Queen Mary hesitated for only half a second before she readily agreed, “You are quite right, Archbishop Brienne. It is time to grant Viscount Carolina absolution and let him return to Paris.”
She had always appreciated Carolina’s abilities and was even more satisfied with his loyalty to the Royal Family—if it hadn’t been for the pressure from the Assembly of Notables, she would certainly not have exiled him.
Now that even Brienne didn’t oppose granting Carolina absolution, she was naturally happy to go with the flow.
Brienne subtly nodded to Joseph, then bowed to the queen and said, “Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty.”
“Oh, your broad-mindedness commands even more of my respect,” Queen Mary smiled back at him, “In a way, Viscount Carolina is your competitor, yet you suggested I grant him absolution without hesitation, for the sake of the royal dignity.”
“Thank you for your commendation. Serving the Royal Family loyally is my duty,” he replied.
Brienne suddenly felt he had made a profit; in just half an hour, he had earned favors from both the Crown Prince and the queen.
The queen’s Clerk quickly drafted the letter of absolution following the established format. After the queen signed it, it was then taken to Louis XVI for his signature and seal.
Seeing that matters had been successfully concluded, Joseph and Brienne made their leave together.
However, just as the two men reached the door, Queen Mary suddenly called out to her son, “Joseph, dear, wait a moment, I have something I want to tell you.”
Hearing this, Brienne bowed to the Crown Prince and left the Petit Trianon Palace alone.
Joseph turned around in surprise and, with an innocent look on his face, asked, “Mother, what do you want to tell me?”
The queen took him to a small balcony surrounded by a white marble balustrade and, squinting at the low-hanging sun, said with great earnestness, “Joseph, you are destined to be a king one day.
“I always thought you were too young, so I never brought up certain matters. But now that you’ve shown remarkable talent and are increasingly involved in the management of the country, I must speak to you about how to be a good king.”
You…” Joseph’s eyes widened in disbelief, thinking, Are you actually going to teach me the ways of a king? Are you serious?
Queen Mary glanced at Brienne’s departing figure below, her tone unusually stern, “As a king, it is most important to have your own convictions. You may be close to some ministers, but you must not be swayed by their thoughts, and you certainly shouldn’t let them direct you all the time.”
Joseph: “???”
Seeing his baffled look, the queen sighed and explained more clearly, “Since you’ve been involved in Cabinet affairs, you have always followed Brienne closely, aligning your opinions with his, even standing by his side supporting him every time he comes to me with an important matter.”
Joseph, with a stunned expression: Dear Mother, you really observe keenly, but aren’t you getting the roles reversed…
He nodded reluctantly, “Ah, indeed.”
The queen continued, “Although Archbishop Brienne is very capable and politically experienced, you only need to learn from him, not necessarily agree with him on everything.”
Joseph could only continue nodding, “Right, right, you are correct!”
Queen Mary, seeing her son appear receptive to instruction, felt gratified and patiently elaborated further, “Ministers like Brienne, in front of them, you should show the dignity of a Crown Prince, for example…”
Joseph was torn between laughter and tears. Brienne almost always listens to him now; how could he possibly assert more authority?
“Yes, yes, I will certainly remember,” he replied.
Queen Mary, as if inspired in her lecture about the ways of a king, talked until the sky had completely darkened, showing no sign of stopping.
Joseph was eager to handle the matters concerning Carolina, but he saw that Queen Mary was still talking nonstop, and he couldn’t even get a word in.
As he grew increasingly anxious, he suddenly noticed a lively and petite figure passing under the balcony in the lamplight.
It was Clementine—after fashion week, Queen Mary had wanted her niece to spend more time with her and had kept her at the Palace of Versailles. And she was more than willing to stay.
A lightbulb went off in Joseph’s head: he would use her to “stir the pot”! He turned his face to the side and started making desperate eye signals downstairs.
Clementine felt a burning gaze upon her and looked around, catching a glimpse of her cousin’s handsome and charming eyes.
“Crown Prince Your Highness!” she immediately beamed a smile, picked up her skirt, and hurried up to the second floor.
With the little chatterbox buzzing around, Queen Mary had to pause her “King’s mandatory lessons” and greeted her niece with a smile.
Joseph seized the moment to make his excuse and leave swiftly.
The little girl who had been nestled in Queen Mary’s arms saw her cousin leave and immediately sprang up like a little bird, curtsied to the Queen, and said, “Your Majesty the Queen, I remembered something…”
Queen Mary smiled knowingly and gestured with her eyes towards Joseph: “Go ahead, good luck!”
Clementine’s face turned red, but she instantly turned and rushed off, only leaving behind a “Thank you, Auntie!”
Joseph came out from the Petit Trianon Palace, contemplating whom to send to make contact with Carolina—Mala was injured, Fouche’s identity wasn’t suitable, and it seemed inappropriate for others to get involved.
He also recalled Mirabeau mentioning that the Nancy Industrial Development Zone was already open, and his own Steam Engine factory had started production. He had wanted to visit but had never found the time.
With Toul and Nancy not far from one another, he decided to meet Carolina in person and then take the opportunity to check out the industrial achievements in Nancy.
Continue reading at M V L
As he pondered, he heard a “tap-tap” of little leather boots behind him, and when he turned around, he saw his cousin rushing towards him excitedly.
“Cousin, what are you going to do?” the little girl asked with wide, watery eyes.
“I…” Joseph said off the top of his head, “am going to Lorraine.”
Clementine blurted out without a second thought, “I want to go to Lorraine too! Take me with you!”
“To play?” Joseph raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, “Lorraine is remote and barren—not much fun to be had there.”
“I want to see…” the little girl was clueless about Lorraine and sneakily glanced at her maid, her eyes flitting.
The maid was also Austrian and, after a moment of mental short-circuit, suddenly remembered hearing somewhere that there was a French dish from the northeast called “artichokes with veal” and blurted out the dish name softly.
Clementine, whose French was not very good, and because the maid spoke so softly, only caught the last word “artichoke,” and as if she had found a treasure, excitedly told her cousin, “To see coal![Note1]”
The pronunciation of the two words was very close, so it was no wonder she got confused.
Joseph’s eyes widened: “You… to see coal? Lorraine does have quite a few coal mines.”
The little girl realized she might have misspoken, but what was said could not be unsaid, so she reluctantly nodded, “Ah, yes! I particularly like coal mines… that expansive and profound feeling, bringing light and warmth to people… it moves me in ways I can’t explain.”
[Note1]: The French word for artichoke is chardon and coal is charbon, which sound remarkably similar…