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Chapter 520: The Royal Burden

Less than ten minutes after Fulco and the other General Tax Bureau executives left, Archbishop Brienne hurried into the room with Eman, bowing to Joseph. "Your Highness, there's a delicate matter that I'm afraid requires your personal attention."

"Oh? What happened?"

Archbishop Brienne's face was troubled. "It concerns Her Majesty the Queen. This morning, she summoned Baron Breti and me to discuss the Tax Farmers' General Assembly's forgery of documents. Her Majesty's opinion is that this matter isn't severe, and a mere fine should suffice, without the need for prosecution by the High Court."

Joseph was somewhat surprised. "Why would Her Majesty suddenly inquire about this?"

Archbishop Brienne leaned closer. "Your Highness, I've heard that it was the Count of Artois who interceded with Her Majesty on behalf of the Tax Farmers' General Assembly. Furthermore, it seems Her Majesty received an expensive diamond crown, and the Countess of Debeninac also mentioned that Versailles Palace is due for some renovations soon."

Joseph immediately furrowed his brow—the influence of these tax farmers was considerable, managing to enlist the King's brother and the Queen's personal maid, taking their appeals directly to the Queen herself.

If his mother truly intended to interfere, it would indeed be troublesome. After all, forging documents wasn't considered a grave crime, so it wouldn't be surprising for her to gently overlook the matter out of consideration for the Count of Artois and her maid.

Currently, the audit of the tax farmers' accounts had not yet begun. If the forgery case were dropped, the "Banking Sector Rectification" period would have to be extended, otherwise, the tax farmers would very likely flee abroad with the vast sums they had drained from France.

The Banking Sector Rectification had already lasted for over half a month, and any further extension would undoubtedly have an adverse impact on the French economy.

Joseph nodded, signaling Eman to fetch his coat.

He was somewhat confident in his ability to persuade his mother, but the lure of the expensive diamond crown and the palace renovations was certainly strong. He would likely need to expend some effort to convince her.

As he saw the Versailles Palace Square in the distance, a thought suddenly struck him, and he subtly narrowed his eyes.

'Even if I persuade my mother this time, the Count of Artois could simply go back to her and complain. My mother and her brother-in-law are very close. If she were to lose her resolve and sign a pardon, it would be a problem.'

Therefore, he needed to resolve the issue at its root.

The carriage stopped. Joseph disembarked, but instead of heading towards the Petit Trianon, he turned towards the Count of Artois's residence.

The Count of Artois was clearly surprised by the Crown Prince's visit and hurried out with his wife, Countess Maria Josepha, to greet him, bowing respectfully.

"My dear Joseph, what brings you here? We were just about to head to a camping trip, it should be quite interesting. Would you care to join us...?"

Joseph nodded to them, smiling faintly. "Let me guess, was it Viscount Fould who organized it, or Mr. Hope?"

The Count of Artois was momentarily stunned. He ushered Joseph into the house, his brows furrowing slightly. "Your Highness, what are you implying?"

Joseph didn't beat around the bush. He turned to him and said, "My dear uncle, your recent dealings with the Tax Farmers' General Assembly seem to be quite extensive."

The Count of Artois smiled. "Viscount Fould and I have some private dealings. Why the sudden interest, Your Highness?"

Joseph nodded. "And I suppose he offered a considerable 'token of sincerity' for your help?"

The Count of Artois's expression changed. He had heard that the Crown Prince had been increasingly involved in state affairs recently, but his impression of Joseph was still mostly that of his young nephew, so he adopted the demeanor of an elder.

"Your Highness, I don't know what you've heard, and I have no desire to comment on it."

Joseph's tone cooled. "My dear uncle, the investigation into the Tax Farmers' General Assembly is of great importance. I offer you a piece of advice: do not get too deeply involved."

The Count of Artois hadn't expected his young nephew to warn him so impudently. He immediately narrowed his eyes and retorted rather disrespectfully, "Your Highness, that hardly seems to concern you, does it?"

Although he wasn't heavily involved in national politics, he was the King's closest brother, Queen Mary's intimate friend, and the Crown Prince's uncle. His status at Versailles was extremely high, so he wasn't particularly intimidated by the Crown Prince.

Most importantly, the Tax Farmers' General Assembly had given him 1.5 million francs in benefits to help resolve the minor forgery case.

The Tax Farmers' General Assembly had also sent an exorbitantly priced gift to Her Majesty the Queen, so this matter would surely be easily settled, and then the enormous sum of 1.5 million would be his.

How could he possibly spit out such a juicy morsel for a few words from the Crown Prince?

Joseph picked up the hot tea that the Countess had just brought, enunciating each word clearly. "Your actions will cause France to lose hundreds of millions of francs. I'm not here to negotiate with you; you must cease your involvement with those tax farmers."

"My dear Joseph, I don't know what you're talking about. And my private dealings hardly require your guidance."

Joseph sniffed the tea, then calmly said, "You hold shares in the Banque de France, Paris Angel Company, and a large stake in the Industrial Development Fund. These revenues are sufficient for all your expenses, with plenty to spare."

He glanced at the Count of Artois. "If, for a small amount from the Tax Farmers' General Assembly, your stable income were to be affected, it wouldn't seem very worthwhile, would it?"

The latter was instantly alarmed. "What is the Crown Prince implying?"

Joseph said, "You know, the Banque de France and Paris Angel Company are under my control. There are many ways I can dilute your shares. As for the Industrial Development Fund dividends, and even your annuities, I can arrange for them to be reduced."

The Count of Artois immediately panicked. His current annual income from various dividends and annuities amounted to nearly 1.8 million francs. If that money were affected, he would truly be distraught.

"No, you can't..."

Joseph placed the teacup heavily on the table, his voice grave. "All these revenues, like your dividends, are based on France's ability to prosper.

"Yet you want to destroy your own foundation for a small gain!"

He scolded sharply. The Count of Artois flushed, his head bowed, appearing as if Joseph were his elder.

After a long moment, the Count of Artois finally said with difficulty, "But I've already promised Viscount Fould to intercede for him..."

Joseph glared at him coldly. Even after all this, he was still being stubborn!

He sighed lightly. "If you still insist on interfering, I will have no choice but to let the Notary Investigation Bureau persuade you."

"No! Your, Your Highness, don't do that! Let's talk this over!" The Count of Artois had heard about the madness of the Notary Investigation Bureau's people. As a top-ranking nobleman, he'd committed no small number of shady deeds in his time.