Chapter 62

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Maria Clementina is truly loyal to the Bonaparte family; I wonder what benefits Napoleon has given her? After offending Louis Bonaparte, who was suffering from cancer, she immediately decided to set off for France in three days and sent a servant to inform her allies in France overnight—because Zhu Jishi had made another request, asking the Bonaparte family to provide some "test subjects." After all, Zhu Jishi had never performed gastric surgery before, and although there were textbooks to refer to, he still lacked confidence without a few trials. Although this was highly unethical, Zhu Jishi knew that in the progress of Western medicine, countless secret human experiments had been conducted!

At this moment, in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs near the Quai d'Orsay in Paris, Foreign Minister Guizot was meeting with Theodore de Lagrené, who was about to lead a delegation to China, as well as a representative from the French military, Deputy Minister of the Army, General Denave. They were discussing the current Sino-French diplomatic issues.

Lagrené's mission to China was as a special envoy, the highest-ranking diplomat among the three delegations France had sent to China since the outbreak of the Opium War, the one who truly held the reins of power. Before Lagrené, the French had sent an observation team led by "Far East expert" Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau and a delegation led by the French consul in Guangzhou, Jean-Baptiste Lagdame. Chaigneau had even overstepped his authority to negotiate with the Viceroy of Liangguang, Qiying, and signed a relatively equal Sino-French Treaty of Commerce and Navigation, along with a secret clause for the export of arms to China.

However, Chaigneau's signing of the treaty and the secret clause with China provoked protests from Britain. At that time, the July Monarchy of France was quite weak in dealing with Britain, so Foreign Minister Guizot sent Lagdame to Guangzhou to deny Chaigneau's diplomatic activities. Now, just as Lagdame had arrived in China, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs was planning to send a third diplomatic delegation to China.

Speaking of France's China policy, it was indeed quite chaotic. The sudden emergence of "China's great scientist" Zhu Jishi was also interfering with the French government's diplomatic efforts with China. In recent days, Foreign Minister Guizot had discussed the China issue with Lagrené several times, trying to come up with a final strategy.

The strategy had two parts: one was to secure the maximum benefit for France, and the other was to find a way to participate in China's reforms.

After the Seven Years' War and the Napoleonic Wars, France's overseas territories were few, and the July Monarchy, relying on the bourgeoisie for governance, needed to find international markets for French industry and capital. However, the New World and India offered little space for France to expand, so the recently opened China naturally attracted the French government's covetous gaze.

However, at this time, France did not have the strength to launch a large-scale military expedition like Britain, using guns and cannons to force China to sign unequal treaties. They were still fighting a costly war in North Africa against the leader of the Algerians, Abd al-Qadir, who had already defeated the French invasion forces twice and was now engaged in a third major battle.

Moreover, the domestic situation in France was not stable. Due to overproduction in industry and poor agricultural harvests, the lives of the French working people and the finances of the French government were facing significant difficulties. The people of Paris had a tradition of rebellion, and in the decades since the French Revolution, there had been at least ten uprisings! The current July Monarchy had come to power through the July Revolution of 1830, and King Louis-Philippe had the nickname "King of the Barricades," meaning he had become king through street riots.

Because of his illegitimate rise to power, the foundation of the July Monarchy was quite unstable. Not only did the republicans and Bonapartists oppose Louis-Philippe's rule, but even the royalists mostly supported the legitimacy of the Bourbon dynasty over him, the Orleans branch.

Therefore, it was not easy for the French government to gain sufficient benefits from China, especially without the use of force, as they could only rely on deception and negotiation.

Moreover, beyond the immediate benefits, there was a long-term goal—Chaigneau had reported that the Qing government had already shown an intention to learn Western military technology and would likely undergo a reform modeled after the West in the foreseeable future. What role should France play in this reform?

The French were well aware of Emperor Napoleon's prophecy about China. Now, the British had awakened this sleeping lion with a war, which was both a challenge and an opportunity for France. A waking Eastern giant was certainly detrimental to France's colonial ambitions in the East, but its vast market was a huge opportunity for the struggling French industry and commerce.

However, how to take advantage of this opportunity was a question that the diplomats in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not answer. Guizot, however, recalled something.

"By the way, that Chinese scientist Zhu Jishi, who lives in Britain, seems to have finally set off for Paris," Guizot said, frowning. "A few days ago, he sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying he wanted to write a personal letter to the Qing Emperor and wanted a Chinese man named Bai Siwen to accompany the French delegation to China."

Lagrené was taken aback—having a Chinese person accompany his delegation and bringing a letter from Zhu Jishi... letters were one thing, as the French had proposed this themselves, and the letter would be delivered by the French delegation, so they could inspect its contents and withhold it if it was detrimental to France. But if a live person suddenly joined the delegation, would the Chinese court fully understand France's true situation? Would the Chinese court still be willing to make the greatest concessions to France?

"Sir, what is our mission in the East? To secure the maximum benefit for France, or to win the favor of the Chinese court?" Lagrené paused and continued, "If the latter, I believe we can negotiate with China based on the diplomatic achievements of Mr. Chaigneau. Otherwise, it would be best not to involve Zhu Jishi in our negotiations with the Qing government."

The current French government was indeed hesitant in its China policy, wanting to secure the greatest short-term benefits while also seeking long-term benefits through participation in China's future reforms. Chaigneau had clearly focused on the latter, while the French government leaned more towards the former.

"But what can we do to prevent Zhu Jishi from informing the Chinese court about our internal affairs?" Guizot's tone was hesitant.

"About that..." Lagrené was taken aback, realizing that this was indeed a problem. Zhu Jishi was already a renowned scientist in Europe, had been knighted by the British, and had established a holding company with assets exceeding several hundred thousand pounds. Sending a letter to the Qing Emperor would be extremely easy for him. What could the French do to him?

Detain him? Ha, he was a guest of the French Academy of Sciences and the French government, a member of the Academy. How could they detain him? What about the dignity of the French Kingdom?

"Sir, why don't we first make contact with Zhu Jishi? Let's see what role he wants to play in Sino-French negotiations?" General Denave, the Deputy Minister of the Army, who had been silent, suddenly interjected, "I think we should also understand what role Zhu Jishi wants to play in China's future reforms."

"Henry, do you mean... Zhu Jishi might become a high-ranking official in the future Chinese court?" Guizot's brows furrowed tightly as he spoke.

"We can send someone to probe his intentions."

"Send someone? Who?"

"My daughter Maria," General Denave touched his nose and smiled, "She is currently traveling in Britain... I think she will become good friends with Zhu Jishi."

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