Developing real estate

Historically, Robespierre was somewhat radical in his actions, but the fact that he was called "the Incorruptible" speaks volumes about his integrity.

After the Jacobin to power, as the de facto supreme leader of France, he was indeed wholeheartedly dedicated to the welfare of the people—at least that's what he subjectively believed—and never used his power for personal gain.

He also harbors some resentment towards the wealthy.

Based on these characteristics, Joseph believed he was the most suitable person to oversee the Taxation system, bar none.

Robespierre seemed relieved, yet also somewhat deflated, upon hearing this. "Your Highness, although I have no experience in Taxation matters, I will certainly do my best to fulfill this responsibility if requested. However, I feel it may not be as... risky as you previously described."

"No, you clearly underestimate the danger of this position," Joseph said. "You will be threatened, intimidated, and even face violence. Of course, there's a high probability of bribery and corruption."

Seeing that Robespierre still looked puzzled, he explained in detail his plan to abolish the Tax Farmer System and the interests involved, "Previously, all the country's taxes passed through the hands of these Tax Farmers, which amounted to a huge sum of over 500 million Franc. They would do anything to keep this lucrative prize."

Robespierre then became nervous, but still firmly said, "Your Highness, please rest assured, I will not fear any threat."

Joseph nodded in satisfaction. "You will assist Count Fuerke, oh, he is the newly appointed Director of the Tax Bureau, in building the national tax system."

Fuerke was appointed as the Minister of Finance in an emergency after Calonne was dismissed, but he only served for three weeks before Brienne took over the position.

This person was very skilled in finance and loyal to the Royal House, so Joseph appointed him as the head of the Taxation system.

However, as Nobility and bureaucrat, Joseph needed someone like Robespierre to keep an eye on him so he could feel at ease.

Joseph continued to Robespierre, "You should be very familiar with tax law, but you still need some training in finance and tax procedures."

"So you'll be spending three months studying School of Economics at the Paris Police Academy, where you'll get to know your future subordinates."

"Yes, Your Highness, I will follow your arrangement." Robespierre thought of something else and asked doubtfully, "Did you just say, police academy?"

"Yes, Police Academy. You'll also be training in drills and command there. And your subordinates, once they take up their posts, will all be carrying swords and Musket."

"..." Robespierre became even more nervous upon hearing this.

Joseph then personally took the newly appointed Tax Bureau Inspector Commissioner to the Versailles Palace to meet the Minister of Finance and the Tax Bureau commissioner, essentially supporting this young man with no political experience.

It was already past 3 p. m. when we came out of the Versailles Palace.

After Joseph entered Paris by Carriage, he suddenly remembered the matter of raising funds and said to Eman, "Please go to the Royal Palace first. I want to see the ' Starry Garden '."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The so-called "Starry Garden" is a real estate project near the Royal Palace, which is being promoted by taking advantage of the popularity of the World Expo.

Joseph hadn't paid much attention to this place before, and it wasn't until he returned from Silesia that he learned the sales situation seemed to be quite poor.

Now is the time when money is most needed, and we must seize the opportunity presented by lucrative sectors like Real Estate.

Joseph Carriage outside the "Starry Garden" and looked up at the area that had originally been the gardens of the Royal Palace.

This is one of the earliest areas in Paris to install Gas Lamp. It's next to the Royal Palace West, which has been developed into a commercial district. With complete supporting facilities such as hospitals and schools, sales should theoretically be quite good.

After all, the "Royal Garden" at the Tuileries Palace sold out almost instantly, while he learned from Brienne's report that not even a fifth of this plot had been sold.

The sales manager of "Starry Garden" soon learned that His Crown Prince had arrived and hurriedly led a group of subordinates to greet him.

After he bowed, Joseph began to discuss the house sale with him.

"Yes, you're right, there are many wealthy Nobility." The sales manager bowed as he followed Joseph, "But this place is still much more expensive than the houses in ' Royal Garden '."

The "Royal Garden" are priced at 60,000 Franc, but the actual transaction price is around 70,000 francs. The "Starry Garden" are priced at 100,000 francs, but they usually need to be discounted to 95,000 Franc to sell.

The sales manager continued, "Everyone thinks that Gas Lamp will be installed in the Royal Garden sooner or later, and that might lead to a price reduction here, so everyone's waiting..."

Joseph frowned. Real Estate is the same in any era: people buy when prices are rising, not when they are falling. This has created an expectation of price reductions, no wonder there are sluggish sales.

After a moment's thought, he instructed the person in charge, "Please choose the most conspicuous house and hang my badge there."

"Then advertise in the newspapers that only 10 houses remain in ' Paris's most expensive and luxurious residential area.' Remember, this isn't an advertisement, but rather hiring reporters to write news reports emphasizing that only the most prestigious people can live here, and that the houses will never go down in price."

"After that, everyone who comes to buy a house will first have to participate in a lottery. Only those who win the lottery can purchase a house, and the price will increase by 1,000 Franc every month, with absolutely no bargaining."

"Lottery?"

"It's a lottery system, but with more elaborate formats. For example, you could draw balls with numbers on them. Only those who draw balls that reveal a specific pattern within three draws are eligible to buy a house."

The sales manager hesitated for a moment. "Your Highness, but what if the buyer loses patience and leaves...?"

"Let them go," Joseph smiled. "Afterwards, you can have someone sell ' Starry Garden ' managers. Each number is worth 2,000 Franc."

Just kidding, it's only a little over a hundred houses, but all the wealthy people in France and even Europe are eyeing it. Any later attempts at "Hunger Marketing" or "concept marketing" would be a miracle if they didn't sell.

The Royal Palace gardens are only less than a quarter of the total area; a second phase is planned. If sold entirely, the net profit could reach 20 million Franc!

Next, the vacant land near the Louvre Palace, the vacant land between the Versailles Palace and Paris, and even the woodland behind the Versailles Palace can be used to build residential communities.

The Versailles Palace is crammed with tens of thousands of Nobility, and the average living space per person is so small. It's time to improve everyone's living conditions.

All that effort you put into organizing Fashion Week and the World Expo, and spending money to install Gas Lamp and desperately elevate Paris's prestige, was it all just to collect interest from Real Estate?