Chapter 369 Problems Presented by a Virus  

August 10th, 1821, seven o'clock in the evening within the Palace of Versailles, in the confines of Napoleon's office.

"Report," Napoleon commanded, wasting no time on pleasantries.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Talleyrand, shared a quick, knowing glance with the Minister of Finance, Gaudin, silently conveying who would take the lead in briefing their leader.

Minister Gaudin tilted his head to the side, giving Talleyrand the floor.

Talleyrand cleared his throat before speaking. "Your Imperial Majesty, this epidemic that we are experiencing in the Southern region is causing anxiety to our neighbors. Germany is looking to issue a travel ban and a border lockdown."

Napoleon leaned forward, his eyes narrowing on the details of the situation. "And the financial implications?" he asked, turning towards Minister Gaudin.

Minister Gaudin stepped forward, papers in hand. "Sire, the potential trade disruptions could be significant. If Germany imposes these restrictions, others will follow, especially to our huge trading partners, Italy and Spain. To put it in perspective, we are losing 110,000,000 francs per day."

Napoleon's expression turned steely, the numbers presented before him not lost in the slightest.

"What about the stock market?" Napoleon queried, his tone direct and expectant of a concise update.

Minister Gaudin adjusted his glasses, looking down at his ledger. "It's responding as expected, Sire—volatile. Investors are nervous; there's been a significant sell-off. In addition sir, our banking situation is looking grim as well. In the north of France, people fear that the epidemic may reach them, and so are rushing to the bank to withdraw their savings. This is leading to a liquidity crisis."

"What are your solutions then?"

"Well, Your Imperial Majesty, we can suspend large withdrawals temporarily to prevent a run on the banks," Minister Gaudin suggested.

"If you do that, the people of France would not take it kindly. Keeping them out of their money is something that could cause riots," Talleyrand interjected.

"Look, it's better that we have riots than have all our banks collapsing and the economy falling into complete disarray. Riots we can disperse, for our economy? It's harder," Gaudin asserted. "Nonetheless, we will ensure the Banque de France issues a statement. Make it clear that this is a temporary measure to protect everyone's financial security." "Agreed," Napoleon nodded in agreement to the suggestion of the Minister of Finance. "Do it immediately."

"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty," Gaudin bowed his head.

"As for you Talleyrand, what are the solutions you can give to me that I can authorize to calm our neighbors and tell them that we have the crisis under control?"

Talleyrand stood a little straighter, well-prepared for the inquiry. "Sire, diplomatic outreach is crucial. We can dispatch envoys to assure our neighbors of our comprehensive response to the epidemic. Sharing our plans for containment and medical treatment protocols could help prevent the spread of panic and, consequently, the epidemic."

"And our internal affairs?" Napoleon prodded, keen to cover all bases.

"We should increase our efforts to inform the populace about preventive measures and the actions the government is taking. Transparency can help maintain public order," Talleyrand advised. "You can speak with the Minister of Interior about this in detail. This is just a suggestion."

Napoleon rapped his fingers on the desk thoughtfully. "Very well, I authorize the diplomatic outreach. Draft the necessary communications immediately," he instructed. "As for the internal response, I think I have spoken about this with my brother a while back. I'll have our previous discussion overhauled with new standards."

Talleyrand nodded. "Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty."

Napoleon stood up, signaling the end of the meeting. "Ensure that these actions are swift and effective. We must stay ahead of the turmoil, not chase after it."

With a final bow, Gaudin and Talleyrand left the office to carry out Napoleon's orders.

As the doors closed, Napoleon leaned back to his chair and propped his legs onto the desk, a rare moment of relaxation in the face of pressing matters. He believed that this epidemic was one of the challenges that his empire needed to overcome as a ruler of the great empire. He can't let the image of him be ruined by a virus. It's going to be humiliating knowing that France has earned its prestige through military conquest and economic success.

As he was about to pick up the phone and call his brother Lucien, a knock on the door paused his action.

"Enter," he called out firmly.

The door person and the person who knocked stepped forward.

"Darling…" Napoleon breathed as he didn't expect a visit from his wife, Ciela.

"Good evening darling," Ciela said as she turned around and faced her lady-in-waiting. "You all wait outside, I'll be just a moment with the Emperor."

The lady-in-waiting bowed and exited the room, closing the door behind her. Napoleon stood up from his desk, his stern demeanor softening at the sight of Ciela. "The speech you made earlier was great."

Ciela chuckled as she walked over to the side of Napoleon's desk. "Well, despite my speech. I heard things are not going well in the economic sector. People are panicking. Maybe my voice wasn't too convincing to the masses after all."

Napoleon sighed, "It's a difficult time for everyone. Your words do provide comfort, but the situation with the banks and the stock market is complicating matters."

Ciela leaned against the desk, her expression one of concern. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Napoleon smiled as he grabbed her by the arm, pulling her in for a supportive embrace that turned into Ciela sitting on his lap. "There is one, I want you to hold a meeting with the top industrialists of our nation and from there, help them understand the current situation. We need to maintain their confidence in the economy."

"That I can do. I have made a lot of business partners ever since I started for the last thirty years. Don't worry, I'll handle them."

"Good," Napoleon wrapped his arms around her. "Anyways, I heard you spoke with Francis over the phone. Mind telling me what you two talked about?"

"Hmm…he just told me that it was a great speech. But he hung up when someone entered his room."

"Must be something serious," Napoleon guessed.

As they were having a conversation, the telephone rang.

"Who could it be?" Napoleon picked up the telephone.

"Your Imperial Majesty, you have an incoming call from His Imperial Highness, Francis Bonaparte."

"Put him through," Napoleon said, gesturing for Ciela to stay seated on his lap.

"Francis, what's the situation?" Napoleon asked in a straightforward tone.

"Father, we found the patient zero. We can turn this thing around," Francis announced.

Napoleon raised his brows, and Ciela noticed it.

"What's the matter?"

"Francis said that he found the patient zero," Napoleon shared.

"Ohh…so that's the reason why he hung up on me earlier," Ciela said, piecing things together.

"Great work, Francis," Napoleon said, turning his attention back to his son. "We are going to speed things up from here because this epidemic is costing us money."

"Understood, Father."