Declaration of war
Sumiyar and Vergennes immediately looked toward the Duke of Orléans —they had made a thorough plan, but had not anticipated this situation.
In accordance with the usual pattern of political struggle, Brienne, caught completely off guard by their sudden attack, could only respond in two ways:
First, he accepted the defeat and announced his resignation.
Secondly, he made excuses and procrastinated, waiting for the Cabinet Meeting to end before seeking political assistance to break the deadlock.
Meanwhile, he had already made preparations and would mobilize more Nobility and join forces with the banking industry to put pressure on the Queen. In the end, Brienne still faced the fate of being dismissed.
However, who would have thought that Brienne would launch a counterattack on the spot!
The Duke of Orléans frowned and said coldly, "Archbishop Brienne, you were previously at a loss about pushing through the Tax Law, how come you're suddenly so confident?"
"France's Finance situation is extremely dire. If you still can't get the bill approved in two months..."
Brienne glanced at Joseph out of the corner of his eye, and seeing the affirmative look in his eyes, he steeled himself and said loudly, "Duke of Orléans, how do you know that the previous attempts weren't just me testing the High Court? And the rejection of the bill was also part of my overall plan."
He's a seasoned politician; he can spout truth and falsehood with ease.
He then looked at Queen Mary, his expression resolute, and said, "Your Her Majesty the Queen, if the Tax Law is not passed and Registration within two months, please exile me to Corsica!"
France has a tradition of exiling high-ranking officials who have committed offenses, but they are usually exiled to remote towns such as Lorraine or Perpignan. Exile to an island outside the mainland is considered a very serious punishment.
In fact, Brienne had anticipated that he would be dismissed sooner or later, and was prepared to accept it calmly. But for some reason, he had a premonition at that moment that the Crown Prince could really make the bill pass!
He was unwilling to let his political career end there, so he immediately made a decision—to trust the Crown Prince and take a gamble!
Seeing the hesitation in the Queen's eyes, the Duke of Orléans immediately exclaimed, "There's no need to waste another two months! We should immediately send Mr. Necker to save France's Finance!"
Joseph smiled calmly and asked, "Duke of Orléans, is Mr. Necker confident that the Tax Law will be passed within two months?"
The Duke of Orléans hesitated, realizing he himself was one of the masterminds behind the obstruction of the Tax Law, and could only shake his head. "Probably not..."
Joseph immediately turned to the Queen: "Your Her Majesty the Queen, since Mr. Necker cannot do it, what reason do we have not to give Archbishop Brienne is more confident, a chance?"
Orleans exclaimed urgently, "Your Majesty, Archbishop Brienne will only make the Finance situation worse!"
Joseph immediately replied, "Only by passing the Tax Law can the Finance situation be improved. And Mr. Necker is powerless to do anything about it."
He knew that collecting more taxes from the Nobility would be negligible for the France Finance. However, the passage of this bill was a crucial event in the power struggle between the Royal Power and the powerful Noble Group. Whoever lost would suffer a significant defeat on the political battlefield.
Therefore, this bill must be passed!
Queen Mary, seeing the two locked in a fierce confrontation, couldn't help but rub her temples wearily. The weight of these national affairs was still too heavy for a woman like her.
Her gaze darted back and forth between Joseph and the Duke of Orléans. Although she felt that the former seemed to have more to say, the latter was a minister with rich political experience, and his opinion might be more worthy of consideration.
She then recalled Brienne's confident demeanor, seemingly certain of victory, but she also had to consider the attitudes of the high-ranking Nobility at the "Assembly of Notables" and the banking industry...
She felt a jumble of conflicting thoughts in her head, and for a moment she didn't know whose advice to take.
After a long silence, Queen Mary looked to the other Cabinet Minister for help. "What are your thoughts on this matter?"
The Neutral Faction Cabinet Minister were unwilling to take sides rashly, and they all kept their heads down and remained silent. Minister of the Interior Mono opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.
Seeing that no one spoke, the Queen glanced at the Duke of Orléans and Brienne, and finally placed her hands limply on the conference table in front of her, saying softly, "Then, regarding whether Archbishop Brienne should continue to be in charge of Finance affairs until two months from now, I urge you all to make a fair judgment in the common interest of all France."
"I have decided to adjourn the meeting temporarily and resume the Cabinet Meeting tomorrow to make a Cabinet decision on this matter."
The "resolution" she referred to was a collective vote by Cabinet Minister on difficult policy decisions.
After she finished her announcement, as if she had used up all her strength, she signaled the meeting to end and, supported by her maid, walked towards the golden gate.
Joseph frowned inwardly, surprised that the Queen lacked decisiveness and courage, and had actually passed the problem on to her ministers.
The Duke of Orléans gave Brienne a smug look, said nothing, and led his faction out of the Conference Hall.
Both sides have already declared war, leaving no room for compromise; all that remains is for each side to employ various means to engage in political maneuvering.
Joseph and Brienne arrived together at the Office of the Minister of Finance.
After closing the door, Brienne immediately bowed and said, "Thank you for your help, Your Highness. You saved me and also saved France's Finance."
Then he eagerly asked the question that concerned him most, "Please tell me the truth, are you really confident that the bill will pass?"
Joseph knew that their interests were now intertwined, so he didn't need to worry about Joseph leaking information. He immediately nodded and said, "Please rest assured, I am indeed confident."
Although the "Assembly of Notables" may seem like an invincible political monster, it actually has two fatal weaknesses.
"First of all, it is not an extremely united whole internally, but rather a union of great Nobility and Capitalist Aristocrat... You can simply understand it as a union of the newly rich who have rapidly accumulated a large amount of wealth. We can divide and dismantle it."
"Secondly, it is too reliant on the High Court. Without the support of the High Court, they are merely a group of ordinary Nobility without any real power. And the High Court is notoriously corrupt, providing ample ammunition for attack."
Brienne nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this, saying, "Your analysis is very insightful; however, we only have two months..."
Joseph immediately smiled and said, "Please rest assured. I now have enough resources and means to divide the ' Assembly of Notables,' as well as the media tools to force the High Court to yield. Coupled with your Political Capital, if handled properly, the bill can be passed in less than two months."
A glint flashed in Brienne's eyes; at that moment, he was finally certain that he had made the right bet!
As the two were talking, they heard Eman's voice. "Your Highness, Count Monod has arrived."
Brienne and Joseph exchanged glances, then he called out, "Please come in, the door isn't locked."
The door was pushed open, and Minister of the Interior Mono walked in with a serious expression.
The author here is asking for all kinds of recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, and to add the book to favorites and follow the story. The author would be extremely grateful for your support, which is the motivation for me to keep writing!
(Reader group 1036217580, everyone is welcome to join and chat together.)
(End of this chapter)