I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1378 Wedding Gift
Rochefoucauld, gazing at the Crown Prince and Princess on the platform, excitedly waved and shouted along with the crowd:

May God bless them!

"Sir, are you looking to buy some gifts for His Highness the Crown Prince?"

Rochefoucauld heard a barely audible sound, looked down, and saw a little girl of about ten years old holding a bouquet of flowers and looking at him.

"A gift?" He blinked, somewhat puzzled. Given his status, he wasn't qualified to give the Crown Prince a wedding gift.

The little girl stood on tiptoe and pointed to the tower on the north side of Notre Dame:
"As you can see, everyone has given gifts to His Highness."

Rochefoucauld then noticed a small hill about 60 or 70 meters square next to the tower, covered mainly with flowers, interspersed with many handicrafts, fruits, and ears of wheat.

People kept handing things over to the court officials there. More than twenty servants were busy arranging the gifts neatly, working up a sweat.

He nodded: "Yes, I'm here to bring some gifts. What flowers do you have?"

The little girl smiled and said, "A tulip costs 8 sous. A magnolia costs 4 sous. A pansy..."

"So expensive!" Rochefoucauld hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a few bills. "Never mind, just pick out some tulips and pansies and tie them into bouquets for me. Three bouquets, please."

On the altar, Joseph and Alexandra embraced their parents, who were standing next to the archbishop, and received their blessings.

Queen Mary smiled lovingly, took her son's hand, and said:
"Holding the wedding here is such a great idea, it's so lively! Why didn't I think of holding it here back then?"

"Well, next, you'll have to hurry up and resolve the issue of the French heir. I'm really looking forward to having a handsome and intelligent grandson."

Upon hearing this, Alexandra blushed and lowered her head.

Queen Mary whispered intimately with Alexandra for a while, then looked at the dense crowd in the square and said to Joseph:
"Isn't it time for the ball next?"

Joseph, however, glanced at the wedding gifts the citizens of Paris had given him and Alexandra:
There's something else before the ball.

This is quite a spectacle. In the past, royal weddings could only attract crowds and make them seem lively by scattering money along the streets, but this time people spontaneously gave him so many gifts.

He pulled Alexandra back to the center of the platform and raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

As the noise in the square subsided, he bowed slightly to the crowd.
"Thank you all for attending my wedding with Alexandra, and thank you for the gifts; I am very touched."

People immediately bowed in unison to return the greeting, and various blessings rose and fell.

After a long while, the square quieted down again. Joseph continued:
"I also have a gift to give to everyone."

He gestured to the Archbishop of Beaumont and the others behind him:
"After repeated discussions with the church, we have decided to officially change the tithe rate to 5% effective immediately!"

Yes, the church had approached him more than ten days ago with a request to "renounce tithes." He had no choice but to reluctantly accept.

According to Robespierre's calculations—after all the charges against him received by the High Court had been dropped—before that, only about 60% of the tithes were used for legitimate purposes such as education and welfare institutions, with the remainder largely questionable.

Joseph had the Treasury recalculate, and the results were essentially the same. Therefore, he decided to lower the tithe rate. The previous rate was 7%.

Currently, France's fiscal situation is quite healthy, and according to his plan, the tithe will be gradually abolished in the future—this will greatly enhance the purchasing power of the French people, especially farmers, thereby expanding the French market and stimulating industrial development.

For the French treasury, it may seem like a slight reduction in tax revenue, but the tax revenue generated by the continuous growth of industry can easily make up for this "agricultural and handicraft tax".

In the short term, the impact of reducing the tithe can be partially offset by increasing taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and luxury goods.

The more than 20,000 people in Notre Dame Square were stunned for a moment, and then suddenly erupted into a tsunami of cheers:

"That's wonderful! Thank you, Your Highness!" "Long live Your Highness!"

"May God bless His Highness, the merciful one!"

Some people were so happy that they cried tears of joy.

A 2% tax rate may not seem like much, but it means that an average family can afford to eat beef one more time each month.

This means that many people can pay off their debts a few years earlier.

Even some families living in extreme poverty can be pulled back from the brink of collapse just by being able to eat a few more bites of bread.

This is the first time in decades that France has lowered its taxes!
This is absolutely the best gift His Highness the Crown Prince could give to everyone!

Archbishops Beaumont and the others watched the jubilant crowd before them, feeling a pang of jealousy. They were the ones who had paid the tithes, yet the crown prince had reaped all the credit…

But they dared not show it at all, since the Vatican's assessment was not yet over.

Furthermore, they had heard rumors that the Crown Prince had begun to distance himself from the "Pious French Order" after they agreed to allow the peasants to redeem the church lands.

They were planning to make another effort to get the Crown Prince to completely eliminate this damned "power-grabbing faction."

However, Joseph did not announce the "permission to redeem church lands".

One reason is that the church owns far too much land—about 10% of all arable land in France—and measuring and registering it would take a considerable amount of time.

Secondly, if all the good news is released at once, people will become numb to it.

The frequent release of positive news can keep the public excited and boost the morale of the entire country.

Amid cheers, Joseph gestured to the court officials beside him.

The latter immediately announced loudly:
"Now, the ball begins!"

All around, cannons fired in unison, and the court orchestra, along with orchestras from some of Paris's most famous theater companies, began to play dance music.

More than 20,000 people immediately began to laugh and dance, and the entire square was filled with an almost tangible sense of happiness and celebration.

Vendors squeezed through the twirling, leaping crowds, selling trinkets, snacks, and cigarettes and alcohol.

Outside the square, numerous food stalls had already been set up to help people recover their energy after dancing.

Joseph and his family did not return to Versailles until the sun had set.

Meanwhile, the gas streetlights in Notre Dame Square lit up, and countless fireworks soared into the sky, painting the night sky with vibrant colors.

More people flocked to the square to join the dance, and soon even the area near the new bridge was packed with citizens singing and dancing.

Meanwhile, the ball at Versailles ended earlier than usual.

The nobles gathered around the crown prince's palace to begin the "teasing the newlyweds" ritual, a popular activity among the people.

Of course, this isn't called "teasing the newlyweds" but rather part of standard court etiquette.

　Many thanks to the generous donations from the two esteemed authors, Heaven to the Left and Emperor to the Empress! The author is deeply grateful and loves you both!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)