Chapter 257: The Incorruptible One
The second floor of the Palace of Versailles.
The deafening shouts from the square reached the Minister of Industry's office: "These commoners killed Count de Dumonceau! Judge them immediately!"
"No need for a trial, just hang them!"
"Yes! Hang those wretches!"
"Thanks to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, his police caught these murderers..."
"We thank His Highness for bringing peace and order to France."
"Long live His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
These were the nobles gathered in the square, watching the Guards Corps escort the rioters. At this moment, they had completely forgotten their decorum and status, shouting wildly like the Sans-culottes of the streets, venting their fear and rage.
Joseph glanced at the window, a faint smile touching his lips. He had gone to such lengths to suppress the Old Nobility, yet now they were hailing him as a hero for quelling the unrest.
He gestured for Eman to close the window, then turned to Mirabeau. "Please submit this proposal to Her Majesty the Queen as soon as possible, so it can be discussed at the cabinet meeting the day after tomorrow.
"With the nobles' attention focused on the trial of the rioters, the proposal shouldn't encounter too much resistance."
"Yes, Your Highness," Mirabeau said, carefully collecting the freshly organized draft of the "Grain Production Bill" from the table.
Joseph continued, "The position of Minister of Interior is now vacant. Since the responsibilities are too heavy for one person, I intend to divide it into three ministerial posts: Agriculture, Police, and Commerce."
He looked at Vergniaud. "I will nominate you for Minister of Agriculture at the cabinet meeting. However, given your relatively short political career, His Majesty may initially only grant you the acting position."
"Ah, me?!" Vergniaud exclaimed, startled. He quickly rose, placing a hand over his chest with excitement. "Thank you! Thank you for your Highness's trust! I swear I will do my utmost to ensure the nation's agriculture flourishes!"
He had previously been a plantation owner, making him the most knowledgeable about agriculture among Joseph's personnel.
He had never imagined that a chance encounter with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in Bordeaux would lead to such a rapid ascent, bringing him to the verge of becoming a cabinet minister.
Joseph then advised, "You must cooperate closely with the church on agricultural matters. In the rural communities, only the church truly influences the farmers."
"Yes, Your Highness, I will bear your instructions in mind."
Joseph nodded at him, then turned to Bailly. "I hope you will accept the position of Minister of Commerce. Please do not decline."
"Of course," Bailly replied, much calmer than Vergniaud. He bowed. "I will always follow your orders, and I will never disappoint you."
Joseph "dismantled" the Ministry of Interior not just because its responsibilities were too vast for one person to manage, but also to bring more of the new emerging nobility into the cabinet.
Now, almost everyone in the cabinet, apart from the Ministers of Finance, Census, and Justice, belonged to the new nobility—even Archbishop Talleyrand was, in fact, an enlightened liberal.
This way, all the necessary policies for advancing France's Industrial Revolution would pass through smoothly.
In the future, the European continent would be defined by industrial strength!
...
The public trials for the rioters commenced swiftly.
Naturally, this was because Joseph had instructed the Police Intelligence Bureau to include extensive investigation results and data acquired from local Police Bureaus when escorting the gang members.
Even witnesses had been brought to Paris.
The public trials were held in the square before the City Hall. Due to the large number of individuals involved, the High Court mobilized almost entirely, with six temporary tribunals convening simultaneously.
Not many ordinary citizens came to observe this time, but thousands of nobles from Versailles were present—apparently eager to personally confirm that the thugs who had caused them such immense fear would indeed be sentenced to death.
To the nobles' surprise, these rioters almost unanimously confessed that someone had paid them handsomely to incite the unrest.
Subsequently, the spies Duke of Orleans had dispatched to various provinces were brought forward to be identified by the gang members—many such spies had been apprehended during the initial phase of the Police Intelligence Bureau's operation.
Without exception, the rioters confirmed they had been incited by these individuals. The presiding judge then announced in court that the masterminds behind them would be tried in separate cases.
As for the Police Intelligence Bureau agents who later controlled the gang members, they were perceived, due to the rioters' ingrained assumptions, as subordinates of their previous "bosses."
Therefore, during the trial, although some rioters mentioned that the masterminds behind them had "proxies," the judges paid little attention since these individuals had not been captured.
The trials proceeded quickly; a gang member was sentenced to hanging almost every half hour.
Their crimes extended far beyond mere rioting, encompassing a plethora of offenses like murder, kidnapping, and robbery; almost every individual had a long list of them.
Thus, even the onlookers who had initially sympathized, believing the rioters had acted out of hunger, now joined the chorus of condemnation.
So, each time a judge delivered a verdict against a rioter, fervent cheers erupted from the crowd—nobles and common citizens found unprecedented unity in their desire to see these individuals hanged.
By the time Joseph arrived at City Hall Square, fifty or sixty rioters had already been tried.
He was merely passing through on his way to the Paris Police Academy and wanted to observe the nobles' reactions.
After hearing the continuous shouts of "Long live the judge!" and "Good verdict, they deserve to hang!", he nodded silently, then prepared to depart.
Just as Joseph instructed Eman to head to the Paris Police Academy, he suddenly heard a commotion about ten meters away.
He turned to look and saw several nobles from Versailles dragging a young man who was giving a speech off a tree stump, then punching him.
The young man showed no weakness, fighting four assailants and holding his own.
Nearby police officers quickly blew their whistles and rushed towards them, separating the two sides with Riot Control Forks. "What are you doing!"
The enraged nobles pointed at the young man and shouted, "This outsider actually said those rioters shouldn't be sentenced to death!"
"This scoundrel, he must be an accomplice of the rioters!"
"Arrest him quickly!"
The police quieted them, then looked at the young man. "What's your name? Where are you from?"
The young man wiped a streak of blood from the corner of his mouth and, with a slight northern accent, replied, "I am Robespierre, Maximilien François de Robespierre. I am a lawyer from Arras."
Before the police could respond, Joseph, who was not far away, suddenly stopped and turned to look at the young man.
'Robespierre? A lawyer from Arras?'
'To think he'd actually meet "Mr. Little Rob," the Jacobin "tyrant," "murderous demon," and also "The Incorruptible One" here today?'
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