully about the nearly 200,000-strong French army of the 17th and 18th centuries, which often took on multiple countries single-handedly and possessed an overwhelming amount of martial spirit, and consider whether they are qualified to insult France.

"Sir, we've arrived." The coachman's reminder brought Li Cheng back to reality.

"Thank you... Um, how much should I pay you for the ride?"

Li Cheng began to examine the coins in his hand; a month of preparation was not enough for him to understand these details.

At this time, France's monetary system was far more chaotic than that of Britain, with base-24, base-20, base-12, and base-6 systems, and various currencies such as River, Louis, Grand Écumen, Petit Écumen, Pistor, and Sou.

“I remember I made it quite clearly.”

The right corner of the groom's mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly: "Six Su, only six Su, no cheating the young or old."

Seeing the other party's condescending attitude towards a country bumpkin, Li Cheng's lips twitched. He pretended to be unintentional but actually deliberately tossed a silver coin worth about 1 livre to the side, letting it roll away along the narrow crack at the edge of the road.

Shrugging, Li Cheng gave an apologetic smile: "That's your fare—the rest is a tip for helping me pick it up."

? !

Ignoring the coachman, whose face was a mixture of surprise and focus as he chased after the rolling silver coins, Li Cheng jumped off the carriage, picked up his luggage, and stepped into the small courtyard with a garden in front of him.

This was the ideal address he found in the newspaper. It was quiet, furnished, in a good location, and reasonably priced. He only needed to deposit one month's rent as collateral. The only problem was that the landlady would occasionally check his personal hygiene. If he made a mess of the room, he would be kicked out and his deposit would be confiscated.

Unfortunately, Li Cheng couldn't just move in with his bags; he had to knock on the door of the landlady next door first.

Knock knock knock...

A dozen seconds later, the dark door was pulled open, revealing the figure of a woman in her thirties, blonde and blue-eyed, well-groomed—she even wore a light blue headdress recommended in the Elegant Mercury News.

The woman looked Li Cheng up and down warily, but her expression relaxed a little when she saw that he was well-dressed and carrying a suitcase.

"Are you here to rent a room?"

“Yes, Mrs. Ausal,” Li Cheng said, gesturing to the neighboring yard with a smile. “My friend highly recommended this place to me, saying that your house is among the most livable in all of Paris, and also the cheapest among the most livable houses.”

"Your friend has excellent taste."

The landlady smiled and accepted the compliment, then stepped aside to give her space.

The two entered the house together, and Li Cheng found that the room was tidy and orderly, but there was no trace of the male owner's presence.

Judging from Mrs. Hudson's age, and to put it bluntly, she'll probably remain single for the rest of her life until she dies, and then perhaps one of her distant nephews will receive a windfall inheritance...

It's no wonder that they have such strict requirements for the hygiene habits of their tenants, since they rely on renting out houses to make a living for the rest of their lives.

Do you know my requirements for tenants?

"Clean, clean, and clean again."

"It seems you've done your homework, but I still have to remind you that I've already kicked out two tenants who tried to save money because they were sloppy. I hope you understand that—but don't be too nervous, as long as they don't go too far, I won't kick them out."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two finalized the rental agreement, but a small problem arose when they were signing it.