The Happy People of France

Joseph rubbed his ears, put down the draft of the France - Austria trade agreement, and frowned as he looked out the huge floor-to-ceiling window. 😳🐺 💥💀

The windows were tightly closed, but that couldn't stop the tsunami-like cheers coming from the Versailles Palace Square.

He then remembered that today was the day of the Star of France final, and could only shake his head and stand up. It seemed that he would have to go to the Tuileries Palace to work.

Eman strode over and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, Her Majesty the Queen has sent someone to urge you; the competition is about to begin."

Joseph nodded, stretched, and had Servant help him change his clothes before heading towards the square. Since he couldn't do anything else, he figured he might as well go and watch the game with his mother; she loved these kinds of activities.

As he stepped out of the gates of the Versailles Palace, he heard a commotion coming from the Marble Courtyard. "No, we need to add more emotion! Especially the part about his father's death..."

"Back then, so that I could continue dancing, my dad would work five jobs a day, not getting to sleep until midnight, and then going to the Workshop at 5 a. m. the next morning."

"Although I have no right hand, no family, and hardly any friends, I still have my voice; singing is everything to me..."

"It's true! I heard God's voice that day... So I regained my faith, bravely returned to the qualifying rounds, and finally succeeded! Thank God!"

Joseph smiled and shook his head. He knew these were the contestants who would be participating in the competition, and the Marble Courtyard was currently being used as their preparation area.

To maximize the buzz surrounding the competition, he specifically asked all contestants to tell a story about themselves before the competition, the more emotional the better.

To his surprise, the France of the 18th century were incredibly perceptive. After just a few rounds of competition, they discovered the importance of "pre-competition stories"—when two people were evenly matched in singing and dancing, the outcome was determined by the emotional impact of their stories. In fact, if the story was moving enough, it was even more important than the contestants' actual abilities.

As a result, the contestants' stories became increasingly fascinating, and it's said that some Drama have even started making money by writing "pre-competition stories" for others.

This has greatly increased the popularity of the competition, and now the event is not only popular throughout France, but almost all of Europe is talking about it.

The Star of France Organizing Committee even compiled these contestants' stories into a book for sale; the qualifying round version has already been released three times, with astonishing sales.

Temporary wooden seating arranged in a ring around the tall stage in the center of the Versailles Palace Square. The venue was designed to have more than 5,000 seats, and while each seat was occupied by two people, most of the audience members were still standing on the periphery, craning their necks to look at the stage.

To accommodate the Star of France competition, the Paris City Hall specifically requested that all Workshop and shops give their employees at least one day off during the three-day finals. This significantly increased the number of spectators.

Joseph made his way through the crowd by the Guard to the VIP section of the stands. When the people along the way learned that it was His Crown Prince, they all bowed to him.

Joseph sat down next to Queen Mary and casually chatted with his mother about the match. He couldn't help but recall the time he watched the fencing with Clementine on Louis XVI's birthday. He suddenly realized that having a little girl chattering away beside him would make the occasion more lively.

However, his cousin's return to Austria also relieved him. He was genuinely afraid that the Queen would force a marriage between close relatives, which, given his familiarity with modern genetics, would be an absolute catastrophe...

A series of loud Bugle Call out from all around, accompanied by drumbeats and piano music. Louis XVI's sister-in-law, the Madam of Vence, came to the center of the stage and announced the official start of the Star of France final.

Then the host recounted the twists and turns of the qualifying rounds, encouraging the contestants to perform at their best...

Hundreds of journalists from various countries were in the Grandstand, frantically taking notes on the match. This game was now the focus of media attention; whichever Newspaper Office sent its story back the fastest would have the highest circulation.

The French People who came to watch the competition cheered excitedly, or were moved to tears by the athletes, completely immersed in a carnival feast.

All the hardships and frustrations of daily life were completely forgotten at this moment.

In fact, since the preliminary rounds two months ago, their lives have revolved around various contestants and the well-received song and dance performances.

It's fair to say that during this period, the French People were among the happiest people in all of Europe. Now, unless they were starving, they wouldn't care at all even if someone incited them to commit Great Revolution.

Joseph gazed at the young people singing and dancing on the stage, then glanced at the tens of thousands of citizens around him who were completely absorbed in the performance. He couldn't help but nod in approval. The formula for mass entertainment in later generations was indeed effective.

He then thought that after the Star of France ended, should they hold a French Games, or even a European Games?

Yes, we should promote some popular sports among the public, which can not only help people exercise, but also provide an outlet for their emotions.

It could even stimulate the economy.

He immediately gave a brief overview of the current sports available—horse riding, fencing, tennis, golf...

It seems that cricket is an Nobility sport, with only cricket being able to gain popularity among the general public.

He sighed. Well, it seems he'll have to "invent" Football again.

However, for people of this era, Football made of cowhide is still not something that ordinary people can afford.

Joseph had a well-thought-out plan in mind: he could get some money from the Finance to buy public Football for each parish to use.

A smile played on his lips; perhaps then we could still see our beloved World Cup in the 18th century.

Hmm, and could Ligue 1 also be included earlier?

I could even form my own professional football team, the Paris Crown Prince Team? Just thinking about it is a little exciting...

In addition to the Louis Prize selection and awarding ceremony already on the agenda, as well as the new Paris Fashion Week, France has a constant stream of major events throughout the year.

Joseph suddenly slapped his thigh. "Hmm, if that's the case, Paris property prices are definitely going to rise again. We need to hurry up and arrange new Real Estate projects. It would be perfect to combine this with the Paris - Versailles Palace integrated project and develop the wasteland between the two. That's a lot of money!"

Three days later.

The Star of France competition has come to a close, with Aurelien Tonna, a young man from Brittany, emerging victorious.

The runner-up was a Paris businessman, and the third-place winner was a junior clerk from Bordeaux.

It wasn't that the commoners were particularly strong, but rather that most of the Nobility were too arrogant to compete against them, so they didn't sign up.

However, when the Nobility of the Versailles Palace saw Tonna, amidst cheers from thousands, personally presented with the trophy and Livre livres by the Madam of Vence, and join the Court Orchestra, they were all filled with regret. They silently resolved to participate in next year's Star of France! What was the value of Nobility status compared to Livre?

(End of this chapter)