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Chapter 63: Gradually Shifting the Political Landscape

“One more thing,” Joseph began, “not long ago, Laville Bank and Laborde Bank abruptly moved to discontinue their long-standing loans to the government, nearly causing a default on the national debt.”

Joseph said, looking at Fouché, “These two banks would only lose profit by refusing the loans, so there must be another reason compelling them to do so. I need to know the inside story.”

Fouché immediately bowed slightly. “Yes, Your Highness, I will investigate thoroughly as soon as possible.”

“Oh, and,” Joseph added, "I have a few clues I believe might be useful.

“When I initially sought a position in the financial system, the Duke of Orleans vehemently obstructed me, and ultimately, Her Majesty the Queen had no choice but to send me to the city hall. Later, when I took over as Assistant to the Minister of Finance, Archbishop Brienne feared my lack of experience and requested to oversee all financial matters himself. Yet the Duke of Orleans strongly insisted that I be put in charge of government loans.”

“And then the banks refused the loans,” Fouché, who had been taking notes, paused. 'It seems we need to investigate the Duke of Orleans thoroughly.'

He paused, looking at the words "Duke of Orleans" in his notebook, and frowned slightly. "Your Highness, the Duke of Orleans possesses many privileges. Currently, the Police Intelligence Bureau is a department under the Police Bureau and only holds police authority. As you know, as police, we are not permitted to inquire into matters concerning the Palais-Royal."

“Please continue.”

“I was thinking, if the Police Intelligence Bureau could borrow some of the Royal Police's authority, at least regarding postal matters, then progress would certainly be much faster.”

“I'll see what I can do about this.”

He nodded to Fouché, then emphasized, "However, the Police Intelligence Bureau cannot solely rely on authority to gather intelligence. It cannot simply be a replica of the Royal Police. Relying on intelligence techniques and establishing a vast intelligence network is the true foundation."

Fouché immediately bowed with a hand to his chest. "Yes, Your Highness!"

As night fell, large swaths of sheer fabric were draped across the lawn on the north side of the Palace of Versailles. The melodic strains of bagpipes and accordions drifted through the air, mingling with bursts of laughter, filling the atmosphere with ease and tranquility.

It was an open-air soirée.

Joseph wasn't particularly fond of attending such social gatherings. They typically reeked of gossip and crude jokes. He usually just made an appearance and quickly departed.

However, the head of the Secret Police, Comte de Robert, was also present tonight, so he lingered for a while longer.

At a small table in the corner of the soirée, Robert held his wine glass, a troubled expression on his face. "Your Highness, as you know, there's truly no precedent for such a matter. This would likely need to be discussed in a cabinet meeting..."

Joseph smiled, cutting him off. "Please rest assured, I will inform His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen. The Royal Police have no particular ties to the cabinet ministers anyway."

For such a significant undertaking as establishing an intelligence agency, he naturally had to inform the Queen. Otherwise, if the new agency and the Secret Police clashed during a mission, the two sides would surely come to blows.

“But...”

Seeing his evasive demeanor, Joseph sighed inwardly. 'The Secret Police was Robert's greatest source of power. Although there was the goodwill from the shares he had given him last time, it seemed that wasn't enough to make him relinquish some of his privileges.'

He had no choice but to bring out the bait he had prepared beforehand:

“Comte de Robert, I've actually always felt that the Royal Police have been treated unfairly.”

Robert was taken aback. The topic had jumped quite far, and he couldn't help but ask, confused, "Your Highness means?"

Joseph stated righteously:

“The Royal Police constantly bear the burden of France's security and have made great sacrifices for France, yet to this day, they are merely a small department under the Police Bureau. This is utterly unfair! I believe the Royal Police should have been independent long ago, and become a department on par with the Police Bureau. They shouldn't even be subject to the Interior Minister! In fact, the Royal Police are directly commanded by His Majesty the King and have no need to be involved with the interior affairs system at all.”

At this time, France's police and intelligence systems were still intertwined and conventionally fell under the interior affairs system. In fact, even up until the era of Emperor Napoleon, the intelligence system had not completely separated from the police, and intelligence chiefs sometimes also managed the police system. This meant the Secret Police's rank was severely limited. 'As a department subordinate to the Police Bureau, you couldn't possibly outrank the Commissioner of Police, could you?'

Upon hearing this, Robert's eyes lit up. If the Secret Police could become independent from the interior affairs system, his own position would leap from mere "State Counselor" to "Minister of Intelligence" or "Minister of Security," granting him a seat in cabinet meetings!

He quickly suppressed his excitement and asked:

“What Your Highness speaks of, is it the Queen's intention, or...?”

Joseph smiled. "Oh, it's a consensus between myself and Comte Monnot."

Robert was somewhat surprised. 'The Interior Minister was nominally the direct superior of the Secret Police.' If he agreed to the Secret Police becoming independent, the opposition to this matter would be more than halved, and with the Crown Prince's support, the chances would be even greater.

He looked cautiously at Joseph. "Comte Monnot has made a promise to Your Highness?"

“Not yet.” Joseph shook his head, but his tone was firm. "I can assure you, he will agree."

The Secret Police's funding came from the King's private coffers, and they were completely outside the Interior Minister's jurisdiction, making them, in truth, quite a useless appendage for Monnot.

And many of Joseph's future financial revenue-increasing schemes would involve interior affairs, such as real estate development and public transportation.

These projects represented tangible benefits for the Interior Minister. Joseph was certain that, faced with these advantages, Monnot would not hesitate to relinquish a useless appendage.

Joseph, meanwhile, intended to use these benefits to maximize his leverage over the political landscape for his own ends.

Robert narrowed his eyes. His intuition, honed over years in intelligence work, told him 'the Crown Prince was not merely speaking idly.'

He hesitated for only an instant, then raised his wine glass, a sincere smile on his face. "Your Highness, the Police Bureau also gathers intelligence for the security of France, to serve His Majesty the King. This is completely consistent with the goals of the Royal Police. I believe that in many areas, we can cooperate and support each other."

Joseph also smiled. "For instance, sharing some minor authority."

“That is indeed the case.”

Joseph lightly clinked his glass against Robert's. "To the future Minister of Intelligence, Your Excellency."

...

Hartley, the British Ambassador to France, finally received a reply from London.

He used a letter opener to slice open the envelope, then retrieved the codebook he kept close to him and carefully deciphered the letter's contents.

The letter outlined several of his recent assignments, but the final two points caught his particular attention.

Firstly, to ascertain as quickly as possible the French Crown Prince's true attitude towards Britain and whether he indeed possessed pro-British leanings as rumored. If so, he was to endeavor to win him over and use him to influence France's policy towards Britain.

Secondly, to increase the French Crown Prince's aversion to Prussia as much as possible and to encourage him to adopt a strong stance against Prussia.

It was clear that the French Crown Prince was hostile towards Prussia, having once declared in a cabinet meeting, "France and Prussia are destined for war." As the 'meddler of the blue planet,' how could Great Britain possibly refrain from stirring the pot?