Chapter 130: The Great Purge Begins
Queen Mary stared at the sketch before her, her face taut with extreme displeasure. "Is the punishment really that light?"
Minister of Justice Breteuil nodded with a hint of helplessness. "Your Majesty, according to the relevant laws, this is the harshest penalty General Besenval can receive. Unless there's proof he intentionally allowed the bandits to approach His Highness."
French law at the time was notoriously lenient towards nobles. More than a decade ago, Comtesse de la Motte—Jeanne—claimed to be Queen Marie's maid and found a courtesan to impersonate the Queen, tricking Cardinal de Rohan into buying a necklace worth 2 million livres for the "Queen." Jeanne then handed the necklace to Comte de la Motte, who took it to England to sell.
The affair only came to light when the jeweler, whose installment payments hadn't arrived, complained to the Queen. Cardinal de Rohan publicly produced a handwritten letter from the "Queen" to prove his innocence, which only made the Queen the subject of everyone's gossip.
Even with such a grave case, Rohan and Comte de la Motte were astonishingly acquitted. As for Jeanne, due to her noble status, she was merely sentenced to imprisonment in the Bastille. And the very next year, she escaped—some suspected the Duke of Orleans had aided her flight.
Therefore, for Besenval's situation, exile truly was the maximum possible sentence.
Queen Mary looked at Brienne and Monnot, among others. Seeing them nod in agreement, she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Very well, exile it is.
'But as for the place of exile... I recall we have a small island in East Africa, what was its name again?'
Clauzel, who had been called in as a witness, immediately interjected, "It's the Seychelles, Your Majesty."
The Seychelles lay a full ten thousand nautical miles from Paris. And with 18th-century navigation technology, there was no guarantee that everyone would even survive the voyage from France to get there.
Although Besenval had not yet been sent for trial, now that the Queen had decided on the Seychelles, his fate was sealed.
In the council hall, no one, not even the military ministers, dared to speak up for Besenval. Setting aside the King's and Queen's fury, yesterday's attack had been truly egregious. And with a foreign princess present, witnessing everything, it was an utter humiliation.
Baron Breteuil glanced at the Queen's expression and continued, "Your Majesty, as for the rest of the French Guards... they all bear significant responsibility for failing to stop the attackers.
'Given that it's still unclear how the two bandits approached the Crown Prince's carriage, all officers and soldiers of the French Guards must undergo isolated interrogation and review. Any suspects will then be handed over to a military court for prosecution and trial.'
"Interrogation..." The Queen waved a weary hand. "Baron Breteuil, please assist the Military Police department, along with Veaumorel, in reviewing the officers and soldiers of the French Guards.
'Until their innocence is proven, all officers are suspended. No one is to leave the barracks.
'Please report the investigation results to me at any time.'"
Upon hearing this, War Minister Saint-Priest let out a sigh of relief. 'Besenval was certainly finished, but as long as the Military Police and military courts handled the matter, then the other officers in the French Guards should be safe.'
After all, they were all insiders within the military system; they could just go through the motions and then declare them not involved.
As an elite French unit stationed in Paris, most of the French Guards' officers had significant connections. Within the military aristocracy, their interests were deeply intertwined, and their networks were incredibly extensive.
For example, the commander of a French Guards cavalry battalion was Saint-Priest's cousin-in-law. If the Queen had directly dispatched royal personnel to investigate, he would have been in deep trouble.
Just as he thought the matter was settled, Clauzel bowed to the Queen and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that given the capabilities the French Guards have displayed, they are no longer suitable to guard Paris. Perhaps a more reliable unit should be brought in to ensure the city's safety."
The Queen nodded in profound agreement, then looked at the other ministers. "What do you all think?"
Saint-Priest lowered his head and remained silent.
Interior Minister Monnot feigned an earnest smile and said, "Your Majesty, with the entire French Guards currently under review, they are unable to fulfill their duty of protecting Paris. It is indeed necessary to deploy other units to secure Paris's defenses."
The previous evening, Joseph had sent word to him, instructing him to cooperate with Clauzel.
Brienne also nodded. "Your Majesty, there are no longer any hostilities on the Southern Netherlands border. An elite unit like the Flanders Brigade is somewhat wasted there; they could be perfectly redeployed to assist in defending Paris."
Upon hearing this, Baron Breteuil's eyes lit up. He quickly assented, "Your Majesty, I too believe the Flanders Brigade is an excellent choice."
The commander of the Flanders Brigade, like him, was one of the rare nobles who staunchly supported the King. Bringing them to Paris would greatly benefit his political influence.
The Minister of Civil Status was in Birmingham, handling the ceremonial conclusion of Anglo-French trade negotiations. The Foreign Minister was returning from Russia and had only just reached Austria.
Thus, no one in the council hall objected. Seeing this, Queen Mary immediately made a decision. "Then summon the Flanders Brigade to Paris. The French Guards' garrison will be moved to Molette-Rowan Town."
She vividly remembered that town, which had served as the Blood Blade bandit gang's lair. It was the perfect place to exile the French Guards.
......
An hour later, in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles square, the Duke of Orleans was smiling broadly as he addressed Marquis Saint-Priest:
"Therefore, I shouldn't approach the Military Police myself at this moment. I must ask you to convey this on my behalf. Who could have foreseen such a bandit attack? Even Louis XV had an assassin rush him. We cannot allow innocent officers to be implicated."
The French Guards were his "territory," cultivated over many years. Especially concerning the officers, he had likely invested over a million livres. Naturally, he couldn't stand by and watch them be dismissed or exiled.
The War Minister nodded confidently. "Please rest assured. With this 'campaign fund,' the Military Police will certainly make allowances. Even if someone is genuinely prosecuted, I will handle it at the military court."
Just now, the Duke of Orleans had promised him a full two hundred and fifty thousand livres. He estimated he could pocket at least half of it, as the French Guards' officers would also be bribing the Military Police, so he wouldn't need to take the lead on everything.
The Duke of Orleans had not made it to the previous meeting; only now did he breathe a sigh of relief. He bowed slightly in acknowledgment. "Then I'm much obliged."
......
In the Crown Prince's bedchamber, dozens of noble young ladies gazed worriedly at the "gravely" injured Crown Prince, wishing they could have taken the attack for him. And in their hearts, they cursed the incompetent French Guards a thousand times over.
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