Joseph furrowed his brows as he flipped through the pages, “He had gone to see Carolina, asked about Necker, and then someone wanted to kill him. Has the assassin been caught?”
“Two of the assassins are dead, and one escaped under the cover of night,” Fouche said. “According to Prosper’s investigation, those two were gang members from Toul.”
He hesitated slightly, “Your Highness, could it be that Carolina wanted to stop Mr. Mara’s investigation into Necker and had someone assassinate him?”
Joseph shook his head, lifting Mara’s report, “Mr. Mara is very certain that Carolina has a feud with Necker, and he would not do such a thing to protect him.”
“Besides, Carolina is a very shrewd man. Even if he wanted to assassinate someone, he wouldn’t do it on the very night after seeing them.”
Carolina had managed to become the Finance Minister while also serving as Chief Minister, definitely not a man of mediocrity. In fact, the tax reform bill in France was his creation, with later Finance Minister Brian merely copying his tax reform plan. However, Carolina was eventually overthrown by the Great Noble Group, the tax reform failed, and he was exiled.
Immediately, Fouche said, “Then, perhaps it was Necker’s men who were behind this?”
Joseph nodded slightly, “It’s a possibility. If so, it further proves that Mr. Mara is on the right track.”
He then looked back at the report, “Still, if they had a feud, why wouldn’t Carolina divulge the evidence of Necker’s crimes to Mr. Mara?”
Mara clearly wrote in his report that he had reliable information which suggested Carolina might possess damning evidence against Necker.
Fouche said, “Your Highness, maybe Carolina simply doesn’t trust Mr. Mara…”
Joseph tapped the table with his finger, slightly shaking his head, “Something about this doesn’t add up.”
“Even without Mr. Mara, if Carolina had a feud with Necker and he had evidence of Necker’s crimes, why didn’t he expose him directly? For instance, by reporting to His Majesty the King.”
Lowering his head in thought, Fouche said, “If the two are not colluding, then it’s possible that Viscount Carolina is under threat. Just like what Mr. Mara encountered.”
Joseph did not agree with him, Carolina had once been the Chief Minister, and even after being exiled, he still was a powerful noble with the resources to hire dozens of bodyguards easily.
Moreover, he was a staunch Royalist, highly trusted by Queen Mary. With his political influence, Necker would not dare to harm him lightly.
Joseph pondered, then slowly said, “There might be other possibilities aside from Carolina being threatened.
“For example, he could be holding out for a better offer. He thinks the information he has on Necker is very valuable and is waiting for someone who needs it to pay a high price before he would reveal anything.
“Or, it could be that Necker also has something on him. If he exposes Necker, he may be bitten back.”
Joseph looked out the window in some annoyance. It seemed that Carolina indeed possessed crucial evidence, but how could one get him to talk?
Suddenly, he recalled the exhaustive method often used in proving theorems.
If the reasons that restricted Carolina from revealing Necker’s incriminating evidence did not exceed the range of the speculation just discussed, then he just had to resolve these issues, and Carolina would surely comply!
First, he largely dismissed the possibility that Carolina was under threat to his life. If there were any, it would be the easiest to resolve, just provide him with a hundred palace guards to stay with him at all times, and what would he have to fear?
Next, if Carolina was holding out for a better offer, then he would have to come up with a tempting enough price.
Having served as Finance Minister, he was unlikely to be in dire need of money, and Joseph really didn’t want to use pure livres as a bargaining chip.
For a person like Carolina, apart from money, it’s power.
As Joseph thought this, he suddenly had a brilliant idea. Carolina had been exiled to Lorraine, effectively ending his political career. If Joseph could get him back to Paris, it would be like granting him a second life—a political life.
He believed that Carolina would certainly be unable to refuse such an offer.
The issue was, Brienne only secured his position as Chief Minister after Carolina had left. If Carolina were brought back, he would definitely have objections.
How to persuade him…
Once Fouche had finished reporting the situation in Toul, he took his leave.
Joseph then set out for the Palace of Versailles, prepared to speak with Brienne first.
In the carriage, he continued pondering the situation that Necker also had dirt on Carolina.
This was the most difficult issue to deal with.
Only if Carolina faced a do-or-die situation, might he possibly give up Necker.
However, one thing Joseph could be sure of was that, historically, Carolina was extremely loyal to the Royal Family.
After Louis XVI was executed, he stood up to lead the Royalist Party in the grand endeavor of restoring the monarchy, almost bankrupting himself in the process.
In the current need to consolidate royal authority, it was imperative to lend support to such a person.
Joseph, flipping through the documents sent by Mara subconsciously, suddenly revealed a smile. Perhaps, the assassination attempt on Mara could be put to good use.
An hour and a half later, the carriage, gliding along the wooden track, stopped on the east side of the Palace of Versailles. Only a few hundred meters remained, and the wooden track would directly connect Versailles and Paris.
It was already 5 p.m. as Joseph made his way directly to Archbishop Brienne’s residence.
The Archbishop hurried out to greet him, smiling as he paid his respects, “Your Highness, if there’s anything you need, someone could have fetched me to you.”
Joseph exchanged pleasantries with him for a while before promptly getting to the matter at hand, “Archbishop Brienne, I have a very important matter that requires your assistance.”
“I am always at the ready to serve Your Highness.”
Joseph nodded, “What do you think if I need Viscount Carolina to return to Paris?”
Archbishop Brienne was momentarily taken aback and laughed dryly, “Your Highness, have I made a blunder somewhere?”
“Oh, no, please don’t misunderstand, your work has always been excellent. The King and I absolutely trust you,” Joseph rushed to say, “The return of Carolina is purely for ‘business.’ I promise, it won’t threaten your position at all.”
“The ‘business’ you speak of is?”
Joseph deliberately lowered his voice, “For example, it could help you acquire revenues of tens or even hundreds of millions of livres.” Your next chapter is on мѵʟ
Archbishop Brienne immediately widened his eyes, “Carolina is willing to contribute so much in political donations?!”
“Ah, no… His return is just part of the approach,” Joseph said, “The specifics, you will learn in time.”
Archbishop Brienne hesitated for a moment, then sighed softly, “Your Highness, I can accept it as long as Viscount Carolina doesn’t enter the Cabinet.”
He was probably the person in all of France who understood just how formidable the young Crown Prince’s energy was.
His position as Finance Minister was maintained by the astounding measures taken by the Crown Prince; otherwise, he’d already be fishing in Corsica, an even grimmer fate than Carolina’s.
If the Crown Prince insisted on Carolina’s return, he simply couldn’t resist. And the fact that the Crown Prince came to consult with him and promised it wouldn’t affect his status was an indication of a close relationship.
Now was the time to demonstrate his loyalty and trust. He still possessed that much political wisdom.
Moreover, it would solve his most vexing financial problems. Why not?
Joseph didn’t expect Archbishop Brienne to agree so readily, and he sincerely thanked him. He then promptly took him to see the Queen—since the matter of Carolina’s attempted assassination had been revealed, all involved would be alarmed, so it was crucial to act quickly. Delay could lead to unforeseen changes, and they couldn’t wait for a slow discussion in a Cabinet meeting.
In the Petit Trianon Palace, Queen Mary looked at Archbishop Brienne in astonishment, “You mean, pardon Viscount Carolina?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Archbishop Brienne said with a sincere expression, “Viscount Carolina was dismissed and exiled back in the day for failing to push the tax legislation effectively.”
He leaned in a little, “As you know, this was actually about making a gesture towards the Assembly of Notables.”
“Now, since the tax legislation has been executed for several months and the High Court has been reorganized, your majesty no longer needs to cater to those people from the Assembly of Notables.”
After all, Archbishop Brienne was an old hand in politics. He directly portrayed pardoning Carolina as a way for the Queen to reclaim the face she had lost back then.