Somiare suddenly felt the entire hall was filled with the stench of humiliation, and, trembling with rage, he had no choice but to stand up indignantly and walk towards the exit with a darkened face.
As the golden doors closed again, Queen Mary sighed softly and turned to Brian, asking, “Archbishop Brian, who do you think would be suitable to succeed the Justice Minister?”
Brian immediately responded, “Your Majesty, Baron Breti, the current court advisor, is competent and loyal. He studied law at the University of Paris and could be appointed as the Justice Minister.”
This was also the result of Joseph and Brian’s repeated deliberations. Breti was skilled in networking and had decent political abilities.
Most importantly, he was a cousin of the King and very loyal to the Royal Family. In history, during the most dangerous moment when Louis XVI was preparing to flee Paris, it was Breti who had been actively planning and strategizing for the King, never betraying him.
Queen Mary nodded, “Have him come to see me after the meeting.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Joseph swept a discreet glance towards Vilran, the Foreign Minister. He would be the next target; once Vilran was dealt with, it would be like pulling out all the political teeth of the Duke of Orleans, that fiendish tiger.
Then, Brian picked up the documents again and read, “The second agenda item.
“In light of the High Court’s relinquishment of power over press review, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince suggests the establishment of a News and Publishing Bureau to handle matters of press review.”
The Duke of Orleans snorted coldly, keeping his head down and silent.
In the recent “Pamphlet War,” he had been utterly defeated, and now with the loss of the power over press review, he could forget about controlling public opinion ever again.
In the past twenty minutes or so, he had first lost an important political ally and then saw his media hegemony crumble. Today’s Cabinet meeting was nothing short of a nightmare for him.
“Hmm, that’s good,” said Queen Mary, nodding happily.
She had been continuously smeared by the media since her marriage into France, and at last, it seemed like a break through the clouds was at hand.
Brian gestured towards Mono, “Since the duties of the News and Publishing Bureau are closest to domestic affairs, I suggest that Count Mono be in charge of its management.”
Mono immediately bowed to the Queen, “Your Majesty, I will make sure those vulgar and shameless articles disappear completely from this world!”
Queen Mary displayed a satisfied smile and after praising Mono, she immediately signed the document.
Brian continued, “The third agenda item.
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has submitted a report, stating that the signing of the ‘Treaty of Eden’ has caused great damage to France’s interests, particularly in the textile and steel industries, which are almost unable to continue operating.
“Therefore, the Crown Prince suggests that we should promptly restart trade negotiations with England and amend the treaty’s contents to prevent the situation from worsening.”
The Duke of Orleans felt he finally had a chance to strike back, and promptly sneered, “Perhaps the Crown Prince is being too simplistic. How could England, which has gained so much from the treaty, agree to amend it?”
Joseph glanced at him and bowed towards the Queen, saying, “Your Majesty, I am completely confident I can persuade the British.”
Without waiting for the Queen to express doubt, he added, “Even if negotiations may not succeed, we should try. After all, we have nothing to lose.”
All Cabinet Ministers, except the Duke of Orleans, including Vilran, immediately expressed their agreement—either they were political allies of Joseph or stakeholders, so how could they disagree?
Queen Mary also nodded slightly and asked, “Archbishop Brienne, have you prepared the specific terms for the negotiation?”
Brian immediately placed a document in front of her, “Yes, Your Majesty, these are our established negotiation goals.”
“At the core of these goals are two main points: first, to strive for England to lower the import tariffs on alcoholic beverages, including wine, beer, and spirits, to below 10%.”
Ministers hearing this content for the first time were filled with anticipation.
Alcoholic beverages, especially wine, are a pillar of France’s exports, but they are currently facing fierce competition from places like Spain, Tuscany, and Venice.
If it were indeed possible to get England to lower the tariffs on French alcoholic beverages exclusively, it would greatly enhance the competitiveness of French wine.
Brian continued, “Second is to raise our industrial import tariffs to 25%, then reduce them by 3% every year until they drop to 5% after seven years.”
The Foreign Minister immediately stood up in opposition, “5%? Absolutely not! That would completely strip French industry of its protection!”
Joseph smiled and said, “Even at the current tariff of 12%, our industry is no match for the British. It might be better to give the workshops a breather and then switch lines of business as soon as possible, which could reduce losses.”
“Moreover, only by significantly lowering the tariffs on industrial goods can we make the British lower their tariffs on alcoholic beverages.”
He naturally did not mention anything about quickly improving French industrial capabilities, especially with someone like the Duke of Orleans present.
The queen looked at Brian somewhat hesitantly, “Archbishop, do you agree with this as well?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. This is the most favorable approach for us at present.” Brian was actually quite confused himself, but, trusting the Crown Prince completely, he still chose to support these terms.
“Other negotiation items also include the formation of a Combined Fleet by England and France to combat smuggling.”
Everyone was stunned to hear this, thinking something was wrong with their ears.
A Combined Fleet formed by England and France?
It sounded incredibly surreal!
But this was exactly the effect Joseph wanted. The British would see this as a symbol of France surrendering its maritime ambitions, and combating smuggling would be much more advantageous for France.
British industrial goods smuggled into France every year had dealt a heavy blow to French industry—with smuggled goods essentially entering at zero tariffs, they were far cheaper than domestically produced French goods.
If this point was agreed upon, it would be tantamount to the British fleet protecting the French industry.
England would gain face, and France would gain materially; why not?
Brian continued, “Another point is to request England to sell one million pounds of wool at a fair price to Le Havre every year…”
Since its defeat in the Seven Years’ War, France had lost a great many overseas colonies, leading to a shortage of wool, which was detrimental to the development of the textile industry.
Of course, Joseph wasn’t certain that the British would be so generous, but after all, they’d be part of a Combined Fleet, so wouldn’t it be expected for the British to show some gesture? If not one million pounds, then at least five hundred thousand pounds.
After discussing the trade negotiations, Brian went on to read the next agenda item, “His Highness the Crown Prince suggests introducing the ‘Patent Law’ and ‘Company Law’…”
Since both these laws were urgently needed by the Capitalist Nobility for the development of their industrial enterprises, and they posed no harm to the Old Nobility or the common people, Queen Mary signed the documents very efficiently, ordering them to be presented to the King for his signature.
As for the High Court, not to mention they had no grounds to reject these two laws, even if they did have grounds, under the gaze of the Royal Supreme Court, they could only obediently register the laws.