Chapter 16: The Girls' New Fashion
Speaking with intelligent people was always easy. Joseph smiled and nodded. "Guizot is likely responsible for contract killings and sheltering criminals. I will explain this clearly to Her Majesty the Queen."
"Your Highness is truly a champion of justice," Monnot immediately declared, bowing with a hand to his chest. "Please believe me, I am eternally loyal to Their Majesties the King and Queen, and eternally loyal to you!"
"Thank you for your loyalty. Oh, and your scimitar, I quite like it."
A huge weight lifted from Monnot's heart. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he quickly bid farewell and departed.
Joseph suddenly recalled that the Interior Minister was responsible for managing all municipal affairs nationwide and overseeing police matters, meaning Monnot was the one who decided the appointment of the Commissioner of Police for Paris.
His own energy would primarily be focused on finance in the future, so the Police Reform would need a reliable person to help implement it.
Furthermore, he could use the police department as a cover for the intelligence agency he was planning.
So he raised a hand to stop Monnot and asked, "By the way, I wanted to ask you, who will succeed as the Commissioner of Police for Paris?"
Monnot immediately remembered the Crown Prince's Police Reform and replied without hesitation, "Naturally, we must still consult Your Highness's opinion on this."
"Thank you for Your Highness's trust." Monnot bowed deeply, retreated three steps, and turned to depart.
After walking more than ten meters away, he finally let out a sigh of relief. He no longer dared to treat the Crown Prince as an easily deceived youth. Earlier in the carriage, the Crown Prince had consistently maintained control of the conversation, appearing calm and perfectly at ease, which unexpectedly gave Monnot the same feeling he once had when facing Louis XV.
He instructed his coachman to return to Versailles and muttered to himself, 'He truly lives up to his title as Son of Divine Favor. It seems I'll have to keep my distance from the Duke of Orleans from now on.'
Joseph's carriage also set off again. After another hour or so of travel, a melodious trumpet sound suddenly drifted from ahead, accompanied by the crisp beats of military drums.
Eman whispered a reminder, "Your Highness, we have arrived."
The carriage soon stopped. Two unfamiliar nobles stepped forward. One opened the door and bowed, waiting for the Crown Prince to alight, while the other placed a wooden step stool before the door.
"Welcome back, Your Royal Highness."
Joseph stepped down from the carriage, nodded to the two nobles, and then looked out into the distance. He saw at least a hundred members of a uniformed honor guard, standing in neat rows on either side, with their swords raised skyward.
In the Marble Courtyard before the main entrance of the Palace of Versailles, hundreds of nobles had gathered, thronging the steps, eagerly gazing in his direction.
When the crowd saw the Crown Prince appear, they immediately erupted into cheers, drowning out the sound of the band's performance.
Joseph was a little surprised. "What is all this for?"
The two nobles hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, Their Majesties the King and Queen are personally welcoming you."
Joseph rubbed his forehead. This spectacle, it was as if he were returning triumphant from a war against an enemy nation...
It was no wonder. Since ascending the throne, Louis XVI had buried himself in his lock-making hobby. He hadn't done anything to gain public recognition. The Queen's capabilities were rather ordinary, and she could only barely manage court affairs. Moreover, rumors of her extravagance had caused the royal family's prestige to decline steadily.
This time, the Crown Prince had astonished everyone. He had sent the Commissioner of Police for Paris to prison and, in one fell swoop, cleared out almost all the criminals in the Saint-Antoine district. He was now undeniably the talk of all Paris.
With their son showing such promise, how could Louis XVI and the Queen not make a grand public display of it?
Thus, this unprecedented welcoming ceremony came to be. In fact, many other nobles who weren't qualified to stand in the Marble Courtyard were eagerly awaiting him inside the Palace of Versailles.
Joseph walked between the honor guards and, looking up, saw a graceful, beautiful woman standing at the very top of the steps. She wore a voluminous purple silk gown with a pristine white mink stole, and two long feathers adorned her towering coiffure.
It was Queen Marie.
Beside her, partially hidden behind her, was a plump man wearing a long blue velvet coat embroidered with intricate silver thread, a black tricorn hat, and black calfskin high-heeled shoes. This plump man, looking somewhat nervous, was none other than the current King of France, the famous locksmith and social recluse, Louis XVI.
Joseph hastily quickened his pace, walking towards the two.
As he walked, the nobles on both sides bowed their heads in deference, and before the main entrance of Versailles, it seemed as if a great colorful wave slowly surged up the steps.
Just as Queen Marie smiled kindly and prepared to open her arms to embrace her son, a noblewoman to Joseph's right, wearing a low-cut gown, seemed to freeze. Her pale body swayed, and she began to topple forward.
Joseph instinctively raised a hand to steady her and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"
The girl closed her eyes and nestled her cold body closer into his arms.
The surrounding noblewomen immediately had fire in their eyes, grinding their teeth in silent fury: 'Alissa, that hussy! To use such a vile trick to get close to the Crown Prince!'
The former Crown Prince had been unremarkable, even a little useless. Though his status was eminent, his reputation among the noblewomen was quite poor.
But now, the Crown Prince's deeds — 'his scholarship astonished Lagrange,' 'cleared out the criminals in the Saint-Antoine district in two days,' 'solved a murder case in three minutes' — such stories had already spread among the young women of Versailles, growing more legendary with each telling.
Discussing the Crown Prince and collecting news about him had become the new fashion among the young ladies of Versailles. Almost two and a half out of every three sentences they spoke were about the Crown Prince.
The 'Son of Divine Favor' had abruptly become every girl's dream lover. Even if they knew their status was too far beneath his to marry him, they would be perfectly content just to be his mistress.
The tall young woman to his left thought to herself, 'Hmph! I can do that too!'
She immediately dropped her fan at her feet, let out a soft gasp, "My gown is too tight, I can't breathe!" and tilted her head, falling towards the Crown Prince.
Joseph quickly supported her with his left hand. Suddenly, the air around him became thick with the scent of jealousy. For a moment, delicate cries like "Oh, it's so cold!" and "Suddenly, I feel so dizzy!" echoed one after another. More than a dozen beautiful women tumbled towards him.
Just as Joseph found himself at a loss, Clauzel, the captain of the guard, stepped forward a few paces and, with one hand each, picked up the two young women who had fallen into his arms. Then he barked at the guards behind him, "Quickly, help the young ladies up!"
"Yes, sir!"
The 'unconscious' noblewomen squinted, seeing the burly guards rushing towards them. They immediately defied the laws of gravity, miraculously straightened their bodies, and resumed their impeccable dignity.
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