Chapter 109: Ready for a Blind Date!
"The Crown Prince is right here; you can use him as a model to perfect your painting." Queen Mary smiled at Madame Le Brun, then had a maid bring a chair and, without allowing for argument, pressed Joseph into it.
Seeing this, Brienne cast a helpless look at Joseph, took the potato promotion plan signed by the Queen, and bid his farewells.
Madame Le Brun professionally directed her assistants to set up the painting equipment, squinted at the sunlight, adjusted the angle, and began modifying "Son of Divine Favor."
Joseph's plan also required a painter, so he adopted a praying pose as the Queen requested and asked Madame Le Brun, "Excuse me, can you paint a version of 'The Last Supper'? Like Da Vinci's."
Madame Le Brun rubbed the paint on the canvas with her fingers and nodded without hesitation. "Your Highness, of course. In fact, every student at the Paris Academy of Arts has copied that painting hundreds of times."
Joseph smiled faintly. "Then, could you make some alterations to the painting?"
"Oh, please resume your previous expression, Your Highness." Madame Le Brun frowned but still nodded. "Of course, you can. Are you thinking of changing a saint's clothing?"
Joseph quickly suppressed his smile, glancing diagonally upwards. "Ah, no, actually, I wanted to add two potatoes to the food on the table."
"That's easy..." Madame Le Brun had only said half a sentence when she suddenly froze. "You mean 'the devil's root'?"
Joseph tried to persuade her for a while longer, but Madame Le Brun still wouldn't agree, stating that no other painter would dare to casually depict something as controversial as potatoes.
Joseph sighed inwardly, feeling helpless. 'It's certainly not easy to speak for God, is it?'
Sitting a little farther away, Queen Mary saw her son frowning. She shielded herself from the sun with a fan and asked aloud, "Darling, what are you two discussing?"
"Potatoes..."
The Queen offered a kind smile. "Don't always dwell on potatoes. Archbishop Brienne will naturally handle those matters.
"Oh, by the way, did you know? Next month, Princess Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies is coming to Paris for a visit."
"Ah, alright." Joseph was pondering how to convince the Church and assumed the Queen was simply making small talk, so he responded casually.
However, he forgot one thing: according to royal custom, a "visit" with such a clear purpose usually meant a blind date.
Queen Mary, seeing her son agree, took it as a sign that he was pleased with the princess. A touch of anxiety stirred within her, and she quickly added, "Also, your cousin, Maria Clémentine of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, will also be visiting next month. What do you think of that?"
Currently, the Archduke of Austria, who was also the Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph II—Queen Mary's brother—had no sons, and his wife had passed away many years ago. Therefore, his younger brother, the Grand Duke of Tuscany's daughter, Grand Duchess Clémentine, was essentially one of the highest-ranking young ladies in the Habsburg family.
She was also Queen Mary's most favored choice for a daughter-in-law—her own niece, and the most affectionate at that.
Joseph still hadn't caught on, maintaining his pose as he said, "She's welcome to Paris."
The Queen's heart swelled with joy, but then a hint of surprise crept in. Her son had no objections to either. Which one did he truly prefer?
'Never mind,' she thought. 'I'll just wait until they arrive.'
She was incredibly anxious about the marriage of her overly excellent son. Yet, precisely because of his exceptional qualities, she felt compelled to consider his opinions more carefully.
If he had the personality of Louis XVI in his younger days, she might have sent someone to propose marriage ages ago.
Finally, noon arrived, and Queen Mary, having not seen her son for several days, treated him to an unusually lavish lunch.
Louis XVI was the last to enter the dining room. Although he appeared full of vigor, the heavy bags under his eyes reminded everyone that His Majesty the King was engrossed day and night in weapon development, unable to tear himself away.
Louis XVI first embraced his wife and son separately, then leaned in close to Joseph's ear, whispering mysteriously and excitedly, "Joseph, the first prototype has been assembled. We still need to improve the airtightness, but I believe you'll see it fire next week!"
Joseph gave him a look of immense approval and likewise murmured, "You truly have the most nimble hands in all of France! Without you, who knows when this rifle would have come into being. Let's test-fire it at the Paris Police Academy next week; they have a professional shooting range there."
Father and son exchanged nods, secretly delighting in their shared secret. But when Queen Mary glanced their way, they both instantly suppressed their smiles—if she knew His Majesty the King was secretly manufacturing dangerous firearms within the palace, she would undoubtedly scold him for days on end.
After lunch, Joseph gave Louis XVI an encouraging gesture. Before Madame Le Brun could arrive, he immediately called out to Eman and practically flew out of Versailles.
In the carriage, Eman leaned forward and asked, "Your Highness, are you returning to the Industrial Planning Bureau, or...?"
Joseph immediately said, "No, let's go to Notre-Dame de Paris!"
"Yes, Your Highness."
After several hours of jolting, the convoy finally entered the city of Paris. Through the carriage window, Joseph saw workmen digging pits and laying bricks by the roadside—clearly a construction team building public toilets.
Along the way, he had already spotted seven or eight public toilet construction sites.
Joseph nodded inwardly. 'Monnot, that fellow, might be an old hand at politics, but when you actually entrust him with a task, his execution is quite good.'
'I just wonder how much funding he's embezzling from this.'
Joseph pursed his lips. 'I'll have to find some time to remind him that this is my project, so he shouldn't be too greedy,' he mused.
After traveling a while longer, Joseph finally caught sight of the soaring spires of Notre-Dame de Paris above the treetops. Soon, its two square twin towers, standing majestically between heaven and earth, also came into view.
This, the largest cathedral in Paris, was also the residence of the Archbishop of Paris.
Joseph's reason for coming here was to discuss the revision of "The Last Supper" with the Archbishop.
Although Brienne was also an Archbishop, his influence over the Church had significantly diminished since he took on the role of Finance Minister. Furthermore, he was the Archbishop of Toulouse, which meant he had even less authority in the Paris diocese.
Upon learning that the Crown Prince had arrived, a group of black-robed clerics, led by Archbishop Beaumont, immediately came to the cathedral entrance to greet him.
Joseph enthusiastically drew Beaumont into Notre-Dame de Paris, his smile amiable. "Archbishop Beaumont, there's something I'd like your help with."
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