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The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 31
🕑 Added 2025-02-19 19:01:01 +0000 UTCChapter 31: Windfall
“Ambassador Harriet,” Dandels glanced at the senior members of the Patriot Party beside him and sighed. “Following a vote in the Provincial Assembly, we have officially decided to negotiate a ceasefire with the Orange Party. The negotiations will take place the day after tomorrow.”
The "Orange Party" he mentioned was the royalist faction supporting the former Dutch Stadtholder, William V, named after his title as Prince of Orange.
Harriet furrowed his brows, stood up, and declared in a powerful voice:
“Mr. Chairman, the French Cabinet’s stance is clear: no negotiations, no compromises!
“All you and your army need to do is repel the enemy once and hold your ground for at least five days. The great nation of France will handle the rest. Ultimately, we will crush the counteroffensive of the Prince of Orange!”
Dandels’ face turned bright red as he clenched his fists. “Ambassador, we don’t want to surrender either! But you must understand, Wilhelmina—that traitor—brought the Prussian army to our doorstep! She’s spreading false rumors, claiming we’ve taken her hostage...”
Harriet cleared his throat, glanced away, and casually remarked, “In my personal opinion, the Princess of Orange was merely doing what was expected of her. I wouldn’t call that treason.”
Dandels froze for a moment, suddenly reminded of who Harriet represented—King Louis XVI of France.
He found the situation somewhat ironic. The very nation aiding the Dutch people in their fight against despotism was itself ruled by another despot.
Such was the plight of small nations, caught in the crosscurrents of global powers.
Shaking off the distraction, Dandels continued, “Now, over 20,000 Prussian troops have surrounded Amsterdam, demanding we release Wilhelmina. God help us, she’s not even in our custody!
“Our army consists of only 7,000 soldiers, poorly equipped compared to the Prussians.”
This was all part of Wilhelmina’s plan to aid her husband’s restoration. She had made a high-profile appearance in The Hague to provoke the revolutionaries into detaining her. Though they soon released her, wary of her status as a Prussian princess, she claimed publicly to still be a prisoner of the Patriot Party. This plea for aid allowed her to secretly retreat to the border city of Nijmegen.
Harriet nodded. “I’m not asking you to defeat the Prussian army—just to make them realize the resistance will be fierce.
“Besides, I’ve heard that 300 young Frenchmen, moved by your plight, have volunteered to fight alongside you. They’ve brought over 2,000 muskets, and I believe, even artillery.”
“Two thousand muskets and artillery?” Dandels’ mood lifted. “That’s exactly what we need! But where did you manage to obtain the cannons? And isn’t 300 men a bit too few?”
Harriet swiftly denied any involvement. “The cannons might have been stolen from a French warship by certain individuals. Keep in mind, France has provided you with 600,000 livres in aid, but we have never sent troops.
“Oh, and don’t underestimate those 300 men. Most of them are artillerymen. A skilled artilleryman can turn the tide of an entire battle. Remember, this may be your only chance to preserve your regime!”
Dandels exchanged glances with the leaders beside him, then turned back to Harriet. “Ambassador, we need to deliberate further.”
“By all means.”
Within an hour, the Patriot Party voted to abandon the peace talks and defend Amsterdam to the bitter end against the Prussian forces.
...
Two days later, a dozen individuals disguised as merchants, craftsmen, and even beggars infiltrated Nijmegen through various routes. They quickly made contact with two French spies.
In a small house on the outskirts of Nijmegen, these individuals formed a circle. Lieutenant Froyent, the leader of the operation, pointed to the eastern side of a map of Nijmegen on the table. “Wilhelmina is likely hiding in the estate of the Countess of Lippe. She rarely ventures out.
“Familiarize yourselves with the city’s roads and layout over the next few days. We’ll make our move this Sunday when she attends church.”
...
Palace of Versailles.
Joseph reclined in a chair, basking in the winter afternoon sunlight, and let out a long yawn.
The tax reform bill was still making its way through the High Court. There was no news from the Netherlands, and the newly launched police measures hadn’t yielded any results yet...
For the first time since arriving in this world, he found himself with some rare leisure time.
However, Dr. Lamarck, perhaps worried that he might grow bored, had sent over the refined salicin he had requested.
Joseph quickly instructed Lamarck to let him know next time, so he could send someone to fetch it instead of having the doctor travel all the way from Paris.
After seeing Lamarck off, Joseph examined the large bottle of nearly pure white powder. Opening the cap, he sniffed it—there was no trace of alcohol, only a clean, pure scent.
He opened a chest in his study, which contained pre-prepared glycerin, rose essential oil, and other auxiliary materials, along with various measuring tools.
Carefully measuring out 1,000 grams of glycerin, 60 grams of rose essential oil, and 22 grams of salicin, he combined them in a large glass flask.
The mixture quickly turned pale purple and emitted a fragrant aroma, with no visible trace of the salicin.
Joseph then diluted the solution at a ratio of one part mixture to three parts water, producing the first batch of “Angel Water.”
Frowning at the thin liquid, he thought it looked far too plain for a cosmetic product.
He decided to add a thickening agent. Grabbing a candlestick from his desk, he removed a candle made of premium beeswax.
Melting the wax into the glycerin, Joseph stirred the mixture continuously until it became thick and opaque.
“Now it looks like a proper skincare product,” he remarked with satisfaction. He scooped a small amount onto his hand, spreading it evenly across the back of his hand. The texture was smooth and hydrating, with a pleasant floral fragrance.
After waiting half an hour with no signs of irritation or discomfort, Joseph summoned his beautician to apply it to his face.
Soon, both the beautician and his assistant found themselves conscripted into bottling the product. Under Joseph’s direction, they filled 7-ounce oval glass jars with the thick purple gel and placed them in elegant wooden boxes embossed with the name “Angel Water.”
Despite their nimble hands, the two worked tirelessly until 3 PM, managing to produce only about 50 bottles.
After confirming that the beautician’s skin showed no adverse reactions, Joseph instructed Eymond to send 40 bottles to prominent luxury stores in Paris for consignment, pricing each at 15 livres.
He kept the remaining 10 bottles for himself and decided to present them to Queen Marie Antoinette. When it came to cosmetics, who could be a better ambassador than her? Especially as an unpaid one.
Walking down the corridor, Joseph did a quick mental calculation. Each bottle of Angel Water cost just over 1 livre to produce—the glycerin, derived from olive oil, was the most expensive component, accounting for 90% of the cost. The salicin, despite being the main active ingredient, was surprisingly cheap.
With a retail price of 15 livres per bottle, and deducting transportation and sales expenses, the profit per bottle was at least 12 livres and 10 sous!
He couldn’t help but marvel: “Indeed, women’s money is the easiest to earn! Master Ma wasn’t wrong!”
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