Chapter 108: The Painting "Son of God's Blessing"
Chapter 108: The Painting "Son of God's Blessing"
Barnabé had never imagined that, as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of France's Royal Chef, he would one day be cooking for Sans-culottes on the streets of Paris.
However, this was the Crown Prince's order, and 14 other royal chefs shared the same fate.
Barnabé secured a peeled potato with a special fork, held a knife in his right hand, and began slicing with dazzling skill.
He then skewered the potato on an iron rod, evenly stretched it, and the potato transformed into a curled whirlwind shape.
He placed the "whirlwind" skewer into a frying pan for a while, took it out, sprinkled it with various seasonings, and then inserted it into a nearby wooden board riddled with holes.
A nearby assistant immediately raised his head and loudly announced to passersby: "The most popular court delicacy—Tornado Potato Tower! His Benevolent Royal Highness the Crown Prince invites everyone to sample it for free."
The cooking tent was surrounded by people, all desperately sniffing the aroma of the "Tornado Potato Tower," yet not a single person came forward to take the food.
Many whispered that potatoes were 'devils from the underworld,' and eating them would lead to lung disease or leprosy!
Finally, spurred repeatedly by hunger, he grabbed a skewer and took a big bite.
It was delicious!
The little vagrant's eyes widened. This tasted even better than the bread with gravy a kind lady had given him at Christmas.
Ignoring the pitying gazes of the crowd, he ate three skewers in one go. Only then, worried he might be scolded, did he reluctantly turn and leave.
Before long, several other dirty children rushed over and swiftly devoured the remaining Tornado Potato Towers.
The onlookers shook their heads and sighed, watching them, as if these children would turn into corpses any moment.
"Newspaper! Get your papers here!" a newsboy yelled from a nearby street corner, waving the latest Paris Business Journal. "Just two sous an issue. Newest novel, adventurer traversing the Caribbean Sea, winning wealth and beauty!"
Someone bought a newspaper, first reading the latest installment of Battle Through the Heavens, then turned to page three, immediately drawn to the new novel there.
It was a story about an adventurer nicknamed "The Mighty Sailor," piloting a fast ship called The Black Pearl, exploring the Caribbean Sea.
The most captivating part was that this Mr. "Mighty Sailor" possessed a unique constitution: whenever he ate potatoes, he would instantly become incredibly strong, thus smoothly resolving all problems...
Versailles Palace.
Under Archbishop Brienne's personal supervision, the plan for promoting potato cultivation was completed in less than three days.
Early in the morning, Joseph and Archbishop Brienne arrived at the Petit Trianon with the detailed plan.
In the garden outside the Queen's chambers, Queen Marie gave her son a warm embrace, looking extremely happy: "My dear Joseph, I was just about to send someone to Paris to call you back."
She turned to Comte de Polignac and said, "Please ask Madame Le Brun to come over. Tell her the Crown Prince is here too. Oh, and make sure she brings that painting."
Joseph recognized the name, knowing she was a famous court painter, and that many portraits of the King and Queen were her work.
He looked at the Queen, puzzled: "Mother, why are you having Madame Le Brun come here?"
The Queen smiled: "Madame Le Brun has conceived a wonderful painting; it's about you, and it's called 'Son of God's Blessing.' Oh, I'm sure you'll love it when you see it."
"Oh, alright..." For some reason, Joseph suddenly had an ominous feeling. Still, he quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Mother, Archbishop Brienne and I have something important to discuss with you."
"Oh? What is it?"
Archbishop Brienne quickly handed the plan to the Queen, stating: "Your Majesty, according to analyses by Count Lamark and several other scholars, there will be another drought this year, and it's likely to be even more severe than before."
Queen Marie immediately showed a worried expression: "Do you have any good solutions?"
Archbishop Brienne quickly replied: "It was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's idea. We can promote potatoes nationwide, using this crop's extremely high yield to reduce the likelihood of famine."
The Queen listened as he explained the potato promotion plan in detail, then nodded: "In Austria, people use potatoes to cope with famine. Joseph must have thoroughly studied the pros and cons of many countries' systems and flexibly applied the beneficial parts to France."
She took a pen from a nearby lady-in-waiting and signed the document, muttering with a slight smile: "Indeed, just as Madame Le Brun's painting depicts, my Joseph is extraordinarily gifted, certainly blessed by the Lord."
Joseph hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. If he'd known, he should have come to the Queen for her signature three days ago, without waiting for the detailed plan to be completed.
He knew that there was only a little over a month left until wheat planting. Once farmers sowed wheat, there would be no way for them to dig it up and switch to potatoes.
And transporting potatoes from northeastern France to the southern provinces would barely be enough in a month, so time was extremely tight.
The Queen handed the document back to Archbishop Brienne. Just then, an elegant middle-aged woman walked over and bowed sequentially to the Queen, Joseph, and Archbishop Brienne.
Queen Marie smiled and nodded, then instructed: "Madame Le Brun, quickly show your painting to the Crown Prince. I can barely wait."
"Yes," Madame Le Brun replied, signaling to the assistants behind her. Several young people carefully carried over a canvas nearly a person's height and removed the dust cover.
The moment Joseph saw the painting, he froze. In the upper part, God floated mid-air, holding a lamb in one hand and an unknown book in the other, with dazzling light shining behind him.
At God's feet was a luxuriously dressed youth, hands clasped in prayer, a devout expression on his face, looking up and listening to the divine teachings.
'And that youth... wasn't that me?'
Joseph felt his toes curl in intense embarrassment. 'How could Madame Le Brun have painted such an awkward piece?!'
Queen Marie, however, smiled brightly: "Joseph, this painting is a gift from me to you. You can hang it in your reception room."
'Oh, no!' Joseph's heart clenched. 'Seeing this thing every day will surely give me terminal embarrassment!'
Madame Le Brun said: "Your Majesty, this will likely take a few more days. Strictly speaking, the painting isn't finished. I still need to refine some details."
Joseph sighed in relief upon hearing this, quickly adding: "You must refine it much more. Please don't worry about the time."
Archbishop Brienne, observing the painting from the side, nodded and praised: "Madame Le Brun, your painting skills are simply superb! I can already feel the holy aura of the Son of Divine Favor emanating from this work. The Son of Divine Favor will surely be praised by all through this!"
'Holy aura?' Joseph's heart suddenly stirred at the words. 'That's right! People in this era love using oil paintings to promote religion. In their minds, what's depicted in a painting almost certainly happened in reality.'
'That's why the Queen cared so much, and appreciated this painting so highly.'
'Perhaps this is the best way to break the French people's superstition about potatoes!'
A scene flashed almost instantly in his mind.
Joseph instinctively made the sign of the cross—a reflex developed from frequently performing the gesture since his transmigration—and thought, 'Oh God, it seems I'll have to trouble you to act as a spokesperson for this.'
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