As soon as Joseph heard what this was about, he felt even more reluctant to participate. Although he wasn't very active in the club's activities, he was not entirely unaware of the current situation within the club. Ever since the King's flight, the club had been divided. Previously, most members of the Friends of the Constitution Club were staunch supporters of constitutional monarchy. However, after the King's escape, some had shifted their allegiance to supporting a republic. And with the events at the Place de la Bastille, this division was becoming even more pronounced.
As for the election of a new club president, the current president was Lafayette. Although he had been less active in club activities lately due to official duties, he was undoubtedly one of the candidates. Joseph could easily guess that the other contender at this club meeting would be Robespierre. He was also quite certain that Robespierre had won this election, as Lafayette seemed to have lost confidence; otherwise, he wouldn't insist on dragging Joseph into this.
"Participating in this is really not an option. If it goes wrong, it might cost me my head," Joseph thought. He quickly said, "General, I'm not trying to avoid my duty, but I..."
For a moment, Joseph couldn't come up with a particularly convincing reason and began to sweat.
"What's the matter?" Lafayette furrowed his brow, forgetting Joseph for a moment. "Do you have a date with a lady? But this matter is important, and I hope you can find a way to attend."
At this point, Joseph finally came up with a plan: he would feign illness. He decided to agree now and then pretend to be very ill as soon as he got home in the evening. He had to be so sick that he couldn't move, and Lafayette couldn't possibly carry him to the meeting on a stretcher.
With this strategy in mind, Joseph replied, "Very well, General, I will make time."
"Good, I'll be waiting for you," Lafayette smiled at Joseph. As for whom Joseph would vote for, who he would choose between himself and Robespierre, Lafayette thought that was a foregone conclusion and didn't need to ask.
After Lafayette left, Joseph quickly found Napoleon on his way home and told him about the situation, and they coordinated their approach.
However, as they approached the front door of their home, Joseph was taken aback. He saw two people waiting at his doorstep.
The two people waiting at Joseph's doorstep were Armand and Robespierre!
If he could, Joseph would have turned and run immediately. But Armand and Robespierre had already spotted him. Armand waved at him, and Robespierre nodded in acknowledgment.
"No escaping now!" Joseph looked at Armand's sincere smile and felt a shiver down his spine. He felt exposed, as if he had been stripped naked and thrown into the snowy fields of Siberia. In that moment, he could almost see the imposing figure of the guillotine.
Joseph could guess why Armand and Robespierre were here: it was about the vote.
"I'm such a fool!" Joseph thought. "I knew I'd be called upon to vote, but I didn't expect Robespierre to come as well. If I were a little smarter, I'd find a place to hide and spend the night away..."
But now, it was too late to think about it. The guillotine – no, Robespierre – had already approached.
"Mr. Bonaparte, I'm sorry to disturb you at this time," Robespierre said with a smile.
"Joseph, why did it take you so long to return? Your brother refused to open the door for us, as if he thought we were the Big Bad Wolf!" Armand said, wearing an innocent smile, as if she didn't realize they had brought the Big Bad Wolf into their home.
"Lucien has gone to a classmate's house, and only Louis is at home. He's a bit rigid, so I told him not to open the door for anyone," Joseph replied with a forced smile.
Once inside, Joseph brought Napoleon and the troublesome Little Red Riding Hood (Armand) and the fearsome Big Bad Wolf (Robespierre) into the house. After everyone was seated, Robespierre asked, "Mr. Bonaparte, is this your brother, Napoleon? I've heard he's quite talented in military matters."
Napoleon didn't speak, but Joseph could tell he was rather pleased.
"Napoleon has been doing well lately," Joseph replied. Robespierre had veered off the main topic, and Joseph hoped he would continue to do so, giving him more time to think.
In theory, the same methods that could be used against Lafayette could also be applied to Robespierre. But Joseph was a bit hesitant. He knew that deceiving Robespierre was a different matter. If he ever grew suspicious, it would be troublesome.
"Maybe there's a way to have the best of both worlds," Joseph thought while continuing to engage in the conversation.
Robespierre finally got to the point, asking, "Joseph, what do you think about the King's escape and the events at the Champ de Mars?"
"The King's escape?" Joseph replied. "I think he came very close to succeeding, but he was captured and brought back, which shows that even God supports the revolution."
At this point, mentioning God in front of Robespierre wasn't a problem, as not long ago, Robespierre had considered piety as one of the most important virtues in his writings.
Robespierre smiled but wasn't swayed by Joseph's answer. He continued, "Ah, Mr. Bonaparte, what I meant to ask is, do you believe the King was 'kidnapped'?"
"I'm not a fool to believe such nonsense," Joseph said with a wry smile. He didn't want to appear foolish in front of Robespierre. If he had to choose between offending Lafayette or Robespierre, Joseph would certainly choose to offend Lafayette, as it seemed unlikely that Lafayette would send him to the guillotine. This illustrated Machiavelli's point that it's better to be a feared ruler than a loved one.
"But our King does seem quite foolish," Napoleon interjected. "Look at how he tried to escape in style. He even had a carriage, as if he feared no one would recognize him."
Now that Joseph had made his stance on the King's escape clear, Napoleon felt that he didn't need to hold back.
"But Lafayette still insists that the King was 'abducted,' Joseph, what do you think of this?" Robespierre asked.
Joseph thought for a moment. He knew that many people believed he had benefited greatly from Lafayette and were beginning to see him as a supporter of Lafayette. With this question, Robespierre was likely trying to assess friend from foe. On this matter, if he continued to support Lafayette, it was clear that Robespierre would consider him a Lafayette ally and political enemy.
However, immediately opposing Lafayette might seem unscrupulous. Joseph knew that anyone who acquired a reputation similar to Machiavelli's would encounter numerous problems later on. So he intentionally hesitated for a moment before saying, "Lafayette probably has his reasons for saying this. He might be trying to prevent a war."
Seeing that Robespierre appeared deep in thought, Joseph continued, "Lafayette may be worried that if we were to investigate the King's escape, it could lead to internal unrest and foreign interference. Mr. Robespierre, you are aware of the precarious state of the French army, as the senior officers are not reliable. However, we can't simply replace them all at once. Therefore, Lafayette might be concerned that a war would put France in a very unfavorable position."
Robespierre finally got to the point, "So, Mr. Bonaparte, do you share Lafayette's views? Do you agree with him?"
Joseph shook his head. "I understand Lafayette's concerns, but I don't agree with his approach. I believe that Lafayette has made two mistakes in this matter."
"Please elaborate."
"First, Lafayette's perspective is too focused on the military," Joseph explained. "He fails to see that the greatest strength of France is not its army but its people. Allowing someone who has lost the people's trust, who has betrayed them, to continue sitting on the throne would severely damage the morale of the people.
"Second, he underestimates our enemies. He thinks that if we make concessions, we will receive the same goodwill from our enemies. But our enemies will not relax their attacks because of our weakness. On the contrary, our vulnerability will encourage them to take risks.
"Furthermore, the King has already expressed his opposition to the revolution. After that, the royal family has no way out. They understand that the people will never trust them again. In the future, whether it's our actions or theirs, it will all be seen as expedient by the other side. They will never believe that we still want to preserve his rights. Instead, they will see this as our fear of domestic and foreign counterrevolutionary forces.
"Lafayette may hope to buy time by keeping the King in power to rebuild the military. But the royal family won't be oblivious to this. From their perspective, giving Lafayette this time is equivalent to signing the death warrant for the monarchy. So, they won't grant Lafayette this time."
"I see," Armand chimed in. "Joseph, there's an important club meeting the day after tomorrow, where we'll be electing a new club president. This will determine the direction of the club. I believe our club can't continue down Lafayette's mistaken path."