The dust settled

Joseph glanced at Calonne's expression and immediately added fuel to the fire:

"This time, the Fair Investigation Department and the Secret Police have a combined force of over 60 people handling this case, and they will likely thoroughly investigate everyone and everything related to it. (-_-) (-_-)

"Viscount Calonne, in the process, there's no guarantee they won't uncover some things you don't want others to know."

Calonne could no longer remain calm and said in an almost pleading tone:

"Your Highness, I swear to God, I have nothing to do with the investigator's death!"

"Could you please stop those people from disturbing my already miserable life in exile...?"

Joseph stared at him and said:

"Viscount Calonne, I would very much like to help you, but only if we can establish mutual trust."

"As long as you are honest with me, I can guarantee your safety, no matter what happens."

Calonne trembled as he took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. He was convinced that the young Crown Prince before him was sent by Her Majesty the Queen, representing her will, and that the Queen clearly already knew a great deal about him.

However, he also knew that his problem was too big, and he wasn't sure if the Queen would really forgive him after it was exposed.

Seeing his indecisive look, Joseph stood up and pretended to leave.

"Since you've chosen not to trust me, then you'll have to face the Secret Police and investigators yourself. I'm going back to Paris."

Calonne panicked, took a few steps forward, and grabbed his arm forcefully. Realizing her rudeness, she quickly withdrew her hand, lowered her head, and said breathlessly:

"I'm so sorry, Your Highness, I'm truly sorry. I didn't mean to offend you..."

"Um, can you really help me? I mean, if I've done something wrong, could you ask Her Majesty the Queen to forgive me?"

"That depends on your performance." Joseph sat back down in his chair, his expression becoming more amiable. "As I've said before, the Royal House has great trust and regards you highly."

He placed the Pardon on the table as he spoke:

"You see, Her Majesty the Queen had already decided to pardon you when I left Versailles Palace."

Calonne picked up the Pardon in surprise and opened it. Her eyes immediately welled up with tears of emotion. It turned out that Her Majesty the Queen had always remembered her. The Tax Law had only been over for a short time, yet she had already pardoned her!

He recalled what the Crown Prince had said earlier: perhaps Her Majesty the Queen already knew about his affairs and had sent His Highness to give him a chance?

Joseph added in a timely manner:

"Viscount Calonne, our common enemy now is Necker. As for you, you have always been a loyal subject of His Majesty the King."

Calonne glanced cautiously at the Crown Prince and murmured:

"Your Highness, what kind of punishment will I receive if I tell you about Necker?"

Joseph smiled and said, "Why don't you tell me about yourself first?"

Calonne's face paled slightly, but considering that even if he didn't say anything, the Queen might already know, and even if she didn't, the Secret Police would find something after investigating him, he weighed his options carefully and finally gritted his teeth and said:

"Your Highness, actually... when I was Minister of Finance... I made some money for myself..."

Seeing Joseph nod calmly, he became even more convinced that his scheme had been exposed, and immediately spoke even more fluently:

"Four years ago, the Duke of Poix and I worked together on the project to widen the Languedoc Royal Canal..."

He rambled on about the dirty things he had done, and Joseph interrupted him impatiently, saying:

"Viscount Calonne, just name a number."

"Ah?"

"So, all things added up, how much money did you make?"

"This... is probably..." Calonne hesitated for a moment, lowered her head, and whispered, "It's probably close to 5 Livre."

Wow--

Good heavens! Joseph could do at that moment was exclaim, "Good heavens!"

This guy Minister of Finance for just over four years and made 5 million?!

No wonder he was so terrified—some small provinces only have about this much Finance in a year. If he were sent directly to trial, even if he wasn't executed immediately, he would at least spend his life in prison.

I never expected that my plan to deal with Necker would lead me to lure out such a big fish here first.

If Necker were on par with Calonne, the two of them alone could contribute over ten million euros in subsidies to the France Finance.

This is more profitable than organizing your own Fashion Week! Joseph was so angry he was grinding his teeth.

He struggled to suppress his anger; he still needed to get Calonne to redeem herself. So, he took a deep breath and said in as calm a tone as possible:

"Since you are so frank, I also promise you on behalf of the Royal House that as long as you return the money you shouldn't have taken, these things will be treated as if they never happened."

"Furthermore, if you can help me deal with Necker, you might even receive a reward."

"Really?" Calonne had expected the Crown Prince to at least punish her, but to her surprise, he let it go so easily. Overwhelmed with emotion, she almost knelt down to kiss Joseph's boots. "Thank you, Your Highness, thank you, Her Majesty the Queen! You are so merciful! May God be with you!"

With his own affairs finally settled, he suddenly felt a sense of relief, a sinister smile flashing across his face— Necker, you've been working against me for so many years, scheming against me behind my back! Now I'll send you to hell!

He turned around, moved the table aside, and tapped a piece of floorboard in the corner, hearing a slight "click" sound.

Then he took a chair and retrieved a stack of documents from a small hole in the roof.

"Your Highness, these are the evidences of Necker's corruption that I uncovered when I was Minister of Finance," Calonne respectfully handed the documents to Joseph. "Back then, he knew some things about me, so I dared not expose him. But now, please, you must bring him to justice!"

Joseph took the documents and opened them. At the front were several copies of receipts. According to the descriptions at the back, Necker had allocated additional funds to the South to build Irrigation System. In the end, the money ended up in the hands of several local Nobility, while Necker received 350,000 Livre in return.

Next, Necker borrowed 3 Livre from a bank, but this money never went into the national treasury, while the France Finance had to pay 20% interest every year. It wasn't until five years later, Necker was dismissed, that the money was deposited into the treasury to balance the books. One-third of the annual interest went into Necker's pocket.

The third one...

Joseph read through the pages, his face turning ashen. He slammed the document on the table and looked at Calonne.

"How much money did he make in total?"

A smug look flashed in the latter's eyes:

"Your Highness, the total is 7.22 Livre."

Joseph inwardly gasped; this guy was even more greedy Calonne!

Unexpectedly, Calonne continued:

"Your Highness, this is only the evidence I have. As far as I know, he has embezzled far more than this, especially his transactions with the banking industry. Because they were done so discreetly, I have only guessed at some of the clues."

Joseph took a deep breath. "And how many are there?"

"It's very likely to exceed ten million Livre."

Thank you to the following generous donors: Little Study Abroad Dog, Living Outside of Time, Honey Mountain, Heart Like a Drifting Leaf, and Sugar Oils Please Don't Get Close! The author is deeply grateful and loves you all forever! Mwah!