Chapter 481: The Tide Turns
Baron Gasson, the Assistant Municipal Commissioner of Caen, gripped the newspaper tightly in his hand. The weather in mid-April in France was still quite cold, but fine beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.
The bold headline on the newspaper's front page declared: "Notary Investigation Bureau Launches Operation, Uncovers Corruption Among Over 40 High-Ranking Officials."
In the article, he read that high-ranking officials, including the Governor of Poitou and the Municipal Commissioner of Poitiers, had already been arrested. The second and third pages of the newspaper were entirely dedicated to detailing their corruption.
As all forty-plus individuals were high-ranking officials—the lowest position among them being a municipal justice assistant, equivalent to a deputy mayor, and lower-ranking officials did not possess the right to submit a remonstrance to Versailles—the ensuing shock was immense, with the entire nation fixated on the matter.
What truly unnerved Gasson wasn't their positions, but the common thread connecting them all.
He had already learned through his bureaucratic circles that these forty-plus officials had all previously expressed opposition to the abolition of the Tax Farmer system to Versailles.
'That couldn't be a coincidence!'
It was evident, then, that the exposure of their corruption was the Crown's punishment for them. It seemed the Crown was utterly determined to implement the Tax System Reform, even going so far as to 'deal with' a Governor.
Baron Gasson recalled the remonstrance he had sent to Versailles half a month prior, and a chill ran down his spine.
He had assumed it would be a simple remonstrance; he had done it many times before. Especially when the Duke of Orleans was still alive, he had opposed things like tax reforms and Necker's arrest, and it had never caused any trouble.
'Who would have thought it would turn out like this?'
'Over forty officials arrested...' Gasson slammed the newspaper onto the floor, then sprang to his feet and ordered his manservant to leave.
His own hands weren't clean either. In fact, few officials could claim to be entirely clean. If the Notary Investigation Bureau came calling, he might not only lose his position but even end up in prison!
He needed to find a way to deal with this quickly. The only solution he could think of was to unite with other officials opposed to the Tax System Reform and amplify their collective voice. If enough people were involved and the outcry was loud enough, the Crown, no matter its displeasure, couldn't possibly punish so many officials at once.
"Damn Eurides!" he cursed. Just as he was about to leave, his butler hurried over and handed him a letter.
"My lord, this has just been returned from Paris. It seems there was an issue with the postal system there."
Gasson froze. 'Isn't this the very remonstrance I sent, opposing the Tax System Reform?'
He hastily tore open the envelope and saw the letter still inside, a wave of ecstatic relief washing over him.
'Now I'm no longer an opponent of the reformists, and the Notary Investigation Bureau won't come looking for me!'
He rushed to the fireplace and tossed the letter onto the flames.
After a moment's thought, he immediately returned to his study, picked up his pen, and drafted a letter unequivocally supporting the abolition of the Tax Farmer system, instructing his butler to send it to Versailles.
The Crown's stance was crystal clear; anyone who didn't align themselves now would be an utter fool. Compared to the paltry gains from the tax farmers, preserving his official position was far more crucial.
...
In a luxurious villa in the southern suburbs of Paris, Fould, looking relaxed, was discussing the amount of next year's tax farming fees with several leading figures from the Tax Farmers' General Assembly.
"Since last year, sales of goods to Germany and along the Mediterranean coast have surged. I estimate this year's total tax revenue could increase by about 70 million francs," said Van Kiewicz, idly caressing his wine glass. "The government will certainly demand we increase our tax farming fees. I suggest we raise next year's fees by 30 million francs."
Hope immediately shook his head:
"You are far too generous. Our costs will significantly increase as we extend tax collection to Luxembourg and the Southern Netherlands. The tax farming fees should rise by no more than 10 million francs."
Fould chuckled:
"If we simply lower this year's reported tax accounts, how will the Minister of Finance know the actual increase in revenue? Therefore, the tax farming fee we propose should remain unchanged, or increase by no more than..."
He was still speaking when his trusted butler knocked and entered, causing a flicker of displeasure in him:
"Mr. Geoffroy, is something urgent?"
"Yes, my lord. Please see this." The butler presented him with the latest issue of the Paris Business Journal.
Fould merely glanced at the headline before his expression drastically changed, and he snatched the newspaper.
"That audacious Austrian harlot! They've actually arrested over forty officials who opposed the Tax System Reform!"
He handed the newspaper to Hope:
"We need to do something, quickly."
The arrested officials had all taken their money. Although it was their subordinates who had delivered the bribes, it would still be wiser to make some preparations in advance.
Hope was also somewhat surprised that the Notary Investigation Bureau had so swiftly uncovered evidence of corruption involving so many people, but a smile quickly spread across his face:
"Don't worry, it's only about forty people. We've invested over a million francs into this matter. More remonstrances will pile up on Her Majesty the Queen's desk. Can she really send a hundred officials to prison?"
"It would be excellent if she did," Van Kiewicz chuckled along. "That would turn the entire French bureaucracy against her and bring them to our side."
Fould said, still uneasy: "Should we allocate additional funds to get more officials involved?"
"Your suggestion is sound."
After a brief discussion, the group decided to allocate another 200,000 francs to bribe more officials and escalate the situation.
However, that same afternoon, their informant within Versailles sent word stating that the Queen had only received slightly over forty remonstrances. Subsequently, due to an unforeseen incident in the postal system, some letters had been destroyed in a warehouse, while many more had been returned to their senders.
Hope and the others immediately exchanged dismayed glances. 'Could such a coincidence truly happen?' If so, the group opposing the Tax System Reform would be limited to those forty-plus individuals. The remaining officials would undoubtedly distance themselves from them at once!
Sure enough, officials who had previously taken their money quietly returned it. Their agents sent to bribe more officials were, without exception, met with closed doors. Some were even publicly beaten by officials feigning integrity.
Days later, the informant at Versailles sent another message reporting that officials across the regions had begun to declare their support for the Tax System Reform. Those who had previously taken their money were particularly enthusiastic.
Immediately afterwards, the Paris newspapers were filled with headlines such as "Tax System Reform Receives Widespread Support, Tax Abuses to Be Rectified." The articles listed the officials who had publicly supported the reform, along with their laudatory remarks about the tax changes.
Soon, more officials began to follow suit. In a short time, supporting tax reform had practically become the political orthodoxy for the French bureaucracy.
Meanwhile, the masterminds behind the Tax Farmers' General Assembly hastily convened a council meeting.
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