The Fox of France

After listening to Joseph's words, Napoleon fell into silence. He felt like he had grasped Joseph's intentions, and if he were to become emperor, Joseph probably wouldn't strongly oppose it. Yet, he didn't seem overly supportive either. In Joseph's characteristic style, he might say something like, "This is an approximate solution to the problem, but it's only approximate. It's not entirely wrong, but it falls far short of the optimal solution by miles."

"Of course," Napoleon thought to himself, "Joseph would probably add something like, 'But, Napoleon, given your intellectual abilities, coming up with an approximate solution that deviates only a few hundred kilometers from the correct one already satisfies me, even pleasantly surprises me,' in what appears to be a compliment but is actually a backhanded comment."

At this moment, Napoleon's focus shifted from persuading his older brother to accept an empire to understanding what Joseph's optimal solution truly was. He wracked his brain for a while, but he had to admit he had no idea what Joseph's optimal solution entailed.

"Having a brother like Joseph is both a blessing and a curse," Napoleon mused.

As the older brother, Joseph played the role of a father figure for everyone, including Napoleon, who received education and care from him. Despite Napoleon's frequent, almost habitual teasing and mockery of Joseph whenever he had the chance, he still had to acknowledge that without Joseph's help, he would not have achieved his current status and accomplishments. In a large family like theirs, having such a brother was indeed a blessing.

However, having such a brother was also quite an ego bruise. Napoleon always considered himself a clever person, at least smarter than Lucien, Louis, Gaston, and... well, almost everyone except Joseph. In many situations, he found it challenging to keep up with Joseph's thinking, and this intellectual gap was disheartening. The sensation of being intellectually outclassed was truly painful. Therefore, many times, Napoleon felt that some not-so-bright individuals, whom he could easily look down upon, like Muraash, were actually quite endearing.

However, with time, Napoleon got used to it. Not being able to solve Joseph's riddles perfectly was a normal occurrence. What was the big deal? If necessary, they could go out hunting together at Versailles and ensure that every round would be a crushing victory for Napoleon, just to let Joseph save some face.

"After we're done with this matter today, we'll go hunting in Versailles as a family, and let Joseph make a fool of himself," Napoleon silently resolved.

"Alright, Joseph, stop beating around the bush and tell us about your 'new rule,'" Napoleon decided to tactically concede.

"Before we determine this new rule, let's go back to the fundamental question," Joseph said. "Why do we create rules? Well, Lucien, don't just sit there; this question is relatively simple. You can answer it."

Lucien, feeling slightly annoyed, responded, "What do you mean by 'relatively simple'? You answer it yourself. Am I a fool?"

However, he kept that thought to himself because if he said it aloud, Joseph would immediately come up with a question that was somewhat challenging but which Napoleon could answer in a heartbeat, thus making fun of him along with that heartless Napoleon.

"Who can seduce a young lady to bed the fastest?" Lucien muttered to himself.

So, Lucien obediently replied, "Of course, it's to ensure the interests of our family."

"Very good, well said," Joseph said. "Napoleon, remember this: it's our true constitution. In terms of priority, your Civil Code seems to have taken a back seat somewhere. Whatever we do, we must not violate this principle."

Napoleon had no objections to this statement. He nodded and said, "It's such a simple truth."

"Now, the next major question is: What are our interests, and what can our power attain?" Joseph continued, emphasizing, "I want to stress here that we shouldn't overestimate our power, especially you, Napoleon."

Joseph looked at Napoleon and added, "You are the most heroic figure in our family, and you embody many qualities of ancient Greek heroes. This is excellent; our family needs a hero like you. But, like many Greek heroes, you tend to overestimate yourself and underestimate your enemies."

"Don't worry, as long as you're here, you can always spot difficulties, even if they're as small as a bean," Napoleon retorted, somewhat defensively.

"It's not like I'd be unable to do that without you. Do you really think of me as a coward?" Joseph responded.

Napoleon fell silent. He genuinely believed Joseph was no coward. After all, during the hail of bullets and chaos of the battlefield, Joseph had caught up with him and stood side by side, proving his courage. Napoleon believed that Joseph's cautious nature was due to the fact that the family had its fair share of daredevils and misfits. As the older brother, Joseph bore the heavy burden of the family, and a degree of prudence was necessary. But, with so many troublemakers in the family, didn't you have a responsibility too, Joseph?

Of course, Napoleon didn't dare say this out loud.

Since Napoleon didn't continue, Joseph pressed on. "Furthermore, we must consider the ebb of our family's power. Sir Isaac Newton was one of the smartest individuals in the world, but what about his son? Have any of you heard about him? A hero's son doesn't necessarily become a hero. I don't think my son will surpass me in mathematics and science. Similarly, Napoleon, I don't think your son will match your military prowess, not even with a single toe."

"But I believe, when it comes to deceiving young ladies, Lucien's son might have a chance," Napoleon quickly interjected, breaking the silence, to save Lucien from a gloomy mood.

Lucien smirked but didn't attempt to retaliate. There was no reasoning with Napoleon, that mischief-maker.

"Napoleon, stay on topic," Joseph admonished. "Our family is fortunate to have so many talented individuals in our generation, even Lucien's abilities alone could support a decent family. But we can't expect divine favor indefinitely. We must prepare for a future generation that may not be as outstanding."

"Of course, appropriate education can enhance their abilities, but the role of talent is undeniable, even irreplaceable. So, when we consider what our capabilities can obtain, we must also think about what our descendants can hold onto and prepare for their retreat and defense. Napoleon, you know, the most dangerous and difficult thing in the military is a retreat. When the inevitable tide of power recedes - a time that can be foreseen, only when you and I are long gone and even Lucien has grown senile - we must ensure that our descendants can preserve as much as possible."

Napoleon remained silent for a while before saying, "Joseph, I understand your point. If the rules we write down determine that the emperor is the one with the mightiest fist, then after our power recedes, when our fists aren't enough to subdue everyone, as long as any family suddenly produces someone like you, or like me, or even just someone like Lucien, our family could be in great danger, potentially losing a lot. So, you want us to essentially rely on violence to gain everything but establish a rule that prohibits the use of violent means to seize advantages?"

"Well, your idea is great, but this requirement itself is contradictory, isn't it? The new rule won't be what we say; it will be determined by what we do. We gained everything through violence, so the rule will inevitably involve using violence. Others, especially those capable of competing, are heroes. Even if we try to disguise or deceive, they won't be blind to it."

"You're right. But whether they can see it or not is not crucial; what's important is that most people don't see it. You must consider what interests the future hero, the one who will end our family's rule, has in common with us."

"Common interests?" Napoleon began with a puzzled look, but he quickly had an epiphany and broke into a knowing smile. "Joseph, you're right. We do share common interests. They are the same as our present interests. Their first duty is to protect their own family's interests. Unless that hero is not only a hero but a true saint, and the chances of that are quite low. So, even if they see what's beneath our façade, they'll still need to maintain that façade for their family's sake. To uphold that façade, they can't use excessively violent means against our descendants. A republic is the façade, right? But to use this façade and still keep the power in our hands, it requires a very intricate design. Joseph, don't keep us in suspense; what's your idea? Just tell us!"

As Napoleon uttered, "The chances of that are quite low," Joseph was suddenly reminded of someone from a different time and space. Such a person, who was both a hero and a saint, did exist, but as Napoleon rightly put it, the probability of encountering such an individual was exceedingly low. Not every era or nation was blessed with such luck.

"Very well," Joseph said, "In a distant eastern land, there is a philosopher named Lao Dan. He once said, 'The most brilliant rulers in the world are those whose subjects don't even realize they exist.'"