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Chapter 79: Declaration of War

Soumial and Vergennes immediately looked at the Duke of Orleans—they had made meticulous plans but hadn't anticipated this situation.

According to the usual pattern of political struggle, under their sudden attack, the unprepared Brienne could only have two responses:

One, he would accept defeat and directly announce his resignation.

Two, he would quibble and shirk responsibility, then seek political support to resolve the situation after the cabinet meeting concluded.

Their side had long been prepared; at that time, they would mobilize more high-ranking nobles and unite with the banking sector to pressure the Queen. In the end, dismissal would still be Brienne's fate.

However, who could have known that Brienne would retaliate on the spot!

The Duke of Orleans frowned and said coldly, "Archbishop Brienne, you were at your wits' end about advancing the Tax Bill before. How are you suddenly so confident now?

"France's financial situation is already extremely severe. If after two months you still haven't managed to pass the bill..."

Brienne glanced at Joseph from the corner of his eye. Seeing Joseph give him an affirming look, he steeled himself and declared loudly, "Duke of Orleans, how do you know that the previous attempts weren't merely my probes of the High Court? And the bill's rejection was also part of my overall plan."

He then looked at Queen Marie and said with a resolute expression, "Your Majesty, if the Tax Bill is still not registered within two months, then please exile me to Corsica!"

France had a tradition of exiling high-ranking officials who erred, but it was usually to remote towns like Lorraine or Perpignan. Exile to an island outside the mainland, however, was considered a very severe punishment.

In truth, Brienne had already anticipated that he would eventually be dismissed and had been prepared to accept it calmly. But for some reason, in that instant, he had a premonition that the Crown Prince truly could pass the bill!

He was also unwilling for his political career to end then and there. So he immediately made a choice—'To trust the Crown Prince and take this gamble!'

The Duke of Orleans noticed hesitation in the Queen's eyes and promptly declared, "There's no need to waste another two months. Mr. Necker should be brought in immediately to save France's finances!"

Joseph smiled faintly. "Tell me, Duke of Orleans, is Mr. Necker confident he can pass the Tax Bill within two months?"

The Duke of Orleans faltered. He himself was one of the masterminds behind blocking the Tax Bill, so he could only shake his head. "Probably not..."

Joseph immediately turned to the Queen. "Your Majesty, since Mr. Necker cannot achieve this, what reason do we have not to give Archbishop Brienne, who is confident, a chance?"

Orleans urgently retorted, "Your Majesty, Archbishop Brienne will only cause the financial situation to worsen further!"

Joseph promptly stated, "Only by passing the Tax Bill can the financial situation improve. And Mr. Necker is powerless to do so."

He knew, in fact, that collecting a little more tax from the nobles would only be a minor improvement for France's finances, barely better than nothing. But the passage or failure of this bill was a crucial symbolic event in the struggle between royal power and the high-ranking noble faction! Whoever lost would suffer a significant defeat on the political battlefield.

Queen Marie, seeing the two at loggerheads, couldn't help but wearily rub her temples. The weight of these national affairs was simply too heavy for her, a woman.

Her gaze shifted back and forth between Joseph and the Duke of Orleans. Although she felt that the former seemed to make more sense, the latter was a minister with rich political experience, and his opinion might be more valuable to consider.

She then recalled Brienne's confident demeanor. He truly seemed certain of victory, but the attitudes of the high-ranking nobles in the Assembly of Notables, as well as the banking sector, also had to be considered...

She felt as if various factors were warring in her mind, and for a moment, she didn't know whose advice to follow.

After a long silence, Queen Marie looked at the other cabinet ministers, as if seeking help. "Gentlemen, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

The neutral cabinet ministers did not want to rashly take sides. Each bowed their heads, remaining silent. Interior Minister Monnot opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

Seeing no one speak, the Queen looked at the Duke of Orleans and Brienne again. Finally, she folded her hands weakly on the conference table before her and said softly, "Very well, regarding whether Archbishop Brienne should continue to be responsible for financial affairs until two months from now, I implore all of you to make a fair judgment, acting in the common interest of all France.

"I have decided to adjourn the session temporarily. The cabinet meeting will resume tomorrow, where a cabinet resolution will be made on this matter."

The "resolution" she referred to was for matters of state that were difficult to decide, to be settled by a collective vote of the cabinet ministers.

After making her announcement, as if all her strength had been spent, she gestured for the meeting to conclude and was the first to leave, walking towards the golden doors with the support of her lady-in-waiting.

Joseph frowned inwardly. 'He hadn't expected the Queen to be so lacking in decisiveness and courage, to simply dump the problem onto her ministers.'

The Duke of Orleans cast a triumphant glance at Brienne, said nothing, and led his faction out of the conference hall.

The two sides had already declared war. There was no room for compromise. All that remained was for each to employ their political machinations.

...

Joseph and Brienne went together to the Minister of Finance's office.

After closing the door, Brienne immediately bowed slightly and said, "Thank you for your assistance, Your Highness. You have saved me, and you have saved France's finances."

Then he urgently asked the question that concerned him most. "Please tell me the truth: are you truly confident that the bill will pass?"

Joseph knew that their interests were now intertwined, so there was no need to worry about him leaking information. He immediately nodded and said, "Rest assured, I am indeed confident.

"Although the Assembly of Notables seems like a formidable political beast, it actually has two fatal weaknesses.

"Firstly, its internal structure is not a highly unified whole. Instead, it's a coalition of high-ranking nobles and Capitalist Nobility... you can simply think of the latter as newly rich individuals who have rapidly accumulated vast wealth. We can divide and conquer them.

"Secondly, it relies too heavily on the High Court. Without the High Court's support, they are merely a group of ordinary nobles without real authority. And the High Court is notoriously corrupt, providing us with numerous vulnerabilities to attack."

Hearing this, Brienne nodded thoughtfully and said, "Your analysis is very thorough. It's just that we only have two months..."

Joseph immediately smiled faintly. "Rest assured. I now possess the means and incentives to divide the Assembly of Notables, as well as the tools of public opinion to make the High Court yield. Combine that with your political capital, and with proper execution, the bill can be passed in less than two months."

A spark of brilliance flashed in Brienne's eyes. Only at this moment was he finally convinced that he had gambled correctly!

As the two were speaking, Eman's voice came from outside. "Your Highness, Count Monnot is here."

Brienne and Joseph exchanged glances. Then Brienne called out, "Please come in, the door is unlocked."

The door was pushed open, and Interior Minister Monnot walked in with a solemn expression.