Chapter 254: Aftermath
Right now, the prominent members of the Council of Nobles were so anxious that their eyes were bloodshot, desperately urging the military to quickly quell the riots across the country. They had no time to worry about the "Abolition of Privileges" bill.
Without these influential nobles leading the charge, other nobles who wished to preserve their privileges simply couldn't compete with the abolitionist faction, especially now that many "robe nobles" had joined the cause. During this time, even in the streets of Paris, gatherings supporting the abolition of privileges had started to appear—of course, these were also orchestrated under Joseph's instructions.
Queen Marie Antoinette glanced at the document in her hand, frowning as she sighed, "The riots are becoming more and more serious. Count Démonsault and others have even been killed by the mobs. I have no mood to discuss these bills right now."
"Your Majesty, quelling the riots and these bills are not mutually exclusive," Talleyrand said with a deep bow. "Moreover, the content of these bills can pacify the poorest people, which will greatly help in stopping the riots."
His expression was full of reverence as he continued, "Your Majesty, abolishing noble privileges would greatly reduce the burden on the peasants, improving their lives. This would make millions of French peasants grateful for your benevolence and remember your generosity forever."
These words moved Queen Marie Antoinette slightly.
In the past, her reputation had been maliciously tarnished with rumors that she was "extravagant and wasteful" and had supposedly said, "If they can't afford bread, let them eat cake," causing her popularity to plummet. Now, with most nobles supporting this bill, if she could be the one to sign it, it would greatly improve her public image. Moreover, this would indeed help to quell the riots.
She nodded, "Very well, we shall discuss this matter in detail at tomorrow's cabinet meeting."
…
In the second basement level of the Police Bureau, inside a holding cell, Joseph pushed a cup of tea, heavily sweetened with three large spoonfuls of sugar, toward Monot. He sighed softly and said, "The Malet brothers have already confessed. It was the Duke of Orléans who instructed them to frame your son."
Monot's pupils shrank instantly, and he nearly knocked over the steaming cup in front of him.
He had been captured in Brittany. In truth, if he hadn't been so reluctant to part with his money and tried to secretly send a large bill of exchange to a British bank during the chaos, he might not have been caught by the Police Bureau. Most of the major banks now had inspectors dispatched by the French Treasury, who verified the legality of large transactions. The day after Monot, who was at the top of their watch list, requested a bill of exchange for tens of thousands of livres, he was apprehended by the Police Bureau.
"I… Your Highness…" The former Minister of the Interior struggled to utter even a few words.
Joseph raised a hand to cut him off, speaking calmly, "Your biggest mistake was trusting the Duke of Orléans."
"Your Highness…"
Joseph nodded, "You once stood by my side when I needed help the most, but then you opposed me for the sake of some benefits. However, I'm someone who values the past and has never forgotten your kindness."
He continued, "You may have noticed that the newspapers never reported that you maliciously redistributed the reserve grain, causing the food shortage. That's because I instructed them to suppress the news."
Hope flickered in Monot's eyes as he choked out, "Your Highness, it was all my fault! I'm deeply indebted to your great kindness…"
Joseph interrupted him again, "But you did kill that innocent coppersmith's family in the Malet district and brought great disaster to the entire country. Now I'm giving you one last chance. Either you'll be exiled to Nice or Dauphiné…"
Monot's face instantly turned ashen. His eyes widened in terror as he shook his head repeatedly, "No, please, anything but that…"
He had orchestrated the grain crisis. If he were exiled to one of the southern regions most affected by the famine, and word got out, he would be torn apart by the furious citizens.
Joseph continued, "Or, you can testify that, as someone who was misled, the Duke of Orléans was the true mastermind behind all this. If you do that, you'll be exiled to Nancy. But, you'll need to provide solid evidence."
"No…" Monot's face turned nearly corpse-like. Testifying against the most powerful duke beneath the royal family was practically a death sentence.
Joseph smiled, "You don't need to worry. This matter will only come to light after the Duke of Orléans has left this world."
Monot shot up from his chair in shock, his voice trembling, "No, no… Are you saying… he… he's dead?"
This was why Joseph had kept Monot alive. As long as the Duke of Orléans was alive, his immense influence in France and his vast wealth would ensure that, even with solid evidence, he would at most face a heavy fine and some public censure—exile would be impossible. But if he were dead, and then burdened with severe crimes like causing famine and inciting riots, no one would dare or even want to speak up for him.
The Marquis de Saint-Véran didn't know much about the inner workings of the grain crisis, but Monot knew everything.
The former Minister of the Interior looked at the young man in front of him, who was smiling silently. He couldn't help but shiver before finally lowering his head and stammering, "Y-yes, Your Highness. I have his letters. I'll do as you say. I'll testify against him…"
The next day, during the cabinet meeting, Queen Marie Antoinette signed the "Abolition of Noble Privileges" decree, with the unanimous support of all ministers. Thus, the feudal privileges that had severely hindered France's industrial and capital development officially became history, and a new dawn broke on the path to the French Industrial Revolution.
At the same time, the Minister of Justice, Baron de Breteuil, dropped a bombshell that shook all of France. The long "missing" Minister of the Interior, Monot, had turned himself in to the High Court and revealed that the mastermind behind the southern grain crisis was none other than the Duke of Orléans!
Suddenly, no one was even talking about the "Abolition of Privileges" law anymore. From Versailles to the streets of Paris, everyone was fervently discussing this matter.
But, as Joseph predicted, by the afternoon, large numbers of nobles gathered at the Petit Trianon to plead with Queen Marie Antoinette on behalf of the Duke of Orléans.
Three days later, news arrived from Armor that the Duke of Orléans had been killed by rioting citizens using a stolen cannon.
Versailles was shaken once again.
But this time, the only demands were for the riots to be suppressed and the culprits severely punished. No one mentioned pardoning the Duke of Orléans anymore.
From his window, Joseph watched the nobles angrily demanding that the military quickly quell the unrest. He merely smiled and shook his head.
Forty-eight of the nobles on his deck of cards had already felt the wrath of the enraged citizens. The remaining four had either fortified their estates too well, with too few local residents to overwhelm them, or Police Bureau agents had made mistakes, forcing them to abandon the plan.
According to the pre-arranged plan, the southern provinces should already be moving into the aftermath phase. If all went as expected, the rioters would soon return to their homes, and order would be restored in the provinces.
The Paris Police Department had already sent a large number of officials to the riot-affected provinces more than half a month ago to "guide" the local police in their work.
This was just the first step in the aftermath.
(End of Chapter)
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