Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

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Chapter 543: Ah! It'll All Be Fine, It'll All Be Fine, It'll All Be Fine!

Subsequently, the High Courts in several French provinces also publicly announced the trials of multiple major Tax Farmer magnates. Although most had not yet been sentenced, merely the names of the accused were enough to shock everyone.

Fould, head of the Tax Farmers' General Assembly; Balo, a prominent Parisian banker; Pélier, second president of the Marseille Chamber of Commerce...

Aside from Fould, most people hadn't even known the others were Tax Farmers. Now, everyone finally understood who the true manipulators behind the Tax Farmers' General Assembly were.

As Bolloré was sentenced to death, everyone erupted in ecstasy—eradicating the masterminds behind the scenes was far more thrilling than merely executing hundreds of tax collectors.

Led by Paris, people spontaneously took to the streets in various locations to celebrate, a testament to the public's deep-seated hatred for the Tax Farmers—especially given that recently, the government's Tax Bureau had begun taking over tax collection, and they presented a stark contrast to those previously working for the Tax Farmers' offices.

The tax officials were all unfailingly polite, without the habit of brandishing sticks while speaking, nor would they deliberately complicate matters for merchants or factories, collecting taxes strictly according to tax law.

While Robespierre and his fellow Jacobins were somewhat idealistic and sometimes acted too radically, their conviction to build an egalitarian, free nation for the people and uphold social justice was unequivocal. This made them vastly different from previous officials, who at least didn't make personal enrichment their goal.

Consequently, the Tax Bureau quickly earned high praise among the populace. And His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who oversaw the establishment of the Tax Bureau, saw his prestige grow daily, leading to an even greater surge in public support for the royal family.

On the second floor of the Tuileries Palace, Fulco, Director of the Tax Bureau, was reporting on the collection of fines: “...Currently, the total amount collected so far is 42 million Francs. Those who have paid in full include Baron Morrel, Baron Pélier, and seven others. The others are still raising funds.”

Joseph nodded in satisfaction—according to previous estimates, the total fines for this period would certainly exceed 100 million Francs. It essentially amounted to emptying the pockets of the major Tax Farmers.

As for more than half still uncollected, he wasn't particularly anxious, as the sum was simply too immense. This current amount was only possible because the Tax Farmers had been preparing their tax farming bids, which allowed them to produce such a large sum all at once. Otherwise, even with tens of millions in assets, it would be extremely difficult to immediately come up with two or three million.

At the very least, government expenditures for the first half of the year were no longer a concern, with even a considerable surplus.

Joseph told Fulco: “I will have the High Court expedite the verdicts for Morrel and the others. I believe the others will speed up their fine payments significantly after that.”

For cooperative Tax Farmers like Morrel, leniency in sentencing was naturally appropriate, serving as an example for other Tax Farmers.

Fulco continued: “Your Royal Highness, as for the assets of Hope and Van Kiewicz, they haven't been fully investigated yet. However, Hope's various funds remaining in the country should not exceed 4 million Francs, and Van Kiewicz's are estimated to be around 6 million.”

Joseph suppressed the anger in his heart and said gravely: “I have already had Archbishop Talleyrand issue a diplomatic note to the Netherlands. Those two rascals will have to pay their fines and face trial sooner or later.”

He had received a report last week that Hope and Van Kiewicz, those two Dutch financiers, had escaped France and likely fled under the cover of the Dutch embassy.

According to the Intelligence Bureau's analysis, Hope likely had a body double who was still present in the Dutch embassy.

The Dutch Patriot Party originally represented the bourgeois forces. It was no surprise they would protect financial magnates after coming to power.

However, the Patriot Party had sided against France during the previous Brabant uprising in the Southern Netherlands, and now, with this latest maneuver, they would definitely need a good dressing-down in the future.

Joseph felt a sharp pang of annoyance at the thought. Hope and Van Kiewicz had taken at least ten million Francs in fines from him. 'That's all my money!' he fumed internally.

As he was silently mulling over his misfortune, he suddenly heard a mix of lutes, bagpipes, and small drums from outside the window, with many people loudly singing along to the music.

The melody was very familiar, prompting Joseph to curiously approach the window and look down.

He saw a small “band” wielding various instruments leading a procession of six or seven hundred people on the street south of the Tuileries Palace. They carried numerous straw effigies and walked along, singing loudly with joyous expressions, apparently celebrating something.

As the crowd drew closer, Joseph could finally make out the portraits on the effigies' faces, and despite the crude artistry, Bolloré's facial features were still discernible.

Then he heard the singing emanating from the crowd—