The police officer, upon hearing the name Robespierre and its inclusion of “de,” aware that he belonged to the petty nobility, spoke with a hint more courtesy, “May I ask, have you applied for a permit to speak here?”
According to current regulations, one needs to apply in advance for public speaking in public places.
Of course, normally, no one cared about this rule, but if caught red-handed by the police, it had to be strictly enforced.
“I…” Robespierre suddenly looked utterly embarrassed.
Just as the few nobles he had been fighting with showed gloating expressions, a young man wearing a blue-gray coat with his hair standing on end hurried over and said to Robespierre, “Ma, Maxim, I, I finally fou, found you.”
He then turned to the policeman beside him:”Sir, what’s, what’s going on here?”
The policeman, noticing the silver scales badge on his collar, the emblem of the Bureau of Fair Investigation, grew involuntarily nervous, “There’s no big issue, just that this gentleman has violated the public speaking restriction.”
Not because he was corrupt and took bribes, but because the reputation of the Official Investigation Bureau had already spread throughout Paris; even his superiors had been called in for questioning. There wasn’t a public servant in Paris who would not feel anxious upon encountering them.
“Oh, look, he, he’s my classmate, from, from out of town.” The young man smiled and patted the policeman’s arm, “Could you, could you give him a chance, I, I assure you he won’t, won’t do it again.”
The policeman hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded, “All right, but you’d better keep a close eye on him.”
The nobles beside them wanted to say something more, but the young investigator was already hurrying Robespierre towards the outskirts of the square.
However, they hadn’t gone far when a tall blonde man stopped them and bowed politely, “Mr. Demulan, and the orator here, the Crown Prince wishes to have a few words with you.”
Robespierre was startled and whispered to his old classmate, “Is Paris so strict on speech that even the Crown Prince is alarmed…”
“It should, shouldn’t be because of that.”
Demulan then turned to address Eman: “It’s an, an honor.”
Moments later, aboard a light-grey “gemstone”-shaped carriage, Joseph looked with interest at the later world-famous “The Incorruptible,” in his twenties, not yet thirty, with a slightly plump face, large nostrils, and tousled blonde hair due to the fight—an appearance that would never stand out in a crowd.
Seeing his expression, Demulan hesitated, “Your, Your Highness, do you, do you know Maxi?”
“Ah, I don’t,” Joseph said, withdrawing his gaze and asking casually, “You’re classmates?”
“Yes, yes we are. He, he’s Maxi, Maxi…”
Robespierre couldn’t stand it anymore and continued for him, “Your esteemed Highness, I am Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre; it’s an honor to speak with you. Demulan and I both study law at the University of Paris.”
“I, too, am honored to meet you,” Joseph nodded with a smile, thinking to himself that the Jacobin squadron was finally coming together.
He turned to look at the bruises on Robespierre’s face, “What prompted the altercation with those gentlemen earlier?”
The latter responded indignantly, “They opposed my views, could not win the debate, and thus rudely resorted to violence.”
“What were you speaking about?”
Robespierre looked toward the public tribunal that had already dispersed in the distance, “You see, they’re going to execute hundreds of citizens… I was calling for the abolition of the death penalty!”
Upon hearing this, Joseph instantly felt a surge of frustration. How many had Your Excellency executed back then? At least tens of thousands, right? And now you’re talking to me about abolishing the death penalty?!
History really is quite magical…
He steadied his mind and cleared his throat with a light cough, “Ahem, in fact, they were all serious criminals, mostly with histories of murder.”
Robespierre straightened up, saying earnestly, “Your Highness, every person’s life should be respected, even if they have committed crimes, others shouldn’t…”
Joseph immediately recalled the famous saying of Mr. Zhang San, a juridical authority and professor at the law university, and the inventor of “Teacher Luo” from his past life, and responded with a smile, “Respect, yes, that’s correct.
“However, only beasts kill without being held accountable. You see, if we don’t make them pay with their lives, aren’t we treating them as beasts? In order to respect the human value of the criminals, the death penalty is necessary.”
“That’s not…” Robespierre was somewhat confused and quickly changed the subject, “Your Highness, the death penalty is a barbaric punishment. Abolishing it is a symbol of the progress of civilization!”
Joseph thought to himself that your line of reasoning is far behind those abolitionists on the forums of the future.
“No, this is precisely a manifestation of civilization. Have you considered that, according to the wishes of the families of the victims killed by them, they would surely want them nailed to a cross, whipped for three hours every day, listen to their wailing for several days, until they are tortured to death.
“The judge sentences them to die quickly and without pain, which is exactly based on civilized considerations.”
As he spoke, he pointed upwards, “In fact, even God executes those who are guilty. Everyone knows that the Lord is the most civilized.”
“But…” Robespierre struggled to keep up, “The Lord also asks us to love and forgive. We should treat those who have sinned in the same way.”
Joseph shook his head, “But you are not the victim, so why can you forgive the murderers on their behalf? Perhaps you might wake the dead and ask for their opinion.”
The abolitionists became somewhat anxious, “Your Highness, if someone is executed directly and it turns out to be a miscarriage of justice, that can never be undone!”
“Every year, the mortality rate of sailors on long-distance sea voyages exceeds 20%. Should we sink all the ships because of that?” Joseph chuckled, “No, we should continually improve our ships and navigation skills. In fact, I am indeed already working on police reforms, across the whole of France, specifically to avoid wrongful cases as much as possible.”
Robespierre opened his mouth but ultimately had nothing to say.
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Seeing him somewhat embarrassed, Joseph tactfully changed the subject, “By the way, Mr. Robespierre, did you come here for a particular reason?”
He was still pondering how to get this man into the Official Investigation Bureau, to complete the Jacobins team.
Robespierre quickly responded, “Your Highness, the Duke of Chartres has asked me to represent him in a lawsuit.”
Demulan immediately chimed in, “Is it, is it the inheritance case?”
“Yes.”
Joseph was somewhat taken aback by their nonchalance in discussing the lawsuit of the Duke of Orleans’s son in his presence, but he quickly realized that these two were probably completely unaware of the political intrigues of the Palace of Versailles.
The Duke of Orleans was quite good at self-promotion, especially among the Liberals, where he had quite a favorable reputation. Later on, during the Terror, the Liberals even considered him one of their leaders.
No wonder Robespierre was willing to travel such distances to help his son with the lawsuit.