Daily activities at Versailles Palace

A young man in his early twenties replied:

"Are you referring to drought and harsh winter, Count Excellency? ✌👣 💛🍭"

"No, that's not the main reason," Mirabeau waved his hand forcefully. "The food shortage stems from the Nobility ' neglect of agriculture. They stayed in the Versailles Palace and even forgot where their own lands were. This caused land that could have yielded 18 Bushel to produce only Bushel! It was their stubborn refusal to plant Potato. Even a backward country like Prussia didn't experience such a severe Famine France, precisely because they had Potato..."

At a table not far away, Venio was also giving a passionate speech:

"The farmers' meager harvest is often taken by their lords through mills and ovens. Meanwhile, the great Nobility ' hunting grounds occupy vast tracts of land where not a single grain of wheat grows!"

"Merchants want to transport Grain to areas lacking food, but they face roadblocks everywhere between regions... We must petition His Majesty the King to rectify these injustices in order to prevent riots!"

The Nobility around him nodded in agreement.

"Yes, let's go together and plead with His Majesty the King!"

"Your Majesty, please issue a decree to help those poor farmers."

"We must unite and give voice to the poor!"

"Let's go and request an audience with His Majesty tomorrow..."

France today has been influenced by Enlightenment thought for many years. Even in the Versailles Palace, there are many Nobility who accept the ideas of Rousseau and Voltaire, especially among young people, it has almost become a fashion.

Therefore, with just a little guidance from Mirabeau and others, countless young people responded enthusiastically.

As for the conservative Nobility, they were already used to these voices and simply pretended not to hear them. If they were to argue with the Emerging Nobles because of this, they would most likely lose—in terms of debating skills and theoretical knowledge, they were no match for the young people immersed in Enlightenment thought.

Early the next morning.

Last night, after a heated discussion with Venio that lasted most of the evening, the young Nobility stood in the middle of the Marble Courtyard, loudly proclaiming the points he had heard the night before.

At first, there were only a few dozen Nobility who had made an appointment for the banquet around him, but gradually more and more people gathered, and soon there were four or five hundred people surrounding him to listen to his speech.

Seeing this, Guard hurriedly went to ask Brienne for instructions:

"Archbishop, a large crowd has gathered in the Marble Courtyard, as you can see..."

Brienne had already received instructions from His Crown Prince, and immediately waved his hand, saying:

"They're just having a mild gathering; there's no need to interfere too much."

Forty minutes later, seeing that the group was large enough, the young man waved his hand vigorously:

"We will petition Her Majesty the Queen to abolish the lords' privileges and to ensure the survival of the peasants is taken seriously!"

Yes, even though he himself was Nobility, he could demand the abolition of Nobility privileges without hesitation.

This is France in this era.

A cheer of approval immediately erupted from the crowd, and then they escorted him toward the Petit Trianon.

As their shouts spread, more Nobility joined their ranks.

Of course, many more young people were firmly restrained by their parents, who forbade them from getting involved in these rebellious acts. On this day, quite a few people were severely beaten by their fathers for this.

As the leader of France, Queen Mary was already used to the collective petitions of the Nobility —they would stage such a protest almost every few months for various reasons.

She listened patiently to everyone's pleas, and then kindly said that she would seriously consider them.

Little did she realize that this was just a warm-up...

At the Cabinet Meeting the following day, after consulting with the Queen on some routine matters, Brienne placed a document in front of her.

"Your Majesty, this is a proposal from Viscount Chantal, Montpellier City, requesting the abolition of some of the lord's privileges."

"Cancel privileges?" Queen Mary immediately thought of the people who had petitioned yesterday, and opened the document with a puzzled look. "... Therefore, we humbly request Your Majesty to cancel the Nobility ' privileges of hunting, pigeon breeding, rabbit raising, and fishing. Reduce the amount of land used for hunting grounds and convert them into Farmland to increase grain production..."

"Abolish the Lord's Court 'Lord's Court. They are now completely outdated, and many lords reside at the Versailles Palace, making them utterly incapable of presiding over judgments... Given the successful experience of courts in cities like Paris, all disputes should be adjudicated in court..."

"Farmers expend a great deal of labor on farming, and if they are then required to work for their lords afterward, they will neglect their fields, thus reducing grain production. Therefore, the obligation of farmers to work for their lords should be abolished..."

"The farming contract between the lord and the tenant farmer should not be abolished or established unilaterally by the lord, but should be signed under the supervision of the court. The tenant farmer may choose to leave the land he originally cultivated..."

"The Serfs system had already severely impacted..."

Queen Mary patiently read through the text, but couldn't help frowning slightly.

This bill proposes the abolition of Nobility privileges, especially those related to land, ranging from Corvée and the lord's right to adjudicate, to hunting and animal husbandry privileges, as well as mill and Oven Tax, among others.

Moreover, the reason given was quite plausible—to increase grain production and prevent a recurrence of the riots that have engulfed the entire the South province.

The Queen turned to look at Brienne:

"Archbishop Brienne, these rights are traditions that have lasted for hundreds of years, symbols of the Nobility's dignity and status. Perhaps we shouldn't be focusing on these insignificant matters."

Brienne immediately said:

"Your Majesty, these are not insignificant. Viscount Chantal is right; traditional privileges have a direct impact on this riot."

Joseph had previously told him that this matter would not involve Church privileges, and that the Church's support for abolishing lordly privileges would enhance the Church's prestige.

Therefore, he did not hesitate at all when pushing forward this bill.

Mirabeau said from the side:

"Your Majesty, since the United Kingdom revoked some of their privileges, the country has clearly become stronger."

That's a fallacy of equivocation.

United Kingdom's strength stemmed more from its Colony and industrial development, but some Nobility privileges were indeed abolished during this process, which was merely an overlap in timing.

Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Talleyrand also expressed his agreement.

Joseph was the initiator, and therefore would not oppose it.

The Minister of Justice and the Minister of Census were still confused about the situation and could only remain silent.

Queen Mary hesitated for a long time, feeling that the matter was too significant, and finally rubbed her forehead and announced that they would discuss it another day.

Joseph didn't intend to get it done in one go.

Even if the Queen were to sign the decree today, the Nobility whose interests have been harmed would certainly find a way to reverse it.

Ultimately, this matter requires suppressing the Old Nobles forces. Today's proposal is merely a ploy to lure them out.

That afternoon, Viscount Chantal's proposal caused an uproar throughout the Versailles Palace, like a drop of water falling into boiling oil.

Many thanks to the generous donations from Sun Zhanpeng and Zzzlu to this book! The author is deeply grateful, thank you!

It's almost the end of the month, still asking for monthly votes!!!