CHAPTER 884: CHAPTER 13 THE NEW ERA OF FRANCE_3

Arthur was surprised and said, "You know me?"

Thiers saw that Arthur did not deny it, and smiled smugly, "I don’t know you, but I guessed you might be."

As a detective, Arthur was intrigued and probed, "Why were you so sure in your guess?"

"It’s very simple."

Thiers began, "First of all, your frock coat is the current fashion in London. Your skin is pale, your stature is tall, your eyes are large, but their color is quite light, and your face shape is very different from the French. These are important characteristics of the English. Second, I received news from the Academy of Sciences that an English gentleman is set to present Mr. Poisson with the Copley Medal from the Royal Society today. Lastly, I heard from Mr. Talleyrand’s niece that her uncle’s old friend, Sir Arthur Hastings with a scar at the corner of his eye, had already set off for Paris. Her uncle’s friends are my friends, so I specially came here today to await your arrival."

"Ah..." Arthur’s tone turned playful, "So you are also a friend of Mr. Talleyrand?"

Thiers said modestly, "I dare not claim to be a friend of Your Excellency Talleyrand, but I am indeed one of the young men he has supported. Do you have some time later today? Or anytime in the next few days? As the host, it’s necessary for me to fulfill my duties."

Arthur nodded and said, "Certainly, to be invited by you is a great honor."

Thiers, having received Arthur’s affirmative answer, smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries before bidding a hasty goodbye.

"I still need to go to the Dean’s office at the Academy. So, I’ll see you at the award ceremony later, and I hope you have a wonderful day."

Ville breathed a slight sigh of relief as he saw Thiers walk away.

Thiers’ respect for Arthur also elevated the assistant’s evaluation of Arthur. He marveled, "I didn’t expect you to know Mr. Talleyrand, no wonder Mr. Thiers wishes to host you."

Arthur took the opportunity to inquire, "Are Mr. Thiers and Mr. Talleyrand very close?"

Ville nodded, "Before the Bourbon Dynasty fell, Talleyrand could not stand seeing the Romantic poet, Chateaubriand, occupy his position as Foreign Secretary, and was also opposed to the intervention war against the Spanish Revolution instigated by Chateaubriand. Many, including Talleyrand, were against the intervention war, but the only journalist brave enough to venture across the Pyrenees into Spain was Mr. Thiers."

He wrote reports about what he saw and experienced in Spain and sent them back. Those shocking battlefield news and bloody war chronicles revealed the horrors of the intervention war to everyone, drastically increasing the opposition’s momentum, which Mr. Thiers seized to criticize the Bourbon government and Foreign Secretary Chateaubriand."

So Talleyrand naturally noticed Mr. Thiers, who was then still a journalist. Moreover, Talleyrand’s niece... hmm, publicly admired Mr. Thiers a lot. He indeed is lucky in various aspects. Adding to that, after Mr. Thiers’ ’History of the French Revolution’ became an instant hit in Paris, public opinion raved about him becoming an academician of the Academy of Sciences, making him more significant in Talleyrand’s circle."

Not just that, General Lafayette valued him greatly and even funded his newspaper. When the July Revolution broke out, Mr. Thiers was the first to approach Louis Philippe, then the Duke of Orleans. It was under his persuasion that Louis Philippe decided to return to Paris and eventually take the throne. Because of this, after the July Revolution, he immediately became Secretary-General of the Treasury and has now become President of the Senate."

Hearing this, Arthur couldn’t help but recall what Talleyrand had said to him before, and he chuckled, "I used to think Mr. Talleyrand’s words were only pertinent to London; now it seems even Paris has changed dramatically. A pig farmer from Yorkshire becomes a diplomat, a sailor’s son becomes President of the Senate; this truly is a new era."