Chapter 258: The Incorruptible
The second floor of the Palace of Versailles.
Thunderous shouts from the square below reached the Office of the Minister of Industry:
“Those wretches murdered Count Morneau! They must be tried immediately!”
“No trial is necessary—hang them at once!”
“Yes, hang them! Every one of them!”
“Thanks to His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, it was his police who apprehended these murderers...”
“All praise to His Highness for bringing peace and order to France.”
“Long live His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince!”
These cries came from the nobles gathered to watch the escort of rioters led by the French Guard. At this moment, the nobles, entirely forgetting their decorum and status, roared with fury and fear like common rabble.
Joseph glanced out the window and couldn’t help but find the scene amusing. Despite his deliberate efforts to suppress the old aristocracy, they now hailed him as a hero for quelling the riots.
But this was not unwelcome. At least no one would criticize the police reforms now.
He gestured to Eymond to close the window and then turned to Count Mirabeau. “Please present this proposal to Her Majesty the Queen as soon as possible, so that it may be discussed at the cabinet meeting the day after tomorrow.”
“The nobles’ attention is entirely on the trial of the rioters, so the proposal should face little resistance.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Mirabeau replied, carefully packing away the freshly prepared manuscript of the Grain Production Proposal.
Joseph continued, “There is now a vacancy for the position of Minister of the Interior. Given the heavy responsibilities of that office, I intend to divide it into three separate ministries: Agriculture, Police, and Commerce.”
He turned to Vénio. “At the cabinet meeting, I will nominate you as Minister of Agriculture. However, due to your limited political experience, His Majesty may only grant you an acting appointment.”
“Me?!” Vénio exclaimed, rising excitedly and placing a hand on his chest. “Thank you! Thank you for your trust, Your Highness! I swear I will devote myself entirely to the prosperity of the nation’s agriculture!”
Previously a plantation owner, Vénio was the most knowledgeable about agriculture among Joseph’s allies.
He had never imagined that a chance encounter with the Crown Prince in Bordeaux would lead to such rapid ascension, now on the brink of joining the cabinet.
Joseph instructed him further: “For agricultural matters, you must collaborate closely with the Church. In the rural villages, only the Church holds real influence over the peasants.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I will remember your directive.”
Joseph nodded at him before addressing Bailly. “And I hope you will take up the role of Minister of Commerce. I trust you won’t decline.”
“Of course,” Bailly responded with much more composure than Vénio, bowing deeply. “I will always follow your commands and never let you down.”
Joseph’s decision to “slice up” the Ministry of the Interior stemmed partly from the overwhelming scope of its duties, which were too much for one person to handle, but also from his intent to introduce more emerging nobles into the cabinet.
Now, apart from the Ministers of Finance, Justice, and Census, almost all cabinet positions were filled with these new nobles—including Archbishop Talleyrand, who was actually a progressive thinker.
This arrangement would ensure that the policies needed to advance France’s industrial revolution could be passed smoothly.
The future of the European continent would be determined by industrial strength!
...
The public trials of the rioters began swiftly.
This was largely due to Joseph’s instructions that when the Office of Police transported the gang members, they included detailed investigation reports and documents retrieved from local police stations.
Even witnesses had been brought directly to Paris.
The trials were held in the square in front of the Hôtel de Ville. Because of the sheer number of defendants, the High Court operated at full capacity, with six temporary courts convening simultaneously.
Although few ordinary citizens attended, over a thousand nobles from the Palace of Versailles were present—eager to see for themselves that the criminals who had terrified them were sentenced to death.
To the surprise of the gathered nobles, the gang members all testified in unison that they had been paid handsomely to incite the riots.
Soon after, spies from the Duke of Orléans, who had been stationed in various provinces, were brought forth to be identified by the gang members. The police had captured many of these spies in the early stages of their operations.
Without exception, the gang members confirmed that they had been directed by these individuals. The presiding judge immediately announced that the masterminds would face separate trials.
The police operatives who had infiltrated the gangs were mistaken for subordinates of the gang leaders due to the gang members’ habitual thinking.
Thus, during the trials, although some rioters mentioned “agents” of the masterminds who had orchestrated their actions, the absence of these agents from custody led the judges to pay little attention.
The trials proceeded rapidly. In less than half an hour, one gang member after another was sentenced to hanging.
Their crimes extended far beyond rioting—murder, kidnapping, robbery, and more, each individual carrying a lengthy list of offenses.
Initially, some citizens had sympathized with the rioters, believing their actions stemmed from hunger. However, these revelations quickly turned public sentiment, and many joined the chorus of curses.
Each sentencing was met with enthusiastic cheers—nobles and commoners united in their demand for these men to hang.
When Joseph arrived at the square in front of the Hôtel de Ville, the trials of 50 to 60 rioters had already concluded.
He was merely passing by on his way to the Paris Police Academy and decided to observe the nobles’ reactions.
Hearing the relentless cries of “Long live the judge!” and “Justice! They deserve to hang!” Joseph nodded silently and prepared to leave.
Just as he instructed Eymond to continue to the academy, a commotion broke out about ten meters away.
Turning, he saw several nobles dragging a young man from a makeshift platform and striking him with their fists.
The young man, however, fought back fiercely, holding his own against four attackers.
The nearby police quickly intervened, blowing their whistles as they separated the two sides with batons. “What is going on here?”
The nobles angrily pointed at the young man and shouted, “This outsider dares to say the rioters shouldn’t be executed!”
“This scoundrel must be a collaborator of the rioters!”
“Arrest him immediately!”
The officer called for calm and then turned to the young man. “What is your name? Where are you from?”
Wiping blood from his mouth, the young man replied in a northern accent, “I am Maximilien François de Robespierre, a lawyer from Arras.”
Before the officer could respond, Joseph abruptly halted in his tracks and turned to look at the young man.
Robespierre? A lawyer from Arras?
Who would have thought that today, here of all places, he would encounter the future Jacobin “Tyrant,” “Killer,” and yet also the “Incorruptible” Monsieur Robespierre himself?