Chapter 1378: New Wedding Gift
Rochefort watched the Crown Prince and his wife on the ceremonial platform, excitedly waving and shouting with the crowd.
"May God bless them!"
"Sir, would you like to buy a gift for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
Rochefort heard a barely audible voice. He looked down and saw a girl of about ten, holding a bunch of flowers and looking up at him.
"A gift?" He blinked, a little bewildered. Given his status, he wasn't qualified to send a wedding gift to the Crown Prince.
The little girl stood on tiptoes and pointed to the tall spire on the north side of Notre Dame.
"Look, everyone has brought gifts to bless His Highness."
Only then did Rochefort notice a "small hill" piled up next to the spire, measuring about sixty to seventy meters across. It was mainly made of flowers, interspersed with many handicrafts, fruits, wheat stalks, and similar items.
People were continuously handing over items to the palace officials stationed there. Over twenty servants bustled back and forth, arranging the gifts neatly, working up a sweat.
The little girl smiled. "Tulips are eight sous each. Magnolias are four sous each. Pansies..."
"That expensive!" Rochefort hesitated, then pulled out a few banknotes. "Never mind. Pick out some tulips and pansies for me and tie them into three bouquets."
On the platform, Joseph and Alexandra embraced their parents, who stood beside the Archbishop, receiving their blessings.
Queen Mary, her face alight with a loving smile, took her son's hand and said:
"What a wonderful idea to hold the wedding here, it's so lively! Why didn't I think of having mine here all those years ago?
"Well, now you two must get to work on the matter of the French heir. I'm very much looking forward to a handsome and intelligent grandchild."
Hearing this, Alexandra immediately blushed and lowered her head.
Queen Mary then whispered intimately with Alexandra for a while, before looking at the dense crowd in the square and saying to Joseph:
"Now, it should be time for the ball, shouldn't it?"
Joseph, however, glanced at the wedding gifts Parisians had sent for him and Alexandra. "There's one more thing before the ball."
This was quite a sight. In the past, royal weddings only managed to gather crowds and appear lively by scattering money to the public along the streets, but this time, people had spontaneously sent so many gifts to him.
He led Alexandra back to the center of the platform and raised a hand, signaling for silence.
Once the hubbub in the square died down, he bowed to the crowd:
"Thank you all for attending Alexandra's and my wedding, and thank you for the gifts you've brought. I am deeply touched."
The people immediately bowed back in unison, and a chorus of blessings rose and fell.
It was a while before the square quieted down again. Joseph continued, "I also have a gift I wish to give all of you."
He gestured towards Archbishop Beaumont and the others behind him:
"After extensive discussions with the Church, we have decided to officially reduce the tithe rate to five percent, effective immediately!"
Indeed, the Church had proactively approached him more than ten days ago with a request to "abandon the tithe." He had reluctantly accepted.
According to Robespierre's calculations—all accusations against him received by the High Court had been withdrawn—previously, only about sixty percent of the tithe was used for legitimate purposes like education and welfare institutions, with the rest largely questionable.
Joseph had the Ministry of Finance verify the figures, and the results were largely the same. He then decided to lower the tithe rate. The previous rate was seven percent.
Currently, France's financial situation was quite healthy. According to his plan, the tithe would be gradually abolished in the future—this would significantly boost the purchasing power of the French people, especially farmers, thereby expanding the French market and stimulating industrial development.
For France's treasury, it might seem like a reduction in tax revenue, but the steadily growing industrial sector's tax contributions would easily offset this "agricultural and handicraft tax."
In the short term, the impact of the reduced tithe could be partially offset by increasing taxes on tobacco, alcohol, luxury goods, and similar items.
The over twenty thousand people in Notre-Dame de Paris square froze for a moment, then erupted in a tsunami of cheers:
"This is wonderful! Thank you, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Long live His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
"May God bless our benevolent Highness!"
Some were so overjoyed they wept tears of happiness.
A two percent tax reduction might seem minor, but it meant an average citizen's family could afford an extra beef meal each month.
It meant many people could pay off their debts several years earlier.
Some families in extreme poverty might even be pulled back from the brink of collapse by being able to afford a few more mouthfuls of bread.
After all, this was the first tax reduction in France in decades!
This was undoubtedly the best gift His Royal Highness the Crown Prince could give everyone!
Archbishop Beaumont and the other Archbishops watched the scene of Universal Jubilation, feeling a pang of bitterness. They were the ones who had given up the tithe, yet the Crown Prince was getting all the credit...
But they dared not show even a hint of it; after all, the Holy See's review was not yet over.
Furthermore, they had heard rumors that after they agreed to allow peasants to redeem Church lands, the Crown Prince had begun to distance himself from the Pious French Clergy Order.
They were planning how to redouble their efforts to convince the Crown Prince to completely disband this damnable "power-grabbing faction."
However, Joseph had not yet announced the "permission to redeem Church lands."
Firstly, the Church's properties were truly vast—approximately ten percent of all arable land in France—and surveying and registration would take considerable time.
Secondly, if all the good news were released at once, people would become desensitized.
Releasing beneficial news periodically would keep the public continuously excited and boost national morale.
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Joseph gestured to the palace official beside him.
The official immediately announced in a loud voice:
"Now, let the ball begin!"
Cannons boomed all around, and the palace orchestra, along with bands from Paris's most famous theater troupes, began playing dance music.
Over twenty thousand people immediately began laughing and dancing, filling the entire square with an almost tangible sense of happiness and festivity.
Vendors wove their way through the swirling, dancing crowds, selling ornaments, snacks, tobacco, and alcohol.
On the outer edges of the square, numerous food stalls had long been set up to help those tired from dancing regain their energy.
It wasn't until sunset that Joseph and his family returned to Versailles.
The gas streetlights in Notre Dame square flickered on, and countless fireworks shrieked as they soared into the sky, painting the night with vibrant colors.
Even more people flocked to the square to join the ball, and soon the area near Pont Neuf was also packed with singing and dancing citizens.
Meanwhile, the ball at Versailles ended somewhat earlier than usual.
The nobles gathered around the Crown Prince's bedchamber, commencing the "chamber-teasing" ritual, a popular custom.
Of course, here it wasn't called "chamber-teasing," but rather part of standard court etiquette.
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