Chapter 1371: Greed
"Your Highness, but..."
Archbishop Beaumont and the others still wanted to stop him, when they suddenly heard the personal guard at the door. "No, His Highness is busy. You cannot wait here..."
"Count Eman told us to come for an audience at ten."
"Please inform His Highness that we have an important matter."
Joseph frowned at Eman.
The latter looked flustered as he lowered his head. "It seems to be priest Grenier, Your Highness. Please forgive me, I may have given them the wrong time..."
Well, of course it was not his oversight. Joseph wanted the Reformist Faction to come and stir up trouble.
He immediately frowned toward the door. "Let them in."
"Yes, Your Highness."
In the instant Archbishop Beaumont and the others froze, Grenier, Sieyès, and the rest had already appeared in the Crown Prince's reception room.
The gazes of the two groups met, filling the room with an almost tangible chill.
Priest Grenier stepped forward first to salute, then motioned for the servants accompanying him to bring over several enormous rolls of parchment. "Your Highness, these are the signatures gathered by the 'Pious French Clergy.' There are already more than 6,500..."
The Pious French Clergy was the collective name for the Reformist Faction within the church.
Joseph gestured to Eman and interrupted him. "My attendant made a mistake. You will have to wait a little longer.
"Still, I am very curious. What signatures are you referring to?"
"Signatures in support of church reform, Your Highness." Father Grenier bowed slightly. "In fact, a great many signatures from the Southern and Eastern Provinces have not yet been delivered. The total should exceed twenty thousand."
Joseph immediately looked at Archbishop Beaumont with an expression of shock.
At present, there were fewer than seventy thousand secular Clerics in