I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1370 The Just Crown Prince
Joseph then instructed the Minister of Trade, "Mr. Baie, I will be meeting with the three Bern state legislators the day after tomorrow, and I hope you will be present. After all, you are the only senior official they have ever met in our country."

Bai was slightly taken aback and asked in surprise, "Your Highness, are you going to agree to their demands?"

"why not?"

"Your Highness, taking over Bern will not only drag down our country's finances, but will also provoke strong opposition from Vienna."

Switzerland was originally a buffer zone between Austria and France, but now that buffer zone is becoming France's fist, Austria certainly won't stand idly by.

Joseph smiled and said, "Oh, I forgot there was this kind of benefit."

"Alright, it's decided then. Please prepare your speech in advance."

Yes, he was just looking for an excuse to continue his scathing attacks on Austria. If the situation in Switzerland could provoke Franz II's sensitive nerves, it would be a great thing for France.

An hour later, Joseph was trying on his wedding attire at the Petit Trianon when Emmanuel leaned over and whispered, "Your Highness, Viscount Besançon has arrived."

Joseph nodded, tried on the last outfit, and then returned to his living room.

The police chief hurriedly stepped forward and bowed: "Your Highness, you wanted to see me?"

Joseph gestured for him to sit down: "Have you heard about the three Swiss parliamentarians who were swindled out of 40 francs?"

“Yes, Your Highness,” Viscount Besançon said somewhat nervously, “I received a report… but at this point I can only confirm that Viscount Norbert was completely unaware of it…”

The police department treated the "foolish Swiss being scammed" as a joke and wouldn't waste any effort investigating it.
Joseph nodded and instructed, "Please arrest the fraudsters as soon as possible."

"Oh, and I would also like to see a detailed case report by the morning of the day after tomorrow."

"Yes, Your Highness."

……

The next morning at nine o'clock, Beaumont arrived at Joseph's reception room with six archbishops.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince..."

After the group had finished their greetings, Joseph angrily interrupted them, saying, "The Vatican's reach is too far!"

"I have already sent Count Segur to Rome to lodge the strongest protest with the Pope!"

Archbishop Beaumont hurriedly asked, "Your Highness, what about the Vatican's review committee..."

Joseph waved his hand forcefully: "I have already instructed Viscount Besançon to send them all back to Avignon by tomorrow!"

The archbishops exchanged glances. His Highness the Crown Prince had displayed ruthless methods, but they still felt that something was amiss.

Yes, the Vatican's assessment is a shackle that Joseph placed around the necks of the church's high-ranking officials. How could it be removed so quickly?

The members of the Vatican's review committee can be expelled, but the mark of "theological incompetence" remains on the archbishops and priests who failed the assessment.

At this point, what they needed most was a good score on the retake exam, or for the Vatican to declare the exam invalid. In fact, the review committee had already accepted bribes from the Church and agreed to leak the exam questions, but now the Crown Prince had dismissed the committee…

The archbishops wanted to say, "We'll kick him out after the make-up exams," but seeing the Crown Prince's irreconcilable differences with the Vatican, they really didn't know how to bring it up.

Joseph continued his scathing critique of the Vatican, forcing Archbishop Beaumont to change the subject: "Your Highness, regarding the tax authorities' unprovoked raids on dozens of monasteries across the country three days ago, which resulted in the theft of numerous documents, you must uphold justice for the Church."

In fact, under pressure from the growing influence of the reformists, the church had already planned to partially relinquish control of the tithe.

But a few days ago, the tax bureau suddenly "openly humiliated" the church, giving them a chance to turn the tables.

They were certain that the tax ledgers would not show any problems in the short term. If they seized on this matter and launched a fierce attack on the tax bureau, Robespierre and his men would all be dismissed or even exiled.

This would immediately throw the tax bureau into chaos, leaving them with no time to worry about tithes.

Of course, Archbishop Beaumont and others knew that there was another possibility: the Crown Prince might intervene to protect the tax office.

They had also made thorough preparations for this—using both soft and hard tactics, bargaining with the Crown Prince, and ultimately, as long as His Highness agreed to leave the tithe to the Church, they would "reluctantly" let the tax bureau go.

Joseph immediately flew into a rage, slamming his fist on the table and shouting, "Robespierre is simply outrageous! To break into a sacred monastery like a bandit is an undeniable crime!"

A look of delight flashed in the eyes of the archbishops; it seemed the tax bureau was doomed this time.

Joseph then took out another report from the drawer and handed it to Archbishop Beaumont: "Look, this was submitted by Robespierre the day before yesterday. He still insists that there are problems with the stolen accounts, but he can't produce any evidence!"

Archbishop Beaumont immediately feigned great injustice: "Your Highness, this is a baseless slander against the Church and a disrespect to God..."

Joseph nodded vigorously and said loudly, "That's right, the tax officials involved in this matter must be severely punished. Furthermore, the church's innocence must be proven to everyone, leaving Robespierre and his ilk with nothing to say!"

Beaumont and the others were immediately thrilled, showering Joseph with endless words of gratitude and praise.

Joseph waited until their voices quieted down before continuing, "I have decided to dismiss all the tax officials involved in this matter, and to hand Robespierre over to the High Court for trial."

"As for the ledgers he seized, they will be publicly displayed in the High Court for a month, so that everyone can clearly see that the church has never misappropriated any tax funds!"

Archbishop Beaumont's heart immediately tightened. Although the tithe accounts were balanced, they were still fabricated.

Public display?

Is it showing that a minor renovation of a church cost 8 francs? Or showing that a non-existent mass cost 3 francs? Or that an iron reliquary cost 1 francs?
Wait... he suddenly realized something.

These amounts, totaling several thousand or tens of thousands of francs, amount to hundreds of millions. And more than 80% of that is for the church's own expenses.

If those sans-culottes were to see a monastery with only a dozen or so priests, yet its annual expenses amounted to 20 francs, who knows what kind of trouble they would cause!

Thinking of this, Archbishop Beaumont hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Your Highness, the ledgers contain a lot of... confidential information, such as 'tribute' to the royal family, which doesn't seem suitable for public release..."

Joseph immediately shook his head, declaring righteously, "No, for the sake of the Church's reputation, I'd do anything, even leak the royal family's financial records! I must make sure everyone knows that the tax bureau has committed an unforgivable error!"

(End of this chapter)