Chapter 1381: Project 250
Vicomte de Freize watched his sister's flushed face and smelled the faint scent of alcohol, frowning as he said, "Sorel, you must have been drinking that inferior wine peddled by street vendors, two cups for one sou..."
"Bérénice, quickly help Miss Sorel back."
"I'm not drunk!" Sorel exclaimed, shaking off her maid's hand. "I'm not leaving! Everyone's celebrating His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's wedding, and I want to keep dancing!"
Vicomte de Freize found himself at a loss.
He already had a soft spot for his strong-willed sister, and not long ago, he had almost been dismissed due to the "Bern delegate fraud at Versailles" incident. Fortunately, his sister had taken those three Swiss men to see the Crown Prince, which saved him from punishment.
After that, he found it even harder to assert his authority as an older brother in front of Sorel.
Sorel spun twice in place, swaying to the music, but then she suddenly grew despondent, walking over to her brother with her head bowed. She took a deep breath and said, "You're right, perhaps I should get married..."
"Let's go home. I'll try my best to make a good impression on Count Silvera."
There were no steam railcars late at night, so the siblings sat in a bumpy carriage, each gazing out at the dancing crowds.
Sorel had first submitted evidence of corruption against the vice-abbot of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés to the Notary Investigation Bureau, earning a three-thousand-franc reward for reporting the crime. Later, for "assisting the troubled Bern delegates," she received a personal commendation from the Crown Prince.
"You can keep it for now..."
Sorel nodded distractedly, her thoughts drifting to the day His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had pinned the Order of the Fleur-de-lis Medal on her.
Those blue eyes seemed to hold the entire sky.
She truly wished she could live under that sky forever.
"Stop the carriage!"
She pounded on the carriage wall, then leaped out.
The next morning, Thierry, also known as "Courage," and several young nobles from the Brotherhood returned to their headquarters, chatting and laughing after dancing all night.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw their Grand Master, "Tulip," slumped over a table, with a nearly empty wine bottle beside her.
The group exchanged bewildered glances.
"Courage" stepped forward and gently patted her. "What are you doing here? Are you alright?"
Sorel lifted her head, her tear-streaked face filled with anguish and indignation. "I've fallen in love with him... What am I going to do?"
The young nobles exchanged glances again. "Um, can we help you?"
...
Northern outskirts of Paris.
In an unassuming villa, a young man with disheveled hair and sharp eyes tossed his cards onto the table, then swept up the banknotes from in front of the other two players.
The handsome blond man opposite him immediately groaned, "Three aces again?"
The other, a slightly plump middle-aged man, exclaimed, "Forget, you've already won tens of thousands of francs from us today! You must be cheating!"
The young man's previously clear, bright eyes instantly turned ruthless. He lunged forward, and a gleaming dagger pressed against the middle-aged man's throat.
"You'd do well to watch your words. If I were cheating, all your money would already be in my pocket."
Cold sweat trickled down the middle-aged man's back, and he waved his hands frantically. "Ah, don't be angry, I was just joking..."
Forget withdrew his dagger, a brilliant smile returning to his face. "Good. Let's keep betting."
Just as the blond youth was about to deal the cards, a short man knocked and entered, waving several newspapers and exclaiming, "Look! We've struck it rich!"
Forget tilted his head toward him. "Did you find a new target?"
"What's a target compared to this?" The short man's grin stretched from ear to ear. "The King has pardoned us, and he's even going to bestow titles upon us!"
"What?" Forget frowned, snatching a newspaper. The headline on the front page boldly declared: "His Benevolent Majesty the King Decides to Pardon That Clever Gentleman."
The article below explained that because of the "bizarre case" involving the Bern delegates, they had serendipitously ended up at Versailles, leading to Bern's successful incorporation into France. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was extremely pleased with France's new eastern province and personally requested His Majesty the King to pardon those involved in the fraud, even considering bestowing a title upon him in recognition of his contributions.
At the bottom, the contents of the pardon decree were attached, along with an image of Louis XVI's signature.
"Haha, this is incredible!" The blond youth's face lit up with ecstasy.
Forget carefully re-read the pardon. It explicitly stated: "Pardon granted for the fraud committed by the individual who swindled Count Erlach and others out of hundreds of thousands of francs. The court shall withdraw all charges for this case, and no recovery of the funds involved will be pursued."
All the newspapers contained identical reports.
The short man rubbed his hands together. "So, should we go to Versailles?"
Forget glared at him. "Calm down. Let's wait a bit longer to see."
Indeed, these four were the fraud syndicate that had swindled Count Erlach out of four hundred thousand francs.
Adhering to the principle that "the safest place is the most dangerous," they had remained in Paris all this time.
The next day, they saw news that the Crown Prince would publicly bestow an honor on Miss Freize for helping the Swiss. The newspaper also stated that the Crown Prince emphasized Bern's voluntary joining of France was extremely important for enhancing France's image.
Two days later, Forget and his accomplices, in disguise, arrived at Versailles and observed the Crown Prince presenting the Order of the Fleur-de-lis Medal to that woman.
Afterward, they saw the pardon decree, signed by the King, displayed at the entrance to the square.
In a small tavern in a new district of Paris, the short man whispered excitedly, "Everyone in Paris has seen the pardon decree. If it were fake, the royal family would be ridiculed."
The blond youth nodded. "If we truly receive titles, our lives will be completely different!"
The short man added, "There haven't been any police investigations into the fraud lately. I think it must be real."
Forget bought a copy of the Paris Business Journal from a passing newsboy and saw another article about the government "summoning the meritorious officials who promoted the Personal Union."
He frowned in thought. This matter involved the prestige and reputation of the royal family, with endorsements from various French judicial and diplomatic departments. Having been publicly proclaimed for so long, it was highly unlikely there would be any issues.
He looked at the short man. "Tanguy, you go to Versailles first and check out the situation."
In the room adjacent to the Crown Prince's bedroom, Joseph chewed his breakfast, unconsciously rubbing his dark circles. He whispered to Alexandra, who sat opposite him, "Tonight, we absolutely cannot stay up until midnight again."
Her cheeks immediately flushed crimson, but then she flashed a sweet smile. "Mmm, I'll do whatever you say."
After breakfast, Eman immediately approached and bowed. "Your Royal Highness, the Viscount of Besançon sent word that '250' has been apprehended."
Indeed, Joseph's method for the Police Bureau to capture the scammers was inspired by King Qi's stratagem to expose the murderer of Su Qin. The operation's code name was "Project 250."
Comments