The next day.
Paris, second floor of the Industrial Planning Bureau.
"So, you suddenly left last night just because you wanted to resign?" Joseph looked at the three people in front of him, and then smiled, "Now that I know your wound is not serious, I am relieved."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness." Mala leaned on his cane and bowed slightly, "And thank you for your trust. However, we have still decided to leave the Investigation Bureau."
Joseph paused for a moment and asked, "Can you tell me the reason?"
Danton hastily said, "We don't want to be associated with those filthy nobles!"
Demulan followed up, "Also, we don't want to work for the Royal Family anymore."
Joseph couldn't help but smile wryly when he heard this, as most people resign because they cannot get promoted or receive a raise, yet these few decided to quit just after receiving a promotion.
Well, this is indeed very Jacobin...
"I am curious, what is it you want?" he asked.
Mala replied emphatically, "We want to be forever loyal to the people of France!"
Joseph thought to himself that it would be best to completely deal with these radicals this time, else they might keep resigning every now and then, which wouldn't do.
Moreover, they were opinion leaders of the entire Liberal faction. If he could manage them, it would greatly reduce the hostility of the radical Liberals towards the Royal Family.
He recalled the "sophistries" he had read in forums from his previous life, thinking: These should suffice to deal with 18th-century theories, right?
"Loyal to the people," he nodded slowly, "which means making life better for the people, right?"
Mala thought about it and, finding that the logic seemed correct, replied, "That's right, Your Highness."
"So for that goal, you want to resign?"
"Yes..."
"Have you ever considered, after you leave, who will oversee corrupt officials like Necker? Another group of corrupt officials? Do you think this will make life better for the people of France?"
Mala and the others were taken aback.
Joseph immediately targeted the "core" of their ideology: "I think, gentlemen, your animosity toward the Royal Family is unjustified."
"No!" Danton, the youngest and most bold, immediately retorted, "It is because the Royal Family indulges in luxury, disregards the people's suffering, and constantly protects the interests of the nobles, that the people are oppressed!"
"Really?" Joseph asked calmly, "Without the Royal Family, will the people definitely be better off?"
Influenced deeply by Rousseau, Mala and the others almost instinctively recited Rousseau's words: "Natural rights, everyone is born free, and no one can restrict another's freedom, not even the king..."
Joseph interrupted him: "May I ask, Mr. Mara, if people are born free, can the rules set by predecessors bind their descendants?"
Mala was about to say "No," but he suddenly froze. That's not right, he thought. If they cannot, does it mean that someone who has never participated in the decision-making of social rules can do whatever they please?
And if 'they can,' doesn't it mean the descendants are not free?
Joseph smiled, "You see, the idea that people are born free is fundamentally flawed. Each of us, including the king, is in fact not free."
Danton offered help from the side:
"Rousseau said, we need to establish a reasonable social contract, and then everyone should abide by this contract!"
Joseph immediately asked, "What do you mean by a 'reasonable contract'?"
This question remained unanswered by any great thinkers until the 19th century. No, even in the 21st century, people were merely trying. Mala and the others, with only the most superficial theoretical foundations of Rousseau, were inevitably bewildered.
"It's..."
Demulan hurriedly said, "Yes, it's Congress. The, the people delegate power to Congress, and Congress makes the rules!"
"Congress?" Joseph said with a smile, "Once Congress receives power, will it definitely consider the people's welfare?"
"How, how could there be any doubt about that?"
"No, they will only think about themselves." Joseph shook his head, "Look at the United States, what kind of land purchase policies has their Congress devised? You must buy at least 60 acres, and they won't sell less. The poor? Sorry, they can't buy land.
"Or look at our neighbors, Switzerland. The cantonal parliaments' rules serve only warlords and businessmen, making it easier to control cities and pocket the last penny from the people's purse."
"I dare say if such things happened in France, people would have already gathered outside the Palace of Versailles to protest. The King would be cursed thousands of times and eventually forced to amend these policies."
"No, these are just isolated incidents..."
"Really? Take the American Congress, for instance. Their legislators design oppressive policies, then go home to enjoy life after a couple of years, leaving the problem to the next Congress. Of course, the next batch of legislators do the same, they have no concerns, because Congress is just a tool for them. Only the King truly cares about this country, because he has no 'next term'."
Mala and the others were hesitant, shaking their heads: "No, something you said must be wrong!"
Joseph said, "Human society has always been oppressive in structure, a fundamental and universal reality. The King is just a symbol and archetype of this phenomenon, and so is Congress, and any high authority.
"Our inherited past might be narrow and outdated, needing relentless revision and improvement. But the past has also brought us tremendous benefits. Every word we speak, every thought we have is a gift from those before us, and the foundation on which we live, such as technology, wealth, and opportunities, is also brought by precursors.
So, it's unreasonable to view the social structure as purely oppressive. It's not about negating everything from the past whenever we encounter a problem."
"The Royal Family and the people are not enemies. They can join hands and move forward together for the common goal of France,"
"Yes, France does have many problems, such as the unreasonable privileges of the nobility and the exploitation of the poor by the rich. We need to solve these issues, but the problems were not brought by the King."
"Do you think that everything will be better without the King? No, it will only get worse. The nobles and the wealthy will assume new identities and continue their indulgence and oppression."
"You were, after all, working for the Royal Family before, but look, the people of Paris are cheering for you. Isn't this more helpful to them than saying 'I am loyal to the people' a thousand times?"
Joseph paused for a moment before finally saying, "To be honest, I have always been implementing His Majesty the King's reform measures."
"For instance, the Official Investigation Bureau is part of it. As you all have seen, during this period, there have also been reforms in police services, taxation, finance, and more. There will be even more initiatives in the future until all of France's problems disappear."
"Won't you join me in completing this great process?"
The room fell silent for a long time until Mala suddenly withdrew the resignation application on the table, took half a step back, and bowed with a complex expression, "Your Highness, I hope to see a better and more just France."
...
With May arrival, the weather became increasingly hot and dry, as if it were the peak of July or August.
The last rainfall was three months ago. Large tracts of vegetation had been withered yellow by the scorching sun, and the ground was riddled with large cracks, like thirsty mouths waiting for rain to fall from the sky once more.
However, in the vineyards of Lacheze Parish to the east of Bordeaux, there was a vibrant green scene.
Even though the same fiery sun hung in the sky, the grapevine-covered trenches had streams of water trickling through them.
Three hundred paces to the west side of the vineyard, an antique-bronze Steam Engine made rhythmic "clack" sounds as it continuously pumped water from a tributary of the Garonne River into the irrigation canal.
The water then flowed through the channels that had been dug, spreading over the entire three and a half acres of vineyard, saving the grapes from drought's slaughter.
This highly commendable pumping machine was a mass-produced 15-horsepower Steam Engine made by the French United Steam Engine Company.
Likewise, in the fields to the south of the parish, another Steam Engine of the same model was working hard to ensure that the village crops could survive this dry summer.
Next to the Steam Engine, there was a grass shed where two shirtless farmers were sitting, squinting and enjoying the shade.
Before long, a middle-aged man in a gray coat arrived with a group of carpenters. From a distance, he shouted: "Andre, Auror, are you slacking off again?!"
The two farmers quickly put on their shirts and jumped up, "No, no, Mr. Dietrich, we've been keeping an eye on it..."
Dietrich glanced at the Steam Engine nearby and said loudly, "Do you know how expensive this thing is? A full 13,000 livres! Without it, the crops of our entire parish would wither under the sun.
"If it gets damaged because of a lack of water or coal, I swear, I'll hang you from the parish bell tower!"
"You, don't be angry, we promise we won't doze off again." Andre said, picking up a shovel and filling it with coal as Auror immediately opened the boiler lid of the Steam Engine to add the coal.
"See, now it's working fine," Auror said, glancing at the boiler's water level and smiling apologetically at the parish Governor.
Dietrich gave them a fierce look, pondering that he should appoint another supervisor.
A month ago, seeing the parched fields of the village, he had almost despaired.
Though the villagers were driving carts back and forth to water the crops, that little water was hardly effective. If it didn't rain within five days, all the planted potatoes would die and then the wheat...
It was then that the ordered pumps were delivered. They were purchased with a loan from the newly established Agricultural Bank of the parish.
```
Several technicians from Nancy took two days to install the water pump; then they added coal and ignited it.
Then the water from the Garonne River was continuously pumped up, far more than what 100 horses could carry, and within a few days, all the crops in the village were saved.
The parish Stadtholder Dietrich wiped the sweat from his brow and called to Andre and Auror to help the carpenter unload the wood from the carriage.
Looking at the wooden planks taller than a person, Andre grinned and asked, "Mr. Dietrich, are you seeing us so tired that you're making us a wooden hut to rest in?"
Dietrich kicked him in the butt and angrily said, "You lazybones, always thinking about resting!
"This is to make a protective shed for the water pump."
"A protective shed? What's it for?"
"I don't know." Dietrich, while directing the carpenters to dismantle the thatched shed on the steam engine, said offhandedly, "It's the Governor's orders. All steam engines, water wheels, windmills and the like must be covered with wooden sheds, and they have to be sturdy."
He shaded his eyes from the sun and looked toward the vast wheat fields: "God bless us, may we get through this drought successfully."
...
In the southeast of Paris, a man with a fierce face walked out of the Celebrity Technical Institute, he casually waved his hand to the thin, young man behind him and said in a coarse voice, "Take Viscount Dominic back, and when he's sober, please tell him that after this deal is done, I'll invite him to play again."
"Alright, Mr. Imano. Thank you for your hospitality."
Once that young man turned to leave, the drunkenness in Imano's eyes instantly vanished; he quickly walked to the other side of the institute to his own carriage and said in a low voice to the coachman, "Quick, to the Marquis's house."
As the carriage raced, Imano's heart was filled with excitement. Just now, he had heard a piece of news from the drunken Viscount Dominic that could make him rich overnight—regarding the man his boss hated to the core.
However, he failed to notice a carriage trailing far behind him until he entered the villa of the Marquis of Ludo, only then did it turn and leave. Inside that carriage was Viscount Dominic, who had been heavily intoxicated just half an hour before. He had another identity, that of a captain for the Squad Four of the Police Affairs Department.
Marquis of Ludo locked the door of his study before turning to face Imano and whispering, "Is the information accurate?!"
The latter nodded repeatedly, "The brother-in-law of Viscount Dominic is an officer at the Bastille; he spoke out while drunk."
A chill passed through the Marquis of Ludo's eyes as he repeated, "Leaving Paris at ten o'clock in the evening, four days from now, correct?"
"Yes, my lord Marquis."
"Very well, you have done a great job!"
After Imano left, the Marquis of Ludo immediately instructed the butler to invite several tycoons from the Banking Guild to his home.
Still in his study, the Marquis of Ludo said through gritted teeth, "Necker will secretly leave Paris in four days. There might be Secret Police escorting him, but this could be our only chance to deal with him!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Earl Capefield's eyes showed a murderous glint; he clenched his fists and said, "No matter the cost, I want him dead!"
As they were discussing how to proceed, Ludo's butler knocked on the door from outside, saying, "My lord, the Crown Prince has sent someone, requesting your presence at the Industrial Planning Bureau."
Ludo's heart tightened—had the fact that he knew Necker's whereabouts been leaked?
He braced himself and went out, and before long, he met with the Crown Prince at the Industrial Planning Bureau.
After Joseph waited for him to pay his respects, he smiled, motioned for him to sit down, and then took out a document asking, "I see from your bank records that you previously invested two million livres in the British automatic loom industry?"