French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 10: The Great Philanthropist Was Assassinated?

"Your Highness, thank you so much! My child can finally have enough to eat."

After touring the army, implementing pay raises, and having Conrobbert reorganize the troops, Eugène Napoleon returned to his daily routine of distributing bread.

Olivier did approach Eugène Napoleon, though the prime minister was unaware of Eugène's actions in the army. However, he was aware of Eugène's extravagant spending in the police force and various districts of Paris.

Olivier, who had assumed Eugène's loan would be used for urban public works, naturally wanted to inquire about the funds when he saw that Eugène was using them in these areas.

Unfortunately, Eugène has been deliberately avoiding Olivier these past few days, and the prime minister has repeatedly failed to catch a glimpse of Eugène Napoleon.

Today, Eugène went to the 12th arrondissement, the Rouil district, which is next to the famous Bastille prison in France.

The odd-numbered districts in the inner circle were part of Haussmann's plan for New Paris, while the even-numbered districts on the outer perimeter were largely part of Old Paris.

The 12th arrondissement was the same arrondissement Eugène Napoleon had passed through before, where he had been blocked. This time, the bread distribution was filled with familiar faces; the woman constantly thanking Eugène was the same woman who had been in the crowd earlier.

As the woman who had previously complained about not having enough bread, she accepted the bread from Eugène with both hands, her voice choked with emotion, her eyes reddening, and she couldn't help but want to kneel down before Eugène Napoleon.

The woman looked at Eugene with eyes full of apology and gratitude. She never expected to see a crown prince who kept his word.

Kneeling is not something one can do casually in the West either. In France, where the Catholic faith prevails, people only kneel when praying to images of Christ or sacred objects, or when repenting.

The old woman's desire to kneel down undoubtedly reflects her view of Eugène as a savior while also harboring a sense of remorse.

Of course, Eugène Napoleon couldn't actually make her kneel down. He lifted the old woman up, smiled at her, and then reached out to pinch the cheek of the child in her arms.

"This is what I, as the future monarch of France, should do for you, the people of France."

"From now on, we can come to collect it every day, so the child won't go hungry anymore."

Compared to the black bread being distributed on the streets of Jerusalem, the people in District 12 were clearly more grateful to Eugène Napoleon, and the onlookers all seemed very excited.

There was even an elderly man who looked to be at least seventy or eighty years old, who, having lived through the Napoleonic era, expressed his feelings here.

"I've lived to be seventy-four, and I've never seen anyone from the royal family personally hand us poor wretch bread. His Majesty Napoleon didn't, nor did the Bourbon. Your Highness, you are the first."

When the old man spoke of Napoleon, Eugène clearly wasn't referring to his own father, whose reputation among the people was utterly ruined, but rather to His Majesty Napoleon I, whom the older generation fondly remembered.

The old man's words clearly carried a certain authority, and the young people around him became even more animated after hearing his remarks.

"Yes, yes. They only ever collected taxes; they never cared about our lives."

"If His Majesty returns after winning this war, he will abdicate in favor of Your Highness, and I will still be willing to support the Bonaparte family."

.......

Some of the nearby chatter reached Eugene's ears, but he simply picked up another piece of bread and handed it to a thin, bony little boy beside him.

"Eat quickly, you can't go hungry while you're growing."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

The little boy took the bread, turned around and ran quickly to his mother's side. He hid behind his mother, peeking out from behind and occasionally glancing at the prince, who was only a few years older than him but looked more mature.

At the bread distribution point, a full 120 Guardsmen were maintaining order, and hundreds of Paris police officers were assisting in the management.

Distributing bread wasn't like storming the Bastille again. The police and guards had been repeatedly reminded by Eugène Napoleon, and there was no oppression.

Therefore, although the queue stretched for a kilometer, it was still relatively orderly.

Eugène stood in front of the distribution table, handing out bread while glancing out of the corner of his eye at Pierre Laroche, the captain of the Imperial Guard standing beside him.

This confidant left behind by Napoleon III, who was also a company commander who had served alongside Eugène Napoleon for four years, exchanged a knowing glance with Eugène.

Pierre nodded slightly, indicating to Eugène that everything was ready. Reassured that the plan was proceeding smoothly, Eugène continued distributing bread.

The bread distribution line was still moving slowly, and at the back of the line, people who hadn't received bread yet naturally gathered together to chat.

Several young workers in overalls huddled together, whispering amongst themselves. They were people influenced by Republican ideology and had a natural aversion to monarchical autocracy.

Even though Eugène Napoleon was doing good deeds, some people still viewed the issue with the worst possible perspective.

"Do you think His Highness is genuinely concerned about us, or is he just putting on an act to win us over?"

"I think it's mostly true. In the past, when did the royal family care about our lives? When factories closed down and bread prices went up, they only knew how to tax and exploit us. Now that they're suddenly handing us bread themselves, they might have some ulterior motive."

"Maybe the bread delivery will stop in a few days, so let's not be fooled by this little favor."

The group chattered amongst themselves, as if Eugène Napoleon had made a mistake while distributing bread. However, the discussion was relatively quiet; the positive feedback Eugène would receive for doing such a good deed would certainly outweigh the negative feedback.

Moreover, Eugène knew very well that some members of the Republican Party would be wary of their behavior. They couldn't afford to give out bread, but stirring up trouble and spreading conspiracy theories was inevitable.

Eugène Napoleon was prepared for this. He glanced at Pierre beside him, the captain of the guard, who was scanning the surroundings warily, seemingly on guard, but actually keeping an eye on the activity in the corner tower.

There was a relatively concealed firing position, where the gunman was hiding, holding a Chassepot 1866 rifle, the muzzle already quietly aimed at the pre-selected position behind Eugène.

boom!

Just then, a crisp gunshot shattered the silence. The bullet, with a sharp whistling sound, grazed Eugene's shoulder and struck the bread table behind him, sending up a spray of crumbs.

"Aaaaaah~"

The gunshots shattered the previously orderly scene. Some people screamed and tried to flee.

When the guards and police saw Eugène Napoleon being shot, they drew their guns and pointed them at the crowd, which only added fuel to the fire.

Chaos erupted at the scene, which achieved Eugène Napoleon's goal. The gunshot was a pre-set warning shot, intended to cause panic and give Eugène some time to react.