“I hope you two understand, what happened this morning was extremely serious!” Dean Henri Patin said sternly to the two students in front of him, sitting behind his large desk.
The Dean’s office was converted from the former noble prayer room of the Sorbonne School of Theology, with a spacious interior, high vaulted ceilings, and numerous holy icons. The winter afternoon sun streamed through the stained-glass windows, transforming into an unpredictable array of vibrant colors.
The dry firewood in the fireplace crackled, and the flickering flames reflected on Henri Patin’s stern face, making him appear even more somber.
Lionel and Albert both hung their heads and clasped their hands, not daring to speak.
Henri Patin leaned slightly forward: “Do you know who else was in my carriage this morning?”
Upon hearing this, the two boys cautiously looked up at the Dean.
So there was a reason why such a small matter had alarmed him—otherwise, even when students from the “Royalist” and “Republican” factions had a large brawl back then, because it happened within the school and didn’t make news, it was eventually just handled by the academic affairs director, and he didn’t even show his face.
Dean Henri Patin’s voice became somewhat annoyed: “That was Madame Rothschild! One of our academy’s main benefactors! She originally intended to inspect the school discreetly today, but you two…”
He sighed at this point: “Thankfully, she was inside the carriage and her ears weren’t polluted by your nonsense! But your ugly faces and the chaos of others watching the spectacle left a ‘deep impression’ on her.
My God, look at what you’ve done!”
Only then did the two realize why Dean Henri Patin was so angry.
“Rothschild…” Lionel was naturally very familiar with this surname.
On Chinese internet in the 21st century, the “Rothschild family,” along with the “Freemasons” and “Illuminati,” were considered one of the “super organizations” that secretly controlled the world in pulp fiction.
The common characteristics of these super organizations were—on one hand, they were “incredibly mysterious” and “those who knew the truth were in mortal danger”; on the other hand, they were publicized in overwhelming detail, known to everyone.
Of course, the evil plans of these “super organizations” were also very grand—for example, eliminating 98% of the world’s population, leaving only 2% of the elite; then these elites would happily start doing the work of the 98% of humanity that had been eliminated.
…
Lionel, of course, didn’t believe these rumors, so he wasn’t “shaken to his core.”
But he also didn’t quite understand what the Rothschild family was doing in this era, though judging by Madame Rothschild’s ability to fund Sorbonne, they must be very wealthy, and likely still in their old business, finance.
As a national university, the government’s investment in Sorbonne mainly ensured the basic operation of the academy, but to carry out more research activities, it often relied on these generous benefactors.
Every year, Sorbonne would hold a grand campus Poetry Society before the Easter holiday, inviting benefactors to gather with outstanding students selected by the academy.
On stage, young, handsome students would recite poems praising the benefactors and their families. If they managed to please them, the academy might receive additional funding.
A dean’s competence was not measured by how “virtuous and respected” he was, but by how much funding he could bring to the academy.
Now, the two had angered an important benefactor of the academy and caused her to leave, so the consequences were naturally very serious.
Lionel would not argue with the Dean at this moment, saying something foolish like “Albert insulted me first.” Instead, he sincerely apologized: “I am truly sorry, Mr. Patin! I apologize for my impulsiveness and harshness to you, to Madame Rothschild, and to all the faculty and students of Sorbonne!
If given the opportunity, I hope to personally apologize to Madame Rothschild!
I believe she will understand that this was merely an unintentional prank between impulsive, ignorant young people, and does not represent the true nature of ‘Sorbonne people’!”
Dean Henri Patin’s expression softened slightly.
He then turned his gaze to Albert, with an expectant look.
Who knew Albert would mumble in a low voice: “…that snobbish Jewish woman, when my father was still a vice-minister…”
Although his voice was very low, Dean Henri Patin must have heard it, and his eyes clearly showed panic.
Lionel sensed something was wrong and quickly kicked Albert’s shin. Albert, wincing in pain, turned around and glared: “You…”
Who knew that in a flash, Lionel had already pulled out a dry, hard piece of bread from his pocket and, with lightning speed, stuffed it into Albert’s wide-open mouth.
Then, calmly and composedly, he said: “Mr. Dean, Albert spoke too much during class and is a bit hoarse. He just said that when his father was still a vice-minister, he highly praised the Rothschild family’s important contributions to France.
I believe he holds deep apologies for Madame Rothschild and for you. We already made up on the way to the office! Right, Albert?”
As he spoke, he stared intently at the other party.
Albert, after all, came from a noble family. Although he was an uneducated fop, he still had the ability to read situations. Seeing the reactions of the Dean and Lionel, he knew something was amiss, but his mouth was blocked by the hard bread, so he couldn’t speak, and could only nod repeatedly.
Lionel stepped forward directly, hugged Albert tightly, and vigorously patted him on the back several times, almost making Albert vomit blood: “Albert, we are all ‘Sorbonne people,’ we are family! Right?”
Albert’s mouth was stuffed with bread, and his back had just taken a heavy blow. He almost blacked out, but at this moment, he could only cooperate with Lionel’s act.
Dean Henri Patin finally breathed a sigh of relief and waved his hand: “You two may leave! I will have the academic dean report on your situation regularly. If anything like this happens again, you will not be worthy of being a ‘Sorbonne person’!”
Upon hearing this, the two felt as if they had been granted a great pardon. After bowing to Dean Henri Patin, they quickly left his office.
Once in the corridor, Albert finally “pulled” the hard, salty bread out of his mouth, then threw it into the courtyard, and then spat several times before looking up and glaring fiercely at Lionel.
Lionel’s expression remained unchanged: “That was my lunch, you owe me a replacement.”
Albert’s face was grim: “Then you’d better explain yourself clearly!”
Lionel looked back at the closed door of the Dean’s office, and after confirming that no one was following them, he whispered: “If I’m not mistaken, Madame Rothschild should be in the office, we just can’t see her.”
Albert was stunned by this, his mouth agape, not knowing what to say.
After a long while, he said to Lionel with a poker face: “This time… I owe you one.”
Then he took out a 10-franc banknote from his pocket and handed it to Lionel: “Your lunch money… This is enough for a decent meal at the ‘Louvre Hotel’.”
Lionel took it with a clear conscience: “Helping you is actually helping me… Of course, you would definitely be worse off than me.”
Albert knew he was telling the truth. If his complaints had been heard by Madame Rothschild, Dean Henri Patin would certainly impose severe punishment, and no one would escape it then.
As the two were talking, Madame Rothschild, dressed in exquisite casual attire, was already sitting opposite Dean Henri Patin, smiling as she asked: “What did the Rohan boy say just now?”
This wealthy lady appeared no older than 30, with brilliant golden hair like early summer sunshine and emerald green eyes like jewels, as if she had just stepped out of a Baroque noble portrait.
Dean Henri Patin smiled slightly: “What he wanted to say has already been relayed by Lionel, and I believe that was his true intention.”
Madame Rothschild’s smile became ambiguous: “Is that so? That’s really not like his temperament… But that Lionel is quite interesting. Will he participate in this year’s Poetry Society?”
Dean Henri Patin chuckled: “Of course, he is excellent! You will see his wonderful recitation at the Poetry Society…”
Madame Rothschild’s eyes immediately lit up.