Chapter 98: Don't Bully the Elderly Poor!
Monnot watched the women glaring at him, then awkwardly bowed to Joseph and said:
"Your Highness, are you... not going to dance?"
Joseph replied, "No time to dance. I have something important to discuss with you."
Monnot glanced again at the merrily dancing crowd around them.
"You mean, here? To discuss important matters?"
Joseph thought to himself, 'I'd love to sit on a sofa and chat over tea, but I've been looking for you all afternoon; even your servants didn't know where you were gallivanting off to.'
"I looked for you this afternoon."
"Oh..." Monnot touched his nose tip awkwardly; he certainly didn't want anyone to know about his affair with the Comtesse de Messaye.
He hastily pulled the Crown Prince to a slightly more secluded corner.
Joseph considered for a moment, then said:
"Simply put, I want to do things that will promote industrial development. And currently, these matters fall under your Ministry of the Interior."
Monnot blinked his small eyes and nodded.
"To be direct, I hope you can relinquish jurisdiction over industry."
Monnot still nodded, waiting for the Crown Prince's exchange of interests.
Joseph said, "Press censorship is no longer under the High Court's jurisdiction. I believe we can establish a Press and Publication Bureau to manage these affairs, and it would fall under your purview.
"Furthermore, I have already discussed it with Archbishop Brienne about enacting a Patent Law."
He briefly explained the meaning of the Patent Law, then continued: "Correspondingly, a Patent Office will be established, which can also be placed under your management."
Monnot calculated in his mind that France's industry was no match for Britain's and was currently in a moribund state. Holding onto it had no real meaning for him.
The Patent Office the Crown Prince mentioned seemed quite good. If it could be linked to fashion design and such, there would certainly be profit to be made. As for press censorship, it didn't seem particularly useful.
He immediately put on a simple, honest smile: "Your Highness, you see..."
Joseph didn't wait for him to ramble, and immediately said, "Add a printing workshop."
"A workshop?"
"I have a technology that can reduce the cost of printing illustrations to less than one-fifth of its current price. We can invest 200,000 Livres. Oh, and of course, you would primarily provide this capital, which would allow us to monopolize almost all printing businesses in Paris.
"You and I would each hold a 20% stake, with the Press and Publication Bureau holding 60%. And the profits for the first seven years would all go to you."
This printing workshop Joseph intended to establish was actually a means to control pamphlets.
Anyone wanting to publish a pamphlet would have to print it here; otherwise, the price would be significantly higher than other pamphlets, leading to no one buying them.
And if you print it here, this printing workshop is affiliated with the Press and Publication Bureau, so you'd have to get approval from them first.
After Monnot repeatedly confirmed that this low-cost printing technology was already in use, he immediately broke into a brilliant smile and nodded,
"Oh, Your Royal Highness, you are always so generous! May God bless you!"
...
In the Royal Workshop, His Majesty the King of France, who had been busy for most of the day, placed the musket in his hand on the workbench, wiped away sweat, and prepared to enjoy his dinner.
As his servants helped him remove his apron, he casually picked up a newspaper from nearby—influential newspapers were delivered to him daily—and immediately saw the striking headline: "The Glorious Victory of His Great Majesty the King."
He scratched his head—'he'd been holed up in the workshop lately, focused on gun-making, so how had he suddenly achieved a glorious victory?'
He switched to another paper. The front page read: "His Majesty the King Brings Justice to His Loyal Paris."
Louis XVI hastily perched his spectacles on his nose and carefully read the newspaper's contents. Only then did he realize it was due to the bill he had signed two days prior concerning the "Royal Supreme Court."
He put down the newspaper, proudly puffed out his chest, and thought to himself: 'It seems managing state affairs isn't so complicated after all. Hmm, I'm doing quite well, aren't I?'
...
Before the golden doors of the Conference Hall of the East Wing of the Palace of Versailles.
Joseph, clad in a wine-red formal suit, puffed out his chest, walked between two rows of bowing guards, and strode into the conference hall.
This was the first time he had so eagerly anticipated entering this place.
Before long, all cabinet ministers had arrived, and Queen Marie had also arrived earlier than usual.
After the greetings were exchanged, the golden doors creaked shut, and the cabinet meeting officially began...
Archbishop Brienne, his face alight with joy, surveyed the assembled officials, and then, as a matter of course, began to speak about the Tax Bill:
"Once this bill passes, it will significantly alleviate the nation's financial difficulties."
He opened the prepared documents: "The Land Tax alone is projected to increase annual treasury revenue by 18 million Livres. Stamp Duty is expected to increase by..."
After fluently reciting the details, he glanced at the grim-faced Soumial, and concluded:
"Combining all these taxes, annual treasury revenue will increase by 22 to 24 million Livres from now on!"
Queen Marie led the applause and nodded:
"This will be a memorable day in the financial history of France!"
All the ministers, whether they liked it or not, joined in the applause, congratulating Brienne.
Having finished with the Tax Bill, Brienne swapped documents, bowed to the Queen, and then announced loudly:
"Now, let us begin with the first item on the agenda.
"Count Monnot has proposed that Count Soumial should be held responsible for the scandal in the judicial system and is no longer fit to serve as Keeper of the Seals."
Soumial lowered his head, quickly glanced at Monnot, then fixed his gaze on the brass pen holder before him, remaining silent.
He knew that the Vezinier affair this time had too great an impact, and as Keeper of the Seals, he certainly couldn't escape accountability for lax oversight.
Moreover, he had impeached Brienne years ago, and Brienne certainly wouldn't miss this chance for revenge.
The Duke of Orleans had also anticipated Soumial's impeachment, and was prepared to do everything in his power to protect his political ally.
He stood up, cleared his throat, and said:
"Your Majesty the Queen, to my knowledge, Vezinier was extremely careful in accepting bribes, making it difficult for outsiders to detect. Although Soumial was negligent in supervision, to dismiss a cabinet minister for the actions of just one judge, is that truly..."
Joseph, standing nearby, sneered:
"The Duke of Orleans is truly eloquent. Firstly, Vezinier didn't just accept bribes; you can examine his judicial verdicts.
"Secondly, Vezinier is probably not the only problematic judge in the High Court. Shall we continue the investigation and see?"
He wasn't afraid to bring down the High Court; after all, it was the nobility's domain, and if it truly collapsed, it would simply make it easier for him to start anew.
As expected, the Duke of Orleans's face flushed crimson, but he dared not respond.
To avoid further investigation, those in the High Court had even grudgingly accepted the Royal Supreme Court. If he were to complicate matters further, he would likely become a public enemy of the judges.
Seeing this, Brienne immediately pushed the already prepared dismissal document before Queen Marie, and respectfully said:
"Your Majesty, please make your decision."
Seeing that the ministers were in complete agreement, the Queen immediately offered Soumial a few words of comfort, and then took up her pen and signed the document.
Brienne, satisfied, put away the document, looked at Soumial, and gestured towards the golden doors:
"Count Soumial, please excuse yourself."
Comments