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Chapter 168: The Queen Teaches the Way of a Ruler

Queen Marie hesitated for only half a second before readily agreeing: "You are absolutely right, Archbishop Brienne. It's time to pardon Viscount Calonne and allow him to return to Paris."

She had always admired Calonne's capabilities and was even more pleased with his loyalty to the Crown. Previously, if she hadn't been pressured by the Assembly of Notables, she would certainly not have exiled him.

Now that even Brienne didn't oppose pardoning Calonne, she was naturally happy to go along with it.

Brienne subtly exchanged a nod with Joseph, then bowed to the Queen. "Thank you for your benevolence, Your Majesty."

"Oh, your magnanimity earns my respect even more," Queen Marie replied with a smile. "In a sense, Viscount Calonne is your rival, yet you unhesitatingly advised me to pardon him for the dignity of the Crown."

"Thank you for the compliment. Serving the Crown faithfully is my duty."

Brienne suddenly felt he had profited. This visit, lasting only half an hour, had earned him favors from both the Crown Prince and the Queen.

The Queen's secretary quickly drafted the letter of pardon in the established format. After the Queen signed it, it was then taken to Louis XVI for his signature and seal.

Seeing the matter smoothly resolved, Joseph and Brienne took their leave together.

Hearing this, Brienne bowed to the Crown Prince and left the Petit Trianon alone.

Joseph turned back in surprise, adopting an innocent expression. "Mother, what did you want to tell me?"

The Queen led him to a small balcony enclosed by white marble railings, narrowed her eyes at the setting sun, and spoke earnestly: "Joseph, you are destined to become a King one day.

"Before, I always thought you were too young, so I never brought certain things up. But now you've shown astonishing talent and are increasingly involved in the management of the nation. So, I must speak to you about how to be a good King."

"You..." Joseph's eyes widened. 'You're going to teach me how to be a ruler? Are you serious?'

Queen Marie glanced at Brienne's retreating figure downstairs, her tone uncharacteristically solemn. "As a King, the most important thing is to have your own opinion. You can be close to some ministers, but you must never be swayed by their ideas, nor should you always let them dictate to you."

Joseph: "???"

Seeing his bewildered expression, the Queen sighed and explained more clearly: "Ever since you became involved in cabinet affairs, you've always been by Brienne's side. All your views align with his, and whenever he comes to me with important matters, you always stand beside him, supporting his stance."

Joseph felt a trickle of sweat run down his back. 'My dear mother, you certainly observe closely, but haven't you got the primary and secondary roles reversed...'

He nodded helplessly. "Ah, yes, that's right."

The Queen continued, "While Archbishop Brienne is very capable and politically experienced, you only need to learn from him; you don't have to obey him in every matter."

Joseph could only keep nodding. "Yes, yes, you're absolutely right!"

Seeing her son's humble demeanor, Queen Marie felt greatly relieved and began to teach him even more patiently: "With ministers like Brienne, you should display the authority of the Crown Prince in front of them, for example..."

Joseph didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Brienne already obeyed him in almost everything; how could he possibly be more authoritative?

"Yes, yes, I'll be sure to remember that."

Queen Marie seemed to get carried away in her discourse on the way of a ruler, speaking until the sky had completely darkened, with no sign of stopping.

Joseph was anxious to resolve the matters concerning Calonne, but the Queen continued to speak like a torrent, making it impossible for him to interject a single word.

Just as he was burning with impatience, he suddenly saw the streetlights illuminate a lively, petite figure passing beneath the balcony.

It was Clémentine. After Fashion Week, Queen Marie had asked her niece to stay with her longer, so she had remained at Versailles. Clémentine, of course, was thrilled.

Joseph's eyes lit up. 'I'll use her to interrupt!' He turned his head and desperately winked downstairs.

Clémentine suddenly felt a burning gaze fixed on her. She looked around and caught sight of her cousin's handsome, charming eyes.

"Your Royal Highness!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up with a smile. She gathered her skirt and quickly ran up to the second floor.

With the lively little one chattering away, the Queen had no choice but to pause her "King's Essential Course" and greeted her young niece with a smile.

Joseph seized the opportune moment, quickly made his excuses, and slipped away.

The petite girl, who had just been nestled in the Queen's embrace, saw her cousin leave. She instantly sprang up like a bird and curtsied to the Queen. "Your Majesty, I just remembered..."

Queen Marie smiled knowingly, gesturing towards Joseph with her eyes. "Go on, hurry!"

Clémentine's small face flushed, but she immediately turned and dashed off, leaving only a shouted, "Thank you, Aunt!"

Joseph, having left the Petit Trianon, pondered who he should send to contact Calonne. Marat was injured, Fouché's position made him unsuitable, and others didn't seem appropriate to involve in the matter.

He then recalled Mirabeau mentioning that the Nancy industrial development zone had opened, and his own steam engine factory had also begun production. He had always wanted to visit but had never found the time.

As Toul and Nancy were so close, he thought it might be best to go see Calonne himself, and then make a detour to Nancy to observe the industrial development there.

As he pondered, he heard the pitter-patter of small boots behind him. He turned to see his cousin eagerly chasing after him.

"Cousin, what are you going to do?" the petite girl asked, her large, watery eyes wide.

"I..." Joseph said casually, "I'm going to Lorraine."

Clémentine exclaimed without a second thought, "I want to go to Lorraine too! Take me with you!"

"Play?" Joseph felt a bit overwhelmed but managed a faint smile. "Lorraine is remote and desolate. There's nothing much to do there."

"I want to go there to see..." The petite girl, clearly unfamiliar with Lorraine, secretly glanced at her maid, her eyes flickering.

The maid, also Austrian, 's mind drew a blank for a moment. Then she suddenly recalled hearing about a dish from northeastern France called "veal stew with artichokes" at some point, and she nervously whispered the dish's name.

Clémentine's French was already poor, and coupled with her maid's soft voice, she only caught the last word, "thistle." Delighted as if she'd found a treasure, she excitedly told her cousin, "To see coal!"

The two words sounded quite similar, so it was hardly her fault.

Joseph's eyes went wide. "You... want to see coal? Lorraine certainly has plenty of coal mines."

The petite girl realized she seemed to have said the wrong thing, but as her words were already out, she could only grit her teeth and nod. "Ah, yes! I particularly love coal mines... that expansive and profound feeling, bringing light and heat to people... it moves me in an inexplicable way."