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Chapter 264: Switching Between Old and New Eras

Duport glanced at his watch. It was already past nine in the evening.

He quickly interrupted Danton, who was still speaking with gusto, announcing a temporary recess and that proceedings would resume tomorrow morning.

The Duke of Chartres had long since lost the ambitious confidence he'd displayed at the start of the trial, when he'd been awaiting his massive inheritance. Hearing the announcement, he felt as if he'd been granted a great pardon and bolted from the place that had tormented him, like an unrestrained wild dog.

The court sessions continued as usual over the next few days.

By the third day, Danton had calculated the Duke of Orleans's fines to be 68 million Livres, and at that point, they were only just beginning to assess the specific damages from the riots.

As for the Duke of Chartres, he had stopped attending court since the second day, leaving all matters to be handled by his lawyers.

Second floor of the Tuileries Palace, Industrial Planning Bureau office.

According to preliminary calculations by the Crown Prince's personal accountant, the total amount of fines was nearly 90 million Livres.

Last month, Paris Angel's sales plummeted by 27%.

Yet, these individuals currently constituted France's core societal class. Neither in terms of spending power nor influence could the Capitalist Nobility temporarily replace them.

...

Joseph frowned, recalling the previous month's financial report submitted yesterday by Brent, the general manager of the Paris Angel Company.

"Madame Audrehem is mediating the dispute between Baron Beverly and Count Cyprien...

"Rumors are circulating on the streets of Paris that the Duke of Chartres has contracted syphilis. According to intelligence we've obtained from his physician, this is most likely true..."

The decline in Paris Angel's sales indicated that the nobility held extremely pessimistic views on their future income, leading to a downgrade in their consumption.

Joseph put down the newspaper. "Please show him in."

Joseph knew that if the current situation wasn't handled carefully, it could lead to extremely serious consequences.

Truth be told, the monarchy's greatest reliance at present remained the feudal noble class.

Therefore, one of his future priorities would be how to keep capitalist forces in check during the process of industrialization.

Regarding the as-yet-unpromulgated "Detailed Regulations for Peasants to Redeem Various Rents and Taxes," they were more inclined to petition Her Majesty the Queen, hoping to increase the redemption amount and raise compensation for the lords.

Most importantly, he had to control the nation's financial lifelines as much as possible, implementing state-led management over key resources and sectors. Only then could he dissuade capitalist forces from contemplating rebellion.

Following the Police Intelligence Bureau's operating procedures, Fouché would categorize and filter the compiled intelligence every few days, then submit it to the Crown Prince. Of course, he would also report immediately if a significant matter arose.

Recently, a song titled "Leaving My Land" had become very popular among the Old Nobility. It told the story of a nobleman who, having lost the rents and taxes from his territory and unable to afford marriage, left his fiancée to seek adventure in the Caribbean Sea, only to tragically die at sea.

"Please, have a seat."

Joseph smiled, gesturing for him to sit down, while Eman brought tea and placed it before Fouché.

These clubs had strong opinions on some of the government's recent reforms, especially regarding the "Decree to Abolish Noble Privileges." Their main arguments were that "His Majesty the King has abandoned the Nobles of the Sword" and that "nobles with uncertain futures should fight for their own rights."

The Duke of Chartres, who had inherited the Duke of Orleans's estate, would have to find a way to pay these fines himself.

First and foremost, this required nurturing the Capitalist Nobility as much as possible to occupy the capital market, preventing purely profit-driven capitalists from controlling it.

However, achieving the Industrial Revolution necessitated the nation embracing capitalism.

"A significant equity transfer occurred at the Paris Trade and Investment Bank two days ago..."

Fouché placed the stack of documents he was carrying before Joseph and said, "Your Highness, these are some matters of note recently."

As the matter concerned the privacy of a grand duke, the newspaper did not publish the specific details of the case, only mentioning that, according to "informed sources," the Duke of Orleans would face enormous fines due to his involvement in multiple illegal cases during his lifetime, drastically reducing the inheritance the Duke of Chartres would receive.

At this time, Emperor Joseph II of Austria was also undertaking reforms to reduce noble privileges. His reforms, far less extensive than Joseph's own, had already thrown Austria into turmoil. Historically, after Leopold II ascended the throne in 1790, he swiftly revoked most of Joseph II's reform measures to restore stability in Austria.

Joseph sipped the black tea, freshly imported from the Far East, and casually read the news in the Paris Business Journal about the ongoing trial of the Duke of Orleans's estate.

Although he had eliminated the leader of the Old Nobility, preventing them from stirring up significant trouble for the time being, their accumulated resentment was palpable.

According to the "internal data" provided by Robespierre, even if all of the Duke of Orleans's assets, including the Palais-Royal, were sold, there would still be a shortfall of 20 million Livres.

Furthermore, these were all undeniable fines for the Duke of Chartres. If Danton pushed hard and solidified some of the disputable penalties, the total could very well reach a "small target" — meaning a significantly higher sum!

Connecting these two matters, a wave of alarm immediately surged within him.

As Fouché continued to report what he deemed most important, Joseph's gaze halted on a section of the report: 'Recently, there has been a significant increase in Versailles nobles joining various clubs, with gathering frequencies far higher than before. According to intelligence analysis, these clubs are primarily focused on political analysis and discussion, with the Old Nobility forming their core membership.'

Furthermore, several pamphlets complaining about the monarchy had appeared.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Fouché quickly rose and bowed, then realized his words might be inappropriate and hastily added, "Long live His Majesty the King! The Police Intelligence Bureau will forever fulfill its duties and pledge loyalty to His Majesty!"

Of course, Joseph also knew it would be impossible to extract much money from the Duke of Chartres. However, with such a "debt to the King of Hell" hanging over him, it would at least ensure he dared not cause any trouble.

Without their support, capitalists naturally liked to impose rules on kings—such as forcing them to sign a Constitution, or even making the king disappear altogether.

The mention in Fouché's report that the Old Nobility had begun gathering to complain and even produced a pathetic song further indicated their extreme dissatisfaction with the abolition of noble privileges.

Paris Angel's core clientele consisted of the nobles at Versailles, a large portion of whom were from the Old Nobility.

Eman knocked on the door. "Your Highness, Monsieur Fouché has arrived."

Joseph nodded in satisfaction. "You all did very well this time. Oh, His Majesty has signed the edict upgrading the Police Intelligence Bureau to an Intelligence Department, which will officially take effect early next month. You should also make preparations in advance."

The door opened, and a radiant Fouché strode in, bowing respectfully. "My respects, Your Highness."

Fouché sat on the sofa and reported, "Your Highness, all 198 core personnel involved in 'Operation Poker Face' are now on leave, and the 12 officers responsible for command have all been transferred to Paris."

However, this would take a considerable amount of time to achieve.

Until then, the monarchy had to rely on the feudal nobility to govern the nation, until the crown could transition its power from "feudal land" to "capital and resources."