Descending On France 1780
Chapter 65 - 65 061 Is history slipping away

65: 061 Is history slipping away?

65: 061 Is history slipping away?

The King stood up, then lifted his blue cloak, which was filled with the markings of fleur-de-lis.

The King’s position was on the highest step, one level higher than his Queen.

Wearing this cloak, his walk was extremely difficult; it was evident the thick cloak was very heavy.

As for the scepter in the King’s hand, Anning once thought it was a walking stick, until the King got closer and Anning realized it represented royal authority.

The King was not wearing a crown—or perhaps the crown was obscured by whatever creature’s fur on top of his head.

A large necklace encircled his neck, so large that it looked like an accessory fixed to the cloak.

Anning thought to himself that the necklace looked like something he’d seen a “big shot” wearing on Douyin before time traveling.

With this thought, he glanced at Queen Mary next to him, wearing an oversized necklace herself, which also emitted an intolerable air of gaudiness.

Good grief, with gold-clad big shots and their women, isn’t it time to whip out a phone and capture this spectacle?

Queen Mary had once been deceived into buying fake jewelry for a hefty sum, but it seemed like that had not lessened her fondness for luxurious accessories.

—Are you really almost bankrupt?

I don’t think it looks like it.

On the step below the King and Queen’s, sat the Royal Family’s important officials, and Anning saw Necker, the Royal Household Treasurer, sitting in the chair closest to the King’s right hand, the Swiss noble wearing a very conspicuous large cross medal.

The same type of medal the King also had, just a size smaller, worn on a thin gold chain around his neck, on top of the thick gold necklace.

The King’s Cardinal’s position was on an even lower step, the Pope’s representative with a stern face, assuming an air of detachment from the world.

At this point, the King began his speech.

Louis XVI: “Ladies and Gentlemen!

I am very pleased to meet you all here.

As you all know, our country recently fell into serious financial difficulties, to a point that is unsustainable.

“Look at the clothes I am wearing today, not a single new piece.

A King, having to wear old clothes at such an event, one can imagine how tight the Imperial Palace’s budget is!

“My wife Marie, she is also wearing an old dress today, altered from a dress worn only twice!

Her jewelry, too, is her own dowry brought over from the Habsburg family.

“So now, we must increase taxes!

This is not only for the sake of the Royal Family itself, but also for the bankers and the nobles who have lent money to us!

Without new sources of taxation, the Royal Family cannot even afford to pay the interest on the debts!

“Now, Mr.

Necker, our Royal Household Treasurer, is racking his brain to borrow new money to pay off old debts, robbing Peter to pay Paul!

It is clear this situation cannot continue!”

The King’s litany of woes made all the Third Class representatives in the audience furrow their brows.

Next to Anning, Dan Tong muttered, “Damn it, if there’s no money, that Austrian Woman should spend less.”

Anning: “Your Majesty is quite frugal, as long as he has a lock, he can have a great time.”

Most of the gentlemen around chuckled at Anning’s humor, except for Maximilien Robespierre, who still kept a stern face.

At this moment, a gentleman in the front row turned back and said, “As far as I know, the King also goes hunting occasionally; he visited the royal hunting grounds just a few days ago.

But compared to his Queen, His Majesty is indeed a thrifty person.”

It’s mainly Queen Mary who has gone too far.

After finishing his complaining, the King continued, “I have reviewed the summary petitions submitted by each Estate, and I consider only two matters as urgent: one is to increase taxes to solve the fiscal troubles of the Royal Family, and the second is the equitable distribution of taxes.

I agree with your request, all Estates should pay taxes equally, without any privilege of tax exemption!

“However, those dangerous reforms you proposed, I believe, are absolutely unacceptable!

France, since the time of my great-grandfather, has been a nation centered around a Monarch.

How long ago was the glory of the Sun King?

Many of you, have surely heard your own ancestors tell stories!

“The era of my great-grandfather was so brilliant, such a vibrant and thriving scene, it is still before my eyes!”

Anning was shocked.

What, are you going for an upper hand in numbers as well?

Louis XVI: “Since in the era of my great-grandfather, France’s regime could welcome glory, it still can today!

Things without problems do not need to change!

“I hope that the representatives can abandon those dangerous ideas and discuss on the basis of maintaining France’s regime, figuring out ways to overcome the current difficulties!”

At this moment, the representatives of the Third Estate below were in an uproar, the murmuring sounds even drowning out the King’s speech.

As if not hearing these whispers, the King like having completed an important task, returned to his throne on the highest step with a sense of relief.

At this moment, the Finance Minister Necker stood up.

This noble from Switzerland also often appeared at social gatherings in Paris, and he was seen as the representative of the progressive new nobility at the court.

Necker stepped forward slowly, and after a moment’s consideration, he began, “Ladies and gentlemen, His Majesty has just stated that France has now entered a state of unsustainable condition.

Although it can still barely maintain operations through borrowing, the royal debt has inflated to an incredible extent.

Even if we combine the assets of everyone present, it may not be enough to pay off the entire royal debt.

“I once suggested His Majesty declare bankruptcy, so that the debts could all be written off…”

Anning, as a hardcore P Society gamer, thought to himself, “No, don’t do that, the bankruptcy DEBUFF is too terrifying.

Other countries will definitely come to take advantage of us, and there will be a massive outbreak of ‘Lindon Millions’ domestically.

It would take decades to recover from a bankruptcy.

In P Society games, when facing a financial crisis, one should find a wealthy and powerful country to fight, using war indemnities to fill the fiscal gap…

Necker: “But His Majesty refused.

He believes that it would have too great an impact on the royal prestige, and in the future, it might be impossible to find anyone willing to lend money to the Royal Family.

“But the financial crisis is an issue that cannot be ignored, so we convened the Estates-General, and nobody can imagine this country without a King, can they?”

Anning: No, I can not only imagine it, but I have also seen it in history textbooks.

Necker said a few more noncommittal words and then was about to end his speech.

At that moment, as he turned to leave, someone among the representatives of the Third Class shouted, “Necker, what about the constitution?

What about the constitution we were supposed to draft?”

Another representative yelled, “And what about the voting reform?

Please respond to our motion to vote per capita!”

Necker pretended not to hear and returned to his seat.

The ceremonial officer stepped forward and loudly quelled the noise of the delegates, “Next, the Third Estate meeting will officially begin!

The first item on the agenda is the verification of representative rights!

Each of the three classes, please return to the rooms allocated to you to review the representative rights!”

Anning recalled the process of the Estates-General from his memory.

Remembering that this was the time when someone should stand up and oppose the separate review of representative rights by each Class.

This was actually a divide and conquer tactic, with the three Classes discussing behind closed doors, and certainly, the other two would not agree to count votes per capita.

The vote on the voting issue would probably be conducted in the manner of one vote per Class, which was absolutely not going to pass.

Thus, the first step in the struggle of the Estates-General was to refuse to review the representative rights separately.

At such times, there should be a delegate from the Third Class taking the lead to oppose the separate deliberations.

Anning, for the moment, had forgotten who this person was; his name might not have even been recorded in history.

He waited with bated breath for this person to stand up and oppose.

However, nobody opposed.

Under the urging of the ceremonial officer, some representatives of the Second Class and the First Class had begun preparing to leave.

What the hell?

Is history about to change?

Did I just accidentally take the place of the person who would stand up and oppose the separate verification of representative rights?

Or is it that this era is just full of randomness, so that person just didn’t get elected?

Facing history that was about to go off the rails, Anning was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

No!

Don’t let it happen!

A Cardinal from the First Class had already stood up.

Even some representatives of the Third Class were preparing to leave!

Damn it, I can’t just stand by!

Anning decided to stop history from going off track!

He slapped his thigh and stood up: “Wait a minute!

I object!”

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.