Chapter 174: No Way Out
Chapter 174: No Way Out
"Oh?" Joseph looked at Fouché. "Do you know who's looking for Necker?"
"Well, that's not certain yet. However, our informant at Classen Bank reported that the bank recalled all its commercial spies, so they must have another important mission. And word from the Bank of Paris is that they're hiring a large number of private detectives."
"It's indeed people from the banking industry." Joseph nodded slightly. It seemed Calonne was right; Necker and the major banks undoubtedly had many unsavory dealings, and these people wanted to find him before the government did.
He tapped the armrest of his chair, then found it a little strange. Necker, as a spokesperson for major banks and a senior member of the Banking Guild, should have immediately sought help from the banking sector when trouble arose, yet he chose to hide first.
This could only mean one thing—Necker didn't trust the people in the Banking Guild.
That was understandable. Necker himself was Swiss, with shallow roots in France. Now that trouble had arisen, he couldn't be sure that French bankers wouldn't silence him to prevent further leaks.
Thinking this, Joseph became even more determined to mobilize the Secret Police for a house-to-house search, even deploying the military if necessary—they had to find Necker before the Banking Guild!
Joseph instructed Fouché to intensify the search, then immediately headed to Versailles to discuss a large-scale manhunt across Paris with Brienne and Robert of the Secret Police.
Joseph sighed, and casually asked, "Clémentine, if you wanted to find a missing person, how would you go about it?"
The little girl thought for a moment, then seriously replied, "Hmm, I'd start by asking his friends or servants where he might have gone, and then..."
Joseph suddenly froze upon hearing this, realizing he had overlooked a very important fact—the people in the Banking Guild knew Necker far better than he did!
Even Necker's subordinates might have been recommended to him by a major bank.
With clues provided by those close to Necker, even with more manpower, it would be difficult to gain the upper hand...
'What to do?'
Clémentine continued talking for a while, but seeing her cousin's frown deepen, she quickly consoled him, "Has one of your friends gone missing? You don't have to be too anxious, perhaps he just has something to do and will return on his own in a while."
Joseph forced a smile. "Thank you for your comfort, but that person won't appear on their own..."
'Wait!'
Mid-sentence, he felt a sudden grasp of something.
If he couldn't outcompete the Banking Guild in finding him, then why not make Necker reveal himself?
Just as ancient generals besieged a city, they always surrounded it on three sides and left one open, ensuring the enemy would flee towards the unguarded direction.
If he could block all other paths for Necker, then he would have no choice but to take the one lifeline Joseph had left for him!
Joseph meticulously refined this idea, and a "Surround on Three Sides and Leave One Open" plan gradually took shape in his mind.
He sincerely thanked Clémentine, saying, "You are truly an expert at finding people, thank you so much!"
The little girl's face flushed from the praise. She popped a vanilla mint into her mouth as a reward and then offered one to her cousin.
The carriage stopped at the Marble Courtyard of Versailles, and Joseph stepped out, heading straight for the Minister of Finance's office.
In this "Surround on Three Sides and Leave One Open" plan, the most crucial part was the "Leave One Open" aspect, and the difficulty lay in requiring the Queen's cooperation.
Before long, Interior Minister Monnot and Minister of Justice Breteuil gathered in Brienne's office, all looking at Joseph in surprise.
"Your Royal Highness, I don't quite understand. Shouldn't we be focusing all our efforts on capturing Necker right now?"
"But why are you retracting the warrant and having Her Majesty the Queen announce his pardon?"
As Joseph's political allies in the cabinet, these men had naturally heard about Calonne's exposure of Necker's corruption.
Joseph surveyed them and said, "When a person faces certain death, if you show him a glimmer of hope to live, he will undoubtedly choose that path. I intend to make the Royal Family Necker's only lifeline."
Breteuil immediately responded, "Your Highness, Necker's corruption is so severe, he should face a strict trial. Pardoning him might not be appropriate."
Joseph countered, "Necker himself isn't important. What I want is what he knows!
"As for a pardon, heh, while His Majesty the King has pardoned him, if others wish to punish him, we certainly can't control that."
Brienne looked at Joseph. "Your Highness, what exactly does Necker know?"
"It very likely involves hundreds of millions of Livres in government debt!"
A sudden silence fell over the room.
That afternoon, several cabinet ministers, leading a large group of influential nobles, went to the Petit Trianon to persuade Queen Marie to announce that Necker would be exempt from court trial, promising he would not be sentenced to death or even lengthy imprisonment.
The Queen had previously seen Brienne's report on Necker's corruption. Although she didn't fully understand the actions of the ministers and nobles, she was easily swayed. After a series of persuasions about 'displaying royal leniency and mercy,' 'showing His Majesty's compassion for his ministers,' 'prioritizing the recovery of stolen funds,' and 'giving the former minister a chance to reform,' Queen Marie felt it all seemed quite reasonable and agreed in a daze.
The next morning, Queen Marie, before numerous nobles and journalists, publicly announced that Necker would receive lenient treatment, displaying the document signed by the King.
At the same time, several pamphlets began circulating wildly in Paris.
Most of the pamphlets contained typical aristocratic erotic stories, but all included a message: someone was offering 150,000 Livres for Jacques Necker's head. Even providing information would fetch 100,000 Livres.
Next, the Parisian underworld received an even more astonishing price: 180,000 Livres for a dead Necker, 120,000 Livres for information.
That day, the upper half of the front pages of major Parisian newspapers declared, "Necker Possibly Involved in Corruption, Royal Family Decides on Leniency," while the lower half read, "Unknown Faction Offers Astronomical Bounty to Kill Necker."
Meanwhile, the Secret Police and the Police Intelligence Bureau both received new orders, redirecting many of their Necker search teams to the outskirts of Paris, effectively sealing off the city to prevent Necker's escape.
The next day, the mysterious faction's bounty on Necker further escalated to 200,000 Livres.
Various newspapers and pamphlets, having acquired information from different sources, began to earnestly analyze who desired Necker's life.
Of course, under Joseph's intentional guidance, all articles unanimously pointed to the Banking Guild.
...
In an inconspicuous residential house on the north side of Paris, Necker's butler, Aaronk, carefully observed the street through a curtain slit. Once he confirmed no suspicious figures, he brought a tray of food to the bedroom.
He closed the door, then manipulated the headboard and dressing table, triggering a faint 'click' from behind the wardrobe.
Aaronk lifted the floorboard behind the wardrobe and bent down to enter the revealed square opening.
On the second basement level, illuminated by dim candlelight, Necker, looking haggard, accepted the tray. He first distributed food to his wife and two children, then skipped his own lunch, grabbing the newspaper from the tray.
It was the Paris News. He merely scanned the headline and felt his heart clench.
Although not explicitly stated, the article heavily implied that the 200,000 Livre bounty on his life came from banking magnates, whose credit was absolutely reliable, promising to deliver the reward to the killer's family even if the killer perished.
"These devils!" Necker slammed the newspaper to the ground, his voice strained.
The Paris News was the Duke of Orléans's paper, and he was one of the major figures behind the Banking Guild. If even his paper said this, it meant they wanted him dead without a shred of doubt.
'These guys, I helped them earn so much money, yet they abandoned me without hesitation the moment something went wrong!' He had no idea that the Paris News had been prevented from distribution for the past two days by the Press and Publication Bureau under various pretexts.
The Paris News currently on the market was all fabricated by Joseph's Paris Business Journal and sold by newsboys.
'As for infringement? Heh, once the Necker affair is over, let the Paris News sue in court. At most, we'll pay ten times the damages. Are they going to try to shut down the Crown Prince's newspaper?'
Necker picked up several pamphlets brought by the butler, startled to see the bounty had increased again, now a terrifying 300,000 Livres.
He knew too well what that number meant.
Not only would the entire Parisian underworld go crazy for it, but even an ordinary citizen, upon seeing that sum, would instantly turn into the most cold-blooded killer!
This also meant that everyone he encountered was no longer trustworthy. He absolutely couldn't contact those he'd arranged to help him escape before; 300,000 Livres would make them betray him at any moment.
Although he boasted millions in assets, most were held in anonymous accounts in various banks, many of them foreign. He only had 2,000 Écus in gold coins on hand—he couldn't possibly carry too much heavy cash. So he was powerless to bribe the greedy bounty hunters.
Even if he could produce a large sum, he wouldn't dare gamble. Who knew if those individuals would take his money and then turn around and cut off his head for 300,000 Livres? After all, it was 300,000! Any notion of credit or morality would become a joke in the face of such a colossal amount.
Mrs. Necker looked at the newspaper in her husband's hands and asked with a trembling voice, "My dear, are we still leaving tomorrow?"
Necker suddenly grabbed her arm and snapped, "'Leaving! All you think about is leaving! Are you trying to get us killed?!'" He pointed to the basement entrance: "'I swear, before I even got into the carriage, that coachman would stab me twice in the back! It's over, everything is over...'"
He collapsed onto the bed in despair, his eyes catching sight of the spread-out newspaper. On it was a news item he'd seen yesterday—the Queen had publicly announced she would spare his life, not even condemning him to more than five years' imprisonment.
The newspaper also speculated that that as long as Necker returned the embezzled funds and paid some fines, he would most likely be sentenced to exile.
A fierce internal struggle began within him. After a long moment, he abruptly stood up from the bed, his eyes filled with hatred. 'Since those in the Banking Guild want me dead, they can't blame me for cooperating with the French Royal Family!'
That night, the butler Aaronk quietly melted into the night.
About an hour later, over a hundred personnel from the Police Intelligence Bureau and Secret Police surrounded the small house where Necker was hiding.
Fouché personally led the raid, only to find the hidden basement empty.
Just as he was in a frantic state, several subordinates rushed in, reporting that Necker had been caught.
"Where was he caught?" Fouché glanced at the empty basement, asking with confusion.
"He crawled out of a street sewer himself."
Fouché had no idea that the 300,000 Livre bounty made Necker distrust even his most loyal butler, fearing he might bring assassins. So Necker had left the house earlier and hidden.
Fouché finally completed his mission and immediately escorted Necker personally to the Bastille.
...
Palais-Royal.
The senior figures of the Banking Guild looked anxiously at the Duke of Orléans.
Their men had initially found a lead on Necker's whereabouts, but then this astronomical bounty appeared two days ago, disrupting all their plans.
"I didn't expect the Royal Family to pardon him," the Duke of Orléans said, his brows furrowed. "Combined with this 300,000 Livre bounty, Necker is very likely to surrender to the Royal Family."
Comte de Kaunitz said, "We need to let Necker know as soon as possible that we're not behind the bounty!"
Isaac, the Count, cast a scornful glance at him: "If we could find him, would it be this difficult?"
The Duke of Orléans shook his head: "Now publications are controlled, even my newspaper is being faked, making it difficult to get information to him."
Just then, the Duke of Orléans's butler hurried in and whispered a few words into his ear.
"What? That fool has been caught!" The Duke of Orléans's eyes widened as he looked at the butler. "Is the news reliable?"
"It's news from our man in the Secret Police. He's currently being escorted to the Bastille."
A wave of panic swept through the room.
The Duke of Orléans glared at them and snapped, "'Calm down, everyone! We couldn't find Necker before, so we had to let the Royal Family spread rumors. Now that he's appeared, perhaps it's a good thing.'"
He pondered for a moment, then instructed the butler, "Go find Lieutenant Colonel Lavielle immediately and have him arrange to see Necker. Tell him..."
Two hours later.
Necker was, as expected, locked in a cell in the Bastille.
Contrary to popular imagination, the cell was a suite with a toilet and dining area, very clean and tidy, even featuring a sofa and a large, padded bed.
Fouché, fearing further incidents, personally brought over a dozen subordinates to keep constant watch over Necker and his family, even during bathroom breaks.
Just then, a tall military officer approached with guards, exchanged polite pleasantries with Fouché, and then gestured towards Necker: "You know, prisoners arriving here undergo routine checks. I need to go through the motions."
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