I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 928 The Crown Prince's World Cup

The conductor of the court orchestra raised his hand vigorously, and Bach's "First Orchestral Suite" ended with the lingering sound.

Joseph walked to the sidelines, and Sophie was still muttering beside him:

"It is rumored that Lady Adelaide once fell in love with her bodyguard, but that man was sent to a remote mountainous area by His Majesty Louis XV for 4 livres.

"Later, this poor woman worked hard to save up a dowry in order to get married. Now, she has a lot of money, but her beauty is gone..."

Joseph took her to the circle of noble ladies and then returned to Archbishop Brian.

"Your Highness, your dancing skills are getting better and better."

"Yes, even Viscount Lejeune was full of praise for that spin just now."

"Your Highness's dance steps perfectly match the soul of the music..."

Brian and the others first gave the usual compliments.

However, it was really hard to find any shining points in the Crown Prince's dancing, so everyone quickly turned the topic back to business.

Mirabeau said: "Your Highness, regarding improving the law and order in the Rhineland, I have thought of the 'Star of France'.

"It happens to be close to the start date. I think we can hold the final in Cologne and increase the prize money to divert people's attention."

Joseph nodded slightly.

"Happiness therapy" has always been an effective way to deal with riots.

The public is busy paying attention to the singing and dancing competition, so they will naturally ignore the looting and smashing. Especially when they can have enough food to eat, isn't it nice to earn legal prize money?
However, Joseph immediately remembered that the cornerstone of the Star of France was to hold the finals at the Palace of Versailles and have Her Majesty the Queen present the awards in person.

Without the blessing of the glorious Palace of Versailles, the glory of the song and dance competition will inevitably be greatly diminished.

He immediately began to think, what kind of activities are suitable for a "marginal area" like the Rhineland?

Fashion Week will definitely be the first to be rejected.

The World Expo has been held in Paris.

The Supreme Louis Award requires a place with a more cultural atmosphere, such as Italy.

The “Olympic Games”, or the Future and Peace Games, would be appropriate for the German-speaking world, but this is not the year for them…

Thinking of this, Joseph couldn't help but laugh. Can't a sports meet be held just by giving it a random name?
Or we could just organize a football "World Cup".

In my previous life, I never had the opportunity to watch the World Cup in person. Now I am creating a World Cup with my own hands, and I can watch live games however I want in the future.

He said to Mirabeau: "The Star of France is not very suitable for the Rhineland.

"I am planning to host a 'World Cup of Football' in Cologne.

"Football matches can attract more people and do not require a band or a venue. They can be held in an open space, which is more in line with the conditions in the Rhineland."

Yes, the Rhineland today is not like the developed industrial area of ​​Germany in later generations, but is quite poor. There are really not many theaters that can be used for song and dance competitions.

Mirabeau hesitated and said, "Your Highness, football has a good influence in our country, but in the German region...ah, I mean, not many people in the German-speaking region are familiar with this sport."

Joseph had previously asked the church to promote football in France. It has been very popular in the past two years, but it has not yet spread abroad.

Joseph seemed very confident:

"As long as we promote it well, this sport will soon become popular in German-speaking areas."

He knew too well the enthusiasm of the Germans in later generations for football - that was a high-beer production area, and beer and football could make them more excited than taking drugs. Especially in this era, there was a lack of entertainment, so if there was a fun sport that could earn bonuses, people would definitely flock to it.

Joseph then ordered: "Please be responsible for distributing 5 free footballs to the Rhineland region in the shortest possible time for local people to practice."

The footballs of this era were made of leather on the outside and filled with pig bladders on the inside, and were very expensive.

Later, Joseph asked to use elastic thin wooden strips to weave into hollow balls and wrap them with leather, which reduced the price a little. However, each one still cost 10 francs, which ordinary people would definitely not be able to afford.

Even in France, more than 70% of footballs are provided free of charge by the church.

Afterwards, Joseph briefly explained the World Cup's competition system, award settings, prize amounts and other details, and Mirabeau just nodded repeatedly.

Of course, these are all mature business operation routines in later generations. Carving the champion's name on the World Cup, the "sudden death method", the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball are naturally full of gimmicks.

Finally, Mirabeau complimented him again: "Your Highness, the name you gave to the championship trophy is really very meaningful. Hercules, ah, when I mentioned this name, I already felt the extremely fierce atmosphere of confrontation!"

Joseph did not respond.

Well, he just wanted to fulfill his dream of presenting the World Cup himself. As for Hercules? Who is he? [Note 1]

The dance ended at ten o'clock in the evening.

Joseph walked out of the Hall of Mirrors and whispered a few words to Emmanuel. After the latter nodded and left, he deliberately slowed down his pace.

After a moment, Lady Adelaide and her maid hurried up from behind.

Joseph nodded to her and said, "You don't seem to be very happy tonight?"

"Thank you for your concern." Auntie forced a smile, "I just recalled some past events. I feel much better now."

Joseph smiled and said, “I wonder if you would like to leave the Palace of Versailles and relax?
"For example, to find a romantic love."

Lady Adelaide was startled, then she covered her mouth with her folding fan and laughed: "You are so humorous, Your Highness. At my age, I am content to weave tapestries in my house every day."

Joseph said: "I am serious, dear aunt. I know a good candidate. Well, he is rich, good-looking, and has artistic knowledge. I believe you will get along well. [Note 2]"

Mrs. Adelaide laughed even harder: "Well, then let me hear who is the gentleman you are talking about?"

"Ercole III," Joseph said, "Grand Duke of Modena."

My aunt recalled the name and nodded, "Yes, he was indeed good-looking when he was young."

"You agree, then?"

"Haha, Your Highness, I don't even know if my old bones will fall apart on the road to Italy."

Mrs. Adelaide obviously didn't take the matter too seriously and just chatted and laughed with Joseph.

Joseph didn't expect that matchmaking would be so troublesome. He stopped and said seriously, "Aunt, Modena will soon expand and will be more than twice its current size."

"Really? That's great."

"So, you want to be the queen there? I mean queen, not the king's wife."

[Note 1] Hercules: A hero in ancient Greek mythology. He is the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and was hated by Zeus' wife Hera because of his origin. He was extremely brave and powerful, and completed 12 tasks that were hailed as "impossible to complete". He also rescued Prometheus, joined Jason's heroic adventure team, and assisted him in obtaining the Golden Fleece. Hercules was wise, but was eventually misunderstood by his second wife, who smeared poison on his clothes. Unable to bear the pain, he burned himself to death. After his death, he ascended to the holy mountain of Olympus and became the Hercules. He punished evil and promoted good, and dared to fight. In the Western world, the word Hercules has become a synonym for strongman and strong man.

【Note 2】Aunt: Madame Adelaide’s honorific title in the Palace of Versailles. It does not matter who is older than her.

(End of this chapter)