Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Queen Mary hurriedly picked up the document in front of her, unsure of where she had left off, and could only seek help with a glance toward Joseph by her side. Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire

Seeing her son nod slightly, she immediately assumed an air of authority and nodded, "I agree with the proposal, please Archbishop Brienne prepare the relevant decrees."

Archbishop Brienne quickly bowed, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Joseph sighed with relief in his heart, his "salami tactics" had succeeded.

Although the influence of officials in water management and road administration was minimal, once this decree was signed, it would essentially open the door to "examinations for official appointments"!

Exactly how to define positions that "require more specialized knowledge" offered a great deal of leeway in interpretation.

Would you say finance requires specialized knowledge? What about industrial management, agriculture, trade, or justice?

In time, slowly boiling the frog, more and more government positions would fall under "professional examinations," eventually encompassing all posts, marking the completion of the most critical step in administrative reform.

By then, professional studies for officials could be opened to educational institutions like the University of Paris and the University of Toulouse, with the Administration College responsible only for assessments.

It would then become a complete system of "public service examinations," and administrative reform would be thoroughly concluded.

Most importantly, the process would be gradual, not provoking strong opposition from the existing bureaucratic layer.

Of course, there would certainly be those dissatisfied with this system, given that some nobles' useless progeny could no longer rely solely on their connections to secure high-ranking positions. But they would also remember the impressive inspection of the police force and turn their dissatisfaction into mere grumbling, voicing complaints without taking any real action.

In fact, even with such public service examination systems, the nobles still had a significant advantage.

Firstly, the cost of university tuition at that time was extremely high, unaffordable for the average family.

Secondly, nobles' offspring were more familiar with the exam content for the Administration College — their parents were among the first to study there. It wasn't like in the internet age, where civil service exam past papers were readily available. Even if commoners mastered their professional subjects, they might not outperform nobles in public service examinations.

Therefore, this made the nobility even less resistant to the examination system, with the noble class still controlling most government positions.

Joseph had no desire to pursue absolute equality, as in the 18th century the role of the nobility was irreplaceable.

Then, Archbishop Brienne continued, "The next proposal, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince suggests the creation of an 'Auxiliary Administrative Institution,' as a backup system for main administrative departments in case of unexpected incidents, ready to take over management immediately."

Seeing that the audience was somewhat puzzled, Joseph explained, "I thought of this because of the recent corruption case.

"As you know, currently, more than 40 officials are on trial, and most are likely to be convicted. The matters they are responsible for will soon be stalled, a risk that has to be taken into account.

"Thus, I suggest the establishment of an 'Auxiliary Administrative Institution,' with positions modeled after those of existing government departments, but which would normally only accrue experience without being granted actual power.

"In the event of an emergency with current officials, corresponding officials from the 'Auxiliary Institution' could immediately take over."

Justice Minister Baron Breti immediately frowned, "Your Highness, such a move would entail a significant increase in officials' salaries. And according to you, these people in the 'Auxiliary Institution' would be nearly idle most of the time..."

Joseph smiled, "Your concerns are very valid, so the salaries for officials of the 'Auxiliary Institution' would be set lower. They could also be tasked with manageable duties, such as organizing documents and copying information."

"But still, this is..."

Mirabeau, observing the Crown Prince's expression, stood up and said, "Baron Breti, do you realize how long the administrative management interruption caused by the recent jailing of a large number of officials lasted? It could well exceed a month.

"The loss incurred during this period is enough to pay several months' salaries for officials nationwide.

"I believe His Highness's idea is excellent, as it not only maintains administrative stability but also enables idle nobles to take on duties and contribute to the nation."

Joseph immediately gave him an approving gaze. To connect contributions to the nation with the welfare of nobility, only Mirabeau could make such a stretch.

Joseph simply wanted to create a slew of "wasteful positions" to accommodate those who bought their way into office. After all, these people had paid in real cash and had agreements with the government, and unless they committed serious infractions, it was difficult to outright dismiss them.

So, he devised the "Auxiliary Administrative Institution," modeled after Nanjing Defensive Court of the Ming Dynasty. The titles of their posts remained the same, but once transferred from the Beijing Imperial Court to Nanjing, they would be stripped of all power and only await retirement.

As professional assessments for officials gradually became widespread, all officials who merely occupied their positions aimlessly and focused on embezzling would inevitably be blocked by assessments, and then they would have to settle for the "auxiliary positions" to accumulate experience.

Joseph did not see the support of an additional group of bureaucrats as a waste of money.

On the contrary, replacing those who bought their titles with individuals capable of effective work would provide a positive impetus for the nation, the benefits of which would far exceed their modest salaries.

Not to mention that the "auxiliary positions" were not entirely without function; they could at least handle document organization, potentially reducing the need to hire several ordinary clerks, so the additional expense would not be significant.

Baron Breti assumed that the Crown Prince simply wanted to create more official positions to collect more money from the sale of titles and therefore immediately nodded in agreement.

Queen Mary did not let her mind wander this time. Seeing that the ministers had no objections, she signed the document handed to her by Archbishop Brienne — such a small-scale administrative adjustment even did not require the King's signature.

After discussing some routine affairs, the Cabinet meeting concluded.

Queen Mary watched as Archbishop Brienne took his leave, recalling the events of the meeting earlier that day and suddenly called out to him.

Archbishop Brienne turned and bowed slightly, "Your Majesty, do you have further instructions?"

Queen Mary hesitated, "Archbishop Brienne, do you think, if I were not to attend Cabinet meetings, could the Crown Prince lead the ministers to handle state affairs properly?"

Brienne thought to himself: Certainly, he can. The Crown Prince has long been the one upholding France's big picture. In fact, if you do not attend, the efficiency of the meetings might even improve a bit.

However, he still expressed great surprise and exclaimed, "You are the soul of France, Your Majesty! If you were not to preside over the Cabinet, it would be a disaster for the country!"