Chapter 68: Take Control of Public Opinion, For My Use!
Comte de Robert continued, "Princess, if we forcibly shut down the newspapers without the court's support, public opinion would turn severely against the royal family.
"As you know, a few years ago, they caused trouble over something called 'freedom of the press.' The royal police arrested some people, which only led to a flood of articles criticizing the royal family. In the end, His Majesty had to release those individuals."
Such was the peculiar situation in France at the time.
Under the guidance of the aristocratic factions, novelists and tabloid journalists would constantly fabricate "little stories" about the royal family. As long as these individuals weren't caught red-handed, they faced no trouble. Reading various scandalous rumors about the royal family had become a daily pastime for the common folk.
Conversely, if the royal family so much as expressed dissatisfaction, it would be seized upon and exaggerated, leading to all sorts of criticism.
Ultimately, it was the bitter fruit of the royal family completely losing its voice in public discourse.
Seeing Thérèse remain silent, Comte de Robert cautiously added:
"Besides, Your Highness, shutting down a few newspapers won't achieve much. Close one, and two more will pop up, continuing to spread rumors. Even if all unofficial newspapers were shut down, as the old King Louis XV once did, they would still continue with pamphlets.
"In reality, Her Majesty the Queen's intention was first and foremost to try and control the situation. Of course, if there's concrete evidence, the rumor-mongers will certainly be severely punished.
Thérèse stared at him, fuming. "If there's no evidence of newspapers insulting the royal family, then what about those pamphlets?
"Dati told me they were filled with nothing but insults against my mother and me, completely undisguised! Why haven't you arrested them?"
Comte de Robert replied with a wry face, "Your Highness, those pamphlets are typically concocted by one or two people in dark basements, then secretly taken to be printed. It's very difficult to find them..."
Thérèse fell silent.
Ever since she could remember, she had heard all sorts of slandering rumors about the King and Queen, almost without interruption. She knew that if the Secret Police could catch those people, they would have acted long ago.
Joseph, standing beside them, was also frowning deeply. His purpose in coming here was to use the Secret Police against the newspapers attacking the Tax Bill.
But with Comte de Robert's reminder, he realized the matter was far from simple.
At present, the aristocratic factions were likely waiting for the royal family to resort to violent means. They would immediately use this to incite public opinion and steer it towards the Tax Bill, linking the bill with "royal abuse of power" and similar accusations. The Tax Bill would become even more vulnerable.
Justice and public opinion were mutually reinforcing, and the grand aristocrats had a firm grip on both. No wonder Louis XVI didn't even have a chance to defend himself when he was executed.
Thérèse's eyes suddenly reddened. She curtsied slightly to Comte de Robert and said, "Comte de Robert, I apologize. I shouldn't have lost my temper with you. It's not your fault."
Comte de Robert quickly replied, "I understand your anger, Your Highness, you needn't apologize."
Thérèse, her eyes brimming with tears of grievance, picked up her plump, blue-gray Chartreux cat from her maid's arms and turned to walk out of the room.
Joseph wanted to go and console her, but for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
He truly wanted to disregard everything and lead men to raid those unscrupulous newspapers, but his reason told him that doing so would lead him right into the trap set by the aristocratic bloc.
As Comte de Robert had said, take down one newspaper, and countless more would follow, not to mention the pamphlets.
Even during the reign of Louis XV, when public opinion control was most stringent, imprisoned journalists secretly started "newspapers" within the high walls of their cells. It was also during that time that liberal thinkers like Rousseau and Montesquieu emerged like mushrooms after rain.
France at this point had undergone the Baptism of Enlightenment thought. Freedom of expression was deeply rooted, and it was no longer possible to control it with brute force as before.
As this thought crossed his mind, Joseph suddenly froze.
'No, I seem to have been led into a logical fallacy by my anger.'
'Why use brute force to control public opinion?'
'What I want shouldn't be to eradicate public opinion, but to control it and make it work for me!'
As the idea flashed through his mind, Joseph's Eyes Lighting Up, and his thoughts broadened.
Just then, Thérèse's maid passed by him. He raised his hand and stopped her, whispering, "Please tell my sister that I will make all rumors disappear and ensure those who spread them apologize to her."
Dati's eyes flashed with surprise. Although she felt the Crown Prince was likely just trying to console the Princess, she still nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Your Highness, I will certainly relay the message to Princess Thérèse!"
Joseph bid farewell to Comte de Robert and headed to his own chambers, his mind pondering methods to control public opinion.
As a modern man who had witnessed various "gods" clashing on internet platforms, he knew well that discourse power ultimately stemmed from the size of the audience.
'If your voice can be heard by 90% of the people, and others can only influence 10%, then what you say becomes truth!'
The media of this era consisted mainly of newspapers, books, and pamphlets. So, how could he utilize these to quickly increase his audience?
He immediately thought of the master Jin Yong, who used *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer* to propel the nascent *Ming Pao* into the ranks of best-selling newspapers in a short time.
People in the 18th century had very few forms of entertainment, and he held many "weapons" no less potent than *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer*.
When it came to content, even if all the newspapers and publishing houses in Europe were combined, they wouldn't be his match.
Therefore, he first needed his own publications, and then use content that crushed all rivals in quality to rapidly spread among readers.
With this thought, he immediately told Eman, "Please gather all information on Paris's newspapers and printing workshops for me, as quickly as possible."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Eman turned and left, while Joseph fell back into contemplation: after content, came pricing and distribution channels...
Various plans gradually formed in Joseph's mind, and his frown slowly relaxed. 'It's just a war of public opinion, isn't it? Then let's have it.'
The royal family had lost the battleground of public opinion for so many years; it was time to reclaim it!
Before three o'clock in the afternoon, Eman hurried back, dusty from travel, and respectfully placed a large stack of documents before Joseph.
These were detailed files on all newspapers in Paris. Newspapers needed to be registered with the court, and registration information was not confidential, so it was easily obtainable.
Joseph carefully reviewed the information on all 57 newspapers and several printing workshops in Paris, finally settling his gaze on the *Paris Business Journal*.
It was a relatively small newspaper, with a circulation of less than 800 copies, but it perfectly met his requirements.
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