Chapter 77: A Challenge

Chapter 77: A Challenge

Hartley quickly did the math in his head: following this approach, France's tariffs would drop below 10% in less than five years. French industry would never recover!

He suppressed his excitement, hiding his trembling hands behind his back, and said, "I'll report this to Parliament, but personally, I believe your suggestion is highly beneficial!"

Joseph also felt a sense of relief: if the current tariff levels remained, French industry would soon be crushed by British goods.

However, a 25% tariff would give local industries some breathing room. Once Joseph had established a stronger political foundation, he planned to push for an industrial revolution in France.

With his knowledge of modern technology and concepts, if he couldn't surpass British industry within seven years, he might as well give up and go home.

Once France completed an enhanced industrial revolution, it would be France dumping goods on low-tariff Britain!

Having set up the industrial side of things, Joseph decided it was time to ask for some concessions. "Ambassador, France has made significant concessions on industrial tariffs. Shouldn't Britain reciprocate on agricultural products?"

Hartley immediately nodded, "That shouldn't be a problem; the tariffs on wine can be discussed."

In the previous trade negotiations, the French were most concerned about their wine exports and had even sacrificed much of their industrial market in exchange for access to the British wine market.

Joseph smiled, "Actually, besides wine, we also have some breweries in Normandy, and there are a few distilleries producing spirits. It would be great if the tariffs on these could also be reduced to below 10%.

"Oh, and luxury goods, let's not forget those. Perhaps you've heard, I have some involvement in the luxury goods industry, and any assistance you can provide there would be deeply appreciated..."

Hartley thought for a moment and then nodded, "I'll certainly convey your wishes to Parliament."

French beer wasn't particularly high quality, and spirits had even less market share, so opening up the British market to these products was an easy concession. The luxury goods market wasn't that large either. Compared to the enormous benefits in industrial goods, these were mere crumbs.

"I'm glad we could reach an understanding," Joseph said. "We should work quickly to restart trade negotiations."

Hartley then thought of another issue: "Your Highness, are the proposals you mentioned your personal ideas, or do they represent...?"

"They reflect my personal views. However, I believe they will also be the terms proposed by the French negotiating team."

Hartley nodded, raising his glass to Joseph. "To prosperous Anglo-French trade!"

In his mind, Hartley was already calculating: if the French Prince's terms could be agreed upon, he could use this success to advance his career, perhaps even aiming for the position of the next Prime Minister.

As for his original goal of promoting the naval treaty, that had long been forgotten.

...

The next day, in the East Wing conference hall of Versailles Palace, the first cabinet meeting was to be held since the tax bill had been rejected by the High Court.

Joseph entered through the grand golden doors, tucking away a report he had just received from Fouché. The report mentioned that they had found the mistress of the former police commissioner Guizot, a woman named Anna.

After Guizot was arrested, Anna had fallen into poverty. Eventually, lured by agents from the intelligence division, she revealed that Guizot and Simirion had discussed causing trouble in the Saint-Antoine district to create problems for the Prince.

The key detail was that during their conversation, Guizot had mentioned that if anything went wrong, a "big figure" would help clean it up.

After Guizot was arrested, Anna visited him, and he told her to find the Paris Municipal Commissioner, Levebel, who would try to help him.

Although there was no concrete evidence, it was almost certain that the person backing Guizot was Levebel.

Levebel was aligned with the Orléans faction and had no direct conflict of interest with Joseph, suggesting that the mastermind behind everything was likely the Duke of Orléans!

Additionally, Fouché had uncovered that before Joseph took over as Assistant Minister of Finance, the Duke of Orléans had attended a bankers' guild banquet, where he had publicly urged banks to delay a 6 million livre loan to the government.

Since the banquet had many attendees, this information was easy to obtain.

So, it was clear that the Duke of Orléans was behind all these troubles.

Joseph's expression turned cold. He needed to find a way to eliminate this threat; otherwise, who knew what other schemes the Duke might have up his sleeve!

Soon, Queen Marie arrived in the meeting hall. Everyone respectfully bowed, and the cabinet meeting officially began.

Brienne, as the chief minister, was about to start summarizing the important matters from the past few weeks when he noticed the Justice Minister Soumière and the Duke of Orléans exchanging glances. Soumière suddenly stood up and loudly said:

"Cardinal Brienne, the most pressing issue for France right now is advancing the tax bill. I believe everyone is waiting for you to update us on its progress."

Brienne's face darkened immediately. The High Court's rejection of the bill was well-known, and Soumière's question was clearly a challenge and an insult.

Suppressing his anger, Brienne responded in a deep voice, "The High Court has refused to register the bill. However, I have revised the provisions and will resubmit it to the court."

Soumière smirked, "Your last bill targeted all the nobility, which is why it was rejected. How do you plan to adjust it this time? Will it target the military, or perhaps even the royal family directly?"

"You!"

Soumière continued, "As far as I know, the High Court has already reached a consensus to refuse any cooperation with you. In other words, any bill you submit will certainly be rejected."

He said this while turning to Queen Marie and raising his voice, "Your Majesty, for the sake of France's financial stability, I believe it's time to replace the Finance Minister so that the tax bill can be passed as soon as possible."

Before the Queen could respond, Foreign Minister Vergennes stood up and said, "I support Count Soumière's suggestion. The national finances are on the brink of collapse, and Cardinal Brienne should be held accountable for this."

(End of Chapter)

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