Off to Paris (Please Bookmark)

Jinghua Book Pavilion,

Before the Queen could speak, the tall, thin man with cold eyes suddenly gave a dry cough and stepped forward half a pace.

"Your Majesty the Queen, you seem to have said that you intend to let His Highness the Crown Prince participate in government affairs?"

Queen Mary turned her head slightly, her tone calm.

"Yes, Duke of Orléans. The Crown Prince and I agreed that if he completed his university courses, he could participate in state affairs."

The Duke of Orléans's gaze sharpened as he thought to himself, The Crown Prince has always performed mediocrely. Why had he suddenly become so capable? Could it be that he had been pretending all along? But why would he do that? And why reveal his abilities now—what was he plotting?

No matter what, after all these years of his manipulation, the royal family's Prestige had already greatly declined, and its position was growing ever more unstable. If a genius Crown Prince suddenly emerged now, it would inevitably strengthen the court and public's confidence in the royal family.

That was extremely detrimental to his plans. He had to find a way to keep him down!

The thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately said loudly, "Your Majesty the Queen, the Crown Prince is still young and has no experience in government. I believe it would be more appropriate to select a seasoned minister to teach him the knowledge of governance for a few years before allowing him to participate in state affairs."

Queen Mary frowned slightly. The Duke of Orléans had a point. Although the Crown Prince was astonishingly gifted, he was only thirteen after all. If he botched state affairs, it would adversely affect his Prestige.

She looked toward her son and said in a consulting tone, "Joseph, perhaps you should study for a while longer."

Joseph glanced at the Duke of Orléans. As a transmigrator, he knew this man's true nature very well—Louis Philippe, Louis XVI's cousin. At present, everyone believed he was loyal to the King and devoted to the country, but in truth, ever since his father's generation, he had been committed to overthrowing the King's branch of the family and ascending the throne himself.

After the Great Revolution in France succeeded in history, when the Girondins voted on whether to execute the King, the Duke of Orléans cast his vote in favor without the slightest hesitation. In the end, Louis XVI was sentenced to death by 301 votes to 300. It could be said that it was his crucial vote that sent Louis XVI to the Guillotine!

Joseph had not expected him to leap out so eagerly. He refused to yield in the slightest.

"Your Majesty the Queen, when Joan of Arc defeated the United Kingdom army three hundred years ago, she was the same age as I am. She proved herself through action. Please believe in my abilities, and give me a chance to prove myself!"

Orléans said earnestly, "Your Highness, state affairs are of grave importance. It is not something that can be handled merely with confidence—"

Joseph was not about to indulge him. He swept his hand forcefully. "Duke of Orléans, this is an agreement between Her Majesty the Queen and me. Please do not interrupt."

He then looked at the Queen again. "Mother, if I become the Assistant Minister of Finance, can I not also study under Bishop Brienne?"

Several Cabinet ministers were all stunned. None had expected the young Crown Prince to have the Courage to confront the Duke of Orléans face-to-face. One had to know that even the Chief Minister usually had to discuss matters with the latter.

The Duke of Orléans had been even less prepared for Joseph to show him so little respect. He stood there blankly for a long while before finally reacting, then shouted in fury.

"Finance is France's lifeline! We absolutely cannot let an inexperienced young man interfere!"

Quite a few ministers around them nodded in agreement. Seeing this, Queen Mary looked once more at the determined Crown Prince and finally offered a compromise.

"Joseph, go take a post at City Hall first. If you perform well, we can discuss allowing you to become involved with finance afterward."

Joseph swept his gaze over the seven or eight Cabinet ministers in the room. He knew that with them present, it would be difficult for the Queen to give him the green light. It seemed he could only spend some time at City Hall first. He nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty the Queen."

The Duke of Orléans still wanted to stir the waters further and stepped forward. "Your Majesty the Queen, the Crown Prince should first learn—"

"It is decided." Queen Mary raised a hand to cut him off, then looked toward Brienne. "Please continue with the matter of tax law reform."

Joseph sat to one side and listened through the Cabinet Meeting, gaining a deeper understanding of France's dreadful financial situation—ninety percent of the meeting had been about money. Or, to be more precise, about having no money.

When the meeting ended, the Queen insisted on rewarding him and pulled him along to sample a huge pile of desserts. Only after his throat hurt from being cloyed by all sorts of exquisitely made, varied cakes, puddings, and macarons did he finally—

Jinghua Book Pavilion,

Finally regained his freedom.

Joseph emerged from the Tea Room, weighed down with worries, when he suddenly thought that perhaps he could try taking the route through Louis XVI.

By the time he reached the King's bedchamber, however, he was informed that Louis XVI was busy with a masterpiece that would shake the world. He had already spent three consecutive days eating and sleeping in the Locksmith Workshop without coming out.

Joseph suddenly felt exhausted. With a father like this, how could he possibly avoid the Guillotine?

Forget it. Sixteen was probably in the midst of his excitement and would send him off to find the Queen anyway. The boomerang had come back around... He shook his head with a bitter smile and turned to order Eman, "Prepare the carriage. We are going directly to Paris City Hall."

"Yes, Your Highness."

When Joseph exited the main gates of Versailles Palace, he saw more than ten carriages parked in the Marble Courtyard ahead, with a full sixty or seventy people standing respectfully beside them.

He could not help rubbing his forehead and shaking his head. He roughly recognized these people. They were all the Crown Prince's personal attendants, including beauticians, cooks, tailors, and every other sort of servant. It seemed they were preparing to follow him along. No wonder so many carriages had been prepared.

Joseph quickly had Eman send them back. If he brought this entire crowd to City Hall, would it not turn into complete chaos?

Then he looked at the silver royal carriage parked before him. Its cabin had an elegant design, covered from end to end in exquisite relief carvings, with every corner and curve decorated in gold thread. It was luxurious beyond compare.

After considering it, he turned and boarded an ordinary carriage meant for attendants instead. If he rode out in the royal carriage, he could forget about having any peace and quiet along the way.

Very soon, three gray-black carriages sped out of Versailles Palace Square and galloped eastward.

Versailles Palace was located on Paris's western outskirts, still more than three hours' journey from the city proper. In the carriage, Joseph yawned idly. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a stack of books on the wooden table before him, so he casually picked one up and flipped through it. To his surprise, it contained information on Paris City Hall.

He looked toward Eman, seated opposite him. The latter immediately smiled and placed a hand over his chest in salute. Clearly, he had prepared all of it.

To become the Crown Prince's steward, one needed perceptiveness far beyond that of an ordinary person. Joseph smiled and nodded at him, then began reading through the materials in his hands. They were extremely detailed, covering City Hall's personnel structure, functions, and daily operations.

When Joseph flipped to the third page, he saw that among City Hall's subordinate departments was, astonishingly, the Police Department.

He hurriedly read on and confirmed that the Paris Police were entirely under City Hall's jurisdiction. His eyes immediately lit up.

It seemed that taking a post at City Hall this time would not be a waste of time after all. At the very least, he could thoroughly reform Paris's police affairs.

For France's lower-class citizens, chaotic public security was the second-greatest nightmare after harsh taxes and levies! Being pickpocketed or robbed on the streets was a minor matter. Home invasions, violent attacks, murder, and kidnapping were commonplace. As for gang members who spent their days exploiting and oppressing citizens, they were an even greater cancer gnawing at Paris.

At present, no country in all Europe had yet established a modern police system. Public security still depended on citizens organizing mutual defense to protect themselves, while solving cases was basically out of the question. Crime was rampant, and ordinary people lived in constant fear.

Therefore, reforming the police was immensely significant. Solving public security problems could greatly improve social stability, and social stability could greatly reduce the people's urge to chop down the royal family.

Joseph finished reading the City Hall materials and carefully considered the details of improving police affairs. By then, the carriage had already entered Paris proper, and a suffocating stench of rot suddenly wafted in from outside the window.

Off to Paris (Please Bookmark) Free.