Dealing with the aftermath

Right now, the bigwigs at those Assembly of Notables are all frantic, desperately urging the military to quell the local riots as quickly as possible. They have no time to worry about the "abolition of privileges bill." 🐚👻 😂👑

Without these powerful Nobility taking the lead, other Nobility who wanted to preserve their privileges simply couldn't compete with the abolitionists, who had a large number of Nobles of the Robe joining them.

During this period, even the streets of Paris saw rallies in support of abolishing privileges. Of course, this was also arranged at Joseph's behest.

Queen Mary glanced at the documents beside her, frowned, and sighed, "The riots are getting increasingly serious. Count of Dumont and others have even been killed by rioters. I have no mood to discuss these proposals right now."

"Your Majesty, quelling the riots and these proposals do not conflict," Talleyrand said, bowing. "Moreover, the content of these proposals will appease the poorest people and will be very helpful in stopping the riots."

His expression was filled with reverence. "Your Majesty, abolishing the privileges of the Nobility will greatly alleviate the burden on the peasants and improve their lives. This will make tens of millions of France peasants grateful for your benevolence and forever remember your kindness."

His words touched Queen Mary slightly.

Previously, some people maliciously tarnished her reputation, spreading rumors that she was "extravagant" and "Cake cake when she couldn't afford bread," which caused her reputation to Abyss.

The bill currently has the support of most Nobility, and if I could be a signatory to it, it would greatly enhance my image among the people.

And this would indeed help quell the riots.

She nodded immediately. "Alright, let's discuss this properly at tomorrow's Cabinet Meeting."

The detention room on the second basement floor of the Police Intelligence Division.

Joseph, dressed in a red hunting outfit, pushed a cup of Black Tea with three large spoonfuls of sugar in front of Mono, sighed softly, and said, "The Maletdu Brothers have admitted that it was the Duke of Orléans who ordered them to frame your son."

Mono's pupils contracted instantly, and he nearly knocked over the scalding hot teacup.

He was arrested in Brittany. In fact, if he hadn't been reluctant to part with his money and hadn't tried to secretly send a large Bill of Exchange to Bank of England during the riots, he wouldn't have been caught by the Police Intelligence Division.

Most major banks now have supervisors dispatched by the French Reserve Bank to verify the legality of large transactions. However, Mono, which was at the top of the supervisory list, was taken away by the Police Intelligence Division the day after submitting hundreds of Livre in Bill of Exchange.

"I... Your Highness..." The former Minister of the Interior managed to utter only two words after a long pause.

Joseph raised his hand to interrupt him, and said calmly, "Your biggest mistake was trusting the Duke of Orléans."

"Your Highness..."

Joseph nodded. "You stood by me when I needed help the most, but then you stood against me for some personal gain."

"However, I am a sentimental person and have never forgotten your kindness."

"As you've probably noticed, there hasn't been any news in the newspapers about you maliciously allocating reserve grain, causing food shortages. I was the one who ordered them to suppress the news."

A glimmer of hope appeared in Mono's eyes, and she said, her voice choked with emotion, "Your Highness, it's all my fault! I am so grateful for your kindness..."

Joseph interrupted him again, "But you have indeed brought enormous disaster to the country."

"I'm giving you one last chance. Either you're exiled to Nice or Dauphiné."

Mono's face turned deathly pale, his eyes widened, and he shook his head repeatedly. "No, please don't do this..."

He was the one who caused the food disaster. If he were exiled to the most affected areas in the South, he would be killed by angry citizens immediately if the news leaked out.

Joseph continued, "Or, you could accuse the Duke of Orléans of being the mastermind behind all this, as a victim of manipulation. Then you could be exiled to Nancy. However, you would need solid evidence."

"No..." Mono's face was almost ashen. Accusing the most powerful Duke under the Royal House was tantamount to killing him.

Joseph smiled and said, "You don't need to worry, we'll discuss this after the Duke of Orléans passes away."

Mono jumped up from his chair in shock, exclaiming, "No, no... you mean, he, he's dead?"

This is also why Joseph kept him around.

As long as the Duke of Orléans is alive, given his enormous influence in France and his immense wealth, even if the evidence is conclusive, he would at most be fined a large sum of money and reprimanded; exile would be out of the question.

But if he dies, and is then branded with serious crimes such as causing Famine and inciting riots, no one will dare or be willing to stand up for him.

The Marquis of Saint-Viran was unaware of much of the details of the food crisis, while Mono was fully aware of it.

The former Minister of the Interior looked at the smiling, silent young man before him and involuntarily shivered. After a long while, he lowered his head and stammered, "Yes, yes, Your Highness. I have his letter, I will follow your instructions. Testify, yes, testify against him..."

At the Cabinet Meeting the following day, with all ministers unanimously approving, Queen Mary signed the decree "abolishing the privileges of the Nobility".

Thus, the feudal lord privileges that had severely hindered the development of France industry and capital officially became history, and a glimmer of hope appeared on the road to the France Industrial Revolution.

Meanwhile, Baron de Breteuil, the Minister of Justice, dropped a bombshell that shook the entire country—the long-absent Minister of the Interior Mono, surrendered to the High Court and revealed that the Duke of Orléans was the mastermind behind the food crisis in the South!

Suddenly, even the "decree to abolish privileges" was forgotten; from the Versailles Palace to the streets of Paris, everyone was discussing the matter heatedly.

However, just as Joseph had predicted, a large number of Nobility gathered at the Petit Trianon that afternoon to plead with Queen Mary on behalf of the Duke of Orléans.

Three days later, news came from Armor that the Duke of Orléans had been killed by rioting citizens using stolen cannons.

The Versailles Palace was shaken once again.

This time, however, people only strongly demanded the suppression of the riots and the severe punishment of the perpetrators, and no one mentioned pardoning the Duke of Orléans anymore.

Joseph watched from the window as the indignant Nobility demanded the military quell the unrest as soon as possible, and simply smiled and shook his head.

Forty-eight of the Nobility on his playing cards have already suffered the blows of angry mobs.

Of the remaining four, some were unable to break through due to the Manor's excellent defenses and the small number of local residents, while others were forced to abandon their plans due to mistakes by Police Intelligence Division.

According to the pre-arranged plan, the South provinces should have already entered the post-disaster recovery phase. If all goes well, the rioters will soon return home, and order will be restored in the provinces.

Two weeks ago, the Paris Police Department had already dispatched a large number of officials to the provinces affected by the riots to "guide" the work of the local Police.

This is only the first step in cleaning up the mess.