Master Plan

A few months had passed since Li Lianying's transmigration. She had slowly adjusted to the court etiquette and learnt how to be an exhibitionist. Everyday, she dressed in front of many people, went to the toilet in front of many people, and was even stalked by many people! She could not go anywhere without being followed by curious and hopeful courtesans who tried to curry favor from her.

At some point, she felt like an actress in a reality show. Her entire life in Versailles seemed like a TV show! Hence, why not turn it into an actual TV show? Like the model history student that she was, she proceeded to document her daily life in a diary that she wrote in Chinese, since she was pretty sure that nobody in Versailles knew how to read it. This was some first hand historical knowledge ! Having access to so much knowledge and experience was the wet dream of any historian! Since she was not able to go back to the 21st century, she might as well make the most out of her current situation.

Every night, she spent her time studying about Marie Antoinette and the 18th century on the Internet. And every morning, she discreetly verified her newly acquired information by talking to people or exploring the palace. In order to prevent the Revolution, she figured out that she would have to meddle in politics and rewrite history.

She spent weeks reading online articles and studies about the political and economic state of Louis 16th, her husband's, future government. As a result, she decided that she had to consolidate her position in the French court : Marie Antoinette, the original owner of this body, was so hated because she was a foreigner. And she stayed an outsider for years, even in the royal court that she owned. Why? Because she was not considered as a "true" queen until she gave birth to her first child, 8 years after her marriage with Louis 16th. At first, because Marie Antoinette had no child, French nobles and royals threatened her with divorce, saying that she might be kicked out because she was useless to the kingdom since she was not able to fulfill her marital duties. Then, when she finally gave birth to children, she was accused of infidelity by the French : they mocked the royal couple by joking that the king was infertile and that the children were mere bastards that the queen had by sleeping around with random nobles.

In such precarious conditions, how could Li Lianying dream of wielding political power?! The fact that she wasn't kicked out of the palace was already a blessing! She first had to consolidate her position. Hence, it was now time for her to pluck the flower of the handsome virgin crown prince ~

Lewd plans aside, Li Lianying also started listing possible allies. The Austrian ambassador, count De Mercy-Argenteau, was very loyal to Marie-Antoinette's mother, the Austrian empress Maria-Theresa. He frequently wrote to her about the well-being of her daughter, and was like a nanny supervising Marie-Antoinette and reporting everything to the imperial tiger mom. He was at the top of Li Lianying's list.

There was also Marie-Antoinette's enemy, the minister Turgot. She hated him and tried to ruin his career for personal reasons. However, Li Lianying thought that his economic proposals were very good : he encouraged strict measures to avoid spending too much money on unnecessary things such as warfare, and managed to reduce the national deficit thanks to his efficient planning. He also wanted to abolish some privileges : instead of taxing poor people, he wanted to tax rich landowners. Back then, what seemed like an obvious solution for a 21st century person, was in fact deemed scandalous by the ruling classes. Needless to say, Turgot's progressive ideas were hated by the conservatives such as Marie Antoinette. However, Li Lianying was NOT Marie Antoinette, and she would do anything to prevent the Revolution. If forging an alliance with the baron Turgot increases her 'Satisfaction level of the bourgeoisie and peasantry' bars, then she would do it! It would also be a good way to introduce some 21st century values to this outdated feudal society!

Her final move would be to try and befriend some future revolutionaries! People say to keep your friends close and your enemies even closer, so she will befriend them and defeat them thanks to her puppy eyes! More seriously, by keeping an eye on the bourgeoisie and the pioneers of the Revolution, she could act accordingly in order to be a perfect, irreproachable Queen. She could also use them as a stepping stone to allow the country to transition from a feudal, hereditary society to a merit-based society with a strong central government like Imperial China. Instead of being born a noble, people would be able to work for the government thanks to their abilities and good management skills. Talents would be recruited through some kind of imperial examination, and the nobility would not have any kind of privilege. However, she would have to eradicate any form of corruption in the government for such a system to work.

Hence, there would be no useless nobles spending their days playing dress-up in Versailles and living off taxes, but productive people who were allowed to work and do business - for in the French feudal society, the nobility was not allowed to work or earn money with businesses because they would be behaving like "dirty" commoners. The nobility could only rely on taxing the peasants living on their lands or had to earn money by entering the military and fighting in wars like proper "knights".

However, how could a country feed its nobles if there was no war? This was a vicious circle! War was the only way for nobles without lands to earn money, so countries kept going to war, causing terrible casualties and draining the country's funds. How could the country get enough money to finance these wars and feed their noble soldiers? By raising more taxes! In the end, the poor were the ones to suffer. They had to pay taxes to feed their noble landlords, and had to pay taxes to finance wars that fed the nobles who were engaged in the military!

And these endless problems all stemmed from one rule : the nobility must not work or do business, for business arises from greed, and good Christian nobles must not be greedy! Let the Jews or regular commoners own these "evil" businesses and banks, proper Christian nobles must only spend money without earning it, for if you earn money, you are greedy, but if you spend money on lavish parties, you are being generous ! Gambling is a virtue because you are distributing your money to others! Killing people in bloody wars is a virtue, because you are honoring your knightly origins! But owning a business? Nah, that's evil!

With such ridiculously outdated ideas, of course that the nobility was self-destructing! The emerging middle class that stemmed from families of merchants were hoarding all the money. All they needed was political power. And political power they got, by organizing a Revolution and creating a republic that was dominated by the educated bourgeoisie, the rich businessmen and lawyers who amassed colossal fortunes through their hard work.

A reform was needed, but Li Lianying did not want to risk her head for such a reform to happen. She would thus befriend these "nouveau riche" (new money) and make them an ally. Together, they would slowly change the system without all the bloodshed that resulted from the Revolution. It will be a slow, progressive shift without any Revolution.

Clapping her hands, Li Lianying finished writing her plans in the diary. She sealed it and hid it in the cabinet of her sitting room.

She had decided how she was going to start her master plan. It was by… organizing a party!