Chapter 484: Royal University of Administration of France
Dusk was settling.
The Crown Prince's carriage finally departed from France's First Prison.
Joseph sat in the carriage, looking at the list of more than 30 officials in his hand. He smiled, then tossed it to Eman:
"Please put it away in the study's storage cabinet for me."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Joseph had no intention of using this list to purge officials.
Although everyone on the list was involved in corruption and dereliction of duty, they had not openly opposed the Tax System Reform. For now, it was best not to touch them.
That's how politics works. The scope of a crackdown must be focused, allowing officials to clearly understand whether they are safe. This way, those not involved will distance themselves from the targets and support the monarchy.
If a political purge spreads indefinitely, officials will inevitably become anxious and resort to various means to protect themselves, which could ultimately lead to political instability.
If these powerful figures, who had long lorded over others, weren't given a painful reminder, they would easily forget who they were and who was truly in charge.
The next day, Joseph, accompanied by Fouché, once again visited the First Prison.
He personally "visited" a Governor's assistant whom Marat had arrested. Fouché, meanwhile, went to the cell of Municipal Commissioner Caston as instructed.
Joseph's energy was limited, so he could only focus on provincial-level officials. The remaining minor figures were left to the Intelligence Bureau, especially since many implicated officials had not been brought to Paris, and he couldn't travel across the country for such minor matters.
Joseph estimated that after "threatening" all over 40 officials, he would likely obtain whistleblowing reports on over a thousand officials.
Excluding North Africa and Luxembourg, France currently had only about ten thousand countable officials.
The number of people whose weaknesses he held was sufficient to initiate the Administrative Reform.
Joseph watched the Picardy Governor's assistant diligently writing a confession, silently outlining his plan:
First, the officials needed a good scare.
Then, the monarchy would intervene as a savior, rescuing them in the nick of time.
These gentlemen, having received such grace, would surely not refuse to attend university for professional development, improving their capabilities to repay His Majesty the King.
Joseph knew that France's bureaucratic system had operated for too many years, with very strong ingrained inertia. If he directly copied North Africa's Civil Service Examination System, it would likely provoke strong opposition from the entire bureaucratic class, and even the nobility.
So, he had to operate with a different approach.
That was to establish the "Royal University of Administration of France," with the King as its chancellor, and mandate a large number of high-ranking officials to enroll for advanced studies.
In this way, "academically trained" officials would gradually begin to ostracize their colleagues who came up through unofficial channels, forcing the latter to also seek further education at the university.
At that point, entrance examinations could be introduced.
For those unable to pass the entrance exam, apologies, but the monarchy wouldn't need to act; their academically trained peers would marginalize them.
After that, it would gradually evolve to a point where those without a Royal University of Administration diploma couldn't even dream of entering officialdom.
Eventually, even low-level positions like clerks, secretaries, and archivists would all be brought under the university's training scope.
By then, the Royal University of Administration's entrance examination would have become France's Civil Service Examination. Without anyone realizing it, the most crucial step of the Administrative Reform would be complete!
For this plan to succeed, the biggest challenge was how to get as many officials as possible to enroll for studies.
And this "widespread corruption case" happened to provide Joseph with an opportunity.
Joseph was contemplating the Administrative Reform when the carriage slowly came to a halt, and Eman reminded him:
"Your Highness, we have arrived at Notre Dame."
Joseph nodded and looked out the window, seeing that Archbishop Beaumont of Paris had already respectfully waited with a large group of clergy on the square in front of the cathedral's main entrance.
He immediately stepped out of the carriage with a smile, exchanged greetings with the approaching Beaumont, and then cut straight to the point:
"Respected Archbishop, I need your help to establish a university."
Yes, for matters of education, it was still most appropriate to turn to France's "Ministry of Education" — the Catholic Church.
The Church not only had rich experience in running schools and could readily provide faculty, but it was also deeply committed to maintaining royal authority.
Moreover, the Royal University of Administration was not like a police academy, where classes could simply begin in a converted warehouse with a training ground on barren land. The Royal University of Administration largely represented the face of the French bureaucratic system, so essential elements could not be skimped on.
Archbishop Beaumont's face immediately lit up upon hearing this—the Crown Prince wanted to establish a university, which meant a large sum of funds would pass through the Church's hands, a rare lucrative opportunity.
He quickly nodded repeatedly: "Your Highness, it is my greatest honor to serve you. What kind of university do you wish to establish, and what scale do you envision?"
"The Royal University of Administration," Joseph replied, walking familiarly towards the reception room behind Notre Dame, speaking to Beaumont, "It will primarily teach courses in economics, management, society, law, and engineering. Oh, and of course, it doesn't need to be as in-depth as what the University of Paris teaches. All courses should be completed within a year, or even graduate in six months."
He then briefly explained the university's main purpose, and continued:
"As for the scale, initially, it should be built to accommodate 1,500 students, but with room for expansion."
Archbishop Beaumont gestured to his assistant to take careful notes, then offered many suggestions regarding the university's construction. Finally, he rubbed his hands together and smiled:
"Your Highness, the time you've given is too short, only three months. This might significantly increase construction costs..."
Joseph nodded indifferently: "Then I'll have to trouble the Church to cover the upfront costs."
"Ah, thank you, Your Highness..." Beaumont instinctively responded, but then suddenly froze, exclaiming, "No, Your Highness, you said for the Church to cover the upfront costs?
"This university might require 500,000 francs in construction expenses. How could the Church possibly come up with that much money..."
Joseph patted his back, leaning in close: "The Church's estate east of the Seine River can be renovated for use; it shouldn't cost that much money, and it will speed up the progress."
Beaumont looked ready to protest vehemently upon hearing this: "Your Highness, this simply isn't..."
Joseph offered a mysterious smile, lowering his voice: "Archbishop, a large number of officials might be investigated and prosecuted soon. I believe we can allow people from the Church to fill some of those positions."
This Administrative Reform was tantamount to a major surgical operation for France. Joseph couldn't predict what unforeseen circumstances might arise, so for safety, he decided to bring the Church in to support him.
Even if the Church was far less powerful than it had been during Louis XIII's era, it still wielded some political influence. At the very least, bringing the Church on board would prevent them from colluding with the bureaucratic system.
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