Novels online

Chapter 22: Planning the Police Academy

Queen Marie gazed at her son curiously, then chuckled. "No wonder he suggested you become Assistant to the Minister of Finance today. Just how did you 'persuade' him?"

Seeing Joseph merely smile without speaking, she didn't press further. After a moment's thought, she offered two names: "Besançon. He served as a trade coordinator in several provinces and led the Mounted Police in clearing out smugglers. He's quite capable in terms of coordination and management.

"Friant. He was formerly a company commander in the Flanders Brigade and served as my bodyguard. Now he's responsible for infantry recruitment, and he's highly skilled in training and drafting regulations."

She added, "I can guarantee their loyalty. As for who you choose, that's up to you."

Joseph nodded. "Understood. I'll get in touch with them and then decide."

He was completely unfamiliar with these two, but, being new to politics and lacking his own loyal cadre, he had no choice but to seek help from the Queen.

He suddenly realized that by leveraging the opportunity to control the police system, he could invest in establishing a police academy, recruiting students from commoners. This would serve two purposes: firstly, to train professional police officers and reduce the influence of nobles on police affairs; secondly, to offer subjects such as management, commerce, journalism, and law, from which he could select outstanding talents and cultivate his own loyal faction.

A scene suddenly flashed in his mind: in the near future, a group of high-ranking government officials bowing to him, warmly calling him "Headmaster"...

Hmm, from a political strategy standpoint, the Whampoa model is highly successful.

A creak came from the front as a door opened. Joseph looked up to see they had arrived at the dining hall. The vast hall was already packed with nobles who had come to observe.

Indeed, starting from Louis XV's reign, all activities of the French royal family, including eating, sleeping, entertainment, and even childbirth, could be openly observed by anyone.

Joseph felt a headache coming on. The Queen pulled him to sit at the wide, luxurious dining table. The master of ceremonies struck his staff heavily on the floor, and a long, drawn-out horn blast followed. This was the fixed ritual for serving dishes—music was played for every course, passed through several hands, and then followed by a lot of flashy, elaborate maneuvers before the food could finally be eaten.

Joseph suddenly remembered something and quickly leaned over and whispered into the Queen's ear. "By the way, if the Minister of the Navy comes to you about reducing the shipbuilding plan, just send him to me. I'll persuade him."

Queen Marie looked at her son in surprise. To be honest, she had just been fretting over this matter. Castries was a persistent and fanatical fellow; cutting his budget would likely lead him to pester her for a month.

She nodded happily. Her son could now share her worries and resolve her difficulties. Thank God!

Meanwhile, on the stairs on the west side of Versailles, the Minister of Justice turned to the Duke of Orleans and asked, "Judging by the Crown Prince's performance, is he leaning towards Britain?"

The Duke narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps it's that Austrian woman's machinations. If the measures to reduce the fleet cause Britain's policy towards France to shift, it would be very disadvantageous for us..."

In the square, one kilometer away, Monnot and Census Minister Nicolet walked side-by-side in the sunlight.

"At the very least, the Crown Prince should be firmly anti-Prussian," said the Interior Minister.

"Anti-Prussian and anti-British, those are the hardliners. If he's neither, he's a pacifist," Nicolet sighed. "What we fear most is being anti-Prussian but pro-British... To be frank, if France were to have a monarch like Peter III, it would be an absolute disaster."

He was referring to the previous Tsar of Russia, who had admired King Frederick II of Prussia since childhood, and even when Russia had a decisive advantage in the war against Prussia, forcibly ordered the Russian army to retreat and signed a treaty with Frederick II that was highly unfavorable to Russia.

After today's cabinet meeting, everyone was worried that the Crown Prince was an Anglophile.

Monnot shook his head slightly. "I've interacted with His Highness. He's a person of great intelligence. Advocating for reducing the navy might simply be because warships cost too much, rather than to curry favor with the British."

"I hope so."

The general situation of the cabinet meeting quickly reached the office of the British Ambassador to France.

After Ambassador Harriet heard that the French Crown Prince advocated halting all warship construction and took a hard line against Prussia, he pondered for a full three minutes, then called in a trusted aide and instructed him carefully.

After his subordinate left, Harriet solemnly wrote a report on the matter and sent it back to Britain.

...

The lunch, where even the first bite had to follow strict rules, finally ended. Louis XVI enthusiastically pulled Joseph to his workshop to see his latest creations, and presented him with a handmade brass safe. Only then did he allow him to leave.

When Joseph returned to his private chambers, Doctor Lamarck was already waiting, asking Perna about the Crown Prince's recent health. Although Joseph had his personal physician, Perna still insisted on checking on the Crown Prince's condition daily.

Seeing Joseph return, Lamarck quickly stepped forward to bow and said, "I hear His Highness's condition is under control. That's truly invigorating. I believe this must be the miraculous Salicin at work."

Joseph returned the bow with a smile. "And Doctor Perna's excellent care."

Perna, standing nearby, murmured quietly, "I haven't obtained my medical license yet."

"Perna's skills are better than most doctors'," Lamarck praised his assistant, then took out a small glass bottle and looked at Joseph eagerly. "Your Highness, Monsieur Lasseni and I have produced several batches of Salicin, with increasingly higher purity."

Joseph took the glass bottle, observing the off-white powder inside, and praised, "You are truly worthy of being Europe's finest biologist and pharmaceutical scientist; the purity is already quite high."

"No, no, I've done nothing. You told me the entire purification process," Lamarck demurred modestly, then continued excitedly. "I distributed Salicin for free around Pont Neuf, and the efficacy was excellent. I've found that it's not just pneumonia; this medicine is effective against fevers caused by many illnesses. In just a few days, it saved seven or eight lives!"

He paused, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "Your Highness, Monsieur Lasseni and I discussed raising funds to mass-produce Salicin. This medicine will save countless lives! What are your thoughts on this? Of course, half of the medicine's profits would belong to you."

He then murmured softly, "However, as you know, most of the poor people afflicted by disease cannot afford much money..."

'Raising money for pharmaceuticals?' Joseph shook his head. "If that's the case, the production and sale of the medicine would be controlled by investors."

Lamarck asked in surprise, "What do you mean, Your Highness?"

"I will fund it," Joseph replied. 'I'll build a pharmaceutical factory to produce Salicin.' He remembered the homeless people collapsed in corners that he had seen in the Saint-Antoine district that day. "Profits will be capped at 3%. They can even exchange willow bark for the medicine."

Lamarck and Perna looked at him with reverence. "Your Highness, you are truly too benevolent! May the Lord bless you!"