Joseph's carriage had just stopped in front of the Industrial Planning Bureau's office building when a disheveled figure suddenly sprang out of the street corner and strode toward him.๐๐ซ๐๐๐จ๐๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐๐.๐๐ผ๐
"No closer!" Two guards immediately stepped forward to stop the man.
When Joseph saw the deep nasolabial folds on the face of the newcomer, he couldn't help but smile. Wasn't this the "Piranha," oh no, wrong, Mr. Mara? You've finally come.
He hastily leaned out the window and signaled to Kesode, "Please let Mr. Mara come over."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Before long, in the visitor's room of the Industrial Planning Bureau, Mara sat down opposite Joseph, his eyes full of anger, "Crown Prince, you actually used me with such disgraceful tactics! I will definitely make this public!"
After toppling the President of the High Court Vergniaud, Mara was indeed happy for a while, thinking he had done a great service for the Parisians.
However, half a month ago, when he happened to see the portrait of the Crown Prince, he felt it looked familiar, then it struck him, wasn't this Mr. Xavier, the young owner of the "Paris Commercial News"?
He immediately pieced together the events, and realized that the Crown Prince approached him to eliminate his political enemy.
He had been used!
So, he stormed off to the Palace of Versailles, only to be told that the Crown Prince was recently working in Paris, and then he rushed to the Industrial Planning Bureau, learning that the Crown Prince had gone to Bordeaux...
He had waited at the Bureau for several days, and today he finally "caught" Joseph and immediately came to confront him.
Joseph knew he would definitely come and had already been waiting for him.
Joseph rested his right hand on the arm of the sofa, revealing a relaxed smile, "How can you say that, Mr. Mara? It wasn't exploitation, but fulfillment."
"Fulfillment? Hmph, a pale excuse."
Joseph said indifferently, "Pray tell, have you not always desired social justice, wanted to help the oppressed?"
"Of course, that's the case."
"Precisely. Together, we brought the most corrupt President of the High Court to justice, vindicated a large number of people who suffered from wrongful cases, and even caused a significant reduction in the corruption within the entire judiciary. Isn't that what you wanted to see?"
"That..." Mara hesitated; indeed, it seemed so. If it weren't for the Crown Prince's guidance, the High Court might still be accepting bribes, manipulating the law, persecuting the common people.
Joseph didn't give him time to reflect further and immediately continued, "Mr. Mara, please believe that in punishing corruption, reducing injustice, and improving the lives of the French people, our stances are very much aligned."
He thought to himself: Only if the people's lives are better can the monarchy be stable...
Mara looked at Joseph in surprise, these words sounded like the claims of someone from the liberal camp, yet they were coming from the Crown Prince.
"You, are you serious?"
"Time will prove everything," Joseph looked at Mara earnestly, "If, after a few years, the lives of the French people have not improved, then it will not be too late for you to condemn me."
Mara opened his mouth then frowned,"Regardless, Your Highness, you shouldn't have deceived me. You didn't even give me your real name!"
"You misunderstand me," Joseph said with an innocent look, "Xavier is indeed my middle nameโLouis Joseph Xavier Francois."
"But..."
"I did not tell you that I am the Crown Prince, but surely you don't introduce yourself to everyone as 'I am a reporter,' do you? It's just a little personal privacy regarding one's profession."
After this conversation, the anger Mara felt upon arrival had unwittingly dissipated, leaving him feeling as if there was nothing left to say, and he prepared to rise and take his leave.
Naturally, Joseph was not going to let him leave just like that.
He had been planning the Anti-Corruption Bureau for some time now; bureaucratic corruption was a major problem plaguing France.
It was difficult for people to resist the temptation of various interests on their conscience alone.
Not to mention those old-style bureaucrats, even the newly reformed police system, if not supervised, would inevitably end up like the old police force.
While administrative reform was the cure, establishing a supervisory body was also necessary, at the very least to make the officials think twice.
The reason Joseph hadn't pushed forward with building the Anti-Corruption Bureau was largely that he couldn't find the right people to investigate corruption.
Using existing officials was like having them supervise themselves, which would inevitably lead to collusion and cover-ups. Training new personnel from scratch, on the other hand, was too time-consuming.
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Then he thought of Mara, Demulan, and othersโsharp-witted and with a wealth of investigative experience. Most importantly, they should be among the least likely in France to collude with officials.
Moreover, using these "Jacobins" to establish the Anti-Corruption Bureau had two advantages.
One was that these people couldn't sit still; if you don't give them something to do, they would find their own affairs, and they might just trigger the start of a major conflict at some critical moment. So, it's better to incorporate them into the royal system and keep them busy.
The second was that based on the experience of dealing with Vergniaud, Joseph found that if people like Mara were used well, they were indeed capable of tearing political enemies to shreds. In the process of his bureaucracy reform and the weakening of the Old Nobility, they could prove to be helpful.
Joseph gestured for Mara not to hurry off, and said gravely, "Mr. Mara, do you want this country to be more just, more equal, to help more of the common people?"
Mala sat back down on the sofa and slowly nodded, "This is my lifelong ideal, Your Highness."
"Now there is a chance for you to better realize your ideal. I am preparing to establish a...,"
Joseph had intended to say "Anti-Corruption Bureau," but suddenly felt that "fair" and "justice" would be more appealing to Mala, so he changed course, "to establish a Police Department's 'Justice Investigation Department,' specifically to investigate corruption, dereliction of duty, and other such issues among officials and police, to uphold the legitimate rights and interests of the public.
This department will, for the time being, be under the Police Department, but it will not be subject to the police system's jurisdiction and will report directly to me."
"I am very much looking forward to you becoming a member of the Investigation Department."
Mala was stunned for a moment, then suddenly stood up again and said icily, "You want me to be the Royal Family's enforcer?"
Joseph thought to himself that you truly are of the Jacobins, having such a disdain for the Royal Family.
He smiled, shook his head, and said, "That's a bit of an unfair statement.
"The ones you'll be investigating are not farmers or craftsmen but high-ranking officials and wealthy, powerful nobles!
"Even if you are an enforcer, you would be the people's enforcer, not the Royal Family's."
"The people's enforcer?" Mala repeated these words softly, his eyes gradually becoming passionate.
Joseph immediately struck while the iron was hot, "I can even provide the Justice Investigation Department with a prosecutor. Once you find an issue with an official, you'll be able to directly prosecute them!"
Joseph wasn't worried that Mala would clamp down on his political allies. Although at this time virtually no official was free of corruption, Mala would merely be an investigator for the Justice Investigation Department, at most a team leader, with layers above him including himself and the department heads, which would ensure that the direction of the crackdown was controllable.
Mala, with his hands clasped together, pondered for a long time and finally lifted his head, "Your Highness, I believe I truly cannot find a reason to refuse. I agree to join the Justice Investigation Department. However, let us agree on this beforehand: if I feel that this institution does not align with what you have described, I will withdraw at any time."
"That is your right," Joseph nodded, "I believe we will certainly not disappoint each other.
"Oh, by the way, as for the prosecutor for the Justice Investigation Department, what do you think of the young lawyer who defended the victims in the Vergniaud case last time?"
Mala recalled for a moment and said, "Are you referring to the lawyer named Danton?"
"That's him."
"He is an honest and brave man," Mala nodded, "It's just that he is not a prosecutor of the High Court, Your Highness."
Joseph smiled, "He will be very soon. And, your friend, Mr. Demulan, if he could also join the Justice Investigation Department, that would certainly strike more fear into corrupt officials."
"Yes, Your Highness, I think so too. I will try to persuade him," Mala said.
From the second-floor window of the Industrial Planning Bureau, Joseph watched Mala leaving and couldn't help but muse, "Just one Robespierre short of assembling a Jacobin team. Letting them fight corruption seems like making the best use of their talents."
...
England.
On the south bank of the Rex River in Birmingham, a man's voice, somewhat dissatisfied, came from a two-story villa with a light grey faรงade: "Mr. Dupont, I think I have made myself very clear, I have no interest in your proposal."
"Mr. Watt, perhaps you could state your conditions," said Mr. Dupont as he walked out of the villa, with a side comment, "I am willing to consider any request."
A man in his fifties, with a high nose, broad face, and piercing eyes, followed him out, gesturing towards the carriage not far away, "Thank you for the invitation. But my friends are more important to me, and they are all in Birmingham, as well as the Moon Society. France does not have these. I think it's time for you to get into the carriage."
Mr. Dupont showed a look of anxious helplessness. For his convenience, the Crown Prince had specially instructed Archbishop Brienne to set the final signing location of the Anglo-French trade negotiations in Birmingham, and in the past few days, he had sought out Mr. Watt three times to no avail in persuading the stubborn man.
Today, England and France had officially completed the signing of the new "Eden Treaty," and by tomorrow at the latest, he would have to return to France. How could he not be anxious?
Mr. Dupont nodded, then suddenly turned around, taking out his last resort: "Mr. Watt, in reality, I am here on behalf of someone...,"๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐๐จ๐๐ฏ๐๐๐ง๐๐น.๐ฐ๐ผ๐
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Just then, a middle-aged man clad in a black short coat, with slightly drooping eyes and an honest-looking face, approached from the lane east of the villa.
When he heard what Dupont was about to say next, he abruptly halted his steps and dodged behind a column.
"He is a distinguished member of the Royal Family, I swear his status is beyond your imagination," Dupont said, gazing at Watt, "He truly admires your talent and wants to assist you in creating even more brilliant technological achievements, so..."
Watt laughed and shook his head, "You see, I'm not lacking anything, money, villa, company, and family. I really have no plans to leave Birmingham."
Dupont had no choice but to deflate and stop his persuasion, returning to his carriage. Although he did not understand why the Crown Prince held such a high regard for this British craftsman, his mission to bring him back to France was a complete failure.
The middle-aged man who had hidden behind the column now stepped out, pensively gazing in the direction where Dupont had left. And then he knocked on Watt's door, handing over some company documents to him.
While Watt was upstairs signing, the middle-aged man stopped Watt's maid, whispering, "Lady Edwina, do you know what that gentleman who came earlier said to Mr. Watt? The one with the rather large nose?"
"I can't remember," Lady Edwina turned to leave.
The middle-aged man quickly pulled out his wallet, fished out a one shilling banknote, and handed it to her, "I'm just a bit curious about that man, would you mind recalling for me?"
"Oh, alright then." The maid took the money and paused, "He was French, and wanted Mr. Watt to go to France to set up a factory. Oh yes, he said France is planning some industrial zone or other, and they will invest a lot of money in steam engine factories, but Mr. Watt didn't agree."
"Steam engine factories?" the middle-aged man eagerly inquired, "Did he mention how much money they were going to invest?"
"Seems like it was 1 million livres."
As the maid left, the middle-aged man clenched his fists with excitementโa 1 million livres investment, and it was a project under the attention of the French Royal Family!
It was as if God had handed him an opportunity!
After he got the documents signed by Watt, he did not return to the company but followed Dupont's departure path, asking around until he finally found the hotel where the latter was staying.
...
Joseph looked at the "Salicin Preparation Method Patent Certificate" that had just been delivered to him, nodding his head in satisfaction.
The French Patent Office, from its organizational structure to its operational mode, copied everything from England, allowing it to be quickly established. To amass patent examiners in a hurry, Joseph had even specifically brought out M. Lagrange, inviting a whole group of experts.
This resulted in the appearance of the first patent certificate in all of France that he held in his hands.
Of course, Joseph also made many adjustments to the British model.
You see, at this time in England, applying for a patent would take at least a year to complete, and the fee could be a shocking several dozen or even a hundred British Pounds!
Joseph, however, mandated that the approval must be completed within three to eight months, and the cost must not exceed 10 livres, with the government's treasury providing subsidies to the Patent Office.
As news of the Patent Office's beginning operations spread, the Paris office received a dozen applications every day, with many people from other provinces also en route to apply for patentsโcurrently, only Paris had a Patent Office, after all, it was just starting, and expanding too quickly could easily lead to problems.
Eman's voice came from outside, "Your Highness, Mr. Dupont has arrived. It seems he has brought a British person with him."
A British person? Joy sprang in Joseph's heart, could it be Watt?
He immediately stood up, "Please invite them to the drawing room."
Before long, Dupont and a middle-aged man with an honest-looking face entered the drawing room, respectively performing a chest-touching salute, "It's been a while, Your Highness the Crown Prince, may God bless you."
"I am honoured to meet you, Your Highness the Crown Prince," said the middle-aged man.
Dupont, looking somewhat embarrassed, gestured towards the man beside him and introduced him to Joseph, "Your Highness, this is Mr. William Murdoch. He is an excellent steam engine technician, well, that's what he claims..."