The next day.
Paris, second floor of the Industrial Planning Bureau.
“So, you suddenly left last night just because you wanted to resign?” Joseph looked at the three people in front of him, and then smiled, “Now that I know your wound is not serious, I am relieved.”
“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness.” Mala leaned on his cane and bowed slightly, “And thank you for your trust. However, we have still decided to leave the Investigation Bureau.”
Joseph paused for a moment and asked, “Can you tell me the reason?”
Danton hastily said, “We don’t want to be associated with those filthy nobles!”
Demulan followed up, “Also, we don’t want to work for the Royal Family anymore.”
Joseph couldn’t help but smile wryly when he heard this, as most people resign because they cannot get promoted or receive a raise, yet these few decided to quit just after receiving a promotion.
Well, this is indeed very Jacobin…
“I am curious, what is it you want?” he asked.
Mala replied emphatically, “We want to be forever loyal to the people of France!”
Joseph thought to himself that it would be best to completely deal with these radicals this time, else they might keep resigning every now and then, which wouldn’t do.
Moreover, they were opinion leaders of the entire Liberal faction. If he could manage them, it would greatly reduce the hostility of the radical Liberals towards the Royal Family.
He recalled the “sophistries” he had read in forums from his previous life, thinking: These should suffice to deal with 18th-century theories, right?
“Loyal to the people,” he nodded slowly, “which means making life better for the people, right?”
Mala thought about it and, finding that the logic seemed correct, replied, “That’s right, Your Highness.”
“So for that goal, you want to resign?”
“Yes…” Your journey continues with M-V-L
“Have you ever considered, after you leave, who will oversee corrupt officials like Necker? Another group of corrupt officials? Do you think this will make life better for the people of France?”
Mala and the others were taken aback.
Joseph immediately targeted the “core” of their ideology: “I think, gentlemen, your animosity toward the Royal Family is unjustified.”
“No!” Danton, the youngest and most bold, immediately retorted, “It is because the Royal Family indulges in luxury, disregards the people’s suffering, and constantly protects the interests of the nobles, that the people are oppressed!”
“Really?” Joseph asked calmly, “Without the Royal Family, will the people definitely be better off?”
Influenced deeply by Rousseau, Mala and the others almost instinctively recited Rousseau’s words: “Natural rights, everyone is born free, and no one can restrict another’s freedom, not even the king…”
Joseph interrupted him: “May I ask, Mr. Mara, if people are born free, can the rules set by predecessors bind their descendants?”
Mala was about to say “No,” but he suddenly froze. That’s not right, he thought. If they cannot, does it mean that someone who has never participated in the decision-making of social rules can do whatever they please?
And if ‘they can,’ doesn’t it mean the descendants are not free?
Joseph smiled, “You see, the idea that people are born free is fundamentally flawed. Each of us, including the king, is in fact not free.”
Danton offered help from the side:
“Rousseau said, we need to establish a reasonable social contract, and then everyone should abide by this contract!”
Joseph immediately asked, “What do you mean by a ‘reasonable contract’?”
This question remained unanswered by any great thinkers until the 19th century. No, even in the 21st century, people were merely trying. Mala and the others, with only the most superficial theoretical foundations of Rousseau, were inevitably bewildered.
“It’s…”
Demulan hurriedly said, “Yes, it’s Congress. The, the people delegate power to Congress, and Congress makes the rules!”
“Congress?” Joseph said with a smile, “Once Congress receives power, will it definitely consider the people’s welfare?”
“How, how could there be any doubt about that?”
“No, they will only think about themselves.” Joseph shook his head, “Look at the United States, what kind of land purchase policies has their Congress devised? You must buy at least 60 acres, and they won’t sell less. The poor? Sorry, they can’t buy land.
“Or look at our neighbors, Switzerland. The cantonal parliaments’ rules serve only warlords and businessmen, making it easier to control cities and pocket the last penny from the people’s purse.”
“I dare say if such things happened in France, people would have already gathered outside the Palace of Versailles to protest. The King would be cursed thousands of times and eventually forced to amend these policies.”
“No, these are just isolated incidents…”
“Really? Take the American Congress, for instance. Their legislators design oppressive policies, then go home to enjoy life after a couple of years, leaving the problem to the next Congress. Of course, the next batch of legislators do the same, they have no concerns, because Congress is just a tool for them. Only the King truly cares about this country, because he has no ‘next term’.”
Mala and the others were hesitant, shaking their heads: “No, something you said must be wrong!”
Joseph said, “Human society has always been oppressive in structure, a fundamental and universal reality. The King is just a symbol and archetype of this phenomenon, and so is Congress, and any high authority.
“Our inherited past might be narrow and outdated, needing relentless revision and improvement. But the past has also brought us tremendous benefits. Every word we speak, every thought we have is a gift from those before us, and the foundation on which we live, such as technology, wealth, and opportunities, is also brought by precursors.
So, it’s unreasonable to view the social structure as purely oppressive. It’s not about negating everything from the past whenever we encounter a problem.”