Traitors

In an instant, everyone on the streets was filled with righteous indignation. "Have you heard? In the Marais District, a coppersmith's daughter was targeted by two Nobility. Not only was she violated by them, but in the end, the coppersmith's entire family was killed!"

"It's said that one of them was the son of the Minister of the Interior. That fellow, not wanting to share the girl with another Nobility, had him burned alive."

"He's so ruthless. But why did he also kill that poor girl and her whole family?"

"Don't you understand? That guy killed Nobility, that's a serious crime! If the girl says those two fought over her, the Police will definitely suspect him; that's called destroying evidence."

"These damned Nobility don't care about human life at all!"

They all deserve to go to hell!

Joseph frowned as he read the newspaper report about the Minister of the Interior's son committing arson. This time, since it concerned Mono himself, the man didn't dare to openly pressure the Newspaper Office to stop publishing the news.

How did this news leak out? He immediately ordered someone to summon Fouche again.

Not long after, the Police Intelligence Division submitted its preliminary investigation results—someone had directly leaked the details of Mono's son's arson plot to the Police Department and major Newspaper Office.

Under intense questioning from numerous reporters, the Police Department was forced to summon Mono's son, Anthony. Although he was quickly released due to insufficient evidence, he had already become the target of public criticism, fueled by the reporters' actions.

However, it remains unknown who leaked the information.

Joseph looked at the report, pondering: Was it a relative of Viscount Amboise? Or someone secretly investigating the matter?

Just then, Eman strode in, bowed slightly, and whispered, "Your Highness, Count Monod wishes to see you."

Joseph frowned. Mono's arrival at this time could only be for one thing, but the nature of this matter was extremely serious, and he would never help him get away with it.

He shook his head and said, "Let him go back."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Royal Palace.

The butler rushed into the Duke of Orléans ' Study, carefully closed the door behind him, and then bowed, saying, "My lord, just as you predicted, the Minister of the Interior has gone to see the Queen, the Crown Prince, and the Chief Minister, but it seems he has been unable to meet with any of them."

"That's only natural," the Duke of Orléans said smugly. "This matter has escalated so much that even the Queen can't protect him."

He then looked at the butler. "By the way, those two guys from the Maletdu family didn't say anything, did they?"

The butler bowed and said, "Our men at the Bastille are watching; they wouldn't dare to say anything nonsense."

"Very good." The Duke of Orléans smiled. "If it weren't for that fool Mono killing the coppersmith's family, things probably wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

Yes, he orchestrated the so-called "arson attack on the Viscount Amboise's house".

Upon learning that his heir had contracted Syphilis, he went mad and sought revenge against Joseph and the Royal House.

Just a few months ago, he learned that Mono's son and Viscount Amboise were both eyeing the same commoner girl.

In his mind, Mono was an important political force within the Royal House, and if he could make good use of him, he might be able to find loopholes in the Royal House.

So he looked among the people around Anthony and finally chose Anthony's "henchmen"—the impoverished Lesser Nobility, the Maletdu Brothers.

After gaining control of the two brothers through various means, the Duke of Orléans instructed them to exacerbate the conflict between Anthony and Viscount Amboise.

Anthony had been Illegitimate Son for over a decade, but six months ago he suddenly became the heir to the Mono title, a change that made him instantly arrogant.

More than two weeks ago, after drinking, he went to the house of a girl Celine, intending to "have some fun" with her, only to learn that she had been abducted by Viscount Amboise and taken to his Villa for his defilement.

Instigated by the Maletdu Brothers and under the influence of Alcohol, he flew into a rage and ordered Maletdu Brothers to snatch Celine back.

The two brothers had already received instructions from the Duke of Orléans and immediately reported the matter to him.

The Duke of Orléans realized this was a golden opportunity for Mono to get involved, so he sent men to burn down Viscount Amboise's house with them.

The subsequent plot unfolded largely according to his design.

The Maletdu Brothers captured Celine and took her back to Anthony's residence, where they triumphantly told him that they had burned the foolish Boer to death.

Anthony was immediately sobered up and ran home in a panic to tell his father what had happened.

Mono was also shocked. He had intended for the Maletdu Brothers to run away, but instead, these two idiots were arrested by the Police —which, of course, was intentional on their part.

Then he went to the prison to see the Maletdu Brothers, but they insisted that Anthony had ordered them to set the fire. Anthony was drunk that day and only knew that he had told them to go and retrieve the woman; he remembered nothing else.

Left with no other option, Mono offered the Maletdu Brothers a huge bribe to make them take the blame. He then bribed a judge of the High Court to execute the two men as soon as possible.

This was exactly the result the Duke of Orléans wanted.

Mono was even more "outstanding" than he had expected, and out of a guilty conscience, he killed Celine's family.

Night falls.

A black Carriage quietly drove into the Minister of the Interior's Villa.

Mono looked suspiciously at the newcomer as he removed his hood, revealing the Duke of Orléans ' face. He immediately frowned and said in a deep voice, "What brings you here?"

"I've heard you've been having some trouble lately," said the Duke of Orléans. "Won't you invite me in?"

"No need, this has nothing to do with you..." Mono didn't forget that the person in front of him was his political opponent.

"In that case, your son will probably be arrested by the Court Guard soon. [Note 1]" Orleans smiled, "And you, too, will likely be implicated and dismissed from your post."

Mono, his face ashen, said, "I will plead with Her Majesty the Queen a pardon..."

The Duke of Orléans immediately interrupted him, "I heard from a friend at the High Court that the Crown Prince went to the High Court the day before yesterday and also detained Judge Croix for investigation."

"Yesterday, your son's case became the talk of the town. Don't you think there's some coincidence involved?"

Of course, all the coincidences were orchestrated by him. After learning that the Crown Prince had gone to the High Court, he immediately sent people to leak inside information about the arson case to the Police Department and Newspaper Office.

Mono was stunned for a moment, then realized that neither the Royal House family Brienne had wanted to see him for the past two days. Could this really be the Crown Prince's arrangement?

He recalled how the Crown Prince seemed very dissatisfied with him after the bank bankruptcy, and how the Crown Prince had weakened the power of the Interior Administration System several times afterward, until recently when the matter of immigration to Tunisia was directly handed over to Mirabeau instead of him.

Now, her own son has gotten into trouble again.

He stood there, stunned and bewildered, muttering, "It really is him..."

The Duke of Orléans leaned close to his ear and whispered, "There's only one person who can help you now, and that's me."

Mono his attention and quickly dismissed all the servants, leading him to his Study. He closed the door and anxiously asked, "Do you have any way to save Anthony?"

The Duke of Orléans smiled and said, "It's simple. I'll kill those two arsonists for you. With no one to testify against them, I'll try to find a way in the High Court, and this case won't involve your son."

Mono's eyes widened immediately. "But they're Bastille now..."

Since Necker was poisoned by the guards in the Bastille, Joseph seized on this incident and ordered the Marquis de Launay, the Bastille Commander, to strictly regulate the prison's management. Now, let alone killing prisoners there, even obtaining inside information is extremely difficult.

The Duke of Orléans calmly replied, "Please believe me, I have the ability."

A glimmer of hope flashed in Mono's eyes. He stared intently at the Duke of Orléans and hesitated, "But why are you here to help me?"

The Duke of Orléans held up one finger. "One Livre."

Mono paused for a moment. He had indeed embezzled for many years and had that much money, but it would definitely be a devastating blow.

However, his son's life and his own future were more important, so he immediately nodded. "Alright, I'll deliver this money to the Royal Palace within a month, and the rest will depend on you..."

The Duke of Orléans smiled and shook his head, "Oh, dear François, you misunderstand."

"I mean, I'll solve this case for you, and I'll give you another Livre."

Upon hearing this, Mono took a step back in alarm. As a seasoned politician, he immediately realized the other party's intention.

But he still gritted his teeth and said, "So, what do you need me to do?"

A ruthless glint flashed in the Duke of Orléans ' eyes. "It's simple, join me in confiscating the Royal House Scepter!"

He wasn't afraid that Mono would spread the word. Not only was Mono in dire straits and wouldn't risk his own life, but even if Mono did tell, it wouldn't matter; he could simply deny it.

In fact, many ambitious Nobility in the Versailles Palace knew what the Orleans lineage was plotting, and even regarded them as a political force to balance the power of the Royal House.

Mono subconsciously wiped away a cold sweat, then simply lowered his head and remained silent.

The Duke of Orléans didn't urge him, but just watched quietly.

Several minutes passed, and after weighing, comparing, and calculating again and again, Mono finally raised his head. "How confident are you?"

The Duke of Orléans was remarkably candid. "You should know how severe the food shortage is in the country right now."

"Yes, but it can still be maintained for now."

"That's because there are large ' Strategic Grain Reserve '," the Duke of Orléans said coldly. "If we manage to make those grains disappear, then the whole of France will soon be in chaos."

Mono's back was drenched in cold sweat, and he swallowed hard. "And then?"

"I will invest a lot of money to create a completely new political landscape by taking advantage of the chaos. You know, there are many people who are not content with being alone; all they lack is an opportunity."

"For example, those military officers. They've been very dissatisfied with the Royal House's actions lately."

Mono fell into deep thought again. After a long while, he suddenly broke into a bright smile, "Besides the military, there are also those great Nobility."

Please share your insights.

Do you remember the Mill Owner Obligation Act?

"Yes."

"This winter has been exceptionally cold; more than half the country's rivers are frozen over," Mono said rapidly. "As a result, a large number of mills are unusable. Reports I received this month indicate that over 60 millers have been stripped of their Mill Tax rights by the law. This number will rise rapidly as winter deepens."

Most mills in this era were powered by Waterwheel, and once the river froze, the mills could not be used.

In previous years, rivers across France rarely remained frozen for two consecutive months. However, due to this year's extreme weather, many rivers in France will remain frozen until March of next year!

The inability to use mills was also a major contributing factor to the Great Famine of 1788—the proud France insisted on grinding wheat into Flour War to make bread. Especially in large cities, many people starved to death due to the lack of bread.

Joseph's original intention was to use this bill to encourage the Nobility to purchase Steam Engine to upgrade their mills, but those stingy and short-sighted Nobility acted according to past experience, and even with loans from the Parish Bank, they were unwilling to spend money to install Steam Engine.

Ultimately, this resulted in many people losing their Mill Tax because their mills were unusable for more than two months.

Mono smiled and said, "I think the Nobility who have lost the Mill Tax will certainly be hoping for a power that can make the Royal House bow down."

The Duke of Orléans nodded with delight. "You are truly insightful."

"That's not all," Mono continued, "His Crown Prince is too hasty in implementing the Tunisia immigration policy, and he has offered very generous immigration conditions."

"Large amounts of cheap, fertile land in Tunisia —well, you could practically call it free land—where you could become a landowner if you farmed for ten years."

"This caused many people who originally intended to buy Farmland to turn to Tunisia, resulting in a drop in land prices in France. Although the drop wasn't too significant, you know, those Nobility who owned hundreds or even more hectares of land will suffer very large losses."

Any tiny price fluctuation, when multiplied by a huge base, will inevitably result in a staggering amount.

Seeing the approving look on the Duke of Orléans' face, Mono immediately added, "There are still many people dissatisfied with the Royal House policies, and I am very familiar with this area."

He suddenly touched his chest and bowed deeply. "If you could grant me a small position Chief Minister in your new Cabinet, then you would have my loyalty, Your Highness the Regent."

The Duke of Orléans nodded without hesitation. "Of course, no one is more suitable for this position than you."

Mono was overjoyed and bowed again. "Your great undertaking will surely succeed!"

His only son was on the verge of imprisonment, or even execution, and he himself was likely to be implicated and have his political career ended. This was absolutely unacceptable to him, who was used to enjoying power.

His only way to protect his son's and his own position is to join the Duke of Orléans ' camp.

Moreover, according to the Duke of Orléans, his chances of success are very high.

Because, after hearing the Duke of Orléans mention the plan, Mono immediately came up with a brilliant idea that could greatly increase the latter's chances of success.

He originally intended to use this scheme to gain the position of Chief Minister, but he never expected that the future Regent would grant his wish simply by casually displaying his abilities.

[Note 1] By the end of the 18th century, the Police forces in various Europe countries were ineffective, and the army was the main force in maintaining order, especially in cases involving Nobility. In these cases, it was usually the Royal House Guard who made the arrests—ordinary soldiers dared not make the arrests.