Chapter 482: The Tide Turns
Baron Gasson, the assistant municipal commissioner of Caen, gripped the newspaper tightly in his hands. Although it was still quite cold in mid-April in France, sweat was trickling down his forehead.
The headline on the front page of the newspaper read: "Public Integrity Bureau Launches Operation, Uncovers Corruption Among 40 High-Ranking Officials."
As he read through the article, he saw that high-ranking officials, including the Governor of Poitou and the municipal commissioner of Poitiers, had already been arrested. The second and third pages of the paper were filled with details about their corruption.
Since all of these officials held high positions—the lowest being judicial assistants in city halls, equivalent to deputy mayors—this news caused a massive stir, with the entire nation paying close attention.
But what made Baron Gasson most anxious wasn't the positions these officials held, but rather what they all had in common.
Through his bureaucratic network, he had learned that all of these 40-plus officials had sent letters to Versailles opposing the abolition of the tax farming system.
It couldn't be just a coincidence!
It was clear that the exposure of their corruption was the royal family's way of punishing them. The determination of the royal family to push through tax reform was obvious—they were even willing to "deal with" governors.
Baron Gasson suddenly remembered the letter of protest he had sent to Versailles two weeks ago, and a cold chill ran down his spine.
He had accepted a bribe of 8,000 francs from a tax farmer named Eurydice, promising to "advise" the government against abolishing the tax farming system.
He had thought it was just another routine protest, something he had done many times before. Especially during the time when the Duke of Orléans was still alive, he had opposed things like tax reforms and the arrest of Necker, and nothing had ever happened to him.
But this time, it was different.
With over 40 officials already arrested, Baron Gasson angrily threw the newspaper to the floor and stood up abruptly, ordering his servant to prepare the carriage.
He knew his own hands weren't clean—in fact, no official's were. If the Public Integrity Bureau came knocking, it wouldn't just be his job on the line; he might end up in prison!
He needed to find a way to handle this situation quickly. The only solution he could think of was to unite with other officials who opposed the tax reform and create a bigger outcry. If enough people were involved and their opposition was loud enough, the royal family wouldn't be able to punish them all at once.
"Cursed Eurydice!" he muttered, just as his butler hurried over and handed him a letter.
"Sir, this just came back from Paris. It seems there was some issue with the postal system."
Baron Gasson froze—wasn't this the very letter he had sent to Versailles opposing the tax reform?
He quickly tore open the envelope and found his letter still inside, bringing him a wave of joy.
Now, he was no longer part of the opposition to the reform, and the Public Integrity Bureau wouldn't be coming for him!
Without wasting any time, he rushed to the fireplace and threw the letter into the flames.
Then, he hurried back to his study, grabbed a pen, and wrote a new letter fully supporting the abolition of the tax farming system, instructing his butler to send it to Versailles.
The royal family's stance was now clear. Only a fool would remain neutral at this point. Compared to the tax farmers' interests, preserving his position was far more important.
...
In a luxurious villa in the southern suburbs of Paris, Fould was relaxed as he discussed next year's tax farming quotas with several major figures from the tax farming association.
"Since last year, the volume of goods exported to Germany and the Mediterranean has increased significantly. I estimate that this year's total tax revenue could increase by around 70 million francs," said Van Kevich, rubbing his wine glass. "The government will surely demand that we raise the tax farming quota. I suggest we raise it by 30 million francs next year."
Hope immediately shook his head. "You're far too generous. We're also collecting taxes in Luxembourg and the Southern Netherlands, so our costs have risen significantly. The tax farming quota should increase by no more than 10 million francs."
Fould smiled. "We can simply underreport this year's tax revenue. How would the finance minister know the true amount? So, our negotiating position should be to keep the quota unchanged, or at most, increase it by…"
He was interrupted by his trusted butler, who entered the room with an urgent expression. Fould frowned. "Mr. Geoffroy, what's so important?"
"Sir, you should see this." The butler handed him the latest issue of the Paris Commercial Gazette.
Fould barely glanced at the headline before his face turned pale. He snatched the newspaper and exclaimed, "The Austrian wench dares to arrest more than 40 officials who opposed the tax reform!"
He handed the newspaper to Hope. "We need to act quickly."
The officials who had been arrested had all taken money from them. Even though it was only their subordinates who delivered the bribes, it was better to be safe and make preparations.
Hope was surprised at how quickly the Public Integrity Bureau had found evidence of corruption among so many officials, but he soon smiled. "Don't worry, it's only 40-some people. We've invested over a million francs in this effort. Soon, there will be many more letters of protest piling up on the Queen's desk. Does she plan to send hundreds of officials to prison?"
"If she does, that would be perfect," Van Kevich chuckled. "It would push the entire French bureaucracy to our side."
Fould, still uneasy, suggested, "Should we allocate more funds to get even more officials involved?"
"That would be wise."
After a brief discussion, they decided to spend another 200,000 francs to bribe more officials and escalate the situation.
However, that very afternoon, their contacts at Versailles informed them that the Queen had only received around 40 letters of protest. The postal system had experienced an "accident," resulting in some letters being burned in a warehouse while many others were returned to the senders.
Hope and the others looked at each other in disbelief. Could this really be a coincidence? If so, the opposition to the tax reform would be limited to those 40-some officials, and other bureaucrats would likely distance themselves from them immediately!
Sure enough, soon afterward, several officials who had accepted bribes quietly returned the money. Their agents, sent to bribe more officials, were turned away at every door—one even got a good beating from an official pretending to be incorruptible.
A few days later, their informants at Versailles reported that officials across the country were now voicing their support for the tax reform, especially those who had previously accepted their money.
Soon after, Parisian newspapers were filled with headlines like "Tax Reform Widely Supported, Tax Abuses to Be Corrected," with lists of officials who had expressed their support, along with their statements praising the reform.
Before long, more and more officials began to follow suit, and supporting the tax reform became the politically correct stance among French bureaucrats.
Meanwhile, the power players behind the tax farming association hurriedly convened another meeting.
(End of Chapter)
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