Chapter 5: The Duke of Orléans' Counterattack
Guizot was the first to react with a start, calling over his subordinate sitting at the far end of the banquet table and instructing him:
"César, take some men and investigate. Find out if any dentist had contact with Le Noire a month ago!"
Joseph pondered for a moment and added, "If a dentist visited Le Noire's home, his servants should know."
"But the servants' testimonies didn't mention..." Guizot paused mid-sentence. "Wait! César, interrogate the servants as well!"
"Yes, sir!"
Outside the City Hall, Le Noire's fiancée's cries ceased. It was unclear whether the guards had driven her away or if someone had informed her that the case would be re-investigated.
In the afternoon, the portly mayor, accompanied by several City Hall officials, came to invite Joseph to a dinner. The police officer named César suddenly rushed over and whispered something to Guizot.
Guizot's eyes lit up. He turned, bowed to Joseph with a hand over his chest, and announced in a loud voice:
"Your Highness, just as you predicted, Le Noire's servants were arrested and quickly confessed. They admitted that a dentist had indeed visited Le Noire's home at the time of the incident, having taken money from that person to provide false testimony."
"César searched the dentist's residence and discovered he was an Englishman," Guizot explained. "His brother had fought in America and was killed by Le Noire, so he was here for revenge." Guizot cleared his throat, looking down. "However, César accidentally stabbed him to death during the pursuit."
Hearing this, the dozen or so City Hall officials around them all turned to look at Joseph, their eyes filled with surprise and admiration. At the luncheon, the Crown Prince had deduced the killer's situation based solely on a few clues he'd overheard.
And now the police's actual investigation results were almost exactly as he had described!
The portly mayor immediately praised loudly, "It is fortunate that the Crown Prince is so wise and discerning; otherwise, the killer might have escaped justice."
He then turned, smiling, and whispered to the officials behind him, "That woman finally won't be coming to make a scene at City Hall anymore..."
As night fell, Joseph, under Flesselles' repeated invitations, settled into his private villa. City Hall was too far from Versailles, and he did not want to commute back and forth.
Joseph reclined on the soft, large bed, his gaze fixed on the opposite wall, but a slight irritation churned within him.
Today, the portly mayor and Flesselles had continuously played political games with him, consistently refusing his involvement in the Police Bureau. He turned over, pondering that if he couldn't convince them tomorrow, he would write to the Queen, asking her to arrange his placement in the Police Bureau.
Outside, Eman gently tapped on the door. "Your Highness, are you asleep?"
"Not yet. Come in."
Eman pushed the door open and entered, respectfully handing a letter to Joseph. "Your Highness, this was delivered by the Police Bureau. It seems to be from Monsieur Le Noire's fiancée."
"Her? A letter for me?"
Eman's tone was heavy. "Well, she committed suicide tonight out of devotion..."
Joseph's mood grew heavy. He hadn't expected such a devoted woman to truly exist in the world.
He unfolded the letter and saw that the first few lines thanked César and the other police officers. It then expressed her profound desire to personally thank the Crown Prince for catching the true culprit, but due to the disparity in their statuses, she couldn't meet him and could only express her gratitude in this manner. A full page was dedicated to her thanks. At the end of the letter, she wrote that without Le Noire, she had no will to live. The police had avenged Le Noire, and now she would follow her beloved. After her death, she wished to bequeath all her property to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Police Bureau, respectively.
This bequest somewhat surprised Joseph. Eman, standing nearby, softly said, "Your Highness, it is said that Mademoiselle Estérie left behind 4,000 Livres in property..."
By the Seine River.
The Palais-Royal, located here, was once a secondary palace of Louis XIV and now belonged to the Duke of Orléans.
The House of Orléans had once held the position of Prince Regent during the era of Louis XV, wielding immense power, and after more than a century of accumulation, possessed enormous wealth comparable to that of the royal family.
The current Duke of Orléans, since his father's generation, had used this as a foundation to continually expand his influence. Although he held no actual official post, he could attend cabinet meetings, and his authority was considerable. Furthermore, he was skilled at pretense and was generous with his money, making him a favored guest in various political circles and highly prestigious among the nobility.
A luxurious carriage drove into the Palais-Royal, stopping before the flower-lined arcade. The Duke of Orléans descended from the carriage using the steps set out by his servants.
The sound of a speech drifted from a nearby garden. He glanced in that direction, a faint smile playing on his lips. He knew it was a gathering of some organization discontent with the royal family.
Indeed, the Palais-Royal had become a secret base for anti-royalists. The future core members of the Feuillants, Girondins, and Jacobins often gathered here. Furthermore, various illicit items prohibited from trade, including controlled firearms, could be sold here.
The Duke of Orléans used his power to provide them with protection. He had painstakingly cultivated this for decades, wholeheartedly supporting anything that would help overthrow the monarchy.
The Duke of Orléans tossed his coat to a servant and strode into the main hall. Just as a guard opened the hall's door, he saw his son scolding and hitting a maid.
He coughed lightly and stepped forward. "Philippe, what's wrong with you?"
The youth turned his head, revealing himself to be the same sharp-eyed boy who had taken the math exam with Joseph that morning. He pointed at the maid and shrieked, "This idiot! She brought me tea when I'm in a foul mood! And it's scalding hot!"
"What made you so upset?"
"That Joseph!" Philippe clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "He must have cheated! There's no way he's studied university-level courses!"
The Duke of Orléans inquired about the full story and couldn't help but frown. 'To think the Crown Prince could impress a great scholar like Lagrange. The royal lineage had finally produced an incompetent like Louis XVI, so why was his son so outstanding?'
'I must suppress him before his prestige rises,' he thought. 'Otherwise, overthrowing the King will become even more difficult.'
He comforted his son with a few words, just as his butler quickly approached, bowing. "Master, Monsieur Froissart requests an audience."
"Le Verber's confidant?" the Duke asked. "Tell him to wait for me in the study."
In the study, the Duke of Orléans read the letter Froissart had delivered. A cold sneer appeared in his eyes as he handed the letter to the butler standing nearby.
"The Crown Prince might have a bit of cleverness, but he's still just a child," the Duke remarked. "If he were merely idling away his time at City Hall, I truly wouldn't be able to touch him. But he actually took the initiative to get involved in police administration."
The butler looked at the letter and tutted, "Paris has always been a place where good and bad are mixed, especially the poor districts, where robberies and murders never cease. Even veterans with decades of municipal experience are at their wits' end. The Crown Prince is truly asking for trouble."
The Duke of Orléans smiled and nodded. "Since Joseph is so confident, we shall help him make a name for himself."
He turned to Froissart and said, "Go back and tell Le Verber to appoint the Crown Prince as the Commissioner of Police for the Saint-Antoine district."
A Commissioner of Police is a powerful position, second only to the Commissioner of Police, responsible for all police affairs in one of Paris's major districts. There are only six such commissioners in Paris.
"Yes, Your Grace."
After Le Verber's confidant departed, the Duke of Orléans then instructed his butler, "Have the Paris News and the Citizen's Daily pay close attention to crime and police management in the Saint-Antoine district. They should write in detail about the police chief there, our Crown Prince."
"Yes," the butler replied, bowing and withdrawing.
The Duke of Orléans paced to the window, gazing contentedly at the Palais-Royal gardens in the night, a smirk curving his lips.
"Once Saint-Antoine district descends into utter chaos," he sneered, "let's see how that Austrian whore defends her son. Crown Prince? Hmph, soon, in the hearts of the people, you'll be just as incompetent as your father!"
The "Austrian whore" he spoke of referred to Queen Marie, who hailed from Austria.
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