France's Minister of Industry Designate

Mono stood up nervously, moved closer to Joseph, and whispered:

"Ah, Your Highness, you are my best friend! This must never be told..."

Nowadays, having a lover is not a big deal at all; some "enlightened" Nobility couples even introduce each other to lovers.

But Count Monod had a penchant for thrills in this regard—his mistresses were all extremely difficult to find.

For example, Countess Messayer. She was her husband's beloved, and a blind Nobility once tried to woo her, but Messayer broke his arm.

Take, for example, the Marchioness of Saint-Priest, who just ran away. The Marquise was extremely controlling and forbade any man from approaching her. Her first lover was framed by Saint-Priest- Priest and thrown into the Caribbean Sea as a laborer.

However, both ladies were taken advantage of by the audacious Mono.

Of course, Mono was also afraid of their husbands' wrath. Although he wasn't worried about them using underhanded tactics because of his status, he was afraid of being challenged to a duel with his gloves thrown to him in public—with his 170-pound, bulky frame, fighting with a sword would basically make him a sitting duck.

So, things are getting a bit complicated today.

Joseph had heard anecdotes about the Minister of War dealing with his wife's lover, and seeing Mono's expression, he immediately realized he had been struck by lightning.

He immediately nodded sincerely. "Don't worry, my greatest strength is my ability to keep secrets."

"Thank you so much..."

Before Mono could finish speaking, the Crown Prince gestured to Clementine, who was busy looking for her cat in the adjacent suite, and lowered his voice, saying, "However, my cousin, as you know, loves to chat."

The Minister of the Interior panicked and wanted to beg her to keep it a secret, but then he froze—how could he tell such a thing to a young girl? Besides, she might not even listen to him.

He then looked pitifully at Joseph: "Your Highness, please help me one more time! You are her brother. She will definitely listen to you."

Just then, Clementine's soft voice came from the side. "Cousin, Mr. Mustache isn't here! Let's hurry to the next room."

Joseph patted Mono on the shoulder and said solemnly, "I'll give it a try, but it might not work. Wait for my news."

Having said that, he turned and left amidst Mono's panicked gaze.

The search for the cat lasted for more than an hour, and after alarming nearly half of the Nobility in the Versailles Palace, Joseph and his entourage finally found Mr. Mustache in Princess Therese's Reception Room.

At this moment, it was perched proudly on the back of the princess's Chartreux Cat, ready to do something significant in its feline life.

Clementine cheered and called out affectionately, "Dear Mr. Mustache," before rushing forward and picking up the cat without a word, ignoring its angry and desperate struggles. She then turned to thank everyone and apologize to Therese.

Then, for the first time in her life, she was scratched by Mr. Mustache...

Joseph reluctantly got out of bed at 10 a. m. the next morning, yawning.

He was up with the little girl until 3 a. m. last night before finally going to sleep.

Of course, he also reaped considerable rewards. Just as he was pondering what he could "get" out of Mono, Eman strode over, bowed, and said:

"You're awake, Your Highness. Earl Mirabeau has been here for a while."

"Okay, I understand." Joseph quickly changed his clothes, washed up briefly, and went to the Reception Room.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness the Crown Prince!" Mirabeau greeted him with a beaming smile, bowing with his hand on his chest. "I have some good news for you."

"Oh? What's the good news?" Joseph smiled and gestured, "Please have a seat."

Mirabeau sat down and said:

"First of all, our Paper Mill has completed trial production and has officially started production."

"The first batch of paper, totaling 20,000 pounds, produced three days ago was of excellent quality and sold out immediately! Pre-orders are now booked for the next five months. We estimate that starting next month, monthly profits will reach 100,000 Livre!"

"Thank you for your hard work." Joseph nodded with a smile. He hadn't been managing the Paper Mill much; Mirabeau and the others had been handling it, and surprisingly, things were progressing quite smoothly.

However, he wasn't surprised at all by the booming sales—selling the same quality paper at only two-thirds the price was bound to be a sell-out. As for profits, they would certainly continue to grow as production capacity increased.

Mirabeau rubbed his hands together and said:

"I only did my job; it was mainly thanks to your new technology. Oh, by the way, the Paper Mill in Lyon has also started construction and will be operational in three or four months."

He excitedly talked about building the factory and recruiting Craftsman, and then brought up another piece of good news:

"Your Highness, the core area of Industrial Development Zone in Nancy is basically completed. There are now seventeen or eighteen Workshop there, and a great many people. You really should go and see it. Oh, and there's also your ' French United Steam Engine Company.' Its factory area is the largest in the entire development zone."

The core area of Industrial Development Zone is basically just finding a place near a water source, leveling the land, widening the roads, and adding a wall. As for supporting facilities such as banks, schools, and hospitals, they can be built gradually, since it won't affect the Workshop moving in.

"The Estates-General in Nancy has also approved the tax reduction plan for the development zone." Mirabeau remained enthusiastic. "Of course, they will definitely agree. The development zone will soon bring prosperity to Nancy."

Joseph knew that the Estates-General he was referring to was completely different from the Estates-General during the reign of the Great Revolution. The local Estates-General at that time was merely an administrative Auxiliary Agency that synthesized opinions from all sides; it required the King's permission to convene, but its outcomes could also be overturned by the government. [Note 1]

However, in the area of taxation, the participation of Estates-General would greatly improve the efficiency of implementation.

Mirabeau looked at Joseph and tentatively asked:

"Your Highness, as you know, industrial development is highly dependent on the market. However, the current Tariff in various parts of France are severely fragmenting the market. Perhaps we could try to push for the abolition of Tariff and unify the domestic market?"

Joseph nodded:

"You're absolutely right. However, there are many obstacles to abolishing local Tariff, especially since our Finance can't support it... I'll find a way."

Currently, there are Tariff between different regions in France. Products from other departments must pay Tariff before entering the country. This didn't have much of an impact in the agricultural era, but in the industrial era, where product sales and capital recovery are paramount, it has become a serious obstacle.

United Kingdom gained a significant advantage in Industrialization competition by being the first to abolish domestic Tariff and utilize a single market.

However, while abolishing local Tariff would indeed benefit the country, it would be difficult to implement.

One of the most fundamental problems is that a large part of the provincial Finance depend on Tariff. If they are suddenly abolished, the Finance gap will have to be subsidized by the central government; otherwise, the provincial governments will not even have the money to operate.

But given France's current Finance situation, let alone subsidizing the provinces, it would be God if it didn't collapse on its own.

This is one of the reasons why Joseph was so eager to expand overseas Colony —to use the Colony markets to fill the gaps in the domestic market, and then use the profits to gradually solve the problem of local Tariff.

Mirabeau knew that local Tariff were not so simple; he was merely reminding the Crown Prince.

Then he delivered one last piece of good news— Potato purchased from Austria, the Southern Netherlands, and other places had been delivered in batches to the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, essentially replenishing the grain supplies previously shipped out to these areas.

Thus, Joseph's Potato promotion plan came to a successful conclusion. Although the planting area this year was very limited, it opened the door to Potato cultivation in France. It is foreseeable that in the coming years, after tasting the benefits of high Potato yields, more and more people will be willing to grow Potato.

However, this would subsequently lead to the problem of soil fertility depletion— Potato are a very fertilizer-intensive crop. This was the next problem to be solved in Joseph's agricultural reform process.

After Mirabeau left, Joseph watched his retreating figure and suddenly thought of something he needed to "knock" on Mono.

At present, there is a great need for people like Mirabeau to contribute to France's Industrialization process. If he could be given a suitable government position, it would greatly improve his efficiency and thus accelerate the pace of Industrialization.

Furthermore, this allows them to bring the Capitalist Aristocrat under their control and strengthen their political power.

Historically, the Capitalist Aristocrat aristocracy, will be the political core of the future, while the Old Nobles will eventually be swept away by the tide of Industrialization. It is time for them to make their own plans in advance.

Thinking of this, Joseph frowned again. Sending Mirabeau, representing the Nobility, into the Cabinet controlled by the landed Nobility would inevitably face considerable resistance.

This requires careful planning.

That evening, at the gambling party hosted by Queen Mary, Joseph, pulling Mono to a corner of the Hall, glanced at Clementine placing bets at the dice table and whispered, "I agreed to a whole bunch of conditions for her, and finally convinced her. You can rest assured, she swore she would never mention last night to anyone..."

In fact, when Joseph asked Clementine last night if she had seen anyone come out of Mono's room, the little girl said she was only focused on the cat and hadn't seen anyone at all. As for her maid, she had never been to the Versailles Palace before, so she didn't know Madame Saint-Priest.

Mono quickly stopped the Crown Prince from continuing, and after making sure no one was paying attention, he bowed sincerely and thanked him, saying, "You truly saved my life; I don't know how to thank you enough."

Joseph sighed dramatically, "You see, I've been busy lately researching how to better promote industrial development, and now that I've promised to spend half a month with her, I'm afraid I won't be able to do anything."

Mono said with a forced smile, "You've gone to so much trouble."

"If the Industrial Planning Bureau could have more staff, I could save some energy spending time with my cousin," Joseph said, feigning difficulty. "But you know, the Planning Bureau is just a small department with limited staff."

Mono seemed to have picked up on something and asked, "So how do we increase manpower?"

"Unless the Planning Bureau can be upgraded, there can only be so many subordinate officials."

Mono immediately understood that the Crown Prince wanted a "reward".

What level do you think would be appropriate for the Industrial Planning Bureau to be upgraded to?

Joseph casually remarked, "If only it could be transformed into Ministry of Industry, I could become a Minister of Industry or something..."

Mono sighed inwardly. His Highness still had leverage over him from last night, so he had to pay the reward. Fortunately, the handicraft industry didn't make much money, and there was a lot of work involved. Besides, it had been mostly handed over to the Crown Prince, so completely separating it from the Interior Administration System wasn't a big deal.

He thought for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, I wholeheartedly agree with your suggestion. However, such a significant matter as establishing a new Minister of Industry is beyond my control."

Joseph smiled and said, "You just need to submit the proposal at the Cabinet Meeting, and I'll handle the rest."

"As you wish, Your Highness."

After finishing their business, Joseph casually pulled Mono to play cards, when suddenly they heard Clementine's furious shout from the dice table, "Twelve rounds in a row! Are you cheating?!"

The servant responsible for rolling the dice was so frightened that he hurriedly lowered his head and protested, "Absolutely, there was no cheating, please don't be angry..."

The little girl quickly suppressed her anger, stepped forward, took the man's arm, and smiled as she handed him a piece of candy, "Don't mind it, I was just saying it in anger. Here, have this candy, it's really sweet!"

Joseph watched with interest and saw the dealer's worry turn to joy, thanking him repeatedly before continuing to run the game.

Clementine boldly bet 2 Livre.

The die lid is opened; the result is 1, 3, 1 (small).

The little girl kept trying despite repeated defeats, betting 1 Livre on the small one.

The die lid is opened, revealing a 5, 5, and 6 (big).

"I refuse to believe I can't win!" Clementine blushed and continued placing her bets.

This little girl has really bad luck. Joseph shook his head with a smile, and was just about to leave when a thought suddenly struck him.

Since she's so unlucky, maybe she can be used as a reverse indicator!

Joseph immediately stepped forward and, seeing that Clementine had bet on small, immediately took out five Silver Coin and bet on big.

Open, 4, 6, 5 (large).

"That's accurate!" Joseph glanced at the little girl in surprise and took 10 Livre from the table.

Seeing her cousin win so easily, the little girl became even more resentful and angrily bet 2 Livre on the small prize.

Joseph immediately placed his bet on the 10 Livre he had just placed.

Open, 6, 4, 3 (large).

Joseph's eyes lit up. He hadn't realized she was such a hidden gem!

He thought for a moment, then stepped forward and advised the little girl, "You're still young, just have fun, but don't bet too much."

"Thank you for your concern, cousin. I'm sure I'll win!" the little girl said, rolling up her sleeves and heading to the next table.

Joseph shook his head helplessly and followed Clementine. She bet on big, he bet on small.

At the Baccarat table, she bet on Banker, and he bet on Player.

On the roulette table, she bets odd, and he bets even.

By the end of the night, Joseph had won more than he lost by relying on the "Anti-Clementine Strategy." By the time the little girl finally gave up and stopped playing, he had already won more than 100 Gold Ecu and a large pile of Silver Coin.

Beside Queen Mary's card table, a distraught Clementine tugged at her aunt's hand and pleaded, "Please take me to Paris tomorrow! I've lost all night; you have to comfort my wounded heart."

Unable to resist her persistence, the Queen smiled and summoned her son, instructing him, "Joseph, tomorrow you don't need to do anything; just take Clementine and have a good time in Paris for a day."

"Okay, Mother." Joseph nodded helplessly, thinking to himself that this would be the little girl's "wages" for tonight.

The little girl was overjoyed and immediately clung to his arm, pouting, "Cousin, I heard from others that an ' Eden Amusement Park ' has been built in the Tuileries Palace Gardens, full of novel and fun things. Can you take me there to play?"

Joseph paused for a moment, then cautiously asked, "Um, are you afraid of heights?"

[Note 1]: At this time, the Estates -Estates-General in France varied greatly depending on the region. For example, the Estates-General in a few regions such as Brittany and Burgundy had some power and would decide on some local governance policies, but they were still under the control of the Royal Power. The Estates-General in most other regions were just for show.

(End of this chapter)