Kapitel 74: Chapter 74: The King is the Best Craftsman
Chapter 74: The King is the Best Craftsman
Joseph couldn't help but admire his sister's resilience. Suffering from anemia and undergoing bloodletting twice a month, she had managed to survive until now…
Thérèse, however, was puzzled. "Why? What did Dr. Baptiste do wrong?"
"He didn't do anything right…" Joseph replied, suddenly recalling the news Dr. Lamarck had delivered a few days ago: Vitamin E, also known as tocopherol, had been successfully extracted. This gave Joseph an idea.
Originally, he had planned to use Vitamin E to make cosmetics, but it also had the potential to treat certain types of anemia and boost the immune system. It might be just what Thérèse needed.
Combined with some iron supplements, this could significantly improve her anemia. He could ask Dr. Lamarck to synthesize some ferrous sulfate as well. It was easy to make—just heat iron with dilute sulfuric acid, then filter out the precipitate.
He seriously advised Thérèse, "You must stop the bloodletting immediately; it's seriously harming your health. Also, I've developed a medication that should help alleviate your condition. I'll have it sent to you tomorrow."
"Really? You've made such a medicine?" Thérèse's face lit up with joy.
She had long wanted to stop the bloodletting. No girl wanted to have scars all over her arms.
Joseph nodded.
"Oh, dear Joseph, you're a genius!" Thérèse exclaimed.
But as she spoke, she suddenly felt dizzy. She quickly excused herself, leaving the ballroom with the help of her maid to rest.
As Joseph pondered the right dosage of Vitamin E and ferrous sulfate for his sister, another idea struck him: why not sell this as a health supplement in the Angel of Paris store?
Vitamin E had anti-aging properties and could regulate the female menstrual cycle. Combined with the blood-boosting ferrous sulfate, it could be marketed as the "best friend" of women!
This product was sure to drive the noblewomen wild.
Thinking of a famous tonic from his previous life, Joseph's eyes gleamed with the prospect of profit. He mused to himself, "I'll call it 'Ladies' Delight Tonic!'"
At that moment, the young noblewomen, who had been waiting impatiently for Princess Thérèse to leave, immediately surrounded the Prince. They posed and flirted, doing everything they could to capture his attention.
Joseph, feeling overwhelmed, was about to call for help from Péronne when a woman in her thirties approached with a tray of wine and pastries.
He picked up a glass of wine, and the woman curtsied to him with a smile. "Your Highness, may I have a few minutes of your time?"
Eman, standing nearby, quickly whispered, "Your Highness, this is Lady Éric."
Joseph, realizing she wasn't a servant, bowed slightly. "How can I help you?"
The young women around them shot angry glares at the "older woman" who had swooped in so quickly.
Lady Éric ignored their looks and spoke to Joseph. "Your Highness, my late husband had a business partner who holds you in very high regard."
She handed Joseph a sealed envelope. "It may seem a bit forward, but he wishes to discuss something with you. Of course, it's entirely up to you whether you wish to meet him. However, he said that you would not regret it."
Joseph opened the envelope and found a theater ticket inside.
Lady Éric leaned in slightly and whispered, "Your Highness, this is from the British Ambassador, Mr. Hartley."
The British Ambassador? Joseph narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering what Hartley wanted with him.
He recalled what Dupont had mentioned about the Anglo-French Eden Treaty and thought, "Whatever the British are up to, it might be worth meeting him to gauge their intentions."
So, he raised the envelope with a smile and said, "Please tell him I will be there."
Finally, the ball came to an end, and Joseph returned to his chambers, exhausted, only to find the King's personal attendant waiting at the door.
"Your Highness," the attendant bowed, "the King invites you to his workshop. He has a surprise for you."
Joseph immediately followed him to the royal workshop. Before he could even greet Louis XVI, the King excitedly dragged him over to a black iron machine.
Joseph recognized it as a printing press.
Louis XVI signaled to the nearby craftsman, who quickly nodded, fixed a prepared stone plate into the press, placed several sheets of paper on the top iron rack, applied ink, and then pulled the long handle to press the paper down.
When the handle was lifted, the paper now displayed a landscape of Versailles.
But the craftsman didn't stop there. He removed the printed sheet and immediately pulled the handle again, producing another print.
In just over a minute, he had printed five sheets, only stopping to reapply ink and add more paper.
Louis XVI looked at Joseph with pride, as if waiting for a flood of praise.
"Dear Father, did you modify the lithographic press so quickly?" Joseph asked in surprise. "You did it in just three days…"
The craftsman, noticing that the Prince didn't fully appreciate the innovation, carefully pointed out, "Your Highness, the King also invented an automatic paper feeder."
He gestured to the rake-like mechanism on the paper rack. "Before, we had to manually place and align each sheet after every print. Now, we can print five sheets in a row, which speeds up the process considerably!"
Joseph widened his eyes at Louis XVI, thinking, No wonder you hold the patent for the new guillotine—your reputation is well deserved!
Not only had the King adapted the press for stone plates, but he had also significantly improved it!
This innovation would reduce both the time and cost of printing even further.
"I'm at a loss for words to express my admiration and respect," Joseph said with exaggerated formality, bowing deeply to Louis XVI. "You are undoubtedly the most impressive King I've ever known!"
Inwardly, he added, At least when it comes to mechanical engineering.
Louis XVI rubbed his hands together with a smile. "If I can improve the springs, it might be able to print 10 to 20 sheets at a time."
He began explaining his invention in detail, showing off the intricate mechanisms. "See here, as you pull the lever, it moves the paper and pushes it forward…"
Watching the precise craftsmanship, an idea struck Joseph—why wait for the craftsmen at Charleville Armory? They could start developing the next-generation rifle right now.
The King was the best craftsman—how could he not make use of that?
After checking in with the craftsmen and learning that they had mastered the production of stone printing plates, Joseph instructed Eman to summon the guards he had arranged for them. The guards would immediately escort the craftsmen back to the Paris Gazette office.
Louis XVI also sent his assistant, the renowned locksmith Mr. Féroland, to the newspaper office to help with the printing press modifications.
Once the craftsmen had left, Joseph sidled up to Louis XVI and, in a tone full of temptation, said, "Dear Father, I have a very intricate rifle design that only a highly skilled artisan could bring to life. Would you be interested in giving it a try?"
Louis XVI's eyes lit up…
(End of Chapter)
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