Schulmeister, l'espion de l'Empereur

In Vienna, Schulmeister infiltrates the aristocracy to stop a plot against Napoleon. Behind elegant salons, a determined countess prepares an assassination. The spy navigates deception and political tension to dismantle a revenge scheme that could shake the Empire.

Schulmeister and his wife settle in the Château du Piple, a gift from the Emperor in gratitude for his services. Behind the wall of a cellar, he discovers the corpse of an unknown man, deliberately placed there to trigger an investigation by Schulmeister and his friend Hammel. They uncover a scheme orchestrated by the Prussian envoy, intended to disrupt the secret negotiations between Fouché and Sir Horace, the representative of England.

A revolutionary prototype sparks a scramble among rival spies, dragging Hammel into a whirlwind of clashing ambitions and spectacular misfires. Between crafty schemes, blunders, and unexpected twists, the mission spirals into delightful chaos. An adventure full of bold intentions… and a target no one quite manages to hit.

Emperor Napoleon is preparing the Russian campaign. To equip his army, he needs to have 32,000 copies of the Russian Empire’s military maps produced as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, the Tsar has sent a spy, Tchernitcheff, to France to uncover the plans of the French military operations. Schulmeister makes him a proposal approved by the Emperor: the Russian maps in exchange for the French plans, which Schulmeister has personally stolen from the Ministry of War. Tchernitcheff accepts. The exchange takes place, but the plans provided have been altered in order to mislead the Tsar about Napoleon’s future troop movements.

Louis XVIII is in power in France. Schulmeister has gone to see Napoleon on the Island of Elba. Fouché has him arrested upon his return and asks him not to encourage the Emperor to come back to France, as he himself wishes to bring the Duke of Reichstadt to power and become Regent. However, Sir Horace Mills for England, Tchernitcheff for Russia, and Grüner for Prussia secretly agree to manipulate Napoleon’s entourage and urge him to return to France in order to destroy him more effectively. The trap is set.