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Chapter 462: Social Death Plan

Tens of thousands of Viennese citizens had come to mourn the emperor, densely packing several nearby streets.

Joseph, clad in a long black coat, sat in a wheelchair, following closely behind Leopold II. His mind was occupied with how to incrementally withdraw the French army from Silesia.

'Hmm, though his legs were perfectly fine, the official story was that the Crown Prince had sustained a graze wound to his leg from a bullet on the battlefield, which had become infected during his journey to Vienna and was now affecting his mobility.'

Currently, the fighting in Silesia had ceased. Lacy had moved the cannons previously used during their standoff at Liegnitz back to Breslau and constructed new defensive lines.

The day before yesterday, Leopold II had officially announced the suspension of Joseph II's reforms, throwing all of Austria into an uproar.

Joseph recalled that historically, Leopold II had annulled the reforms several months later. It seemed the war in Silesia had drained the empire too severely, forcing him to act prematurely to secure greater support from the nobility, especially the Hungarian aristocrats.

This, however, was also good news for him. Once a substantial number of Hungarian troops entered Silesia, the French army's withdrawal would become much less conspicuous.

Behind and to his side, another man in a wheelchair glared at him with venomous intensity; it was Baron Walter.

Walter's injuries had healed considerably, but walking still caused him pain throughout his body.

He no longer feared the French Crown Prince. Previously, the French army had been Emperor Joseph II's hope for reclaiming Silesia, and his brother-in-law would punish him severely if the Frenchman showed even a hint of displeasure, just as before.

He had even worried the French Crown Prince might send assassins after him again.

Now, however, the situation was entirely different!

The reforms were over, and the nobility rejoiced, eagerly pledging their loyalty to the new emperor. The Hungarian aristocrats, moreover, had amassed an army of nearly 40,000 men, poised to depart for Silesia in the coming days.

In Austria, Bohemia, Croatia, and even the Southern Netherlands, a large number of nobles who had previously refused to fight due to the reforms would now join the army, reportedly numbering over 30,000.

This meant that Austria would no longer need the French army.

Baron Walter, still in his wheelchair, lowered his gaze to his maimed hand and silently vowed, 'Sooner or later, that arrogant and despicable Frenchman will pay!'

In reality, he had already secretly contacted anti-French ministers in Austria, working to orchestrate the withdrawal of French troops from the country. Although he lacked significant political acumen, his status itself was a political symbol, and his efforts had already begun to have an impact.

Austria, an empire assembled without bloodshed, was centrally located in Europe, bordering many great powers. This resulted in a multitude of factions within the country—pro-French, pro-British, pro-Russian, even pro-Prussian, and, naturally, those who opposed all the above.

If Joseph knew of Baron Walter's machinations, he would truly award him a medal.

Walter assumed France was eager to ally with Austria and form Coalition Forces. In truth, Joseph was itching to slip away, to get out of Silesia, that hotbed of trouble.

Thus, after the funeral of Joseph II, the Holy Roman Emperor whose ambitions remained unfulfilled, Joseph used his serious injuries as a pretext to return to Paris, taking the First Imperial Guard Legion as his escort along the way.

Before leaving Vienna, Camelia hadn't found any free time to visit her teacher—the Crown Prince was injured, and she had to be constantly by his side, tending to him.

With everyone's attention fixed on the emperor's funeral, the attempted assassination of Baron Walter had not spread at all. The girl left a letter for her teacher and then returned to Paris with the Crown Prince.

...

Paris.

Although Joseph had repeatedly requested that the media downplay France's military victory in Silesia, when he arrived in Paris, nearly a thousand people still gathered on both sides of the roads to welcome the triumphant army.

Joseph had long since discarded his wheelchair—'Who said a Crown Prince couldn't recover in a week due to his robust constitution?'—He delivered a brief speech to the welcoming crowds, then handed off the important task of fostering military-civilian unity to Berthier, and returned directly to Versailles.

After reporting his safe return to Queen Mary and Louis XVI, and sharing dinner with them, Joseph finally found some leisure time.

'Was being a Crown Prince easy? It was practically non-stop work, often requiring business trips.'

He was just about to head back to his chambers for a good night's sleep. For most of the past few months in Silesia, he had slept on a campaign cot, waking up with an aching back. Today, he could finally enjoy his velvet four-poster bed.

However, as he rounded the corner of the corridor, he saw Fouché, Mirabeau, Bailly, and others standing by the door, eagerly awaiting him.

Joseph let out a long sigh and walked toward them with heavy steps.

The senior ministers hastily bowed respectfully to him. After a flurry of compliments on his victory in Silesia, they exchanged glances, and Fouché was the first to follow him into the reception room.

"Your Highness, regarding Oscar Paoli, whom you previously instructed us about," the Intelligence Bureau director placed a file before the Crown Prince, "we have thoroughly investigated his background and placed agents around him. We can move at any moment."

Joseph's spirits immediately lifted at the news. This leader of the Corsican Restoration movement was a major thorn in his side, having caused considerable damage to Corsica and gravely misled Emperor Napoleon. But Paoli had been hiding in Britain until now; finally, they could make a move.

He looked at Fouché and asked, "What is your plan?"

"As per your previous instructions, we decided to use a mistress to achieve our goal."

The British government wouldn't permit an assassination attempt on Paoli, and Joseph couldn't kill him either. If Paoli died now, he would become a "martyr," likely spurring the Corsican Restoration faction to pursue separatist activities with even greater resolve. Therefore, he had to suffer a "social death."

Joseph frowned slightly, then inquired, "Please elaborate."

"Yes, Your Highness," Fouché replied. "Paoli has a wife. We plan to have a low-born Bulgarian woman seduce him; of course, he will believe she is French.

"After the woman succeeds, I will arrange for his wife to catch them in the act and then publicly reveal the mistress's true identity..."

Joseph sighed softly. He couldn't really fault the Intelligence Bureau for their outdated approach; after all, they were 18th-century men and had never seen the convoluted schemes of later generations, so coming up with even this old-fashioned tactic was quite impressive.

Seeing that the Crown Prince seemed dissatisfied, Fouché quickly added, "Your Highness, should I find another Caucasian woman, and have two of them seduce him together?"

Joseph helplessly rubbed his forehead. After a moment's thought, he picked a "simple" scenario from later generations to instruct the Intelligence Bureau director. "If you intend to use a woman against him, you could arrange for a noblewoman to appear by his side, secretly seducing him while publicly acting indifferent. Then, find an opportunity for something to happen between them, but keep it a secret.

"Once his guard is down, arrange for some people to pass near the room where they are intimate, ideally including police officers.

"Then, the noblewoman produces pre-torn clothes, inflicts minor injuries upon herself, and cries out 'Rape!' At that point, you inform his wife."