"About that." Armand spoke up, "This play of ours is inherently and strongly political, and I knew, when I created it, that performing the work was inherently and politically risky."
Here, Armand paused again and said, "And the fact that we chose to stage it at such a time is in itself a politically charged approach. The political risks have been on our minds for a long time. Even if something does happen, it's just going to go under the Bastille and eat rats for a while."
When people talk about going to prison, they usually call it 'feeding the rats', but Armand calls it 'eating the rats', a difference of one word, but the meaning is completely different. The Bastille is a prison that people talk about. Still, Amand and Robespierre both know that because the Bastille is often used to imprison the nobility when it comes to conditions, there is no other prison in the whole of France that would be better than the Bastille.
"And, I think, if our king had been a little wiser, we should not have been in danger of feeding rats at the Bastille." Saint-Just spoke up, "If our king decides to suppress the people, he should use decisive and forceful measures, arrest all the representatives of the third estate quickly, and guillotine them at once. This may lead to some confusion, but the rebels are swarming, and it's entirely possible to break them down one by one."
Speaking of this, a smile with a sneer appeared on the corners of Saint-Just's handsome mouth, "Moreover, most of these delegates are people with money - Mr. Robespierre, you're almost the poorest of these delegates, but even for you, compared to most of the people in the area of Saint-Antoine, you're still a 'rich man'. And there are people who are hundreds of times richer than you. As long as we get rid of the delegates, and then confiscate the assets, and use the money to bring in more troops, and nobles and poor people who are willing to follow the king, then our king, perhaps, will still be able to get by. Of course, do that, and there could be a civil war in France. He then had to be prepared for a period of failure that would lead to the guillotine, just like Charles I. But considering the other side is swarming, I think he's in a much better position than Charles I was back then. If our king really intends to do that, then we'll more than likely get our heads chopped off straight away, where it'll be our turn to feed the rats at the bottom of the Bastille?"
Speaking of this, Saint-Just even gently stroked his slender neck, but it is quite a bit of "a good head, who will chop it" flavor.
"Do you think the king will do that?" Robespierre asked.
"No." A contemptuous smile appeared on Saint-Just's face, "If the king had that kind of pluck, he wouldn't be able to keep his hands off that Austrian twat. He would not have gained nothing from the 'Conferences of the Eminent' either. On the whole, this His Majesty of ours lacks both the courage to be a tyrant and the measure to be an enlightened monarch. Not at all a king to be feared. So, I don't really think that we're in any danger."
"Mr. Saint-Just." Robespierre exclaimed, "You have a calmness and courage unbecoming your age and appearance. To be honest, I was a little taken aback yesterday when I first saw that it was you in Spartacus, but your performance yesterday was so brilliant and perfectly convincing that I was still amazed at how someone as young as you could have that kind of power. But this conversation with you today has made me realize that a person's mind and strength can't really be measured in years. Mr. Saint-Just, it is true, as you say, that our king does not have that kind of pluck. Besides, we're not fools who will do nothing and wait for him to do whatever he wants. The country has run out of money over the years because the privileged classes have been so extravagant. The military is just as broke and just as full of discontent. What's more, it's the people of France who make up the army, just as much as the people of France. The army is made up of people, not soulless tools. If the king really wants to take a chance, the only people he can really count on are mercenaries. But there is money for the mercenaries, but not for the French army. In fact, we were not completely unprepared; many of the nobles, and many of the officers were in contact with us. The king can't hide from us if he's really planning something big. So your show has some risk, but it's not a risk that's uncontrollable. After all, I'm the one who invited you, and even if you don't make requests, I have to think about your safety. So you can rest assured that while there are some risks, the likelihood of getting into the Bastille is still very small."
"Let alone the Bastille, or the guillotine, we are not afraid." Armand said.
After a few more conversations about the show, Armand and Saint-Just were ready to take their leave. Robespierre sent them to the door and suddenly added, "Ah, there is one thing I almost forgot. Well, we have a club of good friends who are looking to make changes, and I think we're all relatively close in our philosophies, would you guys be interested in joining that?"
"What kind of club is it?" Saint-Just asked.
"Club Breton. Originally a club for delegates from the Brittany region, more people joined after the Estate General was held. It's all about friends who support constitutionalism, so we're now considering changing the name of the club to 'Société des amis de la Constitution'. How about it, I can be your introducer if you're interested." Robespierre said.
"Yeah." Armand said, "I have another friend that's pretty good too. Maybe you've heard of him too, his last name is Bonaparte, well, Joseph Bonaparte, a scientific genius."
"I've heard of him." Robespierre nodded, "Though I can't read what he writes. Uh, can you guys wait? I'll go right in and write him an invitation and ask you to bring it to him."
"At your service." Amand said.
Robespierre then went inside the study to write his letter while Armand and Saint-Just went into the parlor by themselves, sat down on the sofa, and waited.
"Armand, do you think Mr. Bonaparte would like to join this club?" Saint-Just asked.
"Don't worry, I know Joseph and his political views. In fact, you know from his that ... you know that many of the Spartacus script ideas came from him. He is definitely a progressive young man who supports constitutional government." Armand almost blurted out that the Slave War Song had been written for him by Joseph, and thinking of Joseph's attitude when he gave him the song, he vaguely felt as if he had done something foolish.
"That I know too." Saint-Just said, "But I always felt that Mr. Bonaparte didn't really want to get too involved in politics. He seems to prefer to focus on those of his studies. Well, I have no doubt that Mr. Bonaparte loves constitutional government, but I think he may love science even more."
"Hell! I to didn't think of that." Armand shook his head. But he immediately added, "That's a real possibility with this guy. It's just an invitation from a club, it shouldn't take much time. If he's really busy, he can also not participate."
As the two men were talking, they saw Robespierre come out of his study and hand an envelope to Armand.
"I've already written the invitation. I'm looking forward to meeting the talented scientist at the club."
"Well, but Mr. Robespierre ..." Armand hesitated.
"What's the matter? Mr. Lavoisier?" Robespierre asked.
"Joseph has been busy with an important study lately. It involves a lot of his energy ...," Armand said, "He may, may not be able to fully participate in the club's activities ...," Armand stammered.
Robespierre flinched for a moment, then laughed, "Ah, Mr. Lavoisier, it's not a problem. It's just a club. In any club, all members are not required to be present at all times. After all, everyone has their own things to do don't they? So it's not a problem at all."
"If that's the case, then it shouldn't be a problem." Armand said.
...
Coming out of Robespierre's place, Armand looked at the sky and said to Saint-Just, "Louis, Joseph lives not far from here, and only a street away. I looked at the time and supposed he was just about due to go home. I'm going to simply go straight to his place and just give him this invitation. Would you like to come with me?"
Saint-Just thought for a moment and shook his head, "There's not much time left for the next show, so I'd better go back and get ready."
The two then parted at the street corner, and Saint-Just got into a hired carriage and went back over to the troupe while Armand went on foot toward Joseph's lodgings.
When Armand knocked on the door of Joseph's room, Joseph was eating dinner with his two younger brothers. Generally speaking, if a traverser from the Eastern Big Eat Country accidentally traveled to the West, he or she would generally make his or her own Chinese food to eat as long as he or she was in a position to do so because most of the food in the Western countries was really not very tasty in the eyes of the Eastern Big Eat Country's foodies. This is especially true of the unfortunate traverser who traveled to a country that only has the kind of potatoes and eggs with forty-five-degree angles of stargazing and dead-end sardines. However, Joseph's food was still authentic Western food - bread with grilled lamb chops. It wasn't just because he was lucky enough to have traversed the Western Great Eating Country. The French can eat and are well-known throughout the world. It's also because, in this day and age, the various ingredients needed for Chinese food are, in France, largely unavailable. Also, nowadays, Joseph is a man of some status, and it is a bit unseemly for a man of his status to do it on his own. Plus, labor is cheap these days, so Joseph hired a maid to help around the house.
In the post-apocalyptic country of Big Eats, it is not cheap to hire an aunt. Domestic aunts are meant to earn significantly more than the median income line. But nowadays, in France, hiring a maid to run the household doesn't cost much.
"It smells so good, it's grilled lamb chops, right? Well, Joseph, you've made a big improvement." As soon as he entered, Armand shrugged his nose and took a few deep breaths before laughing.
"It's okay, what brings you over at this time of the day, Armand? Is something wrong?" Joseph asked.
"Ah, I've come to deliver a letter, an invitation." Armand said.