Joseph knew that the British were waiting to see how France's newly announced land redemption plan would be received, hoping to find so leverage. However, he was fully prepared for this and had no intention of giving the British any opportunity to exploit.
Eman knocked on the door and, with a bow, said, "Your Highness, the carriage is ready."
Joseph nodded, headed downstairs, and got into the carriage, which then sped off towards Versailles. As expected, the old nobles were likely in mourning over the news, and he needed to stabilize the situation quickly.
Reims. Zezefell Village.
The small village church was packed with people, and even more were lined up outside, heads bowed as they waited. It was more crowded than it ever had been, even during large masses held by the Reims church.
Father Jolly, feeling a bit weary, rubbed his shoulders and spoke in a gentle voice to the seven kneeling farrs before him, "Alright, you have sincerely confessed your sins to the Lord, and your sins will be forgiven. Now, you may rise. Mr. Marley, please ask the next group to co in."
However, the farrs remained stubborn, crying out, "No, please let stay a bit longer! My sins are too great. I was deceived by those foreign spies and participated in that damnable riot... Oh, I even cursed the king. I'm such a fool! The king is so great, he is..."
The farr's limited vocabulary couldn't fully express his feelings, so he just kept repeating words like "great" and "long live the King." The others beside him were saying similar things, bowing down as if the king himself were standing before them.
Indeed, when the governnt officially announced the land redemption plan, farrs across France were overjoyed—not just overjoyed, but filled with a blazing sense of happiness, shock, gratitude, and a feeling of being reborn, spreading through every village.
The redemption plan stated that every French citizen could obtain a plot of land up to 30 acres by paying an amount equivalent to eight years of land production and annual dues. This paynt could be made in installnts, not all at once. Moreover, based on the ti they had already fard the land, the governnt would provide subsidies for the redemption fee. If the yield was high, they could receive even more subsidies.
In short, tenant farrs who had been farming a piece of land for more than 20 years, and whose yield exceeded the average yield of surrounding lands by 30%, would receive a governnt subsidy covering 30% of the redemption cost!
Additionally, families purchasing land where each person would have less than 30 acres could get loans from the French Agricultural Bank after a review by the local church. Joseph had set up this bank, primarily for agricultural affairs, with investnts led by the National Bank and substantial local governnt funds, to facilitate the land redemption process.
These loans had very low interest rates, and any tenant family could use them to pay the first installnt of the redemption fee, thereby imdiately gaining ownership of the land. Of course, the loan wouldn't be handed directly to the farrs but would be used to pay the redemption fees on ti. The loan repaynt period could even be extended to 15 years, so the farrs wouldn't have to worry about the redemption cost—they just needed to farm well, with no significant financial pressure.
However, for families purchasing more than 30 acres per person, a 20% "service fee" would be charged. And if they exceeded 100 acres per person, the service fee would rise to 33%, and they would have to pay half of the entire redemption amount upfront, with the rest due within four years.
These redemption terms were far better than anything the farrs had dared to hope for! Especially after all the rumors that had been spreading about a 50-year redemption period with full paynt required upfront, the farrs felt that the king was as kind and benevolent as the Lord himself.
They didn't mind hard work; as long as they had hope and wouldn't be crushed by exorbitant redemption fees, they were more than satisfied. Now, in just eight years, they could own land like the nobles had, land that truly belonged to them.
All of this was thanks to their great King Louis XVI, the benevolent "Savior" who had granted them this opportunity.
The farrs who had participated in the riots didn't need anyone else to condemn them; their own consciences tortured them enough. So, they all went to the church, seeking solace from the Lord to ease their guilty souls.
Father Jolly wearily helped each of the farrs to their feet. At his age, it took almost all his strength to lift them. After catching his breath, he gently reassured them, "The Lord has forgiven you, and surely the kind-hearted King will not hold any grudge against you either. If you wish to cleanse your hearts of guilt, co to the church often and pray sincerely for the King."
The farrs nodded vigorously, "You're right. I'll co every day to pray for the King!"
"I will too. I'll always be loyal to the King!"
" too..."
As they were ushered out by Mr. Marley, another seven farrs who had been waiting eagerly rushed in—the only way to keep up with the demand was to use the confessional for group sessions.
After leaving the confessional, the farrs heard soone giving a speech outside the church. A helpful neighbor told them it was one of the people who had been deceived by Saint-Just, now venting his anger.
Outraged, the farrs thought back to how Saint-Just had deceived them with his self-righteous deanor, tricking them into believing that the governnt would impose a 50-year redemption plan and inciting them to riot! How despicable, how vile!
Curious, they approached the speaker and listened as he denounced the "free-thinkers" and the harm they had caused to France.
One farr asked, puzzled, "What are free-thinkers?"
Another farr, who was a bit more worldly, explained, "Oh, I heard Lord Guy ntion them. People like Saint-Just are called 'free-thinkers.' They want to overthrow the King."
"Those bastards! Anyone who disrespects the King won't get away with it from !"
"That's right! If I see any of those so-called free-thinkers, I'll report them to the police."
"What kind of freedom are they talking about? All they bring is lies and deceit!"
Joseph hadn't expected that after this incident, France's radical free-thinkers would beco as despised as rats in the streets. At least among the farrs, they had lost all credibility.
Soon, the farrs' conversation turned to the Dutch spies.
"Those shaless bastards," soone muttered angrily, "May God punish them!"
"My cousin in the city told that all 130-so spies who were caught were sentenced to hang."
"That's great! They got what they deserved!"
"I heard the King is at war with the Dutch."
"Really? Then I should have my son join the army."
"I'll have my son go too!"
"Hmph, I have five sons..."
(End of Chapter)
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