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Chapter 1364: The Busy Archbishop

"Money!" Count Rouciers exclaimed suddenly. "No matter what, the name and address on the bill of exchange are correct. They can't deny it."

"You have the calmest mind in all of Switzerland!"

Count Erlach praised him, then immediately pulled his colleague into the carriage.

However, half a day later, they returned to the gates of Versailles Palace, their faces ashen.

Several banks showed them confirmation letters from Viscount Nobert, revoking the bills of exchange—not a single franc of those 400,000 had reached the French officials.

Baron Fred stared blankly at the fountain in front of Versailles Palace and muttered, "So, we were tricked?"

Count Erlach crouched on the ground, clutching his head in agony, as if undergoing torture.

That was a staggering 400,000 francs!

Not only would the Bern Parliament never forgive him, but 20,000 francs of that sum were his personal funds. His life, he realized, was utterly ruined.

...

In a second-floor room in the apse of Notre-Dame de Paris, Archbishop Beaumont was meticulously studying a map of North America, cross-referencing it with several documents.

He hadn't yet received the assessment notice from the Holy See's review committee, but judging from previous assessments, the overall failure rate exceeded one-fifth!

High-ranking clergy, in particular, faced extremely complex assessment content, with more than half requiring retests.

And Archbishop Boulogne's predicament served as a constant 'whip' for everyone.

Although the instructor sent by the Holy See had been blocked in Marseille by various means employed by the French Church, Boulogne remained unnerved all day long—if that damned instructor ever came to Paris and lectured him with a condescending pat on the head, he would instantly become a laughingstock.

An urgent knocking sounded at the door. Archbishop Beaumont had barely uttered the first syllable of "Enter" when a priest rushed in, flustered.

Beaumont looked up, displeased. "Father Cornier, I told you not to disturb me recently..."

"I'm sorry, Your Grace, but you must see this," Father Cornier said, placing a newspaper before him. "Apparently, more and more people are voicing their support for him..."

Archbishop Beaumont picked up the newspaper and saw the headline on the front page: "On the Imperative Church Reform."

He immediately frowned. The article was signed by Father Grégoire.

"Who is this man?"

He continued reading, his frown deepening.

The article began by highlighting the dismal assessment results of French clergy, arguing that the Church's vast wealth was the sole reason for the corruption of its middle and high-ranking priests, leading them to neglect theological study and even to disregard their service to God.

Grégoire then asserted that the reason Protestantism had been able to "seize" so many followers across Europe was precisely because their churches were not obsessed with money. This allowed them to display remarkable efficiency and, through their perceived integrity, "deceive" good people.

Therefore, the French Church now needed a thorough reform.

First, it had to sever ties with money, for example, by relinquishing control over the tithe and even surrendering Church property, allowing the government to allocate funds for the necessary expenses of serving God.

Second, the Church needed to become more just and efficient: openly selecting candidates for holy orders and reducing the embezzlement of clergy stipends. It would be best for the French government to pay the clergy's salaries. This would also reduce the time the Church wasted on financial matters, allowing it to focus more on theology.

Archbishop Beaumont's expression turned grim. Someone was actually using the Holy See's assessment to slander the Church and instigate this "Church reform"!

He thought for a moment, then instructed Father Cornier, "Find an excuse to transfer this Father Grégoire to Nice."

He suddenly glimpsed the North American map on his desk. "No, just send him directly to Saint-Louisiane."

Father Cornier cautiously replied, "Your Grace, I'm afraid we can't do that... The matter of Church reform has been widely discussed recently, and Father Grégoire has a significant reputation among the clergy. Dealing with him could lead to unpredictable consequences."

Archbishop Beaumont rubbed his forehead in annoyance. Lately, all the archbishops had been preoccupied with their assessments, and he hadn't expected such a significant uproar to erupt below them.

He could only signal to his secretary, "Go and inform Archbishop Chartres and Archbishop Tours. We'll hold a meeting tomorrow noon at the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés."

The next day.

Archbishop Beaumont's carriage had just stopped beside the Steam Railcar station when he saw a priest standing on the station steps, delivering a speech to dozens of people around him.

As he drew closer, he finally made out the man's words: "These archbishops and priests, they can't even pass their theological assessments.

"If this continues, both we and the Church will face God's punishment..."

The people in front of the station nodded in agreement—no one had told them just how difficult the "theological" questions for the high-ranking clergy were.

Archbishop Beaumont initially wanted to send his subordinates to disperse the crowd, but then he saw seven or eight more priests gathering there. He hesitated for a moment, then turned, bowed his head, and quickly boarded the Steam Railcar.

This was Joseph's Open Scheme.

Ordinary priests couldn't care less about tithes and Church property, but they all longed for the French government to be responsible for paying their salaries. The Church hierarchy had consistently embezzled their stipends under various pretexts, whereas for years, everyone knew that Civil Servants' salaries were paid in full and on time. The priests who had previously transitioned to become new elementary school teachers were the best example of this.

As for the public selection process for holy orders, it likewise resonated deeply with ordinary priests.

In fact, they would be content even without open selection, as long as all holy offices were filled. That meant many people would receive promotions—currently, numerous holy offices stood vacant, while the Archbishops collected the stipends designated for these positions.

This ensured widespread support for Church reform among the ordinary clergy.

Talleyrand had entrusted the task of creating public opinion to the politically savvy Father Sais. The latter, in just over half a month, had rapidly ignited the issue of Church reform among the clergy and even the general populace.

Archbishop Beaumont settled into a first-class seat on the train, casually pulling a copy of the Paris Business Journal from the newspaper rack on the wall. He opened it, his brows immediately furrowing.

The front page featured an interview with Archbishop Talleyrand, primarily discussing Church reform. In his words, and between the lines, he expressed his support for the reforms.

Although Talleyrand no longer directly managed Church affairs, his influence remained considerable.

Beaumont immediately recalled that both the Minister of Civil Affairs and the Minister of Science and Education wanted the Tax Bureau to take over the tithe.

In other words, they would strongly endorse Church reform, given that the Church relinquishing the tithe was one of its key proposals.

'This situation is getting tricky...'

Archbishop Beaumont was still pondering countermeasures when the Steam Railcar stopped not far from the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

Archbishop Tours was waiting at the abbey gates. Seeing Beaumont, he quickly hurried over, his face grim, and bowed. "Have you received the notice? We're being assessed in three days..."

Archbishop Beaumont took a deep breath and gritted his teeth. "I hear Archbishop Brienne has already arrived in Strasbourg and will soon meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Perhaps it won't be long before the Holy See's people are driven out of France."