Child of Divine Grace

"No, no need to continue!" Lagrange seized Joseph's shoulders, saying excitedly, "This brand-new derivation is more than enough to prove your ability. I'll return to the university today and apply for your academic certification documents."

"Then thank you very much!" Overjoyed, Joseph broke free of the old mathematician's hands, bowed to him, and rushed out the door.

Lagrange had originally wanted to offer a few remarks, only to discover that the boy had already run off.

He froze for a moment, then hurried after him, calling anxiously:

"Your Highness, how did you think of differentiable functions? Tell me about your line of thought!"

The youths in the classroom looked at one another. After quite a while, someone finally asked hesitantly, "Can anyone tell me... has the Crown Prince graduated?"

"It seems so."

"But he only came today..."

The youth with slanted eyes stared at Joseph's retreating back and said bitterly, "No, he must have cheated!"

Andre shot him a discreet glare and placed the problem Lagrange had set before him.

"The professor came up with this question on the spot, and His Highness's proof is an entirely new mathematical discovery. If Duke of Chartres thinks cheating can accomplish that, perhaps he should try it himself."

Duke of Chartres stared at the formulas, which he could not understand at all, as though struck by lightning. He had always considered himself the finest among the younger generation of the royal family, yet now he could not even comprehend someone else's completed proof...

Could Joseph's former incompetence all have been an act, just to make him look foolish?

He clenched his fists tightly. Joseph, just wait. Sooner or later, I'll make you crawl at my feet!

Naturally, Joseph could not hear their conversation, but even if he had, he would not have cared. It was nothing but children's pointless squabbling. All he could think about now was that he could finally participate in government affairs—how to set France in order and prevent the French Great Revolution from erupting and getting his head chopped off.

Lagrange caught up with him, panting heavily, and pestered him with questions for quite some time. Then, as though he had suddenly grasped something from the Crown Prince's proof, he muttered to himself:

"What if f(a) is not equal to f(b)..."

He repeated it under his breath several times, his expression turning solemn. He hurriedly bade Joseph farewell and went straight back to his office at the university.

Joseph watched him disappear into the distance and murmured softly:

"If f(a)≠f(b), then that would be your Lagrange's Mean Value Theorem. Good luck—I hope you can prove it a few years earlier."

Once the old mathematician had vanished from sight, he beckoned to the attendant who had been following behind him.

"Eman, where is Her Majesty the Queen now?"

The tall, blond young man immediately bowed. "Your Highness, Her Majesty the Queen is in her Tea Room."

Joseph nodded to him, turned, and ran toward the end of the broad corridor. The exertion triggered a bout of coughing, reminding him that his pneumonia had yet to heal—this body's constitution was extremely weak. The pneumonia had lasted for over a month, yet there was still no sign of recovery.

He waved off Eman, who had hurried closer, to show that he was fine. After winding through another hundred meters or so, he finally saw the doors to the Queen's Tea Room.

From today onward, I can finally show what I'm capable of and begin saving myself! He drew a deep breath, pushed open the doors between the guards on either side, and strode inside.

In the warmly and elegantly furnished Tea Room, Queen Mary reclined against an Oriental-style armchair. Her elaborate hair, piled two feet high, framed her fair skin and pale blue eyes. She held documents in one hand and Black Tea in the other, listening intently to a minister beside her. She appeared to be handling state affairs—Louis XVI spent all day shut away in the Locksmith Workshop, so the Queen governed most of the time.

Joseph sighed inwardly. Louis XVI had actually been one of the rare benevolent rulers in French history, but he had inherited a France riddled with holes. Coupled with his poor skill at governing and his obsession with lockmaking, he had ultimately left the people destitute and brought about the French Great Revolution.

Had he lived in peaceful times, Louis XVI would most likely have been a beloved good King. Joseph actually had a fairly favorable impression of him. If possible, he truly wanted to save his life.

The Master of Ceremonies' voice came from the side. "The Crown Prince has arrived—"

Following court etiquette, Joseph took half a step back with his right foot while facing Queen Mary, placed a hand over his chest, and bowed. He then returned the greetings of each minister in the room before excitedly stepping

forward and saying to the Queen:

"Mother, I passed the university's mathematics graduation examination!"

A gleam flashed through Queen Mary's eyes. She set down the documents and joyfully took his hand.

"Joseph, you truly are the pride of your father and me!"

She had previously sent people to verify the Crown Prince's studies and confirmed that, apart from mathematics, he had passed every subject with outstanding marks. In other words, he had already completed the University of Paris curriculum!

She looked at her son with a complicated expression. "Why did you hide it from your father and me and study on your own? I mean, you could have studied under famous teachers."

To explain how he had suddenly become a top student, Joseph could only make up an excuse that he had privately studied for many years.

"Because..." Joseph forced himself to say, "I wanted to give you a surprise."

"This surprise is wonderful!" The Queen picked up a strawberry-filled pudding and stuffed it into his mouth. Then she affectionately stroked his slightly curly hair. "How did your little head hold so much knowledge?"

Beside them, a tall, thin man in a dark blue patterned ruff and doublet, with a ring of sapphires set around his collar and a cold gaze, frowned and quietly asked the minister next to him:

"Bishop Brienne, did the Crown Prince just say that he had completed university mathematics?"

The latter nodded. "It seems so."

"How is that possible?"

"I am equally astonished."

Behind them, the Queen's trusted Clerk quietly added:

"Not only mathematics. His Highness has completed more than ten courses at the University of Paris, including physics, chemistry, mathematics, geometry, English, and more."

The surrounding ministers instantly widened their eyes. "How is that possible?!"

"If I remember correctly, the Crown Prince is only thirteen, isn't he?!"

"This is simply unbelievable!"

"Yes." The Clerk sighed. "All the teachers who have taught His Highness call him a Child of Divine Grace."

"A Child of Divine Grace? Haha, with such a genius Crown Prince, France is bound to become even more glorious!"

"France is truly blessed by Heaven!"

Joseph ignored the ministers' rainbow-flavored flattery, freed himself from the Queen's grasp, and asked her somewhat eagerly:

"Your Majesty, according to our agreement, I can participate in government affairs now, can't I?"

Queen Mary nodded indulgently. "That's right, my genius son. Oh, and one more thing—I suggest you go to Paris City Hall first and gain some experience."

Joseph frowned. He wanted to set France in order! To prevent enraged citizens from slaughtering the entire royal family at its root! What could he do at City Hall? Handle city traffic? Or sewage management?

He had watched quite a few documentaries about the French Great Revolution and knew full well that France's most critical problem at present was its finances—corrupt administration, inadequate disaster relief, nobles harboring rebellious ambitions, and so on were all caused by financial collapse.

Therefore, to set France in order, he first had to set its finances in order!

Joseph looked at the Queen and tested the waters. "I think perhaps the Minister of Finance would suit me better."

Queen Mary smiled kindly at this. France's financial problems were a chronic illness. Since Louis XVI's accession, nearly all the effort of both court and country had been devoted to resolving the financial crisis, yet they had remained utterly helpless.

How could a thirteen-year-old Youth, even one who was a Child of Divine Grace, possibly shoulder such a heavy burden?

Her smile faded. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Joseph, if you are interested in finance, you may go to the Paris Tax Bureau first."

Joseph knew that she did not believe in his abilities, but that was normal. After all, his body was only thirteen years old. He could only settle for the next best thing.

"Then let me be the Assistant Minister of Finance."

At this time, an assistant was actually the deputy Minister of Finance—the second-highest authority in financial matters.