Chapter 1400: Win-Win
In a spacious hall over 300 square meters on the west side of Versailles Palace, Joseph watched the artisans secure wooden racks of varying heights, nodding subtly.
He approached a padded bench, lay down, reached up, and took the barbell positioned above his head. After trying a few bench presses, he praised the artisans with satisfaction, then moved towards a nearby seat adorned with a stack of weights.
This was precisely the "Hall of Asclepius," currently under preparation, which was essentially a royal gymnasium.
Rowing machines, cable crossover machines, chest press machines, and other equipment were all present. Though mostly made of wood and appearing somewhat cumbersome, they functioned perfectly.
Joseph casually picked up a pair of dumbbells, just as he was about to sit down and try them, when he saw Baron Breteuil and Finance Minister Godan appear at the doorway.
He let out a breath and gestured for them to enter.
The two men bowed, and Godan spoke first. "Your Highness, regarding the site selection for the Bank for European Settlements, some adjustments might be necessary."
"Are there any problems?"
The Finance Minister produced a report and respectfully handed it over. "This is the result of multiple tests conducted by the preparatory committee. As you know, the shops at Palais-Royal have become increasingly dense. If the settlement bank were located in the East Wing, I fear it wouldn't be long before carriages from various countries, coming to conduct business, would completely clog the area.
Joseph rubbed his forehead. At the time, he had only considered Palais-Royal's grandeur, believing that placing the settlement bank there would be impressive. He hadn't expected the commercial district there to develop so rapidly, even encroaching on the central garden.
"So, what's your suggestion?"
Before Godan could answer, Baron Breteuil interjected, "Your Highness, the preparatory committee for the settlement bank hopes to use Luxembourg Palace for the bank's headquarters. However, the East Wing there has already been designated as the seat for the House of Representatives. Adding a settlement bank would likely make it even more crowded than Palais-Royal."
Luxembourg Palace, built by Louis XIII's mother, had been in a semi-abandoned state for decades, so Joseph had allocated it for the use of the House of Representatives.
Godan secretly pursed his lips. "Your Highness," he said, "the House of Representatives doesn't actually need such a majestic and solemn place. Any building in the eastern district would suffice for them."
Joseph felt a slight urge to laugh. Mr. Finance Minister, as a typical Capitalist Noble, looked down upon the House of Representatives, which the bourgeoisie had fought so hard for throughout history.
'Perhaps it was because he already sat in the Senate, or because the House of Representatives contained "Sans-culottes" members he disliked.'
Joseph shook his head. "The House of Representatives has almost finished its renovations; there's no need to move them. Is there any other place in Paris suitable for the Bank for European Settlements?"
Baron Breteuil replied, "North side of the Louvre Palace..."
Godan immediately countered, "You know, that area is even more crowded than Palais-Royal."
"Or the Ismail Manor north of the city."
"That place simply doesn't befit the status of the settlement bank."
"Then..."
Baron Breteuil listed several locations consecutively, but Godan rejected all of them.
Joseph also frowned slightly; Godan's arguments were indeed sound.
In recent years, Paris's population had grown incredibly fast; many former parks were now filled with residences. It was truly difficult to find a place that was both imposing and not crowded.
As he was deep in thought, he saw Eman blocking someone at the doorway, whispering something.
Through a gap between the guards, he vaguely saw that the person seemed to be Dr. Le Monnier, who was also the director of the Royal Botanical Garden. This time, he was in charge of researching the quantitative analysis of sugar and ketone levels in urine.
Joseph immediately gestured to Eman. "Please let Mr. Le Monnier come in."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Once the doctor entered the royal gymnasium, Joseph immediately asked impatiently, "Has there been any progress with the diagnostic experiments?"
Dr. Le Monnier paused, startled for a moment, then shook his head, somewhat awkwardly. "Ah, not yet, Your Highness."
"Oh, forgive me; I was too impatient. Do you have something else to discuss?"
"It's like this, Your Highness," Le Monnier began carefully. "The nobles at Versailles Palace have developed a keen interest in medicine, but this is consuming a great deal of my laboratory time..."
"I hope you would allow me to move the laboratory to Montreuil. Ah, placing it next to the 'Blood Sugar Laboratory' would be fine."
Joseph questioned him for a while before finally understanding: Recently, the nobles had been discussing the Queen's illness, which made them aware of conditions like polyuria. Consequently, they all went to Le Monnier, asking him to measure the sugar content in their own urine.
All these nobles had prominent backgrounds, and Le Monnier found it difficult to refuse any of them. The laboratory had been open for several days, but all his time was wasted dealing with them.
Le Monnier cautiously glanced at the Crown Prince. "In fact, Dr. Walkerland and his team have also encountered similar issues," he continued. "If all laboratories could be consolidated in Montreuil, I believe the overall research efficiency would significantly improve."
Montreuil was a village east of Paris. The previous reason for its use was that diabetes research required a large number of pigs—rabbits' pancreases differ from humans', and rats' pancreases are too small to operate on with current surgical capabilities, thus pigs became the best experimental material.
Raising hundreds of pigs would make the environment around Versailles Palace very poor, so the laboratories had to be located in Montreuil.
Joseph had originally established these medical laboratories near Versailles Palace to make it convenient for his family to have medical check-ups.
However, reflecting on it now, these studies weren't expected to yield results quickly, so moving all of them to Montreuil seemed to have no significant impact.
He was about to nod when he heard Baron Breteuil say, "Dr. Le Monnier, if I may be frank, even if your laboratory moves to the countryside, those enthusiastic nobles will still seek you out to 'discuss medicine'."
Le Monnier paused, stunned for a moment, then helplessly said, "Being further away will at least help a little..."
Joseph frowned, considering whether to dispatch guards to protect the laboratories, when he saw Eman lean over, whispering, "Your Highness, moving so many laboratories will likely incur an additional expense of hundreds of thousands of francs."
The establishment of so many medical laboratories this time had been sudden, so Joseph hadn't gone through the Ministry of Finance for the allocation of funds, but had paid with his private funds.
In his personal account now, lay seven or eight million francs.
This, however, pained Eman, the extremely responsible butler, who was fiercely dedicated to helping the Crown Prince manage his finances meticulously.
Joseph, hearing this, had a sudden thought.
'Wait a minute,' he thought. 'The nobles' concern for their own health, while it might affect the laboratory's efficiency, was also a business opportunity!'
'As long as they were willing to pay, the laboratory could arrange dozens, even hundreds, of people to serve them. A Win-Win situation for everyone—wouldn't that be wonderful?'
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