Chapter 230: The Traitor
For a time, people in the streets and alleys were filled with righteous indignation: "Have you heard? A coppersmith's daughter in Le Marais was targeted by two nobles; not only was she humiliated by them, but in the end, the coppersmith's entire family was killed!"
"Apparently, one of them was the Interior Minister's son. That scoundrel, because he didn't want to share the girl with the other noble, actually sent people to burn him alive."
"How utterly ruthless. But why did he have to kill that poor girl's family too?"
"Don't you understand? That scoundrel killed a noble, that's a serious crime! If the girl told them the two men were fighting over her, the police would definitely suspect him. That's called destroying evidence."
"These damn nobles, they don't value human lives at all!"
"They all deserve to go to hell!"
...
Joseph's brows furrowed as he read the newspaper reports about the Interior Minister's son's arson. This time, since the matter directly concerned Monnot, the man dared not openly pressure the newspapers to suppress the news.
'How did this news leak out?' He immediately summoned Fouché again.
Under relentless questioning from numerous reporters, the Police Bureau had no choice but to summon Monnot's son, Antoine. Although he was released quickly due to insufficient evidence, with the journalists fanning the flames, he had already become a public pariah.
However, the identity of the person who leaked the information remained unknown.
Joseph pondered, reading the report, 'Was it a relative of Viscount Amboise? Or someone secretly investigating the matter?'
Just then, Eman hurried in, bowed, and whispered, "Your Highness, Count Monnot wishes to see you."
Joseph frowned. Monnot's visit at this time could only be for one matter, but its nature was so heinous that Joseph could never exonerate him.
He shook his head and said, "Tell him to go back."
"Yes, Your Highness."
...
Palais-Royal.
The butler excitedly entered the Duke of Orleans' study, turned back to carefully close the door, then bowed and said, "My lord, just as you predicted, the Interior Minister sought out the Queen, the Crown Prince, and the Chief Minister, but it seems he was unable to meet any of them."
"Naturally," the Duke of Orleans declared triumphantly. "With this matter creating such a stir, even the Queen would find it difficult to protect him."
He then looked at the butler. "By the way, those two fellows from the Maletout family didn't say anything, did they?"
The butler bowed. "Our men at the Bastille are keeping an eye on them. They wouldn't dare to speak nonsense."
"Excellent." A smile spread across the Duke of Orleans' face. "If that idiot Monnot hadn't killed the coppersmith's family, things probably wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
Indeed, the so-called "Viscount Amboise Arson Case" had been orchestrated by him.
After learning that his heir had contracted syphilis, he had gone mad with desire for revenge against Joseph and the royal family.
It so happened that a few months ago, he learned that Monnot's son and Viscount Amboise had both set their sights on a commoner girl.
In his understanding, Monnot was an important political force for the royal family; if he could be exploited effectively, perhaps a weakness in the monarchy could be found.
So, he began to scout among Antoine's associates and finally selected Antoine's "henchmen"—the declining petty nobles, the Maletout brothers.
After controlling the two brothers through various means, the Duke of Orleans instructed them to find ways to escalate the conflict between Antoine and Viscount Amboise.
Antoine had been an illegitimate son for over a decade, but six months ago, he suddenly became Monnot's heir to the title, and this change in status immediately made him arrogant.
About half a month ago, after drinking, he went to the home of a girl named Celine, intending to "have some fun" with her, only to learn that she had been abducted by Viscount Amboise to his villa for lewd amusement.
Incited by the Maletout brothers and fueled by alcohol, he flew into a rage and ordered the Maletout brothers to snatch Celine back.
The two brothers, having already received instructions from the Duke of Orleans, immediately reported the matter to him.
The Duke of Orleans realized this was an opportune moment to implicate Monnot, so he sent people to burn down Viscount Amboise's home along with the brothers.
The subsequent events largely unfolded according to his design.
The Maletout brothers brought Celine back to Antoine's residence and smugly told him that they had burned the presumptuous Amboise to death.
Antoine was immediately sobered by more than half, scared senseless, and stumbled home to tell his father about the incident.
Monnot was also greatly alarmed. He had intended to have the Maletout brothers flee, but to his dismay, the two fools were captured by the police—which, of course, was deliberate on their part.
Afterward, he went to the prison to see the Maletout brothers, but they adamantly insisted that Antoine had ordered them to set the fire. Antoine had been dead drunk that day, only remembering instructing them to retrieve the woman; he had no recollection of anything else.
In desperation, Monnot promised the Maletout brothers enormous benefits to take the blame. Then he bribed a High Court judge, demanding that the two be executed as quickly as possible.
And this was precisely the outcome the Duke of Orleans desired.
However, Monnot was even "better" than he had hoped; out of a guilty conscience, he had also killed Celine's entire family.
...
Night fell.
A black carriage quietly pulled into the Interior Minister's villa.
Monnot watched suspiciously as the newcomer removed his hood, revealing the Duke of Orleans' face. He frowned at once and said in a low voice, "What are you doing here?"
"I heard you've run into some trouble recently," the Duke of Orleans said. "Won't you invite me in to sit?"
"There's no need. This has nothing to do with you..." Monnot had not forgotten that the man before him was his political rival.
"In that case, your son will likely be arrested by the Royal Guard very soon," Orleans said with a smile. "And you, too, will probably be implicated and dismissed from your post."
Monnot's face turned ashen. "I will ask Her Majesty the Queen for clemency..."
The Duke of Orleans immediately interrupted him. "My friends in the High Court tell me that the Crown Prince went to the High Court the day before yesterday and had Judge Chloé taken into custody for investigation."
"And yesterday, your son's case became the talk of the town. Don't you think there's a coincidence here?"
Of course, all these "coincidences" were arranged by him. After learning that the Crown Prince had visited the High Court, he immediately sent people to leak inside information about the arson case to the Police Bureau and the newspapers.
Monnot was stunned, then immediately thought of how the royal family and Brienne had refused to see him these past two days. 'Could this really be the Crown Prince's doing?'
He also recalled the bank bankruptcy incident, where the Crown Prince seemed greatly displeased with him, and then several times afterward had weakened the authority of the Interior Ministry, until the most recent matter of immigration to Tunisia, which completely bypassed him and was handed over to Mirabeau.
Now, there was this scandal involving his son.
He stood rooted to the spot, lost in despair, murmuring, " 'It really was him...'"
The Duke of Orleans leaned in, whispering into his ear at just the right moment, "There is only one person who can help you now, and that is me."
Monnot was startled. He quickly dismissed all his servants, led the Duke to his study, closed the door, and anxiously asked, "What method do you have to save Antoine?"
The Duke of Orleans smiled faintly. "It's simple. I'll help you eliminate those two arsonists. With no witnesses left alive, and a few more manipulations in the High Court, this case will no longer implicate your son."
Monnot's eyes widened. "But they're currently held in the Bastille..."
Ever since Necker was poisoned by a guard in the Bastille, Joseph had seized the opportunity to order the Bastille's commander, Marquis de Launay, to thoroughly reform the prison's management. Now, let alone killing prisoners there, even obtaining internal information was extremely difficult.
The Duke of Orleans said calmly, "Please believe me, I possess that capability."
A flicker of hope appeared in Monnot's eyes. He stared intently at the Duke of Orleans, then hesitated. "But why would you help me?"
The Duke of Orleans raised a single finger. "One million Livres."
Monnot paused, startled. He had indeed amassed that much money through years of corruption, but spending it would undoubtedly be a crippling blow.
However, his son's life and his own future were more important. He immediately nodded. "Alright. Within a month, I'll send this sum to the Palais-Royal. The rest will be up to you..."
The Duke of Orleans, however, smiled and shook his head. "Oh, my dear François, you've misunderstood."
"I mean, I will resolve this case for you, and then I will give you one million Livres."
Monnot flinched back a step, a hint of fear in his eyes. As a seasoned political operator, he immediately grasped the other's true intentions.
But he still gritted his teeth and uttered the words, "Then, what do you require of me?"
A ruthless glint flashed in the Duke of Orleans' eyes. "It's simple: join me in seizing the royal scepter!"
He had no fear of Monnot spreading these words. Not only was Monnot's situation precarious, making him unlikely to burn his own bridges, but even if he did speak out, it wouldn't matter; Orleans would simply deny it.
In fact, many ambitious nobles in Versailles were aware of what the Orleans faction was plotting, even viewing him as a political force to balance royal power.
Monnot instinctively wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow, lowering his head without a word.
The Duke of Orleans didn't rush him, simply watching in silence.
Several minutes passed. After repeated deliberation, comparison, and calculation, Monnot finally looked up. "How confident are you?"
The Duke of Orleans appeared remarkably frank. "You must be aware of how severe the domestic food shortage is right now."
"Yes, but it's still manageable for now."
"That's because of the large 'strategic grain reserves'," the Duke of Orleans said coldly. "If we manage to make those provisions disappear, then all of France will quickly descend into chaos."
Cold sweat poured down Monnot's back. He swallowed hard. "And then?"
"I will invest a substantial amount of capital, using the ensuing chaos to forge a new political landscape. You know, there are many who are unwilling to remain in obscurity; they merely lack an opportunity."
"For example, the military officers. They have been very displeased with the royal family's actions recently."
Monnot fell into thought again. After a long moment, he suddenly broke into a bright smile. "Besides the military, there are also the great nobles."
"Please share your insights."
"Do you remember the 'Milling Duty Act'?"
"Yes."
"This winter is exceptionally cold; over half the country's rivers have frozen over," Monnot said, his words coming rapidly. "As a result, a large number of mills are unusable. The reports I've received this month indicate that over sixty mill owners have already been stripped of their milling tax rights by the Act. As we move further into winter, this number will increase rapidly."
Most mills of this era were driven by water wheels; once a river froze, the mill became inoperable.
In previous years, rivers across France rarely remained frozen for two consecutive months, but under this year's extreme weather, many of France's rivers will stay frozen until March of next year!
The inability to use the mills was also one of the major causes of the Great Famine of 1788—the proud French insisted on grinding wheat into flour to make bread. Especially in large cities, many starved due to the lack of bread.
Joseph's original intention with this Act was to encourage the great nobles to purchase steam engines and modernize their mills. However, those stingy and shortsighted nobles continued to operate based on past experience; even with loans available from parish banks, they were unwilling to incur the expense of installing steam engines.
Ultimately, this led to many people losing their milling tax rights because their mills had been unusable for over two months.
Monnot smiled. "I imagine the nobles who have lost their milling tax rights would be very eager for a force to emerge that could make the royal family yield."
The Duke of Orleans nodded delightedly. "You truly have profound insight."
"And that's not all," Monnot continued. "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was far too hasty in promoting the Tunisian immigration policy, and he offered exceptionally generous terms for immigrants."
"Vast amounts of cheap, fertile land in Tunisia—oh, one could even say free land—where cultivating it for just ten years allows you to become a landowner."
"This has caused many who originally intended to buy farmland to instead go to Tunisia, leading to a drop in land prices across France. While the decline isn't drastic, you know that for nobles holding hundreds of hectares or even more land, the losses will be substantial."
Any minor price fluctuation, when multiplied by a massive base, would inevitably result in a staggering sum.
Noticing the Duke of Orleans' approving expression, Monnot immediately added, "There are still many people dissatisfied with royal policies, and I am very familiar with these matters."
He suddenly clasped his chest and bowed deeply. "If, in your new cabinet, you could grant me a humble position as Chief Minister, then you shall have my loyalty, esteemed Prince Regent."
The Duke of Orleans nodded without hesitation. "Naturally, no one is better suited for that position than you."
Monnot was overjoyed and bowed once more. "Your grand undertaking is sure to succeed!"
His only son was on the verge of imprisonment, possibly even facing execution. And he himself was likely to be implicated, ending his political career. For a man accustomed to wielding power, this was utterly unacceptable.
At this moment, only by joining the Duke of Orleans' faction could he protect his son and his own standing.
Moreover, according to the Duke of Orleans, his chances of success were very high.
Because, after hearing the Duke of Orleans outline his plan, Monnot immediately thought of a brilliant idea that could significantly increase the latter's chances of success.
He had originally planned to use this stratagem to secure the position of Chief Minister, but he hadn't expected that merely by casually demonstrating his abilities, the future Prince Regent had already granted his wish.
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