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Chapter 10: Big Trouble

The Viper Gang members only offered a slight resistance before being pinned to the ground by pikes from both sides, moaning in utter terror.

Quirien thanked his colleagues who had rushed to support him, while individually tying up the criminals with ropes.

Throughout the day, similar scenes played out across the Saint-Antoine district.

The police officers were invigorated; upon seeing someone commit a crime, they would immediately charge forward, shouting, "In the name of the Crown Prince!" and severely punish the petty criminals with their riot pikes and spears.

Suddenly, the thieves, robbers, and gang members of the Saint-Antoine district were in a wretched state and gripped by extreme fear. Their former arrogance had completely vanished.

The residents of the Saint-Antoine district witnessed the police cracking down on crime everywhere and were filled with both surprise and joy. Many notorious gang members and thugs were arrested one after another. They had never seen police so diligently maintain public order!

In this era, the common people had extremely low expectations for public safety. They would simply consider themselves unlucky if robbed or stolen from and were content as long as their lives were not at risk. The actions of the new police force, however, far exceeded their expectations.

Soon, people spontaneously brought water and food to the police and cheered for the officers who had apprehended criminals. The encouraged police, in turn, worked even harder.

Before long, the citizens learned a new trick: when encountering crime, shouting, "In the name of the Crown Prince!" had a significant chance of scaring off criminals.

Palais-Royal.

The Duke of Orleans looked at the Paris News on his desk. His expression was grim. The newspaper's front-page headline read: "Disorder in the Saint-Antoine District, Crown Prince Oversees Police Reform."

Compared to the vague phrasing of the Paris News, which he controlled, the other tabloids beside it were far more direct—"Crown Prince Rectifies Police, Saint-Antoine District's Security Improves," "Saint-Antoine Citizens Praise New Police Force," "Crown Prince's Exceptional Acumen, Dentist Murder Case Solved in Three Minutes"...

A wave of irritation washed over the Duke of Orleans. He had originally intended to use the chaotic public order of the Saint-Antoine district to let the newspapers thoroughly humiliate the Crown Prince. He hadn't expected it to boost the Crown Prince's reputation instead.

This Joseph, in just over ten days, could completely transform the police force. Such methods seemed utterly unlike those of a thirteen-year-old boy!

At this thought, he suddenly frowned. 'Could that Austrian bitch be using her son's hand to begin a purge of the Parisian officialdom, starting with the Police Bureau?'

The more he thought about it, the more he felt this was the only possibility. After all, the young Crown Prince could never accomplish all of this on his own.

All the more reason, then, to disrupt the Queen's schemes. He absolutely couldn't allow the royal family to make any significant waves!

The Duke of Orleans pondered for a moment, quickly wrote a letter, and summoned his butler, instructing, "Deliver this letter to Le Verber. Tell him to get this done, no matter the cost. I can consider helping him become the Governor of Normandy."

"Yes, Your Grace."

......

In a small villa on the east bank of the Seine River, Paris Commissioner of Police Guizot glanced at the half-open door and barked at his mistress, who was eavesdropping outside, "Anna, close the door and make sure none of the servants come near."

"Oh." The woman reluctantly closed the door and walked away, muttering softly, 'Hmph, he treats me like a maid. This is my house, after all...'

Only then did Guizot turn his attention back to the short, curly-haired man before him. He took a deep puff from his pipe and said, "Similion, this time the Crown Prince isn't just going to play for a few days and then return to Versailles. He intends to stay at the Police Bureau indefinitely."

The short man was none other than Similion, the former Public Security Inspector of the Saint-Antoine district, who had been "asked" to take sick leave. He immediately said anxiously, "But the Municipal Commissioner said I could be reinstated in two months at most..."

"Who could have known it would turn out this way?" Guizot exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Right now, it's not just you; the Crown Prince is a huge problem for the entire Police Bureau."

He fixed his gaze on Similion and said, "There's something now, if you can do it well, not only will you be reinstated, but you might even be promoted."

A look of joy flashed in the short man's eyes. "Sir, just give the order!"

"You know the Saint-Antoine district best. Which gangs there are the most powerful?"

"The Hoss Gang and the Black Sheep Gang," Similion replied. "They control over eighty percent of the district's territory, and each has over a hundred subordinates."

Guizot nodded, pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to him, a crazed look flashing in his eyes. "Go find them. Whether it's dismemberment or rape, kidnapping or arson, anything goes. In short, have them throw the Saint-Antoine district into chaos. I want the situation out of control. I want utter pandemonium!"

"This..." Similion's pupils contracted in shock at those words. After a long pause, he finally nodded and said, "Alright, alright, utter pandemonium."

He glanced at the paper in his hand again and immediately shot up from his chair, exclaiming in a choked voice, "Th-thirty thousand livres!!"

The slip of paper was a bill of exchange for 30,000 livres. At the time, 20,000 livres could buy a villa in Paris; 30,000 livres was certainly an enormous sum that could drive any gang wild.

"This amount of money is nothing," Guizot said, gesturing for him to sit down. "Tell those gang members that for every incident that causes panic, they will receive 1,000 livres. After a month, whoever performs best will receive an additional 20,000 livres."

"Yes, sir." Similion's hands trembled slightly from tension.

"Alright, go and carry it out," Guizot said, giving him another penetrating look. "And remember, if anything goes wrong, the big shot behind me will clean up your mess. But all of this was your idea, it has nothing to do with me. Understand?"

"Yes! I remember, you can rest assured!"

Guizot stood by the window, watching Similion's hurried departure, a cold sneer playing on his lips.

He hadn't originally intended to play such a dangerous game, but yesterday Le Verber told him to go all out and that he would cover for him if anything happened. With that, Guizot no longer had any qualms.

"Your Royal Highness, how much better it would be for you to enjoy your fortune in Versailles, instead of wading into these murky waters," he muttered to himself through gritted teeth.

......

Three days later.

Saint-Antoine District Police Station.

Joseph was reviewing citizens' complaint letters under the shade of a tree—which were, in fact, mostly praises for the police—when Public Security Inspector Marconi suddenly rushed over, bowed, and said breathlessly:

"Your Highness, something else has happened! Two people were killed at a shoe store on Rue de l'Iris Blanc, and the shop was set on fire!"

Joseph immediately frowned. Since the afternoon two days ago, the Saint-Antoine district had seen multiple serious crimes. Two people had died two days prior, three yesterday, and two others were seriously injured.

He had initially thought these were isolated incidents, but he hadn't expected another one today.

"What's the situation?"

"Arden took some men there," Marconi replied. "The fire has been extinguished, but the criminals haven't been caught yet."

Joseph immediately returned to his office and began mobilizing personnel to handle the case.

As dusk approached, Arden returned with an update on the Rue de l'Iris Blanc case and was reporting to Joseph, when another officer brought more bad news—the Black Sheep Gang, for some unknown reason, had gone on a rampage, slashing people indiscriminately on Rue Mazarine. Seven or eight passersby had already been injured, and police reinforcement was urgently needed.