Jerome Bonaparte and his entourage, under the eager gaze of the public, set off southward from Concorde Square at 1 p.m., crossing the Concorde Bridge to reach Quai d'Orsay Street. Amid the cheers of citizens lining both sides of the street, they continued southward, soon arriving as scheduled near Mars Square close to the Military Glory Hall.
By this time, it was already 2 p.m. The sky was a clear blue with just a few clouds, and the sun was conveniently hidden behind these few floating clouds.
Golden sunlight filtered through the clouds and shone upon the copper statue of Emperor Napoleon crossing the Alps in Mars Square, adding a sense of sanctity to the statue of the great man, as if the victory of the Crimean War was fated by the heavens.
As Jerome Bonaparte passed by the statue, he deliberately paused for a moment, raised his head, and silently gazed at the bronze-colored figure. Then, he drew the sword hanging at his waist and saluted the statue before him.
