The Church Was the True King of Money-Grubbing (Currently being promoted, asking for all your support!)

Beaumont had previously promised the Crown Prince that he would cooperate with his efforts to clean up the bureaucracy, and he had been quite attentive to the matter lately, publicly condemning the officials on trial for corruption whenever he found an opportunity.

At his request, churches everywhere also periodically carried portraits of Gehazi around their cities, displaying them and giving speeches-Gehazi was a man in the Bible whom God had punished for his greed with severe leprosy, turning his entire body deathly white. At least, his appearance in the paintings was visually striking.

However, as the situation gradually settled down, the Church had largely stopped mentioning the matter lately. Beaumont had suddenly brought it up now simply to make a show of his efforts in front of Joseph.

Fouche accepted a glass of wine from a priest, glanced at Beaumont, who was talking on and on, and gave a disdainful snort before muttering:

"Hah, how could those officials possibly be as greedy as you?"

Joseph turned to him curiously. "What do you mean?"

Fouche realized he had been somewhat indiscreet, but under the Crown Prince's gaze, he could only lower his voice and say:

"Your Highness, many people within the Church know that Archbishop Beaumont's fortune amounts to three or four million francs. That money..."

He had been a clergyman himself, so he knew a fair amount of inside information about the Church.

At that, Joseph exhaled, frowning as he nodded.

He knew it too: as members of the First Estate, how could the clergy possibly not be corrupt? Especially since France strictly restricted the Church's power to interfere in secular affairs, leaving its people with nothing to pursue but the accumulation of wealth.

For now, however, he could only choose to cooperate with the Church temporarily. After all, compared