章 30: Chapter 30: The Factory Begins Production
Chapter 30: The Factory Begins Production
Perna hurriedly finished the routine examination, grabbed her medical kit, and fled out of the room like a startled deer, without even looking back. But after stepping out the door, she quickly turned around and stole a glance at the Prince.
Joseph watched her retreating figure, blinking in surprise. "What's up with her? Did she eat something bad?"
Versailles Palace, South Wing.
In the office of the Minister of Finance, Brienne took the noticeably thinner tax reform document from Joseph's hands and asked with a puzzled expression, "Your Highness, it seems you've removed quite a few tax items?"
Joseph nodded. "Yes, it's part of a strategy I'm trying."
Brienne quickly flipped through the document, his frown deepening with each page. By the time he was halfway through, he couldn't help but look at Joseph and say, "Your Highness, you've removed all the provisions that benefited the nobles?"
"Yes, Archbishop."
Brienne placed the document back on the table, shaking his head. "Why did you do that?"
Joseph replied with a question of his own, "Do you think continued concessions will get the bill passed?"
Brienne shook his head.
"Exactly," Joseph said. "So why not try a different approach? You can submit this version to the High Court and see what happens."
Brienne sighed, "Your Highness, all this will do is anger the nobles. It won't achieve anything."
Joseph smiled. "Have you ever seen a bullfight?"
"A bullfight? Yes, Your Highness, I have."
"The matador always waves the red cloth to make the bull angry because an angry bull loses its reason and makes mistakes, giving the matador a chance to strike," Joseph explained. "So let the nobles get angry; it might not be a bad thing."
He added confidently, "Trust me, even if this version is rejected, the bill will eventually pass."
Brienne looked at Joseph with doubt. "Can you tell me how you plan to do that?"
"Don't argue with them. Hit where it hurts, divide them, and control the public opinion so they have no choice but to give in."
Brienne was taken aback by the Prince's confident yet slightly mischievous expression. Somehow, he began to feel that Joseph might actually know what he was doing.
After a long pause, Brienne nodded and then smiled. "Very well, I'll send this bill to the High Court. But please, don't mention that you made these changes. Those greedy, selfish people will hold it against you. As for me, if I can't get this bill passed by the end of the year, I'll likely be out of the Finance Ministry. So let's give it one last try."
"Thank you for your trust," Joseph said, surprised that he had managed to convince Brienne so quickly. Wasting no time, he turned to his assistant and instructed, "Please contact the most widely circulated newspapers in Paris and reserve prominent spaces."
"Once the High Court rejects the tax bill, immediately publish the first tax provision in the paper, along with a detailed explanation—like who will pay this tax and what the impact will be. Publish one tax item per day until the entire bill is covered and fully explained."
"Understood, Your Highness."
"Also, organize a group of reporters to cover the bill's journey from submission to rejection by the High Court. Oh, and don't report everything at once—release it bit by bit to keep the public interest."
"Understood."
"And one more thing..."
Joseph spent the entire morning in the Finance Ministry, making all the necessary arrangements for the tax bill. Afterward, he joined the Queen for lunch. Just as they finished, Amon reported that Dr. Lamarck was requesting an audience.
Returning to his reception room, Joseph found Lamarck anxiously pacing back and forth.
"Dr. Lamarck, is there an issue with the pharmaceutical factory?"
Lamarck quickly bowed and said, "There is something, but first, I heard that my daughter offended you last night. She's still young and didn't mean to! Please forgive her."
Joseph waved his hand with a smile. "Miss Perna didn't do anything wrong. I accidentally intruded on her 'laboratory.' Oh, and she even treated me to a late-night snack."
"Thank you for your generosity." Lamarck bowed again, shaking his head. "I shouldn't have allowed her to study medicine. The child even went to the palace kitchen in the middle of the night to dissect animals..."
Joseph said approvingly, "Perna is very talented. You should let her practice dissection in the royal laboratory. Oh, and if you want to keep it private, I can instruct the guards and servants to keep it a secret."
"I don't know how to thank you," Lamarck said, his eyes full of gratitude. "You're so open-minded. If the people in the medical community were half as enlightened as you, Perna would have her medical license by now and would be saving lives."
Joseph noticed the glass bottle in Lamarck's hand and asked, "By the way, did you mention something about the pharmaceutical factory?"
"Oh, yes, yes," Lamarck said, handing the bottle to Joseph, his excitement returning. "The perfume factory is perfect! The equipment is very complete, and it even has a waterwheel.
"I only needed to add a few high-precision thermometers and condensers to make it suitable for purifying salicin.
"And the workers are excellent—skilled and familiar with purification processes. Look, this powder was made by the craftsmen last night without any input from Dr. Larrsen or me."
Joseph examined the light yellow powder and nodded in satisfaction. He then asked, "What do you estimate the production capacity to be?"
Lamarck thought for a moment. "With sufficient raw materials, around 2,500 grams per day. Once the workers are more skilled, production should double."
"That should be enough to supply all the patients in Paris and some in the provinces," Joseph said.
Medicinal salicin, used for anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing purposes, required about 0.5 grams per day for oral intake. With a population of over 500,000 in Paris, 10,000 doses per day would be more than sufficient.
Lamarck nodded. "Dr. Larrsen and I estimated that each pill containing 0.25 grams of salicin would cost about 3 to 4 deniers to produce. We could start selling them at 5 deniers per pill and adjust the price later based on the financial situation. What do you think?"
One livre was equal to 20 sous, and one sou was equal to 12 deniers, meaning one livre could buy 48 pills—a very affordable price.
"You can set the price as you see fit."
Joseph then remembered his "Angel Water" and added, "By the way, Dr. Lamarck, I have a special request. Could you please purify 300 grams of high-purity salicin for me each day, with as few impurities as possible?"
A 200-gram bottle of skincare product only needed about 1 gram of salicin, so 300 grams per day could make over 200 bottles, which would be enough for an initial market test.
"Certainly, Your Highness."
...
That same evening, while Joseph and Lamarck were discussing the pharmaceutical factory, in Amsterdam, 400 kilometers from Paris, the leader of the Patriots, Dandels, was welcoming a guest from France.
(End of Chapter)
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