“`
Archbishop of Valois Dafuer nodded in agreement, “I’ll donate 10,000 livres as well.”
However, Joseph just smiled and shook his head; what he had his eye on was the Church’s “bottom of the chest” item. Who would be satisfied with just ten thousand here and there?
“Thank you for your generosity,” he dropped the subtlety, “but I’m asking the Church to release the stored grains to the disaster victims.”
A few archbishops exchanged glances and chuckled dryly, “Your Highness, the Church’s bit of grain won’t make any difference.”
“Yes, that might even be less than the food you can buy with 10,000 livres.”
Joseph smiled calmly, “There’s no need to be modest. I know your cellars have at least enough grain to feed the disaster victims for half a month.”
The archbishops’ eyes were filled with shock, “You, where did you hear that from?”
“Your Highness, there’s absolutely no such thing…”
“Your Highness, if you don’t believe us, you can go ask Archbishop Brienne…”
Joseph knew that most of the Church’s stored grains were surreptitiously skimmed from the tithe or the yields of Church land—although these incomes belong to the Church, they get recorded in public accounts, which are used for expenses on education, charity, religious events, and more.
As for the grain in the Church cellars, they were “accumulated” by the skills of the mid to high-ranking clergy and belonged to their personal wealth. Thus, these individuals were very reluctant to have others—especially the Royal Family—know about the contents of their cellars.
In fact, very few people were aware of this part of the Church’s private property, and due to careful management practices, it was not easy to detect, until it was forcefully dug out during the Great Famine.
Joseph raised his hand in a pacifying gesture, still with a smile on his face, “In the name of His Majesty the King, I assure you that no one will investigate the origins of this grain.”
As he spoke, he glanced at his cufflinks, “Of course, I also hope that you won’t be too reluctant to part with the grain. I am quite informed about the amount of grain and wine in the Church’s cellars.”
Of course, this was a bluff to intimidate the archbishops; he only knew that the “hoarders” had stored a lot of grain.
However, upon hearing that the Crown Prince also knew about the wine in their cellars, people like Beaumont were convinced by eighty percent.
After another round of exchanges, Beaumont, as their representative, stated, “Your Highness, if you truly need the grain, we are willing to sell it to you at the market price.”
Upon hearing this, Joseph silently breathed a sigh of relief; he had already attained his minimum requirement. At least the problem of insurrection could be addressed with money.
But this was not his ultimate goal.
The grain supply for the entire western and southern provinces of France was not a small number. Moreover, how much grain the Church would release depended entirely on their word, and he could easily be at a disadvantage.
He took a deep breath and continued, “I hope, the Church will donate this grain.”
“This, how can this be…” The archbishops were immediately alarmed, for the Crown Prince was practically asking for outright confiscation!
Joseph signaled for them to calm down, “If the Church donates enough grain for one month’s use in the rioting provinces, I will allow the Church to resume selling ‘indulgences’.”
Catholic doctrine holds that all mankind bears original sin. Since the Middle Ages, the papacy invented indulgences to tell the faithful that, by purchasing these, they could reduce their time suffering in Purgatory.
This invention made the papacy rich, but it also attracted deep animosity from the secular layers of society and, under pressure, the papacy announced the cessation of indulgence sales in the 16th century.
Dafuer’s eyes lit up instantly, “Are you serious?!”
If the Royal Family allowed the Church to sell indulgences, the little money they made from hoarding grain would be insignificant in comparison.
“`
Beaumont and the rest showed signs of hesitation. “Your Highness, even if the Royal Family agrees, I’m afraid the voices of opposition will be great…”
Joseph nodded, “You’re right, which is why we need innovation.”
“The old spiel of ‘buying this will keep you from going to hell’ is, cough, no longer persuasive to people.”
The Archbishops looked at each other, “What do you mean?”
“Firstly, we need to change the name. For example, ‘Blessing Card’, ‘Longevity Prayer Coupon’, ‘True Love Charm’ and the like.”
“Their functions must also keep up with the times. As the names of these coupons suggest, some can be used to increase a lover’s affection, some to pray for blessings for one’s parents.”
“You must understand that something like getting into heaven is too far off and ethereal. Parents, lovers are right before our eyes, filled with many hopes and helplessness. If you can immediately ‘solve’ the problems at hand, people will be willing to spend money.”
“Oh, we also need to be cautious with pricing. Those old Indulgences were sold for too much. If someone buys a coupon from you and can’t afford to eat meat for two years, there will certainly be dissatisfaction. If you sell a coupon for 4 livres, it’s as if they’re just buying two newspapers, even if the effect is … cough, with the blessing of God, it’s certain to be effective.”
“In short, the concept of small profits but quick turnover must be embraced; we can’t kill the business in one go…”
As he continued to outline his plan, the eyes of several Archbishops gradually lit up. They could already envision young couples coming to the Church, spending a small amount of 4 livres on a ‘True Love Charm’ to have God bear witness to their love and bestow His blessing.
Archbishop Nemours hesitated, “Your Highness, are you sure this will work?”
Joseph thought to himself, if you’re clinging to God as your big IP, relying on the tithe for living expenses day after day, that would be ridiculed to death in the twenty-first century. Do you have any idea how much money places like Shaolin Temple and Wudang Mountains have made by just a little bit of marketing?
He smiled slightly, “I can assure you, if we do as I say, Paris will sell at least 500,000 livres worth of various coupons each year, and that’s a conservative estimate.”
“500,000! Are you serious?!”
“Of course, we will still need some promotion and hype,” Joseph continued, “For example, the ‘True Love Charm’ must be associated with Saint Valentine’s Day. Hmm, that name is too much of a mouthful, let’s just call it Valentine’s Day.”
By the end of the 18th century, February 14 already existed as a holiday, but it was nowhere near as popular as it would become later.
“First, we need to strengthen the desire to celebrate Valentine’s Day. For instance, promote the idea that ‘not celebrating means you don’t love them’, ‘buying the first True Love Charm of the year guarantees a perfect romance’. Then create legends that ‘only True Love Charms blessed by the Church can keep a couple’s love forever pure’.”
Joseph offered an overview of the business practices from later years, “Then we spend money on celebrations, balls, matchmaking events on that day. The rest is just waiting for the men and women to flock to the Church’s doors.”
“As for the specific marketing techniques, I suggest the Church establish a ‘Church Cultural Development Company’ with me, dedicated to packaging, planning, and promotion. As for the specific investments and share distribution, we can discuss that in detail later.”
“Oh, similar to the True Love Charm. The Longevity Prayer Coupon should correspond with Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, which have not yet been established. The Church should discuss and decide on suitable dates for these holidays.”
“The Prosperity Coupon corresponds with a Commerce Festival, the Blessing Card with Easter, that’s roughly the idea… Once the company is established, there will be a full set of plans.”
None of the Archbishops could have imagined that Indulgences could be turned into so many new products, let alone end up with establishing a company… Continue your journey on empire
However, after careful consideration, they felt that the Crown Prince’s method was indeed very feasible.
Joseph wasn’t worried that after hearing his plan they would go behind his back and do it on their own. These business tricks might sound simple, but they’re not something people without first-hand experience can manage.
After a brief discussion among the Archbishops, it was Archbishop Beaumont who eventually spoke as their spokesperson, “Your Highness, the grain for this disaster relief, let’s consider it as our investment in whatever development company the Church is going to form.”
According to their estimates, if things went as the Crown Prince had suggested, the grain invested this time would be recouped in at most two years. Afterwards, it would be pure profit.
Moreover, there was no longer any worry that the special meeting held that day would be exposed.