Fines, fines, and yet more fines!

Upon hearing the judge's verdict, the Duke of Chartres was overjoyed and turned to congratulate his Lawyer.

The same Lawyer, his face swollen with excess fat, rose and bowed slightly to the judge. "Your Honor, I would like to request that you issue the enforcement order, commanding the banks to unfreeze the property of the Duke of Orléans —oh, now, the Duke of Chartres."

Dibore frowned immediately. Legally, he should indeed issue the release order, but how would he explain that to the Crown Prince?

Just as he was in a dilemma, Danton, who had been mostly silent, stood up and gestured to Duke of Chartres ' Lawyer, "Please wait a moment, Mr. Balthasar."

He then turned to the judge's bench and said loudly, "Your Honor, I believe that the exact amount of the Duke of Orléans ' estate should be verified in court first; otherwise, once it is unfrozen, it could very likely cause losses to the creditors."

"Creditors?" Balthasar frowned and sneered, "You're mistaken, Prosecutor Lawyer. The Duke of Orléans has no debts whatsoever..."

Danton continued, "The total amount involved is 3.2 Livre in unpaid taxes. Based on the recommendations from the Treasury Department, late Taxation fees and penalties amount to a total of 15 Livre."

His assistant immediately handed copies of the two documents to the judge and the Duke of Chartres ' Lawyer, respectively.

"This investment in the United Kingdom Steel will provide crucial support for its research and development of smelting technology, thereby giving it an overwhelming advantage over its France counterparts in hard steel products..."

Just as Dibore was about to adjourn the court, Danton preemptively said, "In addition to these illegal investments, the Duke of Orléans has also engaged in extensive tax evasion."

He immediately took a deep breath, took out the prepared document, cleared his throat and said, "Your Honor, first, I will explain to you the basis for the fine imposed on the Duke of Orléans for this illegal investment in 1775."

Bernie, anticipating the many benefits promised by His Crown Prince after the case was resolved, continued boastfully, "As for the investment in May 1776, its impact was even greater..."

Danton said to Dibore, "Your Honor, please have Mr. Bernie, who is in charge of calculating these irregularities, explain the details to everyone."

Lawyer Balthasar glanced at the document, his eyes widening instantly. He frantically flipped through it, then exclaimed angrily, "How is this possible?! Just because there was no review, they're fining us 16 Livre?!"

Given the Duke of Orléans's status and position at the time, no one would have mentioned these so-called violations, and even if someone had investigated, they would most likely have been pardoned by the King.

"Here are the testimonies of the Marquis Ludo and other managers of the Banking Guild. In March 1775, the Duke of Orléans invested 1.8 Livre in the United Kingdom" Hurlhe River Steel Company " from the City Trade Bank."

After he finished explaining the basis for all ten or so fines, bowed to the judge, and left, it was already 6 p. m.

He first bowed to the judges, including Dibore, and then nervously glanced at Duke of Chartres, but then remembered His Crown Prince's instructions.

Joseph only needed to casually copy some homework from later generations; the Duke of Orléans's assets were really nothing compared to that.

As he spoke, he glanced discreetly at Robespierre, who had obtained these financial records of the Duke of Orléans, which were of great help in analyzing the Duke of Orléans's Taxation situation.

Lawyer Balthasar immediately retorted angrily, "This is utterly absurd! Let alone more than ten years ago, even now investment reviews are just a formality! Even if they were reviewed back then, they wouldn't have been rejected..."

But things are different now. You're gone; whether you want to be on your side or not is entirely up to someone else.

Joseph had seen too many news reports in his later years about Western politicians using similar methods to punish their opponents—even President Trump, a living person, was almost bankrupted by the Old Biden's fines, let alone the dead.

Duke of Chartres nearly coughed up blood upon hearing this; those two fines had wiped out more than half of his father's assets.

Mr. Bernie, who was in charge of the accounting, retorted coldly, "This is a serious slander against the government. I can produce a lot of evidence to prove the efficiency and dedication of the auditing department."

Danton, however, continued passionately, "In addition, the Duke of Orléans also committed numerous illegal acts in previous Farmland and Manor transactions... the fines for these were..."

Soon, a middle-aged man wearing glasses, with a neat wig and impeccable clothing was summoned to court.

"No, no, this isn't just a 'violation,' it's a serious violation!" Danton waved his hand forcefully. "Please look at this fine document issued by the Finance audit specialist."

Danton recounted 15 investment records in one go, spanning more than ten years and involving more than 13 million Livre.

In May 1776, he invested 2.2 Livre in the United Kingdom "Carman Brothers Textile Company" from the Paris Discount Bank.

"As for your claim that it wouldn't be rejected in 1775, please provide concrete evidence."

Balthasar, the Lawyer, impatiently interrupted him, saying, "Yes, some minor violations; that should be handled separately."

"The Duke of Orléans transferred all of these investments to the Bank of England in the form of Bill of Exchange, without undergoing investment review. This violates Article 12 of the Fiscal Act of 1774..."

Upon hearing this, Dibore's eyes lit up. "There's actually such a way to calculate it! Which genius came up with this idea?" Now, His Crown Prince's instructions finally had a solution.

"In December 1776, funds were transferred from the Paris Discount Bank to the Netherlands..."

He then rattled off a string of technical terms, concluding. "Therefore, it can be seen that from 1775 to the present, due to the Duke of Orléans ' illegal investments, at least seven steel mills in France have gone bankrupt, resulting in losses exceeding 3 million Livre."

"If the Duke of Orléans had submitted the investment application to the Treasury Department, I believe the investment would have been rejected, and the money would have remained in France to help advance domestic steelmaking technology..."

"There is testimony proving that the Duke of Orléans was involved in the illegal slave trade... a fine is required..."

"I..." Lawyer Balthasar paused. The ticket he just saw had the signature of the official who reviewed it back then; it would be a miracle if he could produce any evidence.

"Is that so?" Danton gestured to his assistant to hand the documents to the judge, and also gave a copy to Duke of Chartres. "Please turn to the second page, Your Honor."

Danton spoke for an hour and a half, and Duke of Chartres was already in despair—no need to calculate, his father's meager fortune had probably been completely confiscated.

Danton paused abruptly, and just when everyone thought he was finally about to finish, he took a breath and said, "These are the less serious violations. Next, I'll talk about the Duke of Orléans' instigation of riots in numerous the South provinces, causing enormous damage to the country."