The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 110

Chapter 110: A Battle of Wits with the "Confucians"

In the guest room on the west side of the cathedral, Archbishop Beaumont’s face was filled with astonishment: “Your Highness, how can this be? Potatoes have absolutely no place at the Passover table…”

He was referring to the scene depicted in The Last Supper—where, on the Passover, Jesus dined for the final time with his twelve disciples, declaring that one of them would betray him.

Joseph smiled: “Archbishop Beaumont, how do you know there were no potatoes at that table?”

“Th—this…”

“I recall that in the earliest depictions of The Last Supper, the Lord only had a piece of bread in His hands. Later, in Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting, the table was filled with all kinds of food. So, adding another item wouldn’t be so inappropriate, would it?”

A high-ranking priest next to them hesitantly interjected: “Your Highness, as far as I know, there were no potatoes in Jerusalem before the Passion…”

Joseph immediately stood up, indignantly saying: “What is this you’re saying? Are you questioning the Lord’s omniscience? How could there be something in this world that the Lord has never eaten or seen? Especially something as common as the potato, which even you have eaten!”

The priest was startled and quickly recoiled, fervently making the sign of the cross on his chest and muttering a prayer for forgiveness. He hadn’t meant to question the Lord.

Archbishop Beaumont stood dumbfounded for a moment before seizing upon a different argument, quickly responding: “Your Highness, potatoes have never appeared in the Bible, so I believe they are not suitable for inclusion in the painting.”

Joseph turned to him with a friendly smile: “Archbishop, the tea you drink every day has never appeared in the Bible, either. The corn that the poor of Paris rely on to survive is similarly not recorded in the Bible. But these are all gifts from the Lord. We must only thank Him. Amen.”

He casually made the sign of the cross on his chest, and the surrounding clergy hurriedly followed suit: “Amen.”

“But,” Beaumont, who had been interpreting scripture for decades without facing any real challenge, had never encountered someone with such a tricky angle as the Crown Prince. He immediately tapped into his clerical expertise and countered: “Your Highness, many things are not mentioned in the Bible, but we can find similar things referenced within it.

“For example, tea comes from tree leaves, and corn is a type of grain. As long as it’s similar…”

Joseph, having already prepared for this line of argument, immediately responded: “You’re right, Archbishop. The Bible does mention that the roots of the lotus are edible, and potatoes are a close relative of that plant. After all, they are both tubers dug from the ground.”

“That’s not…”

Another high-ranking priest sighed and said: “Your Highness, the edible crops of the world all come from male and female union. Grains, corn, and tea are all examples. But potatoes, on the other hand, don’t have male and female parts. You can just cut a piece, and it will grow more, which makes it a desecrated item…”

Joseph turned around with a smile: “You might want to discuss this with Count Lamarck. I’m sure he would be happy to enlighten you.”

Beaumont shot the priest a glare. He was well-read and naturally knew that potatoes also had flowers and seeds. It was just that because they grew so slowly, people were unwilling to plant them.

Seeing that the clergy had fallen silent, Joseph waved his hand firmly and said: “Everything in this world was created and given by the Lord, and potatoes are no exception.

“You all know that potatoes have saved countless lives in places like Prussia and Austria. This shows that they are food meant by the Lord to save humanity, an act of divine mercy.

“Your mission is to help people accept the Lord’s gifts, so they can become more grateful and devout, isn’t that right?”

He glanced outside at the lower-ranking clergy who were eavesdropping, then raised his voice: “This is not only about adding two potatoes to the painting. The government has already decided to promote potato cultivation throughout all of France, and the Church is asked to assist by telling the farmers that this is a gift from the Lord. All clergy who help with the promotion will receive a stipend of ten livres per month.

“Moreover, in the areas you are responsible for, if the people show a high acceptance of potatoes, the church will receive a reward of 300 livres.”

Beaumont saw the clergy outside, eagerly whispering to each other, and after a moment of hesitation, sighed deeply and said to Joseph: “Your Highness, perhaps you are right. Potatoes can be included in The Last Supper.”

He silently shook his head in his mind: But this will achieve nothing. Even if the Church agrees, they won’t allow their lands to be planted with potatoes.

…

Soon, the new version of The Last Supper appeared in the oil painting shops of Paris. In the painting, there were unmistakably two potatoes on the plate in front of Jesus, and a small bowl of mashed potatoes in front of Peter.

The major newspapers in Paris began printing the painting as well. Though in black and white and somewhat coarsely etched, anyone could tell that the bumpy, spherical objects were clearly potatoes.

At the royal court chef Barnabe's "Whirlwind Potato Tower" stall, citizens were still hesitant—centuries of tradition cannot be changed just like that.

However, some of the extremely poor families, seeing the homeless children who had eaten potatoes a few days ago, still hopping about happily without any signs of poisoning or illness, were stirred with curiosity.

Finally, someone, resolved to die, took a free serving of fried potatoes, and immediately found them so delicious they couldn’t stop savoring them.

Elsewhere in Paris, mashed potatoes and fried French fries made by the royal chefs were also quickly handed out for free. Although only a few dared to try them, cracks were beginning to form in the invisible dam of resistance.

…

Meanwhile, inside and outside the Tuileries Palace, a bustling scene of intense activity had already unfolded.

Hundreds of carpenters, bricklayers, and glassworkers were repairing doors, windows, walls, and chandeliers. Because the palace had been neglected for so long, over 80% of the more than two thousand rooms required repairs.

The president of the Paris Chamber of Commerce, Fresselles, who was dressed impeccably but had a dust-covered tricorn hat, was coordinating his subordinates, managing personnel and material distribution.

As the newly appointed head of the "Paris Fashion Week Preparation Committee," his brown eyes were bloodshot, but he showed no sign of wanting rest.

At the Crown Prince’s request, the committee had drawn up a plan to complete the restoration of the Tuileries Palace within a month. The financial allocations had already been approved, and it was now crunch time for everyone to work tirelessly.

On the eastern side of the royal square, a large catwalk, built of maple wood and over 50 meters long, had already been more than half completed. A swarm of workers, like ants, were carrying materials up and down.

Fresselles watched this with excitement. He knew exactly what this fashion event would bring to Paris.

Prosperity!

Reputation!

And immense profit!

Meanwhile, in a hall of the western wing of the Tuileries Palace, Joseph stood watching dozens of beautiful women with strange, awkward movements and unusual postures. He couldn’t help but rub his forehead and shake his head.

Table of content - Next Chapter >>>