The price of sending roses

On March 28, 1797, Napoleon, ruler of France, was warmly received by the pupils and teachers of the First National Primary School of Luxembourg when he visited the school.

At the school's reception, Napoleon, holding up a bouquet of roses costing 3 Louis, said excitedly: "To thank your school for its hospitality to me, I offer you a bouquet of roses tomorrow, and I promise you that every year on tomorrow, as long as France exists, I will send you a bouquet of roses of equal value, as a symbol of friendship between France and Luxembourg! symbol of friendship between the two countries!"

Napoleon's generous and inspiring speech excited the whole school. The bouquet of bright red roses, like a dancing flame, burned in people's hearts ......

However, after his return, Napoleon soon forgot all about the promise of the rose, but in contrast, the teachers and students of the first national elementary school in Luxembourg took it to heart.

The following year, on March 28th, the pupils and teachers of the school put on their festive dresses and danced happily in preparation for the roses sent by Napoleon. However, they waited for the roses from morning until dark, but there was no sign of them. The children were so disappointed that they asked their teachers, with tears in their eyes and sobs when Napoleon would send the roses. The teachers didn't know how to answer.

On March 28th of the third year, the teachers and students again looked forward to it from morning till night, but they still did not receive the roses.

And so, every year, on March 28th, the teachers and students of the First National Primary School of Luxembourg looked forward to the delivery of roses. Although their hopes were dashed time and again, they still believed that Napoleon would keep his promise.

They have also written March 28th as a day of remembrance in the school history. Every year, at the opening ceremony of the new school year, the principal gives a speech in which he enthusiastically recounts the promises Napoleon made when he visited the school.

The sea has changed and the stars have moved on. Two centuries have passed, and although Napoleon has long since passed away, the students and teachers of the 1st National Primary School of Luxembourg still wait for the arrival of Rose on March 28th. However, the long-awaited wait ended in dashed hopes every time.

Almost 200 years of waiting, almost 200 times of disappointment. The pupils and teachers of the 1st National Primary School were angry, they wanted the French government to give them an answer!

In 1984, the First National Primary School of Luxembourg took the French government to the International Court of Justice with a paper petition. They asked the French government for two things: firstly, to settle all the sums they had paid over the years, starting from 1798, with 3 Louis as principal, at an annual interest rate of 5%; secondly, to publicly acknowledge in the French press that Napoleon was a villain who did not keep his word.

Upon receiving the summons from the International Court of Justice, the French government did not dare to be slow, and after reviewing the relevant historical data, it was confirmed that Napoleon had indeed made a promise to give roses. They calculated the amount of compensation, and the results surprised them: the original 3 Louis bouquets of roses, the principal and interest has been as high as 1375596 francs! The French government said it was even more unlikely to accept Napoleon's request to admit in the press that he had not kept his word.

After repeated deliberations, the French government finally gave a mitigation plan that both sides were satisfied with: First, immediately to the first national elementary school in Luxembourg build a modern teaching building, and the graduates of this elementary school in the future if they want to study in France, all the costs will be provided by the French government; Second, in the future, whether in the spirit or material, the French government will unswervingly support the cause of primary and secondary education in Luxembourg, to make up for Napoleon's broken promise.

A wait spanning two hundred years has finally come to a successful conclusion. Since then, a sculpture of a bouquet of roses has been erected at the entrance of the First National School of Luxembourg, with the words "1797-1984" engraved at the bottom of the sculpture. Whenever people walk past this sculpture, their hearts always ripple and cannot be calmed down for a long time ......