Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The Favored Son of God
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“No, no need to continue!” Lagrange gripped Joseph’s shoulders tightly, excited, “This entirely new derivation is enough to prove your capability, I will go back to the university today to apply for your degree certification.”
“Thank you so much!” Joseph beamed with joy, breaking free from the old mathematician’s grasp, he bowed to him and rushed out the door.
Lagrange had intended to deliver a speech, but found that the man had run off.
He paused for a moment, then hurriedly followed, calling out urgently:
“Your Highness, how did you think of differentiable functions? Tell me about your thought process!”
The young men in the classroom looked at each other in bewilderment, and it took a while before someone hesitantly said, “Can anyone tell me if the Crown Prince has graduated?”
“It seems so.”
“But he only came today…”
The youngster with the corner-upturned eyes stared at Joseph’s retreating figure, bitterly saying, “No, he must have cheated!”
Andrei glanced at him expressionlessly, placing the problem Lagrange had posed before him:
“The question was made up on the spot by the professor, and the Crown Prince’s proof is an entirely new mathematical discovery. Duke of Chartres, if you think cheating could achieve this, perhaps you might like to try it yourself.”
The Duke of Chartres stared at the formulas he couldn’t understand at all, as if struck by lightning; he had always considered himself the cream of the crop among the royal youth, yet now he couldn’t even comprehend the written proof…
Could it be that Joseph’s previous incompetence was all an act, just to make a fool of himself?
He clenched his fists tight, Joseph, you wait, I will have you crawling at my feet sooner or later!
Joseph, of course, couldn’t hear the others’ conversation, but even if he had, he wouldn’t have cared—just the prattle of children. Right now, all he was thinking about was that he could finally participate in politics, how to reorganize France, and avoid the outbreak of the Revolution and the risk of losing his head.
Lagrange, panting, caught up to him, pestering him with numerous questions for a while, then suddenly, he felt as if he had grasped something from the Crown Prince’s proof, muttering to himself:
“What if, f(a) isn’t equal to f(b)…”
He repeated it several times, his expression growing serious, then he hastily took his leave from Joseph, returning directly to the office at the university.
Joseph watched him walk away, whispering softly:
“If f(a)≠f(b), then that’s your Lagrange’s Mean Value Theorem. Good luck with proving it a few years early.”
Once the old mathematician’s silhouette was out of sight, he waved over the attendant who had been following close behind:
“Eman, where is Queen Mary now?”
The tall blond young man quickly bowed and responded, “Your Highness, Queen Mary is in her tea room.”
Joseph nodded at him and ran towards the far end of the wide corridor. The vigorous exercise induced a bout of coughing, reminding him that his pneumonia had not yet healed—the original owner’s physique was very weak, and the pneumonia had lasted for over a month with no signs of recovery.
He waved to Eman, who had come closer, to indicate that he was fine, then after meandering for over a hundred meters, he finally saw the door to the Queen’s tea room.
Starting today, he could finally put his abilities to use, begin saving himself! He took a deep breath and pushed through the doors, between the guards on both sides, striding into the room.
In the tea room, decorated with a cozy elegance, sat Queen Mary, her hair in a complicated two-foot-high hairstyle, her skin fair, and with a pair of light blue beautiful eyes. She leaned on an armchair with oriental styling, holding documents in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, listening intently to a minister next to her—it appeared she was dealing with government affairs. With Louis XVI spending his days in a lock-making workshop, most of the time it was Queen Mary who governs.
Joseph sighed inwardly. Louis XVI was one of the rare benevolent rulers in the history of France, but he had inherited a deeply troubled nation. Coupled with his ineptitude in governance and his obsession with lock-making, he ended up driving the people to such despair that the Revolution broke out.
If it had been a more peaceful and prosperous time, Louis XVI might have been a beloved and good king. In fact, Joseph had a rather good impression of him and would actually like to save him if possible.
Then came the voice of the Ceremonial Officer: “The Crown Prince has arrived—”
Following court etiquette, Joseph stepped half a pace back with his right foot, facing Queen Mary, touched his chest, and bowed, then returned salutations to each minister in the room before excitedly stepping forward and saying to the Queen:
“Mother, I have passed the mathematics graduation examination at the university!”
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“Joseph, you truly are the pride of your father and me!”
She had already sent someone to verify the Crown Prince’s studies and confirmed that, aside from mathematics, he had passed all subjects with excellent grades, meaning, at this moment, he had completed the University of Paris’s curriculum!
She looked at her son with a complex expression, “Why did you keep your self-study a secret from your father and me? I mean, you could have studied with a tutor.”
To explain the sudden transformation into a top student, Joseph could only fabricate an excuse that he had studied privately for many years.
“Because…” Joseph said, bracing himself, “I wanted to give you a surprise.”
“This surprise is really wonderful!” Queen Mary picked up a piece of pudding with strawberries and stuffed it into his mouth, then affectionately stroked his slightly curly hair, “How did all this knowledge fit into your little head?”
A tall, thin man in a dark blue patterned stuffed shirt with a collar adorned with sapphires furrowed his brow and whispered to the minister beside him:
“Bishop Brienne, did the Crown Prince just say he has completed university mathematics?”
The latter nodded, “It seems so.”
“How is that possible?”
“I am also very shocked.”
Behind them, Queen Mary’s trusted Clerk softly added:
“It’s not just mathematics. His Highness has completed over a dozen courses at the University of Paris, including physics, chemistry, mathematics, geometry, English, and more.”
The few ministers around them immediately widened their eyes, “How is that possible?!”
“I remember, isn’t the Crown Prince just thirteen years old?!”
“It’s simply unbelievable!”
“Indeed.” sighed the Clerk, “Those teachers who once taught His Highness all called him ‘the Child of Divine Favor’.”
“The Child of Divine Favor? Haha, with such a genius heir, France will surely shine even more brightly!”
“Truly, Heaven blesses France!”
Joseph ignored the ministers’ flattery and eagerly pulled away from Queen Mary’s hand, saying to her:
“Your Majesty the Queen, according to our agreement, I can participate in government affairs now, right?”
Queen Mary nodded indulgently, “Indeed, my genius son. Oh, by the way, I suggest you start at Paris City Hall, to gain some experience.”
Joseph frowned, he was to reform France! To fundamentally prevent the enraged citizens from slaughtering the entire Royal Family! What could he do at the City Hall? Manage urban transportation or sewage treatment?
He had seen many documentaries about the French Revolution before and knew that France’s core problem at the moment was finance—the collapse of administration, the inability to provide relief during disasters, the nobles’ dissenting hearts, and so on, were all triggered by the financial collapse.
Therefore, to reform France, one must first reform its finances!
Joseph looked towards Queen Mary and ventured, “I think, perhaps the Finance Minister might be more suitable for me.”
Queen Mary smiled kindly when she heard this. France’s financial problems were a chronic illness, and since the ascent of Louis XVI, almost all efforts of the court had been focused on solving the financial crisis, yet they had always been helpless.
A thirteen-year-old boy, even if he was “the Child of Divine Favor,” how could he possibly shoulder such a heavy burden?
She dropped her smile, thought for a moment, and said, “Joseph, if you are interested in finance, you can start at the Paris Tax Bureau.”
Joseph knew this meant she did not believe in his ability, but it was normal; after all, his body was only thirteen years old. He had no choice but to request the next best thing:
“Then let me be the assistant to the Finance Minister?”
At that time, the role of the assistant was essentially that of a deputy Finance Minister, the second in command in financial matters.