Chapter 79: Chapter 79 Declaration of War

Daussumial and Vilran immediately looked towards the Duke of Orleans—they had made comprehensive plans but did not anticipate such a situation.

According to the usual pattern of political strife, under their sudden attack, the unprepared Archbishop Brienne could only react in two possible ways:

One, he admits defeat, and announces his resignation directly.

Two, he offers specious excuses and waits for the Cabinet meeting to end before looking for political leverage to break the predicament.

However, their side was well prepared. When the time came, they would mobilize more of the Great Noble Group and unite with the banking industry to put pressure on Queen Mary. In the end, Archbishop Brienne was still fated to be dismissed.

Yet, who knew Archbishop Brienne would counterattack on the spot!

The Duke of Orleans furrowed his brow and said coldly, “Archbishop Brienne, you were at your wit’s end with advancing the tax bill before. How come you are so confident all of a sudden?

“France’s financial situation is extremely severe. If you still cannot get the bill passed after two months…”

Archbishop Brienne glanced at Joseph with the corner of his eye and, seeing his affirmative look, steeled his heart and declared loudly, “Duke of Orleans, how do you know that my previous attempts were not tests for the High Court? And the rejection of the bill is also part of my overall plan.”

He was already a veteran in the political arena, capable of spouting truth and falsehoods with ease.

He then looked towards Queen Mary, and said with a determined expression, “Your Majesty, if the tax bill is still not registered after two months, please exile me to Corsica!”

Exiling erroneous high-ranking officials was a tradition in France, usually to remote towns like Lorraine or Perpignan, but being exiled to an island outside the mainland was a much more severe punishment.

In fact, Archbishop Brienne had anticipated his dismissal sooner or later, and was prepared to accept it resignedly, but for some reason, he had a premonition at that instant that the Crown Prince really could get the bill passed!

He was not willing to see his political career end just like that, so he made a choice on the spot—trust in the Crown Prince and take this political gamble!

Seeing a hint of hesitation in Queen Mary’s eyes, the Duke of Orleans immediately raised his voice, “There’s no need to waste another two months. Mr. Necker should be brought in to rescue France’s finances right now!”

Joseph smiled faintly and asked, “Allow me to ask, Duke of Orleans, is Mr. Necker certain he can get the tax bill passed within two months?”

The Duke of Orleans faltered, as he himself was one of the masterminds behind blocking the tax bill, and thus could only shake his head, “Probably not…”

Joseph immediately turned to Queen Mary, “Your Majesty, if Mr. Necker cannot accomplish this, then what reason do we have not to give Archbishop Brienne, who is confident, a chance?”

Orleans urgently said, “Your Majesty, Archbishop Brienne will only continue to worsen the financial situation!”

Joseph immediately responded, “Only by getting the tax bill passed can the financial situation be improved. And Mr. Necker is powerless in this matter.”

Actually, he also knew that collecting a bit more tax from the nobility was almost negligible for France’s finances. But the passage or failure of this bill was a significant symbol of the power struggle between the monarchy and the Great Noble Group! Whoever lost would face a significant setback on the political battlefield.

Thus, this bill must pass!

Queen Mary, seeing the two men at loggerheads, rubbed her brow wearily. The burden of these national affairs was indeed too heavy for her as a woman.

Her gaze shifted back and forth between Joseph and the Duke of Orleans. While she felt that the former seemed to make more sense, the latter was a seasoned minister with vast political experience, whose opinion might be more worth considering.

She then recalled Archbishop Brienne’s confident demeanor, seemingly holding a winning ticket, but she also had to consider the attitudes of the “Assembly of Notables,” those great nobles, and the banking industry…

She could only feel various factors in her head plunging into chaos, uncertain whom to listen to for the time being.

After a long while, Queen Mary looked to the other cabinet ministers for help, “May I ask what are your opinions on this matter?”

The neutral cabinet ministers did not want to rashly take sides and remained silent, heads down. The Minister of the Interior, Mono, opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.

Seeing no one speaking up, the Queen glanced at the Duke of Orleans and Brian and finally placed her hands weakly crossed on the conference table in front of her, murmuring, “Then, regarding whether Archbishop Brienne should continue to be in charge of financial affairs until two months later, I sincerely ask you to make a fair judgment for the common benefit of all of France.”

“I have decided to adjourn for the time being and continue the cabinet meeting tomorrow to resolve this issue with a cabinet decision.”

What she referred to as “decision” was a collective vote by the cabinet ministers for the matters that were difficult to decide.

After making her announcement, as if she had exhausted all her energy, she gestured to adjourn and was the first to walk towards the golden door with the help of her maids.

Joseph frowned inadvertently, not expecting the Queen to lack decisiveness and courage, actually passing the problem to her ministers.

The Duke of Orleans watched Brian with a smug look and, without saying anything, led his group out of the meeting hall.

Both sides had declared war; there was no room for compromise, and what followed were political maneuvers and deal-making.

…

Joseph and Brian went to the office of the Finance Minister together.

After closing the door, Brian immediately bowed and said, “Thank you, Your Highness, for your assistance. You have saved me, as well as the finances of France.”

Then he eagerly asked his most pressing question, “Please, you must tell me the truth, are you really confident that you can get the bill passed?”

Joseph knew that their interests were aligned, so there was no worry about Brian leaking secrets, and immediately nodded, “Rest assured, I am indeed confident.

“The ‘Assembly of Notables’ may seem like a difficult political beast to confront, but in fact, it has two fatal weaknesses.

“First, its interior is not an extremely united whole but a combination of the Great Noble Group and the Capitalist Nobility…you can simply understand these as the nouveaux riches who have rapidly accumulated wealth. We can divide them and break them apart.

“Secondly, it relies too heavily on the High Court. Without the support of the High Court, they are just a bunch of ordinary nobles with no authority. And since the High Court is inherently corrupt, there are plenty of vulnerabilities to attack.”

Brian nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this, “Your analysis is very insightful but we only have two months…”

Joseph immediately smiled, “Please be assured. I now have enough interests and methods to divide the ‘Assembly of Notables’ in my hands, as well as the public opinion tools to subdue the High Court. Along with your political capital, as long as we manage it properly, it won’t take two months to get the bill passed.”

A light flashed in Brian’s eyes, and it was not until this moment that he finally believed he had bet correctly!

As they were talking, Eman’s voice came through, “Your Highness, Count Mono has arrived.”

Brian and Joseph exchanged looks, then called out loudly, “Come in, please, the door is unlocked.”

The door was pushed open, and the Minister of the Interior, Mono, entered with a serious expression.