Bab 108: Chapter 108: Preparing for a Matchmaking!
Chapter 108: Preparing for a Matchmaking!
"Since the Prince is here, you can take this opportunity to perfect the painting," Queen Marie said with a smile to Madame Le Brun, the artist. She then had a maid bring over a chair and, without allowing any protest, seated Joseph in it.
Seeing this, Brienne gave Joseph a helpless look, took the potato promotion plan signed by the Queen, and bid his farewell.
Madame Le Brun, ever the professional, instructed her assistants to set up her painting equipment. She squinted at the sunlight, adjusted the angle, and began refining the painting The Blessed Child.
Joseph, who had a plan that required a painter's help, followed the Queen's instructions, assuming a prayerful posture. He asked Madame Le Brun, "Could you paint a version of The Last Supper? Something like the one by Da Vinci?"
Madame Le Brun, absentmindedly smudging some oil paint on the canvas, nodded without hesitation, "Of course, Your Highness. In fact, every student at the Paris Academy of Art has copied that painting hundreds of times."
Joseph smiled, "Could you make some modifications to the scene?"
"Please return to your previous expression, Your Highness," Madame Le Brun frowned but still nodded. "Certainly, do you want to change the attire of one of the apostles?"
Joseph quickly stopped smiling and looked upward. "Ah, no. Actually, I was thinking of adding a couple of potatoes to the food on the table."
"That's easy enough..." Madame Le Brun began, but then froze. "Did you say... 'the devil's food'?"
She looked troubled, "Your Highness, that would require the Church's approval. Otherwise, I'm afraid it could be considered blasphemy. You understand, that could bring me before a Church tribunal..."
Joseph tried to persuade her, but Madame Le Brun remained adamant, insisting that no artist would dare to depict such a controversial item without Church approval.
Joseph sighed inwardly: Getting divine endorsement isn't as easy as it seems...
Sitting a little further away, Queen Marie noticed her son frowning. Shielding her eyes from the sun with her fan, she called out, "Dear, what are you discussing?"
"Potatoes..."
The Queen smiled kindly, "Don't worry so much about potatoes. Archbishop Brienne will take care of those matters.
"Oh, by the way, did you know that next month, Princess Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies will be visiting Paris?"
"Ah, okay." Joseph, still preoccupied with how to convince the Church, thought the Queen was just making conversation and absentmindedly responded.
However, he overlooked one crucial detail: In royal circles, a visit like this usually implied matchmaking.
Seeing her son's agreement, the Queen assumed he was pleased with the princess, which made her a bit anxious. She quickly added, "Also, your cousin, Maria Clementina of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, will be visiting next month as well. What do you think?"
At present, the Archduke of Austria, who was also the Holy Roman Emperor and Queen Marie's brother, Joseph II, had no sons, and his wife had passed away years ago. This made his niece, Maria Clementina, one of the highest-ranking young women in the Habsburg family.
She was also Queen Marie's favored choice for her son's bride—after all, she was her beloved niece.
Joseph, still not catching on, kept his posture and replied, "She's welcome to visit Paris."
The Queen was delighted but also puzzled. Which one was her son more inclined towards?
Well, she decided, better to wait until they arrived to see how things played out.
She was very concerned about the marriage of her extraordinarily talented son but was also mindful of his own preferences. If her son had been more like the passive Louis XVI, she might have already arranged a marriage for him.
Finally, lunchtime arrived, and Queen Marie, eager to spend time with her son whom she hadn't seen in days, treated him to an exceptionally lavish meal.
Louis XVI was the last to enter the dining room. Although he looked full of energy, the heavy bags under his eyes were a reminder to everyone that the King had been obsessively working on weapon designs day and night.
The King first hugged his wife and son, then leaned in close to Joseph, whispering excitedly, "Joseph, the first prototype has been assembled. It still needs some work on the seal, but I believe by next week, you'll be able to see it in action!"
Joseph gave him a look of admiration and whispered back, "You truly have the most skillful hands in all of France! Without you, who knows when this rifle would have been created. Let's go test it at the Paris Police Academy next week—they have a professional shooting range."
The father and son exchanged nods and smiles, secretly thrilled. But when Queen Marie looked over, they both quickly wiped the smiles off their faces—if she found out that the King was secretly making dangerous weapons, she'd give him a stern talking-to for days.
After lunch, Joseph gave Louis XVI a thumbs-up for encouragement. Before Madame Le Brun could return, he quickly summoned Aymon and made a swift escape from Versailles.
In the carriage, Aymon leaned forward and asked, "Your Highness, shall we return to the Industrial Planning Bureau or...?"
Joseph quickly replied, "No, we're going to Notre-Dame de Paris!"
"As you wish, Your Highness."
After several hours of bumpy travel, the carriage finally entered Paris. Joseph glanced out the window and saw workers digging holes and laying bricks by the roadside—clearly, the public restrooms were under construction.
He counted seven or eight such construction sites along the way.
Joseph nodded in approval. Although Monot was a seasoned politician, he seemed to have decent execution skills when given a task. He just wondered how much of the project's budget Monot had pocketed.
Joseph smirked, thinking he'd better remind Monot not to be too greedy—this was his own project, after all.
As they traveled further, Joseph finally spotted the towering spires of Notre-Dame de Paris peeking above the treetops. Soon, the two massive square towers standing tall against the sky came into full view.
This was the largest cathedral in Paris and the seat of the Archbishop of Paris.
Joseph had come here to discuss his idea for modifying The Last Supper with the Archbishop.
While Brienne was also an Archbishop, his influence within the Church had waned since he took on the role of Finance Minister, and being the Archbishop of Toulouse, he held little sway in Paris.
Upon hearing that the Crown Prince had arrived, a group of black-robed clerics, led by Archbishop Beaumont, promptly greeted him at the church entrance.
Joseph warmly took Beaumont's hand and led him into Notre-Dame, smiling, "Archbishop Beaumont, I have a favor to ask of you."
(End of Chapter)
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