章 97: Chapter 97: Don't Underestimate the Elderly Poor!
Chapter 97: Don't Underestimate the Elderly Poor!
Monnot noticed the glaring looks from the young ladies around him and, feeling a bit embarrassed, bowed slightly to Joseph and said, "Your Highness, aren't you going to dance?"
Joseph replied, "No time for dancing. I have some important business to discuss with you."
Monnot glanced at the lively crowd of dancers around them and said, "You mean here? Talk about business here?"
Joseph thought to himself, "I'd prefer to sit on a sofa, sipping tea while we chat, but I spent the entire afternoon looking for you, and even your servants had no idea where you were."
"I went looking for you this afternoon," Joseph continued.
"Oh…" Monnot felt a bit embarrassed, as he certainly didn't want anyone to know about his affair with Countess Mézaye. Hurriedly, he pulled the Prince into a quieter corner.
"Go ahead, Your Highness," Monnot said.
Joseph thought for a moment and then said, "To put it simply, I want to push forward some initiatives for industrial development, which currently fall under your Interior Department's jurisdiction."
Monnot blinked his small eyes and nodded.
"To be direct, I hope you'll relinquish control over industrial matters," Joseph continued.
Monnot kept nodding, waiting for the Prince's offer.
Joseph said, "Now that the news censorship is no longer under the High Court's control, I think we could establish a Bureau of Press and Publications to handle these matters, and I would like you to manage it."
"In addition, I've already discussed with Archbishop Brienne the introduction of a Patent Law."
Joseph briefly explained the concept of the Patent Law and then added, "Correspondingly, we will need to establish a Patent Office, which you could also oversee."
Monnot calculated in his mind—French industry was nowhere near as strong as Britain's, and it was already on the brink of collapse. Keeping control of it didn't offer much benefit. However, the Patent Office seemed promising, especially since it could be tied to fashion design, which certainly had potential for profit. As for the press censorship, well, that didn't seem very useful.
He then put on a simple smile and said, "Your Highness, you see…"
Before he could continue, Joseph cut him off, "I'll also throw in a printing workshop."
"A workshop?" Monnot asked, intrigued.
"I have a technique that can reduce the cost of printing illustrations to one-fifth of the current cost. We can invest 200,000 livres. Of course, most of this money will come from you, and we can monopolize almost the entire printing business in Paris."
"We'll each hold 20% of the shares, and the Bureau of Press and Publications will hold the remaining 60%. Plus, you'll receive all the profits for the first seven years."
The printing workshop Joseph was proposing was actually a means to control the production of pamphlets. Anyone wanting to publish pamphlets would have to print them with this workshop; otherwise, their costs would be significantly higher than other pamphlets, making them unsellable.
And if they did choose this workshop, well, it would be linked to the Bureau of Press and Publications, and they'd have to pass the Bureau's review first.
After repeatedly confirming that this cost-effective printing technique was already in use, Monnot's face lit up with a bright smile, and he nodded, "Oh, Your Highness, you are always so generous! May God bless you!"
...
In the Royal Workshop, after a long day's work, His Majesty the King of France set down the musket he had been working on and wiped the sweat from his brow, ready to enjoy his dinner.
As the servants helped him remove his apron, he casually picked up a newspaper from the nearby table—a daily delivery of the more influential papers. Immediately, he noticed the striking headline: "The Glorious Victory of Our Great King."
He scratched his head—he'd been holed up in the workshop tinkering with guns for days. How had he suddenly achieved a glorious victory?
He grabbed another paper. The front page headline read, "The King Brings Justice to His Loyal Paris."
Louis XVI hurriedly perched his glasses on his nose and carefully read the article. Only then did he realize it was all about the "Royal Supreme Court" decree he had signed a few days ago.
Setting down the paper, he puffed out his chest with pride and thought to himself, "Looks like handling state affairs isn't that complicated. See? I'm doing just fine!"
...
In front of the gilded doors of the Eastern Hall at Versailles Palace.
Dressed in a wine-red suit, Joseph straightened his back and walked confidently past two rows of bowing guards, striding into the conference hall.
This was the first time he had ever been so eager to enter this room.
Before long, all the cabinet ministers had gathered, and Queen Marie had arrived earlier than usual.
After everyone had paid their respects, the gilded doors creaked shut, and the cabinet meeting officially began...
Archbishop Brienne, his face beaming, looked around the room before naturally starting to speak about the tax bill:
"Now that this bill has passed, it will greatly alleviate the country's financial difficulties."
He opened a prepared document and said, "The land tax alone is expected to bring in an additional 18 million livres annually. The stamp tax is estimated to add…"
After going through all the details, he glanced at the sullen-faced Somial and concluded, "In total, the various taxes will increase annual revenue by 22 to 24 million livres!"
Queen Marie led the applause, nodding in approval, "This will be a day worth remembering in the history of French finance!"
Whether they liked it or not, the other ministers followed suit, clapping to congratulate Brienne.
After discussing the tax bill, Brienne switched to another document, bowed to the Queen, and then said loudly:
"Now, for the first agenda item. Count Monnot proposes that Count Somial should be held accountable for the judiciary scandal and is no longer fit to serve as Minister of Justice."
Somial, keeping his head down, quickly glanced at Monnot and then focused intently on the brass penholder in front of him, remaining silent.
He knew that the Vézinier affair had caused too much damage, and as Minister of Justice, he would not escape blame for lax oversight.
Moreover, having impeached Brienne in the past, he knew Brienne would not miss this chance for revenge.
Duke Orléans had anticipated the impeachment of Somial and was prepared to do everything he could to protect his political ally.
He stood up, cleared his throat, and said, "Your Majesty, as far as I know, Vézinier was extremely cautious when accepting bribes, making it difficult for outsiders to discover. Although Somial was negligent in oversight, is it appropriate to dismiss a cabinet minister over a single judge?"
Joseph, standing nearby, sneered and said, "Duke Orléans, you certainly have a way with words. First, Vézinier wasn't just accepting bribes—you should take a look at his sentencing record."
"Second, the problem in the High Court likely extends beyond Vézinier. How about we investigate further?"
Joseph had no qualms about tearing down the High Court—it was a stronghold of the noble faction. If it were to collapse, it would be easier for him to build something new.
As expected, Duke Orléans turned red with anger but didn't dare to respond.
The judges of the High Court had already accepted the oversight of the Royal Supreme Court to avoid further investigation. If he stirred up trouble now, he'd risk becoming the enemy of those judges.
Seeing this, Brienne immediately pushed the prepared dismissal document in front of Queen Marie and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, please make your decision."
The Queen, seeing that the ministers were largely in agreement, offered Somial a few words of consolation before signing the document.
Brienne, satisfied, collected the document, looked at Somial, and gestured towards the gilded doors, "Count Somial, please step out."
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