Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

"I hope the riot hasn't affected France."

Theodore walked shoulder to shoulder with Talleyrand toward the reception room, while the Bavarian State Minister and Foreign Minister, among others, could only follow behind as mere accessories.

"It was more than a mere riot, Your Majesty," Talleyrand said loudly enough to ensure the surrounding Bavarian ministers could hear. "You must be aware of those Liberals' ideology—they have always sought to subvert the monarchy and plunder the nobility's wealth. They are a group of dangerous madmen!"

"And the recent events in the northwestern provinces of France were instigated by those madmen."

"They all deserve to be cursed," Theodore chimed in, though puzzled as to why the French had come all this way to discuss this matter, as it had nothing to do with him. "Oh, I've heard that the rebels from the Southern Netherlands seemed to be involved?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," the French Foreign Minister nodded immediately, "The Liberals I mentioned earlier are those South Netherlanders. They tried to use a riot to assassinate our King!"

Theodore thought to himself that since they were at war with the Southern Netherlands Rebels, it was no surprise they would cause trouble in France, but he still feigned concern, saying:

"Thankfully, those fellows didn't succeed. God has protected His Majesty."

As the entourage entered the reception hall, Talleyrand suddenly spoke with gravity, "Your Majesty, aren't you puzzled by this affair?"

"Puzzled by what?"

"Why do the Southern Netherlands Rebels have the audacity to boldly initiate a conspiracy against the French Royal Family?" Talleyrand looked towards Theodore, "And how could they procure thousands of guns and millions of livres in funding so quickly? Isn't that strange?"

Taken aback, Theodore slowly sat down in the chair at the head:

"What are you suggesting?"

"All this was orchestrated by a great power!" Talleyrand gesticulated passionately, "They who murdered their own King, then covertly supported the Southern Netherlanders to rebel, trying to tear this land from the hands of the Holy Roman Emperor.

"After the Southern Netherlands fell under rebel control, they weren't satisfied and prepared to spread the revolution to France!"

Those words tightened the hearts of Theodore and all the ministers present.

The intent of the South Netherlanders to assassinate the King of France had nothing to do with them, but if it was an attempt to export the revolution, that was a whole different matter.

The revolution of the Liberals was a nightmare lingering in every monarch's mind, a plague that could instantly kill an empire at the slightest touch!

They immediately thought of the "great power" as the first country to be contaminated by the "plague."

The Glorious Revolution had beheaded Charlie I and exiled James II.

Furthermore, considering that the Hanoverians were actively supporting the Southern Netherlands Rebels on the battlefield, it was clear that the British stood behind the Liberal South Netherlanders.

Talleyrand continued, "The British Parliament controls their King, controls the whole of England. They want other countries to follow their example, and if a King stands in their way, they will plot his assassination.

"They will stir up revolutions everywhere, and the events in France are just the beginning!

"If the monarchs do not unite to stop this, similar events will occur in Austria, in Spain, in Sweden, in Bavaria..."

In the meal Joseph was preparing for England, the situation in India was the main course, but accusing them of exporting revolution was the appetizer.

He remembered clearly from history how the fear of the exportation of the French revolution among European monarchs ultimately led to the formation of the Anti-French Coalition.

England was utilizing this very point to rally the countries of the European Continent, to bleed France dry.

Meanwhile, the British seem not yet to realize that the very act they have been encouraging the South Netherlanders to play in France is essentially exporting revolution—the States-General of the Netherlands is in the hands of the Liberals, and the ones causing trouble in France are also a large number of Liberals, cooperating with the French Liberals.

Since the British have played right into his hands, Joseph naturally doesn't mind letting them taste the wrath of the European monarchs.

The Bavarian Foreign Minister looked hesitantly at Talleyrand:

"Archbishop Talleyrand, perhaps what you say is a bit alarmist..."

Talleyrand immediately gestured toward the hall:

"I've brought someone with me, you can ask him yourself."

Theodore signaled the guard to bring in the prisoner escorted by the French soldiers.

Talleyrand said to the man, "Who are you?"

"Steven Albert Visari."

Immediately a Bavarian official remembered the name:

"He's the clerk of the Speaker of the States-General of the Netherlands... cough, I mean, the head of the rebel leaders!"

Yes, this man was indeed Vandernoot's clerk—the highest official within the "Free Alliance Committee" captured by the French Intelligence Bureau.

Talleyrand continued to question:
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"Please tell everyone, why did Vandernoot intend to subvert the French Royal Family?"

Visari replied dejectedly, head hung low:

"It was the instigation of the British Foreign Minister Wellesley. He told the Speaker, 'Start a revolution to overthrow that tyrant,' and proposed a plan to spread rumors about France's land buyout scheme, using the discontent of the French peasantry and nobility to create an uprising and ultimately dethrone Louis XVI, establishing a French Congress..."

Suddenly, the drawing-room was filled with an uproar.

What Visari said wasn't entirely true—speaking as the French had demanded, he would receive a sum of money to live out his life in the United States—but he had merely jumbled the order or misattributed details, without fabricating a single word. Even if the Bavarians investigated, they would most likely conclude that "the statement is true."

Talleyrand again gestured towards the exterior of the Munich Palace:

"I have also brought more than 20 Dutch rebels, if needed, His Majesty can have them interrogated."

With Visari's words taking the lead, no matter what those following said, everyone was inclined to pin it onto the British.

A few hours later, Duke Theodore of Bavaria looked steadfastly at Talleyrand and said earnestly:

"We must unite and do everything we can to make the British abandon this dreadful idea!"

The next day, Talleyrand left Munich, heading for Wurttemberg.

In his itinerary, his subsequent stops included Mainz, Upper Hesse, Austria, Sweden, and other countries, repeating to them what he had said to the Bavarians the day before.

After that, he would also visit Saxon, Lower Hesse, and even Prussia. Despite these countries currently aligning with England, when it comes to exporting revolution—a matter of grave importance—they could turn against the British at any moment.

As for whether these countries believed him or not, he did not care. Even if they didn't believe him, the British would have to waste a considerable amount of diplomatic resources to clarify the situation.