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Chapter 169: The Dust Settles
🕑 Added 2024-12-30 19:22:56 +0000 UTCChapter 169: The Dust Settles
Joseph glanced at Calonne's expression and decided to "add fuel to the fire":
"This time, the Public Investigation Office and the secret police have assigned over 60 people to this case. They will likely investigate everyone and everything related to it very thoroughly.
"Viscount Calonne, during this process, there's no guarantee they won't uncover some things you'd rather keep hidden."
Calonne could no longer remain calm. He spoke in a near-pleading tone:
"Your Highness, I swear to God, I had nothing to do with that investigator's death!
"Please, is there any way to keep those people from disturbing my already miserable life in exile?"
Joseph stared at him and said:
"Viscount Calonne, I want to help you, but first, we need to establish mutual trust. If you're honest with me, I can guarantee that no matter what you've done, I can keep you safe."
Calonne's hand trembled as he took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead. He was convinced that the young prince before him was representing the will of the Queen herself and that the Queen likely already knew much about his situation. However, he also knew his issues were severe, and he wasn't sure if exposing them would truly lead to the Queen's forgiveness.
Seeing Calonne's indecision, Joseph stood up and pretended to leave:
"Since you choose not to trust me, then you can deal with the secret police and the investigators yourself. I'm heading back to Paris."
Calonne panicked. He rushed forward and grabbed Joseph's arm, only to quickly realize his rudeness. He immediately let go, bowing his head and breathing heavily as he said:
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, really sorry. I didn't mean to offend you...
"Uh, well, can you really help me? I mean, if I've made some mistakes, can you ask the Queen for forgiveness on my behalf?"
"That depends on your cooperation." Joseph sat back down, now with a more friendly expression. "I told you, the royal family trusts and values you greatly."
As he spoke, he placed a pardon document on the table:
"You see, when I left Versailles, the Queen had already decided to pardon you."
Calonne was surprised and picked up the pardon, his eyes welling up with emotion. So the Queen had always remembered him, and not long after the tax reform issue, she had pardoned him!
He recalled what the Prince had said earlier—perhaps the Queen already knew about his wrongdoings and had sent the Prince to give him a chance?
Joseph added at the right moment:
"Viscount Calonne, our common enemy is Necker. As for you, you have always been a loyal servant to the King."
Calonne cautiously looked at the Prince and muttered:
"Your Highness, if I tell you about Necker, what kind of punishment will I face afterward?"
Joseph smiled, "Why don't you start by telling me about your own situation?"
Calonne's face turned pale, but realizing that whether or not he confessed, the Queen might already know, and even if she didn't, the secret police would likely uncover something after investigating him, he finally gritted his teeth and said:
"Your Highness, in fact, when I was serving as Minister of Finance, I... made some money for myself..."
Seeing Joseph nod calmly, Calonne assumed his deeds had already been exposed and began to speak more freely:
"Four years ago, I, along with Duke de Puys, during the expansion of the Grand Canal du Midi, we..."
He started to recount his misdeeds in detail, but Joseph, growing impatient, interrupted:
"Viscount Calonne, just tell me the total amount."
"Uh?"
"How much did you make in total from all of this?"
"Well... about..." Calonne hesitated, then lowered his head and whispered, "about 5 million livres."
Whoa—
Wow! Joseph could only think, Wow!
This guy had only been Minister of Finance for a little over four years and had made 5 million?
No wonder he was so terrified—some small provinces barely had that much in annual revenue. If this went to trial, even if he wasn't executed, he'd spend the rest of his life in prison.
Joseph hadn't expected to catch such a big fish while trying to take down Necker. If Necker was on the same level as Calonne, just these two alone could contribute over 10 million livres to France's finances.
This could be more profitable than the fashion week I organized! Joseph thought, gritting his teeth in frustration.
He suppressed his anger, knowing that he still needed Calonne's help to take down Necker. Taking a deep breath, he spoke in as calm a tone as possible:
"Since you're being so honest, I can assure you on behalf of the royal family that as long as you return the money you shouldn't have taken, we'll consider this matter closed.
"And if you help me take down Necker, there might even be some rewards for you."
"Really?" Calonne had expected at least some form of punishment, but to his surprise, the Prince was willing to let it go. He was so relieved that he nearly knelt to kiss Joseph's boots. "Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Majesty! You are truly merciful! May God be with you both!"
With his own situation settled, Calonne felt a wave of relief wash over him. A wicked grin spread across his face—Necker had been a thorn in his side for years, always undermining him. Now, he would drag Necker down to hell!
He moved the desk aside, activated a hidden mechanism in the corner of the room, and a small opening appeared in the ceiling. He climbed onto a chair and retrieved a stack of documents.
"Your Highness, these are the proofs of Necker's corruption that I gathered during my time as Minister of Finance." Calonne handed the documents to Joseph with reverence. "At the time, Necker also knew some of my wrongdoings, so I didn't dare expose him. But now, please make sure he faces justice!"
Joseph took the documents and flipped through them. The first few pages were copies of receipts, followed by descriptions indicating that Necker had allocated additional funds for a southern irrigation project, but the money ended up in the hands of a few local nobles, with Necker receiving a kickback of 350,000 livres.
Next was a record of a 3 million livre loan that Necker had taken from a certain bank. However, the money never made it into the treasury, and the French government had to pay 20% interest annually. It wasn't until five years later, after Necker was removed from office, that the funds were finally deposited, with a third of the interest going into Necker's pocket.
The third...
As Joseph flipped through page after page, his face turned increasingly grim. He finally slapped the documents down on the table and glared at Calonne:
"How much did he take in total from all of this?"
A look of satisfaction crossed Calonne's face:
"Your Highness, the total is 7.22 million livres."
Joseph took a deep breath. This guy is even more corrupt than Calonne!
But then, Calonne added:
"Your Highness, this is only what I have proof of. From what I know, Necker has embezzled much more than this, especially through his dealings with the banks, which were done very discreetly. I only found traces of some of them."
Joseph took another deep breath. "How much more?"
"Likely over 10 million livres."
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