Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Leaving No Way for Nobels
After leaving the Academy, Lavoisier didn't head home but instead took a carriage out of Paris towards one of the Duke of Orleans' estates. A few days ago, he had borrowed a piece of land from the Duke for his new scientific experiments.
Perhaps it was due to the king's long struggle to have a son (Queen Marie Antoinette gave birth to her first child eleven years after marrying him), which had led many of the king's close noble relatives to believe that he might become heirless and that the crown might fall to them. The Orleans family, as close relatives of the king, might have entertained similar thoughts. A few years ago, after the king underwent surgery and finally impregnated the queen, they had two sons. However, ambition, once kindled, is hard to extinguish naturally. Just like Macbeth, who harbored ambitions for the Scottish crown because of the witches' prophecies. Although the old king had clearly stated that his crown would go to his son, not Macbeth, Macbeth's ambition for the crown did not diminish; instead, it grew stronger and eventually drove him to regicide. Some great nobles, including the Orleans family, shared this ambition, which had not faded away with the birth of the princes. Moreover, with the king's weak character and the queen, despite her strong-willed nature, lacking much political education and being politically immature as a woman, these nobles felt that "they could take his place."
To achieve this, over the years, great nobles, including the Orleans family, worked both overtly and covertly to undermine the king, making sure he couldn't do anything right. They also deliberately created public opinion to discredit the royal family. Of course, they wouldn't directly target the king—it was too direct and would reveal their ambition too easily. So, they all unanimously focused their efforts on Queen Marie. Marie, while strong-willed, was also vain and had little concept of money, so it was easy to trap her. They flattered her, lured her into hosting various balls year after year, and swindled millions of francs from her in "gifts." Meanwhile, they spread rumors about her "extravagance," even giving her the nickname "Madame Deficit." The recent scandal of the peculiar necklace incident had further tarnished her reputation. (A female con artist managed to escape from a heavily guarded prison after orchestrating such a grand spectacle that ensnared even the queen. Whether there was a problem here, only heaven knew.)
Of course, the nobles were measured in their approach. Their propaganda seemingly aimed to exonerate the king, but in terms of its impact, it was actually better than directly attacking the king's greed and cruelty. Because while people might hate a greedy and cruel king, they also feared him. But a kind and weak "good-hearted" king, controlled by his own wife, was scorned.
Machiavelli believed that the weakest and most easily overthrown kings were not tyrants hated by all, but kings generally despised by their subjects. Through this kind of propaganda, the great nobles steered people's hatred toward the queen while leaving the most dreadful thing—contempt—for the king.
If Louis XVI were a strong ruler, or even just a tyrant, he could have swiftly quelled these discussions with forceful measures. At least, he could have turned people's contempt into fear and hatred. In relative terms, a king's crown worn by a feared tyrant would be more secure than one worn by a king who was scorned.
However, Louis XVI was a man of weak character, always looking back and hesitating, unable to make the ruthless decisions needed to cut off the heads of these great nobles. His concessions only made the great nobles, including the Orleans family, believe that the French crown naturally belonged to them.
Machiavelli also argued that kings should show benevolence to their subjects, making them grateful and hopeful. While undermining the king with various snares, the nobles eagerly portrayed themselves as "friends of the people," "enlightened gentlemen," and "pioneers of democracy." In the words of a great teacher to come, they waved the begging bag of the proletariat as a flag to win over the people. Of course, these tricks would eventually be exposed, but for now, they were enough to have the people follow them.
To appear as "friends of the people," "enlightened gentlemen," and "pioneers of democracy," the nobles all put on a show of loving science, loving their country, and loving the people. Supporting academic research and academic freedom became a badge of honor among these nobles. Thus, supporting Lavoisier's research, which had become a source of pride for France, was the kind of thing that "friends of the people," "enlightened gentlemen," and "pioneers of democracy" should do.
Duke Philippe had some free time and was waiting for Lavoisier. He was genuinely interested in Lavoisier's experiments and asked about their content when he had lent him this land.
"Master, you know, I'm just curious, no other intentions. Can you tell me what experiments you're doing here?" Duke Philippe asked when he lent him the land.
"Oh, Joseph wrote me a letter. In it, he mentioned a special way to handle glycerin using concentrated nitric acid and concentrated sulfuric acid, creating a highly powerful liquid explosive. Well, perhaps we shouldn't call it gunpowder anymore; we should call it explosive. There are still many problems with this liquid explosive, but Joseph is busy with mathematics now and not particularly well-versed in such matters. So, after some preliminary experiments, he told me about it. I gave it a try, and it turned out that this stuff is incredibly powerful, just as Joseph said, probably dozens or even over a hundred times more powerful than black powder."
"Is it really that potent?" Duke Philippe exclaimed.
"It sure is," Lavoisier replied. "You see, Joseph described it as powerful as Zeus's thunderbolts. He suggested that when I experiment with it, I should never exceed one gram at a time. So, I tried it, and it exploded for real. And its power far exceeded my expectations. Well, my lord, this stuff is quite dangerous. To conduct full-scale experiments, it's impossible within the city of Paris."
"Such a powerful substance should be studied by the military, shouldn't it?" Duke Philippe asked.
"Ah, Your Highness, you might not know, but this substance, while immensely powerful, is not suitable for military use, at least not currently," Lavoisier explained. "You see, this stuff is highly unstable. A slight vibration, exposure to light, or even a little heat, and it will explode. Imagine using it for military purposes; during transportation, a small bump in the road could cause an entire cartload of explosive to blow up, with the power equivalent to over a hundred carts of gunpowder exploding at once."
"My God!" Duke Philippe exclaimed. "If it's that dangerous, how can this substance be used?"
"It's unsuitable for military use," Lavoisier continued. "This stuff is difficult to transport and often needs to be prepared on-site. In military operations, it's impossible to prepare this explosive on the battlefield. However, for civilian use, like mining, we can prepare it directly at the mining site and use it immediately, which is relatively safer. My lord, this substance is incredibly valuable. It can be very useful in mining and civil engineering projects, potentially bringing about revolutionary changes. The cost of raw materials is not high, and if we can solve the preparation problems, this substance should bring in a substantial income. Are you interested, Your Grace?"
"If the preparation issues can be resolved? My Master, does this mean there are problems with making this substance?" Duke Philippe inquired.
"Yes, currently it can only be made in a laboratory, and the quantity produced is quite limited. If it's to be used on a large scale, the production method will need to change. Moreover, even during production, there are considerable risks. Mass production under different conditions and environments will require careful study," Lavoisier explained.
"Then, Mr. Lavoisier, may I join this research?" Duke Philippe asked.
"Of course, I welcome your participation. In the future, you can even name this product. Furthermore, your name can be added as an author of future papers," Lavoisier said.
The Duke laughed, "Ah, that won't do. People will say I shamelessly pursued honors that don't belong to me. So, my name can't appear as an author on the papers. However, if you mention in the paper that I provided some insignificant help for this research, I'd be very pleased."
"That's not a problem," Lavoisier said with a smile. "Also, this research is somewhat hazardous. While you can certainly participate, please maintain a safe distance during dangerous operations."
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