I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 56: Fouché's Half-Life of Drifting, Only Regrets Not Meeting a Wise Master Earlier

Prosper nodded. "This mission is extremely important, so there will definitely be a generous reward."

The monk suddenly lowered his head, causing Prosper to almost ask what was wrong. But then the monk quickly leaned forward, excitement creeping into his voice. "Sir, I've thought about it carefully—just poisoning the food isn't reliable enough. What if someone eats late or something? Oh, could I have some funds, please?"

"Sure, how much do you need?"

"Twenty livres," the monk said, his fingers tightly interlaced as if clutching onto something. "I'll make an excuse, say it's my birthday—no one remembers my birthday anyway—and throw a small party. I'll buy some good wine and secretly poison the food and drinks beforehand. That way, I can make sure they all eat at the same time...

"Also, I could invite you all to join, saying you're my relatives. If someone doesn't get poisoned badly enough and tries to destroy the intel before they die, you could finish them off immediately!"

Hearing this, Joseph shook his head, then nodded, and entered the room. "This is the man I've been looking for—Fouché."

Eymond followed him in and quickly explained to a shocked Fouché that it was all just a joke and that there weren't any foreign spies.

Joseph sat down across from the monk and noticed his expression. "Fouché, you seem a bit disappointed?"

"No, not at all…"

Joseph got straight to the point. "If you had to set up an intelligence department as quickly as possible, how would you do it?"

Fouché glanced at the young man in front of him and then quickly looked away, rubbing his hands together. "May I ask how much funding I would have?"

Joseph thought for a moment. "Fifty thousand livres, and more if necessary."

A flash of indescribable excitement crossed Fouché's eyes. He nodded. "Fifty thousand… The most efficient way would be to recruit those who have worked as secret police—or rather, royal police."

"There are many such people?"

"Yes," Fouché replied immediately. "During the old king's reign, the royal police force was enormous, with agents everywhere in Paris. The current king, perhaps to cut costs, dismissed more than half of them. These people are very experienced and can start working almost immediately."

Joseph frowned slightly. "But the ones who were dismissed by the royal police probably weren't very capable, right?"

Fouché smiled. "You might not know this, but in the royal police, being dismissed has little to do with capability. It's all about connections and money. In fact, those who were let go are often the ones who are truly competent because they spent their time gathering intelligence instead of currying favor.

"Besides them, I could recruit from universities, even military academies. These people are smart and have connections with high society. With some training, they could become competent spies.

"And there's also the postal service…"

Joseph nodded in approval. Fouché truly had a natural talent for intelligence work, and Napoleon was indeed sharp-eyed to recognize it.

Curious, Joseph asked, "You're a monk, so how do you know so much about the royal police, universities, and the postal service?"

"By watching, listening, and thinking," Fouché said, glancing at Joseph again. "I have to know more, about the royal police, nobles, the church, schools, the wealthy, the poor, even thieves! Because I won't stay in this monastery forever—sooner or later, all this knowledge will come in handy."

"Very good," Joseph nodded. "One last question: Would you be willing to serve me and run an intelligence agency?"

Fouché's eyes widened in shock, and he nervously rubbed his hands together. "If I'm not mistaken, you must be the Prince, right?"

Joseph nodded. It would be surprising if a future intelligence chief couldn't figure that out.

Immediately, Fouché stood up, unable to contain his eagerness, and bowed deeply. "Your Highness, I would be honored to be your most loyal servant."

Joseph nodded but couldn't help but find the phrase "loyal servant" amusing. Fouché was like a vulture, ready to swoop down and take a bite wherever there was an opportunity. Though capable, loyalty was not in his nature.

In history, Fouché had betrayed the National Convention, the Jacobins, Napoleon, Louis XVIII, and then Napoleon again during the Restoration.

The reason Joseph was willing to use him now was that he knew no one else could offer Fouché a better deal. For the time being, Fouché would be loyal. And Joseph needed his expertise to build the framework of the intelligence agency. Once it was up and running, Fouché could be replaced as needed.

Villains, after all, had their uses.

"Well then, let's go see your new office," Joseph said, standing up.

Fouché hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking, "Your Highness, about the fifty thousand livres you mentioned earlier, is that really true?"

"As long as you show me you're capable, it's entirely possible to receive even more."

Joseph knew that intelligence work was expensive. He didn't mind if Fouché skimmed a bit off the top—it would make him easier to control. Plus, he planned to set up another department later to monitor corruption among officials.

The group left the monastery and took a carriage to a large villa in the western suburbs of Paris.

Joseph had purchased this villa about ten days ago. Since it wasn't located in the city center, it wasn't too expensive, and it was relatively close to Versailles. This would be the future headquarters of his intelligence agency.

In the large hall on the villa's first floor, a huge conference table had already been set up. Fouché, Prosper, and seven other spies who had already arrived in Paris sat neatly around it.

Joseph looked around at them and began, "This intelligence agency is currently under the jurisdiction of the police department and is named the 'Police Intelligence Division.' However, it is not under the control of the police department and reports directly to me."

He turned to Fouché, "For now, Fouché will serve as the head of the Police Intelligence Division."

"Yes, Your Highness. Thank you for your trust." Fouché, still dressed in his monk's robe, stood up and bowed, looking somewhat out of place.

To be honest, he still couldn't quite believe how quickly he had been given such a significant role. It all felt like a dream. Just yesterday, he was praying for a chance to make something of himself, and today, the Prince himself had come to him…

Suddenly, he thought of a possibility: The Prince must have been observing him for a long time, in ways he hadn't even noticed!

This thought reassured him. Hopefully, the "Son of God" truly possessed divine power...

Joseph continued, "Captain Prosper, you will be in charge of the operations team, handling specific actions."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"Captain Quentin," Joseph said, addressing another senior spy. "You will be responsible for training intelligence personnel. From now on, you must spend at least two days a week at the Paris Police Academy, teaching intelligence courses there. You can also select talented cadets from the academy to directly recruit into the Intelligence Division."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"As for the other positions, including those of the agents who have not yet arrived in Paris," Joseph gestured to Fouché, "they will all be decided by our new director."

(End of Chapter)

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