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Chapter 182: The Scapegoat
🕑 Added 2025-01-08 21:10:26 +0000 UTCChapter 182: The Scapegoat
Two British technicians resigned within the following two weeks and accompanied Lido on a ship back to France. Along with them came six textile workers and their families.
The looms and the technicians were then sent to Versailles Palace, where "Honorary Lifetime President of the French Engineering and Technology Association," also known as His Majesty King Louis XVI of France, personally took on the task of dismantling and replicating the machine.
Originally, Joseph intended to have Murdoch handle the replication, but considering that Murdoch was already busy with the development of the high-pressure steam engine, and the royal workshop at Versailles was better equipped with precision machinery, he decided to entrust this important task to "the old man" instead.
At first, Louis XVI wasn't too pleased that the new research project wasn't the promised new rifled gun. However, after Joseph explained the enormous profits of the British textile industry and the critical importance of the automatic loom to the textile sector, the king rolled up his sleeves and eagerly dedicated himself to advancing France's industrial development.
But the shortage of skilled researchers made Joseph uneasy.
In all of France, only the king's small team and some highly-paid British recruits had engineering and research capabilities. Yet, the nation had so many mathematicians and physicists who weren't contributing to technological advancements, which seemed unreasonable.
The root of the problem lay in the nation's underdeveloped research infrastructure.
As Joseph traveled back to Paris, he gazed out the carriage window, pondering whether it was time to truly establish the French Engineering and Technology Association. He also considered creating something like a "Royal Award for Technological Advancement" to accelerate the pace of engineering research.
...
When Marquis Lido returned home, he immediately heard the news that Necker had been assassinated.
He barely had time to feel pleased before the butler handed him a newspaper with a bold headline: "Assassins of Necker Captured on the Spot, Currently Under Interrogation."
Marquis Lido felt the world spin around him, and he slowly sank into the sofa, muttering through gritted teeth, "That fool Boisrandal... Always boasting about his influence in the underworld, and yet the assassins he hired turned out to be such useless trash!"
In reality, Boisrandal had indeed hired top-tier assassins, but they were no match for the 80-plus agents of the Secret Police who had surrounded Necker, securing a half-league radius around him. Unless the assassins could fly, there was no way they could escape.
Joseph knew that the banking magnates who had suffered heavy losses due to the Necker case would want revenge. So he intentionally leaked Necker's whereabouts and arranged for the Secret Police to cooperate.
The royal pardon for Necker was genuine, but if the banking association wanted him dead, well, there wasn't much anyone could do about that.
The assassins were caught red-handed, with the weapons and evidence in plain sight. The motive was crystal clear, leaving no room for any conspiracy theories.
Of course, if Marquis Lido and the others had been truly cunning and refrained from acting, Joseph wouldn't have been too concerned. After all, Count Kapfel had a temper that far outweighed his brains. A few provocations from secret agents, and there was no way he could have resisted.
Marquis Lido, still holding the newspaper, suddenly stood up and ordered the butler to prepare the carriage for a visit to Count Kapfel's residence.
Two hours later, a group of banking tycoons gathered, all with worried expressions. They had learned a few days ago that the assassins had been captured, but with their "advisor" Marquis Lido out of the country, all they could do was wait.
Marquis Lido looked around at the five men in the room and said gravely, "Necker may have been exiled, but he was still the former Finance Minister. This situation will have severe consequences!"
"What should we do now?" one of them asked, panic in his voice.
Marquis Lido's eyes flashed with a fierce determination. "Since Boisrandal hired the assassins, he'll have to take the fall for this."
The others were shocked, only now realizing that Boisrandal hadn't shown up today.
After a long pause, they all sighed in resignation, tacitly agreeing to Marquis Lido's plan.
...
Switzerland.
On the banks of the Murg River in the town of Frauenfeld, Count Ségur idly fiddled with the cup in front of him, showing little interest in the tea inside. The quality of the tea leaves was so poor that even the servants in his house wouldn't drink it.
"These slow-moving Swiss..." He checked his watch and decided it was time to prod the Swiss Federal Assembly again.
He had already been in this mountainous backwater for a week. The Swiss treated him with the utmost respect as the envoy of a great power, but they still hadn't given him a satisfactory answer.
Seeing that he was heading out, his assistant quickly followed. "Back to the assembly hall, my lord?"
"Yes," Count Ségur said as he put on his hat, frowning. "I don't want to spend another day here. There's no decent tea, and not even drinkable coffee..."
His assistant opened the door for him. "What can you do? The Federal Assembly here doesn't have much power; they have to keep consulting the cantonal assemblies. Perhaps we should go to the Canton of Schwyz."
Count Ségur shot him a withering look. "I represent the great King of France. How can I negotiate with a mere cantonal assembly?"
A few Swiss servants hurriedly brought around the carriage, set up the wooden steps, and the count, still grumbling, climbed in. "This poor, pitiful country... Can you imagine a country without a capital? No capital! My God, why did I take this wretched assignment? That Denaro Bank had better come up with that 7 million livres, or there's going to be trouble..."
Yes, his mission in Switzerland was to demand the extradition of the fugitive shareholders of Denaro Bank and to recover the embezzled funds and fines owed.
The carriage rolled along the rough mountain roads, occasionally requiring the two Swiss servants hanging on the back to jump down and push the carriage up steep inclines.
When Count Ségur arrived at the gray-yellow two-story building that housed the Swiss Assembly, a short, square-faced middle-aged man came out to meet him. Recognizing the man as Swiss Federal Assembly member Fuller, the count was relieved to hear, "Ah, Count Ségur, I was just on my way to see you. We've finally heard back from the Canton of Schwyz."
The count's hopes rose. "Have they caught the fugitives? What about the embezzled funds?"
Fuller ushered him into the assembly hall, chuckling awkwardly. "They haven't caught the men yet, but the Schwyz Canton Assembly has already seized the assets of Denaro Bank. However, the bank's accounts show less than 4 million livres, and more than half of that is in loans, which will take time to recover..."
Count Ségur's expression darkened as he straightened up and glared at Fuller. "I am formally notifying you, on behalf of His Majesty the King, that Switzerland must pay all embezzled funds and fines to the French Reserve Bank within three months."
(End of Chapter)
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