Chapter 169: A Colossal Case
Joseph's brow furrowed. He thought, 'What a peculiar hobby you have.' He could only try to persuade her, "Look, I have serious business in Lorraine this time. I won't have time to take you to see coal mines."
Clémentine tugged at his hand, shaking it as she pouted, "Please, take me!"
"But..."
The young girl suddenly stepped back half a pace, pointing to her fair, delicate neck. She said with a wronged expression, "I listened to you and returned the 'Wish of the Stars'. That was my absolute favorite necklace! Shouldn't you compensate me a little? Please!"
Joseph couldn't help but sigh, looking up at the sky.
A few days prior, he had seen the young girl wearing the "Wish of the Stars" and, out of curiosity, asked about it. Only then did he learn that his extravagant mother had spent nearly 700,000 Livres, combined with his cousin's 560,000, on a necklace that was a monumental fraud.
He immediately told the young girl that he had never worn that necklace and urged her to return it at once.
Clémentine, being quite clever, understood she'd been tricked. She then went to the jeweler and, using both charm and persistence, eventually compensated them 20,000 Livres to return the necklace.
In fact, the jeweler didn't actually lose out—the "Wish of the Stars" having been contended over by two princesses and ultimately auctioned for over a million Livres, was now widely known. This had established its reputation, making it easy to sell for a high price later on.
The following day, at noon.
Clémentine turned to look at the three carriages she had prepared all night—filled with her various cosmetics, clothes, kitchenware, toys, cat food, and more. She asked the Crown Prince again, feeling unwilling to give up, "Cousin, can we truly not bring them?"
Joseph palmed his forehead. "Either the carriages go, or you go. Choose one."
"Oh..." The young girl meekly gave her maid a look, telling her to have the servants load a dozen or so suitcases onto Joseph's baggage carriage.
The convoy set off, heading northeast.
Soon, Joseph found that bringing Clémentine along seemed to be a good decision after all.
The young lass entertained him with all sorts of antics and jokes, sweeping away the boredom and monotony of the journey. Despite her young age, she was quite familiar with the noble families of the European continent, even teaching Joseph a considerable amount of knowledge on the subject. He imagined she must have been memorizing such information since childhood.
Well, aside from an occasional resentful gaze being cast his way from the carriage following behind, making Joseph's back prickle with discomfort, everything else was quite good.
That was Perna's jealousy.
She had originally thought this would be like their last trip to Bordeaux, a "journey" with the Crown Prince. So, she had come along as his private physician. But she hadn't expected a young girl to monopolize his attention this time; she couldn't even share a carriage with the Crown Prince...
Along the way, Joseph could already see signs of drought everywhere.
Some small rivers had already dried up, and many farmlands had turned a withered yellow as a result.
Everywhere, farmers rushed carts of water, or carried it on their shoulders and by hand, transporting water little by little to the fields to alleviate the drought.
However, France currently practiced extensive cultivation, relying on its vast, sparsely populated land for extensive but low-yield farming. At this time, the amount of cultivated land needing irrigation was simply overwhelming.
Joseph knew that the critical moment was drawing nearer.
Fortunately, most of the grain reserves in various regions had already been constructed. Before the dry season, large quantities of grain purchased from overseas were transported by water to major cities.
Paris, in particular, had two very large granaries built. The grain stored within these alone was enough to feed Parisian citizens for four or five months.
Joseph thought to himself, 'Hopefully, they can get through that fatal moment next year. Only then will I have the chance to restore France to its former glory.'
Four days later.
Joseph's convoy stopped at Calonne's estate. It wasn't until the Crown Prince's guard spread out to secure the perimeter that Calonne learned an important dignitary had arrived. He hastily led his relatives and servants out from the cream-colored villa to greet them.
After the customary formalities, Joseph followed Calonne inside. He immediately gestured, "I need to speak with you alone."
"Please follow me."
Calonne led him to a small study, then turned and closed the door before respectfully saying, "Your Highness, please sit."
"You may sit as well." Joseph skipped all pleasantries, getting straight to the point. "I need information about Necker, the kind that could land him in prison.
You are a trusted old servant of the Royal Family; I hope you can trust me too."
Calonne put on a troubled expression. "Your Highness, you must have fallen for some rumor. I truly don't have anything..."
Joseph didn't want to watch him feign ignorance. He immediately interrupted him, "You can name your terms. What would it take for you to provide what I need?"
"This... You've misunderstood..."
Seeing that he still wore a pained expression, Joseph immediately laid out his bargaining chip. "What if I could help you return to Paris? Would that earn your trust?"
Calonne's eyes immediately lit up with surprise and delight. He had long since grown tired of this wretched place, Lorraine, and had thought he would rot away here for the rest of his life, but now, unexpectedly, he saw hope again.
He nodded almost instinctively, but before he could utter a single word, he froze again.
"I... Your Highness, I do want to return, but I don't have the things you speak of..."
Joseph narrowed his eyes slightly. If he wasn't willing to exchange for such a significant benefit, then there could only be one other possibility.
Calonne had a guilty conscience, so he dared not expose Necker!
Joseph's voice turned cold. "Viscount Calonne, you've heard about Mr. Evans from the Office of Fair Investigation being murdered a few days ago, haven't you?"
"Yes, Your Highness, I have."
"Hm, Evans and Marat had only come to you that day and asked the same questions as me, isn't that right?"
Calonne trembled all over. It seemed the Crown Prince seeking him out right after the man's death was no coincidence!
He nodded. "That is indeed the case."
"Hm, so the prime suspect in the murder case is you." Joseph gazed sidelong at Calonne, saying coldly, "To be frank, this matter is extremely serious. The Office of Fair Investigation has already deployed all its personnel. They will arrive two days after me and will then launch a full investigation into you.
Oh, and the Secret Police. They will also participate in the investigation."
Calonne was greatly alarmed. "Why would the Secret Police be alerted?!"
Joseph thought to himself, 'Of course, it's because I had a word with the relevant parties, just to put a little pressure on you.'
"Because the deceased Evans was a very important investigator. The cases he handled involved enormous implications, and he held important clues. His death has almost halted the investigation into this case."
Calonne secretly wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow. He immediately realized Evans must have been investigating Necker, so it was entirely reasonable for the Crown Prince to say the case "involved enormous implications." How could a matter involving a man like Necker implicate only a few people?
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