I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 230: The Traitor

For a time, the streets buzzed with outrage: "Have you heard? A coppersmith's daughter in the Marais district was targeted by two nobles. Not only did they defile her, but they eventually had her entire family killed!"

"They say one of them was the son of the Minister of the Interior. The scoundrel, not wanting to share the girl with the other noble, had him burned alive."

"What a cruel and ruthless act. But why kill the poor girl's entire family?"

"Don't you get it? That nobleman killed another noble—that's a serious crime! If the girl had revealed that the two of them were fighting over her, the police would have suspected him. It's called destroying evidence."

"Damn those nobles, they don't value human life at all!"

"They should all go to hell!"

…

Joseph sat, brows furrowed, as he read the newspaper articles about the Interior Minister's son allegedly setting the fire. This time, with the scandal involving his own family, Monnot didn't dare to blatantly suppress the press.

How did this news leak? Joseph immediately summoned Fouché.

Before long, the police submitted their preliminary investigation report—it seemed that someone had leaked the full story of Monnot's son ordering the arson to both the police and various newspapers.

Under intense questioning from journalists, the police had no choice but to summon Monnot's son, Antoine. Although the evidence was still insufficient, leading to his quick release, the media frenzy had already made him a public enemy.

However, the identity of the person who leaked the information remained unknown.

Joseph pondered the report. Could it be a relative of Viscount d'Amboise? Or perhaps someone investigating the matter in secret?

At that moment, Emon hurried into the room, bowing and speaking quietly: "Your Highness, Count Monnot is here to see you."

Joseph frowned. Monnot's visit could only be about one thing, but the nature of the situation was too serious for Joseph to help him cover it up.

"Send him away," Joseph ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness."

…

At the Palais-Royal, the Duke of Orléans' butler entered the study with excitement. After carefully closing the door behind him, he bowed and said, "Master, just as you predicted, the Interior Minister went to see the Queen, the Prince, and the First Minister, but it seems he was turned away each time."

"As expected," the Duke of Orléans replied smugly. "This scandal is too big for even the Queen to cover for him."

He then turned to the butler and asked, "The Malet brothers didn't say anything, did they?"

"Our people in the Bastille are keeping an eye on them. They wouldn't dare spill anything."

"Excellent," the Duke said with a satisfied smile. "If it weren't for that fool Monnot killing the coppersmith's family, things might not have gone so smoothly."

Yes, the so-called "Viscount d'Amboise Arson Case" had been orchestrated by him.

After learning that his heir had contracted syphilis, he was consumed with a desire for revenge against Joseph and the royal family.

A few months ago, he had heard about Monnot's son and Viscount d'Amboise both pursuing the same commoner girl.

In his mind, Monnot was a key political figure for the royal family, and if he could exploit this, he might find a crack in the royal stronghold.

He decided to target Antoine's lackeys—the down-and-out minor nobles, the Malet brothers.

After gaining control over the brothers through various means, the Duke of Orléans instigated them to escalate the conflict between Antoine and Viscount d'Amboise.

Antoine, who had spent over a decade as a mere illegitimate child before suddenly becoming Monnot's heir six months ago, had let his newfound status go to his head.

A little over a month ago, after a night of heavy drinking, he went to Céline's house, planning to amuse himself with her, only to find out that she had been abducted by Viscount d'Amboise and taken to his villa.

Egged on by the Malet brothers and fueled by alcohol, Antoine flew into a rage and ordered the brothers to get Céline back.

Following the Duke of Orléans' instructions, the brothers reported the situation to him immediately.

The Duke realized this was an excellent opportunity to drag Monnot down and sent people to help the brothers set fire to Viscount d'Amboise's estate.

From there, events unfolded just as he had planned.

The Malet brothers retrieved Céline and brought her to Antoine's residence, proudly telling him they had burned the insolent Viscount alive.

Antoine sobered up quickly, terrified, and ran back home to confess everything to his father.

Monnot was equally horrified. He initially planned to help the Malet brothers flee, but they intentionally allowed themselves to be caught by the police—following the Duke of Orléans' orders.

When Monnot visited the brothers in their cell, they insisted that Antoine had ordered them to start the fire. Antoine, who had been blackout drunk, only remembered ordering them to retrieve the girl, with no recollection of anything else.

With no other option, Monnot promised the brothers enormous rewards if they took the blame. He also bribed the High Court judge to expedite their execution.

This was precisely the outcome the Duke of Orléans had desired.

However, Monnot, in a panic, had gone above and beyond by murdering Céline's entire family.

…

That night, a black carriage silently entered the Interior Minister's villa.

Monnot's suspicions grew as he watched the visitor remove his hood, revealing the face of the Duke of Orléans. His brows furrowed as he spoke sternly: "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you've run into some trouble," the Duke replied. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"There's no need. This has nothing to do with you…" Monnot wasn't about to forget that the man before him was his political rival.

"If that's the case, your son will soon be arrested by the Royal Guard," the Duke of Orléans said with a smile. "And you'll likely be implicated and lose your position."

Monnot's face turned pale. "I'll ask the Queen for a pardon…"

The Duke of Orléans cut him off: "I've heard from friends in the High Court that the Prince visited the court two days ago and had Judge Croyer arrested.

"And yesterday, your son's case became the talk of the town. Don't you think that's quite a coincidence?"

Of course, all those "coincidences" had been orchestrated by the Duke. After learning of the Prince's visit to the High Court, he had quickly leaked the details of the arson case to the police and the press.

Monnot was stunned. He then recalled how the royal family and Briand had refused to see him in the past few days. Could this really be the Prince's doing?

He also remembered how the Prince had been dissatisfied with him during the bank collapse and how he had repeatedly weakened the Interior Ministry's power, most recently bypassing Monnot altogether to put Mirabeau in charge of the Tunisian migration.

And now, there was this scandal involving his son.

He stood there in a daze, mumbling, "It really is him…"

The Duke of Orléans seized the moment, leaning in close to whisper, "There's only one person who can help you now, and that's me."

Monnot was startled. He quickly dismissed his servants and led the Duke to his study, shutting the door behind them. He then asked anxiously, "What can you do to save Antoine?"

The Duke of Orléans smiled. "It's simple. I'll have those two arsonists killed. With no witnesses left, I can work some magic in the High Court, and the case won't touch your son."

Monnot's eyes widened in shock. "But they're locked up in the Bastille…"

After Necker was poisoned by a Bastille guard, Joseph had used that incident to force the Marquis de Launay, the Bastille's governor, to tighten security. Now, killing prisoners in the Bastille—or even getting inside information—was incredibly difficult.

The Duke of Orléans remained calm. "Trust me, I have the means to do it."

A glimmer of hope appeared in Monnot's eyes as he stared at the Duke, hesitating before asking, "But why are you helping me?"

The Duke of Orléans held up one finger. "One million livres."

Monnot froze for a moment. He had that much money, having embezzled for years, but it would still be a heavy blow.

But his son's life and his own career were more important. He quickly nodded. "Alright, I'll have the money delivered to the Palais-Royal within a month. The rest is up to you…"

But the Duke of Orléans shook his head, smiling. "Oh, dear François, you misunderstand.

"I'm saying that I'll solve this case for you and give you one million livres."

Monnot took a step back, alarmed. As a seasoned politician, he immediately understood what the Duke was after.

But he still gritted his teeth and asked the question: "What do you want me to do?"

A cruel glint flashed in the Duke's eyes. "Simple. Join me in seizing the royal scepter!"

He wasn't worried about Monnot betraying him. With Monnot's current predicament, he wouldn't dare cut off his only escape. Even if he did talk, the Duke could easily deny everything.

In fact, many ambitious nobles at Versailles knew that the House of Orléans was up to something and even saw him as a political force to balance the royal power.

Monnot instinctively wiped the sweat from his brow, remaining silent.

The Duke of Orléans didn't push him, simply waiting patiently.

After several minutes of weighing his options and calculating the risks, Monnot finally looked up. "How likely are we to succeed?"

The Duke of Orléans was candid. "You're aware of how severe the grain shortage is in the country."

"Yes, but it's still manageable for now."

"That's because of the large 'strategic grain reserves.'" The Duke's tone turned cold. "If those reserves were to disappear, the whole of France would soon fall into chaos."

Monnot's back was drenched in cold sweat as he swallowed hard. "And then?"

"I'll inject a vast amount of funds, using the chaos to create a new political order. You know, there are many people who are tired of the status quo; they just need an opportunity.

"For example, those military officers. They've been increasingly dissatisfied with the royal family's actions."

Monnot fell silent again, thinking deeply. After a long pause, he suddenly smiled brightly. "And the nobles, of course."

"Please, share your thoughts."

"You remember the 'Moulin Act'?"

"Yes."

"This winter is extremely cold, and more than half of the country's rivers are frozen," Monnot spoke rapidly. "As a result, many mills have become inoperable. I've received reports that over 60 mill owners have already lost their rights to collect mill taxes because of the Act. As winter deepens, that number will rise quickly."

Most mills of this era were powered by waterwheels, which couldn't operate if the rivers froze.

In previous years, French rivers rarely froze for more than two months, but this year's extreme weather meant many rivers would be frozen until March!

The inability to operate mills was one of the major causes of the 1788 famine—proud French people insisted on grinding their wheat into flour to make bread. In major cities, many died from hunger when there was no bread.

Joseph had intended the Act to encourage the nobles to modernize their mills with steam engines. But those stingy, short-sighted nobles had stuck to their old ways, refusing to invest in steam engines even when loans were available from parish banks.

As a result, many lost their rights to collect mill taxes after their mills were inoperable for over two months.

Monnot smiled. "I'm sure the nobles who've lost their mill taxes will be eager to support any force that can bring the royal family to its knees."

The Duke of Orléans nodded appreciatively. "You have a keen insight."

"And there's more," Monnot continued. "The Prince's push for the Tunisian migration policy is too hasty, and he's offering overly generous terms.

"The vast, cheap farmland in Tunisia—oh, I should say nearly free land—only requires ten years of farming before it becomes private property.

"This has made many people who were planning to buy farmland in France turn to Tunisia instead, causing land prices here to fall. Although the drop isn't drastic, you know that for those holding hundreds or even thousands of acres, the losses are enormous."

Even a small price fluctuation, when multiplied by a large enough base, can result in staggering amounts.

Seeing the Duke of Orléans' approving look, Monnot quickly added, "There are many who are dissatisfied with the royal policies, and I'm well-acquainted with this area."

He suddenly placed his hand over his heart and bowed deeply. "If your new government could spare a small position for me as First Minister, you would have my undying loyalty, my esteemed Regent."

The Duke of Orléans didn't hesitate. "Of course. No one is more suited to that role than you."

Monnot beamed with joy and bowed again. "Your great work will surely succeed!"

His only son was on the verge of imprisonment, possibly execution, and he himself was likely to be politically ruined. For a man who had grown accustomed to power, this was unbearable.

Joining the Duke of Orléans' camp was his only hope of saving his son and preserving his own status.

And based on what the Duke had said, his chances of success were high.

As Monnot listened to the Duke's plan, an excellent idea had popped into his mind—one that could significantly increase the chances of the Duke's success.

Originally, he had intended to use this idea to secure the position of First Minister, but he hadn't expected the future Regent to grant his wish after just a brief display of his capabilities.

(End of Chapter)

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