When the Inkerman Mountain report reached the Sevastopol headquarters, the entire command center erupted in celebration.

Amidst this excitement, Jerome Bonaparte personally rushed to the telegraph office established in Sevastopol, anxiously handing the telegram he had personally written to the telegraph operator: "Quick! Send this telegram to France immediately!"

The telegraph operator, not daring to delay Jerome Bonaparte’s request, began working at once.

Shortly after, the ticking sounds came from the telegraph office, and about forty minutes later, the ticking stopped.

The telegraph operator respectfully informed Jerome Bonaparte that the telegram would reach Paris in approximately two hours.

"You did very well!" Jerome Bonaparte smiled and nodded, then turned and left.

...

Two hours later in Paris.

Since Jerome Bonaparte left for Sevastopol, Paris had shifted from a state of outward relaxation and internal tension to a condition where both the exterior and interior were tightly controlled.

Under the command of Empress Augusta’s "Regency Council" (in name only, as there was no regency council, only Empress Augusta overseeing the government), imperial bureaucrats led by Rue and military officers led by Nie’er secretly monitored the opposition and the activities of the suburban troops.

Even the slightest disturbance would be detected by the all-pervasive spies and lead to arrests.

Members of the Bonaparte Clan were no exception.

Since Jerome Bonaparte’s departure, several Bonaparte Clan members had been secretly detained, and nearly a hundred people had been expelled from the country.

Empress Augusta wielded her iron hand, intimidating the subversive elements lurking in the dark corners of Paris; for the first time, they realized that Empress Augusta not only had a heart as compassionate as an angel’s but also wielded thunderous means.

Thus, those who wished to create sensational news in Jerome Bonaparte’s absence had to lie low again, waiting for the right opportunity.

Of course, Empress Augusta’s rule in Paris was not solely iron-fisted and oppressive.

In certain areas, Empress Augusta gave them certain allowances; the press industry was evidently a typical example.

During Jerome Bonaparte’s absence, Empress Augusta slightly relaxed her grip on the press, allowing them to publish some foreign political commentaries as long as they weren’t direct attacks on the Imperial Government. She also stopped severe crackdowns on newspapers known for publishing gossip.

Every day, Parisians could read in the newspapers some gossip about xx nobles, or see comments from foreign xx colonels and xx military enthusiasts on the Allies’ actions in Sevastopol.

Under the supervision of the Regency Council, Paris continued to operate smoothly.

When the telegram from Sevastopol arrived at the telegraph office affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the head of the telegraph office immediately forwarded it to the new Minister Valerovsky, who was still working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Upon seeing the contents of the telegram, Valerovsky’s face instantly lit up with joy. He stood up, patted the shoulder of the telegraph office head who had come to report, and said, "You did very well!"

"It’s my duty!" The head responded in a tone of both awe and trepidation.

Valerovsky then instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prepare a carriage for him, as he intended to visit Speaker Bi Yao’s residence.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs quickly prepared a carriage for Valerovsky, who set off in the carriage and soon arrived at Speaker Bi Yao’s doorstep.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Accompanied by three crisp knocks, a voice came from the other side of the door: "Who is it?"

"It’s Valerovsky! Is Speaker Bi Yao at home?" Valerovsky asked softly.

The door slowly opened, and a servant-like figure holding a kerosene lamp appeared before Valerovsky, respectfully greeting him: "Minister Valerovsky!"

"Has Speaker Bi Yao gone to bed?" Valerovsky inquired, looking at the pitch-dark room behind the servant.

"Not yet!" The servant shook his head, "The master is still in the study doing some work!"

"Could you kindly announce my arrival?" Valerovsky asked courteously.

"I’ll take you there!" The servant replied to Valerovsky.

"Thank you!" Valerovsky nodded in response to the servant.

Led by the servant, Valerovsky reached a room on the second floor.

The servant lightly knocked on the door, and Speaker Bi Yao’s voice came from the other side: "Come in!"

The servant gestured for Valerovsky to enter the room, and Valerovsky pushed open the door and stepped inside.

At this point, Speaker Bi Yao, wearing reading glasses and still working, looked up at the visitor, extended his hand in invitation with a smile and said, "Ah, it’s Minister Valerovsky, please have a seat!"

Valerovsky sat directly opposite Speaker Bi Yao, who inquired once again, "I wonder what urgent matter brings Minister Valerovsky to visit so late at night!"

"Speaker Bi Yao, please take a look!" Valerovsky handed the folded telegram to Bi Yao.

Bi Yao opened the telegram, glanced at its contents, and excitedly exclaimed, "Good, good, good!"

Afterward, Speaker Bi Yao paused for a moment and continued to inquire, "By the way, have you informed Her Majesty the Empress about this matter?"

Valerovsky shook his head and said, "Her Majesty the Empress is nearing her due date, and I dare not disturb her rashly!"

"And what about Princess Mathilde?" Speaker Bi Yao inquired once again.

"Not yet either!" Valerovsky told Bi Yao that he came to see Speaker Bi Yao the first moment after receiving the telegram.

"Foolish!" Speaker Bi Yao scolded Valerovsky in dismay, "Such matters should be reported to Empress Augusta first! If something happens to Empress Augusta, you should also report to Princess Mathilde.

Why did you come directly to this old man! If someone unaware finds out, what would they think of this matter! What would His Majesty the Emperor, far in Sevastopol, think if he knew?"

The joy-clouded Valerovsky instantly realized his political missteps upon receiving the intelligence. He should have reported first to Her Majesty (the Empress) and the Princess, who are the main executors and governors of the Regency Council, while Speaker Bi Yao, also of the "Regency Council," holds a political ecological niche, only assisting in handling state affairs.

This is equivalent to Valerovsky reporting work, bypassing the Secretary and the Mayor, and reporting instead to the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

"Speaker Bi Yao, what should I do now?" Valerovsky asked anxiously.

All of Parisian high society is aware of the discord between Valerovsky and Princess Mathilde (mainly because of issues with Valerovsky’s wife), and this time if Princess Mathilde catches him on minor mistakes,

not only will he lose his position as a minister, but he might also end up having to pack up and leave!

The position of Minister of Foreign Affairs is something he has fought hard to achieve, and he cannot let it slip away like this.

"What else can be done?" Speaker Bi Yao sighed, "I will accompany you to Princess Mathilde’s mansion!"

"Yes!" Valerovsky gratefully responded to Bi Yao.

Thus, Bi Yao and Valerovsky set off together to the mansion where Princess Mathilde resided.

By the time Bi Yao and Valerovsky arrived at the mansion of Princess Mathilde, it was quietly approaching dawn.

Bi Yao and Valerovsky pushed open the ajar door and entered the mansion.

"Speaker Bi Yao, Minister Valerovsky!" As soon as they entered the mansion, they immediately saw the maid responsible for attending to Princess Mathilde’s daily life and hurriedly greeted her.

"Her Highness has been waiting for you for quite some time!" The maid replied meticulously.

The Princess knew we were coming?

A look of astonishment and fear flashed across Valerovsky’s face; he immediately thought of Princess Mathilde planting a spy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

But this lasted only a few seconds, and Valerovsky’s inner unease disappeared because having spies is not such a big deal.

Thinking carefully, it can be understood that His Majesty the Emperor’s surveillance of the folk of the Empire is already so strict, so naturally, it would not relax surveillance on these power-holding imperial bureaucrats.

In the past, didn’t his father, Emperor Bonaparte, also rely on the military and secret police to rule France?

"Then please lead us over!" Bi Yao responded to the maid with a smile.

Under the maid’s guidance, Bi Yao and Valerovsky entered the room.

At this moment, Princess Mathilde was sitting on the sofa, and the arrival of Bi Yao and Valerovsky shifted all of Princess Mathilde’s attention onto them.

"Your Highness!" Bi Yao and Valerovsky simultaneously bowed to Princess Mathilde.

Mathilde invited Bi Yao and Valerovsky to sit down and inquired about the telegram from Valerovsky.

"Your Highness!" Valerovsky quickly handed the telegram over to Princess Mathilde.

Princess Mathilde only glanced slightly at the contents of the telegram and then, in a proud tone, reproached, "Ah! When I initially didn’t let him go, he insisted on going. It’s been more than a month, and he has only wiped out over 50,000 people!"

"Your Highness, His Majesty achieving such success is already enough to compare with Emperor Napoleon! During Emperor Napoleon’s first military command, it wasn’t much different!" Speaker Bi Yao detected Princess Mathilde’s subtle praise within her criticism and quickly flattered.

"Him?" Princess Mathilde continued, "He is far inferior to Uncle! (Princess Mathilde paused, pretending to be casual) However, he can be considered barely satisfactory!"

"Your Highness, I believe the Empire should properly publicize it!" Speaker Bi Yao proposed his idea: "It would be best to closely associate His Majesty with Sevastopol, so when the citizens of the Empire think of Sevastopol, they immediately think of His Majesty!"