I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 22: Planning a Police Academy

Queen Marie Antoinette curiously studied her son and smiled, "No wonder he suggested you for the position of Finance Minister's Assistant today. How exactly did you 'convince' him?"

Seeing Joseph smile without answering, she decided not to press further. After a moment of thought, she mentioned two names, "Besançon—he has served as a trade coordinator in several provinces and has led mounted police to crack down on smugglers. He's quite capable in terms of organization and management.

"Then there's Friant—he was once a captain in the Flanders regiment and served as one of my guards. He's now in charge of recruiting new infantry soldiers and is very skilled in training and drafting regulations."

She added, "I can vouch for their loyalty, but the choice is yours."

Joseph nodded. "Alright, I'll meet with them and decide."

He wasn't familiar with either person, but as he was new to politics and lacked his own team, he had to rely on his mother for support.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. While gaining control of the police system, he could invest in establishing a police academy. This academy could recruit students from the general public, train professional police officers, and reduce noble influence over law enforcement. Additionally, it could offer courses in management, commerce, journalism, and law, allowing him to select and nurture talented individuals to form his own loyal base.

He imagined a future where high-ranking government officials would salute him respectfully and address him as "Principal"... Yes, from a political strategy standpoint, the Huangpu model was highly successful.

The sound of a door creaking open ahead brought Joseph back to reality. Looking up, he saw that they had arrived at the entrance to the dining hall. The large room was already filled with nobles who had come to observe.

Indeed, since the time of Louis XV, every activity of the French royal family—including eating, sleeping, entertaining, and even childbirth—had been open for public viewing.

Joseph felt a headache coming on as the Queen led him to sit at the lavish dining table. The herald banged his staff on the ground, signaling the start of the meal with a ceremonial fanfare. Each course was accompanied by music, passed down a line of servers with an elaborate presentation before finally reaching the table.

Suddenly recalling something, Joseph leaned over to the Queen and whispered, "By the way, if the Naval Minister comes to you about the shipbuilding cuts, just send him to me. I'll convince him."

Marie Antoinette looked at her son in surprise. To be honest, she had been worried about that issue—Castellane was a persistent and passionate man who would likely pester her for a month if his budget was cut. She nodded, grateful that her son could now help relieve her burdens. Thank God!

Meanwhile, on the western staircase of Versailles, the Justice Minister turned to the Duke of Orléans and asked, "Judging by the Prince's actions, is he leaning toward Britain?"

The Duke narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps it's the influence of the Austrian woman. If his actions to reduce the fleet lead to a shift in British policy towards France, it could be very detrimental to us..."

Two miles away in a square, Monot and the Minister of Population, Nicolet, walked side by side in the sunlight.

"At least the Prince seems firmly anti-Prussian," said the Interior Minister.

"Anti-Prussian and anti-British is a hardliner. Not opposing either is a pacifist," Nicolet sighed. "But the worst scenario would be being anti-Prussian and pro-British... To put it plainly, if France had a monarch like Peter III of Russia, it would be a disaster."

He was referring to the former Tsar of Russia, who admired Prussian King Frederick II so much that he ordered Russian troops to retreat even when they had the upper hand against Prussia and signed a highly unfavorable treaty with Frederick.

After today's cabinet meeting, everyone was worried that the Prince might be an Anglophile.

Monot shook his head slightly. "From my interactions with him, the Prince is a highly intelligent person. His call to cut the navy might simply be because warships are too costly, not because he wants to please the British."

"Let's hope so."

The gist of the cabinet meeting quickly reached the office of the British ambassador to France.

Ambassador Harriet, upon hearing that the French Prince advocated stopping all shipbuilding and taking a tough stance against Prussia, pondered deeply for three minutes before calling in a trusted aide and giving detailed instructions.

After his aide left, Harriet carefully wrote a report about the matter and sent it to Britain.

...

After finally finishing a meal where even the first bite had to follow strict protocol, Louis XVI eagerly took Joseph to his workshop to show off his latest creation—a brass safe he had made himself—before finally letting him go.

When Joseph returned to his quarters, he found Dr. Lamarck already there, discussing the Prince's health with Perna. Although Joseph had his own personal physician, Perna still insisted on checking on the Prince's condition every day.

Seeing Joseph return, Lamarck quickly stepped forward and bowed, "I hear your condition has stabilized, Your Highness. That's truly wonderful news. I believe it must be due to that miraculous salicin."

Joseph smiled in return. "And thanks to Dr. Perna's care as well."

Perna softly murmured, "I haven't obtained my medical license yet."

"Perna's skills are better than most doctors'," Lamarck praised his assistant, then excitedly took out a small glass bottle and handed it to Joseph. "Your Highness, Mr. Larson and I have produced several batches of salicin, with increasingly higher purity."

Joseph took the glass bottle and, seeing the pale yellow powder inside, complimented, "You truly are Europe's finest biologist and medical scientist. The purity is already quite high."

"No, no, I didn't do much. The purification process was all thanks to your instructions," Lamarck humbly replied before adding excitedly, "I've been distributing salicin for free in the Pont Neuf area, and it's been incredibly effective. I found that it doesn't just work for pneumonia; it's also effective for fever caused by many other illnesses. In just a few days, it has saved seven or eight lives!"

He paused, somewhat uncertain, before continuing, "Your Highness, Mr. Larson and I were considering raising funds to mass-produce salicin. This medicine could save countless lives! What do you think? Of course, half of the profits would go to you."

He added softly, "But as you know, most of the poor souls suffering from illness can't afford to pay much..."

"Raising funds to produce medicine?" Joseph shook his head. "If you go that route, the production and sale of the medicine will be controlled by the investors."

Lamarck looked puzzled. "So, what do you suggest?"

"I'll provide the funding to build a factory to produce salicin," Joseph said, recalling the sight of the homeless in the corners of Saint-Antoine. "We'll keep the profit margin at 3% or less, and we can even exchange willow bark for medicine."

Lamarck and Perna looked at him with admiration. "Your Highness, you are truly kind and compassionate. May God bless you!"

(End of Chapter)

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