The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 263

Chapter 263: Fines, Fines, and More Fines!

The Duke of Chartres beamed with delight upon hearing the judge’s verdict. Turning around, he shared celebratory nods with his team of lawyers.

The same lawyer, whose face was marked with layers of excess flesh, rose and gave a slight bow to the judge. “Your Honor, I respectfully request that you issue an execution order to lift the freeze on the property of the Duke of Orléans—or rather, the Duke of Chartres, as he now is.”

Judge Dipore frowned. Legally, he was indeed required to issue the unfreezing order. However, doing so would leave him in a quandary about how to account for this to the Crown Prince.

Just as he was grappling with the dilemma, Danton, who had been largely silent, stood and gestured to the Duke of Chartres’ lawyer. “One moment, Mr. Balthazar.”

He turned to the judge’s bench and said in a firm voice, “Your Honor, I believe it is necessary to first verify the exact value of the Duke of Orléans’ estate here in court. Otherwise, lifting the freeze might lead to losses for the creditors.”

“Creditors?” Lawyer Balthazar frowned and sneered. “You must be mistaken, Prosecutor. The Duke of Orléans has no outstanding debts.”

“Oh, really?” Danton signaled his assistant to distribute documents to the judge and the Duke of Chartres’ legal team. “Your Honor, please turn to the second page.”

“These are testimonies from several prominent figures in the banking guild, including Marquis Ludo. They detail various investments made by the Duke of Orléans:

• In March 1775, he invested 1.8 million livres in England’s Hull River Ironworks through the City Trade Bank.

• In May 1776, he invested 2.2 million livres in England’s Carman Brothers Textile Company through the Paris Discount Bank.

• In December 1776, through the same bank, he invested in the Netherlands…”

Danton rattled off a total of 15 investment records spanning over a decade, amounting to more than 13 million livres.

“These investments were all transferred to the Bank of England in the form of bills of exchange without undergoing any fiscal audit. This violated Article 12 of the 1774 Financial Decree…”

Balthazar impatiently interrupted, “Yes, yes, minor procedural violations. These should be dealt with in a separate case.”

“No, no, these are not mere ‘violations’—they are serious illegal activities!” Danton waved his hand emphatically. “Please examine this fine document issued by the financial audit commissioner.”

His assistant promptly handed copies of the document to both the judge and the Duke of Chartres’ lawyer.

Balthazar glanced at the document and immediately widened his eyes. He quickly flipped through the pages and then erupted in anger. “This is preposterous! Fines amounting to 16 million livres for failing to conduct audits?!”

Danton turned to Judge Dipore. “Your Honor, I request that Mr. Bernier, who is responsible for calculating these penalties, explain the details to the court.”

Soon, a middle-aged man with neatly arranged glasses, a powdered wig, and meticulously tailored attire was summoned to the stand. After bowing respectfully to the judge, he nervously glanced at the Duke of Chartres’ side but quickly recalled the Crown Prince’s instructions.

Taking a deep breath, Bernier pulled out a prepared script and cleared his throat. “Your Honor, let me begin by explaining the basis for the fine regarding the Duke of Orléans’ 1775 illegal investment.

“The funds invested in the English ironworks provided crucial support for their research in smelting technology. Consequently, they gained a dominant edge over French companies in producing hardened steel…”

Bernier launched into a flurry of technical jargon before concluding, “Thus, we see that from 1775 to the present, this illegal investment by the Duke of Orléans caused at least seven French ironworks to shut down, resulting in losses exceeding 3 million livres.

“If the Duke of Orléans had submitted an audit application to the financial department at the time, I firmly believe this investment would have been rejected. The funds would have remained in France, fostering advancements in local steelmaking technology…”

Judge Dipore’s eyes lit up at this revelation. What a brilliant calculation! Which genius came up with this idea? At last, there was a way to fulfill the Crown Prince’s orders.

Balthazar erupted in outrage. “This is absurd! Even if we go back ten years, audit procedures were nothing more than formalities. The investment would never have been denied…”

Bernier retorted coldly, “You are gravely insulting a government department. I can produce ample evidence to demonstrate the efficiency and dedication of the audit office.

“As for your claim that the 1775 investment would not have been denied, please provide concrete proof.”

“I…” Balthazar faltered. The fine documents contained signatures from the audit officials of the time—what evidence could he possibly present?

Buoyed by the thought of the rewards the Crown Prince had promised after the case, Bernier pressed on boldly. “The May 1776 investment had an even greater impact…”

By the time Bernier finished elaborating on the penalties for all 15 cases and bowed before leaving, it was already 6 p.m.

Judge Dipore was about to declare recess when Danton stepped forward again. “In addition to these illegal investments, the Duke of Orléans also engaged in extensive tax evasion.”

He shot a subtle glance at Robespierre. The financial records of the Duke of Orléans had been procured through Robespierre’s efforts and greatly aided in analyzing his tax violations.

Danton continued, “The total amount of unpaid taxes is 3.2 million livres. According to recommendations from the financial department, including late fees and penalties, the total fine amounts to 15 million livres.”

The Duke of Chartres nearly choked on his outrage. The previous two fines had already claimed more than half of his father’s assets.

Yet Danton, undeterred, carried on with fervor. “Furthermore, the Duke of Orléans’ dealings in land and estate transactions involved numerous illegalities, resulting in fines totaling…”

“There is testimony indicating his involvement in illicit slave trading, which requires additional fines…”

Given the Duke of Orléans’ former status and influence, these so-called violations had once been unmentionable. Even if pursued, they would likely have been pardoned by the King.

But now, circumstances had drastically changed. With him gone, the estate could be manipulated at will.

Joseph, familiar with similar tactics used by modern Western politicians to crush their opponents, couldn’t help but smirk. Even a living Trump had been nearly fined into bankruptcy by Biden’s administration—what chance did a dead man have?

By borrowing strategies from the future, Joseph had effortlessly ensured the Duke of Orléans’ assets would not suffice.

After an hour and a half of relentless listing, the Duke of Chartres’ side was in utter despair. It no longer required detailed calculations—the Duke of Orléans’ estate had undoubtedly been entirely confiscated.

Just as everyone thought Danton had finally concluded, he paused. Taking a deep breath, he declared, “The aforementioned violations are relatively minor. Next, I will address the Duke of Orléans’ role in inciting widespread rebellion in the southern provinces, which caused immense losses to the nation.”

Table of content - Next Chapter >>>