Chapter 196: Godoy's Death Knell
Although Louis XVI's birthday had passed, the Palace of Versailles square remained under a temporary suspension of dress code requirements for the next few days. Consequently, many Parisian citizens still flocked there to sing, dance, play, or watch free theatrical performances.
Small vendors also congregated, hoping to seize the last opportunity to sell a few more coins' worth of goods.
People chatted about the past few days' happenings, and the lively cheers and laughter kept the festive atmosphere alive.
Meanwhile, royals and dignitaries from various nations, finally freed from the previous tedious ceremonial activities, now had leisure to enjoy Paris. Places like Eden Amusement Park once again saw a peak in visitors.
At 8:40 PM, Madame Galand arrived at her music hall, her face radiant with relief and joy, ready to begin the evening's music salon.
Leveraging the influence of the King's birthday celebrations, she had become a sought-after music maestro at the Palace of Versailles. Her salon, in particular, was a veritable "sacred ground" of music that nobles and celebrities vied to attend; without considerable talent, one couldn't even get through the door of her music room.
Though Godoy's status was humble, fortunately, he had joined the salon quite early and possessed a solid musical foundation. Coupled with Luisa spending several hundred livres to arrange things for him, he had managed to secure a place in the salon.
A few servants responsible for arranging the instruments saw the Spanish Crown Princess enter the hall with her guard. They exchanged subtle nods, then turned to confirm the balcony's position, slightly adjusting the guitarist's half-height chair.
Godoy followed behind Luisa, respectfully bowing to Madame Galand and offering a few compliments. He was then led by a footman to his seat, which was for the performers, while Luisa was escorted to the elevated VIP section across from them.
At precisely 9 o'clock, the salon officially began.
As hostess, Madame Galand, in a departure from convention, delivered a lengthy speech on her insights into music theory after welcoming the guests, earning rounds of applause and admiration from the audience.
Following her, several other music masters from the Palace of Versailles spoke on various aspects of music theory before the session transitioned into the regular performance segment.
Soothing music began to play—François Couperin's "The Flowing Hair Ribbon"—though Madame Galand's re-arrangement lent it an even lighter and more sprightly overall style.
The performers immersed themselves in their instruments, while the audience closed their eyes, utterly enthralled and lost in enjoyment.
Just as the music was gradually reaching its climax, an unused double bass, set upon a chair, appeared to lose its balance and suddenly toppled sideways.
And Godoy happened to be positioned directly beneath the instrument's scroll.
A double bass was a behemoth among instruments, standing taller than a person and weighing nearly 180 pounds. Godoy was startled and scrambled to dodge backward to avoid being hit. However, it seemed his chair leg had caught on something, failing to slide back. Instead, under his push, the chair simply toppled.
Godoy immediately fell backward.
His position was already at the edge of the balcony. As his body heavily collided with the railing, there was a sharp crack, and the wooden barrier—thicker than an adult's arm—shattered into several pieces as if it were made of paper.
The Spanish Crown Princess was watching her lover perform with a look of utter fascination when she was shocked to see the double bass fall, followed by Godoy crashing through the balcony railing and plunging down.
A faint shattering sound immediately echoed from the floor below.
The sudden turn of events stunned everyone into silence, until Luisa let out a piercing scream, "Godoy—!"
The nearest musicians quickly stood, cautiously leaning over the broken balcony railing. In the darkness, they could only vaguely discern the guitarist lying motionless on the ground below, while a footman nearby recoiled repeatedly in terror.
Luisa rushed to the balcony as well, but finding she couldn't make out the situation below, she turned, her face ashen, and hurried downstairs, supported by her lady-in-waiting. The nobles attending the salon immediately followed to check on the situation.
Just then, two court guards who happened to be passing by downstairs, seeing someone had fallen, hurried to Godoy's side, knelt, and anxiously called out, "Sir! Sir, are you alright?"
Seeing that Godoy was clearly unconscious, one of them looked up at the figures on the second-floor balcony, seeing only blurry silhouettes in the dim night. He quickly drew a small knife and swiftly slashed it across Godoy's face.
The other, meanwhile, noticed the golden cross pendant Godoy was wearing, yanked it out, casually smeared a bit of blood on it, and carefully placed it squarely on his chest.
By the time Luisa rushed downstairs like a madwoman, she saw Godoy lying on the ground by the light of the footmen's torches, surrounded by numerous glass shards, as if from shattered goblets.
Two guards were trying to wake him with anxious expressions, while another servant stood trembling nearby.
Luisa cautiously drew closer and saw it more clearly now: Godoy's face had two cuts, likely from the broken glass. One of them stretched from the corner of his eye all the way to the corner of his mouth, exposing white fat, and looked utterly horrifying.
His cross pendant lay on his chest, and against the white of his shirt, the figure of Jesus on the pendant was clearly visible, drenched in blood, as if foreshadowing something ominous.
A noble who had rushed down from the salon saw this, made the sign of the cross, and murmured:
"God preserve us! God preserve us!"
The sound reached Luisa's ears, striking her like a bolt of lightning. A thought suddenly surged in her mind: 'This is punishment, God's punishment for my infidelity!'
She, too, hastily made the sign of the cross and stammered,
"Lord, please forgive my sins, I was wrong, forgive me..."
"He's alive!" A noble stepped forward, checked Godoy's carotid artery, then turned and declared loudly.
Ten minutes later, the court physician arrived, instructing the servants to carefully lift Godoy onto a stretcher and move him indoors for emergency treatment.
As midnight approached, the Grand Chamberlain of the Palace of Versailles arrived at the Spanish Crown Prince's residence. He knocked and entered, but finding the Crown Prince absent, he simply bowed to Luisa and said:
"Your Highness, the physician says your guard's life is no longer in danger, but he has broken his right arm and sustained some additional scratches."
Luisa, however, didn't even look at him, merely muttering something under her breath with a strained expression.
The Grand Chamberlain continued:
"It is regrettable that such an accident occurred. I have already dispatched men to investigate thoroughly. It appears the music hall's balcony railing was hollowed out by termites. The holes were so well concealed that they went unnoticed... You know, the Palace of Versailles was built a long time ago, and those little insects are always causing damage to the wood."
"Monsieur Godoy collided with the termite-infested wooden railing and unfortunately fell. At that very moment, a footman downstairs was coincidentally taking wine to the fountain, and Monsieur Godoy struck his tray, so..."
"Er, would you like to go see him?"
Seeing Luisa's lack of reaction, he could only sigh, bow, and withdraw from the room. "Please do not worry too much, Your Highness."
...
The Spanish Crown Prince, Antonio, having drunk too much the previous night, only learned of Godoy's fall the following morning.
He had been slumped on the sofa, his eyes vacant, but as the court official uttered the last word, he suddenly seemed to find his soul, springing up and grabbing the man's shoulders, exclaiming excitedly:
"You're speaking of the Crown Princess's guard, Godoy? He broke his arm? His face was scarred?!"
"Yes, indeed, Your Highness. Please, try not to be too upset."
"Upset?" Antonio felt the discomfort of his hangover vanish instantly without a trace; he felt so light he could almost fly. "Thank you for the reminder, I certainly won't be upset! Haha!"
The court official looked at him worriedly, hesitating whether to call for a physician, when Joseph appeared at just the right moment, signaling for him to withdraw.
Antonio stepped forward and grabbed him, as joyful as a 150-pound child:
"My dear cousin, do you know, the Palace of Versailles must be a place blessed by God! My wish truly came to pass!"
"I love it here, I love France so much!"
Joseph cooperatively made the sign of the cross on his chest:
"May God bless you, my cousin."
Antonio snatched a nearby half-filled glass of wine and poured it down his throat, then pulled Joseph along towards the door:
"Let's go see that accursed scoundrel! Oh, right, where is he now?"
Joseph turned to Eman and said, "If you would, please escort His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to Monsieur Godoy's."
"Yes, Your Highness."
In the corridor, Antonio continued to exclaim ecstatically:
"I love the Palace of Versailles! I love it here! I'm going to stay for a good long while!"
Joseph waited for him to calm down slightly, then leaned closer and whispered,
"My dear cousin, you should return to Madrid as quickly as possible."
"Huh? Why?" Antonio asked, still grinning.
"Before Godoy's injuries heal, you must depart at once and leave him here in France," Joseph stated. "Once you return to Madrid, report the recent events to His Majesty the King."
Joseph knew that while he had helped Spain eliminate one of the "duo of national disaster," Antonio alone would find it very difficult to keep Luisa in check.
For now, the only recourse was to leverage the enduring authority established by Charles III, allowing the current king to find a way to suppress Luisa. Joseph believed that this monarch, following in the footsteps of Spain's most capable ruler in nearly a century, would know how to deal with this woman.
Antonio, now in high spirits, found his mind growing sharper. He immediately nodded upon hearing this:
"You are absolutely right, I'll return at once!"
He went to cast a glance at Godoy, who lay moaning endlessly in bed, and finally departed with a sense of utter satisfaction.
After seeing the horrifying wound on Godoy's face last night, Luisa no longer wished to spare him another glance. She had later personally confirmed that the entire incident was indeed an accident—the broken wooden railing and the surrounding balustrade where Godoy had fallen had all been hollowed out by termites, ready to snap at the slightest touch. And no one had touched him before he fell last night.
Now, she simply wanted to leave this wretched place, the Palace of Versailles, as quickly as possible. So, when Antonio suggested returning to their home country, she agreed without a second thought.
By noon that day, the Spanish Crown Prince's carriage was ready for departure.
Before departing, Antonio embraced Joseph tightly and said earnestly,
"I truly wish I could continue discussing machinery with you in the Royal Workshop, Joseph. You will always be my best brother!"
Indeed, in his heart, if not for his cousin, he might never have discovered his wife's promiscuity and sordid affairs. He was now filled with profound gratitude towards Joseph.
"Yes, we are the best of brothers!" Joseph nodded, patting him firmly on the back.
Antonio then leaned in and whispered in his ear,
"My dear cousin, I have left someone in Paris. Please, when it's convenient, send that fellow Godoy to them in Paris."
Although he feared his wife and was obsessed with machinery, he was still the Crown Prince of a nation, wielding significant power. Once he calmed down, how could he possibly forgive the disgraced paramour?
Joseph feigned a hint of shock. "You mean to... that might be..."
"Please, you absolutely must do this for me!"
Joseph then reluctantly agreed, "Very well then, I'll do my best..."
After the Spanish Crown Prince departed, Joseph immediately penned a letter to Charles III, bitterly detailing how his cousin had been publicly humiliated by his wife's infidelity in his own bedroom. He also pledged to keep the matter strictly confidential.
He gave the letter to a messenger, instructing him to deliver it to the Spanish King one day after Antonio's arrival in Madrid.
This way, a family scandal would become a national one, and Joseph was sure Charles III would be absolutely furious.
...
The fervor of Louis XVI's birthday celebrations didn't completely die down until nearly September.
Joseph, clad in a brand-new white custom military uniform, arrived by carriage at the Paris Police Academy to attend the matriculation ceremony for the second cohort of cadets.
Today marked not only the enrollment of the second cohort but also the departure and internship ceremony for the first cohort.
Indeed, although the first cohort of police cadets had only been enrolled for a total of ten months, Joseph decided, based on their training performance, to have them participate in military operations in North Africa.
These cadets had trained exceptionally hard, possessing robust military aptitude. Integrating them into Berthier's Crown Prince's Guard should be enough for them to hold their own against the North African forces.
Only through immersion in the smoke and blood of the battlefield could they become a truly formidable army!
According to Joseph's plan, the first cohort of police cadets—1,000 regular soldiers plus 400 "combat police"—would be integrated with Berthier's two regiments of 3,000 men. This force, totaling approximately 4,400 men, nearly three regiments in size, would be transported by the French Navy to North Africa to participate in the conflict.
This force was absolutely loyal to him, and its deployment would encounter no obstacles whatsoever.
If the situation in North Africa proved particularly intense, Joseph would then consider mobilizing Duke de Villars' Moulins Corps—the army trained by André—which also consisted of three regiments.
Although this army's combat effectiveness couldn't compare to the Crown Prince's Guard, which had been reorganized from the French Guards, its loyalty was assured, and its deployment would not pose a major issue.
If the Moulins Corps demonstrated satisfactory combat prowess, Joseph would even consider re-equipping them with superior weaponry and gear, and it wouldn't be impossible to develop them into his direct lineage forces.
As for a force of nearly 9,000 men, coordinated with Joseph's strategic deployment, the likelihood of failing to conquer North Africa should be extremely low.
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