I am the Crown Prince of France Chapter 258: The Incorruptible

The deafening shouts from the square echoed into the Minister of Industry's office on the second floor of Versailles Palace:

"It was these wretches who killed the Count of Dimon, they must be tried imdiately!"

"No need for a trial, just hang them!"

"Yes! Hang those scum!"

"Thank the Crown Prince! It was his police who caught these criminals..."

"Thanks to the Prince, peace and order have returned to France."

"Long live the Prince!"

These were the nobles watching from the square as the Guard Regint escorted the riot leaders. At that mont, they seed to forget all their breeding and status, screaming with the sa fervor as commoners, venting their fear and anger.

Joseph glanced out the window, slightly amused. He had worked so hard to suppress the old nobility, and now they were hailing him as a hero for quelling the riots.

But that was fine, at least it ant no one would interfere with his police reforms now.

He signaled Eymar to close the window, then turned to Mirabeau. "Please submit this bill to Her Majesty as soon as possible so it can be discussed at the cabinet eting the day after tomorrow. Right now, the nobles are focused on the trials of the rioters, so the bill shouldn't face much opposition."

"Yes, Your Highness," Mirabeau said, carefully placing the freshly prepared draft of the Grain Production Bill into a folder.

Joseph continued, "With the position of Minister of the Interior vacant, I've decided to split the role into three separate ministries: Agriculture, Policing, and Comrce."

He then looked at Veniot. "I'll be nominating you for Minister of Agriculture at the next cabinet eting. However, given your limited political experience, His Majesty may only appoint you as Acting Minister of Agriculture."

"?!" Veniot was startled, quickly rising to bow with excitent. "Thank you! Thank you, Your Highness, for your trust! I swear, I will do everything in my power to ensure the prosperity of our nation's agriculture!"

Veniot had been a plantation owner before, making him the most knowledgeable about agriculture among Joseph's team. He never imagined that a chance encounter with the Crown Prince in Bordeaux would lead him to rise so rapidly, now on the brink of becoming a cabinet minister.

Joseph gave him a nod of approval, then turned to Bailly. "I hope you will accept the position of Minister of Comrce. I trust you won't refuse."

"Of course," Bailly replied, far more composed than Veniot. He bowed. "I will always follow your commands and will not disappoint you."

Joseph's decision to "split" the Ministry of the Interior was indeed due to its overwhelming responsibilities, but it was also a strategic move to place more new nobles within the cabinet. With the cabinet now filled mostly with new nobility, Joseph could ensure that the various policies necessary for France's industrial revolution would pass smoothly.

The future of the European continent would hinge on industrial power!

...

The public trials of the riot leaders were organized quickly. This was partly because Joseph had instructed the police to prepare detailed reports on these gang mbers, along with docuntation from local police departnts. Witnesses were even brought to Paris.

The trials were held in the square in front of City Hall. Given the number of defendants, the entire High Court was mobilized, with six temporary courts operating simultaneously.

The number of ordinary citizens attending was modest, but more than a thousand nobles from Versailles Palace turned out—eager to see for themselves that those who had caused them such fear were truly sentenced to death.

What surprised the watching nobles was that almost all the rioters testified that they had been hired at a high price to incite the riots. Then, the agents sent by the Duke of Orléans to the provinces were brought in for identification. During the police operation, many such agents had been captured.

As expected, the riot leaders confird they had been directed by these individuals. The presiding judge announced that these masterminds would be tried in a separate case.

As for the police agents who later took control of the gang mbers, they were mistaken by the rioters as part of the sa group. So, even though so of the rioters ntioned "middlen" behind the scenes, without anyone to identify, the judge paid little attention.

The trials moved swiftly, with each gang mber receiving a death sentence by hanging in less than half an hour. Their cris went far beyond inciting riots; each had a long list of offenses, including murder, kidnapping, and robbery.

Even so spectators who had initially sympathized with the rioters, thinking they were simply hungry, began to join in cursing them. With each sentence, the crowd erupted in cheers—nobles and commoners united in their desire to see these criminals hanged.

Joseph was passing through the City Hall square on his way to the Paris Police Academy when he noticed the constant cheers of "Long live the judge" and "Well done, they deserve the gallows." Satisfied, he nodded and prepared to leave.

As he instructed Eymar to head to the police academy, a commotion suddenly broke out about ten ters away. He turned to see a group of Versailles nobles dragging a young man off a tree stump where he had been giving a speech and punching him.

The young man, however, fought back fiercely, holding his own against four attackers.

Police officers quickly arrived, whistling as they rushed over, using riot batons to separate the two sides. "What's going on here?"

The furious nobles pointed at the young man, shouting, "This outsider said the rioters shouldn't be sentenced to death!"

"This scoundrel must be in league with the rioters!"

"Arrest him at once!"

The officer told them to calm down, then turned to the young man. "What's your na? Where are you from?"

Wiping the blood from his mouth, the young man spoke with a northern accent. "I'm Maximilien François de Robespierre, a lawyer from Arras."

The officer was about to respond, but Joseph, standing nearby, suddenly stopped in his tracks, turning to look at the young man.

Robespierre? A lawyer from Arras?

Joseph couldn't believe he had just stumbled upon the future "tyrant" and "killing machine" of the Jacobins, the man known as "The Incorruptible." Little Robespierre himself.

(End of Chapter)

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