I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 167: The Queen Teaches the Art of Kingship

Queen Marie hesitated for only half a second before agreeing with a smile, "You're absolutely right, Archbishop Brienne. It's time to pardon Viscount Calonne and bring him back to Paris."

She had always appreciated Calonne's abilities and was even more satisfied with his loyalty to the royal family. If it hadn't been for the pressure from the Assembly of Notables, she would never have exiled him. Now that even Brienne didn't oppose the idea, she was more than happy to go along with it.

Brienne exchanged a subtle nod with Joseph, then bowed to the Queen, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."

"And your broad-mindedness has earned my respect even more," Queen Marie replied with a smile. "In a way, Viscount Calonne is your competitor, yet you have selflessly suggested pardoning him for the sake of the royal family's dignity."

"Thank you for your praise. It's my duty to serve the royal family."

Brienne suddenly felt he had gained much from this brief meeting—just half an hour's work, and he had secured the favor of both the Prince and the Queen.

The Queen's secretary quickly drafted the pardon according to the standard format, and after she signed it, it was sent to King Louis XVI for his signature and seal.

Seeing that everything had gone smoothly, Joseph and Brienne prepared to take their leave.

However, just as they reached the door, Queen Marie called out to her son, "Joseph, dear, wait a moment. I just remembered there's something I want to discuss with you."

Brienne took this as his cue to bow to the Prince and left the Petit Trianon alone.

Joseph turned back, somewhat surprised, and put on an innocent expression, asking, "Mother, what do you want to talk about?"

The Queen led him to a small balcony surrounded by white marble railings, where she squinted at the setting sun and began to speak earnestly. "Joseph, you are destined to become a king one day. I've always thought you were still young, so I didn't bring up certain matters. But now that you've shown remarkable talent and are increasingly involved in managing the country, I must talk to you about what it takes to be a good king."

"You..." Joseph's eyes widened in surprise. Are you seriously going to teach me how to be a king?

Queen Marie glanced down at Brienne's departing figure and continued in a rare serious tone, "As a king, the most important thing is to have your own opinions. You can be close to some ministers, but you must never let their ideas sway you. And you certainly shouldn't let them dictate your actions."

Joseph: "???"

Seeing the confused look on his face, the Queen sighed and tried to be more explicit. "Since you started participating in Cabinet affairs, you've always been by Brienne's side, agreeing with everything he says. You even support him whenever he comes to me with important matters."

Joseph was speechless, thinking, Mother, you've observed this very carefully, but haven't you got the relationship backwards...?

He could only nod and say, "Ah, yes."

The Queen continued, "Although Archbishop Brienne is very capable and experienced in politics, you should only learn from him, not follow everything he says."

Joseph could only keep nodding, "Yes, yes, you're absolutely right!"

Seeing her son so eager to learn, Queen Marie felt gratified and patiently continued, "With ministers like Brienne, you should assert your authority as the heir apparent more. For instance..."

Joseph could hardly suppress his laughter. Brienne already listens to me about everything—how much more authoritative do I need to be?

"Yes, yes, I will definitely remember that."

Queen Marie, now on a roll, continued her lecture on kingship until the sky had completely darkened, showing no signs of stopping. Joseph, anxious to deal with the Calonne situation, found himself unable to get a word in as his mother kept talking.

Just as he was growing increasingly desperate, he noticed a lively, petite figure passing under the balcony in the light of the street lamps.

It was Clementine—after the fashion week, Queen Marie had asked her niece to stay at Versailles for a while, saying she wanted to spend more time with her. Naturally, Clementine was delighted.

Joseph's eyes lit up. I'll use her to get out of this! He turned his head and desperately signaled to her.

Clementine suddenly felt a warm gaze on her, and when she looked around, she saw her cousin's handsome, charming eyes.

"Prince Joseph!" She beamed and lifted her skirt, quickly running up to the second floor.

With this little chatterbox around, the Queen had no choice but to pause her "King 101" and smiled as she welcomed her niece.

Seizing the opportunity, Joseph quickly made his exit, politely excusing himself.

But no sooner had Clementine settled into the Queen's arms than she noticed her cousin leaving. She immediately sprang up like a little bird and curtsied to the Queen. "Your Majesty, I just remembered..."

Queen Marie smiled knowingly and nodded toward Joseph. "Go on then, and good luck!"

Clementine blushed but quickly turned and ran off, leaving behind a hasty "Thank you, Aunt!"

As Joseph left the Petit Trianon, he was already considering who to send to approach Calonne—Marat was injured, Fouché's role was too conspicuous, and no one else seemed suitable.

He then remembered that Mirabeau had mentioned the opening of the Nancy Industrial Development Zone and that his own steam engine factory had also started production. He had been wanting to visit but hadn't found the time.

Since Toul and Nancy were so close, why not go see Calonne himself and then visit Nancy to check on the industrial progress there?

As he pondered this, he heard the sound of small boots clattering behind him. When he turned around, he saw his cousin eagerly catching up to him.

"Cousin, where are you going?" Clementine asked, her big, bright eyes full of curiosity.

"I..." Joseph blurted out, "I'm going to Lorraine."

Without missing a beat, Clementine exclaimed, "I want to go to Lorraine too! Please take me with you!"

"To play?" Joseph found himself at a loss but managed a smile. "Lorraine is rather remote and desolate, not much fun there."

"I want to go see..." Clementine had no idea what Lorraine was like, so she quickly glanced at her maid for help, her eyes pleading.

The maid, also from Austria, was briefly stumped but then remembered hearing something about a dish called "Artichokes with Veal" from northeastern France. She nervously whispered the name to Clementine.

Clementine's French wasn't great, and the maid had spoken too softly, so she only caught the last word, "artichoke." Delighted to have something to say, she enthusiastically told her cousin, "I want to see the coal mines!"

The French words for "artichoke" (chardon) and "coal" (charbon) are quite similar in pronunciation, so it wasn't entirely her fault.

Joseph's eyes widened. "You... want to see coal? Well, there are plenty of coal mines in Lorraine."

Realizing she might have said the wrong thing, Clementine had no choice but to double down, nodding vigorously. "Yes, that's right! I'm fascinated by coal mines... The vastness and depth, the way they bring light and warmth to people... It fills me with an inexplicable sense of awe."

(End of Chapter)

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