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Chapter 481: Unexplained Wealth Offense

Marat glanced at the Crown Prince's expression, then at the investigation report in his hand, and declared, "Your Highness, please give me some time. If they truly engaged in corruption, I will certainly uncover the truth!"

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's brow remained furrowed.

He trusted Marat's relentless spirit to eventually dig up dirt on those officials — after all, he had even uncovered evidence of corruption against the Governor of Poitou — but it would still take too much time.

If he couldn't quickly intimidate the officials daring to oppose the abolition of the Tax Farmer system, more people would follow suit, taking bribes to join the chorus against him.

After all, no matter how much the postal system "collapsed," the chaos would last for only a month at most. Therefore, he had to act swiftly and decisively, ensuring all forty-odd individuals were convicted.

For a moment, the thought of having the Intelligence Bureau fabricate evidence against these individuals crossed the Crown Prince's mind.

However, he immediately dismissed the idea. Setting such a precedent would cause endless harm in the future; who knew, one day the intelligence department might even frame the royal family itself.

It was best to adhere to accepted political rules to avoid severe repercussions.

The Crown Prince subconsciously flipped through the investigation report in his hands. He suddenly noticed that an official from a southern province had a total family fortune of 50,000 francs, despite holding only a municipal justice assistant position, with a monthly salary likely not exceeding 60 francs. Furthermore, his family held no feudal title and clearly possessed no significant properties.

Yet, he had taken office nine years ago, and Montauban, where he served, was a very poor province.

The Crown Prince turned to the next page.

This entry detailed the Municipal Commissioner of Poitiers, whose family wealth exceeded 120,000 francs. Although he owned an estate, it yielded only about 2,500 francs annually. His father had purchased the estate 17 years prior, and it certainly couldn't account for such a substantial fortune.

The situations for the next dozen or so individuals were largely similar: considerable family wealth, but no apparent source of income that could generate such large sums.

The Crown Prince's eyes narrowed. The report contained only information investigators could uncover quickly, meaning the officials' actual assets were likely far greater than the listed figures.

A term immediately sprang to his mind: 'unexplained wealth offense.'

While it was unrealistic to codify such an offense into law in the 18th century, and the legislative process would be too time-consuming, that didn't prevent applying its core concept to investigations of official corruption.

The Office of Fair Investigation, after all, possessed the power to interrogate. And Marat, a man who famously disliked bureaucrats, would surely show no mercy once he had a handle on things.

The Crown Prince immediately smiled, looking at Marat. "Monsieur Marat, have you ever heard of the 'unexplained wealth offense'?"

"Huh?"

......

Poitiers.

In an office at the Notary Investigation Bureau in Poitiers, Municipal Commissioner Baron Gaston glared furiously at the two black-clad investigators before him, clenching his fists. "You dare summon me without a shred of evidence! I will complain about you to Her Majesty the Queen!"

"P-please... please don't be nervous," Desmoulins said calmly, looking at him. "W-we're just having a l-little chat with you. As f-for a complaint... that's... that's your right."

The Bureau had been exceptionally busy lately, and as its second-in-command, he had to personally participate in the interrogations.

Apparently finding his own speaking too inefficient, he signaled to his assistant beside him, then stepped aside.

The assistant immediately produced a document and said gravely to Baron Gaston, "Your family's assets exceed 120,000 francs, is that correct?"

"What does that have to do with you?!"

Desmoulins' assistant spoke as if to himself,

"You previously served as a financial officer's assistant and a trade commissioner, before being promoted to Municipal Commissioner four years ago. We've calculated that your total salary throughout all those years amounts to 7,820 francs."

Baron Gaston scoffed, "So what?"

"Your estate, since its purchase, should have generated a total income of 37,000 francs. Your property in the east of the city has been rented out, yielding 4,000 francs in rent over the years. You've also written articles for the Life & Salon Gazette, with total payment amounting to..."

"..."

"Neither your wife nor your children have any income. Your wife brought a dowry of 2,000 francs at the time. Do you see anything else I've missed?"

Baron Gaston merely sneered, seemingly unwilling to bother with a response.

"Therefore, since your birth, your total accumulated income is 51,000 francs," Desmoulins' assistant recited mechanically from the document. "And your family's total living expenses, including the purchase of your current residence, daily necessities, club expenditures, and... at least 18,000 francs.

"Which means your assets should amount to 33,000 francs. Yet the property registered in your name exceeds 120,000 francs."

He suddenly leaned forward, pressing his nose almost against Gaston's face:

"So, where did this additional 87,000 francs come from?"

"A-additional?" Baron Gaston was instantly dumbfounded by the question, having never heard of an interrogation conducted this way.

He grew somewhat nervous. "It's... it's an inheritance from my father."

"You're lying! Your inheritance tax totaled 720 livres, which means you inherited less than 10,000 livres."

"Oh, I remember now. I invested in a friend's business and received dividends."

"Very well. What's his name, where does he live, and what kind of business does he run?"

"..." Baron Gaston couldn't fabricate an answer. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "So what if I'm rich? Those were gifts from friends who admired me!"

Desmoulins, standing by, suddenly broke into a smile. "W-who... who gave you money?"

"That's none of your business!"

"Of... of course it's my business," Desmoulins declared loudly. "Giving... giving money to an o-official without cause... that... that is bribery!"

Baron Gaston was interrogated for two days and two nights. Afterward, Desmoulins applied to the High Court for a two-day extension. The Crown Prince had already instructed the courts through the Royal Supreme Court, so all such applications were swiftly approved.

Although Baron Gaston was a noble, the Jacobin-led investigators disliked aristocrats most of all. Therefore, while they didn't physically assault him, they employed every other method of intimidation and coercion, including sleep deprivation.

Finally, by the afternoon of the second day, Baron Gaston could no longer endure it and began confessing his corrupt activities.

Many films and television series depict criminals with incredibly strong psychological resilience, who steadfastly refuse to confess under interrogation. In reality, however, most people break down within half a day in the interrogation room, their psychological defenses crumbling.

Especially with Desmoulins relentlessly pressing on the "source of wealth" issue, Baron Gaston found it impossible to obfuscate.

Concurrently, similar scenes unfolded across France. The investigators of the Notary Investigation Bureau reaped a rich harvest.