The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 228

Chapter 228: A Day Full of Affairs

Clementine also received a gift from her cousin. It was a large jar of Tunisian-style candies, made by binding cashews, Moroccan nuts, crushed dates, and more with honey and sugar, then compressing them into short bars. The flavor was exquisitely sweet and delightful.

Unable to resist the temptation of the candies, the moment she caught the sweet aroma, her eyes lit up, and she completely forgot her composure. She reached into the jar, pinched a piece, and popped it into her mouth.

“Mm—”

The crunchiness of the nuts combined with the sweetness of the honey immediately filled the little girl with bliss, her eyes narrowing in delight.

“Thank you so much for your gift, my dearest cousin!” She attempted to curtsy to Joseph again but realized her fingers were sticky from the candy. Thinking quickly, she grabbed another piece and stuffed it into Joseph’s mouth.

Joseph was startled and wanted to say, “You haven’t washed your hands,” but it was too late. Resigned, he chewed it while silently chanting, “Germs don’t kill you, what’s dirty won’t harm you.”

“Dearest cousin!” Nearby, a parrot perched on Charles’ arm mimicked Clementine in a comical voice.

“Wow! It—it can talk!” exclaimed four-year-old Charles, his eyes widening in amazement.

Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were also drawn to the parrot, setting aside their tasks to gather around.

“What else can you say?” Charles pursed his lips and looked at the parrot. “Little darling!”

“!” The parrot responded in Arabic and even bowed toward Louis XVI.

Everyone exchanged glances and burst into hearty laughter.

“It knows quite a few languages.”

“It’s so amusing!”

“Joseph, do you know what it’s saying?” Queen Marie Antoinette asked her son.

Joseph shrugged and said, “I don’t understand either. But if you want it to say something, just teach it a few times—it’s a Cape Parrot, incredibly intelligent.”

“Cape Parrot! I love Mr. Cape Parrot!” Charles hugged the colorful bird, nearly the size of a pigeon, and happily spun around the room.

Clementine shook her head and corrected him, “Cape Parrot is its species. You should give it a proper name.”

“Oh, I see. Then what should I call it…” Charles lowered his head in thought, his gaze suddenly catching a glint of something cold under the table. He froze, then grabbed his father’s cashmere tricorn hat from the corner of the table and held it out defensively.

The next moment, a black-and-white blur darted out and collided with the hat, letting out an indignant “meow.”

“Mr. Whiskers?” Clementine gasped in surprise, hurriedly looking for her maid. “Rosalia, how did the cat…”

She had forgotten that Princess Thérèse had recently gone to Spain, and Mr. Whiskers’ “girlfriend” had accompanied her. Taking advantage of the maid’s inattention, the cat had wandered off on its own, only to find a plump “pigeon snack” here.

Mr. Whiskers’ carefully planned attack was thwarted by Charles’ quick thinking. The cat greedily eyed the parrot again, crouching and preparing for another pounce, emitting a threatening “meow” as it leapt forward.

Charles, raised on Queen Marie Antoinette’s teachings of chivalry, mustered his courage despite his fear, lifting his leg to kick at Mr. Whiskers.

“Meow!” The cat, startled whether or not it was actually hit, let out a miserable yowl and retreated to Clementine’s embrace for comfort.

The little girl petted the cat soothingly and protested to Charles, “Your Highness, you nearly injured Mr. Whiskers!”

Charles clung tightly to the parrot and retorted, “That bad cat tried to eat Mr. Parrot!”

“I apologize on its behalf, but you already blocked it with the hat—there was no need for a kick!”

“I think it was necessary!”

“It wasn’t!”

“It started it!”

The little girl puffed up with indignation, planting her hands on her hips as she shouted, “There’s no doubt your actions were exceedingly rude!”

Unable to win the argument, the little boy suddenly noticed the Moroccan nut in her candy. Remembering a fact he’d learned from a picture book, he grinned mischievously and pointed to the nut, asking, “Do you know how they collect that?”

“Huh? Collect?” she asked, confused.

Charles smirked and said, “The locals herd goats into the trees. The goats eat the fruit, and the pits they poop out are the source of those nuts!”

“Ugh!” Joseph turned green and clutched his stomach as nausea churned within him.

Clementine looked from the delicious candy to Charles, then burst into tears. “That’s not true! You’re lying…”

Servants and maids rushed in, some carrying Charles away, others comforting the sobbing little girl. The room dissolved into chaos.

Louis XVI turned helplessly to the royal biologist standing by the door.

The biologist quickly stepped forward, bowed to the group, and explained, “Indeed, His Highness described one method of collection. However, the edible part is the kernel inside the shell, which doesn’t come into contact with the goat droppings. Moreover, high-grade candies like these are generally collected by hand.”

Joseph finally sighed in relief, and the little girl’s crying gradually subsided.

Queen Marie Antoinette, having comforted her son, patted Clementine’s head to divert her attention. “By the way, Clementine, didn’t you say you wanted to hear your cousin’s tales of adventure in North Africa?”

She turned to Joseph. “My dear, why don’t you share some with them?”

The two children immediately stopped bickering and turned their attention to him.

Joseph instinctively wanted to decline but suddenly realized he couldn’t always let the Queen treat him like a child.

With France’s progress, he would undoubtedly undertake more extensive and profound reforms, as well as manage complex diplomatic affairs. He needed greater authority to handle these responsibilities without constraint.

This was a perfect opportunity to demonstrate his capability to the Queen.

Nodding, he motioned for everyone to sit by the sofa. After gathering his thoughts, he began:

“A few months ago, there was an attack on French citizens in Tunis. I suspected there was foreign interference behind it. So, I decided to investigate…”

He then described how he promoted the concept of "Roman identity," offered the Tunisian Guard as a "generous package" to gain the support of local tribes, and ensured the local insurgents became dependent on him for weapons and equipment.

However, to avoid offending Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, who were devout Catholics, he omitted the details of his "One-Eyed Stone Man" scheme and other superstitious tricks. Instead, he simply mentioned collaborating with Elder Al-Ali, ultimately leading to the locals overthrowing the Tunisian Guard responsible for attacking French citizens.

Queen Marie Antoinette listened with wide eyes and couldn’t help but praise:
"Without deploying much military force, you managed to defeat those hostile to France. My dear, how did you come up with such a brilliant idea?"

This time, Brienne hadn’t accompanied Joseph to Tunis, so she no longer assumed her son was merely a follower.

She was overwhelmed with emotion, crossing herself while silently praying: My son has truly grown up. Not only is he capable, but he is also exceptionally cunning. Thank you, God, and thank you, Saint Mary!

Joseph then recounted Algeria's intervention in Tunisia, his decision to strike preemptively, and the rapid maneuver to Annaba to launch a surprise attack on the Algerian forces.

Although Queen Marie Antoinette had read related reports before, they weren’t as detailed as Joseph’s account. When she heard that her son had accompanied 6,000 French troops against over 20,000 Algerian forces, she grew so anxious that her palms began to sweat, softly muttering:
"It was too risky... you shouldn’t have joined the expedition..."

It wasn’t until Joseph described the pincer attack on Kehler south of Annaba, resulting in a decisive victory, that the audience around him finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Clementine was the first to applaud enthusiastically:
"Dear cousin, you are incredible!"

The King and Queen exchanged a glance and also clapped, their faces filled with pride.

Little Charles shouted with admiration:
"Brother, take me along next time to fight the infidels!"

Joseph affectionately ruffled his hair and said with a smile:
"Then you must study hard, practice horseback riding, and when you grow up, we can lead the army together."

Queen Marie Antoinette quickly waved her hands in disapproval:
"Horseback riding is too early for him; that won’t do..."

As Joseph finished recounting his experiences in North Africa, Louis XVI’s attendant reminded them that it was dinnertime, signaling the end of the royal family's bonding activities.

Queen Marie Antoinette watched her eldest son walk side by side with her husband and couldn’t help but smile with relief. All my painstaking efforts were worth it; I have raised such an exceptional heir.

However, she quickly recalled that Joseph had been amidst the chaos of a North African battlefield, and her heart clenched. If it weren’t for the Marquis de Saint-Véran’s sluggish army, her son wouldn’t have faced such peril! Thankfully, her son had performed admirably; otherwise, he could have been harmed by the Algerian forces...

She dared not think further, her eyes glinting with a cold, venomous light. Like a lioness protecting her cub, she growled softly:
"Montcalm, you will pay for your actions!"

Then she remembered the Minister of War, who had recommended the Marquis de Saint-Véran, and her resentment extended to him as well.

...

The following morning

Joseph, free from family obligations, headed directly to the Royal Industrial Planning Bureau at the Tuileries Palace.

Upon entering his office, he immediately noticed the thick stack of documents piled on his desk. Letting out a long sigh, he realized how much work had accumulated during his months in North Africa.

Taking a seat, Joseph asked Émond to brew him a cup of plain coffee. Then, reaching for the first file, he began reviewing it.

As usual, the top document was a report on the grain situation.

As expected, despite employing steam-powered irrigation and fertilizing with phosphate from Nauru, this year’s harvest was still down by 27% compared to previous years, due to the dual impact of drought and a harsh winter.

Even more troubling, with the onset of winter, the strategic grain reserves were depleting rapidly, leaving only about 18% of the year’s starting inventory.

Compounding the issue, other countries were also experiencing poor harvests, causing international grain prices to soar. This made importing grain to fill the shortfall increasingly challenging.

According to the document in Joseph’s hand, during his time in Tunis, over a dozen regions in France had faced food shortages. Fortunately, emergency allocation of reserve grain had averted disaster. However, at the current consumption rate, the reserves would only last until March of the following year.

The earliest harvest of spring wheat in Tunisia wouldn’t be ready until late April, leaving a gap of over a month that needed to be addressed. This would require both accelerating immigration to Tunisia and seeking new sources of grain.

The situation was dire but markedly better than the same period in history.

By late 1788, France had descended into widespread famine. Coupled with mass unemployment caused by the Eden Treaty, the country’s finances had completely collapsed. With no alternatives, Louis XVI had agreed to convene the Estates-General the following year.

In 1789, the famine worsened, and starvation became common in many regions. The Estates-General failed to resolve any issues, instead unleashing a revolutionary torrent that engulfed all of France.

Joseph massaged his temples. Thanks to his efforts over the past year, the food crisis was temporarily under control, and the Estates-General had not been convened.

Most importantly, Paris had avoided food shortages. If nothing unexpected happened, the revolution might be averted.

Taking a sip of coffee, he opened the next file. This document primarily summarized the grain situation in various European countries during the latter half of the year.

After a quick review, Joseph frowned. Overall, the situation across Europe was grim.

The drought had affected major grain-exporting countries like Britain, Russia, and Prussia, leaving them unable to meet their needs. Other nations were also experiencing widespread famine.

The most telling metric was the number of civilian uprisings—most triggered by famine.

Austria had seen over a hundred uprisings in a year. Russia, as usual, was Europe’s champion of unrest. Even Prussia and Britain experienced sixty to seventy uprisings each. Yes, even prosperous Britain wasn’t immune, though its situation was unique due to the ongoing enclosures.

Italy was relatively better off, thanks to its vibrant trade and smaller population. Yet Sardinia and the Two Sicilies still reported over thirty uprisings.

In comparison, France had experienced just over a dozen uprisings this year, making it a model for the rest of Europe. In this feudal era, a complete absence of revolts was impossible—an ill-advised move by a clueless noble on their estate could spark a peasant rebellion.

Joseph understood that widespread food shortages across Europe could easily lead to war. War allowed nations to divert internal tensions outward, seize money and resources, and was a common solution for addressing domestic crises in this era.

This made it imperative for him to swiftly deal with insubordinate military nobles and unify control of the military to effectively counter foreign threats.

The exemplary performance of the Guard Corps in Tunis had bolstered his confidence in confronting the military aristocracy. However, executing this plan would require extreme caution. In matters of state, both rituals and warfare were of paramount importance. With these nobles wielding military power, any misstep could result in a mutiny.

Joseph set aside the report on European uprisings and opened the next file.

This was a document from Talleyrand, summarizing the outcome of France’s stern protest to the British government over its alleged involvement in inciting the Tunisian Guard to attack French citizens.

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