In the blink of an eye, January 4, 1771

It is a beautiful sunny winter day. The snow clouds that have shrouded Paris for weeks have finally dispersed, allowing the rare winter sun to shine on the silver-covered Paris city.

The Louvre, this magnificent palace located on the north bank of the Seine and at the east end of the Champs Elysées, was the seat of the royal court when Louis XIV ascended the throne. After the Sun King moved the palace to the Palace of Versailles, this once crowded place

The ancient palace has gradually lost its splendor.

On weekdays, the Louvre is extremely deserted. As the headquarters of the French Society, even members of the Society usually only come here when meetings are held.

But today, this academic mecca in France is even more lively than the Christmas show at the Paris Comédie-France.

The Arena Square outside has been filled with carriages of various styles since the morning, so that later visitors have to park their carriages to the Bastille Square to the east and then walk back.

Many citizens who were not qualified to enter the Louvre and were turned away did not leave. Instead, they crowded in groups outside the palace fence, watching everything going on in the palace with curiosity and expectancy.

Not to mention the reporters from newspapers. Although journalists in the 18th century were not qualified to enter such serious occasions for on-site interviews, they were not discouraged and waited at the palace gate early in the morning, always ready.

Get the latest news and pass it back to the community.

Almost half of Paris knows that the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Corsica is going to have a bet with His Majesty the King's mistress, and the outcome will be decided in the Louvre today.

Even though most citizens don't pay much attention to this kind of gambling between the upper class, due to the few protest rallies before the New Year, Madame Du Barry's name has become vicious and vicious among the small citizens.

synonym.

Therefore, most of the citizens gathered outside the palace also hoped that the damn woman would be defeated in this gamble.

However, hope is hope. In those gambling games set up privately by the people, the odds of Laurence Bonaparte reached an exaggerated multiple of nearly one to twenty.

...

In the afternoon, in a large domed auditorium in the west wing of the Louvre.

The layout of this auditorium is very similar to that of a stepped theater, which ensures that the more than a thousand audience members can have an unobstructed view of the podium in the center of the auditorium. The building structure has also undergone ingenious acoustic design, so that the voice of the central speaker can be heard in the center of the auditorium.

After several reflections, it can be clearly conveyed to the ears of everyone present.

At this moment, the academic defense against Laurence Bonaparte has not yet begun, but the auditorium is already full of seats and a buzz of people.

Those who are qualified to sit here and accompany the king to watch the outcome of this gambling game are naturally those who are well-known in the upper class.

They chatted and laughed. Anyway, few of these nobles, ministers and wealthy bourgeoisie were very accomplished in academic research. They just regarded this defense as a special salon to show their status.

, the only concern is who wins the bet in the end.

Different from these relaxed and leisurely audiences, the more than 20 scholars at the front of the seats were solemn and ready.

These people are all the most qualified and knowledgeable scholars carefully selected by the Academy Committee. Almost everyone holds the position of lifelong secretary of the French Academy of Sciences.

If this defense had not alarmed His Majesty the King, no academician’s defense would have caused the Academy of Sciences to send such a luxurious lineup. In this sense, this can be regarded as a special honor.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing in this auditorium is not the speaking table in the center of the auditorium and the experimental instruments covered with black cloth, but the marble stand above the auditorium - where the royal family members

Exclusive stand.

Louis XV still held Madame Du Barry in his arms, enjoying the tenderness of the beauty in his arms while waiting for the start of the defense.

The king, like the audience, was full of curiosity about the final outcome of the bet. Especially as a witness to the birth of the bet, Louis XV wanted to know what the young Lawrence's confidence was.

Crown Prince Louis and his wife sat closely behind the king. Although the couple was not particularly emotionally harmonious, they were quite consistent in their dislike of Madame Du Barry and their concern for His Excellency Bonaparte.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince pulled up the corners of his clothes nervously. He had previously helped Lawrence create a batch of weird gadgets.

From the lacquered silver coils wound into hundreds of turns to the carbonized bamboo silk covered with glass, although Prince Louis made them one by one according to the drawings, he did not think that these gadgets would allow his friends to pass a game.

Extremely rigorous academic defense.

...

Time passed by minute by minute.

Just when the audience was getting a little impatient in waiting, Lawrence slowly opened the door of the preparation room at the back, faced thousands of expectant eyes, and confidently stepped onto the podium in the center of the auditorium.

Immediately behind him was his assistant, Academician Lavoisier, both of whom were wearing a set of red academic robes. This robe with extremely distinctive colors and styles has always been a status symbol for members of the French Institute.

As the two men stepped onto the podium, the entire auditorium immediately fell silent. The relaxed atmosphere that filled the place was instantly replaced by a solemn tension. People subconsciously stopped talking to their companions and held their breath.

Looking forward to the start of this defense.

On the marble stand, Madame Du Barry glanced contemptuously at Lawrence's robe and smiled to herself:

"He even dressed up in a really serious way. Hmm, if I win this bet later, I will let you, a barbarian, take off all your clothes on the spot. Just wait and see."

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Academician Lavoisier stood next to Lawrence and took a deep breath nervously. He has also given several lectures in this auditorium, but like today

In front of almost the entire Parisian upper class, this was undoubtedly the first time.

However, even though Lavoisier's brows revealed some tension, he had no intention of retreating. After these few weeks of cooperation with His Excellency Bonaparte, he finally understood why this gentleman was interested in this bet.

Such certainty.

He moved his gaze away from the graceful nobles and ladies, and focused his attention on the more than 20 evaluation committee members in the front row. Many of them were very familiar to Lavoisier, and they were all members of the French academic community.

The group of people at the top.

"Oh! God!" Lavoisier suddenly poked Lawrence and exclaimed in a low voice:

"I saw Academician d'Alembert. He seems to be today's presiding committee member. This is not good. He is notoriously strict in his treatment of academics."

"D'Alembert? You mean Jean Leland d'Alembert?"

Lawrence followed Lavoisier's gaze and looked with curiosity at the serious man wearing a silver wig in the middle of the first row of seats, and nodded slightly.

In Lawrence's memory, Academician d'Alembert was considered a scientific giant in history. He was a pioneer and founder of mathematical analysis, and he also had profound attainments in physics and astronomy.

.

Unlike many scientists who were depressed during their lifetime, d'Alembert had already achieved a lofty status in the academic world while he was still alive. Even among the lifelong secretaries of the Academy of Sciences, he was among the most virtuous and respected people.

Combined with what Lavoisier said about his extremely strict and serious attitude towards academics, it is no wonder that he was selected as the presiding committee member for this highly anticipated defense.

As if aware of Lawrence's gaze, Academician d'Alembert raised his head and briefly looked at Lawrence. His calm and clear eyes contained almost no emotion, just like a just and selfless judge.

"cough..."

Academician d'Alembert looked away, stood up slowly, coughed twice to clear his throat, and then said in a deep voice without any delay:

"Your Majesty Bonaparte, in view of the impeachment report against you after you were elected as a formal academician of the French Academy of Sciences, the Academy Committee hereby organizes this academic defense to publicly prove whether you have the qualifications to be elected as an academician. If you and your assistants

Academician Warthy is ready, and we can start."

Lawrence nodded, indicating that he could start directly.

"Very good." Academician d'Alembert did not sit down, but turned to pick up the paper Lawrence submitted to the Academy of Sciences on the table, flipped through it and said:

"The committee has received the academic work you submitted a few days ago and conducted the initial review... Well, the paper you submitted is called "On Electricity and Magnetism""

Listening to Academician d'Alembert read out the title of this paper, the more than 20 evaluators in the front row couldn't help showing a strange expression on their faces, and even Lavoisier scratched his head in embarrassment.

In the eyes of professional scholars like them, those who dare to name their academic works with such names are either giants of natural philosophy who stand at the top of the academic world, or they are sensationalists who have no idea of ​​the heights of the world.

It is self-evident whether the young Corsican belongs to the former or the latter in their hearts.

Academician d'Alembert always maintained a serious expression and continued:

"After discussion by the evaluation committee members, Your Excellency Bonaparte, we believe that your paper contains quite a few errors and flaws. The theories you proposed in your paper have no practical basis at all...not so much those that have not yet been obtained.

A proven scientific theory is rather a fantasy work filled with groundless reverie.”

Listening to the conclusion drawn by Academician d'Alembert in his opening remarks, the entire auditorium was in an uproar.

People originally expected to see a war of words and a close debate, but they did not expect that the evaluation committee members of the Academy of Sciences almost sentenced Lawrence to death immediately.

In the stands, even though she already knew the result, Madame Du Barry's smile was still beyond words. She didn't even care about the etiquette of a lady and laughed loudly directly in the arms of the king.

Louis XV looked at Lawrence on the podium with confusion. At this rate, Lawrence might be able to take off his academic robe and return it to the Academy of Sciences committee on the spot without even having to debate.

Hundreds of questions, sarcastic and worried glances rushed towards Lawrence like a whistling mountain wind. Although the vast majority of the audience had never experienced such a defense, they could also see that under normal circumstances, the evaluation

The committee members will not completely reject the respondent's work at the outset.

Facing the entire uproar, Lawrence smiled, shook his head, and said loudly:

"Since the committee members are full of questions about my work, I think we can start the defense process."

Academician d'Alembert frowned slightly. In his opinion, there was no need to continue to defend this nonsense paper. If it really wanted to be defended, it would probably have to start from the first sentence of the first section of the first chapter.

here we go.

However, after all, this was a defense under the personal supervision of His Majesty the King, and Academician d'Alembert could not follow his temper and drive this young man who was trying to get into the Academy of Sciences out of the Louvre according to his temper.

So, he winked at a committee member next to him, and the committee member stood up helplessly, holding up a five-foot long list of questions in his hand and said:

"Okay, Your Excellency Bonaparte, we do have many issues that need to be discussed with you regarding your paper..."

The committee member looked at the first question on the list and read aloud:

"The first and most important question is that you claimed in your paper that electricity and magnetism are one; this is a complete fallacy. Your Excellency Bonaparte, haven't you read Dr. Gilbert's works?

?Electricity and magnetism have nothing to do with each other!"

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Dr. Gilbert was a British physicist and royal physician in the sixteenth century. He stated in his book "On Magnetism" that although electricity and

Magnetism has some similarities, but there is no causal connection between the two.
To be continued...