Chapter 253: Aftermath
Right now, the bigwigs of the Assembly of Notables were practically frothing at the mouth, desperately urging the military to quell the local unrest as quickly as possible. How could they possibly concern themselves with something like the "Abolition of Privileges Act"?
Without these great nobles leading the charge, the other nobles keen on preserving their privileges simply couldn't contend with the abolitionist faction, which had gained numerous Nobles of the Robe.
During this period, even the streets of Paris saw citizen assemblies supporting the abolition of privileges. Of course, this was also orchestrated by Joseph.
Queen Marie glanced at the documents in her hand, furrowing her brow with a sigh. "This wave of unrest is growing increasingly severe. Count de Dumonceau and others have even been murdered by rioters. I'm simply not in the mood to discuss these proposals right now."
"Your Majesty, quelling the unrest and these proposals are not in conflict," Talleyrand said, bowing deeply. "Furthermore, the content of these proposals can appease the poorest among the people, which will be very helpful in stopping the riots."
His expression was filled with reverence. "Your Majesty, abolishing noble privileges will greatly alleviate the burden on farmers, improving their lives. This will make tens of millions of farmers in France grateful for your benevolence and eternally remember your grace."
His words touched Queen Marie slightly.
Previously, some had maliciously slandered her reputation, spreading rumors that she was 'extravagant' and that 'if they can't afford bread, let them eat cake,' which had caused her public standing to plummet into the abyss.
Currently, this proposal had the support of most nobles, and if she could be its signatory, it would undoubtedly greatly enhance her image among the common people.
She nodded immediately. "Very well, let's have a thorough discussion about this at tomorrow's cabinet meeting."
...
In the detention room on the second basement level of the Police Intelligence Bureau.
Joseph, clad in a red hunting suit, pushed a cup of black tea with three large spoonfuls of sugar towards Monnot and sighed softly. "The Maletout brothers have confessed that the Duke of Orleans instigated them to frame your son."
Monnot's pupils constricted instantly, and he nearly knocked over the scalding teacup.
He had been apprehended in Brittany. In truth, if he hadn't been so reluctant to part with his money, and had tried to quietly issue a large remittance draft to an English bank during the unrest, he wouldn't have been caught by the Police Intelligence Bureau.
Most major banks now had regulators dispatched by the Bank of France, who would verify the legality of any large transactions. The day after Monnot, who was at the top of the surveillance list, proposed a remittance draft worth hundreds of thousands of livres, he was taken away by the Police Intelligence Bureau.
"I... Your Highness..." the former Interior Minister could only manage two words for a long moment.
Joseph raised a hand to cut him off, stating calmly, "Your biggest mistake was trusting the Duke of Orleans."
"Your Highness..."
Joseph nodded. "You once stood by me when I most needed help, yet you later stood against me for certain gains.
"However, I am a sentimental man, and I've never forgotten your past kindnesses.
"You've likely noticed that the newspapers never reported on your malicious reallocation of reserve grain, which led to food shortages. I was the one who had them suppress that news.'"
A flicker of hope appeared in Monnot's eyes, and he choked out, "Your Highness, it was all my fault! Your great kindness, I truly..."
Joseph interrupted him again. "But you did bring immense disaster upon the nation.
"Now, I'm giving you one last chance. Either you are sentenced to exile in Nice or Dauphiné.'"
Monnot's face instantly drained of color, his eyes wide as he shook his head repeatedly. "No, please don't do that..."
He was the one who had single-handedly caused the food disaster. If exiled to the most heavily affected regions in the south, and should the news leak, he would instantly be torn apart by angry citizens.
Joseph continued, "Or, you can testify as someone who was manipulated, accusing the Duke of Orleans as the mastermind behind all of this. Then you could be exiled to Nancy. However, you would need irrefutable evidence.""
"No..." Monnot's face was practically that of a corpse. Accusing the most influential duke beneath the royal family was tantamount to a death sentence.
Joseph smiled faintly. "You don't need to worry; this matter can be discussed after the Duke of Orleans passes away.""
Monnot instantly shot up from his chair, gasping, "No, no... You mean, he... he's dead?"
This was also Joseph's reason for keeping him alive.
As long as the Duke of Orleans was alive, with his immense influence in France and his wealth rivaling that of a nation, even with irrefutable evidence, the most he would face was a hefty fine and a reprimand; exile would be out of the question.
But if he were dead, and then burdened with grave charges like orchestrating famine and inciting riots, no one would dare, or even want, to stand up and speak for him.
Marquis de Saint-Véran didn't know too many details of the food crisis, but Monnot was privy to all of them.
The former Interior Minister looked at the silently smiling young man before him, involuntarily shivered, and after a long moment, lowered his head and mumbled, "Yes, yes, Your Highness. I have his letters, I'll do whatever you say. I'll testify, yes, testify against him..."
At the cabinet meeting the next day, with all ministers unanimously in favor, Queen Marie signed the "Decree for the Abolition of Noble Privileges."
Thus, the feudal lord privileges that had severely hindered the development of French industry and capital officially became history, and a glimmer of dawn appeared on the path of France's Industrial Revolution.
Concurrently, Baron Breteuil, the Minister of Justice, dropped a bombshell that shook all of France: the long- "missing" Interior Minister, Monnot, had surrendered to the High Court and revealed that the Duke of Orleans was the mastermind behind the southern food crisis!
Suddenly, no one even paid attention to the "Decree for the Abolition of Privileges"; everyone, from the Palace of Versailles to the streets of Paris, was passionately discussing this matter.
However, just as Joseph had expected, that afternoon, large numbers of nobles gathered at the Petit Trianon, pleading with Queen Marie on behalf of the Duke of Orleans.
It wasn't until three days later that news came back from Armor: the Duke of Orleans had been blasted to death by rioting citizens using a stolen cannon.
The Palace of Versailles was rocked once more.
But this time, people merely demanded that the unrest be suppressed and the culprits severely punished; no one mentioned pardoning the Duke of Orleans anymore.
Joseph watched the indignant nobles from the window, shaking his head with a faint smile as they demanded the military quell the disturbances as quickly as possible.
Forty-eight nobles on his 'deck of cards' had already suffered the heavy hammer of the enraged populace.
Of the remaining four, some had estates with defenses that were too strong, and the local population was too small to overrun them. Others were cases where Police Intelligence Bureau agents made mistakes, forcing a halt to the plan.
According to the plan formulated beforehand, the southern provinces should now have entered the aftermath phase. Barring any surprises, the rioting populace would soon return home, and order would be restored across the provinces.
The Paris Police Bureau had already dispatched a large number of officials to the rebellious provinces half a month ago to 'guide' the work of the local police.
This was merely the first step of the aftermath.
Comments