The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 77

Chapter 77: The Challenge

Hartley silently calculated in his mind: at this rate, France's tariffs would drop below 10% within five years. The nation's industries would never recover! Once tariffs reached 5%, France would essentially become a dumping ground for British goods, akin to a colony.

Suppressing his excitement, he hid his trembling hands behind his back and said, "I will report this to Parliament. However, I personally believe your suggestion is immensely beneficial!"

Joseph, too, breathed a sigh of relief. If the current tariff levels persisted, French industry would soon be overwhelmed by British goods.

A 25% tariff, however, would give the local workshops some breathing room. By the time he had established a solid political foundation, he could begin promoting the French Industrial Revolution.

With the knowledge and techniques from the future, if he couldn't outpace British industry in seven years, he might as well buy a block of cheese and end it all.

Once France completed an enhanced industrial revolution, it would be France dumping goods onto low-tariff Britain instead!

Having dealt with the industrial issue, Joseph turned to another matter. "Ambassador, France has made significant concessions on industrial tariffs. Wouldn't it be fair for Britain to reciprocate in agricultural products?"

Hartley immediately nodded. "That won't be a problem. We can discuss the tariffs on wine."

During the last trade negotiations, the French were most concerned about wine exports, going so far as to trade most of their industrial market access for a foothold in the British wine market.

Joseph smiled. "Actually, aside from wine, we have some breweries in Normandy, and there are a few distilleries as well. It would be ideal if the tariffs on these could also drop below 10%.

"Oh, and luxury goods. Luxury goods, too. You may have heard that I have some interests in this sector. Any assistance in this regard would be deeply appreciated..."

Hartley pondered briefly before nodding. "I will certainly convey your wishes to Parliament."

French beer was of mediocre quality, and their spirits had even less market appeal. Opening the British market to these posed no threat. The luxury goods market was also relatively small. Compared to the immense gains in industrial products, these concessions were negligible.

"I'm delighted we could reach an understanding," Joseph said. "Let us expedite the resumption of trade negotiations."

Hartley then raised a question. "Your Highness, are these suggestions purely your personal opinions, or do they represent..."

"They reflect only my views. However, I believe they will likely form part of the terms proposed by the French delegation."

Hartley nodded, raising the wineglass on the table to gesture toward Joseph. "To prosperous Anglo-French trade!"

Inwardly, he thought: with the Crown Prince's current political influence, it will be difficult for him to fully control the negotiations. I must advise Parliament to mobilize British resources in France to help him achieve this.

Even if the agreement cannot be finalized immediately, as long as the French Crown Prince has this idea, the new treaty will eventually be signed.

Joseph clinked glasses with him lightly. Just then, the voice of Hunter Shaw resounded from the stage: "Thirty years east of the Seine, thirty years west of the Seine! Do not look down on a young man simply because he is poor!"

The impassioned words moved the audience to stand and applaud vigorously. Some were even brought to tears.

"Then I shall not disturb your enjoyment of this wonderful drama," Hartley said as he rose, bowed, and took his leave.

As he departed, he was already calculating: if the French Crown Prince's proposed terms could be fulfilled, he might vie for the position of the next Prime Minister.

As for the initial goal of this trip—to promote the shipbuilding treaty—that was now completely forgotten.

...

The next day.

The East Wing of Versailles Palace, in the grand hall of the council chamber, the first cabinet meeting since the tax law was rejected by the High Court was about to convene.

Joseph entered through the golden main doors, tucking a few pages of a report into his pocket.

It was a report Fouché had just delivered. In it, they had discovered the mistress of the former Chief of Police, Guizot—a woman named Anna.

After Guizot's arrest, Anna had fallen into poverty. Ultimately, under the persuasion of spies from the Directorate of Police, she revealed that Guizot and Similion had once discussed plans at her residence to stir unrest in the Saint-Antoine District and create trouble for the Crown Prince.

The key detail was that during their conversation, Guizot mentioned that if things went wrong, a "big figure" would clean up the mess.

After Guizot's arrest, Anna had visited him. Guizot had instructed her to seek out Paris Municipal Commissioner Lefebvre, assuring her that he would help.

Although there was no concrete evidence, it was now almost certain that the person backing Guizot was Lefebvre.

Lefebvre, politically aligned with the Duke of Orléans, had no personal conflict of interest with Joseph. From this, it could be inferred that the mastermind was none other than the Duke of Orléans!

Additionally, Fouché had discovered that before Joseph became Assistant Minister of Finance, the Duke of Orléans had attended a banquet hosted by a banking guild, where he publicly urged the banks to delay granting the government a six-million-livre loan.

Because the banquet had many attendees, this information was relatively easy to obtain.

Thus, it was evident that all these schemes were orchestrated by the Duke of Orléans.

Joseph's eyes grew cold. He had to find a way to eliminate this menace; otherwise, there was no telling what further chaos the Duke might unleash.

Soon, Queen Marie entered the council hall. Everyone rose respectfully. The cabinet meeting officially began.

As Chief Minister, Bishop Brienne was about to begin his customary summary of important recent matters when the Minister of Justice, Sumiar, exchanged a glance with the Duke of Orléans. Suddenly, he stood up and declared loudly:

"Bishop Brienne, the most pressing matter for France right now is advancing the tax law. I believe everyone is waiting for you to update us on its progress."

Brienne's face darkened immediately. The rejection of the law by the High Court was public knowledge. For the Minister of Justice to raise this here was clearly an act of provocation and humiliation.

Suppressing his anger, Brienne said in a deep voice, "The High Court has refused registration. However, I have revised the terms of the bill and will resubmit it to the court."

Sumiar smiled faintly. "Your previous bill unfairly targeted the nobility, which is why it was rejected. How do you plan to revise it this time? Target the military, or perhaps directly the royal family?"

"You—!"

Sumiar continued, "From what I understand, the High Court has already reached a consensus to refuse cooperation with you. In other words, any bill you submit in the future is certain to be rejected."

As he spoke, he turned to Queen Marie and raised his voice. "Your Majesty, for the stability of France's finances, I propose that a new Minister of Finance be appointed to ensure the tax law is passed promptly."

Before the Queen could respond, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vilren, stood and placed a hand on his chest. "I second Count Sumiar's proposal. The nation's finances are on the verge of collapse, and Bishop Brienne must be held accountable."

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