The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 109

Chapter 109: The Arrangement for an Official Matchmaking!

"Just in time, Prince, you can carefully perfect the painting with his guidance." Queen Marie smiled and gestured to Madame Lebrun, the painter. Then, she had a maid bring over a chair and, without a word, pressed Joseph into it.

Seeing this, Brienne shot Joseph an exasperated glance, holding the signed potato promotion plan from the Queen, and excused himself.

Madame Lebrun professionally instructed her assistants to set up the painting equipment. Squinting at the sunlight, she adjusted the angle and began revising Son of God.

Joseph’s own plan required the painter’s expertise, so following the Queen’s request, he struck a prayerful pose and asked Madame Lebrun, "Excuse me, could you paint a version of The Last Supper? Like the one by da Vinci."

Madame Lebrun, pressing oil paint on her canvas with her fingers, nodded without hesitation: "Your Highness, of course, I can. In fact, any student from the Paris Academy of Art has copied this painting hundreds of times."

Joseph smiled. "Then, could you make some adjustments to the painting?"

"Oh, please return to your previous expression, Your Highness." Madame Lebrun furrowed her brows but still nodded, "Of course, would you like to alter the attire of any particular saint?"

Joseph quickly suppressed his smile and looked up slightly. "Ah, no, actually, I was thinking of adding two potatoes to the food on the table."

"That’s easy..." Madame Lebrun began, but suddenly froze. "Did you say 'the devil from the earth'?"

She displayed a worried expression. "Your Highness, I’m afraid that would need the Church’s approval, or it may cause some sacrilege. You know that could result in ecclesiastical judgment on me..."

Joseph tried to convince her further, but Madame Lebrun still dared not agree. She explained that no painter would dare to include such a controversial item like potatoes without the Church's permission.

Joseph sighed in resignation, silently lamenting: It's certainly not easy to act as God's representative...

Sitting some distance away, Queen Marie noticed her son frowning. She shielded the sun with her fan and asked loudly, "My dear, what are you discussing?"

"Potatoes..."

The Queen smiled kindly. "Stop thinking about potatoes so much; those matters will naturally be handled by Archbishop Brienne."

"Oh, by the way, did you know? Next month, Princess Maria Amalia of Two Sicilies will be visiting Paris."

"Ah, alright." Joseph, still pondering how to persuade the Church, assumed the Queen was merely chatting and replied absentmindedly.

However, he forgot one thing: according to royal tradition, such an explicitly scheduled "tour" usually meant an arranged marriage.

Queen Marie, seeing her son’s agreement, assumed he was satisfied with the princess and became a bit anxious. She added quickly, "Also, your cousin, Maria Clementine of the Duchy of Tuscany, will also be coming to Paris next month. What do you think?"

Currently, Archduke Joseph of Austria, the Holy Roman Emperor's brother and Queen Marie’s sibling, had no sons, and his wife had passed away years ago. Therefore, his niece, Maria Clementine of Tuscany, was one of the highest-ranking young women in the Habsburg family.

She was also the Queen’s top choice for a daughter-in-law—her own niece, after all, was the most reliable.

Joseph still didn’t fully grasp the situation and, maintaining his posture, replied, "Welcome her to Paris."

The Queen was pleased but also slightly confused. With her son showing no objection to either princess, which one did he favor more? Ah well, she decided it was best to wait until they arrived.

She worried greatly about her exceptionally capable son’s marriage, but because of his brilliance, she also had to consider his own opinions. If it were the Louis XVI of old, she might have already sent someone to propose.

Finally, after enduring through a lavish lunch with her son, Queen Marie found herself relieved.

Louis XVI was the last to enter the dining room. Although he appeared in high spirits, his heavy eye bags reminded everyone that the King had been working tirelessly on weapons development day and night.

He first embraced his wife and son and then, leaning toward Joseph’s ear, whispered mysteriously and excitedly, "Joseph, the first prototype is already assembled. However, it still needs some improvements on the airtightness. I believe you’ll see it fired next week!"

Joseph gave him an admiring look and whispered back, "You truly have the most skillful hands in France! Without you, this gun might still be a long way off. How about next week we go to the Paris police academy for a test shot? They have a professional shooting range there."

Father and son exchanged a nod, sharing a quiet sense of triumph. When Queen Marie looked over, they both quickly masked their smiles—if she discovered that the King was secretly developing dangerous firearms in the palace, she would scold him for days.

After the lunch, Joseph made a gesture of encouragement to Louis XVI. Before Madame Lebrun arrived, he quickly summoned Eymond and fled the Palace of Versailles.

In the carriage, Eymond asked, bowing, "Your Highness, do you wish to return to the Industrial Planning Bureau, or...?"

"No, let’s go to Notre-Dame de Paris!" Joseph immediately replied.

"Very well, Your Highness."

After several hours of bumpy travel, the convoy finally entered Paris. Joseph glanced out the carriage window and saw craftsmen digging holes and building walls by the roadside—obviously, it was a construction team working on public toilets.

On this journey, he had already seen seven or eight construction sites for public toilets.

Joseph nodded inwardly. Though Morneau was a seasoned political figure, he certainly executed the tasks well when given responsibility.

He just wondered how much of the funds Morneau had pocketed.

Joseph pursed his lips, thinking to himself that he should remind Morneau at some point. This was his project, after all—he hoped the man didn’t take too much for himself.

After a while, Joseph finally spotted the towering spires of Notre-Dame de Paris, and soon, the twin square towers appeared in his view. This was Paris’ largest cathedral and the residence of the Archbishop of Paris.

Joseph had come to discuss revising The Last Supper with the Archbishop.

Though Brienne was also an archbishop, ever since he had taken on the role of finance minister, his influence over the Church had waned. Furthermore, as Archbishop of Toulouse, he had little power in the Paris district.

Upon learning that the Crown Prince had arrived, a group of black-robed clergy, led by Archbishop Beaumont, quickly greeted him at the cathedral door.

Joseph warmly led Beaumont into Notre-Dame de Paris, smiling amiably, "Archbishop Beaumont, I have a matter I’d like to ask for your help with."

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