Making use of every opportunity
Clermont quickly gestured towards the two-story building not far away. "Your Highness, Baron Friant has converted a former Warehouse into a teaching building, and since the surrounding ground was already leveled, it can be used directly as Playground."
He led Joseph toward the students who were training. "As for the faculty, the Dean of Academic Affairs has brought in some professors of economics and Mathematics from the University of Paris, and also transferred teachers from the Police Academy. Currently, the entire academy has 34 faculty members."
He rubbed his hands together as he spoke, "This is indeed too few compared to 620 students, but by staggering the class times, we can barely manage."
"620 people?" Joseph was somewhat surprised. The School of Economics had only been preparing for a little over a month; how could Friant have managed to gather so many students?
"Yes, Your Highness. The Dean of Academic Affairs has transferred over 300 Police Academy cadets who have studied Mathematics. Oh, and Mr. Robespierre, the Lawyer, also brought over 30 people."
Joseph nodded. Robespierre had some reputation in the legal world, and he guessed that he had brought mostly Jacobin "followers." That was quite good; Jacobin were energetic, and the tax reform needed that kind of person right now.
On the Playground, students in black uniforms were practicing combat, wielding short sticks that made a sharp, rustling sound.
Shortly after, the Instructor reviewed the training session and announced a 15-minute break before resuming shooting practice.
Yes, as Joseph required, these "Tax Collector" spent more than half their time learning things like detective work, drills, hand-to-hand combat, and shooting.
After graduation, they are to become the core force of the Tax Bureau in various regions. Clerical work such as calculating tax rates and preparing reports can be done by recruiting clerks, while Tax Collector are more likely to lead teams to investigate tax evasion and collect tax payments, which requires them to have strong combat capabilities.
The Taxation system initially had limited manpower— the School of Economics was expected to enroll two classes and train around 1,500 graduates—so one person had to do the work of several. Once sufficient manpower was available, Joseph planned to split off a tax police department, and these Tax Collector, trained in Policing, could directly serve as commanders of the tax police.
As is customary, Joseph had lunch with the students of the School of Economics at lunchtime.
Sitting at the table to his left, Robespierre watched as His Crown Prince ate the same food as himself and the students, discussing the significance of tax reform without any airs, and a thought he had never had before welled up in his mind.
Perhaps, King can also lead his people to a better life?
He shook his head vigorously, immediately rejecting the idea as a proponent of Rousseau's thought. No, despotism could never produce a "kingdom of reason"!
However, he immediately realized that without the Crown Prince, the clean and fair tax system he was working so hard to create would not have appeared so quickly.
Even a government authorized by the people would likely find it difficult to construct such a reasonable tax system...
Ultimately, what truly constitutes "better"?
Unbeknownst to him, cracks had begun to appear in the very core of his resolve.
Joseph, however, was completely unaware of Robespierre's inner turmoil. After giving a brief speech to the students of the School of Economics as the principal, he rushed off to the National First Prison, which was only two kilometers away.
Well, the Bastille has now been converted into a financial center—so there are no longer any large prisons in Paris; the vast majority of criminals are now held here.
Moreover, the First Prison is located very close to the Paris Police Academy, which greatly improves security, eliminating the need for as many soldiers to be stationed there and saving on expenses.
Before long, Joseph, led by the prison Commander-in-Chief, the Marquis de Launay, entered the First Prison.
There are only a dozen or so buildings here. The main part is a prison surrounded by a wall Domi, which can probably hold three or four hundred prisoners. However, the bottom is reinforced with granite, so the difficulty of escaping is not much lower than that of the Bastille.
In reality, the Bastille was empty most of the time. It was a huge waste to build such a large area in such a valuable location near the city center, and it was particularly disliked by the citizens. It should have been moved outside the city long ago.
In a stone interrogation room on the third floor of the prison, Joseph met the main person he was there for, the Earl of Norfolk, the Governor of Poitou —the highest-ranking of the more than 40 officials sent to prison by the Fair Investigation Bureau.
The disheveled and haggard Earl of Norfolk, upon seeing the Crown Prince, excitedly bowed repeatedly, offering a long string of blessings and greetings before bursting into tears, confessing his mistakes and acknowledging that he had failed His King's trust, but... pleading for a pardon.
That's right. According to current France law, the King can pardon anyone with a simple signature. This person fully expected the Queen to send the crown Crown Prince to reprimand him and then grant him a pardon.
Joseph ignored him and turned to the Marquis de Launay, saying, "I just passed by the Nobility' prison and saw that the furnishings were still too extravagant. With the State Finances tight, let's cut back on everything except for the tables and beds. Oh, and it would be best to convert the cells into single rooms; that would be more conducive to the prisoners concentrating on their reflections."
"Yes, Your Highness, I will obey your orders."
Norfolk's face turned green. He was already nearly going insane in his current three-bedroom cell; if it were converted to a single room and all the furniture and amenities removed, what difference would it make from hell?
He watched as the Crown Prince gestured for Marquis de Launay and all the jailers to leave, then sat down opposite him, trembling as he said, "Your Highness, what are you doing...?"
"Your case hasn't gone to trial yet, but I can assure you that you'll at least be exiled to Lorraine," Joseph glanced at him and said calmly, "But it's more likely you'll be sent to Tripoli."
"No, no... I don't want to go there! Please, I beg you, plead with His Majesty for me..."
Joseph raised his hand to interrupt him, "If you show remorse, I might consider pleading on your behalf."
"Repent? Yes, I repent! I will confess to God every day, from morning till night, I swear!"
"No, you're mistaken. You need to show your remorse through concrete actions." Joseph picked up his teacup, as if smelling the aroma. "For example, expose some of your accomplices, or other crimes you know about. Only then might you be able to leave North Africa."
Norfolk paused, then asked cautiously, "Your Highness, what do you wish to know?"
"All," Joseph gestured for Eman to hand him paper and pen, "The higher the rank, the better."
With so many officials involved in this corruption case, causing such a huge uproar, and him expending so much energy on handling it, he naturally wouldn't waste the current situation.
While the issue is still hot, he should start by targeting these arrested officials and begin implementing the long-awaited reforms to Officialdom; only then will he not waste this opportunity.