Chapter 14: Closing the Net
Chapter 14: Closing the Net
Guizot's face stiffened as he looked at Valian. "Control your men! What nonsense is he spouting?"
The carriage suddenly came to a halt, and Valian forced a grim smile as he slightly shifted his body, revealing a dagger pressed against his lower back.
Guizot's pupils dilated, and he suddenly sprang up, trying to grab the door handle, but the thin man was faster. Just as Guizot's body left the seat, the man's right hand clamped down on his neck, forcing him back against the seat.
Guizot struggled violently, shouting hysterically, "Let me go! I'm the Paris Chief of Police! You have no evidence; you can't arrest me!"
The man who had been sitting silently next to Valian suddenly spoke, "I am Ambroise de Hermann, and on behalf of the Queen, I witnessed everything just now. I can testify to your guilt."
The carriage door swung open, and Arden and another officer, both with guns drawn, stepped forward, looking furious. Arden said, "I was the one driving. We heard everything and can testify too!"
Guizot collapsed into his seat, defeated...
In the courtyard of the Saint-Antoine district police station, Joseph watched as a large group of officers ran past in formation, nodding at them in acknowledgment. The officers responded with loud shouts, showing their respect.
Arden was still excited, eagerly recounting the events of the early morning and unable to stop talking,
"Viscount Antoine's men were waiting at the street corner and took Guizot away immediately. I think they took him to the secret police... uh, I mean, the Royal Police's interrogation room. I went with another team to search Guizot's house. I noticed a bulge near the headboard, which seemed odd, so I broke it open and found a hidden compartment..."
Joseph had already heard this story once before and smiled,
"And that's when you found the notebook. You did a great job."
The notebook contained information on the major gangs and criminals in the Saint-Antoine district. The last few pages documented how Guizot provided protection for these criminals and received bribes in return.
Joseph immediately mobilized all available police officers and had his royal guards assist in raiding the hideouts of these criminals.
The Saint-Antoine district was thrown into chaos as gang members and criminals were caught off guard and chased through the streets. Many were pinned to the ground with riot forks, while those who resisted were shot.
The arrests continued for two days. The citizens, having heard the news, stayed indoors to cooperate with the police. Some even bravely took up sticks to help the police block off streets and catch criminals.
The cells in the Saint-Antoine district police station quickly filled up, and the overflow of criminals was sent to the Bastille.
The large-scale operation attracted reporters from all over Paris.
On White Lily Street, a middle-aged man with disheveled hair, deep wrinkles, and a perpetually thoughtful expression frowned as he watched a squad of royal guards lead seven or eight handcuffed, bloodied prisoners down the street.
A young man beside him, clearly nervous, whispered, "Mr. Marat, you really didn't need to come here yourself. This place seems quite dangerous..."
"It's fine," Marat waved him off. "You can never get the full story without being on the scene!"
He quickly walked into a small grocery store, bought some items, and pointed at the royal guards in the distance, asking the shopkeeper,
"Do you know what they're doing? Arresting political prisoners?"
The shopkeeper shot him a glare and snapped,
"Political prisoners? No, those are Viper Gang members. They've never done any good!"
Rolling up his sleeve to reveal a scar, the shopkeeper continued,
"Look, they beat me up last year. Before the Prince brought the new police force, I had to pay them 5 livres every month just to stay in business! God bless the Prince; now these scum are finally being rounded up! Maybe now I can afford to buy some butter for my kids!"
Marat, out of habit, pulled out his notebook to start taking notes,
"Can you tell me more about this new police force?"
"Of course." The shopkeeper set down what he was doing and looked Marat up and down,
"You're a reporter, right? Haha, could you print my thanks to the Prince in your paper?"
"Uh, sure... I can do that..."
After talking with the shopkeeper and getting his fill of praise for the Prince, Marat left the store, his mind full of doubt. He stopped another passerby on the street to ask about the police and guards.
Each response was similar to what the shopkeeper had said.
After interviewing seven or eight more people, visiting the White Lily Street police station, and even directly questioning some of the captured criminals, Marat finally began to believe that the royal family had done something genuinely beneficial for the common people!
This was highly unusual!
In his experience, the royal family and the nobility were always oppressing and exploiting the people. Protecting them and fighting crime, without even demanding payment, was unprecedented.
But Marat was a man who respected the truth. After collecting a wealth of firsthand accounts, he returned to his inn and began drafting the headline for tomorrow's article: "The Prince's Police Reforms Show Results: Crime in Saint-Antoine Rooted Out."
...
Several gray-black carriages traveled along the northern bank of the Seine, heading toward Versailles.
In the middle carriage, Joseph coughed, feeling like he was sitting on a pile driver, his body jolting with every bump.
He rubbed his aching forehead, thinking to himself,
"I need to figure out a way to get some shock absorbers, maybe even tires. If I'm going to be riding in carriages often, I can't let this thing shake me to death."
Yesterday, he had received a commendation letter from the Cabinet, praising his success in purging crime from the Saint-Antoine district. The letter also requested his presence at Versailles to report on his work, bearing the signatures of both the King and Queen.
Joseph smiled and shook his head. Reporting back after just over twenty days on the job—this had to be a record. It was likely just an excuse for the King and Queen to see him, using work as a pretext.
But this played right into Joseph's plans.
He had never intended to stay in the police department forever. His primary goal was always to save France's finances and prevent the country from going bankrupt, which could lead to his own downfall at the hands of an angry mob.
Now, he could use his success in fighting crime as leverage to ask the Queen for the position of Assistant Minister of Finance. Let's see what arguments the Cabinet could come up with to oppose him now.
To be fair, Joseph had Guizot to thank for his success in the Saint-Antoine district. Without the tens of thousands of livres Guizot had funneled into causing chaos, Joseph wouldn't have been able to pull off such a headline-grabbing "anti-crime campaign."
Joseph's gaze fell on the pages in his hand.
They were the confession and interrogation records of Guizot, provided by the secret police.
Through them, he learned that his efforts to reorganize the police force had cut into the Police Department's profits from selling positions, which had driven Guizot to such desperate retaliation.
In response to the lure of the 20,000 livres, gang members in Saint-Antoine had killed about ten citizens in just a few days, injuring even more. The situation had almost spiraled out of control.
Joseph took a deep breath, realizing how close he had come to being overwhelmed. Without Similion's lack of financial acumen, he might have been in serious trouble, possibly even forced to abandon his police reforms.