The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Child Blessed by the Divine

“No, no need to continue!” Lagrange grasped Joseph's shoulders tightly, exclaiming excitedly, “This entirely new derivation is proof enough of your abilities. I’ll return to the university today and apply for your academic certification.”

“Thank you very much!” Joseph beamed, breaking free of the elderly mathematician’s grip. Bowing to him, he dashed out of the room.

Lagrange, who had been about to offer some parting remarks, found that Joseph was already gone.

He hesitated briefly before hastily running after him, calling out, “Your Highness, how did you come up with the idea for differential functions? Tell me about your thought process!”

Inside the classroom, the other boys exchanged bewildered glances. After a long moment, someone hesitated before asking, “Can anyone tell me... has the Crown Prince graduated already?”

“It seems so.”

“But he only came here today...”

The boy with upturned eyes glared resentfully at Joseph’s departing figure and snarled, “No, he must have cheated!”

André glanced at him subtly, then slid Lagrange’s question paper toward him. “The professor set the question on the spot, and His Highness’s proof is a groundbreaking mathematical discovery. If the Duke of Chartres believes cheating can achieve that, perhaps you could try it yourself.”

The Duke of Chartres stared at the incomprehensible formulas, as if struck by lightning. Always priding himself as the best among the younger generation of the royal family, he now found he couldn’t even understand the proof Joseph had written out.

Could it be that Joseph’s earlier ineptitude was all a ruse, meant to humiliate him now?

Clenching his fists tightly, the Duke vowed silently, Joseph, just you wait. One day, I’ll make you grovel at my feet!

Joseph, of course, couldn’t hear the conversation behind him. Even if he had, he wouldn’t have cared. They were just children bickering. His mind was already preoccupied with his newfound opportunity to participate in government. He was contemplating how to reform France and prevent the outbreak of the French Revolution—and avoid losing his head in the process.

Lagrange caught up to him, panting and peppering him with questions for some time before suddenly muttering to himself, “What if f(a)≠f(b)f(a) \neq f(b)f(a)=f(b)?”

He repeated it several times, his expression turning grave. Abruptly excusing himself from Joseph, he hurried back to his office at the university.

Watching him leave, Joseph murmured softly, “If f(a)≠f(b)f(a) \neq f(b)f(a)=f(b), then that’s your Mean Value Theorem, Lagrange. Best of luck; I hope you prove it a few years earlier.”

As the elderly mathematician’s figure disappeared, Joseph beckoned to his attendant, who had been following behind. “Eymond, where is the Queen now?”

The tall, blond young man bowed quickly. “Your Highness, the Queen is in her tea room.”

Joseph nodded and turned, jogging down the broad corridor. The exertion brought on a fit of coughing, reminding him that his pneumonia hadn’t yet healed. His predecessor’s body was exceedingly frail; even after over a month, the illness showed no sign of abating.

He waved Eymond away, signaling that he was fine, and after weaving through over a hundred meters of hallways, he finally spotted the doors of the Queen’s tea room.

From today onward, I can finally take charge and begin saving myself! Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the doors and strode in.

...

The tea room was warmly and elegantly furnished. Queen Marie, her hair styled in a towering, elaborate coiffure nearly two feet high, her fair skin glowing, and her light blue eyes sparkling, reclined gracefully in an Oriental-style armchair. She held a document in one hand and a cup of tea in the other while attentively listening to a minister report. It seemed she was handling governmental affairs—King Louis XVI spent most of his time in the locksmith workshop, leaving the Queen to manage state matters.

Joseph sighed inwardly. Louis XVI, in fact, could be considered one of France’s rare benevolent kings. But he had inherited a France riddled with problems, and his lack of statecraft, coupled with his obsession with locksmithing, had ultimately plunged the country into despair and revolution.

Had he ruled in a time of peace, Louis XVI might have been a beloved king. Joseph held some fondness for him and, if possible, genuinely wished to save his life.

A cerEymondial officer announced, “His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince—”

Joseph adhered to court etiquette, stepping back with his right foot and bowing with his hand over his chest to Queen Marie. He then returned the bows of the ministers in the room before stepping forward eagerly to address the Queen.

“Mother, I’ve passed the university’s mathematics graduation assessment!”

Queen Marie’s eyes lit up with delight. Setting down her document, she grasped his hands joyfully. “Joseph, you are truly the pride of your father and me!”

She had already verified his academic progress and knew that aside from mathematics, he had excelled in all his other subjects. This meant that he had now completed his studies at the University of Paris!

Looking at her son with a mixture of pride and puzzlement, she asked, “Why did you keep this a secret from your father and me? I mean, you could have studied with renowned tutors.”

To explain his sudden transformation into a prodigy, Joseph fabricated an excuse. “Because... I wanted to surprise you,” he said sheepishly.

“This surprise is wonderful!” The Queen picked up a strawberry-topped pudding and placed it into his mouth, affectionately ruffling his slightly curly hair. “How does that little head of yours hold so much knowledge?”

Nearby, a tall, slender man in a dark blue brocade doublet, his collar adorned with sapphires and his expression cold, frowned slightly. He leaned toward the minister beside him and asked in a low voice, “Bishop Brienne, did the Crown Prince just say he completed university-level mathematics?”

The minister nodded. “It seems so.”

“How is that possible?”

“I’m equally astonished.”

Behind them, one of the Queen’s trusted clerks whispered, “Not just mathematics. His Highness has completed more than ten courses, including physics, chemistry, geometry, and English, at the University of Paris.”

Several nearby ministers widened their eyes in disbelief.

“How is that possible?!”

“The Crown Prince is only thirteen, isn’t he?!”

“This is incredible!”

“Yes,” the clerk sighed. “The teachers who taught him all call him the ‘Child Blessed by the Divine.’”

“Blessed by the Divine? Haha! With such a genius as Crown Prince, France will undoubtedly flourish!”

“Indeed, God bless France!”

Joseph ignored the flattery of the ministers. Pulling free from the Queen’s hands, he urgently addressed her, “Your Majesty, as agreed, I can participate in governance now, correct?”

Queen Marie nodded indulgently. “That’s right, my brilliant son. Oh, by the way, I suggest you start by gaining experience at the Paris City Hall.”

Joseph frowned. He intended to reform France fundamentally to prevent the enraged populace from massacring the entire royal family. What could he accomplish at City Hall? Manage urban traffic? Oversee sewage systems?

His extensive knowledge of the French Revolution made him keenly aware that France’s core problem was its finances—corrupt governance, inability to provide disaster relief, and rebellious nobility all stemmed from fiscal collapse.

To reform France, he had to start with its finances.

He looked at the Queen, cautiously suggesting, “I think perhaps the role of Minister of Finance would suit me better.”

Queen Marie smiled kindly but skeptically. France’s financial issues were a chronic disease; since Louis XVI’s ascension, nearly all efforts had been directed toward solving the fiscal crisis, but with no success.

Could a thirteen-year-old, even if he was a “Child Blessed by the Divine,” bear such a heavy burden?

Suppressing her smile, she pondered briefly before responding, “Joseph, if you’re interested in finance, perhaps you could start at the Paris Tax Bureau.”

Joseph understood her doubt in his abilities. Given his youthful appearance, it was only natural. Reluctantly, he lowered his expectations.

“Then let me serve as Assistant Minister of Finance?”

At the time, an assistant minister was essentially the deputy minister, the second-highest position in finance.

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