I Am the Crown Prince in France

The next day.

Paris, 2nd floor, Industrial Planning Office.

"So, you left suddenly last night just because you wanted to resign?" Joseph looked at the three people in front of him and smiled immediately, "I feel relieved to know that your wound is not serious."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness." Mara leaned forward slightly on crutches, "Thank you even more for your trust. However, we still decided to leave the Investigation Bureau."

Joseph paused and said, "Can you tell me the reason?"

Dandong said first: "We don't want to associate with those dirty nobles!"

Desmoulin then added: "I don't want to work for the royal family anymore."

Joseph couldn't laugh or cry when he heard this. Others resigned because they couldn't get promotions and salary increases. Why did these few quit after they had just been promoted?

Yeah, but this is very Jacobin...

"I'm a little curious, what do you want?"

Marat said categorically: "We want to be loyal to the French people forever!"

Joseph secretly thought that it would be best to deal with these radicals completely this time, otherwise it would not be a problem to resign from time to time in the future.

Moreover, they are the opinion leaders of the entire liberal faction. If they are dealt with, it will also greatly reduce the hostility of the radical liberals towards the royal family.

He recalled the "sophistry" rhetoric he had seen in major forums in his previous life, and thought to himself: These theories used to deal with the 18th century should be enough...

"Loyal to the people." He nodded slowly, "In other words, to make people's lives better?"

Mara thought about it, and the logic seemed to be correct: "That's it, Your Highness."

"So to achieve this goal, you are resigning?"

"Yes……"

"Have you ever thought about who will supervise corrupt officials like Necker after you leave? Another group of corrupt officials? Do you think this will make the French people's lives better?"

Mara and others were stunned.

Joseph immediately hit the "core" of their thoughts: "I think it is unreasonable for you to hate the royal family."

"No!" Dandong, the youngest and most courageous, immediately retorted loudly, "It is because the royal family indulges in pleasure, ignores the suffering of the people, and blindly safeguards the interests of the nobles that the people are oppressed!"

"Really?" Joseph asked calmly, "Without the royal family, will the people definitely get better?"

Marat and others were deeply influenced by Rousseau, and read Rousseau's quotations almost without hesitation: "Innate human rights, everyone is born free, no one can restrict the freedom of others, not even the king..."

Joseph interrupted him: "Excuse me, Mr. Marat, if people are born free, can the rules set by the predecessors restrain future generations?"

Mara was about to say "no", but suddenly froze. No, if not, then can a person who has never participated in voting on social rules be able to do whatever he wants?

And if it’s ‘possible’, wouldn’t future generations be unfree?

Joseph smiled: "You see, it is not true that people are born free. Each of us, including the king, is actually not free."

Dandong helped from the side and said:

"Rousseau said that we need to establish a reasonable social contract, and then everyone will abide by this contract!"

Joseph immediately asked, "What do you mean by 'reasonable contract'?"

Until the 19th century, no expert could answer this question. No, until the 21st century, people were just trying. Marat and others only have the most basic theoretical foundation of Rousseau, so they will inevitably be confused.

"yes……"

Desmoulin hurriedly said: "It's the parliament. The people transfer power to the parliament, and the parliament makes the rules!"

"Parliament?" Joseph said with a smile, "After the parliament gets power, will it definitely think about the people?"

"Is there anything to doubt about this?"

"No, they only think about themselves." Joseph shook his head, "Look at the United States, what kind of land purchase policy has their parliament formulated? Each time they must buy 60 acres, and they will not sell anything less. Poor people? Sorry, they Can't buy land.

"Or look at our neighbor, Switzerland. The rules of the cantonal councils only serve the warlords and wealthy businessmen, making it easier for them to control the cities and take the last penny out of people's pockets.

"I dare say that if something like this happened in France, people would have gathered outside the Palace of Versailles to protest. The king would have been cursed thousands of times and finally asked to change these policies."

"No, these are just accidental phenomena..."

"Really? Let's just talk about the U.S. Congress. After enacting tyranny, their members go home and enjoy themselves in two years, leaving the problem to the next Congress. Of course, the next Congress will still be like this. They have nothing to do. Scruples, because Parliament is just their tool. Only the king really cares about the country, because he has no 'next term'."

Mara and the others all shook their heads hesitantly: "No, there must be something wrong with what you said!"

Joseph said: "Human social culture has always been an oppressive structure. This is a fundamental and universal reality. The king is only a symbol and a prototype of this phenomenon, and the same is true for parliament, and it is the same for any high-level person.

"The past we inherit may be narrow and outdated and needs to be constantly repaired and improved. But everything in the past has also brought huge benefits. Every word and every idea we have is given by our predecessors and supports our lives. The foundation of society is also brought by our predecessors, such as technology, wealth, opportunities, etc. Therefore, it is unreasonable to simply regard the social structure as pure oppression. It does not mean that we have encountered problems and just deny everything of our predecessors.

“The royal family and the people are not enemies. They can work together for the common goal of France.

"Yes, France has many problems, such as the unreasonable privileges of the nobility, the exploitation of the poor by the rich, etc. We want to solve these problems, but the problems are not caused by the king.

"Do you think everything will be fine without the king? No, it will only be worse. The nobles and rich people will change their identities and continue their enjoyment and exploitation.

"You were working for the royal family before, but look at it, the people of Paris are cheering for you. Isn't this more helpful to them than if you say "I want to be loyal to the people" ten thousand times?"

Joseph slowed down and finally said: "To tell you the truth, in fact, I have been implementing His Majesty the King's reform measures.

"For example, the Notary Investigation Bureau is part of it. As you have all seen, police reform, tax reform, financial reform, etc. have also been carried out during this period. There will be more measures in the future, until various problems in France Until they all disappear.

"Aren't you willing to join me in completing this great process?"

There was silence in the room for a long time. Mara suddenly withdrew the resignation application on the table, stepped back and bowed, and said with a complicated expression: "Your Highness, I hope to see a better and more reasonable France."

…

Entering May, the weather is getting hotter and hotter, almost like July and August in previous years.

The last time it rained was three months ago. Large tracts of trees have been browned by the scorching sun, and large cracks have appeared on the ground. They are like thirsty mouths looking up to the sky, waiting for the dew to fall again.

However, the vineyards located in the parish of La Cheze in the east of Bordeaux are a vibrant emerald green scene.

Although the sun was also burning like fire in the sky, a trickle of water flowed through the ravines under the grapevines.

Just three hundred steps away from the west side of the vineyard, a bronze steam engine made a rhythmic "click" sound, continuously pumping water from a tributary of the Garonne River into an irrigation canal.

The water then flows along the dug channels throughout the three and a half hectares of vineyards, preventing the grapes here from being slaughtered by drought.

The water pump that contributed so much was a mass-produced 15-horsepower steam engine manufactured by the French United Steam Engine Company.

Also near the farmland in the south of the parish, there is a steam engine of the same model working hard to ensure that the village's crops can survive this dry summer.

A straw hut was set up next to the steam engine. At this time, two bare-chested farmers were sitting under the hay hut, half-squinting their eyes to enjoy the coolness.

Not long after, a middle-aged man in a gray coat came over with a group of carpenters. He shouted loudly from a distance: "Andre, Aurore, are you lazy again?!"

The two farmers hurriedly put on their shirts and jumped up: "No, no, Mr. Dietrich, we have been watching..."

Dietrich glanced at the steam engine on the side and said loudly: "Do you know how expensive this thing is? A full 13,000 livres! Without it, the crops in our entire parish will be dried by the sun.

"If it is damaged by lack of water or coal, I swear I will hang you from the parish bell tower!"

"Don't be angry, we promise never to nap again." Andre said, picking up the shovel and filling it with broken coal. Aurore immediately cooperated and opened the boiler cover of the steam engine and asked him to add coal. Got in.

"Look, isn't this great?" Aurore glanced at the water level in the boiler again and looked at the Archon of the parish with a sorry smile.

Dietrich glared at the two of them fiercely, thinking that he should send another supervisor.

More than a month ago, he looked at the dry farmland in the village and almost despaired.

Although the villagers drove horse-drawn carriages back and forth to carry water for irrigation, the little water was of little use. If it didn't rain within five days, all the potatoes grown in the village would die, and then the wheat...

At this moment, the water pump they ordered was shipped. It was purchased with a loan from the parish's fledgling Agricultural Bank.

It took several mechanics who came from Nancy to install the pump in two days, then add coal and light it.

Then water from the Garonne River was pumped up continuously, far more water than 100 horses could transport, and it took only a few days to save all the crops in the village.

Parish Archon Dietrich wiped away his sweat and asked Andre and Aurore to help the carpenters unload the wood from the carriage.

Andre looked at the wooden boards that were as tall as one person and asked with a grin: "Mr. Dietry, do you think we are working too hard and want to build a wooden house for us to rest in?"

Dietrich kicked him hard on the butt and said angrily: "You lazy guy, you just want to rest!

"This is to make a protective shelter for the water pump."

"Protective shed? What is it used for protection?"

"I don't know." Dietrich directed the carpenters to dismantle the straw shed on the steam engine and said casually, "It was requested by the Governor. All steam engines, waterwheels, windmills and the like must be covered with wooden sheds. It has to be strong.”

He covered the sun with his hands and looked up at the vast wheat fields: "God bless us, we may survive this year's dry season."

…

In the southeast of Paris, a man with a fierce face walked out of the Academy of Celebrities. He waved his hand casually to the dark and thin young man behind him and said roughly: "Send Viscount Dornique back, and please tell him when he wakes up. After this deal is completed, I will invite him to play again."

"Okay, Mr. Imano. Thank you for your hospitality."

When the young man turned to leave, the drunkenness in Imano's eyes immediately disappeared. He quickly walked to his carriage on the other side of the technical courtyard and said to the coachman in a deep voice: "Quick, go to the Marquis's house."

The carriage was speeding, and Imano was extremely excited. Just now, he heard news from the drunken Viscount Donique that could make him rich—about the man his boss hated so much.

But he didn't notice that a carriage followed him from a distance until he entered the villa of Marquis Ludo, and then turned around and left. The person sitting in the car was Viscount Donique, who was still drunk half an hour ago. He also had another identity, that is, the captain of the fourth operation team of the Police Intelligence Department.

Marquis Ludo locked the door of the study, then turned to look at Imano and whispered: "Is the news accurate?!"

The latter nodded repeatedly: "Viscount Donique's brother-in-law is an officer in the Bastille. He only said it when he was drunk."

A chill suddenly flashed in Marquis Ludo's eyes, and he repeated: "Leave Paris at ten o'clock in the evening four days later, right?"

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

"Very good, you did a great job!"

After Imano left, Marquis Ludo immediately ordered the butler to invite several giants from the banking guild to his home.

Still in his study, Marquis Ludeau gritted his teeth and said to several people: "Necker will leave Paris secretly in four days, and may be escorted by the secret police, but this may be our only chance to deal with him!"

The Earl of Cape Fear immediately showed a fierce look, clenched his fists and said: "No matter what the cost, I want him to die!"

Several people were discussing how to take action when suddenly Lu Duo's housekeeper knocked on the door and said, "Sir, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sent someone to ask you to go to the Industrial Planning Bureau."

Lu Duo's heart tightened. Could it be that his knowledge of Necker's whereabouts had been leaked?

He had no choice but to bite the bullet and go out. Not long after, he saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on the second floor of the Industrial Planning Bureau.

Joseph waited for him to salute, smiled and motioned for him to sit down, then took out a document and asked: "I saw from your bank account that you previously invested 2 million livres in the British automatic loom industry?"