Difficult Problem

Three days later.

Municipal Commissioner's office.

"Sir, do you know about the Crown Prince reorganizing the police force?" Frua stared at the Municipal Commissioner, his face filled with worry. "The Duke of Orléans meant to make the Crown Prince lose face, but now he's made quite a success of it. Those Police Officers are highly motivated. I'm worried..."

Le Verber carefully selected a bottle from the wine cabinet and took out a bottle of wine. "Relax, Gail. Someone will take care of this."

"Someone? Who?"

Le Verber admired the purple liquid in the bottle against the light and said unhurriedly, "I spread word yesterday about what the Crown Prince has been doing. I imagine certain people are already unable to sit still."

As he spoke, Police Commissioner Guizot knocked and entered. He gave a perfunctory bow, his expression anxious. "Sir, you must advise Crown Prince Joseph."

"Oh?" The fat mayor took out a corkscrew and deliberately asked, "Advise him on what?"

Guizot irritably ground his leather boot against the floor. "Haven't you heard? His Highness has transformed the police force beyond recognition. This will seriously affect public security in Saint-Antoine District!"

He described Joseph's restructuring of the police force, then said with a bitter expression, "Honestly, if anyone else dared cause such an earth-shaking upheaval, I would have dismissed him long ago. But this is the Crown Prince, so..."

Le Verber forcefully pulled out the cork, sniffed the fragrance wafting from the bottle, and shook his head. "Viscount Guizot, what the Crown Prince is doing falls under the Police Department's internal affairs. It is difficult for me to interfere."

"Besides, I've been busy with funding lately. You know how little the Chamber of Commerce allocates, while the Crown Prince has added a large number of Police Officers. Nearly half the Police Department's budget has to be assigned to Saint-Antoine District."

"How can that be?" Guizot was shocked and cried out, "He can't take up so much funding! You must help me think of something!"

Le Verber put on a troubled expression and pondered for a while. Then he poured a glass of wine and pressed it into Guizot's hand, a veiled smile flashing through his eyes. "It's not as though there's no room to turn things around. For example, you could make the Crown Prince retreat in the face of difficulties. I'll do my best to cooperate with you."

Guizot looked deeply at him, drained the wine in one gulp, nodded forcefully, and left with a dark expression.

When the office door closed, Frua looked at the fat mayor in surprise. "Sir, how did you know Viscount Guizot would come?"

Le Verber handed him another glass of wine and smiled. "The Crown Prince has some ability, but he is still only a child. He sees only what is before him when he does things, while overlooking the consequences."

"The consequences?"

Le Verber took a sip of wine. "Besides Chamber of Commerce allocations, the police force's greatest source of income is its share from selling police posts. I spread the news that the Crown Prince had promoted Lowlifes into Police Officers. Those who originally intended to buy police posts will surely suspect that Paris police posts will no longer need to be bought in the future. Who would still be willing to pay at a time like this?"

"That is the biggest source of profit for those people in the police force." The fat mayor smugly swirled his glass. "Then I'll cut back some of the funds City Hall gives Guizot. They'll surely panic themselves half to death. What do you think they'll do?"

Frua's eyes lit up. "They'll desperately stop the Crown Prince!"

"Exactly."

The sun sank in the west.

Police Commissioner Guizot's carriage finally arrived at the Saint-Antoine District Police Station.

In Joseph's office, Guizot bowed respectfully and forced a smile as he flattered him. "Your Highness, you are truly incredible. With this reorganization, the police force has become completely renewed!"

After showering him with praise, he put on a worried expression. "It's just that the people from those civilian Patrols whom you incorporated into the police force can barely use swords, and they have never even touched crossbows or muskets. They need at least three or four months of training. Otherwise, they won't even be able to deal with the street thugs."

"During those months of training, no one will be doing the patrol work they were originally responsible for. Earlier, you had me transfer more than 120 Police Officers from other districts, but public security pressure is also severe over there. They will have to return soon..."

Joseph invited him to sit down and smiled. "It shouldn't take that long. I have a simple training method. Combat training can be completed in ten days or so. Borrowing Police Officers from other districts for ten-odd days shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Th-this, of course..."

"Of course." Guizot adopted a solemn expression. "But training is extremely important and must not be handled carelessly."

"Thank you for the reminder." Joseph said, "Please rest assured, I know what I'm doing."

"Very well..." Guizot nodded with difficulty, still unwilling to give up. "Your Highness, there is another matter. You recruited more than two hundred Police Officers at once. The police bureau cannot provide that much equipment for them..."

"You needn't worry about the equipment. I'll handle it myself."

Guizot had not expected that the difficult problem he had so carefully prepared would not be taken seriously by the Crown Prince at all.

He stubbornly brought up several more issues with the Police Reform, but they still had no effect. In the end, he could only leave resentfully, his mind in turmoil all the way. It seemed that the Crown Prince was determined to throw the police bureau into chaos.

The funding City Hall left for him in the future would probably amount to very little...

In truth, he had overthought things. Joseph had no interest in the Police Department's paltry funding to begin with, and the fact that police funding relied on private Chamber of Commerce fundraising was itself highly abnormal. With all sorts of future technologies and advanced ideas at his disposal, he had countless ways to make money. He needed to plug France's twenty-billion debt hole; maintaining a police system was merely a small matter.

In the carriage, Guizot's gaze gradually turned cold. He had to kick the Crown Prince out of the police system as soon as possible and restore everything to its original state!

Not long after Guizot left, two exquisite carriages arrived at the Saint-Antoine District Police Station.

Louis XVI's close attendant stepped down from the carriage, put on a gold-rimmed monocle, and frowned as he surveyed the rundown police station. Only after confirming that this was the place did he lead the servants inside at a brisk pace.

After meeting Joseph, he first completed the entire set of courtly formalities before respectfully presenting a letter. "Your Highness, this is a letter from His Majesty the King."

Then he signaled for the servants behind him to open the exquisite wooden box. "Her Majesty the Queen learned that you did not even bring an Imperial Chef with you. She was afraid you would not eat well, so she had these made."

Joseph looked inside the box and found exquisitely crafted cakes, strawberry pies, cream puffs, and all kinds of candies.

He held his forehead and gave a wry smile. Just looking at them made him feel overwhelmed by sweetness, but he knew this was Queen Mary's sincere care.

He broke the wax seal on the envelope and unfolded the letter, where he saw Louis XVI's beautiful, flowing Italian hand:

[My dear Joseph:

I hope this letter brings you all my longing and warmth! Here, as your father, I wish to express my deep concern and affection for you.

Do you know? I have finally completed the Salamander Fountain! I swear to God, it is absolutely the finest work of art... (he went on and on about his lock). Once it was finished, you were the first person I wanted to share it with. Only then did I learn that you had gone to work at City Hall. I am sorry. I truly stayed in the workshop for too long to know about this. How are you living in Paris? Your mother really is something else. You are only thirteen—how could she let you suffer this hardship? This is what Brienne and the others should be doing...

Oh, right, I heard that you completed university courses! How did you manage that? It is incredible! I am proud of you! My son, you are the pride of the entire royal family! I am certain that you will one day restore France to the glory it knew under the Sun King... (he praised his son for an entire page)

Joseph, I heard that you are reforming the Police Department, and that you are doing well. Well done! Just go ahead and do whatever you want. If anything goes wrong, I will cover for you. I will always support you... If you feel tired, return to Versailles Palace at once. Your mother is always worried that you are not eating well...

Finally, I want to tell you that no matter where you are, you will always be my dearest son. A thousand, thousand kisses!]

Though the letter was filled with French-style mushiness, Joseph could still feel the profound fatherly love within it.

He took a deep breath. In his previous life, his parents had been in poor health and had passed away one after another during his university years. It had been a long time since he had felt the warmth of family affection. Now, his heart was filled with warmth, and he hoped that in this life, he could live safely and happily with his family for a long, long time.