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Chapter 91: Unable to Incriminate

Joseph did some quick calculations; only a month remained until the deadline for the Tax Bill to be passed and registered. To bring down the head of the High Court in such a short time, he would have to resort to unconventional methods.

The mention of 'unconventional methods' immediately brought the Police Intelligence Bureau to mind. He then gestured to Eman, saying, "Please send someone to fetch Fouché..."

He suddenly recalled he still had to attend a tactical command lecture at the police academy today. "No, prepare the carriage. I'll go myself."

Three carriages departed from Versailles one after another. Hours later, they entered the city of Paris.

As the carriage crossed the Seine River, Joseph spotted a large wooden signboard, more than two people tall, standing at the eastern end of the bridge in the distance. A giant oil painting was depicted on it.

In the painting, an elegant noble lady in splendid attire held a small glass bottle. She sat in a warm and elegant home, her face beaming with happiness and contentment.

At the very top of the painting was a line of enormous text: "No gifts this Christmas—only Noble Lady's Joy!"

Below it was another line of smaller text: "Noble Lady's Joy Health Tonic Christmas Special—free exquisite gift box with purchase."

The carriage drove on a little further. On the roadside, two flamboyantly dressed young people waved flyers and shouted loudly: "Buy Paris Angel cosmetics, get an 80% off coupon for Noble Lady's Joy Health Tonic when you spend over 50 livres!"

Joseph nodded inwardly. 'Manager Brent is certainly earning his salary. While the marketing ideas were my own, for an 18th-century man to grasp them so thoroughly and put them into practice, he is undeniably a genius in business.'

'Perhaps I should consider giving him a larger bonus.'

Before long, the carriage pulled into the Police Intelligence Bureau.

Joseph went straight into the office. He addressed Fouché, "What leverage do we have on Vezinier?"

The intelligence chief evidently knew the details by heart. He rattled off without hesitation: "In his first year as a judge in Paris, he took a bribe to rule the Antoine Brothers' inheritance in favor of their uncle.

"The following year, in a case involving a noble's carriage striking a person, he ruled that the pedestrian had deliberately startled the horses, and only awarded 50 livres in compensation. He almost certainly took a bribe then too.

"Still that same year, in the Camille home invasion and murder case, evidence unfavorable to the killer mysteriously vanished from the court's evidence room, and the murderer was acquitted. It's said the killer's uncle paid the judge 8,000 livres.

"Two years later, in the Rue de la Selle murder case, the noble who committed the murder paid a bribe..."

He spoke for a long time, making Joseph's brows furrow deeply. This Vezinier had apparently been taking bribes and manufacturing unjust verdicts almost continuously since becoming a judge, never stopping.

Joseph cut Fouché off, "So, I can send someone to arrest him now?"

"Well..." Fouché shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

"Why? The things he's done are enough to hang him ten times over!"

Fouché said awkwardly, "These cases, at best, have only sporadic records, or Monsieur Marat simply told me about them. We haven't found any conclusive evidence yet."

Joseph couldn't help but frown at this. But he quickly relaxed, reasoning, 'Vezinier is a master of the law; he would certainly be very careful about destroying evidence.'

He extended a hand to Fouché, "Bring me this fellow's dossier. Let's see if there's anything we can use."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Soon, a stack of documents nearly half a meter thick was placed on the table before Joseph. Evidently, the Police Intelligence Bureau had been working hard recently.

Joseph picked up the top document and opened it. It contained Vezinier's basic information:

"Henri François Minié de Vezinier, 56 years old, height five French feet (about 1.62 meters), weight...

"At 33, he inherited his father's position as a judge in Grenoble and was elected a local judge."

Judges of the era were truly peculiar. They perfectly blended hereditary succession with elections, with positions inherited from fathers then confirmed by election.

"Six years later, he was transferred to the Parlement of Paris. At 51, he was elected to serve as the head of the High Court...

"Personal assets...

"Interests...

"Favorite foods...

"Frequent haunts..."

Almost every detail, no matter how minor, was listed. One could say that not even Vezinier's parents or wife knew him this thoroughly.

Joseph picked up the next document. This one outlined the court president's social connections:

"Political allies: Duc d'Aiguillon, Count Sérurier...

"Political rivals...

"Close friends: Dacier, judge of the Parlement of Paris, 49 years old...

"Valayer, assistant Municipal Commissioner of Caen, 51 years old...

"...

"Acquaintances...

"Enemies..."

The subsequent documents detailed Vezinier's household situation, including his home layout and detailed information on his coachman, gardener, cook, maids, and so on.

What surprised Joseph most was that this document specifically noted: both of Vezinier's chambermaids had been "charmed" by the young men Fouché sent.

Now, these two girls implicitly obeyed their handsome, romantic, and wealthy boyfriends. They could even find out how many times Vezinier yawned each day.

Joseph rubbed his forehead, forcing a wry smile. 'Fouché is truly obsessed. He would go to such lengths as to exploit young women for information...'

He put down the document in his hand. Then he picked up a large stack of letters, discovering they were all Vezinier's private correspondence from recent years.

Fouché, standing by, took credit: "Your Highness, half of these were supplied by the 'Black Chamber', and the rest were transcribed directly from Vezinier's study."

The 'Black Chamber' he referred to was the postal espionage division of the Secret Police, responsible for "reviewing" various letters. It was the most efficient department within the Secret Police. However, the Black Chamber still couldn't compare to Fouché's "maid" tactic. The letters from the study were likely acquired by them.

Joseph asked, "Are there any usable pieces of evidence in these letters?"

Fouché shook his head. "Anything that could incriminate him has likely been destroyed."

Joseph, resigned, opened the last document. This was also the most extensive one, containing information on all the cases Vezinier had handled.

Fouché added, "Your Highness, these were directly 'acquired' from the High Court's archives. They are absolutely reliable."

Joseph nodded, and began to read through them.

The first was a property division case, the trial of which was nearing its conclusion.

The second was a case of rape and murder, which had only begun to be heard just over ten days ago.

The details of the case were that a minor noble named Runacher, suddenly overcome by lust, abducted a 15-year-old commoner girl and brutalized her in his own painting shop.

During this time, the girl's nine-year-old brother followed the trail to the shop and cried out for help.

In a moment of panic, Runacher dragged the boy inside and killed him. Afterwards, fearing exposure, he also killed the girl and dumped their bodies into the Seine River.

Because several of the victims' belongings were found in Runacher's shop, and neighbors had seen the boy enter the painting shop, Runacher was quickly arrested and prosecuted.

Joseph couldn't help but sigh, feeling pity for the brother and sister. According to the case file records, the case had been heard once, but a verdict had not yet been delivered.