Chapter 30: Pharmaceutical Factory Begins Production
Perna hastily completed her routine checkup, picked up her medical bag, and fled out of the room without looking back, like a startled deer. Yet, after exiting the main door, she turned back with surprising speed to steal a quick glance toward the Crown Prince.
Joseph watched her retreating figure and blinked in surprise. "Did she... get an upset stomach?"
South Wing of Versailles.
In the Finance Minister's office, Archbishop Brienne received a visibly much thinner version of the Tax Bill from Joseph, asking, puzzled,
"Your Highness, you seem to have removed many tax items?"
Joseph nodded. "Yes, this is an experiment of mine."
Brienne hastily flipped open the bill and reviewed it item by item, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper. When he was halfway through, he finally couldn't help but look at Joseph and say, "Your Highness, you've deleted all the provisions favorable to the nobility?"
"Yes, Archbishop."
Brienne placed the bill back on the table and shook his head.
Joseph retorted,
"Do you think constant concessions will get the bill passed?"
Brienne shook his head.
"Exactly. So, we might as well try a different approach. You can submit this bill to the High Court and see what happens."
Brienne sighed,
"Your Highness, all this will do is provoke the nobility, without achieving any real effect."
Joseph smiled faintly,
"You've seen bullfighting, haven't you?"
"Bullfighting? Yes, Your Highness, I have."
"Matadors always deliberately infuriate the bull with a red cape. That's because an enraged bull loses its reason and makes mistakes, giving the matador an opening," Joseph explained. "Let the nobles rage; there's no harm in it.
"Please trust me; even if it's rejected again this time, this bill will eventually pass!"
Brienne replied, half-believing, half-doubting, "Can you tell me how you plan to achieve this?"
"Don't reason with them. Strike at their weaknesses, divide and conquer, and at the same time, control public opinion, forcing them to yield."
Brienne stared in surprise at the Crown Prince's confident, yet somewhat cunning, gaze. He suddenly felt, for some reason, that Joseph might not be fooling around after all.
After a long pause, Brienne nodded, then chuckled,
"Alright then, I will send this bill to the High Court, but please don't let it be known that these changes were your doing. Otherwise, those greedy, selfish people will surely resent you.
"As for me, if I cannot get this bill enacted before the end of the year, I will likely have to step down as Finance Minister. In the little time I have left, I might as well go all in."
"Thank you for your trust."
Joseph hadn't expected to persuade Brienne so quickly. He wasted no time, turning to his aide and instructing,
"Please contact the largest newspapers in Paris and book prominent advertising space.
"Once the High Court rejects the Tax Bill this time, immediately publish the first tax item from the bill in the newspapers, along with a detailed explanation of it — for instance, who will pay this tax, what its effects will be, and so on.
"Subsequently, publish one tax item each day until the entire contents of the bill have been printed and clearly explained."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Also, organize a group of journalists to report in detail on the bill from its submission for registration until the High Court's rejection of it. Oh, don't report everything at once; release it bit by bit to maintain public interest."
"Yes."
"And furthermore..."
Joseph was busy in the Finance Minister's office until noon, finally finishing giving instructions for the preliminary work on implementing the Tax Bill. After having lunch with the Queen, Eman reported that Doctor Lamarck was requesting an audience.
Joseph followed him back to his reception room and saw Lamarck anxiously pacing back and forth.
"Mister Lamarck, is there something amiss at the pharmaceutical workshop?"
Lamarck hastily bowed respectfully, first nodding, "There are some matters..." then said, clearly nervous, "Your Highness, I heard my daughter offended you last night. She is still young; it couldn't have been intentional! Please forgive her."
Joseph waved his hand dismissively with a smile,
"Mademoiselle Perna made no mistake whatsoever. I accidentally stumbled into her 'laboratory.' Oh, and she even offered me a late-night snack."
"Thank you for your magnanimity." Lamarck hurriedly bowed again, shaking his head and muttering, "I truly shouldn't have agreed to let her study medicine. The child, dissecting animals in the palace kitchens in the middle of the night..."
Joseph said approvingly, "Perna is very talented. You could certainly let her practice dissection in the royal laboratories. Oh, if you wish to keep it discreet, I can instruct the guards and servants to maintain secrecy for her."
"I hardly know what to say." Lamarck's eyes filled with gratitude. "You are truly enlightened. If the members of the medical society were half as open-minded as you, Perna would have already obtained her medical license and treated many patients."
Joseph noticed the glass bottle in his hand, and he asked, "Speaking of which, you mentioned something about the pharmaceutical workshop earlier?"
"Oh, yes, yes." Lamarck eagerly handed over the glass bottle; an excited expression reappeared on his face. "That perfume workshop is absolutely perfect! The equipment is incredibly comprehensive; there's even a water wheel.
"I only needed to add some high-precision thermometers and condensers, and that's quite enough for purifying Salicin.
"Also, the workers are excellent—skilled, and many already have experience with purification processes. Look, this is what the artisans produced last night. Mister Lasseni and I didn't interfere at all."
Joseph gazed at the yellowish-white powder, nodded in satisfaction, then asked,
"What do you estimate the production capacity to be?"
Lamarck considered for a moment, then replied,
"If raw materials are sufficient, about 2,500 grams per day. Once the workers are proficient, that should double."
"Hmm, that should be enough for all the patients in Paris, and perhaps even supply some of the outer provinces," Joseph remarked.
For medicinal Salicin used to reduce inflammation and fever, the typical dosage is about 5 grams orally per day. With Paris's population of over half a million, ten thousand doses daily should be more than sufficient.
Lamarck nodded. "Your Highness, Mister Lasseni and I have estimated that each pill contains 25 grams of Salicin, and the cost is roughly 3 to 4 deniers. Initially, we'll sell them for 5 deniers each and adjust the price later based on revenue and expenses. What do you think?"
One livre equals 20 sous, and one sou equals 12 deniers. This means one livre could purchase 48 pills, an incredibly affordable price.
"You may decide the price."
Joseph then recalled his "Angel Water" and said to Lamarck, "By the way, Mister Lamarck, I have a special request. Please specifically purify 300 grams of high-purity Salicin for me daily. It needs to be as free of impurities as possible."
A 200-gram bottle of skincare product only requires a little over 1 gram of Salicin. 300 grams daily can produce over 200 bottles, which should be sufficient for initial market testing.
Lamarck replied without hesitation, "No problem, Your Highness."
...
That very evening, as Joseph and Lamarck discussed the pharmaceutical factory arrangements, 400 kilometers from Paris, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Daendels, leader of the Patriot Party, was welcoming guests from France.
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